Thoughts on the Upcoming "Man of Steel"

Back some time ago, I added a Man of Steel version of Superman to my Springfield Punx blog and on that post I mentioned how much I'm looking forward to this film and that this could be the right movie at the right time. 

We'll see how it actually turns out, but having seen more interviews and trailers for this movie, (while trying to avoid spoilers) my anticipation has certainly increased.

I said in that post that I thought people are ready for a symbol of hope - and since then we've all seen the trailer where Superman is explaining to Lois that it's not an "S" on his chest, it's his world's symbol for hope. That's exactly the kind of stuff I was *hoping* to see!

We need some hope right now. For the past several years, the real world has been especially disheartening for a lot of people. Some of us are even afraid to go outside. The paycheck can't pull the weight it once could. Politicians reassure us about things they know are not true, and they go back on what they said they would do - or they expose how wrongheaded their plans were in the first place.

Preachers become more decadent as their teaching becomes shallower. Ratings-driven, polarized name-calling has replaced the desire to hash out the truth in rigorous debate. We've given up the whole idea of truth.

We sit back impatiently waiting for the other guy to do what we should be doing. We let ourselves down. We buy into the fashion of the day without asking "why?" We don't stand on anything, or for anything.

I want this movie to show me what really is so great about Superman, why he's an important symbol for today.

Superman puts no stock in focus groups or fashion. He doesn't take polls. He doesn't care about a bleeding heart politician's approval rating, or a defense contractor's stock numbers. He knows that truth and justice are not "to each his own" and arbitrary - but real things. He acts with certainty and with conviction. He knows that right is right and wrong is wrong, not because he gets to decide it, not because majority opinion or a UN panel decides it, but because it's something higher. He knows the pain of loss, but keeps moving anyway. He's unchanging, unflinching, compassionate resolve. He can't be bought and he can't be bent. He's not just strong, he's solid. He's a Man of Steel.

Do you spell it "clipart" or "clip art"?

Well, either way you spell it (I've seen it both ways), I've put up a blog featuring free clip art that I've made. You can click here to visit my Clip Art Hoard now and have a look!

BTW - From what I can tell, both spellings seem to be acceptable, with "clip art" being the more formal version.

Catch you later!

How did I not see that before?!

I love thematic echoes in movies.

Something was brought to my attention in The Dark Knight. I had to create this image to show it...

5 Greatest Songs of the 90's

What are the 5 top songs of the 90's? I recently had this question posed to me and I had to think about it for a while. The 90's was an interesting decade for music - in a good way.

If I were to answer this question, I know I would be leaving out some great great music, but off the top of my head - and with the important caveat that I'm listing songs that most people have heard of - here are at least 5 of my favorite songs from the 90's;

5. Fastball's "The Way" is a neat song with a neat story, and it just makes you feel good.

4. Also, a wonderfully singable yet reflective and cathartic song to watch the candle burn out by (surrounded by friends of course) "Closing Time" by Semisonic.

3. Another favorite is Jars of Clay's haunting, driving, also very singable "Flood"

2. How could Haddaway's "What is Love?" not be on the list? Quintessentially early 90's, and irresistible! Try turning this one on and not have your shoulders start to bounce, and your lungs begin to belt out the chorus!

1. Lastly, Smashing Pumpkins' haunting "1979" will always flood me with wonderful and not so wonderful memories. I hardly know any of the lyrics, but the sound of it is indescribable. 1979 sounds so different from any other song I know of.

So what are your 5 Top Songs of the 90's?

Crazy CGI Pizza Lady Will Haunt You At Night

I had caught a bit of Jupiter Broadcasting's online show The Faux Show the other day. The episode was about pizza, and it featured a video of indescribably bizarre creepiness. Sear this into your eyeballs...

"The Big Bang Theory" - 4 Reasons Why I Don't Get The Love

Am I the only one who doesn't get the popularity of The Big Bang Theory? I've tried watching it at various times, I even drew versions of the characters for my Springfield Punx blog - but I don't get the love for it. I just can't get into it. As a whole, it seems... mediocre at best. Yet it's basically the highest rated show on TV!! How can this be?

Here are 4 Reasons for my confusion:

1. Boring Stereotypes. It's one thing that the show has a weird moral ambiguity, but the show also bores me very quickly. Okay. You're nerds. You want buxom girls, but you're socially awkward. We get it! How can this premise have lasted for... what, 6 seasons and counting?!

2. It's Patronizing. I did catch the Wil Wheaton episode, which admittedly was kinda fun; And hey, I'm a comic book fan, I'm supposed to like this show, aren't I? I like seeing the characters wear superhero costumes and I enjoy being able to gaze into the background of the comic store scenes and recognize the comics on the shelf. Unfortunately you can only do that for so long before you start to hear the dialogue! Sure, the show throws a bone to people who want to hear about scientific concepts and sci-fi continuity, but from what I've seen of the show, it largely treats those things as just shorthand for "I am a weird awkward guy and hard to communicate with." Nanu Nanu.

3. That Laughtrack. Now, I certainly understand the sentimentality of holding on to things we've enjoyed in the past, but the laughtrack is one of those things I'm definitely ready to part with - like, yesterday. I've grown up to know what is funny to me and what is not, can we take the nagging, laughtrack-training-wheels off already?!

Besides their cop shows, laughtrack sitcoms are pretty much CBS's bread and butter - and I don't watch any of them. Come to think of it, I watch only one show on CBS, the addictive Person of Interest. Nothing else on the network appeals to me - but CBS sure gets the ratings, so from a business standpoint - more power to 'em, I guess.

4. It's a Mile Long and an Inch Deep. If you enjoy The Big Bang Theory and want to watch it, that's certainly up to you. You might say, "Hey dude, it's just TV. It's probably best not to overthink it." True perhaps, but that's what bugs me most about the show.

Maybe people like The Big Bang Theory because it's "comfortably mediocre". It's easy, MSG flavored fast food for the brain. It's quick, it's not very complex, and it asks little of the audience. As far as I can see, it thinks little of the audience as well.

Even if I were to grant that it was a decently amusing show, is it really so head-and-shoulders above the other prime-time sitcoms on TV? Enough to warrant ratings that leave shows like NBC's Community in the dust? I don't get it.

My Kind of Satire!

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