An e-mail to my cousin, after "Selected Shorts" at the Symphony space and a subway ride to Penn:

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All I was driving at was that I don't think Pixar sequels usually turn out very well.  But damn, if someone could do a good "Incredibles" sequel, I would worship that person.  I think the problem is that a truly good "Incredibles" sequel could only involve the characters continuing to age, becoming more complicated, and dealing with more adult situations--kinda like every other superhero movie in the universe should already be doing, but somehow isn't.  It never ceases to bother me that superhero movies are pretty much solidly sixty years behind comics in terms of the depth of the stories they tell.  NYARGH.  I actually think "Incredibles" is already the deepest, most adult superhero movie that's maybe ever been made.  There are some serious, dark, deeply conservative, almost fascist (or anarchist) arguments being made by that movie, and creepily, you can see where the characters are coming from as they stare down the barrel of a gun.  Mrs. Incredible on the island, admonishing her kids *not to take time to think or doubt* if they found themselves in danger ("And doubt is a luxury we can't afford anymore, sweetie. You have more power than you realize. Don't think. And don't worry") cuts particularly deep.

Oh, and "Batman"-wise, I was so happy to find out from you that the New Yorker had trashed "Dark Knight Rises" (I couldn't remember if it had trashed "Dark Knight" too, so I looked, and oh boy yes.  Side note: I LOVE ANTHONY LANE and I'm so happy you do to--but the "Dark Knight" review, at least, was written by David Denby.  Sigh.  Side side note: look up Anthony Lane's "Star Wars Episode 1" review if you ever want to get a schadenfreude/sadism kick that'll last you through the day.)

But seriously, most reviewers of "DKR" loved it, just like most reviewers of "TDK" loved it.  The difference is that people sincerely worshiped the second movie (wrongly, I think, but hey) whereas my theory is they only loved the third one because they felt they should.  And that came out in these weird little moments in each fawning review where they'd suddenly mention something like, "sure, maybe it's too long and badly written and kinda incoherent, BUT..."  It was like watching the zeitgeist realize it had a pimple on the day of its high school photo.

Thanks so much for taking me to the Symphony Space!

Love,
Sam