Tag: superheroes

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Part 1 of 2 (Part 2 here)

I have seen the “normalization” of a great many things in my lifetime — almost all of them for the worse. (more…)

1.511 slov

English original here

Ben Novak
Hitler and Abductive Logic: The Strategy of a Tyrant
Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2014

„Nahlédni do své duše a uvidíš, že je to pravda.“

Kniha Hitler a abduktivní logika Bena Novaka je dost možná tím nejvíce strhujícím akademickým titulem, na jaký jsem kdy narazil. Přináší smělou a nápaditou syntézu filozofie, historie, životopisu i literárního umu. (more…)

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Introduction to The Batman

The new Gotham city, presented by director Matt Reeves and inhabited/stalked by Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, is gothic and atmospheric. On the first of two viewings, I found myself so enamored by the backgrounds and music that I was less focused on the dialogue. Gotham is not merely a backdrop to the events taking place but is brought to life and is almost a character in its own right. Bruce Wayne’s “Batcave” is an abandoned subway station beneath Wayne Tower, which also houses his gothic-styled manor. (more…)

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Brad Bird is the director of three classic animated films: The Iron Giant (1999), The Incredibles (2004), and Ratatouille (2007), as well as the blockbuster sequel The Incredibles 2 (2018). The Incredibles is a superhero film that also pays affectionate homage to the spy movies of the 1960s, especially classic Bond. (more…)

4,239 slov

English original here

Strážci (Watchmen) patří k těm nejpravicovějším – dokonce s fašismem flirtujícím – dílům popkultury posledních let, a to vše i navzdory řádně a plně v souladu s duchem doby levicovému smýšlení tvůrců původního komiksu: autora příběhu Alana Moorea, ilustrátora Davea Gibbonse i Zacka Snydera, autora filmové adaptace, již osobně považuji za ten vůbec nejlepší snímek o superhrdinech, který své předloze nejen že dělá čest, ale dokonce ji v mnoha důležitých ohledech vylepšuje. (more…)

1,665 words

Czech version here

Ben Novak
Hitler and Abductive Logic: The Strategy of a Tyrant
Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2014

“Search your feelings. You know it to be true.”

Ben Novak’s Hitler and Abductive Logic is one of the most exciting academic books I have ever read, a daring and imaginative synthesis of philosophy, history, biography, and literature. (more…)

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The final installment of the massively profitable Avengers movie franchise, Endgame, offers three hours of superhero soap opera within a coherent, twisting, and surprisingly entertaining plot. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely remain focused on leading us to a grand climax throughout the story while keeping the edge between wondering what will happen next and knowing what will happen next reasonably sharp. (more…)

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About a month ago, a friend suggested I check out The Punisher, Netflix’s 2017 series. Wary though I am of the Marvel Comics Universe and modern entertainment, I must say what he said about the series was rather appealing. So, I bit the bullet and watched the thing. Now, recently, Netflix announced that it would be canceling the show due to attempts by Disney (more…)

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M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass is a sequel to two of his films, Unbreakable (2000), which is my favorite of his works, and Split (2016), which I found to be quite unpleasant, although I must concede that it is brilliantly acted in the lead role(s) by James McEvoy.

Unbreakable is a deeply moving film about how David Dunn (Bruce Willis)—once a brilliant college athlete who has been emasculated by his wife, an overprotective physical therapist—discovers that he is not an ordinary man. (more…)

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Appreciating Pixar’s The Incredibles 2 really is all about perspective, and that perspective comes only after experiencing the giddy nirvana of watching the first Incredibles movie. Going into the sequel, I was prepared to forgive it for not quite living up to the original, but would not forgive if it did not remain true to the spirit of the original. I’m fairly easy to please in this regard given that the spirit of the original was such a unique and wonderful thing.  (more…)

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Unbreakable (2000) is many people’s least favorite M. Night Shyamalan film, but I think it is his best: brilliantly conceived and scripted, beautifully acted and filmed, and quite moving. Since the film is almost two decades old, I trust nobody will complain about spoilers.

Unbreakable is a superhero film, but it does not contain any computer animation, strobe-fast editing, or deafening crashes and booms. (more…)

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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is an animated movie adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns. Released in two 76-minute parts in 2012 and 2013, then combined into a 148-minute edition DVD and Blu-ray, this is lame, sclerotic, constipated, Z-grade animation drawn out to paralyzing lengths, completely lacking the visual style and dynamism of the original graphic novel, which is more animated on the printed page than in this adaptation.  (more…)

3,027 slov

English original here

Poznámka autora:

Poněkud zkrácenou verzi následujícího textu jsem přednesl na druhém setkání New York Forum 16. července 2016. Rád bych tímto poděkoval týmu NY Forum i všem přítomným. (more…)