Peter T. Chattaway on the Not-So-Christ-Like avior.
So much has been made of Kal-El as a Christ figure that little attention is ever paid to the kind of Christ figure that he is. You often hear people argue that Superman raises Lois Lane from the dead in the first movie (though one could also argue that he merely goes back in time to a point before her death and does not actually raise her from the dead, per se).
But what people often don't point out is that Superman brings Lois back to life as a very specific act of disobedience against his father. At several points in the story, Jor-El tells his son that it is forbidden to interfere with the past, and when Superman prepares to do just that, Jor-El's face looms large in the clouds, sternly warning him not to disobey.
This theme -- Superman's almost adolescent rebellion against the demands of his father -- was going to be developed a little further in Superman II, parts of which were shot at the same time as the first movie. But the director was fired and replaced, and the remaining Brando footage was shelved, and the sequel had to be partly rewritten as a result.
Even so, when you look at the first two films together, an interesting pattern emerges -- one that does not necessarily lend itself to orthodox Christian interpretation.
Yo-ho-ho!!!
Other reviewers and geek-sters are bursting through the gate with ecstatic, hyperbolic, joyous reviews of the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel.
You-know-who... Mr. "I'm first with every review"... is raving and raving about it.Read more
Some Christian Film Critics are Spoiling "Superman Returns."
A responsible and principled film critic will follow a few simple rules:Read more
Top 10 Things to Do If You Get Bored During "Superman Returns"
Superman Returns is a summer blockbuster. Chances are, you won't be bored.
But if... if you find your mind wandering during the film, here are ten things you can do to pass the time:Read more
Rosenbaum Reviews "Three Times"
Sure to be one of the year's best, Three Times is the latest from Hou Hsiao-hsien, whose film Cafe Lumiere is one of the best I've seen in the past few years.Read more
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Okay, I've just seen a promising 90-minute highlight reel for an X-Men movie. It was wild! A beautiful lake exploded, and Jean Grey came back from the dead! Magneto declared war on humanity! And the heroes were joined by a big, blue, furry fellow who sounds like TV's Frasier!
Wait... that wasn't a long preview? That was the movie?
Through a Screen Darkly: The Last Crazy Weekend
My publisher has given me an extra five days to wrap up writing Through a Screen Darkly.
It's a 340-page book, written in three months, while I was still working a full time job. Am I tired? YOU BETCHA.
But I'm quite pleased with the result, and I've been working with a team of hotshot readers who aren't afraid to tell me when something I've written really sucks. So thanks to their hard work and careful corrections, the thing actually feels like a book now, and I'm going to spend the weekend combing it for errors and adding last minute touches.
Then, it's off to the publisher and I can get back to
SEEING MOVIES, WRITING REVIEWS, LISTENING TO MUSIC, and READING.
Oh, yeah, and the sequel to Auralia's Colors is due to the publisher in November, so there's that...
Actually, I cannot wait to get back into fiction writing. I loved working on Through a Screen Darkly, but it did feel like an 85,000-word dissertation at times. Storytelling comes much more naturally to me. So I'm anxious to get back into that groove.
Anyway, I look forward to getting back to more frequent blogging and reviewing and catching up with all of you.
Have You Heard Rescue?
A quick shout-out to my brother, who is, as usual, working overtime to bring the music of his singing group — Rescue — to a church or a festival near you.Read more