Film: Man of Steel

GENRE: Action / Fantasy
RATING: PG for some language and sci-fi violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 23 minutes
STARRING: Henry Cavill (Immortals, Stardust, The Tudors)
Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire); Amy Adams (The Fighter)
DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Suckerpunch)
WRITER: David S Goyer (Dark Knight series; Blade series)
PLOT: The origin story of Superman as he learns different qualities from both his earthly and Kryptonian fathers.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Snyder makes everything look cool but there is hardly any fun. The joy is completely sucked out of this film. I can only recall maybe three lighter moments. I’m all for heroes brooding but they also need someone to tell them to stop. (Like Alfred & Lucius in Batman). At least the acting is top notch from all players. Unfortunately, they don’t get that many chances to act since a good chunk is a copycat of Transformers destroying a city in an all-out fight of invincible adversaries.
2 Nothing really fazes the characters in this film. Most people are completely accepting of alien races without the slightest freaking out. Alternately, General Zod seems pretty comfortable with Earth’s technology and stuff (sure his powers cause a problem or two). 
3 Apparently I should only be caring about a handful of human beings. I guess I’m supposed to root for three of Lois Lane’s Daily Planet co-workers, even though nothing has been established to endear them to the audience. I didn’t even know two of their names.
4 I admit I don’t know much about Krypton but I didn’t like the flying creatures. Either have spaceships or creatures, don’t have both.
5 I suddenly want to use a Nikkon camera, eat at IHOP and shop at Sears. Hmmm. I wonder why that is?

RECOMMENDATION: Things go boom better on big screen
UPCOMING REVIEWS: This is the End; Much Ado About Nothing

Film: Now You See Me

GENRE: Crime / Thriller
RATING: PG for language and some sexual content
RUNTIME: 1 hours and 55 minutes
STARRING: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland)
Mark Ruffalo (Avengers, Zodiac); Woody Harrelson (Hunger Games)
DIRECTOR: Louis Leterrier (Transporter, Clash of the Titans)
WRITERS: Ed Solomon, (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, MiB)
Boaz Yakin (Remember the Titans) & Edward Ricourt (newcomer)
PLOT: The FBI and Interpol try to track down a team of illusionists who may have robbed a bank and given the money to their audience.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Talk about escapism. This was just a very entertaining piece of film. Fun plot, fun performances, fun all around.
2 I always love a good heist. I love it even more when they reveal how they pulled it off. Luckily this film does both. 
3 I don’t know why but I really liked the background score. It was cool and kept me in the story the entire time. Great job Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3, Expendables)
4 I don’t know why but Leterrier seemed to employ the Michael Bay ‘swirl around the hero’ shot a lot. It made me giggle.
5 There is a love story tacked on for no good reason. Would rather see more ‘heist-ing’ thank you very much.   

RECOMMENDATION: Pretty fun for the theatres
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Man of Steel

2013 Summer Television Preview

Now that most of the regular season has ended with the exception of a less-than-handfull of episodes of Revolution, Hannibal, Game of Thrones, Mad Men & Veep, it’s time to look ahead to summer television programming. Here are the shows I’m looking forward to this summer:

Family Tree: New Series (May.12)
Started a few weeks ago, it’s a mostly improvised mockumentary from Christopher Guest (Spinal Tap) and stars the loveable cop from Bridesmaids. Its okay, I hope it gets better.
The Goodwin Games: New Series (May.20)
From the makers of How I Met Your Mother, this one is just two episodes in. Scott Foley (Felicity) is a little annoying but TJ Miller (Cloverfield) is pretty awesome. I hope this gets better too.
Arrested Development: Season 4 (May.26)
Half-way through. It’s a little muddled but there are definitely some very funny stuff. I am looking forward to the Buster episode.
The Killing: Season 3 (Jun.2)
Almost cancelled but managed to return. They swear they will solve the case by the end of this season. Looking forward to Peter Sarsgaard (Garden State) as a serial killer.
Wilfred: Season 3 (Jun.20)
My summer guilty pleasure. I think the dog is funny. Sue me.
Under the Dome: Mini-Series  (Jun.24)

Don’t know what to expect.
Dexter: Season 8 – Final Season (Jun.30)
How will this end?  Will Dexter finally be caught or get to be happy?
Ray Donovan: New Series (Jun.30)
It stars Live Shreiber (Scream) as a Hollywood fixer. Could be good.
The Bridge: New Series (Jul.10)
A judge is found dead on the border of USA and Mexico on this FX series based on a popular Scandinavian hit.
The Newsroom: Season 2 (Jul.14)
The awesome Aaron Sorkin series is back for more. I’m excited.
Whose Line Is It Anyway: Reboot (Jul.16)
Ryan, Colin and Wayne are back. Drew Carey is not. I’m so in.
The Writer’s Room: New Series (July)
A cool documentary series that goes into the writer’s room of popular comedy and drama television shows. I love that kind of stuff.
Breaking Bad: Finishing Final Season 5 (Aug.11)
How will it end for Walter? Death by cancer, drug cartel or cops.
Low Winter Sun: New Series (Aug.11)
It’s about cops. But it’s also on AMC so I’ll give it a chance.
The Pitch: Season 2 (Aug.15)
Love this reality show where two competing advertising agencies pitch ideas to big companies. It’s the read Mad Men.

On top of this I want to try Once Upon a Time and have my wife watch all of Friday Night Lights. It’ll be a busy summer along with all the movies and vacations and such. Luckily most of these series are on Sunday nights so the rest of the week is free.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Much Ado About Nothing

Film: Star Trek Into Darkness

GENRE: Action / Sci-Fi
RATING: PG for intense sequences of action & violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 12 minutes
STARRING: Chris Pine (Unstoppable, This Means War)
Zachary Quinto (Heroes); Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
DIRECTOR: JJ Abrams (Super 8, MI:III, Alias, Lost)
WRITERS: Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman (Transformers, MI:III)
Damon Lindelof (Lost, Prometheus, World War Z)
PLOT: Captain Kirk leads a manhunt for a terrorist and may inadvertently start a catastrophic war.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 What a fantastic ride! The expectations were high and they were met quite masterfully. Abrams and the writers do a perfect blend of action and character development. I felt fully immersed in the story. Kudos!
2 While I am now able to see films in 3D, I’m still not sold on the extra dimension. I wish I saw Avatar and Life of Pi in 3D to compare. 
3 This new franchise is brilliant in its casting. Cumberbatch rocked the villain role, as if there was any doubt. And the Enterprise crew is always top-notch but this film’s all-stars are Quinto as the surprising agile Spock and the hilarious Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) as Scotty.
4 I love how respectful JJ Abrams is to the franchise and at the same time, is not afraid to make a twist or two.
5 For all the observations stated above, I have full confidence in JJ Abrams helming the next Star Wars film. I already have goosebumps.  

RECOMMENDATION: See it in theatres now!
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Hangover Part III

Film: The Great Gatsby

GENRE: Drama / Romance
RATING: PG for some violence, sexual content & language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 23 minutes
STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic, Inception, The Departed)
Tobey Maguire (Spiderman ); Carey Mulligan (An Education)
DIRECTOR: Baz Luhrmann (Romeo+Juliet, Moulin Rouge)
WRITERS: Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge)
PLOT: A writer/bondsman finds himself in the middle of affairs between his rich cousin and his millionaire neighbor Gatsby.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Baz Luhrmann has a way with visuals. Most of this film is stunning in the way the camera moves around the beautifully designed homes and parties. I particularly loved the aerial shots of the rich folks driving through the Valley of Ashes and the ominous billboard showcasing the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg.
2 I hear that DiCaprio and Maguire are good friends in real life. I definitely got that vibe during the film. They play very well off each other and both do fantastic jobs on screen.
3 Love the tea time scene. Brilliantly done.
4 Despite some high energy scenes especially around the parties (not as spastic as Moulin Rouge however), this film does tend to drag at times. There are definitely some slow parts that look pretty conventional.
5 I enjoyed the Jay-Z produced soundtrack. Of course, some of his songs and a Beyonce number get in there but it fits pretty well.

RECOMMENDATION: See it in the theatres (3D unnecessary)
UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Office; Star Trek: Into Darkness