Man of Steel (2013) Review

Rebooting a film franchise is always divisive, however this bold reinterpretation of Superman’s origin may qualify as one of the most controversial in cinema history. Big, brashly violent, and unabashedly emotional this is definitely not the Christopher Reeve’s superhero that so many have fond memories of. Instead it is a science fiction story about what it would be like to be a perpetual stranger in a strange land while trying to find your own unique identity.

See the title above? You won’t see that until the movie ends. Nothing is allowed to get in the way of this freight train of a story that hurtles through the two and half hours the movie runs. Contained within is a densely packed journey of discovery alternating with loss combined with all the repercussions of finding out alien life exists and may not be friendly.

Don’t expect much comic relief in this very serious take on the first comic book superhero. It stands in stark contrast to the relatively cheery 1970’s Superman film series.

Like Richard Donner’s classic from 1978, the movie begins on the dying world of Krypton somewhere far off in space. Hans Zimmer’s masterful soundtrack thrums away before giving way to a heartbeat of a baby being born. Amidst the decay of a spent people, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife Lara (Ayelet Zurer) have done something not allowed in hundreds of years: they have had a baby by natural childbirth rather than artificial engineering.

Man of Steel Sequel Announced

Starring Batman!

No, I’m not joking. Superman/Batman is going to be made with the cast from Man of Steel returning and a Batman yet to be cast. Filming is set to begin next year and the movie released in 2015.

From the hint given, it sounds like the hero with two fathers will be facing off against the hero with no father. Plenty of inherent drama in that alone, but it will be their conflicting approaches to crime fighting that will drive the movie, I suspect.

I know the actor who should play Batman, but we’ll see how casting actually goes. After watching Man of Steel, I wondered how they could possibly top the events in that for a sequel. Well, this could do it.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Review

The epic conclusion to the brilliant re-envisioning of Batman by Christopher Nolan delivers in terms of scale, story, and action. Heroics, fights, and explosions abound as befits a summer blockbuster, yet social and political commentary add great depth to the proceedings. Ultimately, it is a more emotional film than expected that succeeds in a way no other adaptation of the property has – making you care about Bruce Wayne, the man.

The problem with trilogies is the high expectations placed on the finale by both fans and movie makers. Somehow the conclusion to a series must simultaneously be bigger than the preceding films while delivering a satisfying ending for the characters. Bigger can be done, since all you need is a larger budget to accomplish that task. Satisfying is an altogether different beast that often remains elusive especially due to the ugly fact that you can’t please everyone. Nolan’s task was huge, if not extremely daunting. WARNING: Contains spoilers for the previous movies.

One of the director’s idiosyncrasies has been starting a movie without the title appearing. Once again the closest thing is the formation of the iconic Batman symbol. In the first two films, a swirling cloud of bats and then flames were used. Rather ominously, cracks appearing in ice briefly form the symbol before cracking further. It’s a wonderful metaphorical device that foreshadows the essence of the story, much like the earlier films.

The Dark Knight (2008) Review

After successfully rebooting Batman with a serious origin in Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan had high expectations to meet with both critics and movie goers. Determined to go “bigger” in every way often  and by unleashing an unforgettable version of the Joker, Nolan created a masterpiece. Brilliant, beautiful, thrilling, and contemplative, The Dark Knight is film making at its best. It is also a twisted bromance for the ages.

A sequel to a popular film is a very tricky thing to make for recapturing lightning in a bottle is rare. When successful, it can result in a superior film under the right hands. The Dark Knight is not that. Instead it transcends its predecessor to become a work of art that stands on its own. What is even more amazing is that it became a box office record breaker, which is unusual for such an intellectual film which also turned out to be surprising commentary on the War on Terror.

Let us dig into the film and see how he did it.

The Dark Knight Rises Theater Review

Despite the horrific events in the early morning, I decided to go see the movie to spite the shooter’s desire to instill fear in people. I also did it so I could be a proxy for the people who waited with such fervent desire to see the film, but were permanently denied the chance to. So I dedicate this review to the victims in Aurora.

Super hero film series have a bad tendency to go south in the third installment for some strange reason. Batman Forever, Spider-Man 3, and X-3 all were terrible disappointments. So the question of whether Christopher Nolan could deliver was very valid to ask.

The good news is he delivered a worthy conclusion to the trilogy that is at once familiar, yet very different than the previous movies. Duality has been a theme throughout, so that is fitting. The Dark Knight Rises is a more emotion driven piece that explores how people handle things in a worst case scenario. While neither Batman Begins or The Dark Knight were cheerful, this is a story about losing hope and trying to find it again in an utterly grim setting.

14 Dead and 50 Wounded at The Dark Knight Rises Premiere

Having trouble sleeping thanks to a mouse running around (since dispatched), I got online to find out that a midnight showing in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, Colorado was attacked by a gunman wearing body armor and a gas mask. Just watched an interview here with a survivor who had friends in the specific theater and it sounds like the shooter used an AR-15 and at least one tear gas grenade. Also, the killer waited in the parking lot for the police to arrive and is in custody.

Speculation is rampant, but there is no given reason for the shooting yet. It could be terrorism, but it probably is a nutcase again. Since the theme of the movie is terrorism, it no surprise that people are thinking that. One thing is for sure, he wanted to be caught and get attention.

Hearsay is that a baby was shot and children are among the victims, including a little girl seen with bullet holes in her back.

It is horrific and sure to generate a lot of political blame all over the place, but I wish people would just leave that alone until we get the motives of the shooter.

Another local talked on camera that the theater was not considered one of the safest in the area and usually had three police officers in the lobby. With so many people dressing in costumes for the movie, how would anyone tell the threat was real at first?

It is the typical confusion and it will be awhile before a true picture emerges.

The irony of the movie being about a society disintegrating into violence and terrorism is profound, not to mention depressing. My fear is that we will see a lot more of this kind of thing once the economy collapses completely.

My prayers go out to the victims, their families, and their friends.

UPDATE

Things are still murky, but at least the death toll has been reduced to twelve. The baby has been verified as being three months old and being treated at a hospital and so is a six year old girl.

People commenting online are angering me greatly from both the left and the right. It may be my lack of sleep, but I wish I could slap them silly. Attempts to make it a racial or religious issue irks me no end. The area is mixed and so was the audience.

Name of suspect is James Holmes, 24, with only a traffic ticket for a record in Aurora.

UPDATE

The baby was uninjured, the parents were concerned and wanted the child checked out. Tear gas is confirmed and that was smart of them to do.

Supposedly the gunman entered the theater by kicking down an exit door by the screen during an on screen gun fight.

Mitt Romney is being dinged by idiots for saying 15 killed, for awhile the live coverage said that an additional person had died at a hospital raising it to that number. I know that because I was watching it and that tells me Mr. Romney was too. Non issue folks.

Likewise, the proximity of a large Muslim community to Aurora has nothing to do with what happened. It is like people want this to be worse than it already is so they can grind axes. Sigh.

UPDATE

Imagine surviving a crazed gunman on the rampage only to be killed by another six weeks later. This may turn out to be one of the most tragic stories out of the shootings. It is made even more poignant by her last tweet waiting for the movie to start.

Meanwhile, the media has decided to try to pin the killings on Rush Limbaugh and the Tea Party movement both. And they wonder why they only have a 26% approval rating with the American public.

Then there is one of Howard Stern's pranksters calling in and posing as cop with a local TV station. What slime.

After those last two items, I do not feel very motivated to keep up with the news.

Batman Begins (2005) Review

Bringing indy film style directing to an iconic comic book character, Batman Begins resets the story from the beginning (shocking, I know) and shows how Bruce Wayne became Batman.  But is it more than just another comic book movie adaptation? More importantly, is it more than yet another Batman film?

After the 1990s Batman films devolved from a gothic take on the caped vigilante into a horrible camp fest, there was barely a sliver of hope that a serious version would be attempted again. Taking a calculated risk, Warner Brothers hired Christopher Nolan to write and direct a reboot figuring a back to basics approach could save the franchise.

Known for edgy and complicated films featuring plots bouncing back and forth in settings and time, Nolan was not a big budget director of summer blockbusters. Fortunately for all involved, he had a passion for making the movie – one that was infectious. Make no mistake about it, Batman Begins is a Christopher Nolan film first and foremost – and that is a very good thing.