As a teen comics reader, my loyalties were with Marvel, perhaps because I
identified with the real-world challenges characters like Peter Parker faced (in
addition to saving the world several times over). As an adult reconnecting with
comics as reviewer of graphic novels, I am more drawn to DC, perhaps because I
appreciate the truly iconic resonance of characters like Superman, Batman, and
Wonder Woman. I do not want to be Superman’s best friend, but I value his
history standing for “truth, justice, and the American way”—and yes, it really
annoys me that they changed his motto.
Of
course, there is no character more iconic than Superman—and actor Christopher
Reeve did the almost impossible, by further enhancing his mythic status. Nobody
casts a greater shadow over his on-screen successors than Reeve does for
subsequent Superman thesps. That made his tragic accident and campaign for
greater paralysis treatments even more poignant. Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui
chronicle Reeve’s life and work, but they give special attention to his
dramatic third act in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which
premieres this coming Saturday on Max.
There
is just no getting around the fact this will be a sad film. However, there are
also positives to take from it, if viewers care to look for them. The film
starts with audio recordings of Reeve looking back on the day of his accident,
which are truly haunting to hear. It becomes clear Reeve nearly died. His
mother wanted to pull the plug, but his late wife Dana Reeve encouraged him to
keep living.
Then
Bonhote and Ettedgui flashback to Reeve’s early career, which practically
started with the original 1978 Superman. Casting the title Super-role was
more difficult than the search for Scarlett O’Hara, so the producers decided to
pick an unknown. In retrospect, that was a brilliant strategy. Nobody since has
looked more like the comic book Superman than Reeve (although Superman &
Lois’s Tyler Hoechlin is the most respectable second place we’ve yet seen).
Most
of the discussion of Reeve’s career focuses on the Superman films, which
makes sense. After all, it was co-produced by DC Entertainment and those are
the films he will be most remembered for. However, it glosses over Somewhere
in Time, which was not a hit at the time, but might be even more beloved today
by a certain subset of viewers. It is also worth noting he appeared in the
truly excellent Remains of the Day, which could have won best picture if
had been released in a different year than Schindler’s List. Plus, Reeve
performed one of the earliest same-sex kisses in Death Trap, which more importantly,
happened to be a ripping good thriller.
Regardless,
Bonhote and Ettedgui thoroughly cover the ups and downs of Reeve’s life post-paralysis,
as well as his wife’s ultimately fatal cancer diagnosis less than a year after
his death—but they handle the resulting family pain and anguish with great
sensitivity. In fact, all three of Reeve’s adult children serve as the film’s
primary voices. (It is worth noting his youngest son Will bears such a striking
resemblance to his father, if he ever showed up at an event wearing a Superman
costume, fans might lose their minds.)
It was identity theft with a Communist twist. Helga Steiner lived miserably
in Poland during World War II, because as an Alsatian, she was technically considered
German, but identified as French, and consequently suffered as a victim of both
sides. When she returned home after the war, she hoped to eventually reunite with
the orphaned baby she left behind. In 1977, she believes that baby grew up to
be Hans Steiner, who is actually Polish Security Service Agent Jozef Wieczorek,
whereas her true son is Gdansk shipyard worker Hans Bitner. The deception takes
on almost Biblically archetypal dimensions in the four-episode TV-cut of director
Jan Holoubek’s Doppelganger: The Double, which premieres today on Max.
At
his Polish university, everyone knows “Hans Steiner” to be a conscientious Solidarity
supporter, but it is all a façade. In reality, Wieczorek was groomed by his
spymaster father, to assume Steiner’s identity, in order to worm his way into
her family. His prime target is her brother, Helmut Steiner, an Alsatian
politician and member of the European Parliament. He successfully charms MEP
Steiner, but he maybe succeeds a little too much with respects to his “Uncle’s”
pretty coed daughter, Nina. Unfortunately, Steiner/ Wieczorek knows their
romance could endanger his not-really cousin, because his handler will do
anything necessary to keep him on-mission.
Meanwhile,
the real “Hans Steiner,” Hans Bitner has discovered his long-hidden adoption
papers. As he pursues inquiries into the fate of his birth-mother, he
inadvertently draws unwanted attention to himself. Unfortunately, as an
employee of the French immigration service, Wieczorek is perfectly placed to
stymie inquiries from the International Red Cross. However, the more state
bureaucrats stonewall Bitner, the more his obsession deepens.
Doppelganger:
The Double,
the series so nice they named it twice, offers several intriguing twists on the
espionage thriller. While there is plenty of cloak and dagger stuff, it is more
concerned with the psychology of deception and betrayal. It also tells its
story from the viewpoints of two non-traditional protagonists, a villainous
undercover Communist agent and a schlubby, not particularly political family
man trying to stay on the wagon.
Indeed,
there is something perversely compelling about Jakob Gierszal’s performance as
Steiner/Wieczorek. He constantly appears tantalizingly poised on the brink of
redemption, only to zag rather than zig. Yet, it is fascinating to watch his slowly
dawning realization of the failure of the Party’s harsh tactics and the hypocrisy
of its ideology.
The word "Mogwai” roughly means “evil spirit” or “demon” in Cantonese, but
the CCP does not want Cantonese spoken anymore, especially not in Hong Kong. Of
course, they wouldn’t accept a Chinese villain either, even though the prequel under
consideration is set in 1920 Shanghai. Yet, evil criminal mastermind Riley Greene
is by far the funniest character in this animated series, so do not even try to
root against him when showrunners Tze Chun & Brendan Hay’s ten-episode Gremlins:
Secrets of the Mogwai premieres Tuesday on [HBO] Max.
Before
Gizmo the Mogwai ended up in Mr. Wing’s Chinatown curiosities shop, he was unceremoniously
plucked out of the Valley of Jade and literally dropped into the human world by
a bird of prey. Young Sam Wing’s irresponsible adventurer grandfather recognizes
the dangers Mogwai represent to humanity, especially if they get wet and eat
after midnight, so he prepares his grandson to return Gizmo to his fabled home.
Unfortunately, Greene and his henchmen get to the Wings first.
Most
of his goons show little initiative, but Elle (who is ambiguously "anime"-looking) is the exception. She will help Sam and Gizmo escape,
but young Wing remains distrustful of the “Mary Sue” street urchin. However, he
needs Elle’s street smarts to elude Greene and return Gizmo to his home. He is
also worried about his parents, whom Greene holds hostage, for leverage. His
grandfather will not be able to help either, because Greene ingested him, using
“pearl magic.”
Poor
Sam Wing could not inspire any less confidence as a hero, which is a problem,
considering has the most screen-time of all the human, non-Mogwai characters.
Anybody we have to spend this much time with should at least be able to walk and
chew gum at the same time. Likewise, Elle’s relentlessly abrasive attitude quickly
becomes grating.
Of
course, little Gizmo is still cute, but let’s be honest. He is a terrible “father.”
As in Joe Dante’s original film, his offspring are never as sweet-tempered as
he is, even during their furry stage, and they seem to want the evil
transformation caused by a post-midnight snack. Why can’t he ever pass along his
adorable genes?
The
one thing Chun and Hay generally get right is the tone. Like the films, they
combine a “gee-whiz” sense of wonder with some outrageously over-the-top mayhem.
This show has a high body count, produced in extraordinarily violent ways. Even
though Dante joined as a “consulting producer,” real fans will be disappointed
that no character in Secrets of the Mogwai resembles his late, beloved crony, Dick Miller.
