MAN OF STEEL (2013)

* * 1/2

D: Zack Snyder (Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne)
PG-13 / C-143m / USA | Canada | UK

Saw this last night in the VIP Room, which had a eerily blue-lit lounge leading into a cozy theatre with 3D, roomy seating and servers to bring food and drink before the show. Very nice for this kind of film, meaning best for epic action films like Iron Man and Star Trek.

I enjoyed this _immensely_. Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel is gorgeous and plays the part well. He's not Christopher Reeve, but he delivered the goods. It would too easy to compare the 1978 film with this one. It isn't a continuation of the original film series, nor is MoS trying to be. It's a reboot of the Superman mythos, like 2012's The Amazing Spiderman. It's about the same character, but not the same guy, if that makes sense.

No spoilers here, but if you ever want to see the film and discuss, let me know. I have nitpicks, but it would be churlish to do it here. In general, it lacked laughs and took itself very seriously. A little more comic book feel wouldn't hurt. More wonder and character development, less explosions and over the top CGI. There were subtle allusions to Christianity if you look for them. I didn't mind that, but it was kind of obvious and unnecessary. I liked the way Clark Kent/Superman is immensely uncomfortable in his own skin, and feels alone in a way that even his loving adoptive parents could never completely understand, although they try. I never thought there would be a down side to having superpowers (which I still would like to have, btw), but it's effectively demonstrated in the Smallville scenes. Young Clark doesn't enjoy his abilities as a child. It definitely isolates him, and he doesn't know how to interact people when, say, he isn't saving his classmates from a sinking school bus. He can never let anyone get too close.

Some characters I would recast, like Amy Adams as Lois Lane. Wonderful actress, but her Lois is a little too likable and soft-spoken. Lois Lane is supposed to be cynical and abrasive. She's supposed to be a brunette. But what I liked was that this LL was not a stupid damsel in distress. You know, Lois stuck her reporter's nose where it didn't belong and got kidnapped... it must be Thursday! One thing I like about Adams' LL is that she doesn't deliberately throw herself into Niagara Falls to flush out her mystery man, like Margo Kidder did in the 1980 sequel. She's smarter than that.

Most film goers just want to enjoy a fun night out, and they'll get it. Purists like me will want to dissect it and compare to the best interpretations of the Superman character. There are too many to list, but my personal favourites are the first two Superman movies directly by Richard Donner before they went to hell with Richard Pryor, and Superman: The Animated Series. I enjoyed Superman Returns (2006) with Brandon Routh, but a lot of people were disappointed by it. It was not bad, just different from the Christopher Reeve series. Yep, I'm a total girl geek.

If you go in without rigid expectations of what Superman is supposed to be, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Christopher Nolan (director of the The Dark Knight series) produced it and I suspect he acted as consultant. No doubt there will be a sequel, maybe even a trilogy. The Dark Knight trilogy is one of the best in recent memory, even if I didn't love everything part of it. For instance, I hated the Rachel Dawes character (played by Katie Holmes in the first movie, Maggie Gyllenhaal in the second). I understand that she was Bruce Wayne's first love and conscience, but to me she was a nag and a bore. Necessary to the plot, yes. But I couldn't stand her and waited impatiently for Catwoman to show up. Worth the wait.
 
Anyway, I was never bored. The story moves along at a brisk pace and it's great to see big name stars play the familiar characters. I would have loved to see more of Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Clark Kent's adoptive parents Jonathon and Martha Kent. They are the heart of the movie, in my opinion. Michael Shannon is no Terence Stamp, but he chews up the scenery like a pitbull and brings the psychotic General Zod to terrifying life.

And that soundtrack kicked it -- just epic and heartstopping.

I look forward to seeing it again, although it'll be in a regular theatre. We VIPs have to save up for the right occasion.

THIS IS THE END (2013)

* * * 1/2
(Comedy)
D: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen (James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson)
R (brief nudity, comic gore) / C-107m / USA

While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. When most of them get sucked into a giant hell hole, the survivors (namely the six guys on the movie poster) are trapped in Franco's house, fighting over rations and warding off monsters and Emma Watson.

Great premise and dark humour -- I was all over it like peanut butter and syrup on pancakes. I love James Franco and Seth Rogen in just about anything, and Craig Robinson (NBC's The Office) is so lovable I think he should star in his own movie. He's got the charisma to carry it off.

Basically, it's Clerks crossed with Army of Darkness with a good dose of Ghostbusters. Seth Rogen adapted this from a short film he co-wrote with Jason Stone (Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse). It's a high-budget home movie where Seth invites all his buddies in the business to play at James Franco's house. I kind of wish Bruce Campbell was invited to this shindig. Maybe they're afraid he'll take over?

There are a lot of laughs, especially at the expense of Michael Cera, (which has a great payoff), but the viewer's enjoyment will largely rely upon main actors' films and their public personas. Those who enjoy shows like Army of Darkness, Superbad, Pineapple Express, South Park, or any Judd Apatow comedy will have a good time. It delivers the goods, but only a certain core group will appreciate this. Never truly mean-spirited and a fun "party" movie that goes with beer and pizza, This is the End is good-naturedly crude and comically gory, being set in Hollywood during the apocalypse, after all.

This is a tough one. I can recommend this to some people, but warn others to stay away (or rent the DVD). I'm glad I saw it, but I'd rather see it on the Movie Channel in the comfort of my own home. It just didn't have enough of what I'd hope to see, namely movie stars from different genres outside the Rogen comedy universe. I would mix it up a bit. How cool would it be if Judy Dench or Helen Mirren decided to crash the party? They could get ignored by the younger crowd because nobody saw Shakespeare in Love or The Queen. Look, there's Harrison Ford sulking in a corner, growling at everyone to leave him alone. Meryl Street and Daniel Day Lewis have a fist-fight over who can do the most accents. Next-door neighbour Justin Bieber calls the cops to complain about the noise.

But, unfortunately, Seth Rogen won't take my calls. Darn restraining order.