A Tribute to Superman

In anticipation of the much anticipated animated adaptation of “All Star Superman” in stores this year, and the upcoming Zack Snyder/Christopher Nolan re-boot of the Bryan Singer re-boot “Superman Returns,” we have taken the time to voice our love for the character Superman and ponder on his more unique and endearing aspects that will surely be ignored in favor of the man of steel lifting tanks and destroying buildings with one force of breath. We hope Zack Snyder can invoke much of what made “Watchmen” so excellent and stow what made “300” so absolutely vapid and dunderheaded. Or at least find a balance. With that we continue to our “Superman Tribute.”

There was a journalist over five years ago who wrote an article about Superman who mocked the Man of Steel openly, and oh so sternly explained that among Superman’s fans, you’d be hard pressed to find any who would openly admit to being a fan of Superman in public. Oh how wrong he was and how wrong he continues to be. I’ll admit as a fan of Superman, that he is not the most popular hero in modern pop culture. In a world of cynicism, violence, and dread, the more enduring characters are all the darker ones with demons and shades of turmoil, all donning Bat costumes, garnering giant white skulls on their chests, or waving around claws from their knuckles.

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A Tribute to Superman: Fifteen Greatest "Superman: The Animated Series" Episodes

I won’t deny that “Batman: The Animated Series” isn’t one of the greatest animated series of all time. As a capsule of the nineties, it was a bold and daring new vision of the Dark Knight free of camp and void of pandering to kids with mature storylines that were never overly violent. Timm paved the way for his version of the DC Universe, and with it the demand for Superman came very soon after. “Superman: The Animated Series” did not last as long as “Batman” nor was it as widely revered, but we prefer it over the former, mainly because Timm’s vision of Superman was also bold and daring. It was light without being joyful, it was dark enough to give Superman an adult edge, and it enlisted some of the most brilliant voice cast of all time from Tim Daly, Dana Delany, Clancy Brown, and Lisa Edelstein. “Superman: The Animated Series” fizzled out once “Batman” ended mainly because DC wanted a younger “Batman” world that became “Batman Beyond” and “Superman” was just not a priority anymore.

After the demand for “Justice League” arrived, “Batman Beyond” also fizzled out, but the imagining of “Justice League” in animated form brought Superman back to the fans where he was allowed to lead a group of super titans in to hell. But for a moment, Superman was granted a moment in the spotlight, and Timm introduced some elements in to the lore that would be used later on. A more suave less geeky Clark Kent, a Lex Luthor who became a corporate tycoon, and the birth of his assistant Mercy Graves, a spitfire bodyguard and chauffeur for the bald baddie. It continues to be one of my favorite animated series of all time, and of the nineties and these are fifteen of my favorite episodes counting down to the best episode of the entire series run. Most of the information and stills for this list were compiled with the help of DCAU Wiki Page.

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Bikini Girls on Dinosaur Planet (2005)

bgodpI have a thing for Misty Mundae. She has a cute perky little body and a ghetto booty you can just sleep in for days. She has a gorgeous face that doesn’t require too much make-up and she can pull off ridiculous comedy. And if you saw her in “Masters of Horror,” she’s not a bad actress. But most of her career has been spent making some of the worst movies of all time, the lowest common denominator entertainment titles involving zombies, and monsters, all of which are so bottom of the barrel, they’re practically non-existent. “Bikini Girls on Dinosaur Planet” is one of those awful movies. Clocking in at barely an hour, this horrible softcore porn is basically an excuse to show display mild girl on girl.

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Troll (1986)

TROLLI remember the moment in “Best Worst Movie” where one of the stars of “Troll 2” are looking at a DVD box of “Troll” and “Troll 2” at a video store, and the clerk explains that the movie meant for the bad movie section of the shop is “Troll 2.” After finally watching “Troll” I can safely say that this absolutely unbearable film should also be in the same category as the film that ventured in to the town of Nilbog. Harry Potter and his family have just moved in to a mysterious apartment complex directly near a small wooded area. Upon discovering their surroundings, irritating little sister Wendy entering the basement, she’s captured by a troll, and the monster takes on her form. Rather than playing it cool and sneaking about the apartment building, the troll of course begins wreaking havoc acting like a hyperactive child for reasons never actually explained, and biding its time by venturing around the building making mischief.

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Sleepwalking (2008)

sleepwalkingspanDirector William Maher’s drama is not so much a story about Anna Sophia Robb’s character nor is it particularly about Charlize Theron, but a story about Nick Stahl’s protagonist James. Beaten down by life to the point where he is perpetually inept and in a funk, James is a man who gets through life as much as possible by soaking in the bile life hands him with a casual shrug and enduring about as much from the people in his life as possible. He is so absolutely immune to personal pain and stress he is constantly mistaken as mentally disabled. He sadly has to deal with Joleen and Tara, his sister and niece, both of whom are consistently in the pits of life. Joleen is a reckless neglectful mom who relies on James too much to get her out of trouble while Tara is her petulant daughter forced to deal with her mom’s indiscretions. But when Joleen leaves one night, she never comes home and now James and Tara are left all alone.

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The Taint (2010)

After reading the press materials for Dan Nelson and Drew Bolduc’s “The Taint,” I expected almost anything to happen while watching it. And that’s pretty much what I was given when watching “The Taint.” Just about anything and everything that you can imagine happened. And some things you were too afraid to imagine happened. It’s almost impossible to describe the film that was made by directors Dan Nelson and Drew Bolduc, but it’s an experience that no one will forget after watching it. And surely enough it has Troma written all over it. It’s compelling while also entertaining. It’s trashy but it’s clever. And it’s completely abundantly moronic, but also has a wit to it that makes it entertaining.

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F (2010)

f-2010-movie-posterI think in the end audiences will find the finale of “F” to be rather infuriating for the simple fact that while director Johannes Roberts doesn’t create a very conventional horror film, he also doesn’t opt for a conventional final scene. And viewers awaiting a huge showdown or some sense of comprehension to the extreme events that have occurred throughout the running time of “F,” many will find that it just doesn’t come to a close as many will be expecting. We live in a world where movies explain everything and anything they can. “F” chooses to leave most of its premise a mystery and keeps the motives of its almost supernatural legion of villains a mystery even after the credits have finished rolling.

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