BrewBlog

Superman Review (no spoilers)

The following is a review of Superman written by my good friend Don Crandall.  He's the man when it comes to reviews so I thought I would share.  I have yet to see the film but I plan to eventually.  Enjoy...

SUPERMAN IS BACK, SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

So I was so excited about this one, the "big one" for me this year. Seeing that Bryan Singer "sequelized" the old films, rather than made a "remake" or "reinvention," this was big news for me. Superman the Movie is Dombles’ #8 fave film, and Superman II is #11. The great news is, yes, this is very much a sequel to Superman II (you just have to "go with it" that they’re all new actors, and 25 years later in the world.) I’m thrilled that much of the art direction is the same (esp. the Krypton stuff) and the characterizations are exactly in tune with what Donner & the Salkinds did in the old films. Best of all is the frequent usage of John Williams’ genius score and the many variations of our old beloved themes. If you’re a film score buff, get out there & pick up the CD right now! The opening credits may give you chills, and certainly a feeling of great nostalgia.

So how is the actual movie? Fear not, it’s good. Not in the league of Superman I or (even despite its Richard Lester faults) Superman II, but it’s enjoyable from start to finish. Brandon Routh is a great Man of Steel and a good Clark Kent. Bosworth is fine as Lois, but didn’t overwhelm me. Spacey is a terrific actor, but maybe it was the writing or directing here, it just didn’t seem to ever reach its potential. Still, Spacey has a lotta presence, and is nice to watch him in the iconic role.

The story is a dark chapter in Supes’ & Lois’ life, hence, I think, the somewhat dark look & tone of the film. Admittedly, it’s a wee bit serious & somber to be the joyous ride the first 2 Superman films were. It’s a bit anticlimactic as well. And Singer’s sometimes almost lethargic pacing made me recall just why X-Men 1 & 2 weren’t perfect films. But there’s plenty of coolness here & there, and so much for superfans of the old Reeve films to keep it fascinating. Is this a problem, I wonder, with this film being so reliant on the specifics of the old films, that the young generation(s) of viewers might be scratching their heads at times? Two elements are so dependant of having seen the first 2 films. One is the Kryptonian crystals and the other is... well, this is a spoiler-free review, but try to remember back to Superman II, and one of the unique events to the Superman lore that occurred in the film.

I had to give this film kudos for catoring (hopefully not exclusively) to us 30 & 40-something fans of the Reeve films. There’s a lotta love on the screen, and Singer knows & loves the material. Not quite a joy to behold, but we finally get a proper continuation of Superman I & II’s terrific storyline, which, like the best Star Trek movies, really shakes up the mythology and takes it to a new level. And it’s a very good film in its own right. "Better than Batman Begins?" Maybe not quite, but I’m more a Supes fan than the Bat, so I liked it more.

Plus, if yer lucky, you’ll see the new Spider-man 3 trailer before the film!

Don Crandall

Batman Begins

Batman Begins was really good.  I just caught it on PPV this past week and was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was.  I'm late on the draw in seeing it so I'm a little bummed to not see it on the big screen.  Nolan was on the mark in my opinion.  The cast was strong.  The story was probably the biggest surprise in that the origin was thorough and easy to connect with.  Of course the effects and sets were top notch but I was expecting that.  The whole thing worked really well together.  Let's have another one like this!

Sandman

Link: Coming Soon! - Latest News.

During an interview this weekend promoting Elizabethtown, Kirsten Dunst confirmed rumors to Zap2it that Thomas Haden Church will play Sandman and Topher Grace is Venom in director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, opening in theaters on May 4, 2007. "We have really great people though as the villains in this film, Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace -- Venom and Sandman," said Dunst, who plays Mary Jane Watson in the Spidey films. "Maybe I wasn't supposed to say that," she added before reversing her claim. "It's the other way around. You're right," she conceded to a journalist.

I'm not a huge Spiderman fan or anything but I do enjoy the movies and had a bunch of comic books when I was kid.  Anyone that read the comic books back in the day likely had a favorite villain.  When these big comic movies come out (Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Batman, etc.) the first thing that comes to mind is who the villain is going to be.  For Spiderman, I was excited about Dr. Octopus because he was my favorite Spiderman villain.  Another villain I really liked as a kid was Sandman.  So, I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with Sandman.  We'll see next year.

Monday Mumblings

Monday, Monday, Monday...

At least I had a long weekend.  Allison and I went to Shasta to visit her family.  It's beautiful there.  It was almost as hot there as it was at home, 90+ degrees. 

Looking forward to getting the new Pennywise CD tomorrow, entitled "Fuse".  All new music comes out on Tuesday; something to look forward to on some weeks.  Nothing like getting new music.  We'll see if this one is any good.

Have you noticed that there are more and more re-releases of CDs and DVDs with additional content added?  This growing trend drives me crazy!  An avid fan, or even casual fan, will buy something when it first comes out because we can't wait to get our grubby hands on it.  You enjoy it for a while (hopefully) and that's that.  Then, months later, the same CD or DVD gets released again with "bonus tracks" or "Director's cut" or whatever.  So now, for me to get the extra songs or bonus footage, I'm supposed to buy it again?  Sucks.  But  I'll buy it anyway, sometimes.

Interesting how recreational drugs are becoming legit candidates for certain illnesses:  'Ecstasy' Drug May Yield New Parkinson's Drugs

NASA has released the first ever podcast from space.  How cool is that?

Saw Wedding Crashers this weekend.  I wish I hadn't heard as much as I did about it.  There seemed to be quite a bit of hype about how hilarious it was, which made me expect a little more.  But, it was really funny and I'd say a for sure rental.  If you like Owen Wilson and/or Vince Vaughn, it's a no brainer about seeing it in the theater.  Vince Vaughn was great and I'm liking him more and more.

Our cat, Barley, woke us up nice and early this morning with some crazy death cry.  We both immediately thought the cat was a goner for sure but it was practically nothing.  The neighbor's cat was in our backyard and was looking at Barley through the sliding door.  Somehow, that warrants a screeching sound I won't soon forget.  Looks like more Prozac for Barley may be on the horizon.

On a sad note, the passing of Peter Jennings is yet another blow to my generation (and other generations as well).  First it was Alec Guinness a few years ago.  Then, John Rutter's passing was sad and unexpected.  Very recently, James Doohan died too.  As I get older, it's sad to see some of the inevitable passing of our television and film heroes.

Hang in there fellow nine-to-fivers and have a good week...