Unpleasant Election Outcomes and Batman

[davetheanalyzer]

So, yeah, hopefully my ending message last month didn’t jinx the current election results. It’s scary and frustrating this country voted for a fascist yet again. It’s also frustrating the opposition thought the best way to deal with that is to go to the right. Few want diet Republicans when they can get the horrible real deal! Harris refusing to deviate from Biden’s more negative policies probably also played some role but also too many are tuned into misinformed right wing media. I’m aware people like me will be down the list of being harmed but I’m nervous about the services we rely on that might be cut. Moreover, people of all sorts shouldn’t have to deal with bigotry and having resources taken away! At any rate, I hope there’ll be maximum resistance against Trump and his presidency be an unqualified failure that brings his ilk down for good. 

At any rate, still keeping up with my writing. I’m getting to the end of the fanfic plot outlines I want to change and I have the feeling after I finish the first draft of the final 1 done, I might try to write out 1 of the stories for fun. I have 10 make-up days left where I double up on writing. With the end in sight unless I get sick again, I’m wondering if I should double-up to also write the next entry in my mon-inspired book series as I’m a few chapters away from finishing the 3^rd draft. In preparation, I’ve finished a last rewrite of the plot outline for the next entry. Hopefully I can get to writing it soon.

I saw The Batman. I heard about Robert Pattinson being cast and the film’s interesting politics, but I never got around to seeing it until now. I was initially unsure if I’d watch it this month and thought I wouldn’t be fond of it. I’m relieved to say I found I liked the experience. It was very long and maybe could be a tiny bit shorter but I think it earns its length as a slow-burn detective story. The tone felt like an odd combination of “realism” and weird comic-booky earnestness that I think’s becoming more accepted in these kind of movies. Batman is already active and he and Gordon already know each other but it’s still early years with rampant corruption and the police are leery of him. Batman’s very stoic and emotionally withdrawn, sometimes comically so, and I can see why there’re jokes he’s an emo teenager. Fighting crime is an obsession, to the point there’s no time for playboy billionaire antics. Maybe later but once in a while I’ve wondered with the premise “How does he get enough sleep to function?”

Anyway, the politics of this movie are interesting. It deals with the corruption among politicians and the police, their relations with mobs and gangs, and how it comes to light through the actions of the antagonist, the Riddler. I know Batman’s politics are more complicated than “rich guy beats up poor criminals” but that the antagonist exposes this can be iffy. I did like the complicating factor that 2 of the corrupt figures did love their families. This leads to Bruce realizing his father might have had someone killed and has an understandable existential crises. Of course, being the hero, that’s not the case, and a near death experience with Alfred who he had been frosty with leads him to learn it was an act of misplaced trust that his father instantly regretted. Catwoman is cynical and had to do what she could to survive but was willing to help others. I wasn’t a fan of how Batman made Selina do undercover work but as time went on, it was clear they had a mutual growing romantic interest.

I did like Batman and Gordon stopped her from killing by releasing the audio of her father murdering her friend. Riddler endangered many people but seemed to restrict it to the corrupt and privileged. He finally crosses the line when he decides to flood the area and have his followers massacre civilians at a political rally. I surmise he had to act like that in order to be truly a villain, which can have some weird implications with trying to sidestep the antagonist having TOO much of a good point. I did wonder at times if some of the Riddler’s minions got killed since they seemed to accidentally shoot each other. I do like Batman saving people and that’s how he shifted from just beating up criminals. Probably for the best they hold the Joker off for a future film. There’s mentions of domestic violence and brutal killings but with that in mind, if this film sounds up your alley, feel free to see it.

That’s all for now. I came back from a dentist cleaning Tuesday and had pulled back wearing the retainers to 3 times a night over the weekends. Apparently I’m taking care of my teeth well. Hopefully no political machinations make me lose my insurance. Free Palestine, Lebanon, and free hostages on all sides. Until the end of the year, see you!