Movies (and occasionally face slaps) (Part 1)

Miller’s Batman is interesting because it underscores how fundamentally fascist superheroes are in way that’s challenging for fans of the genre to deal with.

1 Like

Indeed, that is a fair reading. Nonetheless Miller himself went way off the deepend and was a frothing anti-Muslim propagandist by the 2010s and there is plenty of clear anti intellectualism baked into his work from the 1980s. I wouldn’t give him a pass - I think the hateful right wing politics in his work is plenty sincere.

1 Like

Miller recognized that superheroes are fascist, but also he got off on fascism. Or maybe he’s levelling everyone.

1 Like

For sure, we are in agreement there. Miller is atrocious lol. And The Dark Knight is a great Batman movie while also highlighting the worst aspects of the character.

To me, one of the appeals is seeing a person overcome with grief turn that pain into a force for good. And then it’s just wish fulfillment to be the person so smart that you could defeat anyone, even Superman. That was one of the only good moments in the Justice League movie. Flash says hey, what’s your super power?

“I’m rich.”

Even better in the animated film Justice League: War.

The problem with superhero movies is that there are only so many ways you can punch and kick your way out of a bind. Until you’ve seen those 5 or 6 ways, the stories are pretty cool. Afterward? Eh, not so much.

That’s one reason the Marvel movies are usually better than the DC ones. In Marvel, the heroes use their abilities in cool ways. In DC, it’s basically all brawling.

2 Likes

I think you get at precisely why the Snyder movies and DCEU movies have tended to suck so hard.

For example, a great Batman movie is fun for the audience by making them feel like the smartest people in the room. They stand side by side with Batman while he must outsmart a rogues gallery that has every opportunity to outsmart and overpower him. And all he has to defend himself is his wits. The gadgets are at their best when serving as extensions of his investigative prowess.

What do the Snyder movies do with that? “I’m rich.” His only understanding of the character is a strict father driven to beat the shit out of people. To kill Superman for having even a 1% chance of turning into a bad guy.

Of course that’s not fun. Of course that’s stupid. You can get the fun of someone in a Batman costume beating up criminals once or twice before yeah, the movie has to be about something more or it’s same old, same old.

1 Like

The CW shows solve this problem by making the episodes 50-60% about superheroes solving their relationship problems.

1 Like

Never forget that Snyder viewed Rorschach as the hero in Watchmen, and is a gigantic Ayn Rand fan.

Batman has great comic book stories, as stated earlier with Miller etc.
The animated seies/beyond were also really good.
The Arkham games are great.

You just need to tell a good story. Justice League and BvS did not.

1 Like

Yes. How indeed could we ever forget that.

1 Like
  1. I don’t think the original story has a hero in that way.

  2. Snyder’s opinion means fuck all.

  3. Rorschach was a good guy. Have you read the original?

The New Mutants finally releases tonight. There is faint praise in a review from Hollywood Reporter, but otherwise, no one will see it until VOD.

The real Rorschach was quite the stud muffin:

220px-Hermann_Rorschach_c.1910

I don‘t know. Most likely you are just seeing what you want to see.

8 Likes

Judging-Athletics-300x199

Three out of the four judges didn’t get it

BELIEVE

https://collider.com/bill-and-ted-face-the-music-review-keanu-reeves-alex-winter/

GOAT trilogy?

1 Like

Part 2 has no right to be good, but it has some of the best gags. Can you even imagine pitching Station to a studio? And Death cheating at the games and pitching a fit when he keeps changing the rules and still loses.

Amazing to think this isn’t even the first (or second) cool trilogy Keanu has starred in.

Bogus Journey is, imo, most excellent. For some reason at some point in school someone had forced me to watch Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” which really adds to the Bogus Journey experience.

2 Likes