I think we can all agree that whoever says blockbuster doesn't necessarily mean subtlety and intelligence. That's a fact. On the other hand, he who speaks "Christopher Nolan" speaks resurection, restoration and myth reinvented. "The Dark Knight" trilogy behind him, Nolan has been re-emerging as producer and screenwriter, on "Man of Steel," which to have added some zest and some pep. And who better ... more >
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Man of Steel
Sucker Punch
Zack Snyder’s shortcomings as a director come through loud and clear in "Sucker Punch," a video game in search of a film. Emily Browning plays Baby Doll, a young woman committed to a mental institution by her evil step-father--or is it an upscale gentlemen's club? Baby tends to escape into her dream world a lot and for some reason a strip club where the evil psychiatrists and orderlies (Carla ... more >
Watchmen
One Thanksgiving, a friend and I had a long, involved conversation with his uncle about the origin, history, and development of the sport of racquetball. It’s a conversation that we still like to make evil fun of. Racquetball was once a game of finesse, we learned. But racquetball was never the same after Marty Whatshisname came along in the seventies, added power, and changed everything. Good ... more >

300
The biggest problem with 300, Zack Snyder’s retelling of the Greco-Persian battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., is its audience. Or, rather, two specific segments of that audience, to wit: a) Iranians, not happy at the humiliating—for them—last stand of the 300 Spartan warriors against the Aechemenid king Xerxes’ vast army. Chatrooms have been buzzing with furious bitching, much in the spirit of the ... more >