Imaginary Conversations and Random Thoughts

So Superman was in rotation on cable recently, and a couple of things occurred to me. First was astonishment that this thing won awards for special effects. I seem to recall that even then, it looked pretty lame. Even then, the plot was filled with terrible problems. I mean was making the earth spin backward somehow supposed to reverse time also rather than slosh the oceans up onto the continents before smashing them apart? I've heard of suspension of disbelief, but this is ridiculous. Whatever. That's an argument for another day.

At one point in the movie, Superman makes his debut, stopping assorted criminals in a montage of do-goodishness. It's not just criminals though. He also rescues a cat from a tree. How sweet of him. And the little girl, the blonde hair, the cuteness, she's just so grateful. She runs inside to tell her mom, and our view is on the outside of the house as we hear Blondie tell mommy that a flying man with a red cape came down and rescued Mr. Snugglekins from his lofty perch. Keep in mind that this is a lighthearted scene, played for laughs in the theater. Mom angrily reminds the girl that she's been wanred over and over again to stop with the lying. And then we hear it, the audible slap as mom administers some down home correction across Blondie's cheek. I'm sure audiences cracked up when they saw this all those years ago. That would be difficult to get away with today. Kids getting beaten can only happen in a serious, Oscar-type movie nowadays, I would imagine.

Now, can you imagine that twenty-five years from now, we'll be wondering what all the fuss about gay marriage was?