Link of the Week: Stealing Fire - In Praise of Prometheus

Other blockbusters films have come and gone this summer -- and many have met with great spikes and dips in popularity. Yet for many film lovers, Prometheus (2012) remains the story of the season.  There is something incredibly intriguing about this Ridley Scott film; some quality that keeps calling viewers back to it.  Ironically, even viewers who have (loudly) stated their dislike for the film have reported, on various sites, how they keep "thinking about" the movie.

I get it. Prometheus beckons me yet. I'd like to see the film again before it leaves theaters, but in all likelihood will wait for Blu Ray at this point.

This weekend at C.H.U.D. author M. Morse penned and posted "Stealing Fire: In Praise of Prometheus," another in-depth analysis and review of Scott's film, and one worthy of your time.  I wholeheartedly recommend the piece, not merely because it makes brief reference to my own review of the film, but because it goes deep into the DNA of the film, and comes up with some great connections to Nietzsche. 

Here's a snippet:

Prometheus mirrors Thus Spoke Zarathustra in a number of fascinating ways, right down to the image of a snake burying himself in the throat of a man.  Nietzsche's book concerns a "prophet" of sorts named Zarathustra (natch) who, during the course of the book, descends from his mountain home to bring new wisdom to mankind.  If that description reminds you of a certain Promethean Titan who descends Olympus to bring fire to humanity I would suggest the similarity may be less than accidental.

In Nietzsche's book, the character of Zarathustra comes to believe that humanity had experienced the death of God.  In fact, with the aid of an increasingly secular society and advances in the sciences, humanity had essentially killed him.  The notion of believing in an anthropomorphic deity came to seem foolish in the face of rationalism.  In Prometheus, science's discovery of the existence of the Engineers signals the death of the traditional Judeo-Christian God as the personal Creator of life on Earth.

There are many more insights and fascinating ideas in Mr. Morse's review, so if you -- like me -- find that Prometheus is something of an obsession, please check it out.  It's my "Link of the Week," and it adds considerably to the scholarship concerning the film.

Link of the Week: Silver Hell Arrives -- The Return of Cartoonist Tim Warner

Way back in this blog's history, in July of 2005, I had the pleasure of interviewing independent filmmaker Jordan Cooper, director of the funny mock-documentary, Tim Warner: A Life in the Clouds.  The documentary starred co-writer James Jajac as misanthropic (and bad...) cartoonist Tim Warner, creator of the milquetoast comic strip "The Silver Lining."  My wife and I laughed a lot during the film, and we've always remembered it fondly...which is saying a lot considering how many independent films I watch.  

Today, I can report that the character of Tim Warner has been resurrected for James Jajac's mock-compilation book, Silver Hell - "A Comic Strip Journey into Madness."  The back cover of this mock-doc book sets the stage:

"Tim Warner has delighted audiences for over 20 years with his national comic strip, The Silver Lining.  Adults and children alike are delivered a touch of hope when they see the paper each Sunday to see what new adventures Ted and his lovable pets (Doggy and Squiggles) will find themselves in that week...

...What is known to few, aside from those truly devoted fans (who refer to themselves as "squiggle maniacs"), is that for a brief time in the early 90s, The Silver Lining was left absent from the daily newspapers without explanation. It was rumored that Tim Warner had suffered a nervous breakdown, or that there had been an argument over contract agreements.  For years, the topic has been a subject of debate, a truth unknown...until now."

The book goes on to describe how in 2004, Tim Warner's former publisher made a discovery: the missing Silver Lining comic strips...the so called "Silver Hell" period that "coincides with his painful divorce from his first wife, Barbara."

What you get in Silver Hell, then, is a continuation of the savage satire begun in A Life in the Clouds. Tim's strips begin with sane, optimistic pabulum (think Ziggy...), but by book's end descend into the scribbling of a self-loathing, life-hating depressive.  It's very funny, sharp stuff.  I got an immense kick out of the book, and the funny conceit of a psychotic death spiral caught progressively (but unknowingly...) in an artist's "secret" work.  There's a dark comedic genius at work here, one worthy of a wider audience.

If you're interesting in getting acquainted withTim Warner and his 'dark' "Silver Hell" period, you can purchase the book here, or visit James Jajac at Silver Hell and his own web site.