Spider-man 3, a testament to the downward spiral of American....

¿Qué es blogoestroika?

El sentido de la blogoEstroika es encontrar en el Internet la herramienta adecuada para servir a todos los cubanos, debido a que existe una necesidad emergente de establecer puentes de comunicación entre los ciudadanos de la isla y de todo el mundo.

El principal enemigo del socialismo castrista no es solamente la disidencia, ni los músicos rebeldes, ni los brillantes blogueros que burlan 'desde dentro de Cuba' las limitaciones de un régimen que impide el acceso de información y de comunicación a todos sus ciudadanos...., si hay algo terriblemente peligroso para el gobierno de la Habana hoy, es el paso del tiempo y esto es algo que los generales no pueden contener, ni censurar.

Es imposible negar el hecho que vivimos en medio de una Era digital que acorta las distancias y convierte el monólogo en diálogo, trocando la acción aislada y local, en una interacción colectiva con alcance global. Eso es la Blogoestroika, sin lugar a dudas una palabra nueva y además un termino que describe el momento histórico que vivimos no solo en Cuba, sino en otros lugares del planeta donde se limite la libertad de expresión de todo un pueblo.

Necesitamos una transición de TV MARTI a INTERNET MARTI (algo posible con la tecnología de Wireless internet). El concierto de naciones democráticas de nuestra región y en particular los Estados Unidos pudieran ayudar mucho en esto, pero hasta la fecha no se han pronunciado.

Se impone establecer un puente que restituya el derecho a la palabra del cubano de la isla, y si este no puede ser libre en su propio país… entonces que lo sea al menos virtualmente, ejerciendo ante los ojos del mundo su condición de ciudadano.

La Blogoestroika es necesaria para que los hombres y mujeres de a pie en Cuba, puedan burlar los mecanismos de la censura y de la represión, para que se produzca la reunificación con su familia obligada a vivir en el exilio y finalmente, para que donde antes hubo una mordaza, se alce hoy una tribuna en la que miles de personas tengan a la mano el 'instrumento ideal' para iniciar las bases de una nueva sociedad civil ‘virtual’.

Generación asere.

What is Blogoestroika?

Blogoestroika intends, outside of the Cuban island and international opinion, to restructure the historical arena where we implement our freedom of speech rights. Blogoestroika is just a tool, a space for organizing without a controlling agency.

It is time to stop tearing ourselves apart on the trend of only two ways of thinking, of two right sides and a lot in between with no representing voice. Apparently, We have been dumb enough to take part in the charade that only perpetuate the same people in power for five decades. We are not made of two ideas, but of many individuals. Blogoestroika is the cyber-opportunity to share without censorship. Is the place where we will communicate openly with all of the parties that care about the Cuban people.

The blog era has opened this door. Technologies capable of low cost wireless internet access for Cubans are just around the corner. The Blogoestroika is anxious for them to participate.

GeneraciónAsere

La Blogoestroika y la emergente sociedad civil de los blogueros cubanos.

Spider-man 3, a testament to the downward spiral of American....



"In the United States, comic books have claimed their place among the few Native American art forms..."

Throughout the ages, every culture in the world has faced the proverbial challenges that walk hand-in-hand with the miracle of existence: the universal need to understand both ourselves along with this wondrous labyrinth of life. This becomes the source of religion, art and much of storytelling.
Mythology, being the most prominent of the herd, is a vital part of our free-willed journey on this earth; it is a source of reflection and interpretation as well as the fabric that binds our past, present and future. Every country has its myths and legends, each of which harbors a unique vision of humanity, albeit in symbolic clothing. With general mythology, a civilization relies on the power of metaphor to pass on values and important insights to a much younger generation, without the rebuke of a less creative, more confrontational approach to teaching. In the elegant words of Joseph’s Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, “It would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pours into human cultural manifestation. Religions, arts, philosophies, the social forms of primitive and historic man, the very dreams that blister sleep boil up from the magic ring of myth.”

In the United States, comic books have claimed their place among the few Native American art forms, which include Jazz music, the mystery story started by Edgar Allan Poe, as well as the musical-comedy. Comic strips began in the 1930s, a time of political and economic uncertainty, and like thunder from the sky created a new genre that has become a phenomenon, not just in America, but around the world. Since then, comic books have been in continuous publication and some of their stories have reached mythological stature. They are the legends of American Society and the embodiment of our culture. They offer us what King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable or the Legends of Aquinas did to their respective societies. Just as we were thrilled by the Greek legends and the great Homeric Epics, the tasks of the mighty Hercules, the bravery of the mighty Achilles in Troy, we are equally stirred by the daring exploits of Batman, the dark avenger of Gotham City.


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"Spider-man 3, although inflicted with the same lack of creativeness and cynical commercialization"

inema, the prevailing art form of the modern era, has been approached in recent times as a mass medium. Through the flickering light, storytelling has become a means of communication with just about the entire planet. Fueled by the digital revolution and amazingly widespread appeal, one of the new waves in American Cinema has been the plethora of comic book adaptations produced in recent years, the most popular of which being the “Audiences won’t give a damn. In an era of cynical, cash-in sequels, Spider-man 3, like its two predecessors, has a heartbeat that resonates just as strongly as its box office ka-ching.”

There are many theories as to why the Spider-man franchise has enjoyed the success that it has, and I believe it is a testament to the downward spiral of American movies. The vast schism between commercial and artistic sensibilities is at the root of this problem. Unfortunately, we have reached a point collectively where there is no longer any artistic value present in big-budget commercial films, and quite inversely, no commercial appeal in small, independent art films. Needless to say, the lack of quality in big Hollywood films has prompted this entire, artistic revolution that is happening with independent films. Much of this can be blamed on the corporate attitude of modern movie-making, whereby original stories have been replaced with a dull, consistent formula intended to guarantee revenue. Spider-man 3, although inflicted with the same lack of creativeness and cynical commercialization, delivers on the conceit that the movie promises: pure roller-coaster, escapist entertainment. This is in complete contradiction to the mentality present in earlier comic book adaptations.

The first Superman film, played with endearing charisma and heroism by the immortal Christopher Reeve and supported by the likes of Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman, is and will always be remembered not only as a superb superhero film, but as a “classic film” and a unique artistic achievement; albeit very entertaining and commercial. In the 1970s, the first two Superman films, written by the legendary, Godfather writer Mario Puzo and under the direction of Richard Donner c; aptured the heart of the comic book in so many ways.

Then in the late 80s and early 90s, the first two Batman films were brought to life with unyielding craft by the gothic filmmaker, Tim Burton. Inspired by Sin City’s Frank Miller and his Batman graphic novel “The Dark Knight Returns”, Tim Burton gave us a unique interpretation of the schizophrenic crime-fighter.
The films paid homage to the original Batman comics by giving the story a dark poetry and psychological depth. In the first film, Batman, Jack Nicholson brought a flawless, larger-than-life persona to Batman’s opposite number, the demented and perversely twisted Joker. In the second film, Batman Returns, Danny Devito brought wit and humanity to his portrayal of the Penguin, a Shakespearean Richard III forced to go through life as a hideous creature struggling for the cloak of respectability. Another treat was watching Michelle Pfeiffer transform her Cat-fetish into an instrument of vengeance against those who robbed her of her innocence as The Catwoman. And of course, Michael Keaton wowed audiences with his portrayal of the manic-depressive, sexually hung-up hero who gets off by dressing himself up as a bat and becoming the righter of countless wrongs. These two films have been hailed by many as the transitional films of the comic book genre. The Washington Post praised Batman as a “masterpiece of pulp, the work of a true artist, - - dark, haunting and poetic.” Rolling Stone magazine praised Batman Returns saying that, “Tim Burton uses the summer’s most explosively entertaining movie to lead us back into the liberating darkness of dreams.” Drawing mostly from the works of famed psychologist Carl Jung, the Batman comics have always been about the bittersweet tragedies of its characters and their need to express their psychic wounds in the fantasy of their extravagant personas. In Batman Returns, Danny Devito’s character confronts Batman and says, “You’re just jealous, because I’m a genuine freak and you have to wear a mask.” To which Batman somberly replies, “You might be right!”


III
"The villains in the Spider-man franchise have never been incredibly interesting, but the latest opponents are dizzyingly awful".

Not surprisingly, conservative theatre owners were very apprehensive in regards to the dark, mean-spirited tone of the first couple of Batman movies. The expectation was something a little more upbeat and charming, and Batman was not that at all. However, their fears were laid to rest when the films took off and became the monumental successes that they were. The character of Batman has never been away from the public consciousness, but it never did capture the pop culture zeitgeist quite like it did in the summer of ’89 when Batman became one of the biggest blockbusters of all times. In the summer of ‘92, Batman Returns was another box office smash and a creative triumph, even more so than the first.
Unfortunately, when the third Batman film went into pre-production, Tim Burton fell into creative conflicts with studio executives who wanted the next film to have a more family-friendly, child-friendly base; a demographic that seemed to be alienated from the first two films. This led to the directorial reigns being handed off to Joel Schumacher, a talented director in his own rite, who quickly transformed Burton’s nightmarish world of Gotham City into a brightly-colored, Saturday Night Fever frenzy. Michael Keaton felt that this new approach was in stark opposition to his interpretation of the character and decided not to return to the role. He was then replaced with Val Kilmer, who brought his own unique flavor to the character, but vastly wasted in a film that became campy and meaningless. In the summer of ’95, the third film, Batman Forever, was an example of the Hollywood corporate entity stepping in and trampling with the artistic legs of a movie. The intrigue and drama of Tim Burton’s Batman was replaced with roller-coaster action and formulaic, two-dimensional characters.
Faring even worse was the release of the fourth movie in the summer of ‘97, Batman and Robin, which cast George Clooney as Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the main villain. Although they were great names to put on the marquee, it was one of the silliest movies ever made and became a colossal disaster, both critically and commercially, leading to the demise of the series. The character of Batman would not surface again until the year 2005 with the release of Batman Begins, a film which proceeded to start from scratch, telling the origins of the character. Christopher Nolan, who directed such critically acclaimed films as Memento and Insomnia, fell short of the magic of Tim Burton, but nonetheless brought intelligence and darkness back to the Batman mythos.

This is not to say that all comic book adaptations have suffered from the cynicism of the industry: there have been many superb endeavors in recent years. The Road to Perdition was a nicely-crafted homage to the comic book which inspired it as well as the gangster-film genre in general. Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, of course, turned in excellent performances. Another exceptionally well-made comic book movie was American Splendor. This low-budget, independent film was a charming portrait of America, but the highlight was Paul Giamaitti’s beautiful performance. Many of Frank Miller’s graphic novels have also found their way to the big screen, including Sin City and most recently 300. While two completely separate stories, they each evoked the spirit of Frank Miller’s unique artistry and storytelling abilities, without being marred with familiar formulas and commercial gimmicks.

The year 2001 was a giant benchmark in the way of comic book films, for it introduced the most financially successful comic book movie franchise to date. Translating Spider-man the character into a movie series would apparently seem like a no-brainer for studio executives. Unlike some of the Batman novels and comics, which were primarily aimed at mature readers, Spider-man was the perfect recipe for mass appeal: enough action to drive kids and action-buffs out of their minds, and clean, cartoonish violence suitable for young children. Teenagers could also identify with the premise of a teenage-hero struggling with normal adolescent issues, such as school and girlfriend problems. Similar to the Batman phenomenon in ’89, Spider-man became an unprecedented success and Spidey-mania was sweeping the nation. The film inspired many other comic book superheroes to be brought to the silver screen with mixed results, including the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider and the forthcoming Iron Man. Although reviews for the first Spider-man were mixed, Spider-man 2 was released in 2004 and enjoyed a warm reception from the critics. But the third film is a long way from the personal story told in Spider-man 2.

Spider-man 3 suffers from overblown spectacle and the aforementioned problem of corporate movie-making. The villains in the Spider-man franchise have never been incredibly interesting, but the latest opponents are dizzyingly awful. Even the character of Venom, a stunning creation in the comics, has been dumbed-down to support a story already inhabited by too many extraneous characters. Ultimately, the only interesting adversary in the film is Spider-man’s own black-suited alter-ego; the execution of which was bland at best. The story adheres to a horribly familiar formula, and the result is a mix-mash of a film.

Conclusions

As long as audiences remain insolated and demand nothing better from the Hollywood community, the quality of films will continue to decline. Fortunately, the future looks bright for the comic book material itself, as they continue to flourish in different mediums. Characters like Batman and Superman have a 70-plus year legacy. They are part of the language of American pop culture and will be around for a very long time; that’s the great thing about mythology, it’s there for the ages. The characters in comics reflect the spirit of past civilizations from ancient times. Although they may no longer exist, their ideals are immortal and will continue to be passed on from generation to generation.

by Danny del Mazo

L.A. California. 5/15/2007