Man of Steel Take 2

Year: 2013
Directed By: Zack Snyder
Written By: David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan

RYAN’S REVIEW

If you would like to read my initial reaction to the film check this out.

Watching this movie for a second time I relived all the same feelings I wrote about in the post linked above.  I felt to a great extent that the film was even better a second time around.  I think the casting was great, Zack Synder did his greatest job ever in the director’s chair, and the story put together by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan was excellent.  I specifically like that they went against the grain with this Superman movie.  Until the very final moments there is no Clark Kent, and instead we get a much broader look at Superman’s actual origins and his home planet of Krypton.

I am not and never have been a fan of Superman.  I think his seemingly omnipotent power is too much for any superhero and I just don’t think there is much excitement to a character that can’t be beaten.  Yeah there is always Kryptonite to weaken him and make him vulnerable but I just think that is lame.  The planet was destroyed and with a character that has been around for nearly a hundred years you would think any Kryptonite resources on the planet would have long since been exhausted. The only time I have ever been a fan of Superman in comics is in The Dark Knight Strikes Again when an aged Batman beats the shit out of him.  With the assistance of Kryptonite, go figure.  Yet despite the fact that I am not a fan of the character I still think this was an awesome movie and I think that says a lot about how good it actually is.

Speaking about The Dark Knight Strikes Again I think that it’s significant because to the best of my knowledge it is a main source of inspiration with this franchise going forward.  When they announced that the follow up would be Batman vs. Superman they actually quoted a line from the epic fight in that comic to precede the announcement.

As to the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman I will let you read my initial reaction to that.  You can read that post here. I was not and am not happy with that casting but now that I have had time to mull it over I’m willing to wait and see how it turns out.  I wouldn’t say I’m optimistic about it but I will at least say my pessimism has subsided a bit.  It has subsided some when it comes to Affleck donning the cape and cowl but my fears for the sequel go far beyond simply that casting choice.  I think one of the biggest reasons that this movie was great was the involvement of Christopher Nolan, and he is not hanging around for the sequel.  In his absence I have a lot less faith in what the ultimate product will be and I kind of think they are getting carried away with the whole thing.

The film has already been pushed back a year and I think that is just the beginning of these guys realizing they have put too much on their plate.  Gal Gadot has been cast as Wonder Woman who we will definitely see in the film but there have been rumors of a number of DC comic characters popping up in the film.  Of course nothing is written in stone right now and there is no telling what they have in store but it seems to be shaping up to be a tall order.  Batman vs. Superman alone should be plenty to work with and build a story that will blow us away.  Adding in other characters, even if it is only Wonder Woman, seems like overkill and a rush to get a Justice League going.  I think that would be a mistake.  They are obviously looking for something that will rival The Avengers but Marvel did everything differently.  Marvel was patient with the process, making a number of films that all built up to this bigger one that blew us all away.

The epic scale they started off with in this Superman movie will call for something larger in the sequel because they destroyed so much of Metropolis. I will hold out hope that they do something that blows us all away but I have plenty of doubts.  I’ll list some of the rumors that I have read:

-Batman’s suit will be completely different than anything we have seen on screen to date, it is being hailed as awesome by those who have seen it (Ben Affleck’s best friend, comic fanatic Kevin Smith, and his wife Jennifer Garner. Could be biased opinions so take them as you will). I am anticipating a classic batsuit featuring the blue and gray of the old days.  Just a guess but that seems to be what a lot of people are thinking it will be.

–Joaquin Phoenix has been in talks to play a role in the movie, it has been rumored that he is up for Lex Luthor. I am a huge fan of Phoenix, as an actor not the crazy guy in real life. If he is cast in the movie it will go a long way in rebuilding my optimism.

–Bryan Cranston has denied rumors that he will play Lex Luthor in the film.  I think most of that talk simply came from his hype during the final days of Breaking Bad, and because the guy looks really badass with a bald head and has proved he can play a great villain.

–Jason Mamoa has been rumored to be in talks and people have suggested he would play Martian Manhunter, and possibly Doomsday if I remember correctly.

–Denzel Washington has been rumored to be considered for the Green Lantern.  I don’t remember where that rumor came from but it should only be treated as such.  There are so many reasons that would be a mistake considering Washington’s age and the fact that they have already made a Green Lantern film with Ryan Reynolds in the role, although if they scrap that incarnation I don’t think many will be surprised.

Most of this means nothing right now because rumors are nothing to take seriously at this stage of production.  Based on what we do know for certain I do not have the most confidence in the highly anticipated sequel.  Nevertheless they definitely hit a home run with this one. Whether the next movie is everything anybody could hope for it to be or it crashes and burns it will still take nothing away from this movie.  This was an awesome movie and dare I say the best Superman movie to date.  We will eventually get to the Christopher Reeve/Richard Donner Superman film and we will discuss it then.  That movie was great and stands on its own but it should never stand next to this one because it will get lost in the shadows.

2/1/14 UPDATE: I wrote all of this before the news dropped yesterday that Jesse Eisenberg and Jeremy Irons had been cast in the movie as Lex Luthor and Alfred Pennyworth.  I am more disheartened by this news than I was at the news that Ben Affleck was playing Batman.  I like Jeremy Irons but have a hard time seeing him fill the shoes of Michael Caine.  Irons is just such a great person to cast as a villain because he can be so sinister.  I can’t see him as Alfred but can at least be optimistic about that casting.  When it comes to Jesse Eisenberg I am just lost in the dark trying to figure out what they were thinking.  Jesse freaking Eisenberg!!! Are you kidding me??? I’ve liked him before, I thought he was good as that wimpy guy in Zombieland and he did a great job playing a douche bag in Social Network. Yet I couldn’t even sit through Now You See Me specifically because he was trying to play an adult. I also had a hard time watching Rio with my daughters because I find his voice so annoying. This is the guy they chose to take on the role of Superman’s greatest nemesis? I don’t understand and I don’t know what to think.  I have seen that people aren’t reacting to it well and I guess I will just let the voice of the internet cry out in disgust in lieu of going any farther with my own feelings.  This movie really needs to be something incredible for it to be successful and in this stage of production it looks like it’s shaping up to be a train wreck.

AMBER’S REVIEW

Let’s check out this Superman logo through the years. Shall we?

This one is just a quick shot at looking at the changes over the years. If you search around the internet you can find a ton more infographics on the subject. I just liked this one because it was short and concise and designed nicely. For me the biggest jump was from ’41 to ’48. In the 1941 version the S looks simply placed into a diamond shape. That’s literally all there is to it. Someone decided to make it better by actually fitting the S within the shape making it more of a superhero-like look. From there it only ever got very subtle changes, which is important. They had to keep it the same while changing just very subtle and minor details. The 2006 version is my least favorite. I don’t think it needed the dimension the designer gave it. For me, 2013 is a great logo. It holds together all the things that are important to the Superman logo, while updating it for today’s audience. It’s clean and easily recognizable. The S shape fits in better than ever. Also the yellow is subdued. No more 100 percent yellow color! I like that a lot better because the new one was a lot more serious than say the Adam West versions of Batman. That’s where I would expect to see the bright yellow color. It’s amazing to me that this logo has been around so long, and truly has only gone very simple changes. When something isn’t broken, don’t go trying to fix it.

NEXT MOVIE: The Man with Two Brains (1983)

Blade

Year: 1998
Directed By: Stephen Norrington
Written By: David S. Goyer

RYAN’S REVIEW

This movie was made early during a popular trend in good action movies of the time.  Martial Arts, techno music, and stylish black clothing.  It’s a formula that I enjoy greatly and still do, it worked for The Matrix very well but even before then it was done here, with Blade. This movie was also made before vampires became so mainstream, before Twilight and True Blood. I think we are all a little sick of vampires these days and for good reason but they have long since had a place in our culture.  Movies like Interview With A Vampire, The Lost Boys, and this film’ just to name a few really good ones. There will never be any shortage of vampire films coming out of Hollywood.

Blade was also ahead of the game when it came to comic book films.  Blade is a character in the Marvel universe and this came out years before both Spiderman and X-Men. This movie was made in 1998, shortly after Batman & Robin had tanked the Batman franchise, it wasn’t really a good time for the genre.  This movie proved how cool comic book films could be, and while it wasn’t a financial success at first it slowly became a cult hit as time went on.

David S. Goyer wrote the script for this film so of course it is awesome, one of his many good films as far as I am concerned.  Wesley Snipes was also very enthusiastic about the part and you can see that by his portrayal of the lead character. Wesley Snipes is an utter badass in this movie, slicing and dicing with his ninja sword and drop kicking the shit out of vampires and cops alike.  Stephen Dorff is a vile and sinister foe bent on conquering the human race.  It’s one of his better performances, there was talk briefly of a Deacon Frost spin-off but it never materialized. Kris Kristofferson plays a gruff and tough side kick of sorts to Blade. The only problem I have with this movie is how forced the semi-love story is.  N’Bushe Wright is not bad at all in the movie but her relationship with Blade seems out-of-place and she has no chemistry with Snipes.

This movie is dark and cool, full of fighting, hot women, and violence. This is a rare R rated comic book film and that sets it apart from the others.  It’s more dangerous and more fun.  While I didn’t really dislike either of the sequels to this film I definitely didn’t like them.  Something wasn’t right about them, this film was better made, or maybe the other two were just too different from the one I loved.  This is a great movie and definitely worth your time.

AMBER’S REVIEW

Blade. I have seen this movie so many times because Ryan loves it so much. I can never remember that much about it except that Wesley Snipes is in it, he is half vampire and half human, and it was playing one night in high school when I visited Ryan for the first time. I don’t really like this movie, but it is more personal than anything. I know that people love it and it has become a cult classic for people. They don’t make three of them for no reason if nobody likes them. While I appreciate its value, this movie just wasn’t and isn’t my “cup of tea.”

NEXT MOVIE: Blade Runner (1982)

The Dark Knight

Year: 2008
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Written By: David S. Goyer, Jonathon Nolan, and Christopher Nolan

RYAN’S REVIEW

A good sequel should be a bigger and better version of the original.  One would think that Batman Begins would present a challenge because it was such a great film in its own right.  It seems small in hindsight now, and that’s why The Dark Knight is so great.  It’s so overwhelmingly awesome that you forget how great the first film was.  Christopher Nolan has been on fire and this movie was just another great movie he’s made along the way.  Every movie he has made has been incredible, the only reason this movie was so much more successful was because people love Batman, just as people love Spiderman.  The reboot of Spiderman will probably make just as much money as the original trilogy when it is all said and done.

I remember when I heard Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker I could not believe it.  I had been hoping for Paul Bettany who had been rumored for the role and had just played a great villain in The Da Vinci Code.  Brokeback Mountain dominated jokes and cultural references around the time of the announcement so the choice wasn’t well received all around.  Then his death came out of no where only months before release, it was so sudden, it was almost too hard to believe it was true.  Then his performance hit the theater screens and he went from the Brokeback Mountain guy to a legend, a martyr for the movie industry just as James Dean was.  He received a post-mortem Academy Award that was well deserved but he probably never would have received had he lived. Heath Ledger was one of the greatest bad guys of all time, he actually scared me with his portrayal of the Joker, it was the master stroke of his career.  His death is unfortunate for many reasons but especially for this franchise because Nolan could have made this movie another 10 times with Ledger and Bale again and again and it would have continued to be incredible.

Ledger was so good in this movie that his performance tends to make you forget how good everyone else was. Bale is great again as Bruce Wayne and Batman, his Batman voice was again criticized. Maggie Gyllenhaal filled in nicely for Katie Holmes who turned down more money to reprise the role. Aaron Eckhart was great as Harvey Dent and then later as Two-Face. Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman all return to their respective roles. It is easy for actors to shine when they are part of something so great.  The Dark Knight is such an all around good film, and as always it starts with a great story.  The Nolans and Goyer came up with a great idea and they packed it full of action from beginning to end.  Nolan has a great talent for making something look and feel R-rated without it being so.  His movies have little profanity and little graphic violence. The consequences in all are great and the violence is there but it isn’t graphic.  No doubt that is a skill Warner Brothers has noticed and will continue taking advantage of for as long as possible.

You don’t need me to tell you that this movie was great, no doubt you have already heard that from others.  If you haven’t seen it you should see this and its predecessor.  They are both great films and I look forward to the closing of the trilogy.  The early teaser for next summer’s finale is short but offers a lot to look forward to.  Bane is the villain seen in the trailer, played by Tom Hardy.  The third installment will also feature Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard in roles that are probably misinformation.  Most likely they are playing the son and daughter of the villains in the first film, Carmine Falcone and Rhas Al Ghul. No matter who they are I have no doubt that Nolan will impress us again with his third Batman film. Liam Neeson is rumored to have a cameo return to the franchise which should make my wife happy.  Either way Rhas Al Ghul will return, Josh Pence has been cast as a younger version of the character, giving merit to the notion that Marion Cotillard is actually playing Talia Al Ghul. I have added the teaser trailer to this post following Amber’s review, if you haven’t seen it yet then definitely check it out.  The Dark Knight Rises will be awesome.

AMBER’S REVIEW

I LOVE this movie. This was a no questions asked, we are going to the theater on opening day to see this movie. The hype was already crazy for the movie because of the death of Heath Ledger. What a sad story. If he could have only seen what an amazing job he did all put together. He was one of the scariest bad guys of all times, hands down. If you didn’t know who he was before the film, I very much doubt you could have guessed it was him during the movie. This role, in my opinion, was his greatest. It was intense and thorough and he played the role with such precision.

The story line is very strong and leaves you wanting more in the end. The makeup was out of control amazing, especially for two-face. I know they probably used some computer animation for that, but still I thought it was believable and by far the craziest two-face I have ever seen.

My one and only problem for this entire film is the Batman voice that Christian Bale uses. I am not picking on him, it is true that I am not his biggest fan, but c’mon…that Batman voice was WAY to over the top, I really hope that he tones it down for the next one.This movie is worth watching over and over, and you can bet your bottom dollar we will be in line opening night for the next installment. I am becoming a Christopher Nolan believer.

NEXT MOVIE: Beetle Juice (1988)

Batman Begins

Year: 2005
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Written By: David S. Goyer, Jonathon Nolan, and Christopher Nolan

RYAN’S REVIEW

This movie caught us all by surprise, I don’t think anybody was expecting much from another Batman film, and the franchise reboot was a new and unfamiliar idea in 2005.  I had never even heard of Christopher Nolan.  I was aware of Memento and had heard good things, but I had not actually seen it.  I knew of Christian Bale but he was by no means an A-list actor and not very well-known at the time, most of his movies didn’t have wide theatrical releases. These films are good but little known, films like Equilibrium, American Psycho, and The Machinist.  The Machinist wasn’t great or anything but to see what Bale put himself through is really amazing.  Nolan and Bale both became house hold names with this movie and that notoriety was well deserved.  They took a franchise that was in the dump and turned it into one of the highest grossing franchises of all time, one that will rival Spiderman in the end, if not completely surpass it.

I followed this film very little during its production because I was so disappointed with the last Batman movie, Batman & Robin.  I did not think the franchise could come back from that and not knowing the two biggest names in this movie I assumed that it wouldn’t be very good.  I was happily proven wrong though.  Amber and I were at Myrtle Beach and went to the theater to see it on a whim.  I was blown away, I usually know so much about a film already before I go in I have certain expectations that are usually right on target. This movie caught me off guard, but this is the kind of surprise that I can appreciate. This movie is easily one of the best comic book films ever, and a movie that will always be remembered.

Christopher Nolan is one of the most exciting directors out there right now, I think he is the most exciting one actually.  There are many great directors out there making great movies, but Nolan is different.  At the center of all his films is a great and interesting story and his Batman is no different. David S. Goyer, who has been involved with several great comic book films wrote the script along with Nolan and his brother. Batman Begins is very well written and the performances are fantastic. Nolan always has many great actors on hand and he makes good use of him.  I am a big fan of Ken Wantanabe, who Nolan has used more than once, he has a small but excellent part in the movie.  Michael Caine is a Nolan regular, he makes a fantastic Alfred. Katie Holmes is the ever necessary hot chick.  Her part was actually originally written to be Harvey Dent, but they needed a female lead so they made subtle changes to the script and changed the name to Rachel Dawes.  Cillian Murphy, another Nolan regular is great as Scarecrow.  Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Tom Wilkinson, and Rutger Hauer are all great.  My wife would be mad at me if I didn’t make a special point to mention Liam Neeson, he is her favorite actor of all time, she is in love with him.  Finally, Christian Bale as Batman.  Some people criticize his voice as Batman but I think it was necessary for the role.  Bale is great as Bruce Wayne, looking every bit the part and owning it.  He is good as Batman too but he does lack an upper lip, making him look a little funny when he gets close-ups.

I am always running into people who tell me they have never seen this movie, less these days but it still happens regularly.  I am shocked by that, especially since everyone has seen The Dark Knight.  If you haven’t seen this movie then you are in luck, because you have something great and exciting to look forward to.  This movie is more than worth your time.

AMBER’S REVIEW

I am not one for watching movies on vacation, but Ryan talked me into seeing this with him on our very first beach trip together. It was totally worth it. I thoroughly enjoy this film. I love the plot line and how we learn about how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. It holds my attention throughout. Ryan and I have this inside joke that he tells everyone that I am completely in love with Liam Neeson. I think it stems from Love Actually, because I love the character he played in that film, but now it is an everlasting joke at me that I am in love with him. It kills me, but he finds it funny and continually finds ways to tell everyone, including you all. In any case, I think he plays a great character, and with every good movie there is a twist at the end. So this one is a definite must see.