pinartarhan.com

Fun and comprehensive entertainment blog feat. movies, TV series, actors, movie-makers, music & books: 1980 - Present

  • Home
  • Hire Me
  • Books
  • Privacy Policy

Superman: Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill and A lot of Oscar Winners (&Nominees)

Posted on June 19, 2013 Written by ripitup

Share

man-of-steel-man-of-steel-henry cavill-russell crowe-michael shannon
Image via fanpop.com. From left: Russell Crowe, Henry Cavill & Michael Shannon.

 

On the Cast and Crew

I don’t think a comic book movie has ever seen such a cast. Superman’s father is played by Russell Crowe, stepfather by Kevin Costner, stepmother by Diane Lane, love interest Lois Lane by Amy Adams. The main villain is played Michael Shannon, one of the most gifted actors of his generation – who is better known for awesome low-budget films (Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter).

The special effects are pretty spectacular-to the point of being overdone, but then again it’s Zac Snyder (300, Watchmen). The story is written by David. S. Goyer (Dark Knight trilogy)  and Christopher Nolan (Memento, Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy…)

As a fan of the 70s/80s Superman series, (as horrible the effects seem today and the story isn’t cool, it holds a tremendous nostalgic value for me . After all, it was my first superhero movie, and Christopher Reeve was my first Superman).  And it is hard to fill in Reeve’s shoes as an actor (and as Superman)- he had this uniquely suave look about him, and he stood at 6′ 4″ (1.93 m). So you hardly questioned Lois being head over heels, or him being an alien with super powers

 

christopher-reeve-superman
The late Christopher Reeve as Superman. Image via allposters.com.

But then Henry Cavill came, having worked out so much that he could have been the next choice as Wolverine (pay attention to his look and mannerisms in the first rescue scene.) He looked the right amount of innocent, frustrated and otherworldly. Something I don’t think Brandon Routh was able to bring.

 

henry-cavill-shirtless-on-set-5-762x1024-1
Henry Cavill as Wolverine. Oops, I mean Clark Kent. 🙂 Image via celebuzz.com.

Yes, with such cast and crew, you’d keep your expectations high. And I’m thinking you are more likely to be impressed than disappointed. Let’s go over the plot before moving on to other thoughts:

Man of Steel Plot

Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife (Ayelet Zurer) manage to have the only naturally born son (Kal-El, later to be named Clark by his stepparents) in a long time in the dying planet Krypton. General Zod (Michael Shannon) tries to take over, hoping to save the planet under his rule. His hostility and betrayal aren’t approved by Jor-El, and he sends his son to earth, a plan he came up with his wife.

He sees that his baby leaves the planet safely, but ends up being murdered by Zod. Eventually Zod and his men are captured, sentenced to a very long time in a black hole.

Their capture doesn’t prevent the planet from ultimate destruction, however.

Later we meet the adult Clark (Henry Cavill) who has managed to keep his special abilities secret by working the odd jobs, and not staying in one place for too long.

Through flashbacks, we get to see how Clark struggled as a young boy to control and hide his abilities, but managed somehow through the guidance and support of his stepparents, Jonathan (Kevin Kostner)  and Martha Kent (Diane Lane).

Jonathan explains him that he came from another planet, though he doesn’t have a lot of details. He encourages him to keep his powers secret for the greater good of his planet’s and the earth’s.

The adult Clark’s final gig lands him in Canada, where Louis Lane of The Daily Planet is also on a case. When Lois follows Clark into the spacecraft (a vehicle that the army was trying to figure out), Clark gets to save her – revealing his powers, but not before having gotten the message of his biological father.

He leaves soon, and Louis writes about the mystery man. But when her boss (Laurence Fishburne) refuses to print it, she makes sure people hear her story via a conspiracy theorist. She later decides to track down the mystery guy herself. But when she finally finds him, he tells her about Jonathan and his doubts about the world being ready for someone like him. After this, Louis decides to keep his identity a secret, strengthening the bond already formed between them.

But things get out of her control when Zod announces that he’s coming to the earth with his men, and all he wants is the alien. And of course he won’t accept “no” in peace. This puts Lois at risk, and Clark knows better than to trust Zod.

And the real action/effects feast part of the movie start after we find out that Krypton’s demise has freed Zod and his men; and he intends to recreate Krypton on earth, while destroying humans…

 

*

Review

Man of Steel provides solid entertainment with substance.

It does a good job explaining the backstory and answering the questions of the superhero’s fans who don’t necessarily read the comics: Where does the name/costume come from, why there is an S symbol on his costume (and a lot of other places), how he “officially” became a hero among others.

It starts presenting Krypton in all its different glory and giving Crowe a piece of the action.

Then we move on to an adult Clark who has nothing to do with newspaper reporting or glasses, which is refreshing.

The movie does a fine job of balancing drama with action, though I have to say I prefer to part of the movie before Zod arrived in our world. Because the fight  sequences between Clark and Zod’s two soldiers took a bit too long for my taste- and as Transformers showed, too loud and long can be a major turn-off. And I can also say it for the final battle between Zod and Clark. However these are my only two complaints about the movie. I had a great experience. I can’t wait for the next installations.

I’m also happy to announce that the movie made more than half its budget at the box office on its first day. May Nolan and Snyder collaborate on more features.

How did you like the film?

 

Also on Kevin Costner:

The Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello & Kevin Costner

Nicholas Sparks vs Happy Endings- Kevin Costner’s Message in a Bottle

Kevin Costner: An Amazing Lead Who Should Just Stay Away From Sci-Fi

When Adultery is OK- Revenge (Movie Review of Revenge, Starring Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn)

The New Daughter starring Kevin Costner

 

Also on Russell Crowe

The Next Three Days starring Russell Crowe & Elizabeth Banks: Emotional, Captivating, Entertaining

 State of Play starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel Mcadams and Helen Mirren

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Share

Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Amy Adams, Christopher Nolan, christopher reeve, christopher reeve as superman, Diane Lane, Henry Cavill, henry cavill superman, Kevin Costner, man of steel, man of steel cast, man of steel movie review, Michael Shannon, russell crowe, superman man of steel, superman man of steel movie review, zac snyder

Leap Year starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode

Posted on October 24, 2010 Written by ripitup

Share

Leap Year starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode
Leap Year starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode

American Anna (Amy Adams) has a profitable career in “staging homes” for the real estate agents and she is really good at it. She’s also in a 4-year relationship with her cardiologist boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott). They are candidates to live in her dream apartment so things just seem perfect.

However when Jeremy fails to propose at the expected moment, Anna  gets inspired by the idea she gets from her loving but unreliable father (John Lithgow): she’ll honor the Irish Leap Year tradition and will go to Dublin- where Jeremy will be attending a medical conference- and propose to him.

But awful weather conditions land her in a remote town in Ireland, where she will need to persuade the unwilling bartender/motel owner Declan (Matthew Goode) –who of course is young and really attractive in a scruffy way.

Monetary issues for Declan to drive her. But everything that can go wrong on the way does-including a growing attraction between the two seemingly opposite strangers.

Is there a chance that Declan is the one instead of Jeremy? And can they figure out they feelings  until it is time to part in Dublin?

I know the three words you’re thinking: typical romantic comedy. And you are right. I am not saying to bash the movie, it is a fact. However it is a perfectly enjoyable experience for those in the target audience- romantic (mostly)females who love a good romcom escapism (which I am a part of) it.

It also helps it when you like the leads and I really enjoy watching both Amy Adams and Matthew Goode.

Yeah, it is full of clichés and it is highly unbelievable that they can fall for each other in a couple of days and decide to pursue it. But then again, it is precisely for these clichés that we watch romcoms.  And frankly Declan, to me, is the perfect fantasy male. He is ruggedly good-looking, has a good sense of humor, isn’t materialistic and is actually really romantic. And Irish countryside is always a plus (for watching in the films).

Yes, there are no surprises in this film. It is simple, ordinary and entirely predictable. But it is also a good genre example. Watch it if you are not allergic to romcoms. I had fun. My only complaint is that John  Lithgow has such a small role.

Other Matthew Goode Movies

Watchmen starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Akerman and Matthew Goode

The Lookout starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Matthew Goode and Jeff Daniels

Other Amy Adams Movies

Enchanted starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day starring Amy Adams, Frances McDormand and Lee Pace

 

Share

Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: adam scott, Amy Adams, amy adams movies, comedy, Ireland, john Lithgow, leap year, leap year movie, Matthew Goode, matthew goode movies, romance, romantic comedy, romcom

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day starring Amy Adams, Frances McDormand and Lee Pace

Posted on March 18, 2010 Written by ripitup

Share

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day with Amy Adams, Frances McDormand and Lee Pace
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day with Amy Adams, Frances McDormand and Lee Pace. Light, entertaining and nostalgic travel through time. Photo: http://ciciyoung.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/809242.jpg

1939. Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) is a little uptight,old-fashioned and opinionated- which doesn’t go well with her occupation as a nanny/housekeeper. She finds herself out on the streets, completely broke and unable to get a new job. But through a coincidence, she starts working for Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams), the complete opposite of her in every way imaginable:

She is young,pretty,chirpy and well, very busy romantically. She has juggling a romance with her possibly future producer and the owner of her luxurious apartment and the club she is singing at (Mark Strong). Then there is the actual love of her life Michael (Lee Pace), just back from prison, willing to elope with her if she will have him. Pettigrew eventually gets over her shock and disapproval and she decides to be “the social consultant” Delysia needs her to be…but with all the shopping and the partying and juggling, Pettigrew’s life gets even more complicated when she develops a crush for a man who might be involved with one of Delysia’s friends…

This movie is really entertaining. I was either laughing or smiling the entire time. I love a good period piece.and this is as fun as it can ever get. I’ve loved seeing Amy Adams on screen ever since I first watched her in Enchanted as the fairy tale princess, fish out of water in the real world. Frances McDormand just oozes charm and perfect comedic timing. And Lee Pace as a romantic lead? Wonderful casting in a lovely and very fun(ny) movie. Check it out.

7.1 on IMDB. At least 7.5 from me.

Other Posts on Lee Pace

Lee Pace Trivia

Possession starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lee Pace and Michael Landes

Soldier’s Girl: A Haunting True Story starring Lee Pace and Troy Garity

The Fall starring Lee Pace and Catinca Untaru

When in Rome starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel. feat. Lee Pace

The Good Shepherd starring Matt Damon, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie & Lee Pace

Other Posts on Amy Adams

Leap Year starring Matthew Goode and Amy Adams

Enchanted starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey and James Marsden

Other Posts on Frances McDormand

City by the Sea starring Robert De Niro, James Franco & Frances McDormand

Something’s Gotta Give starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves& Frances McDormand

Share

Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Amy Adams, comedy, Frances McDormand, Lee Pace, Mark Strong, Miss Pettigrew lives for a day, romance

In the mood for a fun romcom novel?

Copyright © 2025 · Focus Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT