Superman Returns On Arune.Com

Did you really think I was going to shut up about this film? I hope to have some more non-Superman related musings this weekend, but we’ll have to see how that goes. In the meantime, over at ComicBookResources, I’ve published a couple of Superman Returns related articles.

• The first day box office returns of Superman Returns are in. How did the film do? I compared it to other films and put it in perspective here.
• What scenes were missing from the theatrical version of the film? I talk about it all here, but watch out for spoilers!

More To Love About Superman Returns: The Imax Experience

I managed to see Superman Returns again today, this time in Imax 3D and that’s something I will discuss in detail, along with more things I loved about the film. It’s better the second time. It feels…epic. Be warned, spoilers come after the jump. And for those people who want to give back to Arune.Com, buy me one of these posters…please?
Continue reading More To Love About Superman Returns: The Imax Experience…

Superman Returns: Almost Flawless

For the sake of those concerned about spoilers, I’m going to keep this front page part of the review spoiler free. If you continue on with the review, then expect some spoilers, but frankly, none of it is too shocking if you’ve seen the commercials. I know some think that my unabashed love for Superman makes me biased, but honestly, in my case, I just get more critical. It means more to me so I expect more. It sounds funny to have such an emotional attachment to Superman, but it’s what inspires me, as ridiculous as that sounds.

So is this film an excellent Superman film? Yes.

Is this film an excellent movie, regardless of genre? Yes.

Was this film perfect? No.

I need to qualify that. I would give this film a 10/10 rating in a heartbeat. It’s that good. A day later it seems even more brilliant and nuanced than when I first saw it. It’s an emotional film about a man (Clark Kent/Superman) trying to find his place in a world that’s moved on without him. He’s searching for a connection to his adopted homeworld and his adopted life, but keeps finding that everyone has filled the void in their life left by his departure (to search for Krypton). And the answer to that problem is something he never expected. Sure, there’s Lex Luthor causing trouble, but this film isn’t about the battles or the super powers. It’s about the cost of being a hero. It’s about the way we define ourselves in the world. It’s about the real meaning of love. And even though it’s all these “Cheesy” things, the movie never loses its sense of hope, wonder, or strength. Superman is very decisive. He doesn’t mope, choosing to instead take action and try to help the world around him.

The film is cast brilliantly. Brandon Routh is Superman. There’s no doubt in my mind that he was born to be Superman. I knew this when I met him last year during my set visit and the film reconfirmed my beliefs. Despite some qualms about Kate Bosworth (her look and age), I thought she was a great Lois Lane, and James Marsden is a great man for her. His Richard White is the perfect man, but never comes across as anything but likable and decent. Sam Huntington almost steals the show as Jimmy. Kevin Spacey is a brilliant Lex Luthor, part genius, part criminal, and all insane. The rest of the cast is equally perfect.

My gripes? The final set piece was a bit too long and I’d rather they’d have dropped a few minutes from the end to include the filmed scenes of Clark reuniting with his Mom and finding out she’s moved on with a new man. It’d add some real dramatic weight to Clark leaving Smallville. And if you want action, there’s a lot of it, but I wanted to see Superman go toe to toe with a super villain, just once, even if it was a throwaway scene. There’s something impressive about Superman using his powers in a real battle and it’s the kind of thing that seperates him from other superheroes. No one quite throws down like Superman.

Still, the special effects are amazing. The plane rescue at the beginning is just spectacular and has to be seen on a big screen. This is what the film experience is all about. I’ve never seen super powers look so real and yet still retain a fantastic mystique. It’s just brilliant.

Bottom line, go see the film, as I very much doubt you’ll regret it. I’m not quite sure how the movie will do at the box office, but I’m hoping for Spider-Man kinda numbers. Superman Returns is easily my favorite superhero film of all time.
Continue reading Superman Returns: Almost Flawless…

Brokeback Superman Returns? I Guess So!

This is pretty badly done, but I figure it had to happen. Now I hope it never happens again.

Superman: The Movie Starring Bunnies!

Superman Who?

I’m excited to see Superman Returns today. I think it’s going to be the best superhero movie yet (I’ll have a review in the next couple of days). But I also think that Spider-Man 3 will top them all (till the next Batman and Superman movies), which is great, because it raises the bar for all superhero film. There isn’t a stronger superhero franchise that Spider-Man, at least in films, because the character is so universal. And with the release of the Spider-Man 3 trailer, I’d expect the flick to be the biggest film of 2007. Halo, Transformers, and the the new Pirates movie have nothing on this film.

• You can check out the new trailer here.
• Over at CBR, there’s a bunch of screen captures from the new trailer.

4. 8. 15. 16. 23. 42…I’m Cursed.

The sports gods hate me. Truly. This year I’ve finally renewed my love for sports and I’ve been faithfully relearning what I once knew– I used to watch a lot of TSN (The Sports Network) till 1994. So I decide to root for my teams…and look what happens!

• I cheer for Australia in the World Cup and they lose in the final minutes of stoppage time, as a result of a foul that would never have been called on Italy.
• In the NHL, I cheered for my Canadiens and they lost to the Hurricanes. So I cheer for the Oilers to beat the Hurricances…and the Oilers get whupped in the final game.
• In the NBA, I cheered for the L.A Clippers and they went down in the year they should have gone to the finals, to complete their Cinderella story.
• I’m afraid to cheer for any MLB or NFL team because I’m afraid they’ll lose too. Maybe that means I can cheer for the Red Sox and Yankees, since I want them both to lose.

When will one of my teams win again? Can’t I catch a break in any sport? I am the Hurley of sports fans (Lost viewers know what I mean).

Does This Come In My Size? (Superman Returns)

One More Day…

Just one more day till the early Superman Returns viewing. Then I’m hoping to see it 3 more times on Wednesday and 6 more times this week. Hey, don’t look at me that way! I’ve been waiting for this movie since 1996 and I’m happy to see it happen. I’m not a marriage or children kind of guy, so for me, this is a dream come true!

A friend of mine, the infamous Kurt, was actually talking to me about his dislike (but not hatred) of superheros and that kind of fantastical adventure. He’s more a military tactics and martial arts kinda guy. We talked about superheroes and it reminded me of a simple fact: most of these characters were created as adolescent fantasy tales. These characters were meant for kids. Superman is, for better or worse, pretty black and white. He’s best in situations involving the uber evil we know to be wrong (like Lex Luthor) or your pretty standard social injustice (corrupt businessmen, as he used to fight them in forties). But you don’t expect to see Superman tackle the euthanasia debate or gay rights…that’s just not what the character is meant to deal with or what he’s meant to debate. That can be frustrating for a lot of people, but it doesn’t make Superman a worthless or unintelligent creation (not that Kurt said that). Sometimes complexity is good. But sometimes we just want to believe a man can fly and that one man would sacrifice it all to make the world a better place by being everything we could aspire to be.

Some people have asked if I’m wearing a Superman t-shirt (or costume) to the movie and no, I will not be that guy.

24 Isn’t That Important

24 Drawn Into Terror Debate. Uh…why? Did anyone really think that 24 in any way represented reality or the current “war on terror”? I’m not sure why tax payers’ money was wasted on this, nor do I know what it accomplished, but I do know it makes me laugh. Maybe everyone at Homeland Security was just hoping Kiefer would show up and sign their DVD sets. The show is very right wing (in terms of values and security procedures), which is great in a far too liberal media (it can be extreme), but I’m not sure anyone really felt a compelling need to have CTU affirmed as a fictional entity by the U.S government. Of course, it’s even more scary to think that was all really helpful to some poor saps out there.