Posts Tagged ‘Superman’
7 items.
You would have to be living under a pretty formidable rock to be unaware that actor Christopher Reeve passed away this weekend from hear failure. Some of you may have wondered why I’ve been relatively quiet on the subject until now.
Mostly it was because the news of his death didn’t enter the news cycle until Monday morning after that day’s comic had already been posted. I also didn’t want to mention it into the blog like it was some kind of historical footnote. I knew a comic strip dedicated to his memory was the only way to go. Being a site about movies, it should be expected. I know I certainly expected it of myself.
The reason behind the kind of confrontational attitude in the comic had a lot to do with the opinions I’ve been collecting since Monday. Trolling the internet as I do, you’ll see a pretty wide variety of reactions to Mr. Reeve’s passing. By in large, I would say the response has been shock and sadness. But every so often, you encounter a bitter soul that can’t seem to find anything positive to say about a man that left behind a legacy of inspiration and lobbied tirelessly for the advancement of research for the paraplegic.
I was particularly emboldened to go ahead with today’s strip after reading comments left by Absath over at Ctrl+Alt+Del. An unfortunately uneducated reader sent him an e-mail calling Reeve selfish for trying to find a cure for his paralysis only after suffering the affliction himself…
# THE REST OF THIS BLOG POST WAS LOST WHEN THEATER HOPPER MOVED TO WORDPRESS IN JANUARY 2009 #
[ No Comments ]
I’m trying to decide if this is the most controversial comic I’ve ever done or not. Some people really got up in arms about the Fahrenheit 9/11 comic from a while back, but I think this one may have trumped it. People tend to take religion pretty seriously.
Well, hopefully you all know how to take a joke and realize that I’m not implying Jesus was gay or anything like that. I’m just having fun with all of the ridiculous comparisons the media has been making to Superman now that Superman Returns is in theaters.
By in large, you hear more about the gay thing and the Christ thing more than the immigrant thing – but it all applies. Intrinsically, that’s the appeal of Superman. He’s the EVERYman. As a superhero, since he can DO anything, so he can BE everything to everyone. The fact that only certain facets of what Superman can potentially represent are being talked up in the media in order to stir up controversy I think is really lame.
After all, for every gay man living in the closet who identifies with Clark Kent and the dual life he leads, there is a 5 year-old kid out there who is just as enamored with The Man of Steel for the amazing feats of strength he performs – wishing someday he could grow up to be like him. I know that was certainly the case for me when I was growing up.
But no one talks about the aspirational qualities of Superman. It’s far more interesting to point out the gay thing or the religion thing or the immigrant thing because those are all hot-button topics in the “real world.” Was anyone talking about this kind of stuff when the original Superman movie came out back in 1978? Or even when he came back to television in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman? Of course not.
You don’t need to associate the latest controversy de-jour to make Superman relevant. He’s always been relevant and always will be all on his own.
I know a lot of you have already seen Superman Returns. I haven’t be able to make it out to the theaters since it arrived on Wednesday and it’s killing me. But Cami and I are going to see it in IMAX on Saturday afternoon and it’s going to be great. I’m chomping at the bit to see the “bulletproof eyeball” sequence on a 70 foot tall screen. I’ll tell you if the Big Blue Boy Scout flinches!
[ No Comments ]
I kind of felt like I was shirking my duty not talking about Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest incredible first weekend at the box office. When you stop to think about it, the accomplishment is pretty crazy.
I mean, sure, there’s always going to be debate about box office records. What with inflation and the increased number of theaters across the American strip-mall landscape. But when you frame Pirates three day take of $132 million against Superman Returns take of $52 million (ignore the bloated numbers from the extended 4th of July "holiday weekend)… well, to paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction – we’re not in the same ballpark, the same league or even the same sport. I mean, Superman Returns had one of the largest domestic releases ever – 4,065 screens. Now Pirates sweeps through and everyone is like "Superman, who?" Just goes to show how fickle we can be, I suppose.
I know Pirates 2 has its detractors, but I’m just glad that the numbers were better than X-Men 3’s Memorial Day weekend take of $102 million. Superman Returns was supposed to knock it off it’s throne as *the* summer blockbuster. When it didn’t, it gave validity to the Brett Ratner’s of the world at the expense of what I felt was a sincere and thoughtful adaptation of The Man of Steel. Superman Returns at least had something on it’s mind and it was being punished for it. Meanwhile, I disorganized noise-fest like X-Men 3 takes home all the cash? Not fair.
If a balls-out action/adventure movie is going to take the brass ring this summer, I would rather it be Pirates 2 than X-Men 3. That’s all I’m saying.
[ No Comments ]
Only because I like talking about comic book stuff do I feel compelled to report that British actor Henry Cavill has been cast as The Man of Steel in Zach Snyder’s Superman reboot.
That sound you hear is me loudly shrugging my shoulders in indifference.
Here’s the thing: unless you watch The Tudors, you probably have no idea who Henry Cavill is – and that’s fine! In fact, I think it’s smart to go with an actor that conventional audiences aren’t familiar with. Superman as a character is larger than any actor, so you might as well go with an “unknown” so audiences don’t ascribe any preconceived notions on the performance.
My indifference comes from Zach Snyder directing.
I know that Snyder has his fans. I know that some people think 300 and Watchmen were two of the greatest movies ever. But when I comes to Snyder, I check out. I think he’s the clearest example of “falling upward” in Hollywood and this wunderkind status he’s been afforded really rubs me the wrong way.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – he’s a mimic. A very convincing mimic. And he doesn’t have an original idea in his head. Maybe Sucker Punch will prove me wrong. But I cast a cynical eye on that one, too. Steampunk ninja robots? “I’ll take ‘Things The Internet Likes’ for $1,000, Alex.”
So, anyway… yeah. Henry Cavill is Superman. Whoopiety-do.
[ 11 Comments ]
This is kind of old news, but I’m playing catch up this week, so bear with me.
On Monday, rumors started flying that Kevin Costner had been cast in Zack Snyder’s reboot of Superman. It didn’t take very long before Latino Review reported that he would be playing Jonathan “Pa” Kent – Superman’s adoptive father.
I think this is a mistake. When I think of Costner, I don’t think of him as a father figure. Nor do I ascribe a nurturing moral center to his list of character attributes.
I think Costner would have been better utilized playing Clark Kent’s brassy Daily Planet Editor Perry White. It’s a bit part, sure. Probably not worth Costner’s time. But it’s a better fit.
Costner is one of those actors that everyone WANTS to like, but he’s got a bit of an a-hole streak in him. I put him in the same category that I put Hugh Grant in – an actor who tried to win people over with charm and good looks but who is ultimately more effective playing self-centered rouges.
I can easily see Costner wearing a vest, chewing on a pipe and barking orders at a grown up Clark Kent than I can see him wearing bib overalls, chewing on a wheat stalk and giving the teenage Superman advice about doin’ what’s right.
Costner has a slow, considerate nature in his performances that I think might have blinded Snyder to the opportunity right under his nose and made him think he was better for Pa Kent. But in my view, Perry White would have been the more interesting father figure for Costner to pursue.
What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below!
[ 4 Comments ]
[ 3 Comments ]
I’m not exactly sure where the idea for today’s strip came from. Except that I read the headline that Lindsay Lohan was in talks to join Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot, potentially being cast as Lana Lang- Clark Kent’s high school crush.
The casting news seemed so out of place to me, the only was I could reconcile it in my mind was to presume Snyder wanted someone on-set with access to good drugs.
Y’know… because Lindsay Lohan… has a… has a drug problem.
She takes a lot of drugs, is what I’m saying.
I didn’t really think this one through. I was probably more focused on the reversal in the punchline, if I’m being honest with you.
Something I won’t do in this space is use this news as an opportunity to bash Zack Snyder again. Even I know that I’m sounding a bit like a broken record on that front.
Although I will admit that I’m somewhat curious about the casting decisions so far. For example, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Ma and Pa Kent are interesting choices. Individually, the casting makes sense. Amy Adams as Lois Lane makes a little bit of sense if you’re going for the spunky reporter angle. Less so if you’re trying to portray her as a hard-nosed journalist. Then again, Bryan Singer cast Kate Bosworth as Lois, so I suppose there is no where to go but up.
I guess my concern is that all of these casting decisions sound fine on-paper. But I wonder how they are going to perform together as an ensemble? Tossing Lindsay Lohan into the mix would be a real wild card – and I don’t mean that in a positive way.
Truthfully, Lohan is rumored to be in consideration for SO many movies today (as she tries to bouy her sagging career), I’m not convinced this isn’t a little bit of campaigning on her part. Would anyone put it past her to cravenly beg for the park like Sean Young did for Catwoman in Batman Returns?
I tried to find video from when Young went on The Joan Rivers Show dressed as Catwoman before sitting down for an interview about how she’d be perfect for the part. But the clips I found didn’t have any audio. Reportedly, Young also showed up at Warner Bros. Studio in her costume and was thrown off the lot after she tried to meet with Tim Burton.
I guess it’s wait and see with Lohan. I’m not exactly against the idea of her playing Lana Lang. It’s a bit part, a fun cameo, probably. I’m just more confused by the reports than anything else.
Had you already heard the rumor? What was your reaction to it? Does anyone want to grab a Coke with me? LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!
[ 12 Comments ]
