MAN OF STEEL

Release Date: June 14, 2013
Studio: Warner Brothers
Director: Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen)
Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, and Richard Schiff.
Plot: A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do.

But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

Thoughts: I can not wait for Man of Steel to come out. Seriously. I know next to nothing about the movie. I’ve seen the trailer and we all know the very basics; origin story, Zod, and the suit looks a bit different. But I absolutely love the fact that I really don’t know much about the plot.

This is the polar opposite of the advertising of Iron Man 3, a movie that I have not seen but I feel like I know every beat of the movie. The cast is top notch, I love Snyder’s visual style, and more so than the actors that have come before him, Henry Cavill looks the part of Superman without even being in the suit.

Is it June 14th yet?

Ever since they announced the new Superman reboot to be directed by Zack Synder and produced by Christopher Nolan, one of the biggest questions has been the suit. Would they redesign it (as it has in the comics)? Make it darker? Or keep the traditional red and blue tights? Well, we finally have our first look of the Man of Steel… (click to enlarge)

The suit is a bit darker than both Reeves and Cain’s Superman versions and is more textured (the suit here does not look like normal cloth, and has shades of Spiderman’s movie costumes). Henry Cavill sure looks the part and definitely has the presence required to portray the first superhero. I love the atmosphere around him and the giant (almost cartoony) safe door that Superman has just broken through. I can’t wait to see more from the film. Now that we have had a look at Superman, I hope we can see Amy Adam’s Lois, Michael Shannon’s Zod, and the Man of Steel supporting cast. We have a long time until June 13, 2013…

I seem to be doing a lot of TV talk these days, so why don’t I change the pace a little bit for the newest edition of The Pit. Lets talk about movies…

Low budget horror filmmaker John Johnson has started shooting a remake of Ed Wood’s infamous Plan 9 from Outer Space. Johnson is the writer/director behind such micro budget features as Skeleton Key, Skeleton Key 2: 667 Neighbor of the Beast, and Freshman Psych. I’m all for independent film, but I really don’t see the point of remaking classic (even if they are classic for how bad they are) films. Johnson should stick with producing original movies, heck, I might even try to track down his Skeleton Key flicks after I’m done with this posting…

Michael Shannon is the latest actor to be rumored for Zack Synder’s Superman: The Man of Steel. It is unknown what role he is in talks for, but can you say… Lex Luthor? He would be an inspired choice for Superman’s number 1 foe, even if Zod is the rumored leading villain in the flick. Shannon would make even a short appearance as Luthor memorable, and it could also set up future films nicely.  Just don’t cast another actor as Luthor that has a problem shaving their head.

Speaking about Synder, his new flick Sucker Punch opens this weekend. The movie looks like a mind bending visual cocktail. It is just too bad that Warner Brothers has completely dropped the ball with advertising it. I’m a fan of Synder. I’m looking forward to Sucker Punch, yet I have no clue what it is about. Sadly I doubt it is going to do that well, and I just hope that doesn’t cause the studio to be looking over his shoulder as he crafts the new Superman movie. I have the utmost faith in Synder as a director and I can’t wait to see what his vision for Superman is.

Also coming out this weekend is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Um… wait, am I the only one that had no idea they made a sequel to the mildly successful book adaptation? I’ve seen even less advertising for this than I have for Sucker Punch.  Have the studios just given up on getting people to theaters? Did I miss them throwing in the towel?

Next week we have Russell Brand and James Marsden acting opposite a CGI Easter Bunny in Hop. Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page suit up to fight crime in James Gunn’s Super. Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne fight evil spirits in Insidious, by the director of the original (and best) Saw. Finally there is the over advertised Source Code, a sci-fi tale that sees Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan on a train that keep exploding. Well, at least I’d have something to watch as I munch on my popcorn. How about you folks, what will you be seeing over the next few weeks?

Here’s a category that’s had a front runner since before the film even came out. I think it’s the only category this year with an absolute shoe in for the award.

• Josh Brolin for Milk
• Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder
• Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
• Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
• Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Prediction:

Heath Ledger. No explanation necessary.

What Should Win:
How many people would freak out if I didn’t say Heath here? I’m not going to, but I’m just curious. Heath should definitely posthumously take this award, though I’ve said before that I wish I could have known how his performance would have been received if it wasn’t for his untimely death. My biggest beef was with who did and didn’t get nominated with Heath, and my second viewing of Milk hasn’t changed my mind that I wish Franco was up there instead of Brolin.

Six new scenes from Revolutionary Road have been released on Yahoo! video. The film, which has been nominated for four Golden Globes (including best picture, best director, and best leading actor and actress), stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in their first pairing since Titanic. You can check out one of the new scenes above, and the rest of them here. The film comes out on January 15th, 2009.