Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Well, first of all, it’s been nearly two years since I have posted to the blog, here. And the reason that I’ve come back is I saw a movie today that the whole world is crapping on, and while I’m not the one to stand up and defend it completely; I am here to explain why I enjoyed it.

It’s been nearly three years since MAN OF STEEL, the first film in the burgeoning DC Cinematic Universe, appeared and while my review of that movie was fairly positive, in the time since, I have grown to have major issues with the portrayal of Superman in this new form. I still hold it’s not the destruction or even the fact that Superman kills which bothers me. It’s instead the personification of the character. His principles and the choices he’s made growing up – and from that, the principles that his adoptive (human) parents instilled within him. I think it’s a legitimate concern about an alien child falling into the Kansas top-soil, and fear of what our governments, and sects of fanaticism would do with that knowledge. But, the issue comes from how Pa Kent (as played by Kevin Costner) instilled Clark with the perspective that in order to keep his secret, he should be willing to let people die. He shouldn’t try to save everyone. In fact, in Man of Steel, there’s a continued idea of Kal-El being a god. His Kryptonian father says as much, Pa Kent thinks so. And it becomes one of the repeated, basic tenets of BATMAN v. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. Is there actually a god if aliens, and specifically Superman, exists; and if so, is Superman god? It’s a good question, and I feel like it works as a plot-thread throughout Batman v. Superman.

Just a warning, there aren’t any major spoilers in the rest of the review, but I do discuss aspects containing the plot. So, if you want to remain untainted, tread carefully.

A New Short Film & A Serious Change

 

Hello, readers and long-neglected friends. It’s been a while, hasn’t it. I’ll be honest, what’s happened is I’ve fallen out of love with writing reviews of movies, and I haven’t had anything else to really blog about over the last months.

Well, that’s all changed with my new short film, Theoxenia! I’m blogging again, I’m running a Kickstarter campaign (here, if you please: http://kck.st/1lAahzH), and I’m revving to go. The only thing is, I’ve also decided to do that on my portfolio website, http://muthmedia.com – where I will be blogging from now on. 

Poster for new short film: THE TOUR

Just a tease of my new short film, shot on location (shhh) on The National Mall, in Washington, D.C. It’s a little romantic comedy-ish, look at two people that wind up in a romantic situation, despite possibly not being able to follow through on it…

Should be releasing it in November. Stay Tuned.

Bring Me The Bone Saw | ELYSIUM

Neill Blomkamp made the best sci-fi movie of 2009. A year not wanting for sci-fi fare. AVATAR, STAR TREK, MOON, and THE BOX, having all made waves in one way or another.  But, for me, DISTRICT 9 gave us a new face, and model in science-fiction. So, it was with much anticipation I looked forward to the new movie starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copley.

Overall, I definitely feel Elysium is a lesser movie than District 9. There was a rawness, and an acceptance to using their limited resources to the absolute limit. And the one thing that makes it stand above Elysium is the fact that it’s set in a “real world,” where characters aren’t predetermined to be heroes.

MAN OF STEEL

Hey all, I’ve been working on posts for movies that I wanted to review, but honestly, nothing has really inspired me to press the “publish” button. Let alone go back through everything to edit and clean it all up. So, you’ll probably never see my reviews of IRON MAN 3 (liked it), FAST 6 (eh..major issues), or AFTER EARTH (liked OBLIVION better, but thought it was Shyamalan’s best in a while).

But, today brings the movie that (hopefully) has inspired such confidence. MAN OF STEEL, the reinterpretation of Superman by the guys (and gals) that brought us the newest BATMAN movies. Added to the mix is Zack Snyder, the man behind such comic book adaptations like WATCHMEN and 300. Whatever you may think of them. I like them, for the most part… And that really leads straight into Man of Steel. I liked it for the most part. Didn’t love it. Didn’t think it was great. There were some fun moments that I really liked, and then there were others that were really dumb. 

Crowdfunding For You And Me

Full Disclosure: As you might see from the image, I am indeed a backer of Braff’s Kickstarter campaign. I have excuses and reasons. But, I also have to say, I did not back the Veronica Mars one. And have contributed to other campaigns as well.

It’s amazing how many Facebook posts I’m seeing today talking about Kickstarter. And how people believe famous – or established professionals – shouldn’t be using it. And it’s getting a little bothersome. So, naturally, I have to weigh in, because… I want to.

SPIN CYCLE – A Short Film

November? Really, it’s been that long since I posted anything? And it’s almost May. Well, fortunately I’m back with something new, and hopefully fun. That new thing is a short film. Shot in one day, with a crew of seven people (including me, and the two main actors). Granted, I’ve worked with crews that small before, but, so far this was the most successful effort with me at the helm.

With that said, I wanted to do a walk-through of what it took to make the movie. From idea conception to what I’m doing with it now. There’s some techno-babble in there for those of you that care, and hopefully it’s interesting enough for those that don’t.

Was That Meant For Me? | SKYFALL

Well, hello there. Been a while. Well, let’s not get all teary-eyed and get straight to business, shall we? And that business today is Bond. (Bet you thought I was going to then say, “James Bond,” didn’t you?) In particular, the new Bond movie Skyfall. What is possibly the last 007 movie with Daniel Craig as the lead character, in a weird way, brings the entire franchise full-circle and closes the loop.

Let’s Set This B!tch On Fire | PROMETHEUS

Hey there. Long time no… read? Been busy, okay, actually been really lazy. Beyond that there just haven’t been any movies post-AVENGERS that I’ve felt the need to write about. And then comes Ridley Scott’s new movie, PROMETHEUS. I haven’t read all the reviews, or all the “see what you missed” or “what did ____ mean”, so I might be a little behind. So I’m going to keep this brief, and also venture into those dreaded things we call SPOILERS.

So watch out!

AVENGERS Assemble!

Let’s just get this out of the way, right now. I loved THE AVENGERS. I’d put it right up there with the first IRON MAN movie, the second SPIDER-MAN and X-MEN movies. It packed everything into it that this kid who grew up as a Marvel Comics fan could hope for. And just like any of you that are intimately familiar with the source material, you’re bound to walk in looking to love what Joss Whedon has done with these characters, and walk back out gushing about all the brilliant things he did right.