Ryan McNeil
This week was a little rough at the office, folks. Dealing with some task build-up after last week’s holiday-shortened schedule, two days in a row of public transit idiocy, and even some grey clouds in my usually sunny lunchtime oasis…the week just flat-out sucked.
Then, right around the end of it, I listened to the Super Zero Podcast discussion of SUPERMAN RETURNS.
Just like that, my mood soared – pardon the pun.
It should surprise nobody that I have a soft spot for this much-maligned Brian Singer superhero jaunt from 2006, after all The Man of Tomorrow is my character of choice. However, up until now, I have always been something of an apologist for that movie. I’ve always held the position that it’s a film that doesn’t know whether it wants to be a sequel or a remake, but have always just shrugged it off as too many cooks trying to nail down a fifth film in a franchise.
Enter Super Zero.
Just two weeks ago, Alia Miller and Matthew Brown took the boots to another superhero flop by way of GREEN LANTERN (intelligently so, but still ruthlessly). So in many ways, I expected more of the same with SUPERMAN RETURNS. So imagine my surprise when they came down to the position of “this film is wickedly flawed, but also deceptively beautiful and intriguing. To say it was refreshing hearing people I respect articulate things I’ve trying to argue for years would be putting it mildly.
It was then that Mister Brown doubled down…
He mentioned a video essay by Matt Zoeller Seitz that digs deep into the under-explored themes and ideas that this film puts forward. Thus, no sooner did Super Zero end than I clicked over to the clip and watched at my desk. Between the little-explored ideas that Zoller Seitz articulates, and the beautiful cross-cutting between RETURNS and the original SUPERMAN movie, I could feel my mood lifting and my heart swelling.
So, basically, by swirling my favorite superhero with a splendidly flawed chapter in his canon, the Super Zero Duo and MZS made my day…if not my whole week.
It’s amazing what can make one’s day, ain’t it?
Here’s the week at hand – with an emphasis on a certain festival coming up…
Screenings
KUMIKO THE TREASURE HUNTER – More on this tomorrow (Look ma! I’m reviewing!!)
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
GREY GARDENS – Wow – So THAT’S what all the fuss is about, eh?
LISTEN TO ME MARLON – Hot Docs screener
PERVERT PARK – Hot Docs screener
MONTY PYTHON: THE MEANING OF LIVE – Hot Docs screener
THE QUEEN OF SILENCE – Hot Docs screener
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Seen Before
ADAPTATION – Mom calls this psychologically taut.
CHEF – Will I ever be able to watch this without salivating?
SUPERMAN RETURNS – I owe both Matts a word of thanks.
Superman Returns may have been flawed but… I’ll take that film over Man of Steel. Plus, I still enjoyed the hell out of that film.
First-Timers: Tammy, Anita, La Belle et le Bete, & The Stone Roses: Made of Stone.
Re-Watches: Working Girl, Police Academy: Mission to Moscow, American Splendor, Rookie of the Year, & Weekend at Bernie’s.
I watched Superman Returns a couple years ago, whenever Man of Steel was coming out, and I liked it. It’s not great, but it’s better than its reputation and I would definitely re-watch it over Man of Steel!
As for me, First time:
Curse III: Blood Sacrifice
and I re-watched:
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
With all the hatred that MAN OF STEEL is getting now, I sorta want to start rewatching it until I see the virtues in it that could make for a video essay itself!
I’m sure I’ll be rewatching Terminator 2 as we get closer to the new film this summer…