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2003-07-12-9:37 p.m. 2003-06-30-12:41 p.m.  Bruce and David having a father/son encounter...or is it a stage play within a movie?  The age-old father-son conflict becomes a bit toxic The Hulk (2003) Directed by Ang Lee I'm so sick of hearing all about what a superhero movie is supposed to be. It seems that some people are too sensitive to allow themselves to go beyond the status quo. I actually heard this kind of conversation on NPR. A Seattle Times columnist was the bigegst complainer. She said that she loved superhero movies, and that Spiderman was the greatest movie she had ever seen. Basically the NPR guys were busy trying not to sound like NPR weenies by complaining that Hulk was too deep. Well, they have a point. Hulk remonded me that the mainstream comics of the eighties went way into the dark and it seemed they took themselves way too seriously. They took all the fun out of comics. But comics were in big trouble at the time, and the folks at DC and Marvel were struggling to find their audience, which consisted, at the time, of 18 to 35-year-old fanboys. What saved comics was (and ask any comic geek) independants. Comics like Hate, Watchmen, Palestineand Love and Rockets. These days, the big titles are using the techniques and even the artists of the indies (like Alan Moore, responsible for League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) to breathe new life into old favorites like Superman and Batman. That's what happened here. The whole movie looks like an extremely well-drawn comic. That's where all the fun of the movie lies, as well, because the entire movie is deadly serious. It practically gave me a headache. I felt pure joy at every cut and every splash-page scene - it was better than the original Thomas Crown Affair - but the film was deep, dark, and disturbing. And why not? Hulk is, and always was, another take on the Frankenstein story. It seems to be about the dangers of "playing god" and "rampantly growing" technology, yes, but it is also very Freudian, about fatherhood, fear, and the origins of male anger. It's about the male tendency to bottle and stuff emotions, what that does to their psyche, and how it's a fear-based action. It's about how angry and violent men are acually still babies seeking their fathers' approval and their mothers' love. It's about which psychobabble to accept and which to dismiss. This was done very well in the film Gods and Monsters. But Hulk does it, too, and somehow manages to use these deeply Freudian themes to sell children's cereal bowls  Hulk is now an enemy of the US Military. Perhaps Hulk will now be more popular wordwide? If I find a set of Hulk Huggies' Pullups potty-training pants, I might have to kill myself. 
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DiaryLand Contact me Older entries Newest entry GO HERE for my new blog. This is all reruns. Pennycentury (my old diary) Hear my newest entries! Hellbound Allee's Red-Hot Freethought Lounge Insolitology Your source for crackpots on the web  Personal Info Alison Randall lives in Montreal, Quebec with her lovely husband, Francois Tremblay. Together, they enjoy their online atheist audio station, their weekly program, The Hellbound Alleee Show, cuisine, working on their various websites, and movies.  Test your KJV Knowledge Diary rings : |
A lot of fun to commiserate with people who have actual ideas surrounding their weddings. These women actually know that they are allowed to think that they can do something other than a McWedding to get married. Believe it or not, your parents are not required to pay, and you are not required to serve jordan almonds! Heaven Forfend!