How Does Superman Fly?
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DaveC426913
Valued Senior Member
I thought Mystery Men was a great film. It is underappreciated.
When I was a kid I worked through the back catalogs of a few Marvel titles. Lots of extended serializations and expansive story arcs. They were pretty progressive, especially for the time--some of these titles dated back to the early '60s (some even re-booted from the '30s/'40s).
X-Men and related were very appealing to a poor, scrawny, sickly kid especially. Some of the stories even dealt with topics like domestic abuse and child abuse in a fairly serious manner. But even with the Avengers and some of the more "extraordinary" stuff, there were still relatable elements. Tony Stark, for instance, was portrayed as sort of an egotistical millionaire dick, even though he was putting his money towards admirable endeavors.
I think the waters got muddier by the '90s onward, with all the more publishers and imprints, but I think those generalizations generally hold true for most Marvel and DC titles into the 1980s.
TheVat
Valued Senior Member
In the US, normal button pressing powers achieve this every day. Emergency vehicles have an MIT, a gadget that turns all the lights green for them...
Mobile infrared transmitter - Wikipedia
It's quite annoying, actually. Why should I have to sit there waiting minutes for the light to change back before I can get to the hardware and buy toggle bolts?? Just become someone might be dying? Pfft, people die all the time - no need to bother the rest of us with it.
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TheVat
Valued Senior Member
HOW TF HAVE I MISSED THIS? WAS I IN A COMA IN THAT YEAR? And I see the cast includes comedy stalwarts like William H Macy, Hank Azaria and Janeane Garofalo. Thank you and Sarkus for alerting me to this.
The fact that it is not on this "list of American supehero films" (1930s to current era) hints at something sinister afoot; but not sure what. Being a box office flop doesn't explain it, since the list does feature The Specials, which was released the year after that.
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davewhite04
Valued Senior Member
All great responses, thanks!
This picture was taken from a movie, one that I won't reveal right now. All I can say is that the items in the picture are on a desk in an office. The question is, what are those items and what are they used for? The bottom right hand corner looks to be a lighter beside the small skull.
This picture was taken from a movie, one that I won't reveal right now. All I can say is that the items in the picture are on a desk in an office. The question is, what are those items and what are they used for? The bottom right hand corner looks to be a lighter beside the small skull.
I can't recall her character specifically, or James Gunn's for that matter. Only Thomas Haden Church's and Jordan Ladd's (the latter primarily because of her seemingly useless ability to lay eggs, though they apparently had varying martial purposes). Again -- as that list itself reflects in terms of burying "Mystery Men" under a secondary link -- it's strange that I encountered and watched "The Specials" years ago, but similar to The Vat, not sure I ever even heard of MM.
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Regarding superhero comics made into film or television generally, I personally find them mostly crap. Some Batman films are alright, but the only film I truly like is Logan--old Wolverine and Professor X are awesome. And it was just a dark, brooding and contemplative film overall.
But the other stuff, especially the Marvel CU stuff? I just don't get it. It's not just the OTT cgi and special effects, which I generally don't care for, but the characters lack substance and depth.
I think they should make a film, or better yet, a series, about Hawkeye. He's just got a bow and arrow and a dog and a wife, and nothing else. Nothing special. Just an ordinary guy fighting fascism and the capitalist machine.
But the other stuff, especially the Marvel CU stuff? I just don't get it. It's not just the OTT cgi and special effects, which I generally don't care for, but the characters lack substance and depth.
I think they should make a film, or better yet, a series, about Hawkeye. He's just got a bow and arrow and a dog and a wife, and nothing else. Nothing special. Just an ordinary guy fighting fascism and the capitalist machine.
Um. Yeah. Okay.
Hawkeye (miniseries) - Wikipedia
The problem is, what you hope for, and what they produce, aren't always going to be in synch.
I get the whole lack of enthusiasm or interest with the MCU, and the DC equivalent, although I am coming from it from the different direction, that of "franchise fatigue", or oversaturation with the superhero genre.
There are precious few new takes on the idea, especially mainstream.
That said, there's actually a refreshing indie film with Stephen Dorff, called American Hero. Not the greatest film (I mean, Stephen Dorff is the star!) but it's different.
en.m.wikipedia.org
Then there's "SuperBob", which is even better (imho):
en.m.wikipedia.org
Both try to put a more "realistic" spin on what it might be like to be a superhero.
There are precious few new takes on the idea, especially mainstream.
That said, there's actually a refreshing indie film with Stephen Dorff, called American Hero. Not the greatest film (I mean, Stephen Dorff is the star!) but it's different.
American Hero (film) - Wikipedia
Then there's "SuperBob", which is even better (imho):
SuperBob - Wikipedia
Both try to put a more "realistic" spin on what it might be like to be a superhero.
The irony is that their putatively "less popular" figures (like Daredevil) get better character development and long story-arc exploration in the television shows which they are relegated to. Whereas the practice of DC and Marvel (in recent decades) consigning their top superheroes only (or primarily) to movies seems to degrade those franchises over time. In terms of events being squeezed into a two or three hour packages and the loss of consistency via the tiresome reboots, or with a new actor being plugged into the "next generation" of a character (and occasional radical alterations) when they do feature continuity.
That's excluding the array of animated series (granting that there really are rabid adult addicts who actually keep track of those things) and how in recent times DC has allowed Superman to percolate feebly to the small screen ("Smallville", "Superman & Lois", limited appearances in "Supergirl"), as well as Flash. (Prior to the "Arrow" series, surely Green Arrow was never high in hierarchy status.) Sans the 1960s parody, and secondary appearances in "Titans", and a young Bruce Wayne in "Gotham", DC seems to have at least made Batman fairly off-limits to television over the wider span of decades. And aside from a handful of live-action jokes in the deeper non-CGI past, Marvel's Spiderman appears well confined to the realm of the animated productions.
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TheVat
Valued Senior Member
My problem with Ms Brewster is that I will see her in something and exclaim, "What's Anne Hathaway doing in this, and why does she look different?". Then people start yelling at me.
I also have experienced similar difficulties with Jude Law and Michael Fassbender. People keep insisting (rather vehemently at times) that these are two different people, but I remain skeptical on this. Jude Law is the softer side, and Fassbender the tougher and often more villainous. The actor's real name is Michael Jude Lawbender but he has the two stage names, one for each persona. Though it should be noted that Law slipped over into his darker Fassbender persona in parts of Side Effects.
Fortunately (if I remember correctly after all these years), there's virtually no demonstration of their powers or abilities until the very end. And if Nightbird exhibits an egg to throw, it's already been produced.
"The Specials" is like a documentary film (without a narrator) that follows members of the team around on one of their "break from action" periods. Each has their alternating individual spots where they speak to the camera, commenting on their own lives/careers and the struggles and problems of the group. Which is of low ranking compared to other superhero teams, and thereby difficult to acquire advertising and toy contracts with corporations.
One aspect of their current internal crisis is that their most high profile member wants to defect to another superhero group (that's higher in status), which in turn cascades into such unrest that the whole bunch may decide to disband.
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