Friday, February 13. 2009
Wearing a cape is good for you
Sam here!!
Whether or not you like black capes, red capes, or no capes, I think it is evident that most of us love our superheros. And it seems that they are back! Well at least in the movies.
Over the last couple of years there has been a "superhero movie Renaissance", if you will. As special effects technology and CGI techniques continue to improve, we find ourselves glued to the movie screens once again. Watching our old favorites fight bad guys again along with a bunch of new heroes make their big screen debuts. And along the way, whole new generation of superhero fans has been born. And according to box office sales, we can't seem to get enough.
I was watching the original Superman movie on DVD recently and The marketing pitch for that movie was," You will believe a man can fly." And, I gotta tell you, I was impressed. Most people don't realize this but that movie pioneered the way for many standard special effects, especially in making a person look like they are flying. Sure the equipment has changed, computers have taken the place of giant machines that used to splice and re-film layers of footage together, but the essence of it all is still there.
Check it out here:Superman Special Effects
And we continue to believe, almost seamlessly, that a man can and does fly. So where has this "Superhero movie Renaissance" come from? One could say that box office sales for one movie inspired all the studios to get in on those ticket sales, but I think it is a little more complicated than that.
I think that, at least on some subconscious level, we love our superheros because they are doing things most of us don't think we can do...And I'm not referring to just flying, driving powerful cars around, or even spinning webs. But that they are masters of their fate. They seem to control where they go and can bend Fate and change outcomes on such a level that leaves us wide-eyed and hopeful. Something that I think we all desperately need these days.
I think Peter's aunt best put it in Spider man II when she was talking to Peter about why Spider man is so important...
"Kids like Henry need a hero, courage, self-sacrificing people, setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for 'em, cheer 'em, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble and finally allows us to die with pride even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams. Spider-man did that for Henry and he wonders where he's gone. He needs him."
Well I think that says it all...Go ahead I know you want to wear a cape right now, I won't tell anyone, I keep mine right beside the computer, and a bunch more all around the house
Till next time, Sam
PS: Superman is still better than Batman, That's right Matt, I said it!!!!
Whether or not you like black capes, red capes, or no capes, I think it is evident that most of us love our superheros. And it seems that they are back! Well at least in the movies.
Over the last couple of years there has been a "superhero movie Renaissance", if you will. As special effects technology and CGI techniques continue to improve, we find ourselves glued to the movie screens once again. Watching our old favorites fight bad guys again along with a bunch of new heroes make their big screen debuts. And along the way, whole new generation of superhero fans has been born. And according to box office sales, we can't seem to get enough.
I was watching the original Superman movie on DVD recently and The marketing pitch for that movie was," You will believe a man can fly." And, I gotta tell you, I was impressed. Most people don't realize this but that movie pioneered the way for many standard special effects, especially in making a person look like they are flying. Sure the equipment has changed, computers have taken the place of giant machines that used to splice and re-film layers of footage together, but the essence of it all is still there.
Check it out here:Superman Special Effects
And we continue to believe, almost seamlessly, that a man can and does fly. So where has this "Superhero movie Renaissance" come from? One could say that box office sales for one movie inspired all the studios to get in on those ticket sales, but I think it is a little more complicated than that.
I think that, at least on some subconscious level, we love our superheros because they are doing things most of us don't think we can do...And I'm not referring to just flying, driving powerful cars around, or even spinning webs. But that they are masters of their fate. They seem to control where they go and can bend Fate and change outcomes on such a level that leaves us wide-eyed and hopeful. Something that I think we all desperately need these days.
I think Peter's aunt best put it in Spider man II when she was talking to Peter about why Spider man is so important...
"Kids like Henry need a hero, courage, self-sacrificing people, setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for 'em, cheer 'em, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble and finally allows us to die with pride even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams. Spider-man did that for Henry and he wonders where he's gone. He needs him."
Well I think that says it all...Go ahead I know you want to wear a cape right now, I won't tell anyone, I keep mine right beside the computer, and a bunch more all around the house
Till next time, Sam
PS: Superman is still better than Batman, That's right Matt, I said it!!!!
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