Man of Steel

Spanks – 5

Director – Zack Snyder

Writer – David S. Goyer

Starring – Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburn & Russell Crowe

Release Date – 14 June 2013

MPAA Rating – PG-13

Run time – 143 Minutes

Man of Steel is a cool movie. It is a summer tent-pole so it is full of action and destruction but they put the story together very well. It is the origin story so Superman, but they did it a lot different then any of the Superman tv shows and movies that have come before. The story is told with flashbacks in the similar way of Batman Begins. The movie also tells a lot more about Krypton then in previous versions.

Everyone in America knows that Superman comes from the Planet Krypton and is believed to be the last of his kind. There is is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent who raise him. When he grows up, he moves to Metropolis and meets Lois Lane, Perry White and the rest of the gang at the Daily Planet. That stays true with this film, with a few changes or new details to get there.

I was disappointed in the obvious product placement in the movie. IHOP isn’t that big that Superman would be involved with damaging two restaurants and that fighting Zod would conveniently happen right out front of a Sears and a 7-11 gas station. The movie had a lot of collateral damage, and it was later brought to my attention that Superman normally respects peoples property and trys to save them, not have buildings fall on top of them.

Man of Steel has a lot of action which I loved, but my girlfriend wasn’t a big fan of that so I have to stay that it is truly a guy movie. I liked that Lois Lane wasn’t just a damsel in distress and was helpful. I am looking forward to this new chapter of Superman and hopefully the Justice League.

This is the End

Spanks – 5

Directors – Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen

Writers – Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen

Starring – James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride & Craig Robinson

Release Date – 12 June 2013

MPAA Rating – R

Run time – 107 Minutes

This is the End is the funniest movie of the year so far. The movie is a comedic take of the apocalypse. It is based off of the short film Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse“. The movie starts like it is a regular day in Los Angeles. Jay is in town and is staying with Seth. They end up going to a party at James Franco’s house even though Jay wants to say in. At the party is a group of actors and comics hanging out and having a good time. The good time is short lived because of the apocalypse. In the movie, the actors play exaggerated versions of themselves (at least I hope its exaggerated).

The movie has a lot of cameos. More than any other movie. Emma Watson and Michael Cera have the best of all the cameos.

I laughed throughout the whole movie. It is the normal Seth Rogen type of humor with bad language, toilet humor, and all. That type of humor doesn’t always work, but in this movie it works great. If you want a movie to just sit back and relax and laugh… go see This is the End.

World War Z

Spanks – 5

Director – Marc Forster

Writers – Matthew Michael Carnahan and Drew Goddard & Damon Lindelof

Starring – Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale & Ludi Boeken

Release Date – 21 June 2013

MPAA Rating – PG-13

Run time – 116 Minutes

I went into the theater not knowing what to expect from World War Z. I wanted to see it from the time i heard about it and through all the productions issues. I figured it would be a basic zombie movie with lots of zombies just eating people. It turns out, it was much more than that. The movie was much more plot driven then I could ever have imagined with just enough zombie action. There is a lot about how countries around the world are fighting the outbreak. It isn’t just one group of people trying to survive like a traditional zombie flick.

The film follows Gerry Lane who quit his job as a UN investigator to be with his family. They get caught in a traffic jam when the zombie outbreak begins. Gerry and his family are saved by Gerry’s friend who is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Gerry then must work with the UN in order to figure out how to stop the zombies in a mission that takes him all over the globe.

The zombies of World War Z move a lot faster then zombies in other movies. The make up crew gave them a cool look as well. The third act of the film was rewritten and re-shot after the original production ended because of issues. Thee new ending is awesome and was probably the right thing to do. World War Z is worth seeing, and you will be entertained by the movie and surprised by how plot driven a zombie movie is.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Spanks – 5

Director – J.J. Abrams

Writers – Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof

Starring – Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller & Alice Eve

Release Date – 16 May 2013

MPAA Rating – PG-13

Run time – 132 Minutes

Star Trek Into Darkness seems to takes place not long after the events in Star Trek. It begins with the crew of the Enterprise on the planet Nibiru. There Captain Kirk break the Prime Directive. After that Kirk is demoted, but a terrorist attack on a Starfleet installation in London changes that. Kirk and his crew are then ordered to capture the terrorist responsible.

The movie keeps the franchise going in the right direction. It has plenty of action, mixed with some comedy. The film makes little nods to what has came before, but if you didn’t know that you will not be lost. The story is great and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I know a lot of Trekkies aren’t happy with the new series. I am a fan of the shows and films that have been made, but these movies are the right direction to allow Star Trek to “boldly go where no man has gone before.” I hope J.J Abrams and his crew can do the same for Star Wars in two years. I am also looking forward to Star Trek 3 (or 12).

Iron Man 3

Spanks – 5

Director – Shane Black

Writers – Drew Pearce & Shane Black

Starring – Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau & Ben Kingsley

Release Date – 3 May 2013

MPAA Rating – PG-13

Run time – 130 Minutes

Iron Man 3 blows the second entry of the franchise away. I didn’t know what to expect when Marvel changed directors because that doesn’t always go so well. Shane Black brought new life to Tony Stark and made a terrific film to wrap up the first (?) Iron Man trilogy.

The film takes place a few months after the events in The Avengers. Pepper Potts is still running Stark Industries. Tony Stark has been at his home fighting panic attacks and has been just building different Iron Man suits. A villain called the Mandarin has been terrorizing the entire world. Now Tony Stark must get over his problems and become Iron man once again.

The film is much more story driven then most comic book movies. The filmmakers tell a story that focuses more on Tony Stark than the previous two films. This is not a bad thing and it works well, probably because of the acting of Robert Downey Jr. and the terrific writing of screenwriters. The movie still has plenty of action scenes to get your fix of Iron Man. The action scene with Air Force One is best one of the movie. The villain of the film is the best of the trilogy. Iron Man 3 has all the elements needed for a great film.