Iron Man - industry meets conscience

(IMDB.com)

The morality tale behind the spring blockbuster Marvel film Iron Man is this: self-absorbed industrialist meets his comeuppance, grows a conscience/compassion for others, and puts his engineering genius to work righting wrongs. No spoilers there.

I go into most films to be entertained. Comic book movies are designed to be "eye candy," so I'm not expecting any great revelations when I go into the darkened theater looking for a superhero. Iron Man does not dissappoint in this regard. Even the preachiness (the evil weapons dealer) was in a small enough dose so as to not bog down the story or action. And guess what? Iron Man still fights. He doesn't go all pacifist on us.

Effects, technology, and action met the standard. Gratuitous sensuality was a bit much for my conservative leanings, so be advised if you're going to push the envelope with youth under the PG-13. I feel like guidance is appropriate up to 18, and many "R" films should be "NC-17." But, hey, you're reading "The Old School" blog.

Talking to our youth pastor, he and I couldn't figure out why Hollywood has to be so graphic with its sensuality. It's not like kids need any encouragement. Teen lust needs no assistance from media to get all the body parts and hormones functioning. Back in the day, filmmakers allowed the imagination to carry more of the weight... zoom on the ankles as clothing drops to the floor, giggles, feet walk to the bedroom, show the doorknob closing, fade to black. Tony Stark's tussles, I get it already!

Actually, the modern world is super-sensual, and the Hefner revolution that sought to celebrate sex by putting it into the mainstream has actually cheapened the act. Here's how I'd write the Tony Stark character - I'd let him keep pursuing women, conquering femme after femme, but getting less and less satisfaction out of it. He might even try to remember his girlie's names. Eventually, he'd settle down with you-know-who. Then Marvel would have to put its creativity into the relational angst within marriage (a la "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). There's a sub-plot for ya.

In a world at war, and with Iron Man's role expanding as a member of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel can and should pursue various moral questions related to war, force and weaponry. Rich ground there, and no easy answers, just the way Marvel likes it.

Sailors - you do that for me?

(to a friend who appeared in the Denver airing of the PBS show "Carrier")

OK, so you look pretty good in your navy blue Navy uniform. And you were always a good manager of time. Maybe it’s the military training.

The nighttime landings on the USS Nimitz pitching in high seas like that... deeply moved me. I get that they have to practice dangerous manuevers because you never know when you'll have a hot mission. But you guys do that for me? For the country? For duty? For your families? For the constitution?

I don't really feel worthy, but I'm damn glad you do what you do.

Full disclosure: my dad was a Navy man, repairing aircraft carriers in San Diego in World War II.
I shoulda known it was an Icon /Mel Gibson production. Really, really good TV.

Gunny Bob on presidential character

Denver’s got its own mil-talker, Gunnery Sgt. Bob Newman, USMC (ret.). “Gunny Bob” rides the nighttime airwaves of Clear Channel’s clear channel KOA-850 AM most nights from 7 – 10 p.m. (make that 1900 – 2200h you civilian pile of waste product!)

Ooh-rah! (Do Army guys spell it differently?)

At times he can be inflammatory and downright wrong. But sometimes he’s so stinking right it makes me smile. Tonight he was off on Jeremiah Wright’s Church of Christ in Chicago (we will discuss the nature of the Afro-centric church later), but Gunny Bob was completely right on the elements of leadership.

The characteristics that we require of the person we choose to be president:
1) good judgment,
2) the ability to be decisive (which, with good judgment, helps one make the right decision),
3) moral courage.

Did they teach that to Gunny Bob at Quantico or someplace? That stuff works.

Signed, a bitter Black Christian gun-owner from the Midwest

“Carrier” on PBS

Flipping around last night, I stopped on the premiere of the PBS series “Carrier.” A film crew spent six months straight with the deployed crew of the USS Nimitz, and it’s public television at its best (meaning little narration, mostly the words of the crew).

“If you ain’t ordnance, you ain’t s***!”

“We build bombs and move them around the ship, and we’re at the bottom of the pecking order.”

“Our blood pumps about 1,000 miles an hour.”

“If you die, you die. That’s just the way it is.”

“My father was a pimp or something. My mother was a prostitute.”

“You know me, man. I worry about everything.”

“(On deck) you keep your head on a swivel, because everything changes so fast.”

“Personally, I don’t even get the war – why we’re fighting for someone else’s freedom when we barely have our own.”

“On ship, there are as many opinions on the war as in any group of people.”

The first of the ten-part series seemed mostly free of agenda. To me it looked like a pretty fair presentation of the good, the bad and the ugly of life on board. I couldn’t be more impressed with the young people at every level of the ship’s operations.

Forbes reports the most dangerous job is fishing. The second most dangerous job, pilots and flight engineers. Put them together and what do you get? The aircraft carrier… a miracle of modern engineering, an awesome tool of warfare. A floating high school. A small city on the sea.

Check out “Carrier.” http://www.pbs.org/weta/carrier/

Soul Revival, Neo Soul, Acid Jazz, etc.

Music is extremely personal. Even people that like the same sounds like them for different reasons. "It means this!" "It means that!" And so on. So indulge me a mention from the soul of my earhole.

A BIG shout out to my new favorite free internet radio station, Yahoo's Soul Revival station, which is powered by the editors at soultracks.com.

Their mix is strong enough to hang with my favorite DJ (K-Nee), here in the Denver area, who runs the "So What" radio show late Friday nights at midnight on another classic outlet, KUVO. Sometimes, Denver feels pretty hip!

A couple of other recommendations:

Lisa McClendon

Frank McComb

Raul Midon

See the previous column of music tips at The Old School from Feb. 14