In Nolan We Hopefully Trust Again: "Interstellar" Teaser Trailer

It feels like the time when Christopher Nolan was not a source of geek contention is further into the past than it probably is in actuality. Even the months before The Dark Knight Rises were belligerent as geeks engaged in a suddenly more vocal debate between those who deemed the gritty realism of the Dark Knight Trilogy to be either appropriate for the source material or detrimental to the superhero genre. 

Following the divisive response to The Dark Knight Rises, that at the very least was underwhelming compared to the films predecessor, Christopher Nolan became an increasingly contentious figure. Supporting Nolan, even  while admitting any shortcomings, meant one was a delusional and biased fanboy. Conversely, criticizing Nolan was met with vile and even violent reactions. Such was and arguably still is the atmosphere around the internet whenever Nolan's name is brought up.

I do not feel a need to defend or explain myself when it comes to my adoration of Christopher Nolan, but to set the record straight: I absolutely adore The Dark Knight, I love Inception in spite of my criticisms towards the first act of the film, and I find The Dark Knight Rises to be highly entertaining despite unfortunately being Nolan's weakest film. (albeit for reasons no worse than most common blockbusters *goughTheAvengerscough*).

Whatever kind of Nolan fan that makes me, even I was beginning to criticize the filmmaker and found myself yearning for the enthusiasm I once had for him to return. While Man of Steel was a box office success, it was hardly the juggernaut Warner Bros. had been hyping it up to be to say nothing of the mixed-at-best critical reception. Assigning blame between Snyder, Nolan and Goyer for the underwhelming response towards the film seems to remain a unresolved issue among nerds (I personally feel all three individuals were the wrong choice considering the source material). For some time I have been waiting for a new Christopher Nolan film to reinvigorate my support for the director. If the teaser for the 2014 film titled Interstellar is to be believed, I may just get my wish granted.

Man of Steel: Superman Has Been Poochie-fied!

The Zack Snyder directed and Christopher Nolan produced reboot of the Superman film franchise has been in theaters for nearly a week and yet, in spite of my best efforts, a video review of Man of Steel on my Youtube channel has yet to be filmed.

Considering reactions and debates regarding the film are THE hot topic of the film, nerd, and internet world, I have opted to post some bullet point form opinions of my own while the conversation remains relevant.

A full video review will be available soon with further details explaining my rationale, but until then, please enjoy…

The Thinking Lens: His Name is Superman

Episode #3

My reaction to the newest trailer for the upcoming film: Man of Steel.

I analyze the latest trailer for Man of Steel and discuss my overall excitement, fears, and hopes for the upcoming Superman film. Are director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan the right choice for Superman? How do Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and the rest of cast seem to be? Will the score by composer Hans Zimmer be worthy of such an iconic superhero? Will we finally see The Last Son of Kryton display the full extent of his super powers? All this and more is explored!

"The Thinking Lens": Commentary on Film, Music, Video Games, Television, Politics and Pop Culture.

Where You Can Find Me
The Thinking Lens Blog: http://thethinkinglens.blogspot.ca/
Tumblr.: http://thethinkinglens.tumblr.com/
Gomiso: http://gomiso.com/u/crisrav1138
last.fm: http://www.last.fm/user/SexySeb1138
Film Aficionado: http://crisrav1138.filmaf.com/
letterboxd: http://letterboxd.com/crisrav1138

The various use of media material is protected by the Fair Use Clause of the U.S Copyright Act of 1976, which allows for the rebroadcast of copyrighted materials for the purposes of commentary, criticism, satire/parody and education.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2013

2012 proved to be somewhat of a disappointment to me in the realm of films considering the amount of excitement I held for the year in cinema. While I did end up liking The Avengers, Brave, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises a lot, each of these films have their fair share of problems that do not make them as exceptionally brilliant as most expected. However a new year is a upon us and instead of dwelling on the past, it is time to look towards the future!

10. The Wolverine 

While X-Men Origins: Wolverine proved to be bland and forgettable, I am going to give this follow up film the benefit of the doubt. The fact that the film switched directors offers some cause for concern, however the source material the script borrows from seems stellar and, frankly, I miss Hugh Jackman in the role!

09. Star Trek Into Darkness

I will admit that the first trailer (or teaser for a trailer? Or trailer for the teaser?....fuck this trend) did not exactly catch my interest. Nevertheless the film is a sequel to the biggest surprise of 2009 that was the first Star Trek film in the rebooted series. I liked the film a lot so this sequel is definitely on my radar and adding Benedict Cumberbatch as the villain has proven to be a tantalizing mystery.

08. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I had absolutely no reason to be excited for or even watch The Hunger Games. However, like with most things that receive a lot of attention, my curiosity got the best of me. Boy was I surprised. The Hunger Games is far from perfect (The first half is really interesting and the second half is mostly exciting but severely under-develops the character relationships) but I did enjoy it a lot. If nothing else Jennifer Lawrence was excellent and watching her on screen again, in a film adaptation of a sequel many fans insist is superior to the original novel, should be worth while.

07. Monsters University

Pixar is worrying me a little. Toy Story 3 was brilliant and I really enjoyed the unpopular Brave, however between those two films, Cars 2, and the upcoming Monsters University, Pixar has produced three sequels and a princess film in the last four years. Where are the 'why didn't I think of that!' stories and ideas that used to come from Pixar? Well....all that aside I have come around to the idea of a prequel to Monsters Inc. Much like how the Toy Story films were released as the children who grew up with them were getting older, those who were children when Monsters Inc. was released will now be roughly college-age, as are the characters depicted in the prequel. As long as they can use this concept to reach audiences and have social commentary in the way the Toy Story series did, then we may be in for something special from Pixar. 

06. Frozen 

Arguably being the perfect age during the Disney Renaissance of the 80's and 90's, my love for Walt Disney Animated film classics only continues to grow as I get older. However, for the longest time I could not help but feel Disney was losing their touch in the 2000's following a string of film disappointments and disasters. Recently the studio seems to be heading down the right path once more as both Princess and the Frog and Tangled truly captured what I felt to be the missing magic that is found in Disney's most memorable films. Their upcoming film Frozen, based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale titled The Snow Queen, seems to following a similar route with talent behind both the scenes and the microphones. The studios previous two fairy tale films not only captured the spirit of the Disney classics but also improved in quality in my opinion, so hopefully this new installment will continue the pattern. Also, Kristen Bell fans...she plays the lead character.

05. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

I still have not seen The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as of this writing, however the Lord of the Rings films are among my favourites (Return of the King blew my mind away!) and I am not too concerned about the mixed reactions to the first installment of the Hobbit films. The main reason I am excited for the second installment regardless of how I will feel about the first film? Smaug. Enough said.

04. Thor: The Dark World

Thor was a huge surprise for me. Based on a generic trailer I did not expect much from the film and while the film was not perfect, it does have a lot going for it. The sets and costumes are excellent, the actors all embrace their characters and throw themselves into the roles (especially the praise worthy Tom Hiddleston), and the film was just pure fun overall. So my excitement for the film stems mostly from my love for the first film and the intriguing title made further enticing by the impressive new cast members.

03. Oz: The Great and Powerful

In spite of the fact that I hate the look of 'all CGI world' films such as Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland or the Star Wars prequels, I could not help but be impressed by what this film seems to be offering. Being a  huge fan of the original The Wizard of Oz film, starring Judy Garland, I love director Sam Raimi's decision to have portions of the film presented in full screen black-and-white and others in widescreen colour to visually match the previously mentioned musical classic. With a cast of some of my favourite actors being led by an extremely imaginative director there is no reason for me not to be excited for this film. Plus, I do not know how anyone can consider his filmography and not be excited by the fact that Sam Raimi is bringing the Wicked Witch of the West, one of cinemas greatest villains, back to the silver screen.

02. Man of Steel

I have not kept my disdain for Zack Snyder's style of filmmaking or my reservations towards Christopher Nolan (whose style is perfect for Batman but does not immediately seem suited for Superman) as the films guide a secret. Having said that...I have been relatively impressed by the trailers released thus far. The mood seems serious in terms of taking the characters, themes, and story as serious as any other film. A sigh of relief to me considering everyone seems to hate superhero films with story depth and three dimensional characters in the wake of The Avengers. Snyder's usual tropes are nowhere to be seen and Nolan seems to have understood what makes Superman the ultimate superhero. Although the line from Jonathan Kent in which he contemplates the notion of Clark letting others die to protect his secret is very much out of character. More than anything every single cast member is enough reason to be excited for film just to see what these great talents bring to such iconic characters. Time will tell, but for the moment the film seems to be aimed at giving us a new Superman story while exploring what makes the character important and bringing a mythic feel to the film. I hope this delivers because we need an excellent Superman film!

01. Iron Man 3      

Iron Man remains one of the greatest superhero films ever made by my estimation and Jon Favreau belongs in the company of Richard Donner, Sam Raimi, Bryan Singer, and Christopher Nolan as one of the great directors who truly captured the essence of the characters and world they were bringing to the silver screen. In fact, to me, Iron Man remains the best of the films to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The films offers so much: A perfect Tony Stark in Robert Downey, Jr., sizzling chemistry between Downey, Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow, great humour, and engaging stories alongside the dazzling action sequences. Some were put off by the serious tone of the first trailer for the film, but me? I loved it. Yes, I love my action and fun in superhero films (Which by the way...those who are saying Nolan takes the fun out of Batman....what the fuck are you smoking?! I have blast with those films!) but I love them even more if they give me a story that allows me to engage with the characters as well. Shane Black is a talented filmmaker and there is no reason to doubt that he will make Iron Man 3 a great one.

What films are you looking forward to this year? Sound off below!

Man of Steel: Hope for Superhero Films?

I haven't exactly kept my disdain for Zack Snyder and most of his filmography a secret. 300 and Watchmen were mediocre at best, if I'm being generous, and Sucker Punch appears to encompass every single problem I have with Snyder in terms of style of content. I get that you can dismiss my lack of enthusiasm for the slow-motion, the all CGI worlds, and the horrendous use music/covers at inappropriate times...but you'd be wrong. You can disagree that those traits are even problems to begin with, but insisting they are traits unworthy of criticism is simply mistaken.

So naturally as a HUGE Superman fan whose watched and loved the Richard Donner Superman films, the Superman prequel television series Smallville, the Superman animated series, and countless other related media...I was not elated to hear Snyder would helm Warner Bros. latest attempt to revive the film franchise of the worlds most famous superhero.

Surprisingly, I was also wary of Christopher Nolan being the films guide and story writer. While his grim, gritty, and realistic style is PERFECT for Batman, Superman is a character designed to inspire hope, bring brightness, and clearly exhibit abilities beyond the realm of reality. So this didn't feel like a right fit for either Snyder or Nolan, much less the combination of both artists. However in recent months, since the success of The Avengers to be exact, I've come to appreciate this teaming up of Snyder and Nolan.

I have to get say out of the gate: I really love The Avengers. It's a fun, exciting, and humorous popcorn ride filled with visual awe and a great cast. It's entertaining without being stupid and delivers on the imagination we all shared when dreaming of a big superhero team-up. Having said that...it is far from a perfect film. Some of the dialogue is pretty awful (The exchange between Loki and Fury about ants having quarrels with boots is laughably bad), the story is predictable and offers little sense of true suspense, dread, or surprise, and the first hour is oddly paced and rushed in terms of character relationships and individual development.

Yet somehow films like Brave, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises can share these exact same traits and be lambasted while The Avengers is praised as a groundbreaking new gold standard for superhero films. Sorry...but no. In terms of costume design...okay, I guess it is the only film with the balls to make them look exactly like the comic books designs......if you ignore films like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy or The Fantastic Four films. It certainly isn't the only superhero film to be "light-hearted" and "fun" and I cannot fathom how anyone could consider it to have a better script than The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, Iron Man, or Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Not good enough? Well maybe there is a superhero film that combined a great script with the courage to be all out silly and comic-booky...like the very first big one- Superman: The Movie. The Avengers fine and fun film....but hardly the revolutionary, does things no superhero film has ever done before, gauntlet smashing film that some are making it out to be. 

Now in recent days the new Star Trek Into Darkness teaser and every other genre film that has the audacity to apparently take itself seriously has been criticized by some (idiots) for pursuing a 'Dark Knight' style in a post-Avengers world....because now apparently no matter what film you are, screw characters and story...being goofy and fun is all that matters! 

Suddenly this teaming up of a director with the skills to create engaging stories and characters with another director with an admittedly passionate flare for visual action is beginning to really excite me. Man of Steel needs to really hit the ground running for Superman fans and while the latest trailer doesn't entirely excite me, it does indicate that there is enough there to ensure the future of superhero films will continue on the path of a PRE-Avengers world.

So what stand out about this trailer?

1) The negatives first: I smiled a little when Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent appeared in clothing similar to the Smallville Jonathan as played by John Schneider. However that joy quickly faded when Jonathan suggested that perhaps Clark should have let a bus full of children die in order to protect his secret powers. That really bugged me. In my experience Jonathan Kent has always warned Clark about the dangers of exposing himself, however it was never at the expense of the lives of others. This line just felt very un-Pa-Kent-Like and I very much hope that conversation take a different turn in the final film.

2) Overall the trailer didn't exactly excite me. As I shall explain there are aspects of it worthy of enthusiasm, however for the most part there wasn't much of a "Wow that was cool!" or "I need to see how this turns out!" moment.

3) Now for some positives...the mythic vibe of it all really impresses me. I'm not a fan of the music, but the overall feel of the trailer does emphasize that Superman is a character of epic and godlike stature in appearance and in terms of what the character represents. The shots of Superman in the arctic preparing for and eventually taking off into the sky truly felt like the stuff of legend. 

4) I love that we will appear to experience a story that is deeply personal for Clark Kent/Superman. Moments such as his mother and father comforting and teaching him in times of weakness or uncertainty really capture the important fact that Superman is who is because of the Kent's and how they raised Clark. These scene looks like they will provide some of the most emotional moments of the film.

5) Superman questioning his purpose in the world and whether or nor humanity is ready to accept him provides huge relief that the film will actually have an inner character journey that isn't simplified or easily dismissible. It gives Superman not only an arc for audiences to engage in, but possibly even a reason to rejoice beyond the typical 'hero saves the day' joy as Superman will now have something to prove to himself and the world. These are the types of stories that superhero films can and should aspire to.

Overall the trailer is fine. The aren't many awe inspiring moments but there are signs that the film will succeed in providing solid character and story depth, which frankly is the best sign the film could have given me. For some characters/franchises bright colors, gags every few moments, and fan service is not only fine, but required for a faithful adaptation. However in other cases, treating superhero films, their stories, and their characters like any other great film would, in other words taking them seriously, is more in line with what I hope to see in the future for the genre.