Snyder & Nolan Will Make You Believe a Man Can Fly: Our Review of "Man of Steel" (2013)

Directed By: Zack Snyder (300) 

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language

Run Time: 2 hours, 23 minutes

Synopsis: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind. (Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Last night Sarah and I were some of the few in a crowd of about 50 people who bought advance screening tickets through Walmart to see Zack Snyder's new Superman reboot, Man of Steel - starring Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and a whole host of other famous actors that we'll get into during this review. This was a film that I know I was very much looking forward to ever since it was announced that Christopher Nolan would be producing and Zack Snyder would be directing.

But the interesting thing to me, and where I think the crux of this interview will come from, is that you, Sarah, told me as we were leaving the theatre that you did not know much about Superman and his story whatsoever prior to tonight!

Sarah: Yeah! I'm not very familiar with the storylines and characters of the DC Comics universe as much as I am with Marvel's. Before the Dark Knight trilogy I wasn't entirely familiar with Batman's backstory and his enemies and before this came out I was really under the impression that General Zod was his arch-nemesis throughout his entire history. And apparently I'm wrong! So yeah, I didn't know much about Superman, I didn't know much about his history and backstory, so everything in Man of Steel was very interesting for me to learn!

Man of Steel has the very clear DNA of Christopher Nolan's perfectly told origin story like we saw in Batman Begins, and I thought it was directed brilliantly by Zack Snyder. I love that it wasn't your typical origin story where you start at the beginning and move chronologically. I really liked that, because I assumed that's just how it would be. I loved that.

A: And what you mean is that Superman's backstory is told primarily through flashbacks. I mean, it starts at the beginning with the birth of Kal-El back on his home planet of Krypton, which is important because he's the first naturally born Kryptonian in hundreds of years. So that's a big part of the storyline. Then we see the destruction of Krypton, we see his parents sending him to Earth, all these things are are pretty well known to most people familiar with Superman. So I find it very interesting that this is your first exposure to all of this.

Five Reasons Why... "Man of Steel" Will Be The Highest-Grossing Movie of 2013!

Andrew: Hello readers! Zack Snyder's Man of Steel hits theatres nationwide tomorrow, and it's undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films not only of this summer, but of the year. And I, for one, believe that it will not only be the highest-grossing movie of the summer but of the year as well. When you think about it, that's a pretty bold claim, because Marvel's Iron Man 3 has already grossed a whopping $1,197,907,000 worldwide (as June 13th, 2013), making it the fifth-highest grossing movie of all-time (not adjusted for inflation.) Think about that! It's only been out for five weeks and it's already made that much cash, including an astounding $395,607,000 domestically. (Numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo)

So yeah, Superman has quite the hill to climb to catch Tony Stark's lofty perch at the box office, but I'm just crazy enough to believe that he'll be able to do it. So without further ado, here are Five Reasons Why... I Think "Man of Steel" Will Be The Highest-Grossing Movie of 2013.

1.) Christopher Nolan Is Producing & David S. Goyer Wrote The Screenplay

Nolan and Goyer is a bonafide tande, as we’ve seen with their collaboration on the Dark Knight Trilogy. No, Nolan isn’t directing the film this time, but it’s clear his fingerprints are all over this film despite insider claims that he was never really on or near the set during filming. His buddy Goyer wrote the screenplay based off a story that they both came up with, and while Zack Snyder is the director, it’s probably a safe assumption that Nolan and/or Goyer were right there with him along the entire creative process, filming and post-production in some way, shape or form. Hell, if you watch any of the trailers or TV spots for Man of Steel and they didn’t say Nolan only produced and didn’t direct, you probably wouldn’t notice the difference. When it comes to getting butts in the theatre, it doesn't hurt when you have the minds behind a trilogy that made over $2.46 billion at the box office.

No Need To Break Open Your Wallet For This January Snoozer: Our Review of "Broken City" (2013)

Directed By: Allen Hughes (The Book of Eli) 

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Rating: R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence

Run Time: 1 hour, 49 minutes

Synopsis: Seven years after being forced to retire allegedly shooting an unarmed suspect, former NYPD detective Billy Taggert (Wahlberg) is hired by NYC mayor Nick Hostetler (Crowe) to investigate his wife (Zeta-Jones) and find out who she's cheating on him with. But when things go south, Taggert finds himself caught up in city politics and something more than just a cheating spouse.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! So just the other night we joined the throngs of people hitting up the movie theatre on a Saturday night to catch a showing of the new Mark Wahlberg thriller Broken City. I can’t really say this is one we’ve been looking forward to seeing…

Sarah: No, I wouldn’t say that at all actually.

A: But it’s more that we felt like it was our duty to see a new release this weekend.

S: And honestly it’s filled with actors who have historically done very well with the movies they’ve chosen.

A: For sure. It has Academy Award winners in Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones to go along with Marky Mark…

S: Who has his moments…

A: Yeah, we can’t forget that he was nominated for an Oscar for The Departed, too. And then it has a pretty solid supporting cast with Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Barry Pepper (True Grit) and Kyle Chandler (Zero Dark Thirty). So really a pretty good cast if you really look at it. It’s directed by Allen Hughes, who is one half of The Hughes Brothers who directed a person fav of mine in From Hell, as well as Dead Presidents and The Book of Eli. So it’s only one of the brothers this time, but still, not a bad pedigree behind it.

Our Resident Stage Buff Says This Is a Near Perfect Film Adaptation: Our Review of "Les Misérables" (2012)

Directed By: Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) 

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway

Rating: PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements

Run Time: 2 hours, 37 minutes

Synopsis: A film adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, about ex-con and parolee fugitive Jean Valjean (Jackman) and his attempt to live a straight life raising an orphaned girl (Seyfried) while evading the tenacious Inspector Javert (Crow), with a conclusion set during the June Revolution in 1832 France.

REVIEW

Sarah: Hello readers! Yesterday Andrew and I joined the merry Christmas Day masses at the movie theatre to see one of the holiday’s most anticipated releases – Les Misérables, starring Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfriend, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and a whole host of other characters to put on this French revolution musical. Les Mis is a film adaptation of the popular stage musical that has been running for 27 years now and is just an amazing show. It’s one of my favorites, and if you’ve never seen it on stage and get the chance, it’s one that you shouldn’t pass up on.

Anyway, Les Mis is directed by Tom Hooper, who won the Oscar for Best Director two years ago for The King’s Speech, which also won the Oscar for Best Picture, and Hooper’s new film has also been getting plenty of award season buzz. So Andrew, now that we’ve seen Les Misérables, what did you think?

Andrew: Well I’ve never seen any version of Les Mis before. I’ve never seen it on stage, I’ve never seen the Liam Neeson film version from the late nineties, nothing. I haven’t even read the book. So all I knew about the movie was from what you’ve told me about the play. I knew the basic idea and some of the characters, like Jean Valjean being an ex-convict, Inspector Javert tracking him down, Valjean’s relationship with Fantine and Cosette, etc.

Seriously, the extent of Andrew's Les Misérables knowledge pretty much started
and ends with knowing Amanda Seyfried plays the older version of Cosette,
the little girl in the poster above.

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (for Friday, November 2nd)

Andrew: Hello readers! Our apologies about not getting our new Six Pack Of... column posted yesterday, I got a little busy with the day job and wasn't able to write my half of it. Sarah did her part perfectly, so put all the blame on me.

That said, it's time now for our preview of this week's new theatrical releases. We have three wide releases coming out this week - the latest non-Pixar animated film from Disney, Wreck-It Ralph; the return to live-action directing for Robert Zemeckis, Flight, starring Denzel Washington; and what looks to be an action and blood-filled romp in The Man With The Iron Fists, starring Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu.

Sarah, which one would you like to start with?

Sarah: Let's start with the anticipated, Wreck-It Ralph. I am so excited to see this one! It looks like Disney has done it again, bringing together an amazing cast for this animated gem. 

It has a great concept! Ralph is the bad guy in 30-year-old arcade game called Fix-It Felix, Jr., which is also the name of the game's hero. When Ralph realizes that he no longer wants to be the bad guy he decides to check out all the other video games in the arcade to see what it would be like to be the good guy for a change. I think that John C. Reily is the perfect fit for Ralph and with stars like Jack McBrayer (as Felix) and Jane Lynch and Sarah Silverman as fellow video game characters, I think this looks like it's going to be a barrel of laughs!

Official Trailer for Wreck-It Ralph

New Trailer! Les Miserables (2012)

Sarah: We have a new trailer arrival! Les Miserables, coming out this Christmas, is the musical set in 19th century France. Starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and a whole other host of Hollywood heavy-hitters, this movie promises to be a blockbuster hit this holiday season! I know I'm pretty excited about this one. This year really is a great one for the movies! Check out the trailer!

OFFICIAL TRAILER for Les Miserables