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I have commented that there is an undercurrent of anti-Western self-loathing permeating parts of our popular culture and our news media. There is. But there are also some other trends worth studying. I watched the movie Superman Returns recently. I knew it had received some criticism in advance. Rather than Superman’s traditional motto “truth, justice and the American way,” his mission had now been transformed to “truth, justice and all that stuff" by scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. “The world has changed. The world is a different place,” Harris said. “The truth is he’s an alien. He was sent...

Herbert London, president of the Hudson Institute, say the new "Superman Returns" movie is politically correct in that the man of steel has come back not to protect the American way of life but to save the world. Superman, London says in a Washington Examiner column, "has been converted into a transnationalist. I suspect that in a sequel, Superman will be employed by the United Nations." One might say, if that was the case, the world body might actually get something constructive done, rather than sexually abuse kids and spread AIDS through its "peacekeepers." London goes on to say, "Superman...

As America's favourite super hero, Superman is the epitomy of manliness. But it appears the actor drafted in to play Clark Kent in the new movie sequel is more concerned with his make-up than saving the world. SUPERMAN PREMIERE SPECIAL American star Brandon Routh was left furious this week after he complained the make-up used on his face at a press conference made him look pale, artificial and 'a bit wimpy'. The actor became annoyed when he saw pictures of himself posing up next to his Lois Lane, Kate Bosworth, who, he said, looked much more natural and sunkissed. After...

Outrage of the summer: The new "Superman" movie edited out "The American Way" from the Krypton immigrant's rally cry. The Daily Planet editor says Supe's now all about "Truth, Justice and all that stuff." Makes perfect sense. Consider the foreign markets, where "The American Way" means Abu Ghraib and McDonald's. Don't remind them! They might burn the theater. (If that's their way.) Besides, it makes sense to have a newspaper editor treat the line with gruff dismissal, because hard-bitten editors don't get starry-eyed over patriotic hogwash. Except when discussing the people's right to know the GPS coordinates of Superman's fort....

It is the flying that seems to baffle everyone. How, exactly, does Superman fly? Or does he, really? With the release of the "Superman Returns'' movie this week, you can bet there will be plenty of discussion (at least half-serious) about the limits and scope of the Man of Steel's super powers. Rather than engage in uninformed speculation, we went to the experts -- physics scholars at Cal and Stanford. Unfortunately, a lot of them are baffled, too. "The flying always bothered me,'' admits Richard Muller, a professor of astrophysics at Cal and a Superman fan. "I think what he...

I watched most of Superman yesterday. In a day when CGI-driven action sequences are so easy to make, I still thought the first action sequence was excellent. (If you've seen it, I'm referring to the one with the space shuttle and the airplane.) Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane was almost too beautiful and sweet. And the movie had a great way of letting the audience be surprised at Superman's powers, despite all the previous TV shows and movies. Unfortunately, I didn't see the end, because a storm with 60-80 mph winds tore through the neighborhood about 2/3rds of the way...

SUPERMAN RETURNS portrays the man of steel as every liberal’s dream of the anti-moral hero. Early in the movie his principles are referred to as “truth and justice.” Period. Leaving out the critical line “and the American Way” paints a broad picture of what is coming. I hollered, “And the American Way” for the benefit of my fellow movie patrons just so everyone would notice the omission. After numerous teases we are finally brought up close and personal with the fact that Superman is a sexual predator, an absentee father, and an abuser of women, specifically of Lois Lane. He...

Call it "The Passion of Kal-El"? "Superman Returns" is splashed with enough Christian imagery for a cathedral full of stained-glass windows. The movie's director is Jewish. So were the two teenagers who created the Superman character -- based in part on Jewish sacred stories and legends -- in 1932. Nonetheless, obvious images from iconic Christian art and stories are as common in this film as product placements are in most summer blockbusters. Superman, having been sent by his father, saves the world while (almost) sacrificing his own life. The villain, Lex Luthor, stabs him in the side. While he is...

Maybe America didn't want to see a deadbeat dad Superman who stopped fighting for "the American way" after all.A mere days after the much-hyped Bryan Singer film "Superman Returns" opened, reports are coming in that the film is struggling at the box office. In fact, Fox News reports that the box office take is dropping as word of mouth spreads about the film.The new film had upset some Superman purists before its opening, once news surfaced that the plot of the movie had the Man of Steel learning that girlfriend Lois Lane had given birth to his illegitimate son. Others...

Nevermind Superman's sexual orientation. Here's another identity-related question that is likely to spark controversy as the Man of Steel soars into theaters nationwide this Fourth of July weekend in Warner Bros. Pictures' "Superman Returns": Is Superman still American? Ever since artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel created the granddaddy of all comic book icons in 1932, Superman has fought valiantly to preserve "truth, justice and the American way." Whether kicking Nazi ass on the radio in the '40s or wrapping himself in the Stars and Stripes on TV during the Cold War or even rescuing the White House's flag...

(English-language translation) “Holy God!”, my grandmother would have said if she were still alive, if she spoke English, and if she would have read the [film] review of “Superman Returns” written by Richard Corliss titled “The Gospel of Superman” that appears in the June 26 issue of “Time”. We read that Bryan Singer’s version emphasizes the superhero’s divinity and elaborates: “He is not a super man; he is a god (named Kal-El), sent by his heavenly father (Jor-El) to protect Earth. That is a mission that takes more than muscles; it requires sacrifice, perhaps of his own life. So he...

Alot of people are harping on the Liberal undertones of the new Superman movie. I see something else. I see conservative values creeping into Hollywood. This Lois is no slut. She has been getting knocked around for being an unwed mother but lets look at the facts of the story. In Superman 2 Lois and Clark get married and have sex while he is human. Lois' memory of those events are wiped clean and Superman leaves (Superman 3&4 never happened). Ok Lois ends up pregnant and the man that made her that way is gone. What does she do? Does...

So Lois Lane is a single mother . . . and a slut. That's the most disturbing part of "Superman Returns," heavily marketed to kids and in theaters tonight. Or is that "Lois and Her Feelings," co-starring Supe? That's what this dull, 2-hour 33-minute long latest rendition in the Superman series seemed like. A better version would have been more relevant. It's great that new Superman Brandon Routh saluted America's troops as "the real Super Heroes," a tie-in with Warner Brothers Pictures' effort to send a million plus postcards of support to troops overseas. But put your money where your...

My lady and I caught SR today at the noon matinee. Spoilers follow ... Superman Returns could have been called, "Superman II: The Wrath of Luthor," without the phasers and treknobabble. The makers have fashioned a long (157 minute) popcorn muncher that pays homage to the past supermen as "Stargate SG-1" does so carefully when lifting a story line from a "Star Trek" episode or other scifi classic. The new movie also matures the storyline and characters a bit for the 21st century. The F/X are spot on. The new Superaman really does fly gracefully, thanks to today's CGI and...

Few big-screen franchises have fallen so far or so fast as Superman, who has been absent from multiplexes for nearly two decades. “Superman Returns” provides a most satisfying resurrection, especially for those who have always regarded the Superman story as a Christ allegory. The first two Christopher Reeve films were big hits with critics and the public in 1978 and 1981. But it’s hard to find anyone with a kind word for “Superman III” (1983) or “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987), both of which were so out to lunch that Superman retreated to television with “Smallville,” “Superboy,” an...

In Superman Returns, editor of the Daily Planet Perry White says, "Truth, justice and … all of that stuff." And I found out the omission was no accident. I went straight to the writers, Mike Dougherty and Dan Harris: Mike: "When it comes to the American way, that's tricky." Dan: "I don't think 'the American way' means what it meant in 1945." Mike: "He's not just for Metropolis, and not just for America." Dan: "He's an alien, from Krypton; he has come to Earth to be kind of a savior for this world, not our country … And he has...

First there were the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Now, for many Christian moviegoers comes another gospel. As the hype machine shifts into high gear for new release Superman Returns, some are reading deeply into the film whose hero returns from a deathlike absence to play saviour to the world. "It is so on the nose that anyone who has not caught on that Superman is a Christ figure, you think, 'Who else could it be referring to?"' said Steve Skelton, who wrote a book examining parallels between Superman and Christ. As one of society's most enduring pop-culture...

"Superman Returns" is being advertised on Logo, the gay and lesbian cable TV channel, so the gay magazine, The Advocate, is asking "How Gay Is Superman?" The Advocate is not trying to claim that Superman is gay. It points out that like many gays and lesbians, Superman has a secret life. Superman has another identity that he doesn't share with anyone, ABC reported Tuesday. The film's director, Bryan Singer, who is gay, insisted that Superman "is probably the most heterosexual character in any movie I've ever made." In the Quentin Tarantino film "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," the character Bill shares...

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor? Frank Langella as Perry White? Eva Marie Saint as Martha Kent? I kid you not! :) It's due on June 28. See IMDb for details. Previous "Superman Returns" threads: Superman Returns TrailerThe "Superman Returns" Trailer Is On-Line Now!Will an old-fashioned Superman fly?Tony Snow and the new Superman - Look-alikes? (Semi-vanity)"Pirates 2" and "Superman" Trailers...Both On-line Now!Superman flies again . . . but can even he save Hollywood?How Will a Gay Icon Fly at the Box Office? Superman appeals to gays.Faster than bullets, yes. But Superman, gay? No way (Running away from homo agenda, alert!)

Is Superman a deadbeat dad? How about a gay icon?With the opening of director Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" approximately two weeks away, plot details are beginning to leak onto the internet, including that the Man of Steel impregnated, and abandoned, Lois Lane before going on a five-year space mission.In several fan reviews for the upcoming film, Ain't It Cool News is reporting that, when the Man of Steel returns from his outer space adventure, he finds his beloved Lois is a single mother, in a relationship with Perry White's son. However, the reviews note, the boy soon begins to display...