Mark and I went to see two superhero movies today, Hancock and The Incredible Hulk. (It was nice change of pace to have a friend visiting that I didn’t have to play tour guide for, not that I don’t enjoy showing friends around L.A.) I was reminded that about a year ago in this space I wrote that one of my guilty pleasures, as far as television shows, is Smallville; though if I met you on the street I would deny it. 
The acting is incredibly cheesy, but the production values are excellent for a weekly television show. I love the fact that the show stays true to the original comic with minor exceptions. I’ve been a Superman fan since I was a kid. I loved the mythology of Superman before I even understood what mythology was. When I started reading the comic books in the 70′s, I was struck by how seemingly modern Superman was. I still have many of my old comics, including the Bicentennial edition from 1976. When I discovered a batch of Superman comics from the 40′s and 50′s at my grandmother’s house as a kid, I thought I had struck gold. I read them cover to cover and was so impressed how Superman changed with the times. In the 30′s he fought Al Capone and organized crime, in the 40′s he helped sell War Bonds and defeat Hitler, and in the 50′s he ushered us into the post nuclear age. He has always fought for ”Truth, Justice and the American Way“. Though as a child I didn’t quite realize the extent to which he was used as propaganda:
a
Japanazis??
When Superman Returns came out (two years ago this 4th of July weekend), my friends and I argued about the implication of changing the “Truth, Justice and the American Way” tagline to “Truth, Justice and all that stuff“. I argued, mainly from a nostalgic standpoint, that changing that phrase was sacrilege to the mythology of Superman. To me Superman is the quintessential American hero (of course, now we know he’s really Asian), and in the post 9/11 world we need his mythology more than ever. There certainly aren’t a lot of real role models for kids to look up to.
A.C. Grayling wrote in “The Spectator” that,
“As a nation caught between the terrifying George W. Bush and the terrorist Osama Bin Laden, America is in earnest need of a Savior for everything from the minor inconveniences to the major horrors of world catastrophe.”
But, as the Hollywood Reporter pointed out:
“The world has changed. The world is a different place,” screenwriter Dan Harris says. “The truth is he’s an alien. He was sent from another planet. He has landed on the planet Earth, and he is here for everybody. He’s an international superhero.”
Maybe they’ve got a point. Unfortunately, as an adult, I know that Superman is not a Savior any more than Will Smith or a green CGI giant. How I long for that childhood naiveté.
Superman has been compared to a Christ like figure. In truth I wish we could see all of these superheroes as more progressive in the 21st Century secular world. I wonder if Bryan Singer was thinking that when he changed the tagline? If so, I wish he could have come up with something better than “All that stuff”. How about, “Truth, Justice and an end to Tyranny”? I think this distinction in important because it relates to how the rest of the world views America through its movies and television. I wrote about it in a previous post entitled “America’s Most Influential Export, that talked about the world wide popularity of “Desperate Housewives” (except interestingly enough in China).
Fast forward to today and Hancock and The Hulk. Like Ironman, and indeed Superman Returns, before them, I was bothered by the ethnic stereotypes in both films. (Though one could argue that as Hancock, Will Smith overcomes the stereotypes. Besides, it’s really hard not to like a Will Smith movie that opens on 4th of July weekend.) Taken at face value, each of the films were entertaining in their own right, but I wanted to like them more (especially Hancock). Hollywood continues to imbue its schizophrenic values and warped patriotism on the world at large, and the world just hates us more. Am I taking this all too seriously?
Coincidentally, I was surprised when I scored 100% on this silly “Which Superhero Are You Quiz” and found out that I am Superman.
Which Superhero Are You??
| Superman |
|
100% |
| Batman |
|
70% |
| Catwoman |
|
70% |
| Spider-Man |
|
65% |
| Green Lantern |
|
65% |
| Supergirl |
|
50% |
| Wonder Woman |
|
50% |
| Robin |
|
50% |
| The Flash |
|
45% |
| Iron Man |
|
45% |
| Hulk |
|
40% |
|
Like Superman, Carey Anthony is mild-mannered, good,
strong and he loves to help others.
|
Click here to take the “Which Superhero are you?” quiz…
) two part birthday extravaganza tonight with all his little friends. Part two will be Sunday. Tomorrow, my college friend Luci is coming from Brazil for her 2 year old’s birthday party! Lots of kids and parties…my kinds of weekend! I have to wake up early and drive to Newport Beach, so I’ll just post these pictures (
Regular readers of this space know that 
