A Casual Source for Film News & Lore

On Inspiration

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:57:55 -0400

We encounter very few people in our lives that have the ability to trigger true inspiration in us....

I think it goes without saying that this is one not to be...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:05:00 -0500

I think it goes without saying that this is one not to be missed.

Now that’s what I’m talking about. As one of the...

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:48:27 -0500

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

As one of the few people I know who still cherishes Superman over Batman in the DC universe, I’ve had a hard time of late conveying my reasoning to hordes of recent fans who judge all super heroes on the Nolan-Batman scale. Sure, the older Superman movies and even Superman Returns lacked the gritty hardness of the Batman reboots, but that’s because Superman was never a particularly dark character. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Dark Knight movies and the fresh direction in which Nolan took the character, but it is ultimately a direction best used for Batman. Batman covers his face, comes out at night, and fights from the shadows. Supes doesn’t wear a mask (although he rocks a curl), has no qualms about showing up during the lunch hour, and generally faces his opponent down (yes, I know Batman’s lack of invincibility makes this impractical).

Yes, Zack Snyder’s take on the character is darker, but not so much on the grit level as the emotional. That’s the main misconception of the Dark Knight. People see those films and think, “wow, that was gritty, I loved it.” But what they don’t realize is what they loved was the way Nolan took an absurd premise with a larger than life character and framed it within a real emotional context. Everyone can relate to grief and anger, and when that’s used as a tool for the formation of one of their favorite heroes, it hits home. Suddenly, the man dressed as a Bat is relatable on a previously unheard of level. The grittiness of the films stems from that continued realism.

With Superman it gets more complicated. He isn’t a man dressed up in a suit, he’s an alien in a suit dressed up as a man. Kal-El is essentially a god amongst men. He can fly, shoot lasers, see through walls, is invincible, the list goes on. How in the hell do you make that relatable? From the look of the trailer, and from what I’ve read about the story so far, Snyder and David S. Goyer nailed it on the head. Clark grows up different from everyone he knows. Yes, his abilities and true parentage may be a secret to everyone else, but he sure as hell knows he’s an outsider. Now who here has ever felt, at some point during their lives, that they were an outcast, or were too different to be a part of society? Exactly. There you have, despite the fact he’s an alien, a very relatable emotional hook for Clark’s character. Clark’s navigation of these emotions and his eventual evolution into Superman form the centerpiece of the new film. Sure it doesn’t look as dark and gloomy or as gritty as the Dark Knight films were, but that’s just not who Superman is. Frankly, I think the movie looks awesome. From this first look it’s exactly what I’d hope for from a new Superman movie. All the pieces are there, even Perry White running from some destruction!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch the trailer again.

This actually took me a few minutes.

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:55:49 -0400

This actually took me a few minutes.

Oh. And this.

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:53:07 -0400

Oh. And this.

My summer thus far. It’s not like I have anything better...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:44:01 -0400

My summer thus far. It’s not like I have anything better to spend my time and money on…

I. Cannot. Wait.

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:17:03 -0400

I. Cannot. Wait.

Yet more Oscar fodder in the form of Glenn Close playing a woman...

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:00:24 -0400

Yet more Oscar fodder in the form of Glenn Close playing a woman playing a man in Albert Nobbs. Initially I wasn’t too excited for this but the trailer gives a nice taste of what is surely Close’s career defining performance. Check it out and tell me what you think.

First trailer I’ve seen for My Week With Marilyn. Despite...

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:25:06 -0400

First trailer I’ve seen for My Week With Marilyn. Despite my original doubts I really enjoyed what I saw. Michelle Williams looks like she can pull it off and I appreciate that a relatively unknown actor is cast as the male lead. A risky decision for drawing in American audiences, although that can be achieved easily enough by Williams and the supporting cast which includes some classic names and a few up and comers, including Emma Watson in her first post Potter role.

I’m willing to bet there could be some Oscar fodder here, especially in Williams.

The first official trailer from Clint Eastwood’s long...

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:37:01 -0400

The first official trailer from Clint Eastwood’s long anticipated J. Edgar. From what it shown, it looks like Eastwood will, as usual, deliver the goods.

And LOL at Leo’s voice. I always enjoy the “accents” and “dialects” he picks up for parts. I hope this movie wont make me laugh as hard as Shutter Island and The Departed did.

Another great Muppets trailer parody. Cannot wait for this...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:53:00 -0400

Another great Muppets trailer parody. Cannot wait for this movie.

Let’s face it, when Warner Brothers announced in the early...

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 12:19:00 -0400

Let’s face it, when Warner Brothers announced in the early spring that Zack Snyder (fresh off the crash and burn failure of Sucker Punch) would be directing the new Superman movie Man of Steel, none of us were quite as comfortable with the decision as we would have been before seeing Sucker Punch. I personally love Superman. I think he is one of those cultural symbols rooted so deeply into us that we will always be adapting and updating him. Therefore it was inevitable that we’d be seeing him again on the big screen only seven years after his last foray with Lex Luther.

Penned by the Batman Begins scribe, David S. Goyer, Man of Steel promises to be something we haven’t seen before. Personally I’m hoping for some sort of Nolan treatment of Superman but with Snyder’s sense of style and atmosphere that made Watchmen so interesting to watch. It’ll be nice to see Snyder back in his comfort zone of remakes and adaptations.

The photo above is a first look at Brit, Henry Cavill in the blue and red tights. Though you might notice that the tights now have a more modern sheen to them. Could Superman be sporting a new material? I wouldn’t be opposed to that. Just don’t go the Green Lantern route and try to CGI a suit on.

I like the suit and I think Cavill has the brawn and the charm for the Man of Steel. The question is whether or not he can pull off the clumsy Clark Kent as well.

What do you think of this Man of Steel?

Empire Big Screen '11

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 11:40:11 -0400

I’ve been seeing lots of reports from Empire Big Screen ‘11 this weekend and I’ve...

LATE SUMMER!

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:59:59 -0400

I saw something on the coverage of Doctor Who at Comic Con that says the show will be back in Late...

Gotta love The Muppets.

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:18:20 -0400

Gotta love The Muppets.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no. The trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man...

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:03:19 -0400

Oh no. Oh no no no no no.

The trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man has hit the interweb… Well all I can say is that the title is definitely an overstatement. If you aren’t convinced by the first half of the trailer, check out how poor the second half is. I want to complain about the special effects of that sequence, but I know I would get people saying that it’s still a year from release.* Well my response to that is why show the sequence in the trailer if the CGI isn’t finished?

I think Andrew Garfield is a great up and coming actor, he was spectacular in Never Let Me Go, but he just doesn’t give me that Peter Parker vibe. He doesn’t look like a real life Peter Parker, he looks like the Peter Parker you’d see in some short lived semi CGI version of Spider-Man… Oh wait…

All I can say is that the trailer failed to impress. With Comic Con coming up, Marc Webb has a lot of wowing to do if he plans on outshining Sam Raimi’s movies. I imagine he’ll take his CC feedback and use it over the next eleven months to shape the movie into something we haven’t seen before. He better, cuz at this point I don’t think I care to see another radioactive spider bite Peter Parker.

P.S. Word on the street is that the movie is in 3D… Necessary? Yes or no, tell me what you think.*

*I act like I’m addressing a large group of people as if I have more than nine followers… Makes me feel more important when writing…

The Top 10 Scarriest Things About The Shining

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:19:48 -0400

This past weekend I saw The Shining for the first time. I mostly enjoyed it though didn’t find...

Scenes like this are the reason I’d like to write for...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:43:05 -0400

Scenes like this are the reason I’d like to write for Doctor Who someday…

Top Movies By Attendance

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:46:46 -0400

Top Movies By Attendance: In an ideal world where Hollywood isn’t all about commercial success...

Happy Fourth of July!

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:10:21 -0400

Happy Independence Day to everyone out there! If you get the chance, sit down and watch a Fourth of...