Episode 10

Man of Steel

I took my cousin to see "Man of Steel" on Friday, and contrary to the so-so reviews, it did not disappoint. Director Zack Snyder and his crew should be applauded for re-booting a tough franchise that had laid dormant for too long. The gigantic scale, quality, and casting of this film far outweigh its flaws.

My issue with most initial superhero movies stem from the fact that it takes far too long to set up the story, even though it is a necessity. In "Batman Begins" and "Iron Man," these transformations were entertaining yet lengthy. In the original "Spider Man," he wasn't even wearing his finalized costume until 3/4th's of the way through the film. What "Man of Steel" does perfectly is the relegating of the origin via a series of interspersed flashbacks, ala "Lost."

These flashbacks detail the fall of the planet Krypton through the eyes of Superman's parents -- Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Laura (Ayelet Zurer). They foresaw the self-destruction of their own planet and conceived Krypton's first natural-born son in thousands of years. After some riveting action that pays homage to "Avatar," Kal-El is jettisoned to Earth in hope of a better life while his home planet crumbles.

Continued recollections elaborate on Clark's childhood and his struggle to come to terms with his powers. Rather than fighting his bullies and jumping from rooftops like Peter Parker, Clark shies away from his power. His father Jonathan, inspiringly portrayed by Kevin Costner, urges him to harness and contain his power until civilization is ready. Thus, Clark grows up as somewhat of an outcast as he struggles to live a normal life amongst his peers. This faux-vulnerability goes mostly unnoticed on earth until General Zod comes cascading into a collision course with Earth.

 Henry Cavill as Kal-El/Superman injects new life and personality into Superman. This element was missing when Brandon Routh took his turn at the helm in 2006. I assumed from the trailers that Cavill would be dark and brooding, but he was surprisingly bright once he began to interact with Louis Lane (Amy Adams) and company. He really helps to humanize and add depth to a hero that had traditionally been seen as a suave invincible man.

 The most interesting aspect of this film, is that hardly any time is spent developing his adult alter-ego as Clark Kent. The majority of the movie features Cavill in costume, to my enjoyment. This turn of tradition is accurate, owing to the fact that Superman is the only hero whose human form is his alter-ego. Most heroes don a cape and mask to become something else, but Superman is the reverse, which the film embraced and ran with.

 "Man of Steel," does not sport the greatest plot, but that can be forgiven this time around. Since there is already a sequel in the works, that will be the true test of worth since the franchise has now been firmly established. There can be no complaints about the action though, as there is almost too much of it to go around. These action pieces range from the preceding destruction of Krypton, to the imminent threat our entire planet. This threat comes courtesy of one previously-exiled Zod, played fantastically by Michael Shannon. Shannon is so damned good in his role, that he elevates regular lines from the script into gleefully menacing monologues. I would have paid full price to see a movie further detailing his entire back story and motivations. It is certainly a coming out party for Shannon (if you've never seen "Boardwalk Empire").

 Perhaps my favorite aspect of the entire movie was Hans Zimmer's score. Zimmer never takes his foot off the gas pedal, and gives the film a deservingly bombastic and epic score. It transitions seamlessly with the movie from touching flashbacks, to the larger-than-life battles. Is there a more reliable Hollywood composer than Zimmer? Maybe John Williams, but that's it for me.

The verdict? If you liked the action of "The Avengers," paired with a bit of the emotional density of "The Dark Knight," go see the movie.

The BenD & PhilB Show PLUS BEEZ, Episode 9

You read that correctly -- we've added a new member to our podcasting crew and cranked out a great new episode last night. Give it a listen. If you want it on the go, subscribe or download on Itunes by searching "BenD PhilB."
 

Song of the week

In lieu of an upcoming podcast, I present you with the current song of the week/month. Enjoy.

Episode 8, The Holiday Movie Guide

Episode 7

PhilB and I were lucky enough to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert in Pittsburgh, and discuss it at length in this week's podcast. As usual, we also talk about Walking Dead. We appreciate each listener and are trying to spread to a wider audience. If you know someone who would enjoy the show don't hesitate to give them a link!

Argo, See it. Sherlock, watch it.

I rushed out last Sunday after a camping trip with PhilB to see "Argo," and it didn't disappoint. It lived up to the hype and continued the rejuvenation of Ben Affleck's career as an actor/director. With a strong support cast and storyline, it will be an oscar front-runner.

 The long and short of it -- in 1979 the U.S. embassy is overrun by protesters in Iran and hostages are taken. Six U.S. citizens manage to escape and take refuge with the Canadian ambassador. The CIA formulates a plan, led by Tony Mendez (Affleck), to mask the escapees as a film crew scouting locations. It doesn't seem plausible, but was the best strategy at the time.

It is a perfect balance of drama and comedy. The really fun parts involve Mendez assembling a fake hollywood team of producers and directors. John Goodman and Alan Arkin repeatedly steal the show with their limited screen-time. The fake script that was written plays like a flash-gordian/middle-eastern/star wars sci-fi flick. Could you imagine the kind of cult following that film would have these days? I think the pre-viz cards used to begin the movie symbolize the perfect blend of storytelling that the movie aims for, while giving viewers a peak of the actual story the hostages are pretending to film.

 It is readily apparent that Affleck went through great pains to match scenes and actors with historical accuracy. This pays dividends throughout the film. You can easily determine which additions were tacked on, but that doesn't prevent any nail-biting.

Also worthy of mention are Bryan Cranston and Kyle Chandler who turn mundane characters into memorable and exciting figures.

 The only sad thing is that we as an audience have to wait 'till the end of each year to see these oscar-calibre films. It is almost as if movie companies continually throw their hands in the air, and say screw it for every other romantic comedy and Adam Sandler dud that comes their way before September. The paying audience has more of an obligation these days to stop forking their cash over for these types of movies, and demand more movies like Argo. It is the golden standard by which studios should abide.

 On a barely relatable note, Affleck and Matt Damon should team up again soon or at least collaborate on something. They are both at the peak of their respective careers.

 BUT CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT SHERLOCK?

 This show is so goddamned good, I can't stop recommending to friends. Forget the two mediocre Robert Downey Jr. films and the blatantly cheap new rip off "Elementary." The second season of this show is amongst the best seasons of television of the past two years. It rivals the first two seasons of "Lost," the fourth season of "The Wire," and any AMC show (besides the second season of "The Killing")

 It manages to weave separate mysteries each episode, while continuing over arching plot themes and villains. Andrew Scott, as Jim Moriarty, is fantastic. I've already praised Cumberbatch and Freeman as Holmes and Watson, but they deserve every accolade this show continues to receive.

 Might be a long wait for season three, so enjoy the first two seasons on netflix for now. A good netflix alternative might be the other BBC favorites, "Downton Abbey," or "Doctor Who."

 Random Notes: 

 - Iron Man 3 Trailer -- Looks darker with a vastly more formidable villain. Comparisons to Rocky III?
 - Still need to see "Seven psychopaths," and "Cloud Atlas." The latter, I can recommend from having read the novel.
 - If you want to read up on source material before seeing "Lincoln," check out "Team of Rivals," by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It was what Spielberg based the majority of his Lincoln biopic on.