A word about Red Dawn

I just recently watched the extended Director’s Cut of Red Dawn. The prologue that was left out of the theatrical version really adds some suspense that I would have felt more strongly about had I not known what was coming next. An ominous opening where we join a foreign high command operations planning session in progress sets the stage for how the attack that almost brings America to its knees was so successful. 

Doc review: The Last Dance

 

There was something about watching The Chicago Bulls in the 1990s that looked different. That this team, the organization, the players, and the fans all knew they were the best there ever was or ever will be. They knew it before they won their first of six NBA championships and the rest was just proving it to the world that didn’t know any better. The very first time I saw how they introduced their starting lineup on the NBA on NBC (insert obligatory “YES!” From Marv Albert), I was in love. “That’s how they do this?!  Oh I’m here for this whenever the Bulls are on TV!”

Sci-Fi takes a turn in the Big Empty Spotlight

Here in the Big Empty move review series, we mentioned that this is one of the genres that has some difficulty getting respect. Some of your audience comes willing and able to suspend all disbelief. Most of it doesn’t. So you’ve gotta give the peoples a reason to buy in. If you make them feel silly, they’ll never forgive you unless you’re making Barbarella. Everything about that movie is embarrassing and cringey although it has a cult following that we here at the Big Empty doubt would exist were it not for the flesh and the wild imagination about who inhabits it. 

Star Trek tried to be a serious and socially conscious show, exploring all sorts of human concepts combined with adventure. And, it was also the show that had scenes like this.

I have no doubt there is some profound point to be made at the end of this but I’m not sticking around for it. 

Doc Review- Challenger: The Final Flight

To have it told in pop-culture today, one could easily get the impression that my generation all watched the Challenger disaster together in real time in school and were all simultaneously traumatized. It’s easy to see how that narrative would get traction when trying to boil a historical event down to the least common denominator for a nation. But that’s not how I think about that day. 

The SuperWinner award goes to:

 

So first, to recap and briefly summarize, Superhero movies in the 21st century are a mixture of sci-fi, pro-wrestling (with each character getting their own theme music playing whenever they make an appearance) and an attempt to make modern American mythology in a Greco/Roman vein.  The epilogue to the Justice League Snyder cut (the last feature film with the reimagined Superman) now hints that if there is to be a sequel, that....well look for yourself:

Superhero 1st Runner Up

 

To learn about Wonder Woman while I was growing up and not reading comic books, I had to rely on a campy TV show (starring Linda Carter), or the Superfriends cartoon on Saturday morning. To be fair, this is all I had to get to know anything about Batman during the same time period. She didn’t get a major movie in the early 80s that made a splash like Superman did. 

Right or wrong, I viewed her as a character similar to Superman in many ways, but provided girls a hero of their own. Both characters wore similar colors and had similar power sets, but WW also had some unique things to distinguish her from being another Supergirl. 

Superhero Awards 2nd runner up

 Character development matters here. I’m not a comic book fan looking to see a silver screen version of what I spend all of my spare time reading about. Think of me, movie maker people, as the person who isn’t a sure thing to buy a ticket even if I hate your movie. I’m the person who wants to see an interesting character and come to root for them to go to another level, and rise to a unique challenge that I can relate to. 

Superhero Rant: This is my edgy Director's Cut Version of the Previous Post (and an Easter Egg for sci-fi)

This one is coming in a little hot, and is rated only for mature audiences.

Superhero movies are looooong. And now, you can’t just watch one version, each one has a director's cut that adds at least an hour more. And what does the extra time get you? For each 1 part of character development you get 10 parts additional big booms. 

Language warning. If you don’t like raw honest profanity, stop reading here.

Superhero Awards

Can we try an interactive approach....a sort of thought experiment if you will? Take a listen to the music embedded in the video below.  I’ll wait.

Why does the world need a superhero?

Part 1: Why does a superhero need us?

We better not need one too much....for most of our problems we're going to have to rely on our faith and ourselves, with a little help from our family and friends to get through it.  And occasionally, we get an assist from an angel....some inexplicable help that showed up at a time when there was little hope.  That's the relationship that we can also have with a superhero at the movies.  

A Word About Professional Wrestling

There is no shortage of good programming about professional wrestling.  That seems a little ironic because the actual programming that professional wrestling puts out is not meant to be taken seriously.  Very serious things happen to professional wrestlers, but it only gets formally communicated to the audience if it serves the story....and there are many parts of that story that are not at all serious.  The line between fiction and reality is very blurred and so there are times when something goes horribly wrong that the audience thinks it's part of the show.  And there are times when you're told something horrible has happened, and you might even witness it happening, and it is all scripted.  In many ways, it served as a prototype for how politics looks today.  Kayfabe is the part of wrestling that is only supposed to be discussed backstage.  The audience isn't supposed to be in on anything that is kayfabe.  There is a lot of kayfabe in politics where you'll find that people who behave like mortal enemies on television are actually working together behind the scenes, but they have to sell their hatred of the other party to their home constituency.  I'm going to spend a few paragraphs pointing out how pro-wrestling isn't really any different than anything else that is respected in society, and try to explore the reason why it doesn't get any respect...at least not the typical kind.