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Man of Steel, a review by Dragonfire

Man of Steel



This is a reboot of the Superman movies, going back and dealing with the origins of the character again.  I really enjoyed Superman Returns, though I know a lot of people didn't and the decision was made to restart the movies.  Christopher Nolan is a producer and he worked on the story as well, so that made me hopeful before I saw the movie.

Once again, the movie starts on Krypton, though more time is spent there and a little more about the planet is shared.  I liked that more of Krypton is shared and thing it looks very interesting.  Jor-El has a decent amount to do this time, something else that I liked.  A sort of hologram of him does turn up later in the movie too and it seems like it is more able to interact. Zod is an actual military general, in charge of the safety for the entire planet.  He agrees with Jor-El about the planet being in danger, but his method for dealing with it is very different and gets him and his followers sent to the phantom zone.  After the bit on Krypton, the movie jumps forward to show Clark as an adult, trying to figure out how to use his abilities.  Important moments from his childhood are shown through flashbacks.  That does mess with the flow just a bit, but it works overall.  Clark discovers who he really is and meets Lois Lane when Zod shows up.

I did end up seeing this one in 3D because of the start times.  The 3D didn't add anything, though I have discovered that fewer people tend to go to the 3D shows, so it wasn't as crowded.  The effects are done well, though I do get why some people have said there was too much focus on the effects.  Later in the movie, there is massive action that wipes out a lot of Smallville before moving on to Metropolis where several buildings are destroyed when Superman and Zod fight.  That does go on a little longer than it needed to, though I do think it is needed to show that Zod is just as strong  and he won't be stopped easily. 

While some things are the same, there are other things that are a little different.  Most of those things I think worked for the movie. Jonathan especially is shown to keep telling Clark that he has to keep his abilities a secret no matter what.  That just doesn't exactly seem like Jonathan to me.  While it is clear he loves Clark, he doesn't seem as supportive as other versions of the character have been.  A lot of people have been upset by something that happens late in the movie.  I'm not exactly thrilled by how that thing worked out, but I also see why it was done and how it will play into the future for Superman as well. 

I really like this version of Lois.  She was always capable, and smart, but somehow, this Lois seems a little smarter.  Superman does save her at times, but she isn't just a damsal in distress and she is active in an attempt to deal with Zod and everything that is going on. 

Man of Steel has a few issues, but it is a very good movie that works well overall.  It is worth seeing.



I did post a longer review on Epinions.

Man of Steel

(From Man of Steel - No Spoilers on June 25th, 2013)

if.... , a review by Achim

if.... (The Criterion Collection) (1968/United Kingdom) (United States) Director: Lindsay Anderson Writing: David Sherwin (Screenwriter), David Sherwin (Writer), John Howlett (Writer) Length: 112 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.66:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Mono Subtitles: English

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Stars:
Malcolm McDowell as Mick
David Wood as Johnny
Richard Warwick as Wallace
Christine Noonan as The Girl
Rupert Webster as Bobby Phillips

Plot:
Lindsay Anderson's If.... is a daringly anarchic vision of British society, set in a boarding school in late-sixties England. Before Kubrick made Malcom McDowell's mischief iconic in A Clockwork Orange, the actor made a hell of an impression as insouciant Mick Travis, who, along with his school chums, trumps authority at every turn, finally emerging as violent savior against the draconian games of one-upmanship played by both students and the powers-that-be. Mixing color and black and white as audaciously as it mixes fantasy and reality, If.... remains one of cinema's most unforgettable rebel yells.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Interviews

My personal guess is, that this is actually a fairly accurate portrayal of life at a boarding school in 1968. With a class system firmly in place, things can get pretty rough for those on the lower levels being oppressed by "the upper class".

Travis' transformation from small rebellious behaviour to revolution is very well performed by Malcolm MacDowell and it's easy to see why Kubrick found his Alex for Clockwork Orange in this. The acting in general is good, including the younger cast members playing the "freshmen". It was a bit strange that in the beginning to other characters are set up very prominently, new student Jute and a new teacher, yet nothing really comes from this and the film only shows them on occasion during the second half

The obvious political subtext is mostly lost on me, as it is apparently very British, maybe more relevant for the time it plays in, and I have never been interested in politics much. I am not sure what you'd call it (farce, satire...?) but especially at the end they completely go over the top with the final confrontation of the film (in a good way ). Beyond this the film also shows latent homosexuality as being present (it's an all-boy boarding school...) and at one point a teacher clearly touches one of the boys in a slightly inappropriate way; these topics are touched on but not made topic.

I could never quite figure out what the use of black and white represents. It seems a bit inconsistent to me, as every time I thought I figured it out another scene would come up that "should have been" black and white but wasn't. Unless somebody can tell me, I may have to try the commentary for this.

Here is the link to Wikipedia for further information. It was here that I saw that apparently two sequels were made:
O Lucky Man! (1973)
Britannia Hospital (1982)

Rating:


EDIT:
As commented by Dave and also mentioned in the special features of the DVD, the use of black and white was actually rather random and initially based on an economic decision (the lighting of the church was cheaper for black and white than it would have been for color).

As for the political subtext, I was apparently spot on in that it was a comment on the British class system. The film also happened to coincide with the student revolts in France and other countries, which gave it an eerie actuality at the time.

(From The Movies from Within My Lifetime on July 4th, 2011)

Birthday Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

Episode Count: 16


Without a Trace: Season 1
Birthday Boy
For his eleventh birthday, Gabe Freedman is going to a baseball game at Yankee Stadium with his father. When the two get separated at the subway station, Bob is convinced he will meet up with his son at the next station, or at the park itself. After being unsuccessful in locating his son, Bob calls in the team who is convinced that the boy was abducted until evidence leads them to believe that Gabe may have run off on purpose.

My Thoughts:
This is a series I never knew of when it originally aired. I bought the first season set blind... I been wanting to pick up season 2 as well but never got the chance yet. Watching this episode makes me want to pick up the second season soon though. It is a very good episode. Of course it helps that I forgot the outcome from the first time I saw it.



(From Birthday Marathon on May 29th, 2009)