Man of Steel

Man of Steel (2013)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 59%

Hello Film Fans!

Being the nerd that I am, I love superhero films. I had never been an Iron Man fan until the movie...after that, I was hooked. The hero I hold dearest to my heart is The Caped Crusader; The Dark Knight; The Batman. His lack of traditional powers is what makes him so appealing. Critics point to this as reasoning against proclaiming him as a superhero, however they couldn't be further from the truth. Batman is abnormally smart, is incredibly observant, and has a seemingly eidetic memory. Just because he can't fly doesn't mean he isn't super. On the other end of the spectrum is Superman. Supes has just about every power you can name: flight, strength, heat vision, x-ray vision, and invulnerability. He is so overpowered that the only way to effectively fight him is to have access to an element (Kryptonite) that does not occur naturally on Earth. I have despised Superman for years because of his excessive abilities. The old question of whether who would win, Batman or Superman, is a stupid question. Superman should win every time because Batman doesn't have a stockpile of Kryptonite. The question of who is a better more interesting hero is undoubtedly Batman. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy brought the Dark Knight back to the level he deserves to be at, and his deft hand is trying to do the same with Superman. The Nolan produced/Snyder directed Man of Steel attempts to bring Superman to a gritty new level. Did they succeed? Find out!

!!!Obligatory Spoiler Warning!!!

I am going to provide a short summary of the film. Most of what I will reveal below can be gathered from the trailer and/or prior knowledge of the Superman mythos.
If you don't know the origin story of Superman, I will explain it now (also where have you been). Krypton was a planet far far away from Earth. The people of the planet were an advanced race but they had reached the tipping point of their existence. Since I have not followed the Superman comics, I can only provide the story that the film tells. The persistent expansion of the Kryptonions have forced them to harvest energy from their own planet's core. This eventually causes the planet to implode. Acting out of rage for his people, General Zod (Michael Shannon) decides to take over Krypton in an effort to preserve its people. Jor-El (Russell Crowe), realizing that those on Krypton are all doomed, decides to send his newly born son, Kal-El, to a distant planet where he can rebuild their race. He chooses Earth because an old scout ship had been sent there thousands of years earlier and it would be a suitable home for the new Krypton. He embeds all of the information about Krypton inside Kal-El's DNA and sends him off. As punishment for his betrayal, Zod and his army are sentenced to a place called The Phantom Zone. There are to remain encased in an icy substance for hundreds of years. WHen Krypton explodes, Zod is released from captivity and he begins to hunt for Kal-El. Kal-El's ship lands in Smallville, Kansas and is discovered by Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent. They rename Kal-El Clark and they raise him as their own son. Clark suffers through growing pains a tad different than the normal teen. The radiation from the Earth's sun provides Clark with superhuman abilities. In addition to this, the lighter gravity of Earth allows Clark to do truly extraordinary things. The first half of the film is told through flashbacks that reveal how Clark has made it to his current station in life. When a NASA satellite is pinged by a foreign object in Northern Canada, Lois Lane (Amy Adams), a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for The Daily Planet, is sent to investigate. After some snooping, she discovers that the object is, in fact, a huge alien ship. She encounters Clark and he convinces her to stop trying to discover who he is. Clark activates the ship and moves it to a remote place at the North Pole Due to Clark activating the ship he found, General Zod is alerted to Clark's presence. Clark decides that the people of Earth must know of his existence, whether they're ready or not.

This is the most beautiful superhero film I have ever seen. There are great moments that show Clark growing up that foreshadow events that occur later in his life. Other than some of the cheesy computer imagery, the film shows a skilled director's hand throughout. Something that has been evident in several Superman stories are the religious undertones. Man of Steel is not without. First and foremost, Clark is 33 years old when he decides to reveal himself to the world. This is the same age Jesus was when he learns of His fate. Jor-El says that Kal will be a god among men. This is literally what Jesus was; a God among men. Clark's abilities come from the Sun which is located in "The Heavens". The ship that Clark finds was designed by Jor-El. When Clark inserts the "key" that was sent in his pod, the ship recognizes him as Kal-El and a "shadow" of Jor-El appears. He is able to be anywhere in the ship immediately, and he can also sense the presence of intruders. This effectively makes him Omnipotent and Omnipresent; it makes him God. There is even a point in the film where Clark must decide what he wants to do: come forward and protect Earth, or remain in hiding from Zod. He walks into a church and seeks the advice of a priest. As he sits in the pew, we see a stained glass depiction of Jesus over his right shoulder; real subtle. Perhaps the most compelling piece of the Christ analogy is the need for sacrifice. Something that Superman doesn't do is kill. He'll beat suckers into submission everyday, but when it comes to murder, he shies away. It is mentioned by one of the invading Kryptonians that Clark's sense of morality will be his downfall. During a battle, Clark pleads with an enemy that is threatening to kill a helpless family with their heat vision. During the confrontation Clark must make the decision; save the family or keep his morality. He decides to save the family and, thus, sacrifices his humanity. The story of a Superman is such a great backdrop for a Christ allegory and it makes me wonder how many will pick up on it.

Man of Steel is great. As I mentioned above, I am not a Superman fan, but I am glad I saw this film. It is definitely worth seeing in the theater. Snyder and Nolan do a fantastic job of abandoning the campiness associated with the hero, and injecting some reality. Superman doesn't feel overpowered. He has his work cut out for him with Zod and his army. They replace the neon green Kryptonite with a grayish metal, and they explain why Clark is weak around it. See Man of Steel ASAP.

My Score: 9/10

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013)
Directed by: Shane Black
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

Hey, did you know that Iron Man 3 was released last Thursday? You didn't? Where were you, busy writing the Batman/Aquaman fan fiction novella you are planning to unleash on the planet? What I am getting at here is that the Iron Man franchise is a huge deal for both comic book nerds as well as film enthusiasts. The first Iron Man film (masterfully directed by the fantastic Jon Favreau [not the speechwriter]) was such a fun experience and that fun has only been recaptured by Nolan's Batman films (so far). Iron Man 2 was not as good as the first and let's not get into the Green Lantern fiasco. Captain America was good and so was Thor but neither felt as natural and real as Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron Man. I feel he embodies the role so well because if there is anyone in Hollywood that could actually be Tony Stark, it's Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man 3 takes the beloved franchise and goes in a...different direction. It's not a bad direction it is just...

Iron Man 3 picks up after The Avengers (not sure how long after). Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has settled down with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and is living an almost normal life. He is plagued with anxiety and stress after realizing that there are other beings among us; aliens; gods. He rarely sleeps because he plays his brush with death over and over in his mind. This stress eventually causes a rift between Pepper and himself. The villain of the film, The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), has been detonating bombs all over the country in an attempt to "educate" the current Presidential administration. When a reporter asks Tony about what he wants to do about the terrorist, Tony calls him out. He advertises his home address and invites The Mandarin to come fight like a man. His home is later attacked and Pepper is kidnapped. With Tony's home and workshop out of commission, he must recharge his latest prototype suit and make due with the bugs that come with it.

I am going to throw this warning out now...

**BIG HUGE SPOILERS LIE AHEAD!!! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!**

Ok, now that I have put that disclaimer out there, let's discuss this film. Iron Man 3, while not weak, is not a great film. One of the aspects of the Iron Man franchise that has always intrigued me is the casting. Almost everybody seems to fit their role perfectly and it really adds to the film. Robert Downey Jr. (not sure how to shorten his name...Downey? Downey Jr? RDJ?) brings Tony Stark to the screen as easily as ever before. His mannerisms are so natural that you forget he is playing a role. Paltrow as Pepper Potts is serviceable. I have never loved her portrayal of the character (or maybe I just don't like the character), but she gets the job done. Jon Favreau plays a larger role in this installment as Stark's head of security, and he is great. However, I think the person that stole the show (Robert Downey Jr. doesn't count) is Ben Kingsley. His portrayal as "The Mandarin" was fantastic. I was happy to see that he was able to stretch his comedic muscle in this film. Acting aside, I cannot decide whether I liked or disliked the story. What we have is Tony Stark essentially starting from scratch with a buggy prototype Iron Man suit after his entire workshop (and arsenal) are destroyed. At least that is what we think until he has Jarvis initiate something called "House Party" (or something equally as cheesy). With this, a vault opens at the rubble where Stark Mansion once stood, and out fly a dozen or so Iron Man suits. They all fly to his location as he fights the main villain. The Iron Man suit army takes on the biologically augmented army that Tony is fighting (without a suit). Why in the Hell didn't Tony initiate this reservoir of badassery until then? He dragged his Mark 42 armor through the snow when the battery became completely depleted. He had to break into a terrorist compound using items he MacGuyvered together that he bought at an Ace Hardware. He could have easily said "Hey Jarvis, I'm kinda screwed...can you send me a back up suit or nine?" I understand the reasoning from a plot standpoint. It would've been too easy if Tony had used his backups when the going go tough, but come on. I actually would have been better with an almost retelling of his origin. Have Tony slap together a POS Iron Man Mark 1 suit with stuff he cobbles together, and then fight the army at the end. That'd been a struggle. Also, let's discuss the baddies from the film. The theory behind what is going on is actually pretty awesome but the execution is a little lacking. First of all, the main bad guy henchman is Eric Savin (James Badge Dale) who is actually a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the comics. He is the precursor identity of Coldblood who is a cybernetic organism: living tissue over a metal endoskeleton ;). What they were trying to do here is beyond me. Sure, he isn't in the main stable of heroes but that's kind of like naming a henchman Barry Allen or Frank Castle. The last thing I will rant about is actually kind of a huge deal. In the end of the film, Tony decides to have the shrapnel removed from his body so that he can move on with his life. This also means that he is no longer in need of his electromagnetic "heart" that he has embedded in his chest. He has doctors remove the magnet and we see Tony chuck it into the ocean where his house once stood. He says that the Iron Man suit was a cocoon and that he is a changed man. What does this mean for the franchise? I always understood that the electromagnet that Tony possessed was what powered the suit, however Rhodey doesn't have one and he is War Machine/Iron Patriot. Not sure what it means but it felt wrong.

Iron Man 3 is a lot of fun and is better than its predecesor. While it feels hokey at times, it has a fantastic climactic battle that could only be in a superhero movie. It's really worth seeing the movie just to remind yourself why you love Robert Downey Jr. so much. Also, a scene very similar to this is in it.

My Score: 7.5/10

Paper Man

Paper Man (2009)
Directed by: Kieran & Michele Mulroney
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 29%

Hello Film Fans! First, I want to say I am sorry it has been so long since my last review! I have been travelling (driving not flying) so I have not had the opportunity to watch a film and digest it in a manner to where I could discuss it intelligently. If you read my previous post you'll know that I am also going through the process of setting up a new website and getting my YouTube channel established. This is VERY exciting but also tedious so please, bear with me. Now, on to the review!

I have asked for my readers to suggest films that they enjoyed or want to see a review of because I am always interested in what other people like. A friend of mine (a European friend in fact) suggested that I watch Paper Man. He made sure that I knew he was talking about the 2009 Jeff Daniels film; not the 2012 Disney short (which was incredible). I had never heard of it so I dove right in. I have to say, I am extremely happy that I saw this because it has made me respect Daniels and his co-star Emma Stone on new levels. I have always thought of Jeff Daniels as a too-well-known-to-be-a-"that"-guy kind of actor [*EDIT* I completely forgot about Newsroom! He is FANTASTIC in Newsroom!] but this really shows that he has the chops to be a leading man. Stone also proves that she has grown up since Superbad and that she too can hold the screen with ease.

In the opening credits (which are really well done by the way), we see Richard (Jeff Daniels) and his wife Claire (Lisa Kudrow) driving out of New York City. They are making their way to a vacation cabin that they haven't visited in years. The intent is for Claire to leave Richard there alone so that he can write the novel he is currently working on. As Claire leaves, she tells Richard her schedule at the hospital where she works (as a surgeon) and leaves a list of emergency numbers so he can reach her if need be. Richard is seemingly alone until his blonde, Hipster-haired superhero imaginary friend Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds) shows up. He tries his best to encourage Richard to write but his efforts prove to be futile. Richard settles in at his desk and begins to think of how he wants to start his book. It is reminiscent of Billy Crystal's character from Throw Momma From the Train.



Like Crystal, Richard cannot get past the first sentence of his book. He then leaves to explore his new surroundings. He encounters Abby (Emma Stone) and asks her to come babysit for him. When she arrives, she quickly realizes there is no baby. Instead of freaking out, she accepts that Richard is just lonely and asks when he'll be back. While Richard is out, Abby makes soup from ingredients she finds around the house. This resonates with Richard as people do not generally do things for him for no reason. He finds it incredibly endearing and the two form a bond; a completely Platonic relationship. When the people around them start to question the relationship between Richard and Abby, accusations fly and people get hurt (especially Abby's Emo best friend, Christopher). Paper Man is, ultimately, a coming of age tale that is certainly worth checking out.

What I found most interesting about Paper Man was the notion that you can be in your late forties/early fifties and still not be an adult. Richard is, essentially, still a child. This is partially his own fault because he chooses to hold on to his imaginary friend, Captain Excellent, but is also aided by his wife, Claire. There are subtle hints throughout the film that indicate that even though she doesn't desire to have children; she still has a mother mentality. As I stated above, when Claire leaves Richard at the house for the first time she ensures that he knows that she can be reached if anything were to happen. They are never seen being intimate with each other (kissing, sleeping together, hugging). There is a scene where Claire is up visiting for the weekend and she takes him to a local seafood restaurant. Richard orders lobster but is unsure of how to eat it. Claire cuts open the shell for him as he ties a lobster bib around his neck. The camera then shows a wide shot of the two; Richard with his food cut up for him and sporting a bib and Claire eating her own food without a bib. This screams mother/son relationship. It is later revealed that even though Richard insists that Claire stated she didn't want kids; that this isn't true. If Richard had paid attention, he would have seen how desperate Claire was for motherhood. This was such a great part of the story and it really added great depth to Richard (who is already conflicted as it is) and to Claire (who is hardly present in the film).

No BS

Paper Man is a good film. It isn't particularly Oscar great but it is definitely worth a watch. Daniels gives a great performance and Stone shows that she is moving nicely into starring roles. The real surprise for me was Lisa Kudrow. No matter how hard I try, I still see Phoebe every time I see her. It is good to know that she is, indeed, an actress and that she is able to break out of that type cast, and deliver a great dramatic performance.

My Score: 7/10

Also, if you haven't seen the Disney short that won the Oscar for Best Animated Short this year then see it here!