Zeus wrote:Which ones are you guys lookin' forward to? The only two I can think of for me are the new Pirates of the Carribean and You, Me, and Dupree, which is a comedy from the Arrested Development guys. And I'm a little on the fence for A Scanner Darkly. Superman Returns is very much a wait and see movie, most likely a cheapy. Other than that, I didn't see anything on the radar that I'm interested in. Wondering if there are others you guys are lookin' forward to that I missed out on.
superman rdeturns is fantastic. don't just take my word on it
http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/stephenSchaefer/
June 9, 2006 on 10:41 am
“SUPERMAN”: A MAGISTERIAL RETURN
Posted by: Stephen Schaefer
Bryan Singer’s highly-anticipated “Superman Returns” was finally unveiled for the press Thursday night in L.A. (the print was finished at Technicolor at 2:30 that afternoon) and Warner Bros. must have given a sigh of relief when they heard the genuine applause at the finish. What Singer’s done is a dandy trick: He’s honored the tradition of Superman as a quintessentially 20th-century American myth and simultaneously given the Man of Steel a home (cinematically) in the 21st century.
This Superman returns from a five-year absence to find the love of his life, Kate Bosworth’s Lois Lane, settled into domesticity with a son Jason and a lover, Daily Planet editor Perry White’s nephew Jack (James Marsden), who also works at the paper. An unmarried heroine with a kid, a woman with two very different men in her life – and, oh yes, a Pulitzer Prize – what could be more contemporary?
Even better, Singer has transformed Superman, the alien from another planet with his extraordinary powers, into a majestic, awe-inspiring figure, not a kiddie comic book guy in tights. Like Apollo come to earth, like Atlas holding the world in the great Rockefeller Center sculpture, Bryan Routh’s Superman has a gravity that enobles this entire two-and-a-half hour picture. There is one dazzling sequence early on where Superman rescues a doomed airplane whose passenger list includes Lois Lane, his estranged true love. Singer of course couldn’t know that the sequence would echo the final moments of the horrifying 9/11 “United 93” but that it does – and that it has Superman for a happy ending – gives it perhaps a greater gravitas. Here is a fantasy that like Disney’s plaintive Oscar-winning wartime song, “When You Wish Upon a Star,” speaks directly to a need for healing from the brutal realities we face daily.
Singer has cast two of the surviving cast members from the Fifties “Superman” TV series. Noel Neill, Lois Lane, plays a dying widow under Lex Luthor’s thrall and Jack Larson, Jimmy Olson, appears as a bartender serving Jimmy (Sam Huntington) and Clark Kent drink. He even wittily manages to get in the famous phrase, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” and “Faster than a speeding bullet.”
More importantly, Singer straddles Superman’s time zones and eras. The venerable Daily Planet, with its golden globe atop the Metropolis City landmark building, is a Thirties building with 21st century hardware, flat-screen monitors, computers and faxes. Parker Posey’s wry comic relief as Kitty, Lex Luthor’s moll, is, right down to her name, an evocation of Hollywood’s spunky, wise-cracking Forties heroine Paulette Goddard (with a bit of Jennifer Jones). There is luminous Eva Marie Saint as Ma Kent once again in a movie, if only through screen magic, with her “On the Waterfront” leading man Marlon Brandon whose work as Jor-El, the father of Superman, is recycled to positive effect.
How the public responds to “Superman Returns” when it opens at 10 PM on June 27th is anyone’s guess but Singer & Co. can be content knowing they’ve managed not only to resurrect an American icon but done it with smarts, grace and even poetry. It’s going to be hard for any superhero movie to beat the magisterial bearing Singer so emphatically summons as in one memorable shot Superman is seen suspended in space, his dusty-colored cape twirling, an ancient god come from the heavens. Fittingly, the film is dedicated “respectfully” to Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve.
http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives ... perman.php
I saw Superman Returns last night, but I agreed not to run a review until opening day. If I left it there some of you might draw conclusions, so let me add without hesitation that Warner Bros.' caution is misplaced. I need to say at least one thing: I've echoed in this space the general interpretation of WB's decision to open Bryan Singer's film on Wednesday, 6.28, instead of the originally announced 6.30 debut, as a desire to maximize the holiday take before the dreaded onslaught of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest the following weekend. This view was, in hindsight, partially misleading because it suggested that a better pure-entertainment, bang-for-your-buck element would be coming from Pirates. That will obviously be a matter of perspective as the days advance, but it seems highly unlikely (I almost wrote "inconceivable") that Pirates will surpass Superman Returns in terms of emotionality and embodying a resonant, fully developed theme. I was watching an interview yesterday with the late Don Simpson on the new Crimson Tide DVD, and at one point he repeated the old maxim that a good movie "can't just deliver action or theme-park pizazz or laughs or big stars....it's gotta be about something." No critic is going to argue that Superman Returns doesn't fulfill that demand, and if I owned a house I would bet it on the expectation that Pirates will be about two things and two things only -- good pizazzy fun (action, humor, attitude, production values) and a total lack of regard for Simpson's Law. The other thing is that I don't get is the Advocate- cover idea that SR would have some kind of homoerotic subcurrent. They were dreaming -- this is a film about purity of spirit. One final thing: Superman Returns is opening simultaneously in IMAX theatres on 6.28, and about 20 minutes worth (i.e., "selected scenes") will be show in IMAX 3D. The press was shown a preview of how the 3D footage will look last night after the main screening, and it's mindblowing. There's an airborne action sequence in particular that delivered, for me, the greatest sensory thrill I've ever experienced from a mainstream movie in my life. There's no question that anyone within reach of an IMAX presentation of this film HAS TO SEE IT THIS WAY. (Singer has worked out a green light-red light system that will tell moviegoers when to put on the glasses just before a 3D section begins.) Trust me, catching it this way will be an absolute knockout.
"SUPERMAN RETURNS" SPOILER FREE MINI-REVIEW
by Jonah Weiland, Executive Producer
Posted: June 9, 2006
I have to admit, as I grow older, my interest in big summer blockbusters has waned, but there are some exceptions and, naturally, most of those are the comics-based films. My anticipation for the film "Superman Returns" was off the charts, which concerned me - was there any chance this movie could live up to my expectations? Well, CBR News was invited to a screening of the film Thursday night and I can say with total confidence that it was everything a comics fan - and movie fan - could hope for.
Yes, it's that good.
With superhero adaptations to film, one crucial element is often missing: heart. That's not the case with this movie. The story -- which you can read more about here on CBR in the coming weeks -- is founded wholly on that most solid yet intangible emotional core of all the great Superman tales. Credit this to director Bryan Singer, who, as he did with the first two installments of the X-Men feature franchise, demonstrated his unmatched skill in bringing to the surface the human sides of some decidedly inhuman characters. Despite the fact that Superman is an alien, Earth's Kryptonian protector seems at times more human than ever in this most impressive film.
Supporting Singer's tireless work, of course, is his controversial cast. I can say to you now with full conviction that every actor in "Superman Returns" hit their marks perfectly. Kevin Spacey, who once won an Academy Award® under Singer's direction in the neo-classic, "The Usual Suspects," will surprise no one with his scene-stealing turn as the maniacal Lex Luthor. Brandon Routh turns in a performance that at many times plays as an homage to Christopher Reeve's legendary portrayal of Superman while managing to prove scene-after-scene that he now owns the role. Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane is the biggest surprise. I was worried her young age and appearance didn't suit the role of one of if not the most sophisticated supporting characters in comics history, but the actress pulls it off with a convincing maturity and grace. Special note is due, I think, to Sam Huntington for his portrayal of Jimmy Olsen. Not just a loser to be kicked around by the demonstrative Perry White (although that certainly does happen), Huntington's Olsen is remarkably natural and fun.
To say "Superman Returns" contains high-flying action may be the greatest understatement since, well, "You will believe a man can fly." Breathtaking. Exhilarating. Truly awesome. These are just some words to describe the super-feats of "Superman Returns." You're left clamoring; clawing at your seats for more and more, thinking, "the next movie can't come quickly enough." And believe me, it can't. Still weeks away from official release, you will find no spoilers here, but let's just say message boards all over the internet will be aflame with debate. Web servers may actually catch on fire. Putting it bluntly: nothing can prepare you for the things you will see in this film.
Look for a more extensive review and analysis of the film later this month right here on CBR.
From Supermanhomepage.com
Jeffrey Bridges
On the night of Thursday, June 8th I attended a special press screening (and IMAX 3D preview) of "Superman Returns".
Producer Chris Lee told us he came directly from Technicolor and we were technically the first audience to see the film.
A far more in-depth review will be coming in the future, but for now here's what I can tell you.
This movie is far greater than I could have ever anticipated, and I went in with extremely high expectations.
The effects, of course, do not disappoint. Several of the sequences are vying for the "most amazing thing I've seen on screen... EVER" and I've yet to decide which one tops the others.
But I didn't see many people questioning the effects, so on to larger issues. I am brimming with things I want to tell you. To reassure you about. To make you realize that this is really the Superman movie we've all been waiting before. But without details that will be hard to do. But perhaps my enthusiasm for what I've seen is coming through in this. At least, I hope it is.
James Marsden? Made me care for a character I had no real reason to. Parker Posey? Steals all her scenes. Eva Marie Saint? Touching and amazing. Frank Langella? A truly fantastic Perry. Sam Huntington? Best Jimmy EVER. Kevin Spacey? Easily the most sinister Lex to ever be seen on screen. A delight to watch. Kate Bosworth? Remarkably deep, tough and opinionated, just as Lois should be.
Brandon Routh?
There is no longer any doubt.
Brandon Routh IS Superman.
Routh and Bosworth have fantastic chemistry. Honestly, not a single performance was anything less than fantastic.
And the story? Well, that's what everyone wants to know, and the thing I can tell you the least about.
I still feel it inside me, honestly. It touched me. It's brilliant.
I hope this somehow does it justice, but I fear that I does not.
I have been moved.
I wish I could tell you more. I really do. I want to grab each and every one of you and make you understand how vital it is that you see this film. But perhaps my enthusiasm for what I've seen comes through in this.
At least, I hope it does.
You can read more spoiler-free reviews from the same press screening by other media outlets that were also in attendance: Boston Herald, Hollywood Elsewhere, ComicBookResources, BlueTights
here's another glowing review:
http://latinoreview.com/news.php?id=636
Why the World Needs to See Superman!
Three things are apparent about Superman Returns: Three things are apparent about Superman Returns:
* 1. Bryan Singer is on the fast track to being a legend.
2. Kevin Spacey's only limitation is the very few projects he works on each year.
3. Brandon Routh is... Clark Kent.
Superman Returns picks up right after Superman 2, after a 5-6 year trip back to his destroyed home world of Krypton, and boy howdy have things changed when he gets back. In his absence Lois has gotten engaged, Clark Kent has supposedly been soul-searching around the world, and the world has just seemingly moved on, without him. The big question is: Does the world need a savior? The timely answer is one of the most gorgeous uses of special effects as Superman makes his grand entrance just in time to save a crashing plane. Now I don't want to give away too many of the goodies, but trust me: this film is loaded like an Easter Bunny that was planning on going on strike.
If you have any misgivings about the castings, as I've already mentioned, Brandon and Kevin are unbelievably good so count on many chills going up and down your spine. Watching them is like watching the comic come to life. Bosworth cannot be over looked, in fact - given the reaction to Katie Holmes in Batman Begins - I could envision her being the biggest gamble in the audience's mind. You'll be happy to know that she pulls it off in spades. I never once saw her as anything other then Lois Lane, it is a career defining roll for her — now she'll always be Lois. The rest of the cast did well especially Sam Huntington who plays Jimmy Olsen, he knocks that performace out of the ballpark.
Lastly, Superman Returns is coming to IMAX and I have got to tell you: bring an extra pair of shorts. It's not just good. It's not even great. It's spectacular! It will BLOW YOUR MIND! Whatever technique IMAX does to the film is just jaw dropping; Superman saving a crashing plane honestly feels like he's in the room with you. It'll be 20 minutes of the film that is converted to IMAX and I think I want to see it like 20 times. I'll see y'all in line at the IMAX theater! What a great way to start the summer! A triumphant Return!
