Zack Snyder's Justice League (HBO Max, 2021)

 I liked the 2017 release of Justice League enough, I guess. I enjoyed the team-building aspect of the flick, and the deep debate within the team about whether they should use a power dropped into their laps to resurrect a dead Superman. 

I prefer to watch team-based superheroes debate and argue in the clubhouse more than I enjoy watching them kick invading aliens in the ass.

But in total, the Josh Whedon-polished Justice League was a major disappointment. The plot was choppy and difficult to follow and the movie lacked character development. And man, those jokes! From Bruce Wayne greeting Aquaman with "I hear you talk to fish," to the hijinks of an immature Barry Allen, the jokes stripped away a seriousness from the movie's tone that couldn't be overcome. 

Zack Snyder's Justice League remedies most of the issues I had with the 2017 film. The use of Steppenwolf and his role as an herald of sorts to Darkseid is much improved in the Snyder cut, making this movie more cohesive. Characters are better developed -- how could they not be with twice the run-time of the original? -- and the tone is more serious. Banter is an important component to superhero stories. But it was a distraction in the Whedon-produced film. 

It's not that in the Snyder cut. 

There remain small issues I have with the movie. I still hate -- I mean really, really hate! -- this version of The Flash. This character seems a hodgepodge of Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen, and I was annoyed every time he was part of a scene. Cyborg is a little too robotic for me, although that's a creative decision with which I can live. But this version of Aquaman is more serious and much more fun to watch than he was in his own movie, Wonder Woman's character is consistent, and Bruce Wayne is better portrayed by Ben Affleck than he is by any actor not named Bale.

People will debate the four-hour run time, and that debate is legit. Is it necessary, or is it a vanity play by Snyder? I think it's necessary. It allows the time to build a better foundation for plot and character development, and gives appropriate time to explore some of the plot devices glossed over in the previous film. 

An Old Guy Who Loves Old Comics

 Recently I joined a Facebook group called “Old Guys Who Love Old Comics.” 

Because, well . . .  I am, and I do.

What's not to love about old comics? Readable stories. Wonderful hand-drawn panels. That smell when you pull a 40-year-old comic from a plastic bag. 

That’s the sweet smell of nostalgia.

But old guy? Really? When did  I qualify to be a member of that group?

Despite my mildly arthritic fingers hurting a little as I type this post, I don’t envision myself an old man. Hell, I don’t even think of myself as a middle-aged man. Especially when we’re talking about my lifetime of loving comics. 

It seems just a few years ago that I first spent 25 cents for the latest issue of Superman at the local Ben Franklin store. We lived several miles outside the city limits, so going to town was a big deal. Whoever I was with -- usually my parents, but sometimes my grandparents -- usually made the trip special. We'd hit whatever store we drove in for first, then walk down to the five and dime for some candy and some comic books. 

I'd read the titles in the back seat on the drive home, all the while hoping I didn't get car sick and puke all over my books. If I still had comics to read when I got home I'd take a short hike into the woods, find a soft spot under a tree, and read until I was finished. 

That would have been around 1975. 

46 years ago. 

I am, and I do. 

Mank (Netflix, 2020)

Mank, the biopic of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, is a better movie than any of the films the real-life Mank wrote. 

(Except Citizen Kane, of course. It's not better than that.  .   .   . )

But yeah, everything else.

Polish up those Oscars. 

Judas And The Black Messiah (HBO Max, 2021)

As relevant now

A struggle as it was then

Just less obvious

I Care A Lot (Netflix, 2020)

In addition to the kayfabe culture, "turns" were what made pre-Vince professional 'rasslin' great. Face turns -- when villains became the good guys -- were fun, but it was heel turns that were the most exciting. 

When your favorite good guy went bad it hurt, man. It hurt deep into your soul.  

Smart marks could often see a turn coming;. Weeks before, the blonde-haired good guy started showing dark roots, or the villain who always cheated to win gets over by pinning his opponent in the middle of the ring. Most -- but not all -- turns were predictable: fans were never surprised to see Ric Flair turn, but we were shocked when Hulk Hogan joined nWo.

I Care A Lot seemed to have more heel turns in two hours than World Championship Wrestling had throughout the '80s. The turns were fun to watch, and I didn't see any of them coming.