Looks like Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the female lead, although she’s never at her best when she tries to play a tough guy. But glad to see her back in action after what the Joker did to her. Bruce Wayne will be so relieved.

The plot seems pretty realistic. A criminal mastermind manages to compromise, blow up, and/or occupy the Capitol, Air Force One, the White House and more all at once. Let’s take a look.

I think they basically gave us the whole movie eh? I’m kind of getting an “Air Force One but inside the White House” vibe. This one will probably be a rental for me.

What do you think?

Trailer Gold or Trailer Trash?

How do you rate White House Down?

SKIP IT, RENT IT, or SEE IT IN THEATERS?

Check out all the films we’ve sneak peeked at the Movie Trailer Mine.

Check out Part 1 of my review: The 5 Best Things About Man of Steel

To hear me discuss Man of Steel, check out my StoryMen podcast!

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Superman is a rare character in my life. I would always be able to walk away from a movie about him acknowledging some cinematic shortcomings yet pretty much still loving the movie because I have a hard time separating my feelings for the cape from my perspective on the movie. But to quote Doc Holliday in Tombstone: “My hypocrisy goes only so far.”

In 2006 we finally got Superman Returns which effectively closed out the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeves films. That movie started out okay and then out of nowhere, um, Superman found out he had a kid he didn’t know about. What?

Now the new movie is here and it was going along smashingly, literally, until the end when, well, let’s come back to that in a moment.

3 Things That Could’ve Been Done Better In Man of Steel

1. Minor Characters

The lack of minor character development is noticeable, especially as it concerns Perry White and The Daily Planet crowd (and the complete absence of Jimmy Olsen). And if they were going to have Supes and Lois Lane making out they could have done more to develop that romantic relationship. I guess they went The Princess Bride rules and skipped the kissy parts because a massive segment of their target audience is teenage boys.

2. Some more happiness and humor

Where’s the joy? I figured this film wouldn’t be a laugh riot since Christopher Nolan was basically doing the Superman version of Batman Begins, but how about a bit of happiness eh? Man of Steel is a gritty, edgy story of Superman’s origins–both on Krypton and Earth–sans humor, especially the campy kind.

Clark Kent has always been such a charming klutz which is one of the reasons I could always relate to him. I was never a broody rich kid/man like Bruce Wayne, but I understood what it was like to be a goofy writer like Clark and always hoped that I was secretly awesome too.

But this isn’t a movie about Clark Kent at all, let alone as we know him.

And here is where I’m realizing how much of my love for Superman has always been as much about The Daily Planet Clark as the man of steel.

I don’t need phone booths on every block, but I want to see Clark act like a bumbling “golly, aw shucks” fool to explain away how he always misses out on the action.

3. That inescapable, shocking moment at the end

Critics can never decide whether story canon has been messed with too much or not creatively altered enough. This question looms large on the heels of the most recent Star Trek film, for example. As my friend JR. Forasteros says:

“Change is good. Telling new stories is good. But you can go to far. At some point, you change a story too much. At some point, it’s no longer recognizable as the character you know and love.”

[Check out the rest of his review.]

Superman Returns tried to be an homage to the original Donner films but failed, mostly because Superman should not have a kid and Lois Lane should not be Kate Bosworth. Also, strongmen haven’t worn their underpants on the outside for fifty years.

Superman has always fought for truth, justice, and the American way. If that’s true, what does a grittier, modernized version say about our current perspectives of those values?

In a review titled Grim, Violent Man of Steel Sells Superman’s Soul for Spectacle, Wired.com’s Rachel Edidan says that Superman shouldn’t be gritted up like other superheroes because then:

“…he stops being Superman in any of the ways that matter.

Superman is about hope. In the wrong hands, that casts him as bland; in the right hands, it’s a powerful and poignant statement about what heroism can and should mean. Superman’s all about finding—or, in its absence, being—the light in the darkness. He’s the hero the other heroes look up to, not for his superior power set but for his unflagging decency and compassion.”

Muddy up Iron Man or the Batman if you must, but Superman? Some things just can’t be.

Personally, I felt strongly the meekness of this messianic character in multiple scenes during which he turned the other cheek. His inner conflict burned. Even the big bad guy Zod describes Superman’s morality and love for humans as the ultimate weakness. Zod believes he is more evolved because he has escaped the archaic stabs of being morally conflicted.

But then Superman killed a guy.

It’s a stunning moment that continues to sink in for me and leaves a sense of loss in it’s wake. Yes, Superman wins but at a cost we’re not accustomed to experiencing. I’ll never articulate all this as well as someone like JR., so do check out his review Why Man of Steel isn’t a Superman Story.

Man Of Steel presents a new Superman for a jaded planet. What does this say about us? Should we be okay with the answers?

That said, at least two of these three issues can potentially be reevaluated after the next film. There’s really no taking back that Superman executed Zod, but the film leaves off with Clark taking on his role at The Daily Planet and hopefully foreshadowing more of the character and his friends we’ve always loved.

I really enjoyed Man of Steel and will be seeing it in theaters again, but this version raises major questions about who Superman is, and I’m not sure I can make an ultimate judgment on this film until I see the sequel.

What do you think about Man of Steel?

To hear me discuss Man of Steel, check out my StoryMen podcast!

I started writing my review for Man of Steel the morning after catching the first midnight showing available. I wrote and rewrote. I edited, revised, and mostly rethought.

Any fan of Superman will think about this film. A lot. Good or bad, it definitely resonates.

I’ll divide my thoughts into two parts. Here are 5 things I really liked about the film:

1. Superman’s awesomeness–I don’t care who dons the cape, I geek out like a 5-year-old when Superman starts punching stuff and saving people. And he is very active in this one! I read a number of reviews apparently written by Dana Carvey’s grumpy old man character from Saturday Night Live because  why is there so much action? Um, it’s a summer action blockbuster. Yes, the final battle was filled with gobs of destruction as building after skyscraper was pummeled all across Metropolis.
2. Krypton–The early scenes on the home planet showing Kal-el’s world in it’s dying moments are gripping and well shot. You could do an entire movie on the prequel to the origin story. I felt the pain of sacrifice of Kal-el’s parents in just the first fifteen minutes and was riveted by the choices they had to make.
3. Young Clark Kent–The classroom scene of Clark trying to figure out his powers was great and used later on in a climactic battle with General Zod. Teenager Clark was pretty cool too and they even dropped a quick mention of Lana Lang in on the bus scene.
4. Death of Jonathan Kent–In prior renditions Clark had no power to stop the heart attack that took his earthly father. This time he makes a choice in the matter, obeying his dad in order to protect his secret so that their lives will not be upended by an obsessive and unforgiving society. Say what you will about Clark’s decision to stand by, that scene looks incredible.
5. Themes–I love the themes the movie plays with of hope and redemption which is nothing new for Superman. It’s a pretty obvious picture of a father sending his son to another world. Clark’s father tells him that he has another father out there in the universe and that and that we all have to discover our reason.

I’ve read gobs of reviews for Man of Steel, and they are wide-ranging to be sure. Here’s a summation from Kofi Outlaw of Screenrant:

Like Nolan and Christian Bale’s first Batman outing, Snyder and Cavill’s first crack at Superman isn’t a homerun (we’ll call it a triple), but having succeeded in re-introducing the franchise to the masses; crafting a satisfying summer blockbuster; melding real-world sensibility with sci-fi fantasy (better than Green Lantern ever did) AND leaving the door open for an entire DC superhero universe to follow behind it, Man of Steel has more than earned its keep, and deserves to be THE iconic Superman movie for a whole new generation. (Sorry, Bryan Singer…)

…And, if the Batman franchise is anything to judge by, imperfections will be corrected and the best is still yet to come with the inevitable Man of Steel 2.

Not everyone agrees that those imperfections can be corrected, but I’m hopeful. Isn’t that what Superman is all about after all? But we need to talk about what’s wrong with Man of Steel, so check out the second half of my review at the following link.

3 Ways Man of Steel Should Have Been Different

Did you see Man of Steel?

What did you think?

Here’s The Till for the week of June 9 – June 15 2013

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Floss for your brain

50 Common Misquotations–In case you don’t know what Mental Floss is or who John Green is, well, here’s a sampling. Mental Floss is a hub for the random and interesting, like a super fun pool in the Caribbean where the synapses of my brain can leap and frolic. And John Green is basically the best vlogger in the world these days.

Sweet new vlog post

Pilgrims, Puritans, & Early English Settlers–USA History Guy

Do you know someone studying history in school? While these videos are for anyone they will be extra helpful to students. Here’s one on how the pilgrims and puritans were actually different from each other and from other English explorers who sailed for the king but ended up in a desperate way.

Mini movie review of what I watched this week

• Warm Bodies (2013)–As someone who wrote a book about zombies in culture, what it means to be dead in a spiritual sense, and how we can come back to life, I was obligated to see Warm Bodies when it first came out. I just watched it again and will be posting a new article about it soon. Still love the film. The blu-ray has all the extras a guy like me loves.
• Suspicion (1941)–Just watched this second North American release by one Alfred Hitchcock starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. The latter is the only actor to ever win an Academy Award for Hitch. Review and more coming in a couple weeks via Classic Cinephiles.

Book I read this week

• The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton–I’ve known Chesterton’s name as a brilliant and oft-quoted Christian thinker who lived until the 1930s. I had never read any of his fiction until now and this novel is interesting. Chesterton certainly influenced C.S. Lewis. And if you’re looking for a contemporary voice able to use creative fiction to examine human nature and spirituality please check out my friend Matt Mikalatos.

Funny columnist from the South

The Hand That Assembles the Cradle–My friend Chad Gibbs has a new baby and a new humor column for the Opelika-Auburn News. Chad is an awesome guy who also writes books. Here’s the latest entry of his weekly column.

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What is the best thing you’ve seen on the web this week?

Looking for a speaker for your next group event? Check out my Speaking Page for more info.

Time for Classic Cinephiles with Melissa Tagg and yours truly. This week we’re chatting about Some Like It Hot which stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and the amazing Jack Lemmon.

The American Film Institute considers this movie, directed by Billy Wilder, to be the greatest comedy of all-time. I disagree but did only recently watch the film for the first time ever.

Since I’ve already introduced Melissa and this new series called Classic Cinephiles, let’s get right to the conversation. I hope you’ll chime in too.

(We had a bit of echo-y audio since it’s still early but already have that ironed out in video three).

What do you think is the funniest movie of all time?

Have you ever seen Some Like It Hot?

Classic Cinephiles is a regular feature in which we revisit/introduce classic movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Catch up on all the movies we’ve talked about by visiting the Official Classic Cinephiles Page.

We at The StoryMen LOVE our Star Trek and have been anxiously awaiting the new film Into Darkness which released a couple weeks back. So we thought we would dedicate an entire episode to all things Trek.

We cover everything from the original series that launched a thousand ships through some of the modern variations. Turns out we each have plenty of memories related to this franchise of our youth. Do you?

Check out this episode and tell us about your connection to Star Trek in the comments over at our StoryMen webiste. We held off on reviewing the new movie and spoilers until later in the episode so you can listen to most of the podcast if you still haven’t seen Into Darkness. Just follow this link and boldly go where… just kidding (about the catchphrase, not the link).

The StoryMen episode 18: StoryMen Into Darkness

Connect with the StoryMen in two simple ways.

1. Rate & Subscribe on iTunes.
2. Like the Storymen Facebook page.

Good news for those of you with Halloween costumes of Sully and Mike stored in your attic because this prequel is sure to bring the lovable monsters (voice by John Goodman and Billy Crystal) back to prominence.

You really should check out the official movie website which is super creative and detailed, not to mention a great example for storytellers about crafting a fiction world. They even have an MU events calendar loaded with items like movie night for “Screaming In The Rain.” Fun stuff.

What do you think?

Trailer Gold or Trailer Trash?

How do you rate Monsters University?

SKIP IT, RENT IT, or SEE IT IN THEATERS?

Check out all the films we’ve sneak peeked at the Movie Trailer Mine.

Here’s The Till for the week of June 2 – June 8 2013

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Amazing Star Trek middle school musical

I would see this.

Miniature movie review of the week

• Iron Man 3 (2013)–When I saw the first Iron Man I thought it was okay, better than the Hulk (what isn’t?) but not as good as any of the other Marvel superhero movies. Iron Man 2 was, I don’t know, something. So I was pleased with how great Iron Man 3 was. Just awesome. Downey is really on fire lately as an actor. This film balanced comedy and dark adventure in a way I have not seen handled so well. Definitely one to own.

This week I read…

• The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan–A few weeks back two different people told me how fun this book was, and since I like to know all the good YA fiction out there I jumped on it. It’s similar to Harry Potter but with Greek mythology in place of wizardry. Fun story and distinct characters. I can see how this would be fun to read to your kids, although I didn’t tear through it as eagerly as some other books classified as young adult. I’ll likely track down the movie version later this summer and see if it’s any good.

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What is the best thing you’ve seen on the web this week?

Looking for a speaker for your next group event? Check out my Speaking Page for more info.

It is an event we should never forget.

Like most people, I first learned about Dick Winters from Band of Brothers, for my money one of the greatest movies/series ever put on film. He was one of many heroes during World War II although he would never call himself that.

Mr. Winters died in 2011. On this day last year he was honored with a statue near the village of Saint-Marie du Mont in France.

CBS This Morning paid tribute to the man last year and featured a couple of other notable individuals including one of the men who served with Winters and a remarkable young man who raised a lot of money to make the statue happen.

If you would like to learn more about Winters and his 101st Airborne Division I really can’t recommend Band of Brothers* enough.

I can also recommend Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memories of Major Dick Winters which I read a couple years ago, shortly before his death.

What these men did was important. You can say without hyperbole that they saved the world, and that deserves our undying recognition.

Do you know anyone who served in Europe during World War II?

*I featured the series in my first ever Hollywood Existential.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this comic duo. Vaughn and Wilson teamed up for The Wedding Crashers eight years ago. When I first saw the teaser for this film a while back I had a ‘Meh’ feeling. Then I saw this extended trailer in the theater and my curiosity increased.

I think Vaughn and Wilson will be funny and the supporting cast looks good. Check it out.

What do you think?

Trailer Gold or Trailer Trash?

How do you rate The Internship?

SKIP IT, RENT IT, or SEE IT IN THEATERS?

Check out all the films we’ve sneak peeked at the Movie Trailer Mine.