reminds me of some “world” leader.

True. Can’t get more flawed than lord BJ or Kofi Annan.

Roger L. Simon reviews a film – a well-made and interesting film, he says – about terrorist vs. non-terrorist Muslims:
http://pajamasmedia.com/2007/05/film_review_islam_vs_islamism.php

PBS, an arm of government, commissioned it but is now censoring it because it’s not politically correct enough (says Simon). You can sign a petition against their censorship here:
http://www.freethefilm.net/signourpetition.html

Think your home planet blowing up won’t have any effect on you?

Superman easily surpasses both of them and has a better build.

The more I think about this movie, the more I like it. And that’s rare for contemporary flicks which seem to entertain us (when we watch them) and fade from our memories (as time passes). This one remains as something to ponder and which helps enlighten. I may well have to see it again — and may come to appreciate the ending better after a second viewing.

I really do appreciate how Raimi portrayed the flaws in the hero. Really humanizes him. And helps relate him to heroes of myth and legend.

And maybe it is those heroes’ flaws which make them resonate in their cultures — and across generations.

So I found that sad, and infuriating… and yet, there were still some moments where the show managed to get past that training, and dredge out the right reactions. (Spoiler Alert) When Spiderman went to the church to fight off his demons, I expected scoffing – I didn’t get it. Reverent quiet. When Eddie prayed that God would kill Parker, the tension at the wrongness of that – Eddie inviting evil into his heart – was palpable. And of course, the shocked reaction when Parker hit MJ – when he hit a woman – was audible and stronger than most any other reaction I’ve seen in a film lately. Maybe that just confirms my theory – the social law that a man should not hit a woman, particularly not a woman he claims to care for, rather than being undermined has largely been emphasized by “feminist” thought… but I don’t think so. I think by that point, the story had done a good enough job sucking people in, so that they stopped overthinking things and went with those gut feelings.

I agree with a prior poster – at some points, the pacing was poor, and that facilitated the “thinking like a critic” pathology I noted… but there’s something else going on here, something in how these kids are being taught (and recall, I’m 23 here) that is aimed at undermining the idea of a hero, however flawed… and that’s concerning.

Regards,
Peter H.

I recently rented Fritz Lang’s Metropolis again and was once again struck by the similarities with both Parzifal and Wagner’s Parsifal, which in translation from Farsi is ‘Pure Fool’. There are probably many examples in German literature and art that use this and the Faust redemptive and transformative themes. Like Dan says, these are universal human themes — no wonder the comic books and now the movies are so popular. (Dan might even agree that Lalla Rookh falls into the same category.)

I hope she stays in character and keeps it up in the new movie.