by Darrah de jour

All over the United States, a band of activists has sprung up to take the law into their own gloved hands. “Real life Superheroes” are anywhere from 18 to 62 years old, run the gamut of ethnicities, backgrounds, and gender expressions, and have no real training in fighting crime. However, captured in the Michael Barnett documentary Superheroes, they appear to be part of a movement that’s taking flight.

“The film touches on a zeitgeist-y moment. I think we’re in a very troubled time right now as a society,” Director Barnett tells me over a whisky on the rocks in the dimly lit Santa Monica bar, The Yard. “#OccupyWallStreet is a very power to the people movement. People are fed up and they feel like they don’t have control and they don’t have a voice. And they’re trying to create one. This movement is so on par with that. Though a little more eccentric, it is a protest,” he asserts. “It’s saying ‘I don’t think government is efficient, I don’t think they’re helping us. I don’t think that help is coming from the top down.’”

The perky waitress seems thrilled to interrupt us to refill empty glasses and eavesdrop. The subject of our banter, which careens into after dark street patrolling and hand-made weaponry, is no secret however. In fact, there are a plethora of online forums (such as RealLifeSuperheroes.org) where you and I can engage with these Stan Lee-esque vigilantes, and now, they are under a worldwide spotlight.

Having just returned from a London screening, Barnett, a commercial director who self-funded the film, reluctantly reveals that Superheroes has won multiple awards. Accolades include The Audience Award at Calgary Underground Film Festival and The Grand Jury Award at the Los Angeles United Film Festival, among others. Shot over 15 months, this lauded and still slyly hip documentary shines a well-balanced light on a growing phenomenon, which is spearheaded by people who are self-sacrificing but not martyrs, unassuming but politically-conscious, proactive but not reward seeking.

During the day, RLSH are security guards, teachers, tattoo artists, and stay-at-home dads. But, at night, not unlike Clark Kent’s famous transition into Superman, these young men and women transform into “Dark Guardian,” “Amazonia,” “Mr. Xtreme,” “Zimmer,” and “T.S.A.F” – which stands for The Silenced And Forgotten, and belongs to one of the three female Superheroes represented in the doc.

Their real identities remain under wraps, as do their faces. Wearing sunglasses, baseball caps, head scarves and then, of course, their masks (with the exception of Zimmer, an out gay New Yorker for whom a mask would be too much like crawling back into the closet) none of the crime fighters reveal their true selves. Who they are during bank hours is less important – sometimes even to them – than who they are after dark.

In 1964, a 28-year-old Catherine “Kitty” Genovese was stabbed multiple times in the New York neighborhood of Queens, and left to die. She was brutally assaulted – physically and sexually – and left to bleed out. Another shocking aspect of this violent crime is that a number of neighbors saw or heard the attack in progress – and did nothing. Rather, they chose to turn out their lights and draw down their curtains. Allegedly, one neighbor even turned up his radio to drown out her screams. They simply “didn’t want to get involved,” one witness said. Kitty’s death made international headlines. In our own backyard, our most defeatist trait was killing women. Apathy.

The memory of Genovese’s death, and what is now termed “the bystander effect,” served as a call to arms for Mr. Xtreme, a San Diego superhero and a central figure in the film. He told me, “Genovese is an icon. There’s a lot of Kitty Genovese’s out there, and whether male or female, young or old, I see this happening all the time. It gets us fired up and outraged.” A mentor for youth and would-be Superheroeshe explains, “We want to show young people an alternative to gangs, drugs and the criminal life. Saving a life is the most rewarding part of being a real life superhero. And inspiring people.”

The 35-year-old activist and founder of The Xtreme Justice League, who has a working relationship with police, was recently recognized as a key tool in the capture of the Chula Vista Groper – a man who for five years groped and possibly sexually assaulted women in the area. San Diego Deputy Mayor Rudy Ramirez commended Mr. Xtreme’s help in spreading public awareness. Ramirez said, “The work that Mr. Xtreme has done with posting the fliers certainly contributed to…the capture of the Chula Vista Groper.”

While some dismiss these Superheroes as just outfitted danger seekers, the truth is, many are soldiers for the homeless population in their neighborhood. “Zeta Kits” – Ziplock bags filled with twenty-dollars worth of ‘must-haves’ like deodorant, socks, toilet paper and lip balm, are purchased out of pocket, and passed out by Portland power couple Zetaman and Apocalypse Meow. Irony beware, during Comic-Con, while caped wannabe’s paraded their latest and greatest, winning awards and recognition, the humble RLSH population banded together on the streets in shady intersections, helping the down and out improve their luck.

Filmmaker Barnett and I continued our tete`-a-tete´ well past the first drink, adventuring about the technical and philosophical facets to life as a superhero. Listen in.

Darrah de jour: Let’s start with a technical question. What type of camera did you use?

Michael Barnett: Canon 5D mark II.

Ddj: Do you think that your film has resulted in an upsurge of real life Superheroes?

MB: Definitely. Mr. Xtreme of the Xtreme Justice League in the beginning of our film was an army of one. Now, I think there’s fifteen in his unit in San Diego and they’ve opened a branch in Oregon.

Ddj: Are there any international Superheroes?

MB: There are a ton of international Superheroes. They’re all over.

Ddj: I noticed that a lot of Superheroes in the film had a traumatic upbringing or events that turned them into crime fighters as opposed to being criminals themselves. What are your thoughts on that?

MB: I think it’s an astute observation. I don’t often make generalizations about this community because each person does it for their own reasons and they do it in their own way. But the one thing I really did discover is that by and large – not every one of them – but a large percentage, had some tragedy or trauma happen to them and it’s now manifesting itself as a need to do good for others.

Ddj: One of the Superheroes mentioned that he traded in alcohol for fighting crime. Do you think that a lot of these guys are adrenaline junkies?

MB: Some of them are adrenaline junkies, some of them abide by the law, some of them are fearful in their approach. Some of them really are in it to have a physical encounter with other people.

Ddj: Stan Lee is in the film, and he mentions that none of them have actual superhero powers and that they are putting themselves in danger. What do you think is the greatest danger they are encountering at night on patrols?

MB: These guys patrol in terrible neighborhoods. And America is hurting right now. It’s a tough time for this country. There are very dangerous places all over this country, in every city, and these guys go right to the epicenter of the worst parts of their communities. So it’s not the safest job in the world.

Ddj: Is there any level of in-fighting or politics in the group?

MB: There is. These guys do this because they’re really fed up. They’re fed up with bureaucracy and society status quo and they’re looking for a way to make grassroots change. And in the end there’s no rulebook or manifesto, so they’re trying to make their own rules as they go and they don’t always agree with each other about what those rules should be.

Ddj: A lot of them had handmade weapons. I have a list: a flashlight that doubles as a stun gun, or a 16” baton Amazonia had, a ring of Pharaoh’s fire, bear mace and a sonic grenade. Which weapon was your favorite?

MB: My favorite weapon was Master Legend’s Iron Fist. It can do incredible amounts of damage. It could be a cautionary tale and I think it will be in the near future with one of them getting hurt in a situation.

Ddj: Dark Guardian had a very protective costume. Who do you think had the most appropriate costume for crime fighting?

MB: Master Legend had a costume like a tank, a bullet proof vest, helmet, boots.

Ddj: The animation in the film made you feel like you were watching a comic book. Who did the animation?

MB: We wanted every character to have their own very distinct look. Mr. Xtreme felt very indie comic, very Ghost World. So we hired Jeremy Arambulo. New York Initiative felt very dark and sharp, so we got the well known Rev. Dave Johnson to do that. Master Legend – the art there was so beautiful. That was Andy Suriano. Captain Sticky was very retro. So we went with an old school comic book artist, Richard Pose. They drew the panels and then we handed them to Syd Garon who brought it all to life. I think fanboys will specifically respond to this film.

Ddj: I really appreciated the fact that there were multiple ethnicities reflected as well as women who are RLSH. You introduced Stan Lee talking about a comic book where a female protagonist was running in heels and he thought that her legs looked good in heels, but that wedgies would be more realistic. Was there any subliminal feminism or commentary in why you entered with that?

MB: I just thought it was very funny. Women are drawn in comics so specifically. I had fantasized as a kid about so many women in comics. Rogue from X-Men. Stan’s 90 years old and I thought it was great that he’s still so aware. I thought it was perceptive and nostalgic. He knows his audience.

Ddj: Mr. Xtreme’s family wasn’t extremely supportive of his life choice to be a RLSH. If you were a parent, how would you feel about your child being one?

MB: It would be a mixed bag. I would do everything I could to get them trained properly.

Ddj: The New York Initiative used “baiting” as a tactic during night patrols. What are your thoughts on having a flamboyant, gay character like Zimmer played to trap a homophobe? Do you think it’s ethical?

MB: It’s hard to be present for crime. The police deter crime and solve crime after it happens. Very rarely are they there for crime. You have a team of very young, ambitious, intelligent, motivated RLSH in the NYI and they don’t want to sit around and wait for crime. They want to root out criminality in a courageous way, that’s rarely been done. It was super unsafe and terrifying to shoot. They’re risking their lives.

Ddj: If you could have any superpower what would it be?

MB: The power to stop time.

Superheroesthe movie is playing on HBO and in select theatres nationwide. It’s also available on DVD. For more info visit: www.SuperheroesTheMovie.com

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by Nicole Breanne

I took a week off from this blog because politics was a bit slow, and the only story was about Ron Paul – and I didn’t want to write about Ron Paul. This is a blog, not a democracy and I’ll write what I want (and what my editor will print!). But now I’m forced back to work to write about someone even worse. Not that Ron Paul is bad – he’s just nuts and I feel like if I write about him I’ll fall down a rabbit hole of crazy. Like I’ll be transported into a David Lynch film where nothing really makes sense, and then Robert Blake shows up – and shit, I’m not mentally stable enough for that right now! Although, I have always wanted to be Patricia Arquette. See, right now I’m just procrastinating, I’m bringing up random things I could write about for days (David Lynch, Rabbit Holes) because I don’t want to be writing about Newt Gingrich…did I mention I’m listening to Tom Waits…I really love him…I feel he’s not recognized enough as an artist and more people should get down with Tom Waits on, don’t you?

[..]

by Daniel Robert Epstein

Stephen Gaghan won an Oscar for his screenplay for Traffic. After crafting the screenplay for that dense multiple storyline filled story implicating everyone, even the US government, in the world’’s hard drug trade, Gaghan decided to do the same for Big Oil with Syriana.

Syriana follows George Clooney as a career CIA operative as he begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to as an up-and-coming oil broker. [Matt Damon] faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with an idealistic Gulf prince [Alexander Siddig]. A corporate lawyer [Jeffrey Wright] faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies.

Read our exclusive interview with Stephen Gaghan on SuicideGirls.com.

AnnaLee Suicide in Blushing

• INTO: Living a good life.
• NOT INTO: Cars, television, cigarettes, meat, drinking culture, negativity, superficiality and people with no imaginations or desires.
• MAKES ME HAPPY: Reading and collecting books, drinking tea, solitude, ornithology and natural history, listening to the radio, baking cakes, my cat, pockets, mindpower, sleeping, the sea, old-fashioned museums, etymology, entomology, marzipan, walking and cycling, equality, understanding, compassion, passion, good manners, hermit crabs, olives, peace and quiet, the sky and meteorological phenomena, drawing, painting, churches, foxes, nature taking over man-made things, wall paintings, bees, stoicism, cats and dogs, cinema, hot baths, cooking and food (eating is the best!), gardens and wild places, lochs, rivers and anything wet, plants and trees, perfume, cardigans, grey, being a stranger in new cities, unusual encounters with other creatures, marmalade, moths, butterflies, fresh air, bioluminescence, collecting things, adding to the tattooed aviary, being productive, cold climates, wallpaper, mosses, lichens, positivity, sewing, film soundtracks, the changing seasons, red hair, pickles, whiskers and paws and cats purring, cephalopods (especially cuttlefish!). Ah, life is great.
• MAKES ME SAD: When my family are unhappy. How little we care about non-human animals, our planet and each other. People not living life as well as they could do. The fact that work, productivity and consumerism overtake life – I hate the way our society is structured. Wasting time, negativity, physical and mental illness, intolerance, cages, ownership.
• 5 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: A book, a quiet place, fresh air, hot tea, and of course music.
• VICES: Book buying, but that’s probably not too unhealthy. I am also addicted to expensive chocolate – that is ever so slightly unhealthy.
• I SPEND MOST OF MY FREE TIME: In a book.

Get to know AnnaLee better over at SuicideGirls.com!

by ExAddict

Arguably, anyone who smokes tobacco has inevitably cursed themselves on occasion after taking a puff break and falling prey to the Surgeon General’s warning that graces all packs of cigarettes. For those who use tobacco – a sacred weed if there ever was one – most are willing to accept the health risks in order to indulge in their everyday habit.

Whether the warnings come in the form of stark labels like “Smoking Kills” in bold black and white print or the picture-based warnings that many Western countries have adopted, generally smokers understand that the medical community wants you to quit. Of course, the huddle of nurses outside any hospital catching a drag plays loose with the consistency of the anti-smoking message but that’s a story for another day.

Today’s dope lesson is in the form of a simple question. Should marijuana growers and seed-sellers do the responsible thing and provide a medical warning on their products? Before you jump down my throat and spit out your bong water all over the screen, please, keep an open mind about something, hmmmkay?

Pot, in its many forms, can be destructive and destroy lives. Amid the hype and hyperbole about cannabis being a miracle worker and wonder-drug, one fact that gets lost on pot-heads is clear; Heavy marijuana use (and the term heavy leaves room to maneuver) has been linked to psychosis and schizophrenia.

Blame Canada for the evidence. Not only is the Great White North home to some of the most potent and notable strains of marijuana, but an increased tolerance of the drug by courts and legislators has provided ample statistical data to government and healthcare authorities. A May 2011 broadcast entitled The Downside Of High aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation noted one particularly troubling statistic: that “for all young adults, smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of developing recurring psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations – the hallmarks of schizophrenia.”

There’s more. A report released in early November and publicized worldwide (including in the American Journal of Psychiatry) by researchers with the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health in Toronto found that “an increased risk of schizophrenia in methamphetamine users was similar to that of heavy users of marijuana.”

There’s that term again: Heavy usage. It’s probably a loaded term for chronic users leaving many to decide for themselves what exactly makes up heavy pot use. However, given the real evidence that weed can be harmful, are casual users even aware of the risks associated with dope smoking?

Here’s where a label might help. Ultimately, the time is now to strike while the iron is hot. The evidence is clear, there is a correlation between mental illness and cannabis use, but at the same time, the drug is seemingly on the verge of worldwide acceptance for medicinal uses. Users therefore need to know all the facts before using. It’s the responsible thing to do.

This isn’t the first time a warning label has been advocated. Earlier this year, lawmakers in Montana rejected a proposed label for medical marijuana that read: “Warning: In some instances, marijuana may trigger acute psychosis or symptoms of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.” Apparently, conservatives felt that providing such a label would be akin to offering a rubber stamp on what is still viewed by governments and the justice system as an illegal substance.

So with the legality of marijuana still up in the air in many jurisdictions, maybe it should be left to growers and sellers, rather than government officials, to provide a valid warning label. Would this not be a proactive step to at least counter the type of class-action lawsuits that occurred within the tobacco industry? Without a label, are so-called legitimate dealers and growers not leaving open the possibility of legal and financial responsibility somewhere down the road?

And there’s something else to consider. Many people who have had experiences of psychosis or schizophrenia might have been introduced to smoking bud through the widespread promotion and misinformation about marijuana on the Internet. Nowhere on any cannabis-related websites do readers ever encounter an age or health warning. Even Hanoi Jane Fonda used to advise a doctor’s consultation before beginning any program of exercise during those 20-Minute Workout programs so popular in the 80s’. It was a legal buffer that served notice that users should accept responsibility and talk to a doctor before beginning any form of exercise.

Pot is not unlike a form of mental exercise. It’s like training your brain to go on a mental hike-in-the-woods. So why not a warning label to make everyone feel a little bit safer and protect against legal action in the future?

Alcohol and tobacco producers offer similar – but legally required – warnings. What is stopping dope growers and sellers from getting on board before the government forces their hand? Doesn’t a warning label fit inside the tidy concept of harm reduction? Harm reduction also meaning giving addicts the help they need to quit. And don’t fool yourself, everybody knows somebody who is addicted and smokes too much herb. Chronics need this.

Unfortunately for some the marijuana economy is about little more than cold hard cash. Perhaps because of this, and the struggle by advocates to gain legal standing for the bud, many are afraid of uttering the words schizophrenia or psychosis for fear that to do so might make a dent in their considerable profits and/or be counter productive when furthering the political cause.

But think about it next time you smoke up; A warning label could save your life – or that of a loved one.

by A.J. Focht

Man of Steel is set to hit theatres on June 14, 2012, but the studio is already looking forward to the next film. A short list of writers has been drawn up. While some big names have made the list, Man of Steel writer David S. Goyer is not on it, indicating that the next Superman movie will be in fresh hands.

The cast and crew of The Amazing Spider-Man returned to New York to shoot a few additional scenes. Dozens of photos and a movie clip from the shoot have surfaced online. The Amazing Spider-Man is currently set to release in theatres on July 3, 2012.

J.J. Abrams has started location scouting for Star Trek 2. Most recently, he has been checking out Hawaii to serve as a jungle planet. Filming is currently set to start on January 15, 2012 with an expected 2013 release.

Writer of Juno and the upcoming Evil Dead, Diablo Cody, has spoken up about working on the Evil Dead project. She started off hesitant about taking the job until she realized Raimi and Campbell were behind it. Now she assures everyone that it will be scary and true to the original. It’s good to hear that the writer has many of the same concerns as the longtime fans.

In no surprising move, PBS will once again be airing BBC’s Sherlock. The first three mini-movie episodes were critically acclaimed, and brought PBS a ton of ratings. The next three mini-movie episodes will be airing, starting on May 6 at 9 PM.

Possibly the biggest news of the week is that Arrested Development has found a home for its final season. The good news is it won’t be on FOX. The better news? The rights to the show were bought by Netflix, making it the third series to air directly to the streaming service. This means you will need a Netflix account to watch Arrested Development’s last season, but you can always get a month for free.

Is there any idea worse than the Spider-Man musical? What about a Rocky musical? Well it may be happening. Sylvester Stallone is teaming up with world champion boxing brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko to produce Rocky: The Musical. All I can think of is a final seen with an opera singer version of Rocky screaming, ‘ADRIAN!”

Darth Vader has landed and is looking to dock in the Ukrain. A Ukraine citizen showed up to the mayor’s office in full Star War regalia to collect his 1,000 square meters of land that all citizens are granted. He claimed he needed the sea side land to park his space cruiser.

As 2011 starts coming to a close, there are going to be hundreds of ‘Best of 2011’ posts. A few of the geek ones have already started including several from MTV Geek. There are a few you might want to check out: Best Geek Moments of 2011, Best Comic Book Artists of 2011, and finally, the Best Video Games of 2011. This is one of the first best of video game posts, and I’ve calling the top two contenders for the last few weeks.

by Daniel Robert Epstein

When I spoke with Mary Harron last summer, she told me that while she was auditioning women for the role of Bettie, “After Gretchen Mol came in no one else would do.” After years of seeing Mol is supporting roles I wasn’t convinced. Well Mol is amazing in The Notorious Bettie Page. She creates a complex character that actually seems to enjoy posing. She creates the dynamic of a religious woman who does what she does best and that’’s posing in bondage and cheesecake photos.

Read our exclusive interview with Gretchen Mol on SuicideGirls.com.