Man of Steel (2013)

 

Man of Steel marked the start of what would become known as the DCEU (or DC Extended Universe). This was an attempt by Warner Brothers to create a connected universe for the DC heroes similar to the MCU for Marvel. Yet despite this being the start of a cinematic universe, plans for the movie began during the making of another DC Comics film. That other DC comics film was The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Though Warner Brothers had begun pitching ideas for a new live-action Superman in June 2008, it was during story conferences for that Batman movie that writer David S. Goyer (a writer on that movie) proposed his idea for a Superman movie. Chrisopher Nolan (who directed The Dark Knight Rises) was immediately taken with Goyer's proposed story and personally pitched the idea to Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers was also very impressed and greenlighted the movie. Due to the success of The Dark Knight trilogy and Nolan's interest in the story, Nolan was placed as producer for the new movie and Goyer was made one of the writers.

Finding the director for the movie was not as easy.  Guillermo Del Toro was offered the assignment (I would love to see a Guillermo Del Torro Superman movie) but declined because he was occupied with a film adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness (a movie that would end up being made). Robert Zemeckis also declined an offer to direct. Other directors considered included Ben Affleck (who would later play Batman in the DCEU (he declined the offer because he had never directed a film with so many effects)), Darren Aronofsky (director of Pi (1998), Black Swan (2010), Mother! (2017) and The Whale (2022)) Tony Scott (director of such movies as Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Days of Thunder (1990)). Zach Synder (who had previously directed the DC film, Watchmen (2009)) was placed in the director's chair in October 2010. 

British actor Henry Cavill was cast as Superman. This however was not the first time he tried for this role. He had auditioned for the role of Superman in the early stages of Superman Returns (2006) but was denied the role. About receiving this role the actor would state, "It felt pretty incredible, actually. I’m not going to lie. You put it on, and you think okay, this is day one of work — day one of being Superman, and you’ve got a whole crew here who are invested in making a Superman movie. I was all wrapped up in this very sticky waterproof black cape thing, so no paparazzi could get shots or anything like that. And it was roasting hot, it was over 100 degrees in Chicago. And it’s that moment of going, 'This is me, unveiling myself as Superman to the crew.' And there was a slight aspect of nerves, but it was more about excitement. People weren’t waiting to judge — everyone is sitting there rubbing their hands together with glee, going, 'We finally get to see what we’re creating here!' It was an incredible feeling, wearing the suit, after all the work I’d done and everyone else had done in putting the suit together. It just felt like the right moment. It felt bang on. Really exciting." Cavill has a naturally hairy chest and personally decided he wanted to keep the hair for this film. Being a comics nerd himself, he pointed out that Superman had chest hair in The Death of Superman storyline. Still, he stated the hardest scenes for him where the one's where he appeared shirtless. He refused to either take performance-enhancing drugs or having the special effects team touch him up, meaning he had to look muscular enough for people to believe him as Superman without any aid for these scenes. 

This movie retells the origin story of Superman. This is the story of how he came to Earth, was raised by the Kents and how he learned to control his powers. He feels he must hide his powers because people might fear him and therefore keeps a low profile. However, when the evil General Zid arrives on Earth and wants to destroy humanity, he must use these powers to protect the world he calls home. 

Despite its flaws, Man of Steel was a pretty strong start to the DCEU. There is a lot that I personally really like about this movie. I love its depiction of the planet Krypton. Instead of just making it feel like a futuristic Earth (in the vein of The Jetsons), the filmmakers really made Krypton feel like a completely different world. The filmmakers also try to make Earth feel more realistic and less fantastical than in previous Superman movies. This makes the contrast between Krypton and Earth very effective. I also loved the way that this movie handled the scenes where a young Clark Kent discovers his powers. This movie delves into how he cannot yet understand or control his powers. Honestly, as much as any of us would like to be Superman the discovery of these powers would be terrifying. This film makes us feel these moments of fear and panic placing us into the shoes of young Clark Kent. This movie also benefits from some great special effects and very exciting action sequences. General Zod may not be a complex character but honestly that has always been part of his charm. His is simply evil and with the same powers as Superman, he is a great threat. He fills this job very well here. 

The casting in this movie is near perfect. Henry Cavill is a wonderful Superman. Not only does he perfectly look the part, but he definitely has the acting chops to pull it off. While Amy Adams may not be as memorable as Lois Lane as Noel Neill or Margert Kidder, she does quite a good job as a determined young reporter. Russell Crowe is very good as Jor-El (Superman's birth father) commanding the screen whenever he is on. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are very charismatic as Ma and Pa Kent. Michael Shannon is believable threatening and evil as General Zod. 

This movie definitely does have its flaws though. The largest of these flaws is the depiction of Pa Kent. Despite a great performance by Kevin Costner, the way this character is written feels off. It is one thing to think his son should keep his powers a secret, but he takes it to too large of an extreme. Once when young Clark asks "What was I supposed to do? Just let them die," Pa has the nerve to respond, "Maybe; but there's more at stake here than our lives or the lives of those around us. When the world... When the world finds out what you can do, it's gonna change everything; our... our beliefs, our notions of what it means to be human... everything. You saw how Pete's mom reacted, right? She was scared, Clark." I'm sorry but saying that he did wrong by saving innocent kids from drowning because people might be scared is ludicrous. This is a horrible lesson to teach young Clark and that makes this feel like a compete character assassination. This is a character that is supposed to feel like a moral guide to our hero and to have him state something so morally wrong hurts the movie. I also felt that there was no romantic chemistry between Superman and Lois Lane. When we see them kissing in one scene, it seems to come out of nowhere.

 However, while these flaws really hurt the movie, what is done well is excellent. So even with some major flaws, I still love this film. 

The movie was a box office success. It became the fourth highest grossing movie of 2013 (the top three were Iron Man 3 (2013), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) and Despicable Me 2 (2013)). Critics were split on this film. Some felt that it was an exciting and intelligent take on the classic superhero. Others felt that this movie was long on spectacle and low on story and characterization. Roger Ebert (who included Superman: The Movie (1978) in his famous list of Great Movies) gave the film three out of four stories, feeling that it started off very strong but lost momentum along the way. Audiences remain just as split on this movie. Some feel it is one of the best Superman movies, while others feel this is a betrayal of everything Superman stands for. 

Resources Used

Warner Bros. 100 Years of Storytelling by Mark A. Vieira

https://entertainmentnow.com/news/the-man-of-steel-top-10-facts-you-need-to-know-superman-2013-movie/

https://screenrant.com/man-of-steel-interesting-behind-scenes-details/

Movie Review: Becoming Led Zeppelin

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A really fun documentary about the early years of the famous rock band. 

The main reason to see this movie is the various concert clips from the band's early days. It is rare to see footage of the band this early in their career, making this a real treasure for rock and roll fans. It is also simply wonderful to see such a great band in their prime. There is never a bad time to listen to Led Zeppelin and their musical performances here are rock and roll music at its best. I am so glad this film got released in IMAX as this helped give us the feeling that we truly traveled back in time to experience a Led Zeppelin concert. For those of us who were born too late to experience Led Zeppelin (in their original lineup) in concert, this is the closest we will ever come and for that I am grateful this movie exists. This movie also benefits from being able to hear the story from the band members. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones all appear onscreen to discuss the early years of the band. There is even archival audio from John Bonham (who passed in 1980) talking about his years with the band. This allows us to feel like we are experiencing these years of discovery with them. 

What keeps this from being as great of a documentary as it should have been is that it is not especially informative. Those who are familiar with the band will not learn much from this film. Even newcomers will only learn the basics of the history of this band. 

Though this film could have been much more informative, the concert footage and presence of the original band members make this a sheer delight for rock and roll fans. 

House of Hanna-Barbera

 

I am assuming that most of my readers are fans of the classic Hanna-Barbera TV cartoons. These are some of the cleverest and most fun cartoons ever made for television and still hold up perfectly today. The characters and catchphrases still constantly live in us cartoon lovers. 

Well good news my fellow Hanna-Barbera lovers, more Hanna-Barbera classics are coming back to TV. Coming to the wonderful METV Toons (one of the favorite TV channels of any true cartoon lover) is a new block entitled House of Hanna-Barbera. This block is three hours of classic TV cartoon shorts staring our favorite Hanna-Barbera characters. Included in this line up are Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss, Punkin' Puss & Mushmouse, Secret Squirrel, Atom Ant, Touche Turtle, Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har, Winnie Witch, Pixie Dixie and Mr. Jinks, Wally Gator, Hokey Wolf, Yakky Doodle, Magalia Gorilla, (Ping-Ping-Ping) Ricochet Rabbit, Squidly Diddly, Peter Potamus, Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey, Breezly and Sneezly, Precious Pup and The Hillbilly Bears as well as the theatrically released Loopy de Loop shorts. 

This program will have a prime time premiere on February 16th. After that it will play every weekday at 11am and Sunday at 1pm. 

Superman Returns (2006)

 

This movie was a long time coming. Warner Brothers had bought back the film rights for Superman from Alex Salkind in 1993. However, at this time, Warner Brothers had no storyline for another Superman film. The first Superman story thrown around began with our hero dying after getting Lous pregnant followed by Lois giving birth to a baby that is even more powerful than Superman. In fact, the baby was so powerful that it grew to adulthood in weeks. Warner Brothers wisely gave up this idea. The scripts that followed differed greatly from one another. Story ideas ranged from Superman trading his familiar costume for an all-black one to him building a robot named L-Ron to him fighting Batman and Brainiac to the resurrection of his birth planet to a movie that directly talked about 9/11. Titles for these scripts included Superman Reborn, Superman: Flyboy, Batman Vs. Superman (thank God nobody ever made a dumb movie like that), Superman V and Superman Lives. 

In 2004, Warner Brothers hired Bryan Singer to direct his own idea for a story (Bryan Singer would co-write this film with Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris). This resulted in the film we know today as Superman Returns. Singer was the perfect choice for a director. He had already shown that he knew how to handle a Superhero film having already directed two X-Men movies. He is not only a massive fan of Superman: The Movie (1978) and Superman 2 (1980) but he knew Richard Donner (who directed Superman: The Movie and began directing Superman 2 before that film would be taken over by Richard Lester). He personally talked to Donner about his various ideas for this film. The result was a movie that would be very much a spiritual successor to the two Superman movies that Donner worked on. 

The storyline of this movie involves Superman returning to Earth after having been in space for five years (after some astronomers believed they found the remains of Krypton). After returning, he finds that much has changed. For instance, Lois Lane has settled down and has a kid. She also won the Pulitzer Prize for writing an article entitled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." However not everything has changed as Lex Luther has another evil plan. 

This is one of the most underrated superhero films and just simply a delightful movie. Pretty much everything about this movie works. The casting is fantastic. Though he may never get the attention given to George Reeves, Christopher Reeve or Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh is a truly wonderful Superman. Fitting for this film, he feels almost like a spiritual successor to Christopher Reeve. Yet he never copies or tries too hard to be Reeve, he just simply has the same type of charisma and charm about him. Like Reeve, we don't feel like we are watching an actor but feel as if we are watching the comic book character come to life. Kate Bosworth is quite good as Lois Lane offering the type of tough girl with a good heart feel to this character that makes her comic book counterpart so popular. However, the real scene stealer is Kevin Spacey. Spacey is the best live action Lex Luthor, making the character a lot of fun to watch, while also feeling completely evil and threatening. The wonderful dialogue this character is given also helps a lot. A supporting cast that includes Frank Langella and the legendary Eva Marie Saint doesn't hurt either. What also makes this movie work so well is that the focus is not on the action or super-heroics. Instead, this is a film that is mostly about the characters. This film puts us in Superman's shoes as he returns home after five years. The filmmakers take their time telling this story rather than rushing from one action scene to the next. Because of this we feel like we really get to know and understand these characters. Clark seeing that the love of his life has moved on and coming to terms with this allows for some very emotion moments that stay with you. In fact, this past romance remains the true heart of this film. The relationship here would also give this movie an emotional maturity that was missing from the last two childish live action Superman films. This movie's look at if the world really needs a Superman is very intelligently written and surprisingly thought provoking. Without once mentioning the tragedy this helps bring Superman into a post 9/11 America and makes us wonder if we can still find the same childlike faith today as when people first believed a man could fly. It also makes us wonder if in this more cynical world such a character like Superman could still matter to people. If I had one complaint it would be that the climatic action sequence goes on too long and loses momentum part-way through. Still, this is a small complaint in what is otherwise an excellent movie.   

Brandon Routh was very honored for the chance to play the man of steel. He remembered how excited he got his first time seeing Superman: The Movie, "I gave myself a migraine. I was puking through half of the movie." When he was given the role Chrisopher Reeve's widow told him that she was amazed by the resemblance and gave Routh her blessing. Routh would later say, "I can't tell you what it was like to get her blessing. It's frightening trying to fill Christopher Reeve's shoes." 

The casting in this movie paid tribute to older eras of Superman's rich history. Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane on the classic 1950's TV show, The Adventures of Superman, played Lex's dying wife. Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olson on the 50's TV show, had a cameo as Bo the bartender. They were both delighted to be in this film though Neill would state, Our George will always be Superman to us." 

Co-writer Michael Doughtery had a passion for this character and this story. He stated, "Writing a story like this is almost biblical, when you hear how the Bible was passed down orally year to year. The Superman character has been passed from one person to the next and one generation to the next. My grandmother still loves more than anything the black and white George Reeves show. For Bryan and I and Dan it was the Donner films, and today's teenagers gravitate towards Smallville, which I can appreciate simply because I love the character. There's a Superman for every generation." 

Things didn't start out well from composer John Ottman. Ottman remembered this experience stating, "I was practically getting death threats from fans of the Donner version. They worried I wouldn't do the right thing with the music and asked why John Williams wasn't writing the scores the way he had for Donner. I started getting crippled, worrying what fans were thinking. Finally I said to myself that I have to ignore all that and weave in my own sensibilities and style, and of course nod to the Williams theme, which I'd always intended to. The fan reaction was that if they could have sent me flowers they would have. They were all very happy." 

This film was not without its controversy. With director Bryan Singer being openly homosexual and having put homosexual themes into his previous movies, many felt that he might make Superman gay (with no further proof to back this statement). This made Singer feel the need to public say that this was "the most heterosexual movie I've ever made." After the movie came out there was controversy over a line where Perry White says, "... does he still stand for truth, justice, all that stuff?" Conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly responded, "Warner Brothers, the studio distributing the movie, doesn't want to tee off any foreign viewers with Pro-U.S. sentiments. It's bad enough Superman was raised in the Midwest; we can't be having the hero actually standing for the American way now, can we? Some jihadist in Pakistan might throw popcorn at the screen." A more liberal commentor Erik Lundegaard responded in a commentary for The New York Times, "There's no reason to be upset. Superman is right back where he began: fighting a never-ending battle for truth and justice. That should be enough to occupy any man. Even a Superman." 

Critical reception to this film was mixed with some believing it to a great addition to the man of steel's already rich history and some feeling that it tried too hard to feel like Donner's films as to have no identity of its own. The movie did well at the box office but at the same time did not reach the level of financial success that of the recent Spider-man and X-Men movies. Former Warner Brothers president Alan Horn stated that Superman Returns "was a very successful movie, but I think it should have done $500 million worldwide. We should have had perhaps a little more action to satisfy the young male crowd." Unfortunately, this was not enough to allow Singer and Routh to continue making films with the caped superhero as they planned to do and when the next live action Superman film came out neither of them would be involved. Both would however have fond memories of making this movie and would remain proud of the result. 

Resources Used

Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero by Larry Tye. 

https://collider.com/superman-returns-review-2016/

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348150/?ref_=nm_flmg_job_2_cdt_t_10
 

Cowboy Church #205

 Hello my friends and welcome back for another service of Cowboy Church.

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans singing In the Sweet By and By. This song came about because of a friendship between composer, Joseph Webster and poet, Dr. Sanford Fillmore Bennett. One day Webster was depressed, and Dr. Bennett recognized this. Dr. Bennett asked his friend what was wrong. Webster replied, "Oh nothing. Everything will be alright by and by." These words brought up an idea in Bennett and he wrote down three verses and a chorus to this song as soon as he could. He handed it to his friend saying, “Here is your prescription, Joe.” Webster loved the lyrics and wrote music for them in practically no time at all. Dr. Bennett later said, “It was not over thirty minutes from the time I took my pen to write the words before two friends with Webster and myself were singing the hymn.” The hymn was first published in 1868 and went on to great fame since.

This is followed by Melba Montgomery with A Better Life is Waiting. This recording comes from her 1966 gospel album, Hallelujah Road.  

Afterwards is Chris Thile and Sarah Jorosz with Where the Soul of Man Never Dies. 

Following will be Randy Travis with Blessed Assurance.  This hymn came about when songwriter Fanny Crosby visited composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp. Knapp played a tune for Crosby and asked what came to her mind with that tune. Crosby said, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!" She then immediately followed it with more lyrics that would be in the finished song. The song was published in 1873 and first appeared in a monthly magazine for which the editors were Joseph Fairchild Knapp and Phoebe Palmer Knapp (who were husband and wife). When it later appeared in 1887's Gospel Songs, No. 5 by Ira Sankey, this we lead it to greater fame as it would be commonly sung in the revivals of Dwight L. Moody and Sankey. By 1889, the hymn commonly appeared in Methodist hymnals. 

Next is Chris Tomlin, Brett Young and Cassadee Pope with Be the Moon. This comes from Chris Tomlin's 2020 album, Chris Tomlin and Friends. This album featured the Christian singer performing various songs with popular country singers. 

Then comes The Sons of the Pioneers with their 1937 recording of Power in the Blood. Though it may be simple doctrine that we have heard since Sunday school, I hope we never forget how much power there truly is in the blood of Jesus. No matter what temptations and struggles we may face in life, Jesus' blood spilled on Calvary's cross has overcome all of it. With man something may be impossible but with God all things are possible. 

Afterwards is Johnny Cash and U2 with The Wanderer. This song was written by Bono in 1993 (under the working title The Preacher). The song was inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes, but takes place in a future time with a narrator who is worried about the lack of God in society. It is considered to be one of Bono's best songs, but for some reason whenever he tried to record it himself, it didn't work for him. Then he came up with the brilliant idea of having Johnny Cash sing the song (this idea came to Bono when he learned Johnny was going to be in Dublin). Bono would say that Johnny would teach him a lot about how to deliver a song like this during this recording section giving advice about how to put over each word effectively. Johnny told a reporter, "I don't know if it will ever be released or even what it's called." The song would be released on the 1993 U2 album, Zooropa  (one of U2's most experimental albums) and John would state that this song gave him a sense of artistic renewal.

Today's musical selection ends with the Vernon Dalhart Trio with their 1929 recording of Where We Never Grow Old. 

Now for an episode of The Lone Ranger radio show. 

Now for a message from the Reverand Martin Luther King Jr. 

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Thanks for joining me come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

Movie Review: Bring Them Down

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

A dark but excellent drama from Ireland. 

This movie is never pleasant to watch, however it is one that will stay with you long after the credits. This is mainly due to the characters themselves. Though this film is about a conflict between two families turning violent, it doesn't take anyone's side or give us any clear human or villain. These are normal people, who may do bad things but still are not without a conscience. One of the most disturbing scenes of this film (one that is extremely difficult to watch) ends with one of the characters responsible being horrified and left speechless by his own actions. After this we are forced to confront whether or not we can ever forgive and care about this character again after what he did. Our choice of whether we can forgive him or not changes how we will view the rest of the film. Other characters who start off very likable, show very dark sides before the film finishes. Yet what scares us about each of these characters is how much we can see of ourselves in them, even the darkest parts. Because of this we connect to these characters and become emotionally invested in this story, even if none of the characters are traditionally likable. 

Like many of the best Irish films, this movie takes full advantage of its Irish setting. Set in the Irish countryside, this movie perfectly uses the contrast of beauty of this setting and the darkness of the story to create something even more disturbing. At the same time, it uses the quietness and emptiness of this setting to make us feel the same isolation and desperation that these characters do. First time director Chris Andrews (who also co-wrote this film) has previously worked as a cameraman and that experience shows in the wonderful shots that make up this film. 

The filmmaker's Rashomon-like decision to tell this story first from one point of view followed by another doesn't fully work. Mostly because while the shift to the second point of view fills in a few story points, it does not change the way we viewed anything that happened. Because of this, this method of storytelling does not add anything to movie. Instead, this movie would have worked the same (if not better) if it had been told in a more linear fashion. This decision can also make this film drag towards the mid-section. 

This may not be a pleasant movie at all, and many might find it too hard to watch. However, the complex way this movie presents its characters and the great visual storytelling make this an excellent film for the right audience.    

Classic Movie Comedians Tackle Football

 For some reason or another, many people seem to be talking about football today. Personally, I couldn't care less about football (or any sport for that matter). I do however love classic comedy. So, I feel this is a great reason to look at some of the great movie comedians takes on this popular sport. 

Probably the most famous example of a classic movie comedian playing football is the classic Harold Lloyd film, The Freshman (1925). 

A close second is The Marx Brothers take on the sport in their classic feature film, Horse Feathers (1932). 

Football based comedy also appeared often in short films. Harry Langdon and The Three Stooges have two of my personal favorite football themed shorts. 

I also enjoy the Our Gang (or Little Rascals) short, The Pigskin Palooka (1937) very much. 

Speaking of the Our Gang kids, once Oliver Hardy got into trouble when he kicked Tommy Bond's football. This clip comes from the feature length movie, Block-Heads (1938). 

Football would later play a major role in the Laurel and Hardy feature, Nothing but Trouble (1944). 

Let us close this post with a couple classic Disney cartoons about football.