Man of Steel: The Good, The Not-So Good and The...oh my gosh Henry Cavill is H-O-T!

I love Superman. I could watch and read about him for days. I love him as a superhero, I love him as an allegorical representation of American values and of globalization. I love him as a semiotic interpretation of what it means to be American (more on that here). He is the ultimate hero. I think that it is because of this love, not in-spite of it, that the latest incarnation of this hero leaves me wanting and yearning for a Superman who may not want to be the embodiment of a culture and who may not be the man I thought he was. I'm not sure I can exactly explain why Man of Steel doesn't have me doing cartwheels naked in the rain, but I'll try below.

Here is the requisite spoiler alert...of course, there are going to be spoilers. If you've never seen a Superman movie or watched "Smallville" or "Lois and Clark" or a Star Wars movie, or the Matrix trilogy, you might want to avert your eyes.

The Good

1. It's Superman, how could it not be good. There are so many touching human scenes (mostly told in flashback, my favorite device) to tell us the story of Superman and, if you think you know the story think again because some aspects have been turned on their heads in surprising mostly not unpleasant ways.
2. It would seem that everyone knows who Superman really is, as he's been traveling the world under assumed names, which I found interesting to see played out in the movie.
3. Lois Lane is not a girly girl, although she looks like one. Because she figures out who Superman is early on, we get to see all the mushy romantic stuff and it doesn't get kissed away at the end.
4. I love that there's so much time devoted to Krypton and Krypton is marvelous. There's some sort of flying dragon creature and tall dark buildings and pod babies (think The Matrix, not Pod people). Russell Crowe rocks as Jor-El (and, he better as we get to see a lot of him throughout the movie--another pleasant surprise) and I like the Lara is a fleshed out character who doesn't just wilt into the snowy white background.
5. General Zod isn't just a villain he's a terrorist. And, like most terrorist he's literally been programmed to keep Krypton and his way of life safe by any means necessary. Wow, that's powerful to watch.

The Not-So Good

1. I am tired, literally, of fight scenes that last so long that I forget who's fighting and why; I forget what I'm watching. There is a fight scene at the end of this movie that makes those long scenes in The Matrix: Reloaded and Revolutions seem short and kind of wimpy). Where are all the people? Aren't Superman and General Zod killing half of Metropolis as they throw each other into the sky to come crashing down on cars and lamp poles? Isn't Metropolis smashed into the ground, as they use each other to knock down entire buildings and turn whole entire city blocks into burning piles of debris? It feels like the filmmakers thought we'd just forget that. I can't, as that's some epic destruction that will take years to rebuild. That's a lot of trauma to the innocent lives of people we see scurrying away from the ruble and the flames.
2. Call me a purist, but I really don't like Jonathan Kent in this movie. To clarify or muddy the waters, whatever, I totally like the way Kevin Costner plays Jonathan Kent, but his stubborn, Jesus-like sacrifice is a bit much.
3. Where's my funny witty dialogue via Lois and Clark banter?
4. Where's my NERDY Clark!? He was on screen for about 10 seconds...instead we get Rugged Frontier Clark for about half the movie. Rugged? Clark? Even shirtless, I didn't really like it.
   
5. Ok, so I'm only well-schooled in certain aspects of Superman lore and mythology, but isn't he not supposed to kill anyone? I do not like that he snaps the neck of General Zod to save that family. I understand that Zod didn't give him a choice, I understand that Zod couldn't go on living if his plan didn't work, I understand that it would have been improbable if Zod had lived in the end but did Superman really HAVE TO SNAP HIS [INSERT YOUR CUSSWORD OF CHOICE] NECK!? I don't think so and that whole bit felt like it was on purpose as I think I was able to adjust to every part of this reboot, but that. It kind of reminded me of that part in Star Wars Episode III...I spent most of I and II wondering how they were going to make Anakin evil enough that he'd go to the dark side and when he kills that group of little adorable Jedi padawans it broke my heart in a way that I've yet to recover. I'm having that same feeling now. And, while he feels remorse and cries into Lois' waiting arms he friggin' SNAPPED HIS NECK! Ohhhh, the humanity.

The...oh my gosh Henry Cavill is H-O-T
I'm sorry I only gave him a slight nod when seeing him in Stardust a few years back. Perfect Superman...the proof is below.

and, finally...

The Elephant in the Room
I really, really like Superman Returns. I suppose I like it because it helps me to forget those awful movies after Superman II and it reminisces a bygone era and pays homage to the late and perfectly great Christopher Reeves and his 'Superman Saga'...I don't understand how people think this is a bad thing.

In conclusion to this long Superman ramble...
Will I watch it again? Yes (maybe in the theatres, since my husband didn't go see it with me). Will I own it on Blu-Ray the second it comes out? Of course. Will I watch the next one, although I have no idea where they're going to go after this? Most definitely, and in the theatres. Will I learn to gush and love it as much as other people seem to do? I dunno, ask me tomorrow, right now I'm busy watching Superman and Superman II, after that I may watch ...Returns, you know, for closer.

65 Books in a Year: #7 1Q84: Day 5

1Q84...The References and a Review

I started Haruki Murakami's 1,000+ page novel on the 3rd of February and finished on Sunday. A book that long doesn't really get covered properly in one blog post, so I'm thinking this is going to be a week of 1Q84...lots of spoilers, lots of commentary, so be warned should you choose to read on. 

So, I've been looking for a definitive list of all the allusions in this novel...

Small Demons has a list all about it
On Goodreads they've got an on-going music list, and you can listen at Spotify
There are couple of really good food list here, here, and  Edible 1Q84

And, if you want to have a book club party Buttery Books has all the answers.

I've been reading lots of reviews about this book, not because I wanted answers or closure, I believe those are carefully and purposefully drawn out, but, because I really wanted to see what other people were saying about this book that I found so incredibly thoughtful, fun, suspenseful and real. Real and true-to-life despite it's elements of fantasy and science fiction.

The reason is simple...1Q84 is a story about love and in this book, there are myriad interpretations of love.

There's the love (or in most cases the lack of love) that comes from family, there's obsession, the love that comes from manipulation and power, there's tender first love and the craziness of long term love and there's love's derivatives: lust, infatuation, and even hatred.

Most importantly, it is about how love transforms and shapes us and it is about the little instances with people long forgotten that change and define us. And, no matter what...religious fanaticism, assassins, spies, bodyguards, strange little people, strange girls with learning disabilities and even stranger stories...love conquers all.

I'm reminded of something Jodie Foster said when Home for the Holidays, a movie she directed, came out in 1995:

I love the montage at the end of 'Home' that shows moments in these characters' lives that mattered the most to them, moments that define them. 

There are flickers of seconds that define you in your life that only two people can ever understand ‑ you and the person who's with you. The truth and reality of your life is only known 5 inches from your face. If somebody's not 5 inches from your face, then they don't understand that time, that moment.

It's these moments that are fleshed out and examined in this novel. It's these moments that show us the various examples of love; everything else is tertiary.

50 Books in a Year: Book #15 The Ice Princess

The Ice Princess
Camilla Läckberg

Nordic Crime Fiction
Free Press, March 2011
Trade Paperback, 416 pages
ISBN-10: 1451621744
ISBN-13: 9781451621747
$15.00

          I am a big fan of crime fiction, no really, I am. I love the Lincoln Rhyme novels (the most famous being The Bone Collector), Sherlock Holmes (esp. Hounds of the Baskervilles), and all those Agatha Christie novels. There is a Nordic crime fiction craze, however, that seems to be all the rage nowadays that I just can't seem to get the fever for.  I remember reading and watching Smilla's Sense of Snow, but, there are others out there (and, I'm not even talking about that Stieg Larsson person and his books--books that I will eventually read I promise!), one such person is Camilla Lackberg. Although Lackberg has a whole series of books starring a famous over-worked detective, Patrik Hedström, her books have just recently been translated into English. I think the reason I haven't jumped on the Nordic crime wagon, is that, being an avid reader, I can feel that something is being lost in the translation of a book. In a translation awkward turns of phrase seem to get repeated,  sentences seem choppy and, no matter how good the translation, the flow seems stilted.
        I chose to read this book to see if the translation, by famed Larsson translator Steven T. Murray, would be any different.  It wasn't. Not only do I dislike that something that is missing because of the translation, I also dislike duh duh duh scene enders and there are several in this book. Don't get me wrong I enjoy suspense and I do care what the letter said, I do care what's in the waste basket and I do care what's missing from the bedroom, I just want the fact that the writer already knows something that I'm using clues to figure out myself to be a little less apparent in the clues he/she is giving--I don't need commerical breaks. These plot points made me read the book faster than I would have liked because I wanted to see if I was right in my assumptions and they were so blatant that they got in the way of the plot. But, that doesn't mean the story (if you can get past the hard to pronounce names and places) wasn't any good.
        Although this is Patrik Hedström Book #1, the main character is Erica Falck, a woman whose parents just died, whose sister is in an abusive marriage and whose childhood friend has just been horribly murdered left in her bathtub, a thin layer of ice covering her body. She spends most of her time trying to find out more about her friends life, but there are a couple of side stories (such as her sister and her abusive husband) that I found a little distracting from the main plot. I do like how Läckberg incorporates this present mystery with one from 20 years in the past. I also liked that I jumped ahead to read the ending, but had no clue what was going on because she introduces so many characters and plot points from the beginning to the end. While I like that Erica is the protagonist of the book, I don't understand why Lackberg would give her such a lead role in this book and then name the series after Patrick, as if we are following his life and not hers. I can't wait to read the rest of the series (or at least the next one) to see how that plays out. I like the idea of Ericka as a strong female role who has issues, but doesn't let those issues get in the way of the truth she is seeking. I'll be sad if that doesn't carry through to the rest of the series.
        What I like most about this book is that it is set in a real place. The little town of Fjällbacka, where this, and other Läckberg novels, takes place has a population of about 1,000 people, and is most noted for being a town where Ingrid Bergman lived for a time. This story winds all around the town and Stockholm enough that I felt compelled to research the town (the map in the book wasn't really detailed enough) to see points of interest including the famed Bergman square.
         I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced crime drama with a few twist and turns and doesn't mind that something has gotten lost in its translation.

3 1/2 (too many little flaws to make it a 4, although this book is an excellent plane read)

Websites of Interest
Camilla's Top Ten Swedish Crime Novels
On Good Reads
Official Website
Top 100 Crime Novels According to Wikipedia
Fjällbacka

I received this book for free for review from Free Press Blog Tours.

50 Books in a Year: Book #9 The Story of Stuff

         

Full Title

The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health--And How We Can Make It Better  Annie Leonard

          I am a consumer. As I look around my living room, I see our extra ginormous TV, our DVDs, CDs, stereo equipment, dolls and other toys, and furniture, I wonder when I became such a collector of stuff.

          I decided to read this book (a free book from Free Press Blog Tours) from Simon and Schuster because I wanted to know what effect my consumption had on the world, I was not truly prepared for what I found out.

          This book (like the original video above) comes in five parts or chapters: Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption and Disposal. By the end of the first chapter I was feeling a little guilty about my meager shopping habits, my cheap t-shirts, my part in the oil wars in Nigeria--ie. my Nissan Sentra, miner and worker exploitation in foreign countries, the gold in my PS3 and the diamonds in my wedding ring. By the end of the second chapter I was feeling angry at Annie Leonard for bringing to light what happens because of my consumption...I love my wedding ring and my t-shirts and my computer, TV and electronics and don't even get me started on Disney. By the end of the book I vowed to do what I can to make the linear consumption graphic a closed loop.

          I found myself talking about this book to anyone who would listen. At lunch we talked about what our love of meat does to the environment and I brought up coffee (chapter one of the book) and t-shirts (throughout the book). We talked about it while grocery shopping (alumium cans are everywhere, people, really!). I struck up conversations with the kids who pumped by gas, checked my stuff out at Wal-Mart and came into my classrooms. I learned about the make-up of my make-up...thank goodness I don't wear much. I learned that Big Business and the government would prefer that I just buy, buy, buy without thinking of myself or others. I learned that in the 1950s, when we consumed less and led simplier lives, we were a happier nation...the data does not lie.
          However, there is hope. I like that at the end of every section Leonard takes time to tell each of us what we can do to not only create a greener environment that is sustainable, but to simplify our lives. I took Laclede county's pollution report card here and learned that we are the top 20% dirtiest counties in the US, I'm not surprised, we have a lot of factories. I learned that when buying diamonds (rocks I still love!) I can ask the jeweler questions provided from the diamond buying guide created by Amnesty International and Global Witness to make sure I am not buying blood or conflict diamonds. And, as for my t-shirts...I've learned I'm doing the right thing when I wear t-shirts from high school, wear your t-shirts until they wear down and then when you can't wear them anymore turn them into rags or a quilt. I've learned that I can be a responsible consumer and help write a new story about the history of stuff.

          Simply put, this book, while intense, is good and will change your life if you allow it to.

Oh and I forgot (today is Word of the Week Tuesday), instead of one word I have three:

Grey water: the act of filtering and reusing water to be used again.

Perceived Obsolescence: to 'perceive' an item as broken or obsolete because of taste or fashion manipulated by 'corporate decision makers, industrial designers, economic planners, and advertising men actively, strategically' promoting the next new idea or trend.
Toxics Release Inventory: 'a database of information about toxic chemicals releases, both via air and in waste.'

Have a blessed and lovely day!