Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 82
June 28, 2013
My SoonerCon Schedule for 6/28-6/30/13
Yeah, no movie review today - sorry!
Life was too hectic to squeeze an extra one the last few weeks, or I'd have had ya'll covered.
This weekend I will be a panelist and vendor at SoonerCon!
Loads of fun to be had there this weekend! Been looking forward to it.
Below is my panelist schedule:
Friday 2PM C Space - Diplomacy in Speculative Fiction: Why isn’t everyone killing each other?
Friday 4PM Joyner - It Keeps Me Young: Why YA Makes Great Reading For Adults
--------------------------------------------------
Saturday 10AM B Space - Science in the Victorian Age
Saturday 2PM F Space - Cinema So Far: 2013 in Fan Genre Films
Saturday 3PM Theater - Yard Dog Road Show! (Must be seen to be believed!)
Saturday 4PM F Space - Build A SyFy™ Saturday-Night Movie
--------------------------------------------------
Sunday 10AM 10 Forward - Koffee Klatch - schmoozing with the guests!
Sunday 11AM F Space - British Invasion: U.S. Television and the Union Jack (Eek! I'm the moderator!)
Sunday 2PM Rice - Reading - Yes! Come hear me stumble over my own dribble! Hah!
Sunday 3PM F Space - Tolkien's Fantasies on the Silver Screen
I'm gonna be BUSY! :P
Life was too hectic to squeeze an extra one the last few weeks, or I'd have had ya'll covered.
This weekend I will be a panelist and vendor at SoonerCon!
Loads of fun to be had there this weekend! Been looking forward to it.
Below is my panelist schedule:
Friday 2PM C Space - Diplomacy in Speculative Fiction: Why isn’t everyone killing each other?
Friday 4PM Joyner - It Keeps Me Young: Why YA Makes Great Reading For Adults
--------------------------------------------------
Saturday 10AM B Space - Science in the Victorian Age
Saturday 2PM F Space - Cinema So Far: 2013 in Fan Genre Films
Saturday 3PM Theater - Yard Dog Road Show! (Must be seen to be believed!)
Saturday 4PM F Space - Build A SyFy™ Saturday-Night Movie
--------------------------------------------------
Sunday 10AM 10 Forward - Koffee Klatch - schmoozing with the guests!
Sunday 11AM F Space - British Invasion: U.S. Television and the Union Jack (Eek! I'm the moderator!)
Sunday 2PM Rice - Reading - Yes! Come hear me stumble over my own dribble! Hah!
Sunday 3PM F Space - Tolkien's Fantasies on the Silver Screen
I'm gonna be BUSY! :P
June 26, 2013
Picture Kaleidoscope 6/26/13
Running late!!!!!
The company had a celebration last week and we had a Crawfish & Jambalaya cook out. They had a ton of sea motif lollipops. Too cute!
Should have gotten closer, but loved how the lights had cloth covers to make them look like paper lanterns. :)
Coming home the other day, the sun was playing off the back plastic on this jeep. The picture was not able to capture what our eyes saw, which was the sun playing like a rave laser pointer making all sorts of fast and squiggly shapes. Really cool looking.
Loved this decal on their window. The red is a deer and antlers and at the top give the outline of a skull. I thought it was amazing as the antlered deer motif has been heavily used in the "Hannibal" TV series (So very very good!) so it was very apt. :)
Val d'Orcia Hills by Daniele Liberati at Earthshots.org Love the way the fog is barely visible.
Some other nice ones at her website too! Here's Il Pirgo by Daniele Liberati
I'm a sucker for these night shots! Milky Way over Crater Lake by Yiming Hu at Earthshots.org
Oh! He caught the sky on fire! Awesome! Set Fire to the Sky by Yiming Hu
The company had a celebration last week and we had a Crawfish & Jambalaya cook out. They had a ton of sea motif lollipops. Too cute!
Should have gotten closer, but loved how the lights had cloth covers to make them look like paper lanterns. :)
Coming home the other day, the sun was playing off the back plastic on this jeep. The picture was not able to capture what our eyes saw, which was the sun playing like a rave laser pointer making all sorts of fast and squiggly shapes. Really cool looking.
Loved this decal on their window. The red is a deer and antlers and at the top give the outline of a skull. I thought it was amazing as the antlered deer motif has been heavily used in the "Hannibal" TV series (So very very good!) so it was very apt. :)
Val d'Orcia Hills by Daniele Liberati at Earthshots.org Love the way the fog is barely visible.
Some other nice ones at her website too! Here's Il Pirgo by Daniele Liberati
I'm a sucker for these night shots! Milky Way over Crater Lake by Yiming Hu at Earthshots.org
Oh! He caught the sky on fire! Awesome! Set Fire to the Sky by Yiming Hu
June 25, 2013
NEWS! "In the Service of Samurai" is now available as an IMABIK Audio Book!
Woot! Looks like they forgot to tell me. It's been out since 5/22!
Yes! My fantasy novel "In The Service of Samurai" is now available as an audio book from IAMBIK through Audible.
Totally love the reader's voice - her name is Availle. She has the coolest accent! But I mostly love her emotion filled reading. Yay!
June 24, 2013
Mind Sieve 6/24/13
Yet another post done by vicarious means while waiting for my back muscles to play nice. :P
Though I have to say, the issues have forced me to get creative and to play with some of the more neglected electronic devices in the house. lol
My uncle shared this with me and I have to admit it was very cool! How To Get To Mars.
Walt Disney's Frozen Trailer. Too cute!
The LEGO Movie Trailer - just when you thought it couldn't get weirder. lol
(I was wrong- this is weirder still!) Free Birds Trailer - time travelling turkeys!!! ROFL!
Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Trailer 3 - Oooo!
For lover's of Rachel Caine and her Morganville series - she's doing a kickstarter project to get a we series done for the books! Cool! (Tried to embed the video, so hopefully that works!)
The Wolf of Wall Street Trailer - looks crazy! lol.
A new Simon's Cat! Flower Bed.
Facebook Hashtags - This Week In Social Media by Cindy King at Social Media Examiner. The FB hashtag thing sunds useful!
Does Google Know You Wrote That? by Randy Ingermanson at Gene Lempp's Blog.
Tons of links to other writing blog posts at Gene Lempp's Blog in his Writing Resources 15 June 2013 post. Glad to have him back!
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - Ten Stupid Writer Tricks (That Might Actually Work!).
Woohoo! Feeling a little more normal and finished the post. YEAH! *pumpsfistintheair* Wooo!
Though I have to say, the issues have forced me to get creative and to play with some of the more neglected electronic devices in the house. lol
My uncle shared this with me and I have to admit it was very cool! How To Get To Mars.
Walt Disney's Frozen Trailer. Too cute!
The LEGO Movie Trailer - just when you thought it couldn't get weirder. lol
(I was wrong- this is weirder still!) Free Birds Trailer - time travelling turkeys!!! ROFL!
Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Trailer 3 - Oooo!
For lover's of Rachel Caine and her Morganville series - she's doing a kickstarter project to get a we series done for the books! Cool! (Tried to embed the video, so hopefully that works!)
The Wolf of Wall Street Trailer - looks crazy! lol.
A new Simon's Cat! Flower Bed.
Facebook Hashtags - This Week In Social Media by Cindy King at Social Media Examiner. The FB hashtag thing sunds useful!
Does Google Know You Wrote That? by Randy Ingermanson at Gene Lempp's Blog.
Tons of links to other writing blog posts at Gene Lempp's Blog in his Writing Resources 15 June 2013 post. Glad to have him back!
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - Ten Stupid Writer Tricks (That Might Actually Work!).
Woohoo! Feeling a little more normal and finished the post. YEAH! *pumpsfistintheair* Wooo!
June 23, 2013
Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic 6/23/13
Morning!
Muscles in my back seem happier - yay! This means I can do stuff again - woot!
Star Wars The Old Republic
Jedi Consular
Corellia
Hmmm a leftover from when I last played? Hmmm
New pet! Sadly couldn't get a side picture of it. When I move, it moves.
This surprised me! Statue crack! :P
Funky statue trio.
Corellian flags (And the bird is trying to steal the spotlight. Worse than the doc!)
Way funky flag. Love the crosswalk sign behind it. Heh heh
In the distance you can see a giant holographic head.
Here's a better view of two of them.
Men at Work! (Their tags say their bandits, yet they're doing manual labor. I think the Imps out them up to this.) Heh
Super gigantic statue between the mirrored buildings. Cool!
Hubby got this in one of the Cartel packs. Republic insta flag! Stays there for a minute or so. Rallying point?
Hope you have an awesome Sunday!
Muscles in my back seem happier - yay! This means I can do stuff again - woot!
Star Wars The Old Republic
Jedi Consular
Corellia
Hmmm a leftover from when I last played? Hmmm
New pet! Sadly couldn't get a side picture of it. When I move, it moves.
This surprised me! Statue crack! :P
Funky statue trio.
Corellian flags (And the bird is trying to steal the spotlight. Worse than the doc!)
Way funky flag. Love the crosswalk sign behind it. Heh heh
In the distance you can see a giant holographic head.
Here's a better view of two of them.
Men at Work! (Their tags say their bandits, yet they're doing manual labor. I think the Imps out them up to this.) Heh
Super gigantic statue between the mirrored buildings. Cool!
Hubby got this in one of the Cartel packs. Republic insta flag! Stays there for a minute or so. Rallying point?
Hope you have an awesome Sunday!
June 21, 2013
Movie Review - Monsters University
Monster University
Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Charlie Day, Alfred Molina, Nathan Fillion, Julia Sweeney, and more.
Directed by: Dan Scanlon Screenplay by: Robert L Baird, Daniel Gerson, and Dan Scanlon Story by: Robert L Baird, Daniel Gerson, and Dan Scanlon Original Music by: Randy Newman
Premise: Mike has always been overlooked, but early in life he realized what he wanted to be when he grew up - a Scarer. And his dream feels close to coming true when he shows up at Monster University on his first day in college. Yet he finds out right away that there are plenty of monster who feel he's not qualified to be a Scarer, despite his high grades. Amongst them is Jimmy Sullivan, the son of a well respected Scarer. The road to his dream job, won't be as easy as Mike thought. (Rated G)
Review:
1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles as Mike and Sullivan in this prequel to "Monsters Inc." The banter and one liners are as witty as the original, except this time the two monsters are working against each other even when they are on the same team. Helen Mirren was fabulous as Dean Hardscrabble. She was scarier than just about everyone there, without having to roar. Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, and Charlie Day were a lot of fun as the rest of the members in the Oozma team. Julia Sweeney as Scott's Mom was hilarious!
2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: Pixar does marvellous work and it shows in every frame. Though the film is about a world of monsters, the look and the feel of Monster University is very much that of an old and famous university like Harvard, Yale, or Cambridge. Classical looking buildings, fraternities, orientation, school clubs looking for members, dorms, student rivalries, and all the other things one would expect as being part of the college experience. The tiny details to put all that together as well as adding things here and there things to make the world unique in its own right were amazing.
Using the versatility of animation, Pixar took full advantage and created many visual 'gags'. The chase through campus for the stolen rival university's 'pig' mascot was hilarious. Even more entertaining were the side effects experienced by those involved in the first test of the Scare Race.
3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: Since this is a prequel, a lot of the audience who are familiar with "Monsters Inc" will be expecting the eventual reconciliation between Mike and Sullivan due to their close friendship in the first film. What's fun about the expectation, though, is the fact Pixar doesn't make it easy. The problems are not something touched on then are quickly and easily resolved, but rather the eventual, expected outcome works in stages, which was quite nice.
A lot of the issues the two monsters face in the film can be plucked straight from real life or several college movies. But the one thing which will surprise many is that though this is considered a children's film, the writers don't solve the problem in an unrealistic way. If anything, the fact they show that rash actions do have consequences, and even punishment, is a path that's not the 'norm' with movies made for kids. But all is not doom and gloom, the film also showed that even in failure one can still find a way to where they want to go. It might be a longer more arduous path, but eventually one might get there. Definite kudos for that.
4) Music - Total Thumbs Up: Music isn't normally a category I use (though I am a definite believer in soundtracks being able to make or break a film), but it was definitely needed for this film. Randy Newman's score was perfect - the main title song in the style played by any college marching band. It did a lot in immersing the audience into the whole college theme.
Conclusion: "Monster University" is a fun film with a lot of content for adults as well as kids. Very nostalgic in a way - bringing back memories of college days or 80's college movies. The attention to detail is just amazing. Also, make sure to sit through the credits - there's just a tiny bit of more fun at the end. (The short cartoon called "The Blue Umbrella" which shows before the main feature is adorable!)
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again.)
Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Charlie Day, Alfred Molina, Nathan Fillion, Julia Sweeney, and more.
Directed by: Dan Scanlon Screenplay by: Robert L Baird, Daniel Gerson, and Dan Scanlon Story by: Robert L Baird, Daniel Gerson, and Dan Scanlon Original Music by: Randy Newman
Premise: Mike has always been overlooked, but early in life he realized what he wanted to be when he grew up - a Scarer. And his dream feels close to coming true when he shows up at Monster University on his first day in college. Yet he finds out right away that there are plenty of monster who feel he's not qualified to be a Scarer, despite his high grades. Amongst them is Jimmy Sullivan, the son of a well respected Scarer. The road to his dream job, won't be as easy as Mike thought. (Rated G)
Review:
1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles as Mike and Sullivan in this prequel to "Monsters Inc." The banter and one liners are as witty as the original, except this time the two monsters are working against each other even when they are on the same team. Helen Mirren was fabulous as Dean Hardscrabble. She was scarier than just about everyone there, without having to roar. Peter Sohn, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, and Charlie Day were a lot of fun as the rest of the members in the Oozma team. Julia Sweeney as Scott's Mom was hilarious!
2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: Pixar does marvellous work and it shows in every frame. Though the film is about a world of monsters, the look and the feel of Monster University is very much that of an old and famous university like Harvard, Yale, or Cambridge. Classical looking buildings, fraternities, orientation, school clubs looking for members, dorms, student rivalries, and all the other things one would expect as being part of the college experience. The tiny details to put all that together as well as adding things here and there things to make the world unique in its own right were amazing.
Using the versatility of animation, Pixar took full advantage and created many visual 'gags'. The chase through campus for the stolen rival university's 'pig' mascot was hilarious. Even more entertaining were the side effects experienced by those involved in the first test of the Scare Race.
3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: Since this is a prequel, a lot of the audience who are familiar with "Monsters Inc" will be expecting the eventual reconciliation between Mike and Sullivan due to their close friendship in the first film. What's fun about the expectation, though, is the fact Pixar doesn't make it easy. The problems are not something touched on then are quickly and easily resolved, but rather the eventual, expected outcome works in stages, which was quite nice.
A lot of the issues the two monsters face in the film can be plucked straight from real life or several college movies. But the one thing which will surprise many is that though this is considered a children's film, the writers don't solve the problem in an unrealistic way. If anything, the fact they show that rash actions do have consequences, and even punishment, is a path that's not the 'norm' with movies made for kids. But all is not doom and gloom, the film also showed that even in failure one can still find a way to where they want to go. It might be a longer more arduous path, but eventually one might get there. Definite kudos for that.
4) Music - Total Thumbs Up: Music isn't normally a category I use (though I am a definite believer in soundtracks being able to make or break a film), but it was definitely needed for this film. Randy Newman's score was perfect - the main title song in the style played by any college marching band. It did a lot in immersing the audience into the whole college theme.
Conclusion: "Monster University" is a fun film with a lot of content for adults as well as kids. Very nostalgic in a way - bringing back memories of college days or 80's college movies. The attention to detail is just amazing. Also, make sure to sit through the credits - there's just a tiny bit of more fun at the end. (The short cartoon called "The Blue Umbrella" which shows before the main feature is adorable!)
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again.)
June 19, 2013
Picture Kaleidoscope 6/19/13
Good morning!
Back muscles are still angry, but I did actually take some pics over the last couple of weeks. Lets' see how far I get.
Blown glass light fixture. Really neat and classy looking. I cool little touch at Fry's or as we call it "The Toy Store." :)
Pic of the latest plushy attempt. Sadly, he was supposed to sit upside down to this. But the other way is what actually worked. The eyes were already screwed in, so I improvised. :P
Not as many stoplights in the work route anymore, but was able to snag this one on the way home.
Stonebriar Mall - way cool struts. Reminded me of where I am climbing around in Dishonored. Heh heh
Bove Light by Maurizio Pignotti at Earthshots.org. He has a pretty cool website too! Love his logo.
Majestic by Michael De Guzman at Earthshots.org The black and white really makes the light almost glow, doesn't it? Back muscles are screaming so that will be it for this one. Have an awesome Wednesday!
Back muscles are still angry, but I did actually take some pics over the last couple of weeks. Lets' see how far I get.
Blown glass light fixture. Really neat and classy looking. I cool little touch at Fry's or as we call it "The Toy Store." :)
Pic of the latest plushy attempt. Sadly, he was supposed to sit upside down to this. But the other way is what actually worked. The eyes were already screwed in, so I improvised. :P 
Not as many stoplights in the work route anymore, but was able to snag this one on the way home.
Stonebriar Mall - way cool struts. Reminded me of where I am climbing around in Dishonored. Heh heh
Bove Light by Maurizio Pignotti at Earthshots.org. He has a pretty cool website too! Love his logo.
Majestic by Michael De Guzman at Earthshots.org The black and white really makes the light almost glow, doesn't it? Back muscles are screaming so that will be it for this one. Have an awesome Wednesday!June 17, 2013
Mind Sieve 6/17/13
This should be a challenging post. Was sick last Monday and ended up totally forgetting to do the weekly Picture Kaleidoscope :( I ditched prepping this week's MS on Thursday to get something else done, assuming I could work on it Saturday. But Friday at the movies I did something... I have a spot on my back that is MAD! And super picky about what chair I use and what I can get away with. Trying to do it on Surface. Should be an adventure! :)
300 Rise of an Empire Official Trailer
- Ooooo!
Hobbit 2 - The Desolation of Smaug Trailer - Woot! White House Down Trailer 3 - does look like it will be a wild ride! Getaway Trailer - Looks like there'll be a ton of car chases! Nice! Stranded Trailer - I've never understood the need to make most SF movies into horror films :( Dr Who (Matt Smith) and Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) presenting the Bafta award to Stephen Moffat. Wohoo!
5 Creative Ways To Drive More Traffic To Your Blog Posts by Kimberly Reynolds at Social Media Examiner
Why Google + is Essential for Authors by Dana Lynn Smith
Hmmm I think this is as far as my back is going to allow for me to get on this. :(
Hope your week is starting out better than mine! :)
300 Rise of an Empire Official Trailer
- Ooooo!
Hobbit 2 - The Desolation of Smaug Trailer - Woot! White House Down Trailer 3 - does look like it will be a wild ride! Getaway Trailer - Looks like there'll be a ton of car chases! Nice! Stranded Trailer - I've never understood the need to make most SF movies into horror films :( Dr Who (Matt Smith) and Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) presenting the Bafta award to Stephen Moffat. Wohoo!
5 Creative Ways To Drive More Traffic To Your Blog Posts by Kimberly Reynolds at Social Media Examiner
Why Google + is Essential for Authors by Dana Lynn Smith
Hmmm I think this is as far as my back is going to allow for me to get on this. :(
Hope your week is starting out better than mine! :)
June 16, 2013
Virtual Tourist - Dishonored 6/16/13
Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there! :)
Having some issues with a knot in my back, so didn't get to do a lot of touring virtually this weekend. But did manage a few from before.
Dishonored
I reached the top of the canal to get up to the guarded exterior. This is the view of the far side.
Inside of the canal elevetaor. A lot of open space and guards.
Made it past the 1st major building. That is the next section I need to reach.
The Moon is a solitary witness to the night's doings
Looking through a keyhole out into the main courtyard. There is the gazebo where so much went so terribly wrong.
Have an awesome day!
Having some issues with a knot in my back, so didn't get to do a lot of touring virtually this weekend. But did manage a few from before.
Dishonored
I reached the top of the canal to get up to the guarded exterior. This is the view of the far side.
Inside of the canal elevetaor. A lot of open space and guards.
Made it past the 1st major building. That is the next section I need to reach.
The Moon is a solitary witness to the night's doings
Looking through a keyhole out into the main courtyard. There is the gazebo where so much went so terribly wrong.
Have an awesome day!
June 14, 2013
Movie Review - Man of Steel
Man of Steel
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Kevin Costner, Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, Ayelet Zurer, Laurence Fishburne, Dylan Sprayberry, Cooper Timberline, and more.
Directed by: Zack Snyder Screenplay by: David S Goyer Story by: David S Goyer and Christopher Nolan Based on the Characters Created by: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster Cinematography by: Amir Mokri Original Music by: Hans Zimmer
Premise: On the throes of a dying Krypton, General Zod attempts a takeover, but Jor-El beats him to the coveted Codex containing all the DNA information for the Kryptonian race. Already having broken several laws by conceiving of a child physically rather than through the Genesis chamber, Jor-El uses the Codex and sends his baby son, Kal, to Earth. Unable to stop Jor-El, Zod is then caught and sent to the Phantom Zone, but he vows revenge. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Henry Cavill was a great Kal-El/Clark Kent. Charming, yet reserved, and even a little rough around the edges. Dylan Sprayberry and Cooper Timberline were outstanding as the younger Clark Kents - they conveyed Clark's clashing emotions when dealing with his blossoming powers, not fitting in, and trying live as an outsider. Amy Adams conveyed a very competent and energetic Lois Lane. I also totally enjoyed Kevin Costner's take on Johnathan Kent - overprotective of his son and his need to not stand out and yet wanting him to aim for greatness at the same time - great emotional conflict.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects were fantastic! A lot of trouble was taken to make Krypton a unique place, with its own science, culture, look and feel. The moldable bits of metal were used to awesome effect several times, especially when the computer tells Kal-El the story of his people.
Lots of explosions and great battle scenes both on Krypton and Earth. And the scenes of the machine pulsing and the way it affected cars and buildings were phenomenal. There was almost too much going on at times to keep track.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The story of Superman is one that's been done many times in both comic books and films. So trying to create a new take on the old story can sometimes be something of a hit and miss. Overall though, I thought the take on "Man of Steel" worked well. They tried to make it unique while still keeping the core story mostly intact. It also introduced issues and concerns not necessarily covered before, making the story more 'real' than previous versions in several respects.
There is a substantial amount of flashbacks in the movie. I felt the use of the technique added more depth and imparted more information than they could have othwerwise, but others might find it a little confusing, or not as enjoyable as a straight timeline story.
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Aided by a lot of CGI, there was still a large amount of physical combat stunts, which were done quite well. Add in all the city mayhem scenes and it's obvious the stunt department was kept very busy. Great job!
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Most of the film was done in Illinois, but there was enough variation and consistency in the chosen locations to suit the different places being depicted. There were plenty of sweeping camera shots in the real and CGI worlds to ground viewers and also help them appreciate the different locals. This also worked particularly well for Metropolis. (And don't miss the little caveat on the side of some tanker trucks in the city during the final battle.)
Conclusion: "Man of Steel" was visually awesome and the story pretty entertaining. DC is definitely proving it can dish it out as well as Marvel with regards to movies about our favorite heroes. A fun ride! Definitely worth seeing in IMAX 3D.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission.)
There was also an awesome caption moment around midway through the film - "He wishes he were a perky, red haired reporter right now." See if you can find it. :)
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Kevin Costner, Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, Ayelet Zurer, Laurence Fishburne, Dylan Sprayberry, Cooper Timberline, and more.
Directed by: Zack Snyder Screenplay by: David S Goyer Story by: David S Goyer and Christopher Nolan Based on the Characters Created by: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster Cinematography by: Amir Mokri Original Music by: Hans Zimmer
Premise: On the throes of a dying Krypton, General Zod attempts a takeover, but Jor-El beats him to the coveted Codex containing all the DNA information for the Kryptonian race. Already having broken several laws by conceiving of a child physically rather than through the Genesis chamber, Jor-El uses the Codex and sends his baby son, Kal, to Earth. Unable to stop Jor-El, Zod is then caught and sent to the Phantom Zone, but he vows revenge. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Henry Cavill was a great Kal-El/Clark Kent. Charming, yet reserved, and even a little rough around the edges. Dylan Sprayberry and Cooper Timberline were outstanding as the younger Clark Kents - they conveyed Clark's clashing emotions when dealing with his blossoming powers, not fitting in, and trying live as an outsider. Amy Adams conveyed a very competent and energetic Lois Lane. I also totally enjoyed Kevin Costner's take on Johnathan Kent - overprotective of his son and his need to not stand out and yet wanting him to aim for greatness at the same time - great emotional conflict.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects were fantastic! A lot of trouble was taken to make Krypton a unique place, with its own science, culture, look and feel. The moldable bits of metal were used to awesome effect several times, especially when the computer tells Kal-El the story of his people.
Lots of explosions and great battle scenes both on Krypton and Earth. And the scenes of the machine pulsing and the way it affected cars and buildings were phenomenal. There was almost too much going on at times to keep track.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The story of Superman is one that's been done many times in both comic books and films. So trying to create a new take on the old story can sometimes be something of a hit and miss. Overall though, I thought the take on "Man of Steel" worked well. They tried to make it unique while still keeping the core story mostly intact. It also introduced issues and concerns not necessarily covered before, making the story more 'real' than previous versions in several respects.
There is a substantial amount of flashbacks in the movie. I felt the use of the technique added more depth and imparted more information than they could have othwerwise, but others might find it a little confusing, or not as enjoyable as a straight timeline story.
4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Aided by a lot of CGI, there was still a large amount of physical combat stunts, which were done quite well. Add in all the city mayhem scenes and it's obvious the stunt department was kept very busy. Great job!
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Most of the film was done in Illinois, but there was enough variation and consistency in the chosen locations to suit the different places being depicted. There were plenty of sweeping camera shots in the real and CGI worlds to ground viewers and also help them appreciate the different locals. This also worked particularly well for Metropolis. (And don't miss the little caveat on the side of some tanker trucks in the city during the final battle.)
Conclusion: "Man of Steel" was visually awesome and the story pretty entertaining. DC is definitely proving it can dish it out as well as Marvel with regards to movies about our favorite heroes. A fun ride! Definitely worth seeing in IMAX 3D.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission.)
There was also an awesome caption moment around midway through the film - "He wishes he were a perky, red haired reporter right now." See if you can find it. :)
