If this is your first time reading one of these posts on the blog, they’re inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s annual “Seen/Read” list. At the beginning of every year, Soderbergh posts his chronicle of all the media he consumed during the prior year.
I wanted to do something similar, but felt that keeping track each month would keep me more engaged as a writer and make it an easier read. Since I spend so much time listening to podcasts, I’ve been wondering if I should include them here. That applies to sports too. Like if I spend six hours on a Saturday or Sunday watching football, well, that’s “watching,” right?
My intention was for August to be all about the “Alien” movies with Alien: Earth premiering on FX. I didn’t follow through on the ambition to watch all of the previous films before the series began. Also, I pumped the brakes when I found out that the story took place before Ridley Scott’s 1979 original.
But I’m a big fan of Noah Hawley’s work on Fargo and Legion, and I have all six of his novels (though I’ve only read A Conspiracy of Tall Men). So between that and my love of the “Alien” movies, I was an easy mark.
If this is your first time seeing one of these posts on the blog, they’re inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s annual “Seen/Read” list. At the beginning of every year, Soderbergh posts his chronicle of all the media he consumed during the prior year.
I feel like I can look back at a month and tell you what was going on — or not happening — that affected how much media I consumed. In June, for example, I was spending most of my non-working hours helping my mother around the house after she fell. So I was too worn out to watch or read much.
So as you’ll see, July was influenced by Superman debuting in theaters. Reviewing it jump-started me writing more on this blog again. But I also wanted to prepare for the movie by reading Superman books and films. That will continue in August. Summer of Superman!
The Fantastic Four: First Steps appears to be the film that the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs right now. It doesn’t depend on other movies to establish its world and story. Watching the dozens of other MCU films and TV shows isn’t required to follow what happens.
So it effectively serves as a necessary reset for a superhero movie universe that has felt tired and unfulfilling over the past few years. Especially when the guy with the red cape flying over Metropolis just brought a jolt of freshness to movie theaters and pop culture.
Yet The Fantastic Four feels new and exciting as well because it’s not set in the very same MCU as the familiar one occupied by the Avengers. The best decision made by Marvel and director Matt Shakman is putting these characters in a retro-future 1960s that looks unlike anything seen in an MCU film before.
There’s no cynicism here. It’s a culture full of wonder, which has also built trust between the world and these superhuman heroes who protect it. Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm are media sensations, rock stars and monoculture icons, which wouldn’t happen in a modern setting. The movie probably could have had more fun with that. But Shakman has cut a tight film and the story has to move along — which is also part of the problem.
James Gunn gets Superman. That’s easily the best aspect of his Superman movie. The writer-director knows the Man of Steel isn’t cool.
Superman is a dork. “The Big, Blue Boy Scout” is a nickname that’s been attached to him for years in DC Comics mythology and among comic book fans. Maybe it’s largely derisive, but it also explains what Superman is all about. He sees the good in people. He will do the right thing, even if he doesn’t always think through all of the ramifications of those actions.
What Gunn’s Superman gets right is that it doesn’t try to modernize the character for current audiences. The movie embraces what makes Superman distinct, what makes him the first superhero — maybe the only superhero — that comes to mind for many when imagining the concept.
Superman is a hero because he helps people when he could so easily hurt them. It’s not that he can catch a falling building, fly to the Arctic in minutes, or shoot lasers out of his eyes. He’s supposed to be decent and kind. To portray him otherwise is an attempt to make him cool instead of goofy.
Some might feel like this Superman is a bit too goofy. He wears his trunks on the outside of his costume (which is the best design, even if it looks silly). He built robot companions for himself. He fights giant monsters. And perhaps most controversially, this Superman has a dog. A superpowered dog named Krypto. It’s impossible to be a grim and serious drag when a dog wearing a cape is flying around the screen.
Gunn really toes the line with how much Krypto is in this movie. But it’s not just for comic relief or an attempt to appeal to kids. Krypto serves a storytelling purpose, and more importantly, he helps explain Superman’s character. He hasn’t trained this dog well, presumably because he’s busy. But Krypto also helps Superman feel less lonely because he’s from Krypton.
Superman also shows how human he really is when he fears that his innocent companion has been harmed. It’s another example of how much he cares. In Superman II (1980), Christopher Reeve pleaded with Terence Stamp’s General Zod not to hurt people. Here, he gets pissed when he believes Lex Luthor has hurt his dog. He scolds fellow superheroes for not neutralizing a threat more humanely.
This 2025 Superman isn’t one we’ve typically seen on the big screen. He’s vulnerable and relatable, which is portrayed very believably by David Corenswet. The story begins with Superman having a really bad day and needing to recuperate. Who can’t empathize with that?
Benjamin Franklin said only two things in life were certain: Death and taxes. I think he could’ve added that there will always be a Batman cartoon on the air, though Franklin died 149 years before The Dark Knight debuted in Detective Comics No. 27.
My contention that there’s always a Batman cartoon on the air doesn’t quite hold up either. The last one was Beware the Batman, a computer-animated series which Cartoon Network pulled off its schedule in 2013. (The series, including seven episodes that were burned off on Adult Swim’s Toonami, can now be seen on HBO Max. I’m catching up on that someday.)
But with a new Batman movie set to be released in 2022, WarnerMedia is launching a new animated series as well. And this one has some star power behind it. According to DC, Batman: Caped Crusader has been ordered for HBO Max and Cartoon Network, going straight to series. No pilot episode and series order necessary.
Ian Casselberry 