Monster Love

No reviews this week.

Wedding anniversay.

He liked it when lots of people died

Shit, George Carlin passed away. He was 71 years old and suffered heart failure. In 1972 Carlin released the album Class Clown, and accidentally set sweeping changes to the media in motion. Later that year Carlin was arrested in Wisconsin for disturbing the peace, by using his now famous 7 words you can’t say on television as part of his comedy act. In 1973 WBAI FM radio in New York City broadcast the comedy routine uncensored, while a father and son were listening to their car radio. That man called the FCC, and eventually Carlin was before the Supreme Court as part of a First Amendment, Freedom of Speech case. The Court ruled in favor of the FCC, and Carlin continued to use his bit every chance he could during his comedy act. Carlin never considered himself a revolutionary fighting for change he was just doing his bit.

Pissed off is how we were used to hearing Carlin’s voice. He was pissed at people for being stupid, for driving SAABs, for not having the brains to change the radio station, and for not thinking for themselves. Much of Carlin’s comedy routines centered on people who were unable to think for themselves or people who allowed others to tell them how to think. American culture, politics and media were his favorite subjects for ranting and raving about.

"Take a fucking chance! Put a little fun in your life! ... most Americans are soft and frightened and unimaginative and they don't realize there's such a thing as dangerous fun, and they certainly don't recognize a good show when they see one."
-Carlin 1999, HBO Special “You are all diseased”

Cunt and Motherfucker are the two words from Carlin’s list that have not made their way onto American television yet. I am sure that a certain cartoon based in a mountain town of Colorado will find a reason to include this word soon enough. Because cable television has different standards for its late night television programs then network TV does.

George, your work taught us to laugh and reminded us to think for ourselves. I know that the world of comedy will not be the same without you, andI will miss your special brand of wisdom.

“There are some people that aren't into all the words. There are some people who would have you not use certain words. Yeah, there are 400,000 words in the English language, and there are seven of them that you can't say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to seven. They must really be bad. They'd have to be outrageous, to be separated from a group that large. All of you over here, you seven. Bad words. That's what they told us they were, remember? 'That's a bad word.' 'Awwww.' There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad Intentions.”
-Carlin 1972, 7 Words you can’t say on television

Starman Omnibus Volume 1

In 1994 a once great, albeit obscure super hero from World War II passed along his legacy to his son David, much to the delight of his other son Jack who wanted nothing to do with “that ridiculous costume”. Before David or Jack knew what was happening, David had been murdered by the son of his father’s arch enemy The Mist, and Jack was fighting for his life. When The Mist threatened his father Jack stood his ground and the light of Starman lit the skies over Opal City once more.

Starman is a tale of nostalgia and family that broke fresh ground for DC Comics, turning stories in a new direction that would change the literary fate of Superman, Batman, and the entire stable of capes and costumes. Jack Knight is a poster child for Generation X sporting tattoos, a rebellious streak, and wearing a black leather jacket instead of a costume.

Writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris created a character and a city who are one in the same. Opal City is a city of art deco rooftops, hidden treasures in back alleys, and dark secrets hidden for decades. Jack Knight is a mixture of antique dealing curiosities, and hidden depths of maturity buried under snide comments.

Robinson always wondered what Super Heroes talked about when they were working together. Did they talk about music, or movies, or maybe even a recent purchase of carpeting for their secret lair? Robinson set out to write a super hero story that made sense to him. He wanted to create a hero that you could run into in a coffee shop and talk about the weather with. To Robinson, it did not make sense for someone like Jack to run around in spandex like his father did. Jack admires the work his father did and when the family business is thrust upon him, he follows in the steps of Sinatra. He did it, his way.

Starman was a turning point for DC comics, Jack debuted in the 90’s during an era of comics when foil covers and alternative printings saturated the shelves. While one universe was facing a plague to end all mutant life, another was having time rewritten by a hero gone mad. Comic fans barely noticed a young man in a bowling shirt and leather jacket quietly sneak onto the stands. Jack brought with him a great weapon, nostalgia. Jacks’ pithy quips and commentary on Cole Porter, Woody Allen films and James Cagney surprised many readers. In an age of large caliber firearms and the strength to move planets Jack reminded readers that heroes worry about being on time to dinner with their father, or if he would survive this battle with Shakedown so that he could put a final bid in on a collection of Fenton glassware. Jack brought an edge of reluctant maturity to comic books, reminding the adults who grew up reading Spiderman that they could still find a hero to relate to.

Starman Omnibus Volume 1 presents the series in the order that it was released in, unlike DC comics’ previous collection of the series. Robinson wrote the entire run on Starman, and occasionally included issues set in different eras. Stand alone stories of other heroes who bore the name Starman. DC Comics collected all of these “Times Past” stories in a single volume, removing them from the order Robinson had originally intended them to be released in, obscuring the relevancy of their stories to the overall story arc. Also, much like a DVD directors commentary track Robinson has included his notes to the series, including his thoughts and influences on writing the series.

In this modern era of obscure plotlines from the 1970’s returning to threaten the heroes of today, it seems fitting that Jack Knight and his obscure commentary return. Once again the skies of Opal City are lit by Starman.

Man of Tomorrow, Movie of Yesterday

Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut (2006)

In 1978 audiences were shown a side of Superman they’d never seen before, a Superman who made us believe that a man could fly. In 1981 Warner Brothers tried to make magic strike twice, but what they showed us was not the original vision of the man of steel.

In an unprecedented move, Warner Brothers hired Richard Donner to film two movies at the same time. A move we would not see again until 2002 when Peter Jackson released The Fellowship of the Ring,which was filmed at the same time as the movies two sequels. When their strategy became expensive and costly, Warner Brothers cut and ran. Filming was cut short to make sure that Superman - The Movie could be released on time, Donner’s film footage was put aside and when ticket sales showed success, a new director was hired for the eventual sequel.

Richard Donner had shot enough footage for a second film already; Warner Brothers spent more money shooting a new script under the helm of Richard Lester. Superman II was released to strong ticket sales which made up for the extra money they spent filming new scenes, but the film left many fans (including this critic) screaming “Magic Kiss my Ass!”

If Fireflyhas taught us anything, it’s that fans making a noise on the internet can change the world of film and DVD sales. When Warner Brothers saw the success of Serenitythey started to listen to the fans of Kal-El on the internet, fans who spoke of a secret hidden version of Superman II, a version that Warner Brothers had shelved years previously. Warner Brothers gambled that a restoration of this film stock and a release of a DVD version of the film would not cut into their giant profit margin, and graced fans with a new film version of the son of Jor-El.

Donner’s film showed an extremely different version of our main characters. He gave us a Superman more Kansas then Krypton, and a Lane more obsessed with discovering Superman’s identity then with the consequences of her actions. Donner’s villains were given more screen time, and his supporting characters were shown as something more than a caricature. Most importantly, Donner’s edit of the film holds its own alongside more modern films such as Batman Beginsor Hellboy. Strong characters with a realistic depth of emotion not governed by clichés and cartoonlike behavior were nonexistent in the theatrical release of Superman II. Staying in line with the belief that comic book movies should pander to 8 year olds with attention deficit disorder.

This movie is proof that comic books can be made into strong movies showing adult themes and adult level relationships. If Warner Brothers had released this movie in 1981, would we have been subjected to cinematic garbage such as Catwoman, Steel, or LXG?

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

It has been 20 years since cinema audiences have seen new adventures of Indiana Jones on the big screen. 20 years of overly CGI, government conspiracies, and a never ending stream of copycat pretenders to the throne of pulp action adventure. Over 20 years a lot of things can change, cinema technology, stadium style seating, popcorn prices, ticket prices, political climate changes, and even characters archetypes can change.

20 years ago we saw our hero riding into the sunset with his mentor, his Egyptian sidekick, and his father. It was his last crusade, his penultimate adventure, and we never expected to see him again. We resigned ourselves to a world of reruns, copycats, and propaganda laden stories about national treasure hunters. Deep down inside the cinema goers of America craved a man in a fedora fighting the evil foreign power from a forgotten day, saving the day, getting the girl, and teaching us about a long lost holy relic.

Over the past 20 years American movie goers have seen things their forefathers and foremothers could never have predicted. Things in the media, in the cinema and on our doorstep have affected our concepts of entertainment and changed our outlook on life. But after all of that deep down inside we want to see Indiana Jones battle an evil long defeated foe and save our world for all that we hold to be good and wholesome.

Over the past 20 years, Indiana Jones has aged, grown old, and lost his goose stepping foe to the passage of time. His world has grown and changed as ours did, but are we the American movie going audience ready for that? When we first met Dr. Jones he was in an archeological race against Nazi Germany, a foe that many today consider to be the ultimate evil. When we last saw Indiana, he had just defeated that same foe in a race for what many consider to be the ultimate prize; the cup of Christ, the Christian key to life everlasting, what many would call, cinema gold.

Indiana Jones is not timeless, our hero has aged, his foe is gone, and has been replaced with a new foe. A foe that the present movie generation knows to be all too real, a foe not cinematic and exciting because it is too close to home, and a foe that we all remember being afraid of. In the 1980’s Americans were terrified of the threat of Nuclear War with Soviet Russia, but fear of the Nazis party was a thing for our grandparents, a foe who had already been defeated. A foe safely relegated to the cinema, a foe we could easily poke fun at, a foe that did not make us quiver in the back of our mind as we remembered a very real threat on the evening news.

In 20 years when Dr. Jones films his final crusade against the Communists in Cuba our children will laugh at his quips and daring do and remember fondly their first introduction to their hero, in the classic film The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Where they saw Indiana Jones defeat an evil foe that predated the enemy on the evening news and found a holy relic from a people that time had forgotten.

When I was 7 years old, I saw Indiana Jones on the big screen defeat an ancient foe with a smile on his face and a girl on his arm. Now I am 34, and Indiana Jones has defeated an ancient foe with a smile on his face and a girl on his arm. All is well in the world.