A Look Back: Superman Returns
The first two Superman movies are brilliant because director Richard Donner understood the source material, and had a genuine vision to interpret the character to the screen (unlike some, who simply preferred to turn the character into somebody else under the guise of a contemporary update). I don’t think any other interpretation of Superman has been as faithful or accurate. Smallville (2001 – 2011) comes closest, but is the story of Clark Kent (Tom Welling). Superman makes only a fleeting appearance at the end, although actor Tom Welling – like his big screen predecessor Christopher Reeve – certainly emits the wholesomeness, nobility, and purposefulness the character needs. Donner worked on…
A Look Back: Star Trek VI – The Undiscovered Country
One of the interesting things about the cinematic Star Trek universe is that it’s considered all the even-numbered movies are good movies, and all the odd-numbered movies are considered shockers. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) was deemed a bore, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) so-so (although, as I wrote, I think this movie is under-appreciated), and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) a mess. But Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) is still considered unparalled for Trek and science-fiction movies, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) was the biggest grossing Trek movie to that time. So what did the sixth installment…