tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18281102.post8559732946298608979..comments2023-09-18T10:42:39.496-04:00Comments on The Last Reel: This Looks Like A Job For....Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15974779007793707312noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18281102.post-47177134981048219252018-04-22T18:13:23.661-04:002018-04-22T18:13:23.661-04:00Tom -
I am never surprised by just how much you ...Tom - <br /><br />I am never surprised by just how much you know about movies in general, and about Superman: The Movie in joyous particular. No matter how saturated with Superman I may be at any given time, after speaking to you, if the subject comes up (and it so often does in our chats) I am in the mood to see it once more. That's due in large part to your infectious passion for it, and also my great, deep love for this film as well.<br /><br />As is the case with comic book lovers and film fans, I list many comic based movies as favorites: 'Batman Returns', 'Spider-Man 2', 'Thor', 'Deadpool', 'Logan' 'Captain America: Winter Soldier', 'Wonder Woman' - etc... These days, whenever you turn around, there's a new one coming out to tucker us out, right James Cameron? ; )<br /><br />And then there's Tom's great cinematic love. 1978's landmark motion picture miracle.<br /><br />Cameron is bemoaning superhero flicks lately, but there's another franchise exhausting us - Star Wars. George Lucas dazzled us with his operatic Skywalker saga a year before Kal-El took dynamic flight, and the two films remain - with another of Tom's favorites, The Exorcist - as 1970's true cinematic treasures. To say both sci-fi films deftly reinvented movie making is an understatement.<br /><br />But while Star Wars is consistently and breathlessly spoken about in terms of revolutionizing the movies, Richard Donner's masterpiece deserves just as much credit in that department. Look where we are today. Comic Book Movie Heaven - or hell, right JC? Yes, TV's Batman released a batty feature version of Adam West in tights 12 years prior to Donner's triumph, and there were those Batman serials even earlier too, but we know which movie completely transformed comic book feature films. <br /><br />Richard Donner, Tom Mankiewicz, Stuart Baird, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman - and all the pioneering rest - brought forth to celluloid life a depiction of the triumph of the human spirit in every way imaginable. Sure, 'The Avengers: Infinity War' will soon over dazzle us, undoubtedly. The next Wonder Woman will ensure that Gal Gadot can heroically carry on with Lynda Carter's legacy. However, Superman: The Movie flew us into the comic book panel we find ourselves in today. If it had flopped, if the profit had fizzled, it may have doomed comic movies for years - or at least delayed them big time.<br /><br />How do you list perfection? How do you capture a dream? There are far too many scenes for me to list as favorites: The grand, operatic opener on Krypton, the absolutely still hilarious Daily Planet intro to Clark, the first encounter with Hackman's unforgettable Lex Luthor, the soul wrenching moral decision which finda a 'god' literally turning our world around. So many more. If, though, I am forced to choose, I will hold the Superman/Lois scene as my favorite.<br /><br />Words fail me to effectively paint as emotionally uplifting a picture as possible for this surreal gem. We go from a playful dinner interview and classy flirtation, to soaring above a nighttime skyline. Skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, even the very stars are not off limits to us, for WE are flying with Superman. We are there along with a dazzled Lois. This is the deep core of Donner's remarkable fairy tale. Superman will take us by the hand in every future adventure. He will make sure we are OK, that we are safe, sound and eventually truly happy. He is Earth's protector, our trusted guide and our brilliant, unyielding light. Reeve and Kidder's chemistry is simply unmatchable, and Kidder's Lane serves as our stand in.<br /><br />How do you encapsulate your friend? How do you capture our uncountable, shared moments and give them lasting meaning. Thank you, Tom. Thank you for your blog, thank you for your insight, for you passion and for your enthusiasm. And most of all, thank you for your cherished friendship. <br /><br />- Will Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06902302055887077193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18281102.post-89229175088782336142018-04-20T14:43:21.540-04:002018-04-20T14:43:21.540-04:00Thanks Britt. Our friendship is one of best things...Thanks Britt. Our friendship is one of best things to happen as a result of TLR...Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15974779007793707312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18281102.post-56076270019937826872018-04-20T11:54:39.583-04:002018-04-20T11:54:39.583-04:00This was a beautiful post! I love hearing stories ...This was a beautiful post! I love hearing stories about what a movie or book or song means to someone and how it propels them to go out and do things. Reading this story was lovely.<br /><br />Thanks for the shout out, I'm so grateful you will still be on Twitter, even if you no longer blog. It's always hard to see a blog you love to read go, but sticking around on social media means so much. <br /><br />:) Brittani Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07975067259283007280noreply@blogger.com