Wonder Woman (2017)

Ever since they were little, I would remind my kids that Wonder Woman was Greek (every chance I got).  In fact, she was the only member of the "Superfriends" who wasn't American (counting Superman as a naturalized citizen, of course).

Movie poster for "Wonder Woman" (2017)

My cousin Dina was a huge fan of the TV series starring Lynda Carter in the 1970s.  (I remember watching the pilot with my father in our living room at home.)  See also "13 Great Reasons to Watch the 1970s Wonder Woman Show - Ranked".

Finally, I was an avid collector of the 1980s run of DC's "Wonder Woman" by George Perez, which emphasized the Greek roots of the Amazon princess.  That's why I was so excited to see a big-budget Wonder Woman film.

Gal Gadot was a good choice to play Wonder Woman on the big screen (her pronunciation in the one Greek line was spot-on, by the way), and setting the action during WWII, as in the original season of the Wonder Woman TV series, was perfect.

However, the scene which really caused me to jump out of my seat?  When Steve Trevor says "British tea for the Germans, German beer for the British, and Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels for both" of course!  (You can check it out, here.)

Wonder Woman was originally created by psychologist William Moulton Marston.  I found the documentary "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women" (which I caught on a flight, pre-Covid) to be interesting, although somewhat disturbing.

Troy (2004)

I brought a copy of Homer's "Iliad" with me on a trip to Turkey back in 1996, reading along as I traveled from Istanbul to the ruins of ancient Troy, near the port city of Çanakkale, before making my way down to Bodrum (where I caught a ferry to Greece).

Movie poster for "Troy" (2004)

For years, I would return to the Iliad every June, whether through historical fiction ("The Firebrand" by Marion Zimmer Bradley"), graphic novels ("Age of Bronze" by Eric Shanower), or literary non-fiction ("The War that Killed Achilles" by Caroline Alexander).

My wife and I took my mother to see "Troy" at the Cineplex Cinemas on the Queensway in Etobicoke, shortly after it was released.  (My wife was pregnant with our son, so it was kind of like his first movie, also).

I really enjoyed the film, and was annoyed by those who complained that it wasn't the Iliad.  After all, the name of the movie is "Troy" not "The Iliad".  The idea was to depict an imagined history that might have served as the basis for the epic poem.

Brad Pitt was perfect as Achilles (he attended the screening at Cannes with Jennifer Aniston), and there were so many memorable scenes (most notably the pivotal exchange between King Priam and Achilles, in which Priam begs for the body of his son).

Years later, I ordered the Director's Cut from Amazon.  I liked both versions of the film, but then, I love anything dealing with Greek mythology.  The Homeric epics in particular are timeless, and will resonate through the ages.

Clash of the Titans (1981)

I was weaned on tales of Greek mythology from a very early age.  I repeatedly borrowed D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths from the school library.  It was part of my Greek heritage, after all, and they were wonderful stories, besides.

Movie poster for "Clash of the Titans" (1981)

My mother took my siblings and me to see "Clash of the Titans" the summer it came out.  We were enchanted.  Although not as slick as "Star Wars", Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion special effects were charming.

I remember the Post Cereal promotion, with stickers featuring characters from the film.  You could even order a poster to stick them on.  I think we got the stickers for Ammon and Bubo, but never ordered the poster.

A few years ago, I rented "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" (1972), a film about the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and was pleasantly surprised to see Judi Bowker in it, the actress who played Andromeda in "Clash of the Titans".

Of course, I caught the 2010 remake, although only on itunes.  It was ok, but the original retains more appeal.  I liked the fact that we got a sequel, "Wrath of the Titans", but the planned third film was canned.

When Laurence Olivier uttered his famous line to "Release the Kraken!", I never thought I'd see the day the phrase would gain notoriety as a mantra for unhinged conspiracy theorists.  Life can be strange.