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orange-s-mario · 3 months

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Superman's kids ranked

Hmm guess the bottom is where I start here (please note I have not been able to read the dailies)

Wait. Actually there's a few unranked kids, so first a pre-ranking ranking:

Unranked (+ "Superman's" kids)

Superman-Red's Twins and Superman-Blue's Twins: they just kind of exist. They don't have any characterization at all since they don't even talk

Carl (Mr. Mxyptlk): He does a little trolling. I feel a bit bad for Larissa Lenox though

twins in Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #55: no. I don't want to think about this story.

Mooki: this isn't superman. He's neat. Robot Merkid

Lyle and Lili: that's not Lois and that's not Kal-El, it's actually his cousin and a lookalike

Superman Jr (Robin (Fred Ashley (Dick Grayson))): i uh wha. Hmm I think I'll rate him exclusively from the story. Anyways it's basically Lois pranking Superman back via blackmailing Robin (she was pretty sure Robin was one of 6 people). Uh Funny and weird I guess but that's what happens when you prank each other via pretend space travel.

Clark Jr. & Lori (Man of Tomorrow #15): they're literally demons. Anyways they're kinda bland because it's "picturesque traditional American values" that are directly opposed to Superman being more due to what they are. (also RIP Post-crisis Lana, the other main Lanas are simply built different; but also it was Neron so ...). At least Clark Jr. wanted to leave smallville

son & daughter w/Lana Lang (Action Comics #492) : R.I.P. you nonexistent kids. You seemed nice

Lois Lane's son from her coma dream (Showcase #9): uhh what a strange character to rate. So I'm just not going to. idk Superman was trying to get Lois to wake up by making her unhappy so it's weird

Orna Kal-El: alan moore did not write orna at all. She just shows up and says no lines.

Van-El: "I don't think you're real" doesn't hit as hard in the comic. Also he's kinda bland.

Extra note on the black mercy thing:why ISN'T Lyla Lerrol still an actress Moore? Please explain

Richard, M'R'R and K'R'K: nothing characters who also expanded the British empire. this should've ended with K'L'L dismantling the British empire

Twins, with Lois Lane (Adventures of Superman #561): they just sorta exist in Supes's dream. Remind me of the more troublemaker versions of Silver Age twins though (probably a reference since it was a Dominus Effect Epilogue)

Lara Lane Kent (Injustice dream): actually a good character. too bad she's basically the conscience of a man who's basically the worst superman ever.

Martha (Man of Tomorrow #15): She seemed nice despite being fake. At least Clark actually being superman in this fake reality means that she actually gets to do stuff. She wants to go to the moon again. That's it. That's the whole character

onto superman's actual kids;

#55: JLA: Act of God baby; I hate him and everything he stands for

#54: The Others (JLA: Created Equal): Unlike Adam they don't feel sad about being misogynistic and have a change of heart after not during the Luthor fight

#53: Adam Kent: according to the text itself Lex only heightened his misogyny

#52: Kara (and the others) (JLA: Created Equal): She's a girl so she isn't misogynistic. Unfortunately it's weird because she's Power Girl's daughter. seems like a nice person though. these 3 might just be because of me just not vibing with the story but ehh w/e

#51: Lar-El and Vara: these 2 are just kinda really bland. doesn't help that they only show up twice. there's the interesting hook of feeling that Superman abandoned them, but it's too little.

#50: The Twins (World's Finest 35)

I think this basically sums it up. They're basically used as bratty normal babies that Clark gets annoyed by

#49: Bruce Kent: he exists I guess (will not complain about the story, will not complain about the story, will complain about the story; evil captain marvel is dumb and it's weird how different characters are affected by the apocalypse very differently. also the "we belong together" line hate when they do that, but that's not about Bruce Kent so it's moot). that's pretty much it.

#48: Jonathan Elliott: he exists I guess (will not complain about the story, will not complain about the story, will not). that's pretty much it.

#47: Jonathan Kent (Green Lantern: Darkstars): He exists I guess. has a bit more stuff to him, but he ends up being a good dude despite Belzebeth controlling the darkstars

#46: Lara Kent (Dark Knight/Millerverse): idk her vibes are just off. I like her but then she does something and it's like eugh Frank Miller. and her parents also being OOC does her no favors. Her appearance in the third series made me rank her worse. I do like the thing where she finally touches the ground at the end, but I just really dislike her whole character. At least her dad's more in character in the third one ig. her vibes are off

#45: Jonathan Kent (Future State): he's nice i guess. There just isn't much of him so he's right here. Not a lot of room to be a character when it's just like 5 panels

#44: Jonathan Kent (Space Age): he's nice i guess. Rated slightly higher due to a snowball fight. he doesn't do much

#43: Larry & Carole (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #36) they don't show up much and don't have much characterization besides only one of them becoming a superhero so not ranking those versions. I guess these two at least have some characterization in that they like playing with the space animals and Larry becomes Superman II

#42: Vol: he's fine he's fine. Besides being a character in one of the most batshit insane superman plots; he's just fine. At least he saved his universe and sent Sonn back to the Earth-One Universe. So uhh points for him I guess? He does a bit more than SGFLL 36 Larry and Carole so he's ranked higher. I guess

#41: Krys Kent: I liked him enough but he kinda has nothing going for him. I guess he has a bit of potential in that he could probably learn magic (he doesn't have powers). He seems nice I guess and he also has the fun line near the beginning of the story after Superman throws him, but that's about it

#40: Krys's evil ghost demon extradimensional twin: The villain has more of a character due to talking more, but really he's just evil for the sake of it. Interesting villain... ... ...I guess evil ghost extradimensional beings don't count for Superman's rules

#39: Jor-El II (Action Comics 327): really wants Clark to stop spoiling his kid. He thinks there's no such thing as crooks anymore (he's wrong), but he's always on missions doing Superman stuff I guess. there must be a lot of natural disasters I guess.

#38: Baby Bliss: toddler written during the silver age. At least he helps Clark a bit although most of the time Kal is just confused about the situation and Baby Bliss sometimes does some trickery to Superman. So I'm ranking him near the middle

#37: Lola Kent: points docked for getting with her cousin. Other than that she's good, since she has very similar characterization to pre-crisis superman, who is a pretty good character. but yeah she's down here because of Jimmy Jr. She'd probably be higher if it wasn't for Lucy Lane

#36: Jor-El II: he is a victim. this happened because his mom was a jerk and honestly I'm not sure if Lois really got through to Lois. There's also probably a better way to get through your alternate universe self who's tired of being a housewife. At least his dad was nice the whole time and even apologized about always leaving for missions. Jor-El II's life sucks and I'm not convinced it gets better. ranks low since I didn't really get anything for his characterization

#35: Clark Kent Jr (Superman #404): seems like a nice kid who loves his parents. I like the bit where Lana makes Clark Jr makes Clark gets ice cream but there's really not much here. I will say this was a very interesting imaginary story that I wouldn't mind being expanded on

#34: Superman II (Jorel Kent): he only appears in 3 Superman 2020 stories so he doesn't have much. He really is Superman II. there's not much differentiating himself from his father. Kalel has more going on just because Superman 2020 is about Kalel and not Jorel.

#33: Superman Jr. (Denny O'Neil): He's dead now. Denny O'Neil's take was weird. Still liked him though. He tried heroing even though he caused disasters everywhere he went. I guess he self-sacrificed himself for the good of reality

#32: Joel Perry Kent: He is also a victim because of Ultra Humanite. Idk I think Clark is also at fault here; just tell the dude. However him trying to kill the Vietnamese village is all on him. It doesn't say that Ultra-humanite told him to do it sooo.

#31: Jonathan Kent (Frank Millerverse): he's fine I guess. He felt like the imaginary story kids or silver age superman when he was fighting Darkseid so he ranks a bit higher. like when the supers are like tricksters

#30: Larry (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #39): He is a bit of a scamp so that's great. He does cause Jimmy to go blind and Lana to breathe fire though, but then again Clark didn't explain the black magic to anyone in the family so really that was Superman's fault.

#29: Superman Jr (World's Finest #154 & #157): started as bit of a jerk to Bruce Jr but basically mellowed out. Since he's only in 2 comics there's not much characterization here and his dynamic with his Bruce Jr isn't as great as the Bob Haney version

#28: Kara Kent: Honestly kinda bland. She has a sweet relationship with Bruce Jr, but that's basically it. Like she has half the powers of Superman and complains about it a few times, but that's really par for the course of biological superman kids. Has a bit more of stuff in Generations 2, but nothing really to make her go higher or lower on this list

#27: Supergirl (Ariella Kent)/R'E'L, the Destroyer of Worlds: reading the dc one million issue again it's not bad but the comedy doesn't land as much as it wants to. despite her crying in that one scene I just don't like her as much as the others unfortunately :/

#26: Johny Kirk (Superman Jr): Nice kid, unfortunate circumstances though. Also his ending was horrible. Where does he even live now. Like he totally should've stayed being adopted by Superman

#25: Tommy: he's just a little guy and unlike almost everyone else that's main canon, he gets a happy ending. Clark could and should check on him from time to time though. Also since he's powerless I find him more interesting than Johny

#24: Jonathan Kent II (Kingdom Come): All things considered he's pretty cool. Most of it is due to cribbing Phantom Stranger's style but he's alright. Do like how he has Hypertime powers; But other than that he's kind of just the monitor from COIE

#23 Larry and Carole* (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #23): basically more subdued versions of the twins with lady luck, so they're less fun but also they don't seem to purposefully mess with their parents like their earlier counterparts. They also have belts that can be switched on/off to stop them from having superpowers so that's interesting. They're fights also seem more playful than anything

#22::Jonathan Samuel Kent: there's a lot I do NOT like about him but there's lots of good bits and pieces. I unfortunately have to concede that he's not the worst jon.

#21: Twins, with "Lady Luck" in Superman #131: the twins are menaces. But in a fun way. They keep on fighting and messing with each other (& their parents). It's great

#20: Joan Kent: I liked her enough, Liked how she tried to trick Larry at first, although unfortunately that doesn't work and she kinda spends the whole story kidnapped by Ironclaws. I do like how she argued with Larry while Larry was evil, though it seems like they had a soft spot for each other even before Larry turned good. but she ultimately doesn't do much so I had to rank her lower. If it was more of a Joan story than a Lois story she might be ranked higher

#19: Clark Kent Jr/Superman Jr/Superboy (Superman #192 & 194): I liked him more in 192 where he was a bit more mischievous, and then started talking in gigantic words, but he was fine in 194 as well. He was even able to outsmart Lex Luthor. He'd probably be higher if he stayed more mischievous or was still using gigantic words in his vocabulary. I do really like this imaginary story plot though.

#18: Jor-El II/Nightwing (Superman #166): Good character but not as good as his brother, he's basically a kid Superman but he doesn't feel as developed as Clark Superboy. That's probably why they focused more on his brother. He teased Kal-El II at the beginning a bit too much, but he basically stops after Clark tells him to stop

#17: Pyrrhos: Pretty good villain all things considered. don't like that he was the one who killed Darkseid but that's because I read Kirby's New Gods. I liked him enough

#16: Clark Kent Jr./Superman Jr. (Bob Haney): He's great. His dynamic with Bruce Jr. is also great. He's more optimistic and more of a reader than Bruce Jr. I feel like Clark Jr is like a more hotheaded Clark. Even at their most confrontational Batman Jr. and Superman Jr remain friends. points docked a bit due to not really existing without Bruce Jr. He does have a bit of an inferiority complex ("generation gap") due to only being about half as strong as Superman so characterization bonus

#15: Cir-El is neat; the whole weird Mia thing was not. But it's ok cause I'm ranking his kids not his not kids. Kinda suffers for only being in like 13 issues, but i enjoyed her existence while she was there. Like how she kept on thinking of Superman (and Lois) as her parents even after the truth was revealed

#14 Lara Lane Kent (Adventures of Superman #638): liked what little there was of her. She seems like a neat character. Best part was the Calvin and Hobbes homage.

#13 Kal-El II/Flamebird/Kalel Kent (Superman #166): Good character, having no powers while your brother and dad do, gives ample reason for an inferiority complex. I also like how it showed he was a bit smarter due to him deciding to read more books and studying which wouldn't have happened without his inferiority complex about no powers. Also like how he kept messing up with the secret identity bit by accidentally calling Nightwing Jor when they were in Kandor

#12: Laura Kent (Superman Family #200): She's neat. Wasn't born with powers but developed them later, but like in the same day. She seems interesting enough. It ends before she can tell her parents she got powers so unfortunately she's not as high as she could be. Good character from what little we see of her though

#11: Super-Baby (Superman #224): EVIL baby. L.E.G.I.ON. ripped off this guy when they cooked with Lyrl. I like how he completely took over the villains' operations once they made themselves known. Guess he wasn't as intelligent as he thought since Superman specifically booby trapped the springs which was how to make the actual puzzle. Fun villain; just a normal baby know though

#10: Carol and Jane Kent (Secret Identity): only show up as actual characters in the last issue, but it does a decent amount building them up in how their similarities and differences to their dad. Them being less scared than Clark makes sense since they had each other.

#9: Zod (DCAU/A Better World): I actually like this kid quite a bit. Neat powers is a bonus as well. when they focused on him it was actually quite an enjoyable read

#8: Jon Kent (Son of Superman): I actually really like this Jon. He's also kinda funny sometimes. He kinda reminds me of what current Jonathan Samuel was TRYING to be but actually succeeding. It helps that the world he lives in is like our current world but a bit worse. (Some of the characters in the elseworlds feel OOC but other than that I like the story). Jon's just a good character all around.

#7: Osul-Ra & Otho-Ra: these two are pretty close in ranking since sometimes I like Otho more and sometimes I like Osul more, so I'll just put them in the same section. Depending on how other writers write them they may move up (or down). Osul has the Old God stuff while Otho has the more brash stuff.

#6: Lisa Kent/Superlass (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #91): I just like her as a character. She's nice and a bit brash at times, but honestly all around she seems to just want to help. despite the imaginary story having the end and feeling like a tragedy, it feels more hopeful than certain other stories here. She probably should've asked Lois if she wanted to be cured first though

#5: Kara (Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #20): Honestly this one was just a tragedy of miscommunication, but also Kara and Kal DID ignore Lois a lot which while understandable, but uh yeah. Honestly I blame Lois having to quit her job and the midvale investigator mainly. Kara's basically mainline Kara here, which unfortunately includes the not being adopted (yet) part

#4: Laney (Superman 215): I feel like Laney has more Lois than previous lois kids with superman so she's ranked higher. She's more impatient and curious. She also kinda sorta gets a happy ending though she and clark are mourning and going through grief the whole time. ...I hope other Lois doesn't feel bad about this whole situation, but that's not me ranking Superman's kids. That's me talking about the story

#3: Christopher Kent: Yeah he's great. He's just a really nice kid, who has trauma and also has a bit of trouble fitting in. His age up while weird at least gave him cool powers... eventually. And also I think they fixed it? Mon-El taking him under his wing at the finale was neat too. Bring the actual him back

#2: Jonathan Lane Kent: I wasn't expecting to like him so much. He really develops as a character. and eventually could even be called a hero. Plus the only reason he was even evil in the first place was because he was raised young by Harvest so him eventually actually being a hero makes sense. Weird character though

#1: Gregor Nagy: I actually really like his one and done story. bring him back.

Also:

this is why he's peak. It's ultimately about not feeling like you fit in the world. bonus points for having a completely different power set that's also cool

#0: Jimmy Olsen. obviously. I will have to say Superman was a jerk due to a misunderstanding but Jimmy being the GOAT that he is doesn't mind not being Superman's son. And despite not having a happy ending as a superman son, he does gain/regain 2 other dads

#superman #dc comics

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princessamyrose87 · 11 months

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knuckles spin-off series cast

Vector the Crocodile - Bruce Campbell, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Micheal B. Jordan, Seth rogen

Espio the Chameleon - Daisuke Tsuji, l.j. benet

Charmy Bee - Colleen o'Shaughnessey, Jacob Tremblay

Mighty The Armadillo - Micheal Mando, Micheal B. Jordan, Brady noon

Ray The flying squirrel - Tara Strong, Hudson Meek

Fang The Sniper - John Patrick Lowrie, Hugh Jackman, Karl Urban,

Bean The Dynamite - Aziz Ansari, Steven Ogg

Chief Pachacamac - Danny Trejo Sofía

Tikal the Echidna - Díana Bermudez, Ana de la Reguera, Selene Luna, Sofía Espinosa, Isabela Merced, Salma Hayek, Nisa Gunduz

E-102 Gamma - Corey Burton

Wendy Witchcart - Mia Goth, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Harriet Samson Harris

Battle Kukku XV - Nolan North

Speedy XVI - Maria Bakalova

Dr. Fukurokov - Mark Ivanar

Breezie The Hedgehog - Regina King, Janelle Monáe, Jena Malone, Pollyanna McIntosh

Vanilla The Rabbit - Maggie Robertson

Amy Rose - Kimiko Glenn, Anna kendrick

Big The Cat - Dave Fennoy, Patrick Warburton, Micheal B Jordan, Kevin Chamberlin

Cream the Rabbit - Melissa Hutchison, sabrina glow

Sticks the Badger - Margot Robbie, Paola Lázaro

Gerald Kintobor - Ron Perlman

Maria Kintobor - Mkeena Grace

Commander Abraham Tower - Frank Anthony Grillo

Subject Shadow The Hedgehog (Terios Kintobor) - (Paramount stated they want an A-list celebrity to voice Shadow) Keanu Reeves, Robert Pattinson, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac, Micheal B Jordan

Rouge The Bat - Chloé Hollings, Marion Cotillard, Mélanie Laurent, Camille Cottin, Jordana Lajoie, Scarlett johansson

Tom Wachowski’s father - Bob Odinkirk, Dustin Hoffman, Bill Murray, Micheal Keaton, Kurt Russell, John Goodman

Metal Sonic - Ben Schwartz(robotic filter)

E-123 Omega - Micheal B Jordan, Terry Crews, Jon Bernthal

Hazard The Bio-Lizard (Marzanna Kintobor) - Ivana Miličević

Void TrapDark - Jude Law, Dane DeHaan, Gerald Way, Scott Williams, Freddie Highmore,

Lumina Flowlight - Tabitha St. Germain

Blaze’s Mother - Janina Gavankar, Sakina Jaffrey

Blaze The Cat (Indian/British accent) - Priyanka Chopra, Devika Bhise, Varada Sethu, Simone Ashley, Ulka Simone Mohanty, Natasha Chandel

Marine the Raccoon - Sia, Katie Bergin, Bella Heathcote, Isla Lang Fisher, Rylee Alazraqui, Kendal Rae

Blaze’s Rival: Frost The Axotol(example)- Michelle Yeoh, Fala Chen, Antony Starr

Jet’s Father - Matt Ryan, Iwan Rheon

Jet The Hawk - Tony Hawk, Aaron Paul, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dante Basco, Ken Jeong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jimmy O. Yang

Wave The Swallow - Sarah Margaret Qualley

Storm the Albatross (pacific, Oceania) - Dave Batista, Taylor Wily

Emerl The Gizoid - Augus Imrie, Kendal Rae,

Clutch The Possum - Micheal Rooker, Benjamin Byron Davis, Robert Allen Wiethoff

Tangle The Lemur - Lauren Keke Palmer, Brenda Song

Whisper The Wolf - Stefanie Joosten, Ana de Armas

Mimic The Octopus - Richard Colin Brake

Doctor Starline - Troy Baker, Hugh Grant,

Starline’s Love interest and partner -

Rough and Tumble the Skunks - Will Ferrell and John C. Reily, Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key

Surge The Tenrec - Rachel Bloom, AJ Michalka

Kitsunami The Fennec Fox - Michael Cera, Kyle McCarley

Zavok - Christopher Judge, John Cena, Jon Bernthal

Master Zik - Frank Oz, Randall Duk Kim, Dustin Hoffman

Zeena -Mindy Kaling

Zor - Jaeden Martell, Dane DeHaan, Gerald Way

Zazz - Danny Brown,

Zomom - T.J. Miller

Black Doom -

,Keith David https://youtu.be/9LmOwEfPHUo

, Jackie Earle Haley - https://youtu.be/sF8zxctevXc

, Jon Bernthal - https://youtu.be/sDp4AuNen0Y

, Sean Schemmel -

, Ray Porter - https://youtu.be/aR8p4DIpxxE

,Karl Urban - https://youtu.be/ccF3uvpJ96I

Eclipse The Darkling - Norman Reedus

Callisto The Darkling - Carrie-Anne Moss

Dark Oak - Jeremy Irons

Black Narcissus - Angelina Jolie

Pala Bayleaf - John Leguizamo

Yellow Zelkova - Terry Crews

Red Pine - Pat Casey or Josh Miller

Cosmo The Seedrian - Carol Anne Day, Liliana Mumy

Lyric The Ancient(Owl like Longclaw) - Jackie Earle Haley

Johnny Lightfoot - Taron Egerton

Tekno The Canary - Paula Burrows

Porker Lewis - John Boyega, Daniel Radcliffe

Shorty “Shortfuse” The Cybernik - Cillian Murphy, Barry Sloane

Ebony The Cat - Gratiela Brancusi

Sonia The Hedgehog - Kiernan Shipka, Evan Rachel Wood, Isabella Merced, Jena Malone

Manic The Hedgehog - Joe Keery

Sally Acorn - Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman

Antoine D’Coolette - Tomer Capone, Bradley Cooper(hes fluent in French)

Bunnie Rabbot - Alex McKenna

Rotor The “Boomer” Walrus - John Cena

Nicole The Holo-Lynx - Ashly Burch

Lupe The Wolf - Amber Midthunder

Dulcy The Dragon - America Ferrera

Chip - Tom Holland, Freddie Highmore

Professor Dillion Pickle - Ian McKellen

Imperator Ix - Gary Oldman

Shade The Echidna - Lady Gaga

Infinite The Jackal - Kit Harington, Jon Bernthal

Silver The Hedgehog - Steven Yeun

Gold The Tenrec - Simone Ashley

Professor Von Schlemmer - Matthias Schweighöfer

Dr. Negan Robotnik a.k.a Eggman Neo - J.K. Simmons, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Giancarlo Esposito, Bryan Cranston, Pedro Pascal

Dr. Grimer Wormtongue - Ian McShane, Jackie Earle Haley

Chris thorndyke - Graham Verchere

Frost the hobidon - Dakota lotus

Juliet suter - Sydney Scotia

Antia/tania - Cassie glow

Perci - Stephanie lemelin

Preteen bokkun - Brett Gray

Park ranger - Patrick Warburton

Ashe - peyton r. perrine iii

Burst wisp - cherami Leigh

Uncle Charles - David Lengel

Bernadette - Melanie Zanetti

#knuckles the series

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2mchworld · 2 years

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These insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.

1. "He had delusions of adequacy ” Walter Kerr

2. "He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.”- Winston Churchill

3. "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure. - Clarence Darrow

4. "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.”-William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

5. "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

6. "Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.” - Moses Hadas

7. "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” - Mark Twain

8. "He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.” - Oscar Wilde

9. "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.” -George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

10. "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one.” - Winston Churchill, in response

11. "I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here” - Stephen Bishop

12. "He is a self-made man and worships his creator.” - John Bright

13. "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.” - Irvin S. Cobb

14. "He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others.” - Samuel Johnson

15. "He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up. - Paul Keating

16. "He loves nature in spite of what it did to him.” - Forrest Tucker

17. "Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?” - Mark Twain

18. "His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.” - Mae West

19. "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.” - Oscar Wilde

20. "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination.” - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

21. "He has Van Gogh's ear for music.” - Billy Wilde

r22. "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I'm afraid this wasn't it.” - Groucho Marx

23. The exchange between Winston Churchill & Lady Astor: She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison." He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

24. "He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - Abraham Lincoln

25. "There's nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won't cure." -- Jack E. Leonard

26. "They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge." -- Thomas Brackett Reed

27. "He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them." -- James Reston (about Richard Nixon) —Robert L Truesdell

-from Not Right Quotes on FB

#lovelyinsults

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purlturtle · 5 months

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URL Songs

Rules: Pick a song for every letter of your url and tag that many people.

Thank you @lilolilyr for tagging me; I think someone else might have too, a while ago? Thank you to you too, sorry for my bad memory!

I don't partake in a lot of music memes and music ask games because I don't listen to a lot of contemporary music, pop music; I have no idea what's currently hot. But this, with the first letter being such an INSTANT click, I wanted to do. I'm hella interested what y'all think of my music taste - let me know if you like any of the songs here!

Tagging @galactic-pirates @anandabrat (so many A's! Swap them out for other vowels if necessary! 😅) @binariesarebullshit @cookie-sheet-toboggan (I think you might have the longest username of anyone I tagged here 😅) @mjduncan @kloperslegend @kla1991 @edenfenixblogs @elsiebrayisgay @wellsbering - and of course anyone else who wants to but hasn't been tagged! Just say Purlturtle says it's okay; you'll be fine. :D

Okay, let's go! Links go to YouTube unless otherwise stated.

P - Pana Cand Nu Te Iubeam, by Pink Martini. I don't understand Romanian at all, but I love the fervor of this song. And I love Storm Large's voice; I'm sure she'll appear again in this list.

U - Under the Bridges of Paris, by Eartha Kitt. I do like me a waltz every now and then. And Eartha Kitt is fantastic. And bilingual! (probably more languages even!)

R - Razzle Dazzle, from Chicago. One of the best musical movies, and who'da known that Richard Gere can SING?!

L - Les Amants D'Un Jour, by Edith Piaf. This song will NEVER fail at making me cry. Here are the lyrics; read 'em and weep.

T - The Longships, by Enya. One of my absolute favorites, for the driving rhythm and the layering. I do adore Enya, ever since I was a teen with an Ireland phase. Hi-ri-u, ho-ro-oh, ho-ri-u!

U - U Plavu Zoru, by Pink Martini (though not with Storm Large, this is China Forbes! Who is an excellent and very different vocalist!). Part of this is my phone ringtone and has been for over ten years. Like The Longships, there is such a *drive* in this song, but a completely different one! And layering too - so many of Pink Martini's songs are layered and arranged wonderfully complex, and I adore it.

R - Radio Ga Ga, by Queen. I would be remiss to not add a Queen song to a list of music that I like! And this one is a good one!

T - Three Cigarettes In An Ashtray, by k.d. lang (live). The vocal skill and craft on display here is just. STUNNING (the audience clearly thinks so too!) And yes I love k.d. lang, and I do love country music. It's very often melodic as hell, not to mention fucking balls deep political. No country music hate here, no sirree!

L - La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin, by Claude Debussy. I would be SEVERELY remiss, too, not to add anything classical to this list. Seriously, the ratio of classical to modern music is WAY too low. I listen to classical music a lot; another contender for this L spot would have been the Largo from the Symphony from the New World by Dvorak! Another BIG favorite; the whole symphony in fact. Love me some Dvorak. Big on the romantics, I am. Who's surprised! 😅

E - Everybody's Talkin' by the Beautiful South particularly. The Beautiful South makes so wonderfully eclectic music (and videos!); I like them a lot.

#music meme #my music taste

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postersdecinema · 8 months

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A Gardênia Azul

EUA, 1951

Fritz Lang

7/10

Um Policial Atípico

Um thriller que se desenvolve como uma história de amor, este Blue Gardenia, de 1953, realizado por Fritz Lang, pode não ser uma das obras mais marcantes da carreira do famoso realizador alemão, mas não deixa de ter as suas virtudes.

Juntando Anne Baxter e Richard Conte nos principais papéis, conta a história de uma investigação de homicídio atípica, liderada por um jornalista criminal sensacionalista, mas com uma ética profissional que não lhe facilita o trabalho, e uma assassina confessada, que não se lembra de ter cometido o crime.

Proporciona ainda o prazer de ver um jovem Nat King Cole interpretar, no ecrã, a canção que dá título ao filme.

A colheita não é de excepção, mas as qualidades justificam plenamente o visionamento, sobretudo para os apreciadores da obra de Lang.

An Atypical Crime Film

A thriller that unfolds like a love story, this 1953 Blue Gardenia, directed by Fritz Lang, may not be one of the most outstanding works of the famous German director's career, but it is not without its virtues.

Joining Anne Baxter and Richard Conte in the main roles, it tells the story of a homicide investigation, led by a sensationalist criminal journalist, but with a professional ethics that doesn't make his job easy, and a confessed murderer, who doesn't remember having committed the crime.

It also provides the pleasure of seeing a young Nat King Cole interpret, on screen, the title song of the film.

The harvest is no exception, but the qualities fully justify viewing, especially for lovers of Lang's work.

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theoriesanddocuments · 2 years

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Philip Guston (American, born Canada, 1913-1980). Last week, I visited the Seattle Art Museum to see two shows, one of which was Frisson: The Richard E. Lang and Jane Lang Davis Collection. This exhibition celebrates the recent gift to the museum of several major works of art, including two of the Philip Guston paintings seen here. This show will be on view until November 27, 2022.

Guston’s work has been popping up frequently in my life recently. At our last meeting, Teresa shared with me the following quote, part of Guston’s contribution to a 1960 panel discussion:

I believe it was John Cage who once told me, “When you start working, everybody is in your studio—the past, your friends, enemies, the art world, and above all, your own ideas—all are there. But as you continue painting, they start leaving, one by one, and you are left completely alone. Then, if you’re lucky, even you leave.

Coolidge, Clark (Ed.). (2011). Philip Guston: Collected Writings, Lectures, and Conversations. University of California Press.

This does sound like something John Cage would say.

The first image, To B.W.T., is the painting I spent the most time looking at. B.W.T. is Bradley Walker Tomlin, painter and onetime studio mate of Guston’s. In person, the colors seemed darker than they appear in this photograph, perhaps owing to the dim museum lighting. A few days after my visit, I happened to run across Guston’s own description of this painting, from a 1972 slide lecture at Yale Summer School of Music and Art:

Very heavily painted, very much overpainted and erased, covered up, repainted, so that a lot of the brush marks are simply erasures. I wasn’t even thinking about what the puncture was looking like, just getting certain things out of the way. I mean, the reds that you see in the middle would be over there [gesturing, presumably], or up at the upper left, and they were wiped out with some dirty white. That’s why it looks like that.

Ibid.

The 1951-52 Untitled is another example from this period, and the use of “dirty white” to edit and erase can clearly be seen. Incidentally, this painting, sold at auction in 2010, originally belonged to the paint manufacturer and art supply seller Leonard Bocour, and I can’t help but wonder if Guston traded it for materials. Many artists frequented Bocour’s store, and tubes of his paint can be seen in photographs of Guston’s studio.

In the late 1960s, Guston’s work underwent a radical shift towards a sort of expressionist cartoon figuration, with an emphasis on allegory. Though unpopular at the time, it later came to seen as anticipating shifts in contemporary art as painters continued to move away from Abstract Expressionism. The Painter, now in the Seattle Art Museum collection, depicts the artist with some of his vices. In the Studio shows the painter at work.

To B.W.T. 1952. Oil on canvas, 48 x 51 inches. Seattle Art Museum.

Untitled 1951-52. Oil on canvas, 40 1/4 x 34 1/4 inches. Source.

The Painter 1976. Oil on canvas, 74 x 116 inches. Seattle Art Museum.

In the Studio 1975. Oil on canvas, 82 x 79 inches. Museum of Modern Art, New York.

#Mentored Studies F22 03 Guston to Pensato

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laurengrabelle · 1 year

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I’ve been waiting two years to share this news. I’m not really sure how this came to be, but certainly it is a highlight of wishing my work out into the world. 26 years ago in a crowd of many I could not take my eyes off a dancer at the Schemitzun Powwow and, I think for the first time in my life, approached a stranger to ask for a portrait. This is what we made together, “Tommy in His Car”. And now it is in this stunning new book, Our America, A Photographic History, by Ken Burns with an introduction by Sarah Hermanson Meister. Oh, and it is on the facing page of an image by Sally Mann, and just page widths away from the iconic works of Hansel Mieth, Elliott Erwitt, Minor White, Walter Iooss, Richard Avedon, Danny Lyon, Eve Arnold, Dennis Stock, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gordon Parks, Robert Frank, Bruce Davidson, Jerome Liebling, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, Eudora Welty, Helen Levitt, Marion Post Wolcott, Walker Evans, Margaret Bourke-White, Paul Strand, Charles Sheeler, Alfred Stieglitz, Laura Gilpin, Lewis Hine, Edward Curtis, Mathew Brady, Timothy O’Sullivan, and Carleton E. Watkins. There are many more known and unknown photographers, but these are the names that leapt out at me when I finally got to hold the book in my hands last night.I’m kinda excited! Many thanks to Tommy Christian, Ken Burns, and Susanna Steisel.

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twwpress · 1 year

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Weekly Press Briefing #39: March 19th - March 25th

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from March 19 - March 25, 2023! Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing!

Challenges/Prompts:

No challenges, prompts, or events that we know of this week! Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from March 19 - March 25.

Bradley Whitford posted photos of his pets: 1 | 2

Josh Malina posted a photo of himself doing press for Leopoldstat.

Rob Lowe posted photos from the premiere of his new Netflix series, Unstable.

Rob Lowe posted photos of himself in Egypt. 1 | 2

Rob Lowe posted a photo of himself and his dog, Daisy.

Richard Schiff posted a photo of himself and The Good Doctor co-star Christina Chang.

@janelmilfoney: March 20 | March 24

@down_brad_: March 21 | March 25

This Week in Canon:

Welcome to This Week in Canon, where we revisit moments in The West Wing that occurred on these dates during the show’s run.

Season 1, Episode 17: The White House Pro-Am aired on March 22, 2000.

Season 5, Episode 17: The Supremes aired on March 24, 2004.

Season 6, Episode 20: In God We Trust aired on March 23, 2005.

Season 7, Episode 14: Two Weeks Out aired on March 19, 2006.

Editors’ Choice:

This week we’re featuring fics inspired by The Supremes, or centering around Evelyn Baker Lang and/or Christopher Mulready!

Penumbra by Ladybug_21 | Rated T | Evelyn Baker Lang & Christopher Mulready | Complete | A contentious U.S. Supreme Court oral argument unearths the secret that nearly tanked Chief Justice Evelyn Baker Lang's nomination by the Bartlet White House over a decade earlier. At ideological odds with her closest friend on the Court, and fearful of the turmoil that a leak to the press might cause, the Chief Justice turns to a former Bartlet Administration senior staffer for help.

3000 Miles by Dipenates | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | Sam comes back to help his former White House coworkers prepare for the nomination of two new Supreme Court Justices. This brings painful reminders of a past relationship.

Looking Over My Yesterdays by mcgarrygirl78 | Rated T | Evelyn Baker Lang, Nancy McNally | Complete | "I just hope you didn't tell them we smoked that plant."

I Love Her Shoes by izzywrites | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete I "When it's over I'll buy you some shoes" + "I love her mind, I love her shoes."

enumerated powers by jazzjo | Rated G | Evelyn Baker Lang & Christopher Mulready, C. J. Cregg/Evelyn Baker Lang | Complete I The Fourteenth Amendment and the ways it changes Evie Baker Lang's life, from fifteen to fifty seven.

or,

Four tectonic events.

S5 E17 The Supremes by JDPostEpisodeChallenge, starbuckmeggie | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete I Post Ep by StarbuckMeggie

Big Picture by LizaCameron | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete I A missing scene from The Supremes.

Details by eMetiB [archived by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist] | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete I Missing Scene/Post-ep for The Supremes

Fics:

Presenting your weekly roundup of fics posted in the tag for The West Wing on Archive of Our Own. If you are so inclined, please be sure to leave the authors some love in the form of kudos or comments. Be mindful of posted warnings/tags for each story.

Josh/Donna

on call by phos3 for payback16 | Not Rated | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Domestic Days by spooky_spacegirl | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

as long as you love me by lunedecroissant | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

don’t talk (put your head on my shoulder) by flowersinapril | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Next to Me by spooky_spacegirl | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Unexpected by KateJaneAusten | Not Rated | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Full Bloom by ABSea | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Other Pairings/Gen Fic

it started off with a kiss... now it ended up like this by imawkwardlysoc | Rated G | Sam Seaborn/Original Female Character | In Progress

Wait For Me by imperfectirises | Rated M | Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet | In Progress

A Different Life by PreppyPrincess5103 (JAG crossover) | Rated M | Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie/Sam Seaborn | In progress

It’s In The Mail by GoneScribbling | Josh Lyman & Donna Moss & Toby Ziegler (no pairings listed) | Complete

C.J./Danny

Ten Weeks by Jxjxjx | Rated T | Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg | In Progress

None of Us are More than Caretakers by onekisstotakewithme for daylight_angel, miabicicletta, Luppiters, hondagirll | Rated T | Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg | In Progress

Multiple Pairings

Here’s How I Remember It by whatsuptheregail | Rated M | Danny Concannon/C.J. Cregg, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Andrea Wyatt/Toby Ziegler, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet, Zoey Bartlet/Charlie Young, Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn, Carol Fitzpatrick/Original Female Character(s) | Complete

fathers and sons by rearviewmirror | Rated T | Zoey Bartlet/Charlie Young, Abbey Bartlet/Jed Bartlet/Leo McGarry | Complete

THE WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING TEAM CAN BE REACHED VIA THE FOLLOWING METHODS:

Twitter: @TWWPress

Email: [email protected]

Feel free to let us know if we missed something, if you have an event you’d like us to promote, or if you have an item that you’d like included in the next briefing!

xx, What’s next?

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walkingdetroit · 3 months

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Art in the Stations: Financial District

The Financial District is home to some of Detroit's most beautiful art-deco skyscrapers, including The Guardian, Buhl, Ford, and Penobscot Buildings. The People Mover Station features Aztec and Byzantine designs, integrating both the neighborhood's architecture and history.

The large hand-painted mural "'D' For Detroit" by Joyce Kozloff includes mythical animals, peacocks, the bull and bear of the Stock Exchange, and an illuminated "D." The mural design is inspired by the Guardian Building, the Fisher Building, and Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry Murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Kozloff created and hand-painted each tile herself in Kohler, Wisconsin at the John Michael Kohler Art Center. She has also worked on several other public art installations around the country, including Harvard Square and the 86th and Central Park Street Subway Station.

The peacocks were inspired by James McNeill Whistler's paintings, who had designed "The Peacock Room" at 49 Prince's Gate in London, owned by British shipping magnate Frederick Richards Leyland. The room was preserved in 1904 by Charles Lang Freer, who installed it in his home at 71 E. Ferry Avenue. The original wall is now on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.

#artinthestations #detroitpeoplemover #financialdistrict #publicart #detroit #downtowndetroit #financialdistrictdetroit #freerhome #charleslangfreer #thepeacockroom

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scotianostra · 2 years

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Happy 82nd Birthday Scottish yachtsman, rower and soldier Sir Chay Blyth.

Born Charles Blyth on May 14th, 1940 in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, the youngest of a family of five girls and two boys. At the age of 15, he left school and went to work for a local knitwear factory as an apprentice frame worker. This career was short-lived as, proudly Scottish, Chay signed at age 18, for the Parachute Regiment where he rose quickly through the ranks, becoming sergeant at the age of 21 – the regiment’s youngest ever Sergeant at that time. In 1966, Blyth teamed up with Captain John Ridgeway to row across the Atlantic from Cape Cod to the Aran Islands in a 20ft dory. They completed this in 92 days.

In 1971, having left the Army three years previously, aboard the 59ft ketch British Steel, he became the first person to sail non-stop westwards around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. Before the attempt, Sir Francis Chichester commented that he thought the voyage was impossible, and on completion it became known as ‘The Impossible Voyage.” The Times newspaper described it as, ‘The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone’.It is still considered the toughest challenge in sailing; only five people have ever managed it, a number which becomes more significant when compared to the 12 people who have walked on the moon.

The plan began in earnest to sail the ‘wrong way’ round the world in 1969, but it wasn't until 18th October 1970 that Chay Blyth departed from Southampton on board the 59ft ketch, British Steel.

His voyage had never been done before: to sail single-handed, non-stop, westwards around the world. Blyth returned to a hero’s welcome 292 days later.

Since that year, he has accumulated a staggering list of racing successes: 1973/4: skippered Great Britain II in the first Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race with a crew from the Parachute Regiment. They won the elapsed time prize and nine out of the 12 trophies. 1978 he won the Two-handed Round Britain race with Rob James. In 1981 the Two-handed Transatlantic race with Rob James breaking the record

It wasn’t all plain sailing though, pardon the pun, in 1984 Chay capsized in Beefeater II off Cape Horn and spent 19 hours in the water before being rescued; A year later he had to be rescued in the Atlantic from Virgin Atlantic Challenger, which sank. But in 198 Blyth co-skippered ,with Richard Branson, the successful Blue Riband transatlantic attempt on Virgin Atlantic Challenger.

In 1989 Chay founded Challenge Business, a market leader in creating, managing and promoting World Class events, as part of his work with the company he e mentored fDee Caffari on her successful bid to be the first woman to sail around the world against the prevailing winds and currents in 2005–2006.

In 1997, Sir Chay was Knighted for his services to sailing, am not keen on the honours system, but in some cases recognition like this is merited, Chay is a very brave guy who succeeded against all the odds at times in a prusuit of goals that almost cost him his life. The second pic show the pair celebrating her return.

In 2013 aged 73 Chay was still involved in his first love of sailing, in his yacht Wullie Waught he sailed round the world taking part in events worldwide. The yacht’s name was inspired by the great Robert Burns poem.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere! And gie's a hand o' thine! And we'll tak a right guid willy waught, For auld lang syne.

At the time Chay commented “ My trouble is that I still think I’m a 26 year old Paratrooper instead of a 75 year old with a gammy leg! My mind wanders back now and again”

#Scotland #scottish #soldier #parattrooper #akebi's sailor uniform #rower #history #happy birhtday

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multiverseofmiracleshq · 1 year

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okay, everyone. it’s weekly update time! you know the drill. let’s get to it:

I. BIOS

we’re in the middle of a major bio overhaul. this means that we’re pumping out a bunch of bios! right now, we’re focusing on taken roles so that every active character has a history. the bio format is pretty simple: a link to their history, sections on connections & their team respectively, quick facts and fun facts. if there’s anything you think needs to be added to the bios, please let us know.

as soon as we’re done with taken, we’ll be moving onto the most wanted bios. if someone requests a bio, we’ll bump it up the list. otherwise, we’ll continue on like this until all taken roles have bios. we’re over halfway there! just hang on in there while we finish.

II. EVENT UPDATES

our secret wars event is officially over! that means that soon we’ll be posting the lovely event recap with all the links and descriptions about what went down. we’re looking forward for the annual hellfire gala that’s upcoming. keep an eye on the dash for when that’ll be!

III. ACTIVITY

after taking a month off, our next activity check is tuesday, november 1st. all roles that do not meet activity will be unfollowed. if you need a hiatus, please get in contact with us. an activity check is posted one week prior to the unfollow.

IV. ROLL OUT THE WELCOME MAT

this week we welcomed cassie lang and hope van dyne back to the multiverse!

V. MOST WANTED SPOTLIGHT

hank pym / janet van dyne / scott lang -- awesome ant-family

franklin richards / reed richards / victor von doom -- fantastic four

bruce banner / shang-chi / wong -- heroic heroes

nick fury / maria hill / valentina allegra de la fontaine - boss bitches

VI. SUMMARY

A. bios are being released, starting with taken roles

B. we’re out of secret wars looking forward to the hellfire gala

C. next activity unfollow is 11/1

D. most wanted spotlight

E. watch the new trailer for ant-man quantumania!

F. as always, please like this post so we know you read!

#marvel rp #discord rp #antman rp #weekly update #admin kate #mvmadmins

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claudia1829things · 2 years

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"GODS AND GENERALS" (2003) Review

"GODS AND GENERALS" (2003) Review In 1993, producer Ted Turner and director Ronald Maxwell released "GETTYSBURG", a film adaptation of Michael Shaara's 1974 novel, "The Killer Angels". Shaara's son, Jeffrey, wrote a prequel to his novel called "Gods and Generals" in 1996. Both Turner and Maxwell teamed up again in 2002-2003 to make a film adaptation of the latter novel.

Set between April 1861 and May 1863, "GODS AND GENERALS" related the American Civil War events leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg. Although the movie began with Virginia-born Robert E. Lee's resignation from the U.S. Army, following his home state's secession from the Union; the meat of the film focused on the personal and professional life of Confederate general Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson during those two years. It also touched on how Bowdoin College professor Joshua L. Chamberlain became second-in-command of the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, his military training and his experiences during the Battle of Fredricksburg. But trust me . . . most of the movie is about Jackson. It covered his departure from the Virginia Military Institute; his experiences with the famous "Stonewall Brigade"; his experiences at the Battle of Bull Run; his relationships with both his wife Mary Anna, his servant Jim Lewis and a five-year-old girl from an old Virginia family; and his experiences at the Battle Chancelorville. "GODS AND GENERALS" had its virtues. One of them turned out to be Michael Z. Hanan's production designs. Hanan and his team did a superb job in re-creating Virginia of the early 1860s. I was especially impressed by their recreation of mid-19th century Fredricksburg during that famous battle in December 1862. I wonder who had the bright idea of using Harper's Ferry, West Virgina for that particular setting. Hanan's work was ably supported by Kees Van Oostrum's photography and Gregory Bolton's art direction. Oostrum's photography and Corky Ehlers' editing was also put to good use during the Fredricksburg battle sequence. And I really enjoyed the costumes designed by Richard La Motte, Maurice Whitlock and Gamila Smith. All three did their homework in re-creating the fashions and uniforms of the period. Unlike "GETTYSBURG", "GODS AND GENERALS" featured major female characters. I suspect this gave the trio the opportunity to indulge their romantic streak with crinolines and hoop skirts galore. There were some admirable performances in "GODS AND GENERALS". Frankie Faison gave a warm performance as Thomas Jackson's freedman cook, Jim Lewis. I was also impressed by Brian Mallon's subtle portrayal of the concerned Major General Winfield Hancock, a role he had first portrayed in the 1993 film. It is a pity that Bruce Boxleitner did not receive more screen time for his role as Lieutenant General James Longstreet. He had taken over the role from Tom Berenger and gave a pretty solid performance. But alas, he did not receive enough time to do anything with the role. Alex Hyde-White gave an interesting portrayal of Major General Ambrose Burnside, whose decisions led the Union Army to disaster at Fredricksburg. Matt Letscher was very memorable as the 20th Maine's founder and first regimental commander, Colonel Adelbert Ames. I could also say the same for Mira Sorvino's portrayal of Frances "Fanny" Chamberlain, Colonel Chamberlain's passionate and pessimistic wife. In fact, I believe she had the good luck to portray the most interesting female character in the movie. So . . . what about the other performances? What about the stars Stephen Lang, Jeff Daniels and Robert Duvall? I am not claiming that they gave bad performances. Honestly, they did the best they could. Unfortunately, all three and most of the other cast members had the bad luck to be saddled with very uninteresting characterizations, bad dialogue and self-righteous speeches. In other words, I found them a little BORING!!! I am sorry, but I truly did. First of all, Lang's Thomas Jackson dominated the film just a little too much. Why bother calling this movie "GODS AND GENERALS"? Why not call it "THE LIFE AND TIMES OF STONEWALL JACKSON"? Even worse, Jackson is portrayed in such an unrelenting positive light that by the time the movie came around to his fate after the Battle of Chancelorville, I practically sighed with relief. Jeff Daniels' Joshua Chamberlain did nothing to rouse my interest in his story. In fact, he disappeared for a long period of time before he made his reappearance during the Battle of Fredricksburg sequence. And his appearance in that particular sequence was completely marred by him and other members of the 20th Maine Volunteer Regiment quoting William Shakespeare's "JULIUS CAESAR", while marching toward Marye's Heights. Oh God, I hate that scene so much! As for Robert Duvall's Robert Lee . . . what a waste of his time. Ronald Maxwell's script did not allow the actor any opportunity to explore Lee's character during those two years leading to Gettysburg. I realize this is not Duvall's fault, but I found myself longing for Martin Sheen's portrayal of the Confederate general in "GETTYSBURG". There is so much about this movie that I dislike. One, Maxwell's portrayal of the movie's two main African American characters - Jim Lewis and a Fredricksburg slave named Martha, as portrayed by actress/historian Donzaleigh Abernathy - struck me as completely lightweight. Now, I realized that there were black slaves and paid employees who managed to maintain a friendly or close relationship with their owner or employer. But in "GODS AND GENERALS", Lewis seemed quite friendly with his employer Jackson and Martha seemed obviously close to the family that owned her, the Beales. I could have tolerated if Lewis or Martha had been friendly toward those for whom they worked. But both of them? I get the feeling that Maxwell was determined to avoid any of the racial and class tensions between the slave/owner relationship . . . or in Lewis' case, the employee/employer relationship. How cowardly. In fact, this lack of tension seemed to permeate all of the relationships featured in "GODS AND GENERALS". Aside from one Union commander who berated his men for looting in Fredricksburg, I can barely recall any scenes featuring some form of anger or tension between the major characters. Everyone either seemed to be on his or her best behavior. And could someone please explain why every other sentence that came out of the mouths of most characters seemed to be a damn speech? I realize that Maxwell was trying to re-create the semi-formality of 19th century American dialogue. Well . . . he failed. Miserably. The overindulgence of speeches reminded me of the dialogue from the second NORTH AND SOUTH miniseries, 1986's "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II". But the biggest problem of "GODS AND GENERALS" was that it lacked a central theme. The majority of the movie seemed to be about the Civil War history of Thomas Jackson. But the title and Shaara's novel told a different story. However, I do not believe a detailed adaptation of the novel would have done the trick. Like the movie, it lacked a central theme or topic. Perhaps I am being too arrogant in believing I know what would have made the story worked. After all, it is not my story. Jeff Shaara was entitled to write it the way he wanted. And Ronald Maxwell was entitled to adapt Shaara's story the way he wanted. But I do know that if I had written "GODS AND GENERALS", it would have been about the Battle of Fredricksburg. It turned out to be the only part of the movie that I found interesting.

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