Why Superman II Still Has the Best Ending Ever
Although it’s forty years old, I still rate the climax of Superman II (1980) as the best climax to any superhero film. It does something that the numerous superhero movies since have never bettered: it surprises us. One of my issues with the superhero genre is that too often, the final battle is won through sheer will and/or strength. In The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Batman’s victory can only come through physically besting Bane. In The Dark Knight (2008) – which is meant to be a test of wills and intellect, since the Joker confesses he can’t win a fist fight against Batman – Batman still has to physically incapacitate…
My 10 Best Movies from 2019
I love stories. It doesn’t matter what form they come in: novels, movies, television, autobiographies, or whatever. And I always love when I know – and usually I will know pretty quickly – that I’ve connected to a story. Then it’s just a case of sitting back and enjoying the adventure. Growing up in the 1980s, it was the blockbusters that did that for me. They were story-based, and the action complemented what was going on. Now it seems the opposite. Blockbusters are action-based, and the stories complement what’s going on. Well, they try. Too often, they feel like some loose thread woven around the action to link it together.…