Here's the archived comments from the "Movies/Books/Games" thread that used to be on the Spirit Blade Weblog. "Reliance" posts will be re-posted on this blog separately as well.
SPIDER-MAN 3
Definately worth seeing. Characterization spread a little thinner than the last two, but not by much. The heart of each character is definately present. You ache for each one of them. The love story is still central and holds it all together, and the action is outstanding.Check it out!
Posted by: Paeter May 04, 2007 at 02:29 PM
Wow...
What a great start to a already fun adventure. Paeter, you did a great job holding things together and focus. I enjoyed everyone there that evening and am looking forward to working a great deal more with these folks.
Posted by: Debuc April 30, 2007 at 04:36 PM
Truly, a well done overview of our little "encounter" with evil last night.
Posted by: Dylan April 29, 2007 at 03:55 PM
Here's the first synopsis of our game sessions in the DC Heroes RPG campaign I'm running!
THE RELIANCEIssue #1
Based in Bludhaven, New Jersey, "The Reliance" is a group of superheroes banded together to do more than just rescue the innocent from danger. Their goal is to truly make a difference in each person they save, investing time and effort to make lives better.Having come together to explore their unique abilities, each team member brings something different and valuable to the group.
Candice, the enigmatic girl with wings, has a unique connection to the supernatural world. Messages from God direct her path while her considerable spiritual powers grow with each passing day.
Iron Hand, a genius with technology has constructed a powerful and multi-faceted suit of armor that hides his crippled form and makes him a mission-driven adversary, not to be taken lightly.
The Road Warrior, a world-class stuntman, haunted by his past, is seeking answers that will explain his unusual ability to rob meta-humans of their powers, making them his own.
Surge, a struggling college student, but with the power of a thunder-storm coursing through his veins. Emerging from the shadow of his wealthy family, he's really just lookin' for some fun!
And still to come, another hero will join their ranks....
"Sibling Rivalry, Part 1"
Called to the scene of an unusual robbery, each hero had to find a way to escape their daily routine without drawing suspicion. Each hero, that is, except for Road Warrior, who was home watching T.V. and discovered the robbery on the news.
Candice and Surge both found ways to exit their college class, unfortunately not without causing a power outage throughout the building.Iron Hand who, as Alex Noir, is a head of R and D at Wayne Tech, brushed passed Bruce Wayne on his way to "armor up", reminded of his important meeting with the billionaire later at 3:00.
At the scene of the crime, gang members ran from a bank, carrying bags of money and armed with strange and advanced armor and weapons. Road Warrior and Surge delivered a combination blow, skillfully slamming open a fire hydrant with Road Warrior's car while electrifying the water to take out half of the thugs.
Iron Hand flew in from above, towing a chain-link fence to sweep some innocent bystanders out of harms way. Seconds later, the same fence was used to apprehend two of the thugs, while Candice unleashed a wave of pure terror that flooded into the soul of each criminal, making them wish they'd never emerged from the womb.
After each thug was neutralized, including their apparent leader, the police arrived. At first, they mistook The Reliance for criminals. They were soon persuaded by Iron Hand that The Reliance has Bludhaven's best interests in mind.
At the same time, Candice used her mystical healing ability, paired with a growing knowledge of scientific medicine, to heal those injured during Iron Hand's "forceful" rescue.
Grateful for their assistance, the police gave The Reliance free reign to examine the crime scene and move forward with an investigation.
Meanwhile, unknown to the police, Road Warrior has tucked away one of the gang members' strange weapons, hoping to soon uncover it's nature...
Posted by: Paeter April 28, 2007 at 11:34 PM
Not really
Posted by: Dylan April 28, 2007 at 10:36 PM
Okay, Dylan. Were you even ALIVE when Thundercats was on the air??
Posted by: Paeter April 28, 2007 at 02:31 PM
Whoo! "Fighting evil, we drink milk and we purr a lot. Ask me to cross them, and I would say, 'I'd rather not'" - Relient K, song title: Lion-O. The game is gonna be friggin sweet tomorrow night!
Posted by: Dylan April 27, 2007 at 10:59 PM
In preparation for Spiderman 3, I watched the first and second Spiderman films yesterday and tonight. Tonight I watched the 2.1 version for the first time and enjoyed it, although not quite as much as I'd hoped. Much of the advertised 8 minutes of "never before seen footage" is actually represented by alternate takes. Some of which weren't as good as the original takes used in my humble opinion. A couple additions were slight extensions of scenes that in some cases were great, and in others just dragged the moment on longer than it needed to be.That said, there were a few great new action and special effects bits that were wonderful to have. One of which even filled a gap that I always felt in the orginal cut.And without spoiling it, there's a great bit with J. Jonah Jameson after he's taken ownership of Spidey's costume. Better than great. Freakin hilarious!So if you're not a die hard superhero freak, you at least want to rent this one. But if you're like me, your collection will be missing something without it.Good stuff!
Posted by: Paeter April 25, 2007 at 10:06 PM
If you fancy puns, particularly truly *horrible* ones, go read the webcomic Dominic Deegan.
Posted by: Danielle April 25, 2007 at 07:26 AM
I'm just kiddin' you guys, I don't wanna scare nobody off. These blogs are terrible with sarcasm.
Posted by: Dylan April 23, 2007 at 10:51 PM
Does anybody else read these or am I the only one enjoying myself. Please, if your a fan, COULD YOU POST A COMMENT?!?!
Posted by: Dylan April 22, 2007 at 09:24 PM
Yes, a supply for my onslaught of puns! I think I just might read those and add to my arson of word inflictions. Soon, I will be unstoppable! Or should I say, PUNSTOPPABLE!
Posted by: Dylan April 22, 2007 at 09:22 PM
Dylan, what can I say? You're amazing.You should read some of the "Xanth" novels by Piers Anthony. Xanth is a fantasy world constructed almost entirely of puns.You'll either love them, or they will forever cure you of your fixation.
Posted by: Paeter April 22, 2007 at 12:24 PM
Ha ha ha! "only God knows" and your character is an angel. Ha ha ha!
...The Pun-master srikes AGAIN!!!
Posted by: Dylan April 21, 2007 at 11:08 PM
No problem, Danielle. I've got electronic copies of all the characters in our group and I can just print you out another. At least as far as stats go. If you did a lot of fleshing out of your character's backstory in writing, I don't think I have that. But you can re-construct the basics, I'm sure, and that info isn't vital the first game night.
Posted by: Paeter April 20, 2007 at 10:53 PM
...only God knows where my character sheet is. Will this be a problem?
Posted by: Danielle April 20, 2007 at 10:46 PM
Woohoo! A battle next week. To vanquish evil and all who support it! Although, I have to say, I'm somewhat the thorn in the side of the team weakening even the biggest guy on our team. Our characters probably won't get along too well. And then there's Chronos' unfortunate flashback lapse every time he sees a girl get hurt and oh, lookie here, we have an angel on our team. I just hope my character Surge doesn't have one of his "fits" our first game. One thing's for sure, this is going to be quite interesting...
Posted by: Dylan April 20, 2007 at 08:09 PM
Ye gods and little fishies, you ARE evil. Brrrr.
This looks to be a fun campaign.
Posted by: Danielle April 02, 2007 at 12:54 PM
Patience, Danielle. Darkseid is never one to rush. You have time to grow stronger while living daily in fear of the inevitable.
Posted by: Paeter April 02, 2007 at 09:45 AM
[b]Darkseid[/b]?! How evil [i]are[/i] you? If I recall correctly, Darkseid royally thrashed the JLA, therefore our motley crew is about to get *owned* on a truly cataclysmic scale.
Unless we have a direct act of God – oh….wait. Candy is half angel. Hm…..
Posted by: Danielle April 01, 2007 at 10:01 PM
Another player generated most of his character today and it looks to be a pretty cool "power-armor" type hero. He will easily be the big bruiser of the group, packing the most direct physical force and strength. It will be interesting to see how he works out with one of his teammates, who happens to have the ability to short out electronics...
Just one player left who needs to create a character and our team will be complete.Stay tuned here for updates on the adventures of the worlds newest team of heroes!
Posted by: Paeter April 01, 2007 at 08:21 PM
Tonight was "Character Generation Night" for my new RPG group. So far our group of original heroes has an electricity manipulator named Surge, a time controller called Chronos, and a half-angel enigmatically called "Candice".Still two more players who need to create their characters, but it's looking to be a very interesting and varied group of heroes who will next storm the DC universe and interact with the likes of Superman, Batman and of course, when the time is right... Green Lantern.But they'll need to get their feet wet before playing with big boys like The Joker, Brainiac or Darkseid. Still, it's only a matter of time before the world, or even the universe needs saving, and they're the only ones around to do the job!
More on our valiant group of heroes next month!
Posted by: Paeter March 31, 2007 at 11:24 PM
Tonight I rented "Tenacious D in: The Pick Of Destiny".Wow, this movie was funny. The language was really rough almost non-stop but these are great characters and the movie had me laughing out loud for much of the time. A rare thing for me and comedies.If language isn't an issue for you, definately check this one out.
Posted by: Paeter March 31, 2007 at 01:18 AM
This past weekend was a blast as usual. The games ran into the wee hours of the morning. The players played well and the battles were fought to the last man. Some were won, and some were lost. Descent is definitely my game of choice.
As for the "Death Quest" the only advice I can give you Jon is to stay on your toes. You never know what's coming. Good luck my friend.
And you Mr. Overlord, we'll rematch in June, and this time, I won't go so easy on you!
Posted by: Mark March 27, 2007 at 09:44 PM
Yesterday I returned from a great weekend of playing Descent with my friend Mark in California.On day two of our marathon I thought my back was bothering me because I was sleeping on his floor, but when he was feeling the same pain we realized it was because we were spending hours on end hunched over a low table playing our boardgame! I spent the rest of the weekend doing warm-up and cool-down stretches just to play a boardgame!And for those interested, Mark fought valiantly and successfully until the final quest of the weekend, where his group of adventurers fell before the might of... well I'd love to say it was me, but we both felt like that particular quest was designed pretty badly.
And in the last 9 months a new combatant has entered the arena. My brother in law, Jon (featured as the pilot and several shock troopers in "Spirit Blade") has been playing Descent with me as well. He and Mark are running neck and neck right now. That status will remain if Jon loses this quest. If Jon survives the quest Mark fell to... well we'll both tip our hats to him as he takes the lead. Good luck, Jon! (And no, I'm not going to tell you which quest Mark lost. Just stay on your game.)
Posted by: Paeter March 27, 2007 at 12:22 PM
Dead Silence
I saw this film on Monday and really enjoyed it. Particularily as an audio producer.The writer and director that brought us the first "Saw" film teamed up again to bring this supernatural horror film to life and their chemistry has created another winner.If it weren't for the wonderfully disturbing visuals of all the creepy dolls, this story could be easily translated into audio drama. One of the key ideas in the film is that you are safe until you scream, at which point the ghost "gets ya". And each time before the ghost shows up, all the surrounding ambient noise is sucked away. Clocks still tick and leaky faucets still drip, you just can't hear them any more. It makes for nail biting suspense as you wait in complete silence for the big "jump" scare. I usually think jump scares are cheap, but because of the thematic material in this film, it works and actually pays off well.I always love it when a movie fuels my creative energy like this one does. In fact, I'd better get back to work on a couple of the creepy scenes in our next project!See ya!
Posted by: Paeter March 21, 2007 at 09:57 AM
The only thing quaking will be the ground as your pathetic little forces run away. Use this time well Paeterboy, you only have four days to prepare!!
Posted by: Mark Pennington March 19, 2007 at 03:34 PM
The "Mega Game Night" that we planned at our church last weekend was a great success! I may even be starting a role-playing group with some of the people I met there!I can't wait!Meanwhile, I'm prepping for another marathon weekend of gaming with my friend Mark in the L.A. area.As you read this, be assured that he is quaking in his boots in anticipation of what I will bring upon him this weekend!
Posted by: Paeter March 19, 2007 at 03:27 PM
Not sure what I'm going to do when I run out of RPGs on PS2. I don't see many RPGs coming out for X-box or Wii, but PS3's price is ridiculous!
Posted by: Paeter February 24, 2007 at 09:22 PM
Starting approximately March 30th I will be running a monthly game of the DC Heroes RPG at the Atomic Comics Mesa store. (I can't wait!) So if you're interested in being a part of it, e-mail and let me know at paeter@spiritblade.net!
Posted by: Paeter February 23, 2007 at 10:54 PM
GHOST RIDERFinally saw Ghost Rider yesterday, and this film was fantastic!The visual design of Ghost Rider's costume and bike were wonderfully done. Nic Cage was very suited to the role. The special effects were used very well and I left the theatre wanting to buy Ghost Rider comics! (And I'm somewhat anti-marvel!)Mark Steve Johnson directed this film after already bringing us Daredevil and Elektra. This film marked a huge improvement over both of those films.Go check it out!
Posted by: Paeter February 21, 2007 at 06:22 PM
IRON MAN ANIMATED MOVIE
Bought it this week and really enjoyed it! I had a Best Buy reward zone discount coupon and only paid $8, but it was certainly worth that, and even the $12 it was selling for the first week.It was a real improvement over Ultimate Avengers 2, which I didn't like as much as the first one.If you're a fan of comic books, iron man, or even just cybernetic armor, you'll at LEAST enjoying renting this one!
Posted by: Paeter January 28, 2007 at 06:38 PM
CRANKThis DVD had a great feature I'd love to see more of: An alternate "family friendly" audio track with all swearing dubbed over! Ironically, we still had to do a fair chunk of fast-forwarding for sexual content. The action was fast paced and the humor at some spots made me laugh out loud! This movie had some great things going for it, but the unneeded sexual content makes it a one time view only for me.
PAN'S LABRYNTHI can't recommned this film enough! It just came to our theatre. Don't let the subtitles scare you away. This film, from the director of "Hellboy", is dark, imaginitive, emotional and spellbinding. Roger Ebert very appropriately calls it "a fairy tale for grown-ups". It's much more like the classic fairy tales which were often dark, scary and even gruesome. Not for children. But the human drama running parallel to the fantasy elements, and the film's incredibly unique visual style, make this movie one of the best fantasy films I've ever seen. A definite DVD purchase. Don't miss this one!
Posted by: Paeter January 20, 2007 at 02:33 PM
Okay,Looks like I'm hooked on Final Fantasy 12. I finally adjusted to the camera (mostly) and the battle system. I still miss the cinematic spell and fighting animations, but the rest of the game looks and plays really well, so I'm sold.Granted, it's not my favorite Final Fantasy (#9 is king!!), nor does it "feel" like Final Fantasy in many respects. But it's still a good RPG and for that, I'll spend my weekends in the world of Ivalice for many weeks to come.
Posted by: Paeter January 02, 2007 at 09:26 PM
I've been playing Final Fantasy 12 for a few hours and the jury's still out. It's got all kinds of RPG goodness, but the camera system feels funny and can't be adjusted, and the battle system is almost real-time, when my preference is turn-based.Still, I'm adjusting as best I can because I don't want to miss out on a great gaming experience on account of a couple issues.The only thing left to be determined is whetehr or not the rest of the game is good enough to warrant fighting my way through the down-sides. We'll see!
Posted by: Paeter December 30, 2006 at 10:33 PM
I rented and watched "A Scanner Darkly" this afternoon. Not being familiar with the the source material, I can't speak to the adaptation of the original work. But the movie, while visually interesting, moved at a slow pace with lots of inconsequentials filling the dialogue. It was an independent film and felt like one, if you know what I mean. It didn't have a focused point but was rather one of those "slice of life, make of it what you will" stories. Didn't do much for me.Man, I wish "Pan's Labrynthe" would have been showing somewhere in Phoenix.
Posted by: Paeter December 29, 2006 at 10:19 PM
ERAGON
Checked this movie out today. Not great, but it has some real potential if they learn from their mistakes.The characters felt undeveloped and the script forced. The acting was also weak, which didn't help the material.The second half of the movie picked up though, with the production design taking centerstage with the fantastic make-up and costumes, as well as the "look" given to magic when it appears. Very cool.I've heard that other critics are saying some of the same things I am, so hopefully the producers will tighten up the script and get better coaches for their actors on the next film.Since it's the first of a presumed trilogy, I'll reserve my final judgment until I see the second part.For now, if you're really itching to see ANY kind of fantasy movie with high production value, go check it out. Otherwise, stay home and bust out your Lord Of The Rings trilogy while you've got time on Christmas break.
Posted by: Paeter December 20, 2006 at 11:07 PM
Mark's coming back to town this weekend and we'll be making time on Saturday morning for some Descent....He won't know what hit him.
Posted by: Paeter December 19, 2006 at 12:16 AM
THE LOST ROOM 2??
Correction, this thing MIGHT go to another mini-series or series. The final part was fantastic, and it didn't exactly leave you hanging real bad either. The main story of the characters was resolved, but the mystery of the Lost Room and it's origins was left a mystery. That aspect was very dissapointing. Had they answered a few more questions about the Lost Room, it could have ended well and been the most high quality mini-series ever made(outside the Battlestar Galactica minis-series that started what is now the best show on television). Still, if I hear that a series or mini-series will be coming, I'll certainly buy the DVD for this and tune in for the continuing story.VERY inspiring. Wish I could write like that.
Posted by: Paeter December 13, 2006 at 11:15 PM
THE LOST ROOM
If you get the Sci-Fi Channel but haven't been watching this mini-series, you're seriously missing out. A brilliant concept, mysterious plotline, a few creepy characters...For the budget of a TV mini-series, I don't think I've ever seen better in terms of over-all quality. It makes the right choice to not rely on "wow" visuals that it can only do cheaply, and instead uses its effects to support the various sci-fi concepts it presents.I'm completely hooked and am SO glad it won't be a regular tv show. I'm sure they would ruin it by trying to stretch it out longer. I think the last part is on tonight, although they may be airing the first two parts before it, so check your listings and don't miss out!
Posted by: Paeter December 13, 2006 at 09:49 AM
In the next few weeks/months I'm working through the idea of starting up a paper and pencil RPG group for the game "DC Heroes."It's been almost five years since I last had a regular group, with two or three games spread thinly over the last half of a decade.That's far too little role-playing for my tastes, so hopefully something will work out. I'll keep ya posted, since I'm sure everyone is so fascinated with my satisfaction as a huge geek, right?
Posted by: Paeter December 11, 2006 at 09:44 PM
Decided to make this a more general forum for talking about all things "geek" in my world.
For starters, I just finished playing "Shadow Hearts" for the PS2 for the second time and it's still an AMAZING game! I couldn't help but start into the sequel again right away!Final Fantasy 12 has got a tough record to beat in my opinion. If you like console RPGs, you really owe it to yourself to give "Shadow Hearts" a try!
Posted by: Paeter December 10, 2006 at 09:48 PM
Saw "The Nativity Story" tonight with some friends. Not bad. It certainly doesn't misrepresent anything theologically speaking, and they were very respectful of the text outside of a few historical issues. Not a movie that will provoke a great deal of new thought, but also not one that will mislead.Hopefully it will do well in the box office so that more films like this can be made, and made to be a little more compelling.I'd give this film 2.5 or 3 out of 5.
Posted by: Paeter December 09, 2006 at 09:08 PM
"Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut"MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
After just one viewing, I can say with confidence that this version is superior to the Lester version in almost every respect. I was sad to see a couple action scenes taken out, like some of the small town brawl before the military shows up, but was VERY pleased with the new material. The Daily Planet sequence at the beginning was superior to the now missing Niagra Falls sequence, and the missile explosion freeing Zod and crew was a great tie-in to the first film.I also appreciated many of the "funny bits" being removed (all Lester's cheesy humor) and replaced with more meaningful character development. The restoration of Superman's powers by sacrificng further contact with Jor-el was a wonderful touch, and made it so much more powerful.And the infamous "Zod uses a machine gun" scene that I had only ever remembered as a foggy childhood dream from a TV airing was fully restored and wonderfully dark. Non's stupidity and other silliness removed(Mt. Rushmore, ice-cream cone blowing into a face, S-Sheild net, and most other ridiculous "new powers", etc.,) our villains were actually scary.The only thing I would have done without is the time-travel ending. Now, I realize this was the originally intended ending and was cut and pasted onto the end of the first film, but without an alternate ending to the first film where Superman is NOT forced to go back in time to save Lois, this just feels like a repeat.I would have loved a new ending to Superman 1 tagged onto this DVD, were it at all possible, so that I could better appreciate this ending to Superman 2. As it is, when I sit down to watch the Superman movies, I'll have Lester's DVD ready to go so I can view his ending instead of Donner's, just so I can feel like Superman doesn't have a fix-all that he can use whenever someone breaks a nail. Even if it does involve the use of a "new power", without all the others being used in this version, I can justify it and make it work still within the lines of the traditional Superman mythos.Having said all that, the Donner Cut is a wonderful movie! Thank you Michael Thau for restoring this incredible film!
Posted by: Paeter December 01, 2006 at 10:48 PM
Apart from a mix-up with the "Superman 3" DVD that Warner has assured they will exchange/fix, the Ultimate Superman DVD collection is a must have for hard-core comic book fans. The Donner version of Superman 2 and additional commentaries, documentaries and other extras are very insightful to the world of Superman Cinema. I declared today a holiday and did nothing but watch the Superman 2 Donner cut and absorb hours of other special features. And I've still got a long way to go!But it's back to the real world tomorrow, so the rest will have to come in pieces. (Sigh!)WELL worth the $75 that Best Buy is charging for it this week.
Posted by: Paeter November 28, 2006 at 10:44 PM
THE PRESTIGEHolly and I saw "The Prestige" this week. We really enjoyed it! (Except for the chatty old guy sitting next to us.)Some may find it predictable, others may be suprised by it's ending, but Holly and I represent both groups and we both found it VERY enjoyable.I still wish Chris Nolan would have gone straight to the next Batman film, but hey, this one had Batman, Alfred and even Wolverine in it! So I guess I'll just have to make do with that.
Posted by: Paeter October 28, 2006 at 12:01 PM
SAW II
I actually didn't see the decoy house coming but as soon as the cop went into the right house I knew he was done for. It was clever and I was suspicious of the druggy girl the entire movie. Something just didn't sit right with her. She seemed like the only one not to get sick. The needle pit was definitely creepy but I think the oven got me the worst. Being burned alive is one of my worst fears. That and I can't imagine being one of the people outside of the oven listening to the tormented screams of the person inside. Ugghhh....horrible way to go.
GUARDIAN
Have you seen the previews for this? I caught it when I went to see Pirates II. For a Kevin Kostner flick I'm pretty excited. The action looks good, the storyline seems well thought out and you know a main character is going to eat it in the end which always makes for good drama. Although slightly predictable, I'm really excited to see it.
Posted by: Mark September 07, 2006 at 10:28 PM
SAW 2Alright! So maybe you'll catch Saw 3 when it comes out this October. I totally agree about the character development. The torture I cared about most was the needle pit, and part of that was probably because we knew the most about her character.Did the twist at the end get you? Or did you see it coming? I was blown away! But it made perfect sense!!
Posted by: Paeter September 06, 2006 at 07:45 PM
SAW II
So I finally caught this movie (thanks Paeter) and I was thoroughly impressed with the creativity. I mean I thought I had seen every possible way to mutilate a person prior to killing them until SAW II. On the otherhand I was a little disappointed with the character development. I really didn't grow attached to any of the characters which made me numb to their deaths, creative as they were. Overall I give it a much better rating than the original though. The sniveling doctor ruined the first one for me.
Posted by: Mark September 06, 2006 at 12:49 PM
DONNIE DARKOJust rented this one last night (Director's cut) and really enjoyed it! (When the DVD didn't skip.)A dark psychological bit of sci-fi about parallel universes and time travel, wrapped in a mind-bending package. Worth checking out!
Posted by: Paeter September 02, 2006 at 04:19 PM
Anybody see "The Wicker Man"? I'm curious and might see it with my dad sometime.
Posted by: Paeter September 01, 2006 at 01:28 AM
THE DESCENTWatched this movie last Friday. It was pretty good. The creatures were creepy, the violence wasn't just bloody, you FELT it with the characters makiing it engaging, not overdone.It also made GREAT use of sound, and is another inspiration to me as I look forward to doing some scary "creature scenes" in future installments of the "Spirit Blade" story.
Posted by: Paeter August 22, 2006 at 09:56 PM
SNAKES ON A PLANE and BATMAN 2 (I copied Brad's and my comments to here, origianlly found in "Paeter's Brain")
The biggest movie of the summer... Snakes on a Plane! Yeah baby!!! OK, seriously, what is hollywood thinking?
(sarcastically)I know that you're going to go see it Paeter. Don't tell you that you aren't; I know you man!
Posted by: Brad August 16, 2006 at 09:37 AM
Batman stuff
I know that this is a bit premature, but how do you think the new sequel to Batman Begins is going? Heath Ledger as the Joker? Do you think that the title The Dark Knight is going to stick?
Posted by: Brad August 16, 2006 at 10:21 AM
Actually, I'm really not planning to see Snakes On A Plane at this point. But time will tell.As for Batman, I have my doubts about hunky "Heath-bar" pulling off The Joker. But again, time will tell us if he's got some more versatility than we've seen so far. He'll need it! The Joker is all ABOUT versatility!I hope the title "The Dark Knight" sticks, or is at least used as the sub-title-"Batman: Dark Knight"I've wanted them to use that as a Batman title for years, and I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking it's cool. It's also a way to assure movie-goers that yes, this is still going to be the dark and gritty Batman we know and love from "Begins".Just be on the lookout if there are any rumors about a "Caped Crusader" movie.Yikes.
Posted by: Paeter August 16, 2006 at 03:48 PM
Posted by: Paeter August 16, 2006 at 04:03 PM
From his creation, Superman has always been steeped in biblical roots.The story of an otherwised doomed child being sent off in a baby-sized escape vehicle mirrors the origin of Moses, whom Superman's jewish creators would have been very familiar with.As the years have passed, however, Superman has reflected more and more the story and character of Christ, rather than Moses.The comparisons are obvious in the first film. "For this reason, above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son."In "Superman Returns", it would seem that Bryan Singer wanted to increase messianic comparisons. After a second viewing, and hearing comments from others, several "Christ moments" are found littered throughout the film. I'm sure I'll find more once I own the movie on DVD, but here are some that come to mind now. (Feel free to add your own observations!)
First off, as Kris mentioned, the focus in this film is on saving people, not on defeating evil. Christ's work on the cross was to save us AND defeat evil, however banishing evil completely is a feat that Christ will not complete until sometime in our future. His work now is focused on saving those who are lost.
This film appropriately captures the felt need for a "rescuer" in our culture when Superman says to Lois, "You say that the world doesn't need a savior, but every day I hear them crying out for one."Superman really models the character of God here, in that he is good, and just, and strong enough to save us and make the wrong things right.
I think it's interesting that as Lex (or was it Kitty?) is reading the newspaper, Kitty is softly singing "He's got the whole world in his hands" a well known spiritual about the strength and gentle caring of God.
When Superman is attacked and beaten down by Luthor's thugs, the helplessness of this god-like man and the nature in which he was dragged across the ground painted a picture of the beatings depicted in "The Passion" that Christ, God AS man, recieved on the way to the cross.
Although in scripture this didn't come until after Christ's death, it was an interesting choice to have Lex stab that "spear-head" looking shard of kryptonite into Supermans "side", just as Christ was stabbed with a spear in the side.
Another moment of probably unintended symbolism comes while Superman is lifting the kryptonian island or the "anti-fortress" as I like to call it, up into space. His arms are almost positioned the same as if he were on a cross, and like Christ, he carries the burden of a death meant for mankind on his shoulders in our place and for our sake. As he sends it off into space, delivering us from destruction, he has spent himself completely, his work "is finished", and he gives himself over to death.
After his time spent being "dead" at the hospital, Superman mysteriously vanishes, and an attending nurse, very much like Mary Magdelene, finds an "empty tomb" with nothing but linens remaining where Superman once lay.
Of course, the metaphor has to end at some point, otherwise we're not telling a Superman story. We've made a really wacked-out movie of the gospel accounts. Superman wears tights and a spit-curl and has had a child with Lois. So although he points a lot to Christ, unless you're a "DaVinci Code" believer, he doesn't LOOK much like Christ. Still, there are enough similarities that I think Christians should embrace this film as an opportunity to approach biblical philosophy with others in a new and fresh forum.
As an aside from a comic book fan, Lois having Clark's child bothered me. It bothered me in Superman 2 when Superman slept with Lois. In the comics, they never slept together until they were married. In a world of relative morality, Superman has always upheld traditional, if not biblical, standards for morality that have always set him apart from other heroes. It's one of the things that has made him unique, and very looked up to by the heroes and citizens that co-habitate his fictional world. Aside from the character issue, Lois and Clark have not had a child yet in the comics, and I think ground as monumental as a child should be treaded first in the source material, not a TV show or movie. Having said that, I'm still intrigued, and if they can tell a good story with it, I'm totally game.
So there you have it. "The Gospel According To Superman". I'll post here again when more messianic references in this film occur to me. Though I'd love it if you beat me to the punch! See ya!
Posted by: Paeter July 12, 2006 at 11:10 PM
Making the most of Superman
I want to reflect the mission statement of the new Superman film, according to Bryan Singer, which is to deal with the question of Superman’s relevance in a world that is supposedly too cynical and jaded for this type of primary color wearing, boy scout superhero. One initial thought that crossed my mind is that one could take the view that Superman is supposed to save us from the legacy of his own heritage as it is manifested on Earth, since Lex Luthor’s criminal plan is inspired by the capabilities of Krytonian technology. Perhaps that is a small part of it. Setting that aside however, I picked out another pattern emerging during the course of the movie.
The film takes it’s cue from dialogue spoken by Jor-El to Kal-El about how best to use his powers, and one line in particular comes to mind: “They can be a great people if they wish to be, they only lack the light to lead the way.” It’s inclusion in the earliest trailers for the movie seems very pointed, though it seems to be absent from the film itself. Setting that aside, the movie shows Superman having an effect on the people around him. It’s not just about Superman saving others. Sure, Superman saves people; and while he’s doing it he is inspiring others to do their part, too.In the wake of his re-emergence, Superman gains wide spread and immediate acceptance. And the activities we see him getting up to involve the saving of lives, primarily. Even during an incident in which he intervenes in a bank robbery, he is seeing intercepting bullets meant for the bank’s security guards. Take careful notice; the scene ends before showing Superman rounding up the robbers. The audience can infer on their own the inevitable outcome of the scenario. That scene keeps the emphasis on the saving of lives, without getting bogged down in the details of Superman participating in the criminal justice system.
Similarly, during the end game that deals with Luthor’s plot and involves us in the confrontation between Superman and Lex, Superman seems to do better when he’s doing what he can to save lives or preventing further endangerment. The Man of Steel doesn’t actually do very well when facing off with Lex Luthor, and we can’t realistically expect there to be an effective hero vs. villain fight between these two, as we would expect from a Spider-Man or Batman movie. Still, the confrontation goes a little way toward saving at least one member of Luthor’s entourage, in perhaps a different way (but that’s for another post). So, the film doesn’t reflect much interest in showing us Superman fighting villains, or involving him with the concerns of government or law enforcement.
Getting back to what the film is interested in, Superman Returns shows us a gradual change in the attitudes of the people within it’s fictional world. We see Clark Kent at the beginning perusing news channels and taking note of a fair amount of bad news. There are disasters, and people are wasting their energy hurting other people. As the movie progresses, Superman inspires positive attitudes in general, and by the end of it everyone is getting involved in the saving of others. And he’s not so proud that he’s above the helping hand of others; when rescuing Lois and her family, the Man of Steel can hold on to Richard White, yet he trusts Richard with the responsibility of holding on to Lois and her son.
After saving Lois’s family, they turn back and put themselves on the line to save Superman from the danger he is in. Lois, who was initially (and perhaps understandably) jaded earlier, pulls Superman up, and Richard (you gotta love this guy for being managing to be such a sympathetic character) is jumping in right behind her to help out.
Closer to the end, an emergency medical response team contributes in a small but meaningful way. In a scene that echoes an event from the comics, we see the paramedics’ heartbreaking and seemingly futile efforts to rejuvenate the Man of Steel. Despite their failure to inject chemicals, or shock him back to consciousness, they achieve one particularly crucial success: they remove a remaining shard of Krytonite. Had the medics not done this, even that small piece from Superman’s home would have poisoned him fatally.
Superman’s relevance to the world within the film is that he is an inspiration to turn away from cynicism; to help and save others. He can contribute significantly, but he needs help. He won’t hog the limelight when others can help him he will place his trust in their ability to do their part. Of course, placing the emphasis on Superman as a savior leads naturally to the idea that the story of Superman funtions as a parallel to the life story of Jesus Christ. I'll leave that one to Paeter, for now.
Posted by: Kristan July 11, 2006 at 02:39 PM
Yeah, I saw the movie last night. I think I had a bit of what you felt when I left as well. The ending did leave a lot of loose ends, but there were others throughout the course of the movie, that I called into question.
1. Does Lois know that she slept with Superman? It’s obvious that she does now, but did she know that at the beginning of the movie? As I recall it she should not. When he erased her memory in Superman 2 she didn’t even remember that he was Clark, and she still doesn’t know that. But she did tell him in the hospital room. And if Richard was annoying her about Superman, wouldn’t he also want to know who she had her child with? Hmmmm…
2. Now that Superman knows that he is a father, why didn’t he discuss it with Lois? OK, Supes knows. Lois knows that he knows. But all she can ask him is will you be around? I figured that he would say something much more definite, like yes. I mean the kids powers are already starting to develop. And when is Lois going to come clean to the kid about that?
3. Why did she take Jason on to the boat? Hmmm…. Lois trespasses with her kid in tow? You would think that some latent maternal instinct would come into play here, and leave him either in the car or just outside it. Not taking him with her directly into harms way.
4. Was Jason faking it? They certainly elude to that fact with Richard stating that the boy got a D in PE. Well, that and the fact that he crushes some dude with a piano.
3. Didn’t Luthor learn from Miss Tessmacher? Oh man, this was the biggest thing for me to overcome personally. I thought that the Kitty Kowalski character was going to die, and that Lex just let her hang around knowing full well that he would kill her later. Not so much, it was just more of the same for Superman Returns. The fact that his henchmen died and she made it kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
4. Land Sakes! Ok! I get it. Luthor was after land in 1 and 2. But why make it 3 times a charm? You would think that he get his revenge on Supes from the inside of society pretending to be a philanthropic business man as in the comics. No such luck, I suppose.
5. The missing scenes at the Kent farm. I on a personal geek level that I can hardly comprehend sometimes, wanted to see the scene between, Clark, Martha and the old man visiting her at the farm. It was in the trailer, but cut out of the movie. That bugs me. That rarely happens these days, but used to happen all the time. Just a pet peave.
Overall though, it was a triumph for Brian Singer and Brandon Routh. There was never a time that I thought Routh wasn’t Superman, and I didn’t miss Christopher Reeve. There was a moment when the camera had Routh in a close-up and he smiled like Christopher Reeve I had chills. For a second it was though that was Christopher Reeve giving his own little stamp of approval to the film and the Routh. I agree that Kevin Spacey didn’t take a lot of chances when it came to his portrayal of Luthor, but that could have been a director choice as well. I think there were times when Bryan was buckling under the pressure of the Donner films. In allowing the Superman character to continue from the Donner films some of what Superman says seems to be forced and out of place in today’s movie vernacular.
Other things I thought I noticed was that Richard Branson was on the shuttle flight crew. I checked today to see if I was right, and I was. That gave me a good laugh. Richard Branson is the billionaire that owns Virgin Mega Stores. He is HEAVY into space travel, and is building a space travel division of Virgin. www.virgingalactic.com It was nice to see that Bryan give character parts to Jack Larson and Noel Neill.
I liked the film, and I wasn’t too bothered by all the details. And as I was walking out of the theater, the lines came up on the screen that the movie was dedicated to Christopher and Dana Reeve. I thought that was cool, and whoever thought of that was a class act. I can’t wait for another.
Posted by: Brad July 11, 2006 at 08:34 AM
On the theological front, someone pointed out to me a couple messianic references in the film I hadn't picked up before. Maybe after a few more days I'll post the ones I've seen, as well as the ones mentioned to me. It seems that, intentionally or not (although I think intentionally) this new Superman film makes several comparisons to Christ in the character of Superman. Nothing new to comic fans, but I'd be interested to know if anyone noticed one or two of these parallels. Leave a comment here if you did!
Posted by: Paeter July 09, 2006 at 11:30 PM
A few thoughts about Superman Returns
It’s great to see Superman depicted in such a no-holds barred kind of way, in terms of special effects. As many reviewers have pointed out, the movie is a bit of a remake, as well as sequel to the original 1978 Superman movie. The plot’s progression parallels many things from that original movie, but with enough that is new to make it more than just a retread. Lex Luthor’s new scheme feels like the next logical step, a cross-pollination of his obsession with real estate and his exposure to Kryptonian technology as represented by the Fortress of Solitude. It’s also clever that the revisitation of this particular incarnation of the Fortress is not just a nice gesture of respect to what has gone on before; it is relevant to what Luthor is up to.
The players are up to the task; while Brandon Routh is not blindingly good, he still gives us a solid Man of Steel that I have no complaints about. Kevin Spacey nails Lex Luthor, and Kate Boswell is fine as Lois Lane. Just about all of the cast did fine, with maybe the actor who plays Jimmy Olsen being a little bit disappointing, in my opinion.Of course, being a film music buff, I have to give some attention to the soundtrack. John Ottman deserves credit for not shying away from that theme, you know the one I’m talking about. When it’s appropriate in the context of the movie, that theme is there for the Man of Steel. And it’s not just a few bars here and there, he uses the whole thing. When it’s not there, Ottman provides some music that is nice to listen to, without distracting from what’s happening on screen. There is one curiosity; even though Ottman knows not to hold back when using John Williams original Superman theme, he still teases us with the “Can You Read My Mind” theme during a Lois/Superman flyaround without actually opening up on it. Why does he hold back there? If the motivation behind it has to do with the change in Lois and Superman’s relationship, then that’s fine. It’s just a minor quibble.All in all, Superman Returns is a wonderful tangent, continuity-wise, to the Superman series that already exists. I hope it does well, partly because I am interested to see what Bryan Singer has in mind to follow it up with (he has said as much in interviews), but also because the movie has a lot of heart
Posted by: Kristan Johnson July 06, 2006 at 10:18 AM
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