Man of Steel 2013 review B-

Superman has always been a difficult comic book character to write for because he is impervious to everything.  To hurt Kal-El (Superman's kryptonian name) you needed a plot device like Kryptonite a rock that could kill him or a threat to someone he loves to heighten the drama.  When I first heard Zach Snider was directing the next cinematic outing for Kal-El I was ecstatic I suffered through allot of lackluster films. 

Snider is a director who seemingly came from nowhere. His wife is a famous producer which helps in the business but he really is a good director.   He takes on risky projects and makes them incredibly entertaining and profitable at the box office.  This is the director of Watchmen a graphic novel adaptation and 300 another graphic novel written by Frank Miller.   He doesn't necessarily have a visual style but all of his films feature some type of action element with an incredible amount of computer graphics.  

So his role as director of Man of Steel had me pumped and reminiscing on the previous films.  Anyone remember Superman 3 co-starring Richard Pryor where we literally see a drunken superman?  Followed up by that god-awful Supergirl movie and my least favorite Quest for Peace with Nuclear Man.  Superman Returns directed by Bryan Singer was a missed opportunity to take the story in new direction.  Instead what we got was a continuation of the Donnor films with a hint of dead beat father thrown into the mix. 

In Man of Steel we get an origin story focusing on Clark Kent learning who he really is and where he came from.  He learns to accept his role as the symbol for hope.  Its interesting that he doesn't actually call himself Superman in the movie.  I loved this because what we get is more like a Superman Begins movie.  The script was penned by Michigan native David Goyer who gives us a story that explores the pivotal moment where Clark Kent accepts his unique abilities and assumes his role as protector of humanity.

Krypton plays a significant role in Man of Steel, heavily inspired by the matrix.  Apparently on this world people are bio engineered to fulfil a specific societal need.  Kal-El's birth is significant because he was naturally conceived and given the choice to grow up and be who he wants to be.   The enivitable destruction of Krypton is realized through cutting edge computer graphics however the movie ventures into sensory overload because most of the violence has little consequence. 

I have a problem with endless punching between two super powered beings with no indication of fatigue.  The antagonist Zod is a good villain but I would have preferred someone who hasn't been in a Superman movie before… Lobo… Darkseid maybe?  This movie grade is a solid B- because the final battle reminded me of that battle from Matrix revolutions which was way too long.  And I did not like Superman’s lack of concern for human life.  Why didn’t he take the battle to the moon away from populated cities? 

 It is good to see the S on the big screen again but I think they should find a way to show us Superman’s physical limitations to make the conflict mean something.

Beware the IMAX rip off.

How do you know if your being ripped off?

IMAX movies are an incredibly immersive experience. Theaters across the nation have adopted the IMAX brand but unfortunately movie screens have not been retrofitted for the appropriate picture only the sound system has been updated.  Picture quality is important.  Real IMAX theaters are garganutan in their construction and some have domes.  You can't get this at AMC theaters.  Exhibitors are playing on the consumer's ignorance and charging premium ticket prices for a sup-par experience.

 
I believe movie aficionados should know the difference.  For starters find the best IMAX theater in your town.  I live in Los Angeles where there are countless theaters out here but only two of them offer a premium IMAX experience.  It may be a drive but trust me it' worth it!

Notice how big the screen is compared to a 6ft tall man.  

I love the IMAX experience.  IMAX utilizes 65mm film stock producing an increased film resolution.  Sound and picture are incredible.  It does not use an embedded soundtrack instead it's a separate reel and a seven channel track synchronized with film.  When you watch movies outside an IMAX theater the sides of the picture are cut off and your not experiencing the filmmaker's original vision.


What would Chris Noland do?  The IMAX camera ain't cheap if you want to buy one of these babies your going to have go directly to the manufacturer and expect to shell out $500,000.00 for one of these. 
Allot of money and time has been spent creating great cinematic art.  Movie theater owners are in business to make money at your expense.  Artistic intent is secondary to them.  So do you homework and find out where the best IMAX theater is and beware the phonies.

This is not an IMAX theater don't end up here.

Prometheus review-The most disapointing director come back since "The Phantom Menace"

The problem with 2012 "Prometheus" is that it assumed it would be a success.  To use a basketball analogy this movie already began getting ready for the next season before winning the championship.  One of the good byproducts of this film is that it has been able to create audience discussion.  Sharing ideas, personal interpretations and alternate takes on the material.  The film is really good in the beginning especially with the David character.  It goes off the rails when the score kicks in.  The score contradicts the established tone at the beginning of the film.

I understand that the engineers are responsible for the creation of life but if they are so advanced why is it necessary for them to ritually take kill themselves?  If you pose a question in the story you should at least make an attempt to answer it, this film does not pull you in.  The greatest thing it had going for it was the mystery.

I understand why this film was released overseas first.  Typically foreign audiences are more open to stories of personal interpretations, especially in Europe but American audiences want answers.  The success of Christopher Noland's "Inception" proves that there is a market for intelligent science fiction.  So I do not understand why the story is uneven in it's quality.

Let me say this hate it, love it, despise it this film will make its money back its not "John Carter" Ridley's going to live to film another day.  One thing this film did right was establish the origin of the Xenomorph I like the biological weapon nature of the creature and its creation from the all purpose goo.  I like this twist, forget the 3D or the weak characters this was some good stuff.  It establishes the accidental creation of the Xenomorph.

 

The formula:  All purpose goo+Human DNA+Large facehugger creature +Engineer DNA=Proto Xenomorph 

Movie Grade C-

Inception Review: The greatest film since "The Dark Night" this one will take best original screenplay and soundtrack on Oscar night!

"Inception" is a incomprehensible puzzle of a film and the best original science fiction since "The Matrix" but don’t be fooled this film is nothing like matrix. Inception began 10 years ago as a 80-page treatment but Writer/Director Christopher Noland decided that he didn’t have the skill and resources to make a large budget film so he honed his talents on "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Night" then having proved himself a bankable director Noland polished his script and now it is legend. "Inception" is the covert planting of an idea without the mark (the person) knowing about it, the trick is to get into the mark's psyche and plant the idea and get out without them knowing and beliving they came up with the idea on their own.  Now that is a very high concept approach!  How exactly did this film deliver the goods when so many other summer films did not?

For starters the cast is amazing Leonardo DiCaprio does angry and confused extremely well his character has lost everything his children, his nationality and the woman he loves... his latest inception will allow him to see his kids again but his guilt may compromise his goals, without giving too much of the plot away the story is amazing the concept of a dream within a dream within a dream within a dream... then limbo is brilliant along with the Hans Zimmer score with its loud BRRMMMM... BRRMMM it's dark, brooding and overpowering bass line gets into your head and stays there I must see this film again its already bought on DVD.

The SFX team on "Inception" have achieved greatness but I didn’t like one hiccup the scene where the characers Dom Cobb and Ariadne (the dream architect) walked up the wall, it was a little cheesy but Noland is allowed a hiccup or two another scene I'm baffled about as to how they did it was the weightlessness scene.  It looked so incredibly real I'm guessing they built the set on some kind of cargo plane and they did a steep decent to create the effect but it was so real kudos to the FX team it's up there with "The Matrix" bullet time effect if they're smart the FX wizards should keep that magic trick under they're hat.

I give this movie an A+ and expect this one to win Oscars in best original screenplay, best score, best costume design but the FX are great but not Avatar great and finally THANK YOU CHRISTOPHER NOLAND FOR NOT MAKING THIS FILM IN FREKEN 3D!!!!!!!