There’s No Meaning to Any of It: the Rise of the Gangster-Capitalist 1

This short series will examine the rising nihilism of American culture- alongside the rise of president Donald Trump, his crew and his misguided defenders. There’s so much madness to consider, it’s hard to know where to start.
-Song I listened to while writing this piece: ‘This Patch of Sky’ by White shores. 

”American Love- like coke in green glass Bottles… They don’t make it anymore.”
Alan Moore, Watchmen 

Introduction: The Comedian Never dies

Before the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) plunges to his death, he can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all, ”it’s a joke,” he croaks as the assassin faces him, ”it’s all a joke.”
Finally there’s the awareness of impending void: ”mother forgive me.” A spatter of blood falls down from his battered face. It trickles down on his signature yellow smiley badge stuck to the lapel of his robe. The joke never ends when the superhuman assassin slams the Comedian’s face against the kitchen table for good measure, afterwards lifting him up and throwing through a glass window. The button follows the descending comedian. It’s still smiling when it hits the pavement right next to the comedian’s corpse.

The Comedian’s infamous badge found by Batman from the current Doomsday Clock series. 

The comedian has always been one of my favorite characters of Alan Moore’s comic book and Zack Snyder’s much maligned comic book adaptation- which I consider personally as being severely underrated. On all accounts the character is a miserable human being: a murderer, a rapist and a war criminal to boot- not to mention that he’s the illusive Grassy Knoll shooter as well as having covered up the Watergate conspiracy for tricky Dick. But there’s more to his character than the horrors he’s afflicted; there’s the notion that he comprehends the madness of this world, the cosmic joke that is being played on all of us.
Like Sisyphus he’s just rolling with the punches, smiling as he does so. Unlike his fellow superhero compatriots he’s long lost any shred of idealism. Now he’s part of the system, a mercenary for the government. Back in the good old days he was just like the rest of them; just another bleeding heart who wanted to make a difference. This was before the human animal created the capacity to destroy all life on earth, before there was a superhuman deity serving America which frightened those pesky Ruskies. Back in the days when good and evil were simple concepts. You do good and you punch evil in the face- that’s what superheroes are supposed to do. But somewhere along the line, after witnessed so much ugliness within the system and human nature, he lost his way- or become enlightened in the worst possible manner.

Sisyphus’ daily struggle. The only struggle that makes sense to him. 

First he was fighting crime, now he’s committing them- but it’s approved by the state so therefore it’s legal. Before the Vietnam war, there was The War to End All Wars, well that didn’t last long did it? If you secretly taped the conversations within the oval office you’d hear the callous manner in which they dealt with the loss of human life, the senseless manner in which they continued the war. In this universe, one of the most putrid examples of the presidency would remain in office for a fifth term- it’s hinted that he would be replaced by a buffoonish actor turned president, a man representing America’s final descent into Corporate-cosmology, named Ronald Reagan.
Don’t you see? It’s a joke, it’s all a joke. Once you realize this, being the Comedian is the only thing that makes sense…

The Comedian in Incendiary comic book form- from Before Watchmen: Comedian issue 5 by Brian Azzarello and J.G. Jones.

This understanding that none of it really matters, that the human animal is just locked in their own particular illusions- fostered by either group identity, religion or some misguided pursuit of happiness- is something that I can, in my own limited education and life-experience, understand, perhaps, in a strange way identify with. I don’t mean to imply that I see the world for what it is, because like everyone else, I have my own personal biases and live through my own divested illusions. But sometimes you can’t help but feel like the only sane person as the world invests their intellect and time into all these meaningless things. All of it will fade away like the rest of us. You see people get outraged about the smallest and dumbest things and you’d just want to slap them on the head, hoping to wake them up, to remind them: ”we’re all in this hopeless void together. Why can’t we just play around with each other and move on!”
Same as how I, as with many others, adored the character of Rust Cohle in True Detective season 1- someone who dares to face the ugly truth, reveling in the darkness instead of hiding in the manufactured light like so many others. Everyone had of us probably had those thoughts and I’m sure that even those who dismiss them, occasionally have this little pang of uncertainty, telling them: perhaps there is no meaning to any of this. Perhaps when the lights go out, they stay out.
But something keeps dragging me into the light….
There’s something there, something truthful too. It’s not all dark out there. I can feel this. Perhaps I’m just telling myself this to sleep better- but I don’t see no reason to fight this, especially when things are going so much better with me.

Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) staring right inside your soul in True Detective Season one.

Unlike the Comedian, I do have a moral center and I can’t smile at the savagery of the human animal, it makes me uncomfortable, depending on my courage I will either look away or do something about it. Even though politics can seriously depress me, I keep myself invested in current events. I have faith in democratic institutions, I believe in strengthening them against the gangsters who want to abuse them for their own profit. There will always be equality in this world, wherever you go, it cannot be avoid. But with the right hearts and minds we can create a compassionate regime that is able to help and prosper the lives of our poorest and least privileged countrymen. I am passionate about exposing human rights violations of governmental institutions, in the power of journalism to speak the truth about ever increasing authoritarianism. I’ve fallen in love for about three years now and planning to stay that way.

My favorite quote of the series. 

But it’s hard to not be cynical nowadays. As a liberal, I’m disheartened by the particular nefarious brand of progressive-liberalism of today where anyone who questions certain core believes and practices are shunned or insidiously misrepresented. I’ve found myself quite at home with renegade intellectuals, closer to conservatism at times but at least they are speaking out at this aggressive and hateful strand of liberal-progressivism. At the same time, my greatest worry goes to the ever increasing hold of Authoritarian disinformation, whether it comes from Russia, Turkey, China, America, wherever. I’m worried about the loss of objective truth in journalism, about the way we accept the obvious villains of democracy, letting them go about their business as they continue to infringe on our human rights.
And sometimes it just seems so hopeless, like a painful joke. I want to laugh at it, like the Comedian but it’s not as funny for me. Perhaps in time it will be.
In one of my favorite scenes of Watchmen, the naive Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) asks The Comedian after witnessing him beating down several violent protesters: ”what happened to the American dream?”
The comedian answers: ”what happened to the American Dream? It came true. You’re looking at it.”
I don’t believe in the American dream. But I believe in fighting for it.

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Justice League: a Fascinating Study Piece of Corporate Desperation

I guess there’s certain innate naivety of mine when it comes to the art of cinema, there’s this idea that the people involved are always as passionate and committed to the art form as you are. But outside the realm of independent cinema, this kind of passion is a rare commodity and even if it does exist in the realm of big-budget franchises, it often gets destroyed by the tainted hand of a Hollywood executive. This does not mean that an artist should always roam free- as film is inherently a collaborative art, even with an auteur at the helm- but a little risk can create something magical. The films you remember were made with that essential component. The little risk involved made it memorable, a stand-out among all the rubbish. Perhaps it made you introspective, suddenly you reflect upon yourself, the evils and virtues of human nature; it made you laugh, all that darkness became hilarious and suddenly all that darkness can be overcome; it made you cry because it told you the truth; it made you leap in fright because there are monsters in this world and they are always hungry. If there is no risk and profitability is the sole prerogative of the finished product, then the pleasure will be fleeting, the story and its characters will fade from the mind.
There is the great conflict between the vision of an artist and his financiers. The clash between them is exposed for all of us, it doesn’t have to be a secret anymore. When we know hear that a director was fired for ‘creative differences’, we know enough. Disney has been wreaking havoc on this for quite a while now. Any dissent on the corporate vision of Disney and you’re out.
Generally Marvel films, which are owned by Disney, tread lightly on changing the formula, tweaking it every now and then to keep it a little fresh. At its heart there is nothing new to any of their films. They are well-made, relatively safe blockbusters. There is nothing wrong with that but over time, any excitement about any of these films have waned. They know what they are doing and they are doing it. You can’t fault them for making money. But there is something about the manner in which they control the industry, the safe nature about all their products. You know when you are watching a Marvel film, the latest Star Wars film or the latest generic Disney animation film, that a group of Hollywood executives have been carefully constructing a crowd-pleaser. There is something so vacuous about their efforts lately, I just can’t seem to care.
Compared to more risky ventures like Deadpool or Logan, Marvel films seem laughably forgettable. Some Marvel films like Guardians of the Galaxy 2 are great because they don’t really feel like Marvel films. It felt like a goofy, fun and engaging Science-fiction action film. It was fucking weird and that is what is fun. But I know what’s awaiting in the future: eventually these ragtag group will meet the Avengers. I wish it wasn’t part of the same world, it doesn’t need to be. It stands wonderfully on its own.
Right now, all the big studios want to come close to Disney”s success and so they venture into the Shared-Universe realm, sometimes with painful results. The painful first and final entry of Universal’s Dark Universe saga tells us what can go wrong when there financial profitability is the sole motivation of its existence. The arrogance involved in its promotion, with its planned sequels far ahead and the Dark Universe logo at the beginning, already made me loath the film for what stood for.
There is Sony Studios who pathetically tried to create a shared-universe films with the Ghostbusters and The Amazing Spider-man films. And there is Warner Brothers/DC. A series of films that is still going strong financially but has critically been bombing miserably (apart from Wonder Woman).
Moreover, it’s a series of films that have been artistically bankrupt and it seems to have a hit new low with Justice League….

Zack Snyder giving Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) direction. 

A Desperate Studio…

Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon’s Justice League is so incredibly desperate that it verges on hilarity. Ever since the mixed reception of Man of Steel, Warner Brothers have been desperately (and ineptly) trying to alter it to critical and audience satisfaction, while at the same time aping the success formula of Disney/Marvel. The problem to begin with was Zack Snyder, who, despite whatever criticism you might have about his work, is an auteur with a specific vision that often times includes his stylistic actions sequences and his own brand of philosophical postulations. Sometimes there are some interesting ideas out there and I honestly do think Watchmen is underrated, as Snyder, despite it being filled with his obnoxious style, was a loyal and ambitious adaptation.
Telling you that his focus as a filmmaker doesn’t fit Superman seems superfluous. We know this already. But I would be lying to you if I wasn’t looking forward to it. It had what I consider one of the most beautiful edited trailers I have ever seen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVu3gS7iJu4. The music still gives me goosebumps, the overture as Superman rises into the sky gave me that feeling of hope and awe, something the film should have been imbued with. Man of Steel is certainly an imperfect film, it’s incredibly uneven. There are exciting set-pieces, moving drama that is often put aside for senseless destruction. Not to mention that Henry Cavill does not have what it takes to be Superman. Christopher Reeve did. Reeve might have worn a Spandex suit and red boots but you believed him nonetheless. Cavill, has a bigger physique and wears a darker, less outlandish suit but you don’t feel the greatness of Superman. It’s just not there. It’s a presence for a special kind of actor.

Henry Cavill as Superman from Man of Steel (2013)

The great scenes have to be mentioned: the intro in Krypton works, the Americana imagery concerning Superman works, the soulful music works. The scene in which Zod (Michael Shannon) pleads Superman to not destroy his ship because it will destroy any hope for a new Krypton, prompting Superman to hesitate for a moment, is wonderful and you just wish it would have been included in a more tonally coherent movie.
With all its imperfects, Man of Steel was at least a film with a personality, even if it was a missed opportunity. The sequel Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice had incredible ambition but it was severely compromised by the studio execs who desperately wanted to cash-in on the shared universe lore. I remember this strange detachment watching Batman wreak havoc, it was not the feeling one should have when watching Batman. The philosophical underpinnings Snyder wanted to associate Superman and Batman with is severelly flawed and not developed enough- I suggest watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=467ehoaGDaE if you are interested in this aspect, as this video fantastically deconstructs the objectivist undercurrent of the film. There is crammed in cameo’s from other Superheroes, not to mention Wonder Woman’s obligatory supporting role. A painfully miscast Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, though admittedly it was the directing and writing of the character that was fucked to begin with- I don’t think I’ve ever cringed as much as I did during Eisenberg’s performance, only Justice League’s desperate ‘funny’ quips might have rivaled this. The forced emotional connection at the end was painful and if you can’t feel anything for the characters, you can’t really feel anything during the film’s ‘exciting’ action set-pieces.
You can feel that the studio still had faith in Snyder but some studio maintenance was in the background, as evident with the franchise pandering. When it comes to Justice League, any semblance of Snyder’s vision has been eradicated. Sure there are some flourishes of his style, remnants of his themes but the tone is completely different. Snyder left the film, which was nearly in its completion, due to a tragic suicide death of his daughter. The studio then hired Joss Whedon to reshoot scenes and basically used the opportunity to make a more studio-friendly film. I don’t mean to imply that the studio was vindictive by their actions, perhaps an arrangement was made with Snyder and the end-product might have been collegial compromise. But Whedon’s touch is all over this film, the cinematography is suddenly more colorful than the previous films- excluding Wonder Woman- and most importantly, the character of Superman is completely different.

Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) and Howard the Janitor (Anthony Wise).

A Spark of Hope in The Beginning…

The opening of the film, in which a kid interviews Superman gives an interesting glimpse of what Snyder might have envisioned. Superman is interviewed in the beginning of what he finds most beautiful on earth, the screen cuts to black before he can answer. It’s left up to the audience what Superman’s answer would be, but more relevant is the viewer’s own answer. What is that one thing that always gives you light to the darkness of this world?
This opening is promising because it perfectly sets up the theme of ‘hope’ which should have been pervaded the film. The set-up of a world in misery after Superman’s death would have worked wonderfully if we really felt this misery- and not been relocated with dialog or the excruciating opening credits which has the worst Leonard Cohen’s cover of Everybody Knows I’ve ever heard- which is weird since Snyder has used original Cohen songs in Watchmen and why couldn’t he use it with this one?
It seems that Snyder wanted to emphasize the light instead of the darkness but it’s all hampered by Joss Whedon’s goofiness. The resurrection of Superman would given the film the religious subtext, as his return sparks hope in the hearts and minds of people. But it’s completely absent from the film. They dig up his body- and I’m not an expert on Kryptonian corpses, but this one looks remarkably good after being dead for some time- use some mumbo-jumbo science on him, he comes back alive, he gets angry for some reason and fights them. Lois comes around and they go to his old farm and then in the end, Superman wisecracks and kicks some ass. There’s no dialog about his feelings concerning the afterlife, the experience of being back among the live. There was a great oppertunity there to explore something interesting, to give emotional resonance to this character but it’s completely squandered. The weight of his return is completely wasted, it barely makes an impact, it’s seems only there so Batman can make some fun ‘quips.’ And when he makes a reference to his fondness for Truth and Justice, something completely undeserved, you just want to scream at the cinema.
There was also a reference to Superman becoming evil in a dream sequence Batman had in Batman v. Superman- which included a cameo by Flash trying to warn him of something. I guess that went nowhere huh?
The Death of Superman is a storyline that wasn’t ready yet to begin with. But the manner in which it is handled in Justice League is just insulting.
Also, watch his upper-lip, and then read about how during the reshoots, Cavill wasn’t allowed to shave his mustache. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it…

Death of Superman (1992)

No Identity

Seeing Batman quip funny lines, something that was completely alien to him in Batman v. Superman, is hilarious, also because Affleck seems unusually uncomfortable at times in the film. There’s been constant back and forth about his possible exit to the franchise and during the promotion of Batman V. Superman, he did look depressed- which naturally also had something to do with his personal life. His relationship with Alfred (Jeremy Irons) worked in Batman V. Superman, but even this is undermined by Alfred’s cute insistence that ”he should be dating someone.” Something that worked under the penmanship of Christopher Nolan but it doesn’t feel nature here. Neither does the forced romantic tension between Wonder Woman- hate to say it but the two don’t have much chemistry- and certainly not with the cute back and forth between resurrected Superman.
Ezra Miller as Flash is the main comic relief of the film, but most of the laugh comes from the sheer desperation of the studio of constantly forcing ‘funny quips’ on him. There are some genuine laughs, mostly coming from Miller’s facial expression. But most of his quips just reek of desperation. If his character had only been a bit more subdued, it would have felt more natural and the comedy would have worked.

Flash (Ezra Miller) as the forced comic relief of the film. 

There’s an emotional speech by Aquaman (Jason Momoa) that’s so incedibly artificial, which is capped off with such an embarassingly lame joke, that it almost becomes stunning in its shamelessness.  Examples such as these make it very clear that the studio desperately wanted to make a Marvel movie instead of making a film with its own sole identity.
Steppenwolf (wonderfully voiced by Ciarán Hinds) is reminiscent of the vacant Marvel villain. Even if Eisenberg’s Luthor had confusing motivations for his evil deeds, at least it was something different. There was something, despite the horrible execution, interesting about Luthor’s obsession. There is nothing interesting about Steppenwolf besides the Hinds’ wonderful voice. The problem is also the motion-capturing, as the CGI used to render his face gives him unusually little expression. His ultimate demise comes out of nowhere and you can’t seem to care about his evil plan. His evil scheme is eerily reminiscent to Infinity Stones plot from Marvel, but instead of Infinity Stones, Steppenwolf needs to obtain these ‘Mother Boxes’ so he can either destroy or create the world in his image, not sure which- it doesn’t really matter does it?
Ultimately the most entertaining aspect of the film is how shameless it is. It’s not the action sequences which is ultmately just a dizzying display of (sometimes subpar) CGI. It’s not the character interplay or the engaging story. It’s the fact that the DC universe films have reached such a new low that they become fascinating artifacts in the great filmmaking battle between artistry and studio mandates. If it has been a straight tonally similar sequel to Batman V. Superman, the film would have probably been as irredeemably flawed, but at the very least, it would have some semblance of an identity.
The fact that the film is also made with a whopping 300,000,000 dollar budget, only makes the end product ever so frustrating. As it stands now, Justice league is a soulless product of its time and a fascinating study piece of studio desperation.

Aquaman (Jason Momoa) having a drink before venturing into the sea- Drinking is something I should have done before watching this movie. 
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