Moroni's Review of "Thor: The Dark World"

Thor: The Dark World

Two months ago, I made an arrangement with my son, Alex, that I would take him and his sister, Siobhan, to the movies for his birthday.  So earlier this month, I made good on my promise and took them to see "Thor: The Dark World", the second movie in the franchise.  So what do I think?  This is a movie that will please both kids and adults.  This movie is better than the first one, and I really liked the first one.

The film starts when Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Earth when his former love interest, Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), becomes infected with a primeval dark substance called Aether.  To heal her, Thor is forced to take her into the dimension he inhabits, Asgard.  This substance causes an ancient enemy of Asgard, the Dark Elves, to awaken ad lay siege to the ancient city.

Like the first film, this story takes us to many fantastical, dream-like landscapes - the aspect of the film that I actually like the most.  It introduces us to several mystical creatures, cool weapons, and superhuman battles.  It is the characters that make us invest in the fantastical.  Chris Hemsworth bears the hammer of Thor with dignity.  Natalie Portman is just exquisite.  Stellan Skarsgard plays his best role, reprising his portrayal of Dr. Erik Selvig, the events of "Avengers" unhinging his mind.  It is always great to see Sir Anthony Hopkins on the big screen, wearing the mantle of Odin for this endeavor; who know how many more movies he will do?  But again, it is Tom Hiddleston as Loki who steals the show.  He plays the villain with such panache that it is impossible to hate him.

Obviously the franchise will go on.  There are references to "Avengers" and "Captain America" in the film, tying each of these stories into one solid narrative.  I enjoyed it.  My kids loved it.  Our consensus is that it would not be such a bad thing if this became a trilogy.  At least.

Hint:  Stay in the theater until the credits end for a view of what's to come in the Marvel World.

Moroni's Review of "Ender's Game"

Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford in "Ender's Game"

 "Ender's Game" was a movie I was looking forward to, because I had read the novel the film is based on nineteen years ago.  Granted, I am not a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, the author of the novel.  He is a Mormon, like me.  But over the years, I have disliked some of his political views - and he has expressed quite a few.  In addition to that, I find his writing bloated and pretentious.  (He plagiarized the Book of Mormon in one of his series.)  And yet I liked "Ender's Game" quite a bit.  Not enough to read the other books in the series.  But it is a good book.  I was pleased to see that a film version was coming out.

Then the controversy started.  Certain LGBT groups were calling for boycotts of this movie because of some of Orson Scott Card's statements previously against gay marriage.  At first this annoyed me,  I have always made it known that I am decidedly pro-gay marriage.  But I always hate it when people try to mix politics with art.  Especially when it is turned into propaganda.  But then I remembered that I do the same thing.  I boycott organizations and groups that are anti-polygamy; for instance, my boycott of Ben & Jerry's for their contribution to Tapestry Against Polygamy around eight years ago.  Sure, it was a long time ago, and Tapestry Against Polygamy has luckily gone the way of the dodo.  But I still don't eat Ben & Jerry's.  Any group that would support hate does not get my support.

Suddenly, I realized that I was being a hypocrite.  I felt the same way about my cause that the LGBT community feels about theirs.  I think the source of my conflict was that I really liked the story.  Eventually, I realized that I was going to go see this movie, in spite of my feelings.  To rationalize this, I had to divorce Orson Scott Card from his story.  It was the story I liked, not the author.  Plus, the studio announced that people could see this movie guilt free, because Card had no involvement with the film and was receiving no monetary compensation for it.

And really, the story is relevant in our day and age in its depiction of our society, the " good guys", justifying and lying to people about a war that, when you boil it down, doesn't need to happen.

It may have been nineteen years since I read the novel, but, from what I remember, the film sticks pretty close to the book.  It tells the story of a boy genius, Ender Wiggins, who is selected by the government to take part in a secret project to train kids to think outside of the box, as it were, as a means of fighting an alien force called the Formic that invaded Earth in the past.  The training pits his wits against his fellow students in some complex war games in a zero g environment.  Asa Butterfield does a great job playing the solemn, intense Ender opposite Harrison Ford who plays the gruff Colonel Graff.  Ben Kingsley plays Mazer Racham, a Maori soldier of legendary proportions.  His portrayal was kind of sketchy, and I feel like the director (Gavid Hood) did not use Kingsley's talents to their full potential.  The same goes for Abigail Breslin's performance as Ender's sister, Valentine.  She was not given a chance for a full performance.

The strength of the performances give zest to the visual aspect of this film, which is sweeping.  The exercises in the Battle Room are epic, and the physics in zero g are flawless.  In these scenes, Ender gets to show his ability at strategy.  The best parts of this movie take place while Ender is training.  But the visual effects kind of detract from the space battles against the alien Formic.  There is way too much going on the screen, and it is vaguely video game-ish, like I am watching "The Last Starfighter" all over again.  But perhaps that is relevant to the plot twist, which I will not reveal here.

All in all, it is a good movie, my apologies to the LGBT community.  But for what it's worth, I didn't pay a cent.  I had free movie passes...

Moroni's Review of "Gravity"

Sandra Bullock in "Gravity"

This film will speak to almost everyone on a primal level.  I can scarcely think of a kid that has not wanted to be an astronaut.  I was no exception.  But I cannot think of anyone who does not have an innate fear of drifting weightless, in the cold of space, high above the earth, and unable to return to your ship.

This is the premise of "Gravity" - directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron and starring Sandra Bullock.  Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a mission specialist onboard a space shuttle mission high in orbit above the earth.  The movie starts out with the team EVA, working on a satellite.  A cloud of debris suddenly pelts the shuttle, destroying the shuttle, sending her spinning into the blackness of space.  She teams up with another survivor, Lt. Matt Kowalski (played flawlessly by George Clooney), whose cheery demeanor in spite of their hopeless odds is enough to rally the doctor.  With their oxygen running low, they head for their only chance of survival - a Chinese space station.

This movie is riveting and will keep you on the edge of your seat.  Visually, the film is stunning with its dazzling panoramas of space, the stars, and Earth.  Usually, I am fairly ambivalent about watching movies in 3D, but I have to admit that 3D augmented my viewing pleasure, gave you the depth that created illusion that you were floating in the darkness with her.  It also had you flinching at space debris careening off the screen.  The zero g physics were flawless, which was refreshing to see in an industry known for ignoring realistic scientific principles.  Some of the scenes were intense and reminded me of "Mission to Mars", a movie already thirteen years old, but one I love.

There times when the camera spinning from the point of view was a little disconcerting and nauseating, but the story soon made you forget that.  The movie starts at a quick pace and does not slack for the duration, but gives enough back-story in flashing glimpses that gives the characters a sense of dimension.  But characters are dwarfed by the immensity of the backdrop and the sense of suffocation and empathy for the characters.  I loved that the cast was small.  A huge ensemble would have ruined this movie.  Mainly it was just Sandra Bullock, adding to the sense of isolation.

If you have not seen this movie yet, go see it.  It will keep you in free fall from start to finish.

My Desert Island Top Ten - Movie Edition

Back in the day, Tower Records (remember them?) gave you their in-house magazine with every purchase.  The magazine, Pulse, included a section each month where readers could list their "Desert Island Top 10".  The premise is this - if you were stranded on a desert island, and you could only take ten albums with you, what would you take?  I did My Top Ten on my music blog.  I figure that I could do the same thing with movies.

I made a rule that I could not use any movie that I have already reviewed.  It was tough.  I mean - there are so many movies I love.  I have always been a movie geek and love Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings.  But I decided to pick movies that mean something to me, that changed me.  So here it goes, in no particular order.  Tell me your Top 10 in the comments, or on my Facebook page.

Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons in "The Mission"

1.  The Mission (1986) -  Several years ago, film critic Leonard Maltin wrote an article for Reader's Digest about how Hollywood had become decidedly anti-religion.  He cited this Palm d'Or winner from the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, directed by Roland Joffé as an example.  For me, this film is exactly the opposite - deeply moving and spiritual.  It tells a story based on true events of a mission to the Guarani Tribe in South America, led by a small band of Jesuit priests.  When the Portuguese and Spanish governments become embroiled in a dispute over territory, the Catholic Church abandons the mission, leaving the Jesuits and the Indians alone, faced with the choice of fleeing civilization back to the jungle, or standing their ground against slave traders and mercenaries.  The movie may be anti-organized religion, but it is very much in favor of personal spirituality, making decisions based on what's right rather that what authority says to do, standing against all odds.  This is the core of what my beliefs as a Mormon fundamentalist are about.  Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons give the performances of their career here.  De Niro plays a former slave trader and mercenary who kills his brother in a fit of rage and seeks peace and forgiveness by seeking sanctuary at the mission with the Indians he once plundered.  His decision is whether to continue serving them as a priest, or to take up arms in their defense, forsaking his vows.  Jeremy Irons stars as the Jesuit who beguiles the natives with his oboe and refuses to resort to violence as a solution, but is willing to take a stand, no matter the odds.  The landscapes are sweeping and beautiful.  The soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is perhaps one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever penned.  This is a story of moral courage in the face of insurmountable adversity.  And if it does not bring tears to your eyes at the end, you are likely not human.

Amelie

2.  Amélie  (2001)  -    Directed by one of my favorite directors, Jean-Paul Jeunet, this film also launched the career of French actress, Audrey Tautou as Amélie  Poulain, an eccentric free spirit, who lives the Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre with her father and works in a diner.  Most of her spare time is spent daydreaming, her imagination depicted splendidly through special effects.  The story revolves around a series of events that cause her to seek to do good deeds, her adventures lead her to many colorful characters in her neighborhood, including a mystery man who may be just as eccentric and obsessive as she is.  The vivid and vibrant portrayal of Paris is impressionistic, and the motley array of personalities is something that Jeunet perfected in his film "Delicatessen", along with a haunting soundtrack, make this movie beloved to me.

Bicycle Thieves

3.  Bicycle Thieves (1948) - I came to a realization on my own, before my personal research confirmed this, that the Italian neorealism movement of the late 1940s was a reaction to a country being brutally beaten by Mussolini's fascism and World War II.  The movement was the political vehicle for the spawning communist and socialist movements that were spreading across Europe at the time.  I usually hate when people mix art and politics.  I also dislike socialism and communism.  But I totally admire the way the neorealists captured the gritty poverty and hardship of post-war Italy.  This movie is like a snapshot into that time.  Directed by Vittori De Sica, it is not a feel-good movie.  It tells the story of a man (Lamberto Maggiorani) who pawns of his personal belongings to purchase a new bike that he needs for a new job that he just started.  On his first day, the bike is stolen.  He spends the next day walking around Rome with his son (Enzo Staiola), looking for his bike.  Both actors make the movie.  Maggiorani tries to remain macho and stoic, but the frustration and hopelessness leaks onto his countenance.  Staiola looks world weary beyond his years, and his time is spent looking at his father in worry.  This is a European film.  Don't expect any happy ending.  This is a portrait of suffering in a world with no reprieve.

Blue Velvet

4.  Blue Velvet (1986) -  I knew that there was going to be a David Lynch movie somewhere on my list, since he was such an important director to me in my formative years - "Elephant Man","Eraserhead", "Wild at Heart", and even "Dune".  But ultimately it had to be "Blue Velvet".  It was always the fallback movie when I was teen and got together with friends, trying to settle a movie we could all watch.  One of my friends even baked a "Blue Velvet cake" for a birthday.  This is David Lynch at his finest - every frame crafted like a painting.  He also uses one of his most common themes - decay and ferment  beneath the pleasant facade of American life.  It tells the story of an innocent boy (Kyle McLachlan) who returns to his idyllic hometown and becomes immersed in the mystery that lurks in the night of his town.  Dennis Hopper gives one of the craziest performances of his life as the laughing gas-sniffing, velvet-caressing Frank, and Lynch includes the usual cast of misfits, including the suave Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, and Jack Nance.  The soundtrack includes such '50s and '60s classics such as Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" and Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" (which figures prominently in one of my favorite scenes).  The rest of the soundtrack is done by a pre-Twin Peaks Angelo Badalamenti with vocals by Julee Cruse.  In this movie, David Lynch accomplishes what he did so well back then - he trips you out.  Not so much now.  But boy, did he back then.

Donnie Darko

5.  Donnie Darko (2001) -  It is unfortunate that this movie - that deals mainly with a plane crash - was released only weeks after 9/11.  No one wanted to think about plane crashes at that point.  Who knows how successful this film would have been otherwise?  However, after it was released on DVD, it became a cult classic.  It tells the story of a disturbed boy with schizophrenia, Donnie Darko (played wonderfully by Jake Gyllenhaal) who avoids death by going for a walk when part of a plane lands on what was his bedroom.  He spends the movie being plagued by a terrifying bunny rabbit named Frank who tells him that the world will end in 28 days.  During this time, he deals with his illness in school, gets to know a new girl (Jena Malone), and stand up to a creepy self-help guru (Patrick Swayze).  When it all unravels, don't expect to understand everything.  Just go with it.  It has to do with time loops and alternate universes, and somehow Donnie, through his mental illness, is the only one who can truly perceive the phenomenon.  It is a beautiful film with some great songs from the '80s, like "Love Will Tear us Apart" by Joy Division, "Under the Milky Way" by The Church, and "The Killing Moon" by Echo & the Bunnymen (ironically).  My favorite scene is the movie theater scene where director Richard Kelly pays homage to "Evil Dead", another one of my favorite films.  Word to the wise:  if you purchase this film on DVD, get the original, and not the Director's Cut.  The Director's Cut is even more convoluted and doesn't flow as well.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

6.  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) -  This vastly original screenplay written by the iconoclastic Charlie Kaufman won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay.  Both Jim Carrey, as Joel, and Kate Winslet, as the free-spirited Clementine, give the finest performances of their careers.  The story recounts how they begin a new relationship, only to discover that they have had a relationship before.  Their relationship was so doomed that both of them,  independently of each other, went to a company to have their memories of the relationship erased.  The story is about how love is inevitable and worth going through, even when it is bound to fail.  Most of the film takes place in the mind, in the memory rather than in the real world.  So the narrative is discordant and jumbled, bouncing all over the place.  Like memory, the film style is ephemeral, visceral, and psychedelic.  The most compelling moments take place as Joel's memories of Clementine begin to disintegrate, even as he realizes that he wants to keep remembering her.  It all works.  This is a wildly imaginative love story, and you will not forget it.

Kung Fu Hustle

7.  Kung Fu Hustle (2004) - Stephen Chow is not only my favorite Hong Kong director, but he is a favorite with my children.  My kids will watch "Shaolin Soccer" and "CJ7".  I have watched Chow's movies with other people who have a hard time understanding them culturally.  I explain that they are much more than martial arts movies.  They are living cartoons, relying on visual effects and whimsical narrative.  This film - with Chow as both main character and director - tells the story of Sing, a down-on-his-luck, two-bit criminal who dreams of joining the notorious Axe Gang.  The gang comes into conflict with the inhabitants of a slum called Pig Sty Alley, which is harboring Kung Fu masters that come to aid of the community.  The Axe Gang hires assassins to root out the Kung Fu masters, allowing Sing to tap into his unknown ability as a Kung Fu master himself who comes to the aid of the poor people of Pig Sty Alley.  The effects and martial arts stunts are stunning, if not a bit ridiculous.  This movie is violent and fun, filled with sight gags and outrageous characters.  If  you have not been exposed to Chinese cinema, this is a good place to start.

Love & Death

8. Love & Death (1975) - I am a huge fan of Woody Allen's early comedies, but this one is by far my favorite.  A parody of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, the film tells the story of Borris and Sonja (Diane Keaton) as an unlikely couple in Russia who set out on a quest to assassinate Napoleon.  Not only in this a bona fide slapstick movie, but it has produced some of the wittiest Woody Allen quotes that I am known to produce from time to time.  ("You love Mother  Russia, don't you?")  ("Sex without love is an empty experience."  "Yes, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.")  Like all of Woody Allen's comedies, there is a strong moral undercurrent about war, the moral imperative of killing, and religion.  These result in some conversations between Allen and Keaton that are, at once, hilarious and yet profound.  The best scene is the closing shot that features Woody Allen dancing with Death across the Russian countryside.

Pan's Labyrinth

9.  Pan's Labyrinth (2006) - A decade ago, as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy wound down, there was an online poll that asked - if Peter Jackson could not direct "The Hobbit" prequel, which director should give it a try?  The answers were mundane like "George Lucas" or "Steven Spielberg".  My answer was immediate - Guillermo del Toro.  I had only seen two films by this Mexican director - "Mimic" and "Blade II".  But I had seen enough to know - this man was a creative genius.  (Eventually, he would be selected to direct "The Hobbit", but would have to withdraw due to conflicts.)  This was before I had to see "Pan's Labyrinth", which is his masterpiece thus far.  Set during the Spanish Civil War, it tells the story of Ofelia, a young girl whose mother is married to a cruel fascist officer bent on hunting down anti-Franco rebels.  Ofelia is launched into a world of fauns, demons, and faeries who set her upon a quest that seems to mirror the political struggle around her.  This movie is beautiful, haunting, disturbing, and touching all at once.  One of the great things about this film - it never answers the question:  is this world a result of Ofelia's imagination, her need to escape the violent world around her?  Or is it real?  The answer is left to the viewer.  One thing is certain - the real monsters are the men like her step-father, who are more wanton and bloodthirsty than any creature from the faery world.  The soundtrack is adds to the ambiance of the story.  This movie will not leave you dry-eyed.

Thunderheart

10.  Thunderheart (1992) - Based loosely on the events at Wounded Knee in the 1970s, this crime drama is much more than it appears on the surface.  It is about coming to terms with your heritage, in spite of trying to run away from it.
FBI agent Ray Levoi (Val Kilmer) is sent as a special Native American liaison to a reservation in South Dakota due to having a mixed heritage - his father was part Sioux.  He and his partner (played brilliantly by Sam Shepard) are to investigate a murder.  It turns out to be much more than anyone suspects - a struggle between pro-government and anti-government factions, collaborations between big business and the FBI.  Levoi must soon choose between his duties as a federal officer and what is best for the Lakota people.  The sweeping Dakota landscape aids in the telling  of the story.  The most compelling aspect is the way that Levoi comes to terms with his Lakota heritage and has an awakening in the form of visions.  This film brilliantly illustrates the difference between native culture and the dominant American culture - how they are at odds with each other.  I recently showed this film to my older kids, and they liked it, despite it being an "old movie", as they term it.

Moroni's Review of "The World's End"

The World's End

Sometimes reunions don't go over well, and it's best to leave the past in the past.  At least that's what Simon Pegg's character Gary King discovers in the third installment of the "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy" that includes "Shaun of the Dead", "Hot Fuzz", and now this one, "The World's End".  The trilogy gets its name from featuring a new ice cream flavor in each film.  The other common elements are that all of the films are directed by Edgar Wright, written by both Wright and Pegg, and feature many of the same actors, like Simon Pegg, the brilliant Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy (who provides a brilliant voice-over), and others.

The film starts out with a group of five boys on the night of graduation. They decide to try the "Golden Mile", a pub crawl that includes twelve pubs, and ends at a pub called The World's End.  Their attempt fails, and the groups soon disbands.  Twenty years later, Gary King, who was the de facto leader of the gang, tries to round up the crew for a repeat of the Golden Mile.  This time the aim is to complete the crawl.  The problem - everyone has moved on with their lives and has become entrenched in adult life.  Everyone except Gary, who is stuck in the '90s.  With his Doc Martens, black trenchcoat and Sisters of Mercy t-shirt, he is still the same free spirit he was in high school, except that he has not evolved.  The crew reluctantly decides to reunite, along with the sister of Martin Freeman's character, played by the beautiful Rosamund Pike.  Right from the start, the night is a disaster that culminates in a discovery that the world is being taken over by alien robots.  But this fact does not prevent Gary from trying to complete the Golden Mile.

This movie is frightfully funny with the same dry wit and macabre sense of humor that was prevalent in "Shaun of the Dead".  My wife thought it was weird.  But I spent the whole movie chuckling.

The soundtrack was great, filled with gems from the late '80s and early '90s like Happy Mondays, the Sundays, Blur, and the Stone Roses.  Gary's obsession with Sisters of Mercy figures prominently in the plot, and the film ends with a rousing rendition of "This Corrosion".

All in all, this was an enjoyable movie.  As usual, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play very well off of each other.  Edgar Wright's directing style - filled with rapid zoom-ins - is becoming familiar and compliments the rapid-pace action of the movie.  I am definitely hoping that there will be another flavor in the trilogy.

Moroni's Review of "World War Z"

Sorry, this review is coming a bit late, but this is the last movie I went to see this summer.  Honestly, I saw it twice.

I am usually the guy who "reads the book" before he sees the movie, and this was the case.  A couple of years ago, when I heard that a movie version of Max Brooks's "World War Z" was in the making, I decided to read the book.  It was incredible read - a bit slow at times, but gripping, really.

The first thing I thought was - how in the world are they going to make a movie of this?  The book was not told as a traditional narrative, but through a series of interviews told by several survivors of the zombie apocalypse.  The collection of stories approaches the zombie scenario from all possible angles - politically, economically, medically, socially.  What happens when conventional military weaponry is used in a war against an enemy that is essentially immune to your defenses?  How to you plan a war against an army that increases in size every time you experience casualties?  What happens to Hollywood in the midst of a dystopian society?  What sort of movies would they make?  What do zombies do during the freezing temperatures of winter?  Which places would be geographically the safest?  Which structures are the safest against zombie attacks?  Can you turn historical landmarks into fortifications against the walking dead?  What stories would the government and the media spin to explain away the end of times?  Would you be safe at sea?  What tools would ordinary citizens use to combat zombies?  Would they use animals and dogs in their fight against the living corpses?

All of these topics - and much, much more - are tackled in Max Brooks's book.  How in the world were they going to make a movie about that?

And, of course, the answer is - they can't.

When I heard that they were bringing Brad Pitt on-board to play Gerry Lane, a UN specialist assigned to investigate the rapidly-spreading zombie virus across the globe, I admit - I scoffed a bit.  That's all this movie needed - a Hollywood icon leaping about acting heroic.  There is no main character in the book, and Brad Pitt would definitely be a main character.

Add to that the stories I was getting about release delays, rewrites, and re-shoots.  Like everyone else, I was thinking, "Man.  This movie is gonna suck!"

One thing that gave me hope was that they obtained Marc Forster, who directed "Monster's Ball",
"The Kite Runner", and "Quantum of Solace."  So there is no question that this movie will be visually stunning, and it is, with it's sweeping landscapes.

So, of course, the big surprise was - this  movie was actually very good.  It was riveting and intense.  The movie starts out with the Lane family stuck in traffic in Philadelphia right as the zombie invasion occurs.  The movie captures the confusion and terror of the mayhem.  The family is able to escape, and the provisional U.N. government recruits Gerry to start investigating the origins of the virus, taking him to South Korea, to Jerusalem, and, finally, to Scotland.  This movie kept me at the edge of my seat from start to finish.

On thing that I reported back to my extended family - for a zombie film, there was absolutely no traditional gore in this movie.  You can take this as a plus or a  minus.  I am accustomed to gore.  But it was nice to see a movie rely on storytelling rather than brain splatters.

Surprisingly, Brad Pitt did an excellent job in this film.  Once I heard that he would head this cast, I assumed he would rush forward against the zombie horde with a machine gun, a stereotypical roar on his lips.  Instead, he gave a great performance as the reluctant hero, the mask of fear and worry for his family on his face the whole movie.  It was refreshing.

Look, this movie is never going to live up to the majestic scale of the book.  There is no Battle of Yonkers in this film, which greatly disappointed me.  But in its own right, given its own merits, this is more than just a mediocre zombie flick.  It is a great movie.  There are talks about a sequel.  The debate is - does this story need a sequel?  But, really, you couldn't have better material to draw from.

Factoid:  Max Brooks is the son of comedian Mel Brooks and the late actress, Anne Bancroft.

Moroni's Review of "Man of Steel"

It's really kind of funny that my kids weren't looking forward to this movie.  I asked my 11 year-old son Aidan why.

"I don't know," he said.  "I guess I am really not that into Superman."

My kids prefer Spiderman, Ironman, and even Thor over Superman.  I liked those other heroes when I was little.  But the quintessential hero was, and always will be, Superman.

When I was about 4 or 5, my mom said that she didn't have any money for a gift, so she took some old fabric, and, on Christmas Eve, she made me a homemade Superman cape.  I loved it and wore it until it was ragged.

When the "Superman: The Movie" came out in 1978, I was ecstatic.  It was a dream come true to see the red cape and blue suit streak across the sky on the big screen.  "Superman II" in 1980 was just as exciting for me as "Star Wars".  I have a couple of memories about this movie.  First, I remember that my parents were shocked by the sex scene between Lois and Superman.  And when I say sex scene, I mean showing bare shoulders above the satin sheets.  I don't know what offended them - the notion that Superman would have sex?  Superman was too pure for sex.  I remember that my mom was offended that Lois and Superman shared a glass of wine in the movie.  I guess Superman was a Mormon, and I wasn't aware of it.  But, to my parents, Superman was supposed to be inviolate, which made him differ from other antihero crusaders like Batman.

I also remember going on a business trip with my dad.  We stopped in Yuma, AZ and got a hotel.  I noticed that the theater in Yuma was playing "Superman II", and I asked my dad if I could go see it.  He gave me some money, and I walked by myself to a theater in a strange town, watched a movie, and when I got back to the hotel, my dad was asleep.  It shows the difference in our times.  I would never let one of my 10 year-old kids go by themselves to the movies.  Ever.

I suppose this shows the difference between the heroes of yesteryear and today.  The superheroes of old were stalwart and pure, driven by the need to do good.  The heroes of today walk a morally ambiguous line.  Yes, doing good, but most often driven by needs other than the desire to be righteous.  And if their decisions are ultimately good, it is not before they must torture themselves into walking that path first.

I think that's why Bryan Singer's 2006 film, "Superman Returns" failed the way it did.  I personally loved it.  I was on a missionary trip to Pensacola, Florida at the time, and I made sure that I took time to see it.  But I think that Singer's version was nothing more than an homage to Richard Donner's Superman.  Brandon Routh even looked like Christopher Reeves.  And that innocence of yesterday didn't bode well with today's gritty society.

Enter Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" featuring a tortured, conflicted Superman - who is not so inviolate that he does not resort to killing.  And to be honest - I really liked this vision of Superman.  It is suitable for our times.

The film is executive produced by Christopher Nolan.  I am a really big fan of Christoper Nolan's "Inception", but, honestly, I am not a huge fan of the "Dark Knight" series.  I just could not get into them.  But his vision brought a much needed grittiness to the Superman series.  I am, however, a huge fan of Zack Snyder - "Watchmen", "300", and even "Sucker Punch".  He brings a stylized, painted look to his films that is compelling, along with a type of narrative poetry.  This combination of producer/ director creates an explosive effect on screen.

The thing that I liked about this movie is that it felt less like a Superman movie than it did an alien invasion movie that happened to have Superman in it.  They paid greater detail to Superman's back-story than did previous films, telling the story of Jor-El (played emphatically by Russell Crowe) who is the only person who understands the impending doom of his world, Krypton, and in conflict with his mortal enemy, General Zod, played by Michael Shannon.  Some of it was a bit confusing, like the whole "codex" thing, but it was still pretty cool.

Once they set the stage, the rest of the movie was all battle scenes.  Much to the joy of the 10 year-old boy locked inside of me, these battle scenes made "The Avengers" look like a fight with wiffle bats.  The destruction and devastation caused by two superhumans combatting was monumental - buildings leveled to rubble.

My opinion is that Henry Cavill may be the best Superman yet.  I have followed his career since "The Tudors", and he nails it.  I can't wait to see him don the cape again, and I hope that a "Justice League" movie will soon follow.

This was a Saturday matinee in the summer at its best.  It delivers, and it has become one of my favorite movies of the summer.  I know that my review comes late.  But maybe this will inspire you to buy the DVD when it comes out.  I know that I will.

By the way, my kids - who are not ordinarily Superman fans - loved it.

Other Blogs

This summer, also take time to check out my other blogs, including my music blog.  There is also a polygamy blog, and a blog that details my writing project.

Have a great summer!

Moroni's Review of "Star Trek Into Darkness"

"Star Trek" has been a part of my life since I was a child.  My dad loved the TV show, and some of my first memories are watching re-runs on Saturday with him.  (I was really scared of the white ape with the horn.) Over the years, I have been a dedicated fan - the motion pictures, the newer TV shows.  I was even a fan when the franchise became ridiculous (Star Trek V, anyone?)  or cheap.  (They used the same footage of the Klingon ship blowing up in "Star Trek: Generations" as they did in "Star Trek VI".)

That said, I have been waiting for this movie (the sequel to the 2009 reboot) for many, many months.  But this is a difficult review to write.  How do you write about a movie that centers around a huge secret plot surprise?  Sure, it's all over the internet, but I am opting not to give away any spoilers.

"Star Trek Into Darkness" returns with the crew of the Enterprise shortly after we left them.  Captain Kirk (played to the "T" for Tiberius by Chris Pine) gets reprimanded for his rogue behavior, but this is short-lived when a terrorist attack occurs in a futuristic London, perpetrated by a Star Fleet operative gone bad named John Harrison (played by Benedict Cumberbatch - say that three times really fast.)  The Enterprise travels to the edge of the Neutral Zone with the Klingon Empire where Kirk and the others are plunged into a conspiracy that may cost them their lives and peace in the entire Federation.

First of all, J.J. Abrams proves that he is the man to successfully reboot this franchise.  The thing I like about his vision is that he gives the movie the same feel that the original series possessed - the drama, the spectacular fist fights, something that previous movies or TV shows greatly lacked.  This is the Star Trek of my childhood - but with much cooler special effects.  The movie is fast-paced and exciting from start to finish.  If he can do for "Star Wars" what he did for "Star Trek", then I am happily awaiting the year 2015.

I am a huge fan of Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC show "Sherlock".  So I was pleased to learn that he would be playing the villain.  He steals the show in every sense of the word, burying himself into his villainous role every bit as much as Ricardo Montalban.  (Can I say that?)

Zachary Quinto is once again perfect in his reprisal of Spock, and Zoe Baldana is a kick-ass Uhuru.  Simon Pegg gives comic relief as Scotty.  But the other characters (Karl Urban as Bones, John Cho as Sulu, and Anton Yelchin as Chekov) were curiously lacking, like backdrops, rather than characters.  The beautiful Alice Eve takes on the role of Dr. Carol Marcus, the role made famous in 1982 by Bibi Bisch.  It was nice to see Peter Weller in the role of Admiral Marcus.  I just recently watched "Buckaroo Banzai" online and was wondering what ever happened to him.

And if the original "Star Trek" was a little cheesy, well, there is a very cheesy scene where they practically recreate a scene right out of "Star Trek II", complete with a character shouting out another character's name.  But you soon forget the cheese, because, all in all, this movie is a very fun ride.

Seriously, though, that's all that I khan tell you...

Moroni's Review of "Oblivion"

It's been a while since I have reviewed a movie, and that's because it's been a long time since I have been to the  movies.  It's tough in this economy.  So my wife and I took a long-deserved date night and went to see "Oblivion", starring the megastar, Tom Cruise.

I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about it, and as a result, I absolutely loved it.  This is one of those movies that - like any M. Night Shyamala movie - depends on the element of surprise to sustain its plot.  Based on a graphic novel by Joseph Kosinski (who also wrote, produced, and directed the film), this is a sweeping, post-apocalyptic epic that will hold you glued to your seat.  About the best thing I can say about this film is that it is reminiscent of a Philip K. Dick story.

It is set several decades in the future after a devastating alien invasion by an alien race called the Scavs.  We won the war, but at a terrible cost. The earth is so badly damaged that it can no longer sustain life. Most of the human population has relocated to a moon over Saturn, and a small contingent of humans are left on Earth to "clean up", as an element of the Scavs remain on the planet floor.

The best aspect of this film was the visuals - and not just the special effects, which were extraordinary.  But the landscapes.  Never would one imagine that a post-apocalyptic earth would retain such stark beauty.

The performances were excellent.  Tom Cruise was Tom Cruise, just as Morgan Freeman was Morgan Freeman.  They are both established character actors.  Andrea Riseborough gives a striking performance as Tom Cruise's jealous wife, and Ukranian actress Olga Kurylenko plays the mysterious girl who haunts his dreams.

The  movie is action packed and does exactly what a movie is supposed to do - give one a couple of hours of escape.  It is rare to experience a riveting science fiction epic, and this movie is certainly not one to be missed.

Gathering For Zion Festival 2015

I am pleased to announce the Gathering For Zion Festival in Gallatin, Missouri in June, 2015.  I'm going to be there.  Are you??




















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