MAKSQUIBS CINEMATHEQUE: THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN (2018)

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RECOMMENDED - Meaning Strongly Recommended. A film that's good enough or historically important enough to demand viewing. WARNING: A few real stinkers are important enough to rate this label. And, on the other hand, lots of pretty good or pretty valuable films, don't quite measure up to our RECOMMENDED level. (See also UNIQUE, below.)

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(Hint: most of the posters will enlarge if you click on them.)

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT - sort of like those EAT THIS, NOT THAT diet books only with film instead of food as the topic. Sometimes, the substitute pick isn't the obvious 'better' choice, but one of those 'flawed-but-interesting' films that often get left behind.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID - some easy to miss element worth noting.

SILENT FILM - hey, figure it out (LOL)

. . . and DOUBLE-BILL - a suggested second feature.

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Like just about everyone with an interest in the movies, I'm watching more films on DVD and going out to movie houses a lot less. Convenience trumps the better experience.
Of course, you lose audience interaction and the poor film now has to compete with all the comforts of home.
It's a bit like seeing Rembrandts & Titians in a book reproduction, or from posters with iffy color values, no texture or weight to the surface and the wrong dimensions . . . all while snacking on chips & soda. (Oops! You get that at your local cinema,too.)
The ease of instant movie gratification risks turning an art form (well, sometimes) into little more than low-grade eye-candy & mindfodder. So, maybe it's worthwhile to write a bit down on what we're all viewing, just to keep fully engaged.

DVDs: the latest opiate of the people meets the internet, where everyone's a critic.
God help us.

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Monday, April 22, 2024

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN (2018)

Pity the poor SUPERMAN adaptor! Like Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan or King Arthur (among many such ubiquitous characters) name recognition is too high, it creates an unsolvable problem since everyone thinks they know just how the characters ought to behave and what adventures they ought to have. Beloved and untouchable. Projects may be easy to set up & fund, but destined to disappoint. Even the ones that pay off. So, no surprise this rather flat animated film of a Special Edition DC Comic (first made as SUPERMAN: DOOMSDAY/’07, not seen here) gets a mid-tier vocal cast for what’s largely a prologue to REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN/’19 (also not seen here). The action follows a lot of mayhem in the streets after some dangerous space aliens land on Earth, which neither Superman nor an ethnically diverse Justice League, cross-plugging the DC franchise, are able to beat back without casualties; even with Lex Luthor helping out. Why similarly conceived BATMAN animation projects come off so well (cool stylistics, starry vocal casting, visual coups & re-imaginations) while SUPERMAN makes do with the B-Team is a mystery. (Here, the general look tries to merge 1960s comic book to 1980s anime.) And do we really need to push on the Superman Christ allegory embedded in the Man of Steel origin story? That casket with the lid knocked off a bit on the nose. Apparently, the sequel goes all Supermen Multi-verse. Think of the possibilities: SPARTACUS Superman: I am Superman! No, I am Superman! OR: TO TELL THE TRUTH Superman: Will the real Superman please stand up! Here’s an idea: Give It A Rest SUPERMAN.

WATCH THIS, NOT THAT/LINK: As usual, we point our readers toward that lodestar of Supermania, the 1940s Fleischer Bros. shorts. A dozen or so little visual gems that perfectly capture the look, design and kinetic feel of the early classic comic books, with simplified narrative elements perfectly balanced to their purpose. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/07/superman-1941-43.html

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: When this one opens, reporter girlfriend Lois Lane once again has yet to realize Clark Kent is Superman. Hasn’t this ‘reveal’ run its course?

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Monday, April 22, 2024

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN (2018)

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