He’s Back! (Superman Returns, 2006)

So, nearly twenty years later, after numerous failed attempts to bring Superman back to the big screen Warner Brothers managed a major coup. The wrangled Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris away from the X-Men franchise to bring Superman back. This seemed like a decent idea. One of the things Singer talked about was a love for the character and the first two Superman films. He wanted to stay in a loose continuity with those films and ignore films III ad IV entirely. They set out and found a guy who bore a striking resemblance to Reeve, named Brandon Routh. Truthfully, it would have been wiser to simply begin again with a new continuity, especially since they were starting with an actress ten years younger than Margot Kidder was in Superman II. And to facilitate the “Returns” part they had Superman go on a five year journey to explore the floating rocks of Krypton.

Here is part of the problem with that. In the end of Superman II? Superman promises the President he will never leave the world in the lurch like that again. So, if we are to understand this…Superman very quickly breaks that promise. Superman returns to earth and Clark Kent returns to the Daily Planet…with nobody noticing the huge coincidence. Lois has a child who may be Superman’s (because they had sex in part 2) and has moved on, now dating Perry white’s son Richard White (James Marsden, in a move that caused Cyclops to be killed in X:3 due to scheduling needs). Clark struggles with this, and is bothered by an article written in the time he was gone called “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman”. In the meantime, Lex Luthor has been scheming by marrying an old wealthy widow who is on her deathbed. She gives Lex everything in her will, as the family stands outside pounding on the door. Why wasn’t Lex in Prison? Superman missed the trial because he left.

Lex goes back to the Fortress of Solitude and starts gathering the green crystals that contain Krypton’s records as well as ones similar to the crystal Clark used to build the Fortress in the first film. He also steals Kryptonite to facilitate a masterful crime. Well, not really. See, Superman is full of loving homages to the first two Superman films. This would not be a problem if it was done sparingly, but almost every shot seems to re-create Singer’s favorite things from the first movie. Clark running towards the camera ripping open his shirt? Of course you pay respects with that. But Lex Luthor making another land grab?! Arg. If they had started over, as a brand new Superman, they could have still used Kevin Spacey and done business man Luthor. Spacey could have defined the role that way. He is great in the role…

Superman saves the day in the end, as expected, but not without getting creepy. Superman keeps watch as he suspects Lois’ son is his son as well. Can we pause a moment and reflect on this. Superman wiped Lois’ memory of their time together. How frightening must it have been to be pregnant with no idea how you got pregnant? And Superman left shortly after, but his super hearing did not pick up on the forming child? Superman runs out on his pregnant girlfriend who he has removed any memory of…and now acts like a jilted ex-lover. It is an embarrassing storyline.

One thing this film does well is it’s actions scenes. Superman’s heroics are grand and exciting. Superman saves people with great feats of strength and heroism. The plane sequence is especially fun to watch.

I also really liked Brandon Routh. I felt that, considering what he was given in the story, he made the most of it. He is likeable most of the time, except those stalker moments. I was sorry to see that this film ended any chance he would return as Superman. If they had started over, we might have seen him begin a new and exciting franchise.

Superman Returns was a disappointing return, ironically enough. It did not revitalize a dormant franchise, it nearly put it to sleep.

August 15, 2016 0

Young Superman(Superman the Movie, 1978)

Richard Donner’s Superman is often presented as a more upbeat and hopeful film than more recent Superhero efforts. And, in a lot of ways, it is a brighter view overall. Donner opens the film with life on Krypton. His version of Krypton has influenced countless versions of Superman. It became a ruling vision. And I get it…it is a society and world at it’s end. But the severely antiseptic frozen tundra look is actually unpleasant and does not really speak of an advanced society. Jor-El is introduced presiding over the trial of General Zod and his army. Well, him, Ursa and Non. Not really an army. What stands out was that in the middle of this trial, Zod tries to convince Jor-El to join him. And then they are zapped by a giant reflective record sleeve. Then, they never appear in the rest of the film.

Jor-El declare the planet is soon to die and is mocked by his fellow scientists who make him commit to staying on the planet. We all know the story, found by the Kents, young Kal El is raised as a typical Kansas kid. These moments are great. They show the thought the Kents have tried to install in their son. Clark’s struggle to not use his powers for only his gain is evident. Clark wants to be the football star and get dates with cheerleaders. But he also knows it would be a cheat to use his powers to succeed in that fashion. And when Pa Kent dies? Glenn Ford is barely on screen for any meaningful amount of time…and yet it is a real gut punch.

The Fortress of Solitude used to be a giant cave with a giant door. Now it is a spiky crystal building with no doors. Here he learns from holograms of his father. When he enters the world, he is ready to be Superman. One of the things Donner did right is that he fills the film with Superman…an it is Superman saving people over and over again. Sure, he stops crime as well, but saving people is his main gig.

Lois Lane is shown as a tough reporter (who cannot spell) who has little notice of new Reporter Clark Kent, but then swoons when Superman appears on the screen. This is not a negative, for one thing, she still follows her instincts when Superman shows up for an interview, clearly smitten with her. Kidder and Reeve have terrific chemistry in the film and Lois is fun and daring.

We are introduced to Lex Luthor via his bumbling lackey Otis. Ned Beatty is entertaining, though a bit over the top in his mindlessness. Hackman’s Luthor is a change from the comics of the time. He is still brilliant, but instead of super armor, he is simply a criminal mastermind. It is a bit over the top, but Hackman makes it work. The third spoke in the wheel is Valerie Perrine’s Miss Tessmacher. I am unsure exactly what her purpose is. I mean, Perrine is undeniably sexy in the role and appears in a variety of revealing outfits. But she seems distant for a girlfriend, and yet a lot of what she does is lounge around. She does play the role of “distraction”in part of Luthor’s plan. Oh, and that plan…

Luthor is planning to make a land grab…this becomes a running thing for him in the movies. He plans to blow California off the map and sell land. I do not see how this really would be an effective plan. Seriously, the guy who stole two missiles from the army and used them to blow up a sizeable chunk of land is going to be able to own and sell land?

Superman is a pretty fun movie with a really impressive cast. The weakest moment is the weird “Superman spins the earth to Fix Things. This was actually meant for the sequel, which Donner was already filming alongside this film. But the studio wanted him to use it to give this a big bang of an ending.

But all in all, Superman the Movie is a fun film for kids of all ages.

August 8, 2016 1

Unbearable Whiteness of Being

So, the Brits are making a weird post 9/11 road trip movie following the apparently true tale of Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor going on a road trip after…well, 9/11. I suppose it is ripe for a comedic take.

But the main reason anyone is talking about the film is they cast Joseph Fiennes as…wait for it… Michael Jackson.

The most iconic black celebrity in the past 50 years of pop entertainment…is set to be played by a white guy. The defense, of course, is that the film takes place at a point where Jackson looks really white. And so, if they cast a black actor, they would have to do a lot of make-up to lighten the actors skin.

The thing is, Jackson never expressed a disdain for his blackness, he saw himself as a black man. Many claim he bleached his skin. This is certainly a distinct possibility, as he had vitiligo. This often occurs in patches, and bleaching is actually a way to try and even out skin tone in patients. People stick to the belief that Michael Jackson was trying to look white, due to his extensive surgeries. There is no actual evidence of this, other than people want to believe it. But the fact is, there is no basis for this. What seems more likely, is Jackson fell into the same trap as many other celebrities who get plastic surgery. He became obsessed with getting operation after operation, likely to sometimes “fix” previous surgeries.

Casting white actors in black roles has an effect that is quite different than doing the reverse. There are many roles for white actors out there. But in television and film, your cast is often comprised of white people. And frankly, Fiennes does not look like Michael Jackson simply because he is white. I mean, if Joe was a dead ringer for Jackson, there might be a defense here…but literally the only thing they have in common is paleness.

Fiennes will, in fact, have to go under extensive makeup and prosthetic effects to look like Jackson. So, this is different from doing the same for a black actor how?

January 29, 2016 0

It All Falls Apart (Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau, 2014)

Following the efforts of filmmaker Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil) to make his adaption of H.G. Wells the Island of Doctor Moreau, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau.

The documentary is a fascinating exploration of egos and dreams colliding with commerce. It provides a very honest look, with everyone being brutally truthful about what they were feeling. It is full of downright bizarre stories.

For example, Stanley was shocked to find out that New Line announced the Island of Dr. Moreau with Roman Polansky. They were unhappy with his desire to hire Marlon Brando, as New Line had just dealt with him on the Johnny Depp vehicle Don Juan De Marco. It had not gone well, apparently. Realizing he might lose the movie, he resort to witchcraft. This is not a joke. He actually sought a warlock friend to cast a spell.

Stanley notes when he came to Hollywood, they put him up in an apartment complex. He talks about how he became more and more paranoid that this was an attempt to shut him out.

Some of the surprises are to find some of the names they had associated with the film. James Woods and Val Kilmer were hired, and then Kilmer decided he really did not like his role. They convinced him to stay by switching him over to Woods’ role and sending James Woods packing. They asked Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure) to try out, and he was intrigued, but shortly after filming, he begged to get off the picture.

Production closed down, and Stanley was fired from the production, which led to a breakdown for Stanley who was totally absorbed by the project. And according to actress Fairuza Balk, this is actually when the nightmare began.

The introduction of John Frankenheimer to save the film resulted in a miserable crew and a whole different kind of craziness that they were meant to be escaping when firing Stanley. Director David Gregory has managed to assemble a large number of people involved and to paint a vivid picture of the failure of Stanley’s dream, and ultimately the film the Island of Dr. Moreau. It is a terrifically engaging film.

August 2, 2015 0