Man of Steel

A modern day retelling of the Christopher Reeve 1978 classic Superman.

We should all know the story of Supes by now but here is a short synopsis.   Man of Steel is the story of an alien from Krypton who is sent by his parents to Earth as a baby in order to save his race.  We see flashbacks of a time when Kal/Clark was growing up and ostracised from society for being different.  His earth adoptive parents support him and treat him like any other child.  Knowing he is destined for greatness, they teach him to have a strong moral compass and how to harness his super powers.

The story takes off from him as an adult discovering himself for the first time and meeting Lois Lane, the journalist that will change his life.

Many I know that have seen this film didn’t like it at all and many that loved it.  I am one of the people that liked it a lot.  The first hour is a fantastic journey into Krypton.  Russell Crowe, who is internationally lambasted for being acting cardboard, really does shine in the role of Dur El, Kal’s father.  Strong and noble as you would expect from the man that fathers Kal El, his portrayal of the role is touching and stern alike.  And while he is unable to do an accent other than his own, the tone of his voice add the gravitas that the role requires.

Henry Cavill is great casting although his image outweighs his acting talent.  You don’t really get to see him really act.  He is exceptionally good looking and fits the image of the perfect American really well (even though he is from Jersey).  There is a lot of muscle and pec flexing (which is great for me) but not much flexing of the acting muscles sadly.  The real standout exceptional performance is Michael Shannon as General Zod.  I have been a fan of Shannon’s from some time for his roles in Take Shelter (my Take Shelter review being the second highest viewed post on the blog – thanks all!), Bug and Boardwalk Empire.  He epitomises the power crazed Zod just with a twitch of his eyes, his face like thunder.  I think I am in love with Shannon, especially after he did this (very NSFW).

The second half of the film descends into comic book madness and is a fair bit of fun but not to be taken seriously.  It’s not worth watching in 3D as the action sequences are so fast sometimes, it can make you dizzy!

I want Henry Cavill and Michael Shannon for Christmas please Santa!

The Great Gatsby

Baz Lurhman’s epic big screen and budget adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic novel telling the mysterious tale of Jay Gatsby.

The story is of a torrid love affair between Gatsby (Leo Dicaprio) and Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and told through the eyes of true friend Nick Carraway (Tobey McGuire).

Gatsby is a man of real mystery, no one has ever really met him.  Stories told are based on hearsay and Carraway gets to meet him by chance.  He discovers a side to the real Gatsby that no one knows, providing his closest ally.

Set in the roaring twenties, we see glamour and true excess of the rich played out in full Lurhman glory.  Its opulent, glorious and extremely sexy.  Lurhman’s visual style plays on these excesses and everything is gilded with gold, filmed from up high to take in the whole party, bright colours and loud music.  Dicaprio fits in this world with extreme precision.  You can drop him in any film, any script and any character and this man will bring him to life perfectly.  While this role is no Oscar winner, Dicaprio does shine in a couple of scenes with Daisy and Nick.

The film falls flat for me though.  It was far too long and sadly as hollow as the rich characters in the film.  It missed the soul of the book.  McGuire and Muilligan were bad casting for Daisy and Nick.  Joel Edgerton was the only real shining star of the film, really going hell for leather as the Daisy’s harsh whore of a husband Tom. 

The sexiness of the book was missing too.  It might win awards for costume design or production but certainly not for acting.

Official Anchorman 2 Trailer

I am in a glass case of emotion right now.  Ron is back and looking sexier than ever.

Say WHAAAAAAAAT?