TWIN CITIES LIVE- September 5, 2014

TWIN CITIES LIVE
September 5, 2014

It was a pleasure returning to Twin Cities Live after a few weeks off. It's been a little slow at the theaters right now, so we decided to do a fall movie preview instead of reviews of the latest new releases. Here are the four movies we discussed:

1. GONE GIRL
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Sela Ward, Tyler Perry

2. INTERSTELLAR
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Michael Caine

3. INTO THE WOODS
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, Christine Baranksi

4. UNBROKEN
Director: Angelina Jolie
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, Jai Courtney

Here's the video:



Video courtesy of Twin Cities Live/KSTP

For more on these four movies and my full Fall Movie preview, click HERE.

You can find all of my past segments HERE.

As always, thank you so much for watching and your continual support. I truly appreciate it!

Movie Review: MAN OF STEEL

MAN OF STEEL
Director: Zach Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, Richard Schiff


One of the most highly anticipated movies of 2013 is Man of Steel, the latest take on DC Comic's Superman. 2006's Superman Returns sought out to be a return to the franchise. After a chilly reception of the oddly cast film, the franchise was dead in the water again. Fresh off The Dark Knight Trilogy, screenwriter David S. Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan give us their take on the DC Comic superhero.

The planet Krypton is in grave danger. Jor-El (Crowe) fears the take over by General Zod (Shannon) and his followers will lead to its complete destruction. In order to save his newly born son Kal-El, he launches him off in a pod headed toward Earth. Jor-El infuses his son's body with a genetic code that will in turn preserve the Kryptonian race. Zod witnesses the escape of Kal-El and claims, "I will find him!" vowing to one day get his hand on the genetic code.

Kal-El is rescued and raised by Jonathan (Costner) and Martha (Lane) Kent in Smallville, Kansas. At a young age, he realizes that he is different than the other kids in his class. The Kryptonian genetic codes have given him a super strength and speed that he struggles to understand. He wants to use his abilities to help others, but is advised by his father to keep them harnessed for a later date. If the world finds out how special he is, they will only use it against him. Clark (Cavill) finds it harder to sustain his powers as an adult. He works odd jobs, lives in various places, and uses different names to stick to a mysterious life. He risks his true identity after rescuing workers near an Arctic plant. An archaeological dig has discovered space crafts that have been buried for thousands of years. Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Adams) has been sent in to cover the discovery but turns her fascination toward Clark. The discovery of the spacecrafts marks the return of General Zod who has finally found Clark.

Previous Zach Snyder (Watchmen, 300) films have had similar issues with structure regarding the action versus character development. Man of Steel falls into that trap. The story digs into the origins of the Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman story. You will not find Lex Luthor or Jimmy Olson in this version. One would think that an origins story would enrich the characters we know and love. I feel like the best scenes in the movie involve Clark, Jonathan, and Martha. There is a humanity and warmth to them that make the origins story more credible as Clark learns how to deal with his inner struggles. Unfortunately, the story should have utilized more of these scenes in the beginning and middle sections to further the origins story line instead of treating them like flashbacks. Lois Lane is given a different spin on how she approaches Clark Kent and Superman. Amy Adams portrays her as a tougher, no-nonsense reporter over the ditsy damsel in distress type character. Henry Cavill fills out that Superman suit very well, but stays pretty brooding throughout most of the film. The script does not give him enough to play around with in this portion of the story. I have faith he will only get better with each film as he settles into the different mindsets of Clark Kent versus Superman. The film seems to rely too heavily on cutting to the action sequences and the need for the Superman costume before delving into the heart of these characters. The audience sees the suit pretty early on in the film, and he stays in combat mode the majority of the movie.

I had high hopes knowing that David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan were involved. I am a massive fan of The Dark Knight Trilogy, so I was hoping for that same feel and tone. This is by no means a bad film. It has that first movie in a series syndrome where the filmmakers want to kick the series off into high gear with big action sequences but neglect key elements and flow of making it a standalone film. The ending of the movie is sure to please fans as it sets up the next installment well. You get the sense that the actors will really be able to play around more with their characters. I wish we would have seen more of that in this movie instead of waiting for the next.


RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

PAUL'S YEAR AT THE MOVIES: 2012 EDITION

PAUL'S YEAR AT THE MOVIES: 2012 EDITION

I started this blog two and a half years ago and have loved writing reviews and sharing my thoughts with all of my loyal readers. It brings me great joy whenever I get to share a passion of mine with others. Whether you have left comments on the blog or on my Facebook page, I THANK YOU! It means the world to me.

In 2011 I started tracking how many new movies I watched in a year. I wanted to track the number of movies, where, when, and how I saw the movie. I must give credit to my good friend, Max, who has been doing this list for years and where I got the idea from. According to my 2011 Edition of this list, I saw 96 movies that were new to me. I was surprised to learn that despite having a pretty busy personal life I managed to squeeze in even more than that. I saw 113 new movies, 63 were 2012 releases. I did not track every time I watched a movie, just the ones that I was seeing for the first time. Here is the grand list plus my Top 10 of 2012, Worst of 2012, and some other stats:

The Artist
War Horse
Man on a Ledge
The Devil Inside
Friday the 13th Part VII:The New Blood
The Iron Lady
We Bought a Zoo
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Hotel Chevalier
The Darjeeling Limited
Morning Glory
happythankyoumoreplease
The Vow
Being Elmo
Wanderlust
The Ten
Game Change
Friends with Kids
Water for Elephants
21 Jump Street
The Hunger Games
Mirror Mirror
Titanic 3D
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
Murder By Death
So I Married an Axe Murderer
American Reunion
The Cabin in the Woods
The Lucky One
The Five-Year Engagement
Rebecca
Marvel's The Avengers
She-Devil
Chocolat
Spellbound
Dark Shadows
What to Expect When You Are Expecting
La Vie en Rose
Men in Black 3
Battleship
The Last Picture Show
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman
Rock of Ages
Hemingway & Gellhorn
Moonrise Kingdom
Magic Mike
The Girlfriend Experience
Haywire
AVP: Alien vs. Predator
The Amazing Spider-Man
Gentleman Prefer Blondes
How to Marry a Millionaire
Brave
No Reservations
The Dark Knight Rises
Thunderball
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Ted
Play Misty for Me
Total Recall
Hope Springs
The Bourne Legacy
You Only Live Twice
Shame
The Green
Lawless
Girls Will Be Girls
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Premium Rush
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism
Raiders of the Last Ark IMAX
Carnage
Babette's Feast
The Master
Frankenweenie
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Arbitrage
Looper
Diamonds Are Forever
The Man with the Golden Gun
The House of the Devil
Argo
The Innkeepers
Paranormal Activity 4
Moonraker
Prince of Darkness
For Your Eyes Only
Cabin Fever
Hellraiser
The Man Who Knew Too Much
Octopussy
The Living Daylights
Skyfall
Cloud Atlas
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Lincoln
Life of Pi
Silver Linings Playbook
Flight
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Hitchcock
The Girl
The Guilt Trip
Holiday Inn
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Jack Reacher
Meet Me in St. Louis
Pitch Perfect
This is 40
Les Miserables
Django Unchained


My Top 10 of 2012 Releases

These movies are the ten movies that left the biggest impact on me throughout the year. These are the movies that kept me thinking about them for days later. 2012 was one of the best years at the movies in recent memory. There were so many exceptional movies that pushed the boundaries of their genre, dared to tell a remarkable story, and had some amazing performances. This was a hard list to narrow down to just ten movies.


1. The Dark Knight Rises
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. Lincoln
4. The Cabin in the Woods
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
6. Silver Linings Playbook
7. Django Unchained
8. Marvel's The Avengers
9. Skyfall
10. Argo

Honorable Mentions: Les Miserables, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Looper, and Life of Pi

*Please note I have not the following: Zero Dark Thirty, Beasts of the Southern Wild, End of Watch, Rust and Bone, The Sessions, The Impossible, Amour, and Promised Land.

The Worst Movies of 2012

I try not to see too many bad movies, so this list is quite short.
1. The Devil Inside
2. Mirror Mirror
3. Dark Shadows

2013 Resolutions
1. See more movies. OBVIOUSLY!
2. Write more
3. Spend time watching the classics. I tend to focus much of the blog on new releases that I tend to neglect all of the classics that inspired them.
4. More blog projects. I had great fun doing my "Bond. James Bond." challenge that I hope to do similar blog projects in the new year. If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

What are your thoughts on all of the movies 2012 brought to you? Any highlights? What was your favorite or worst movie of the year? Feel free to sound off in the comments below!

Movie Trailer: MAN OF STEEL

MAN OF STEEL

Director: Zach Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Russell Crowe as Jor-El
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy



By the looks of the trailer, the upcoming Superman movie Man of Steel looks to be an origins story. Fans of the series did not have a warm reaction towards the last movie, 2006's Superman Returns, for numerous reasons. I myself did not appreciate the casting of Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. Audience members should be relieved because the movie looks to be in good hands with Zach Snyder (300, Watchmen) behind the camera with Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy) producing the movie. The script is by David S. Goyer who previously co-wrote the stories for The Dark Knight trilogy so hopefully that means a strong story. If all goes well, I would not be surprised if the series is rebooted and this turns into the next big trilogy.

Release Date: June 14, 2013

Feel free to sound off below with your comments on Man of Steel. Will you be there at a midnight screening? Opening weekend? Dollar theater?

Movie Review: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Matthew Modine

All good things must come to end. Finding the proper send off to a beloved trilogy is tricky. The audience has spent the last two movies invested in classic characters and rich storytelling and you do not want to be let down by some lackluster finale. Audiences will not remember The Return of the Jedi or The Godfather Part III as the best in the series. However, I firmly believe The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the best of that trilogy. Christopher Nolan had his work cut out for him to deliver a satisfying conclusion to his Batman trilogy. The previous entry, The Dark Knight, was pitch perfect and delivered one of the greatest performances seen on screen in the last ten years.

Eight years have passed since the events that ended The Dark Knight. Gotham City seems to be at a peaceful state under the reign of Commissioner Gordon (Oldman) and the passing of the Dent Act. Batman has not been seen since he disappeared the night of Harvey Dent's death. Bruce Wayne (Bale) has retreated to a secluded life in Wayne Manor over his former luxurious lifestyle. On the eight year anniversary of Dent's death, the celebration is a set for a spark in the beginning of the downfall of Gotham. Bruce's encounter with cat burglar Selina Kyle (Hathaway) is one of the first signs that "a storm is coming." She seems to be after more than the simple necklace that she steals from Bruce.

Selina Kyle assists in the kidnapping of a congressman in an attempt to lure Commissioner Gordon to the scene. Gordon follows the trail into the sewer system to find it has been taken over by Bane (Hardy) and his henchmen. Bane is a bald beefy badass that wears a muzzle over his scarred mouth. Gordon escapes through the water lines but is shot in the process. While hospitalized, he appoints Officer John Blake (Gordon-Levitt) to directly report to him. Blake has a connection to Bruce Wayne as they both lost their parents at a young age. He approaches Bruce and informs him that he has known all along that he is Batman. He believes in the good Batman has done for the city and implores Bruce to don the cape and cowl to stand up to Bane. Bruce’s butler Alfred (Caine) feels differently. He knows the danger and risk involved and does not want to deal with the death of another member of the Wayne family. Bruce ignores Alfred’s pleas and comes to terms with the fact it is time to family don the Batman again. Bane’s reign of power over of Gotham continues. The takeover of Wayne Enterprises Applied Science Division, the attack on the Stock Exchange, and the trapping of all policeman in the tunnel system are all part of Bane’s attempt to take on the wealthiest of Gotham.

Part of the intriguing concept in Nolan’s Batman Trilogy is that it is set in a very realistic society. The feel of Gotham and its residents is more modern than the dark gothic world or comic book world we’ve seen from previous Batman movies. The themes and events in Nolan’s films ring all too realistic at times. The notions of corruption, anarchy, power of the people, class systems, vigilantes, and the Occupy Movement all ring true to the events in today’s world as well as Gotham. With many comic book movies, it is easy to separate yourself from the fantasy world those characters live in. At one point I had to remember that I was technically watching a movie based on a comic-book as it was all hitting close to home.

It is hard to follow-up Heath Ledger’s Oscar winning performance of the Joker in The Dark Knight. He still remains the best villain of the series. Bane and The Joker are two very different villains with different motivations. Due to his size and muzzled face, he doesn’t quite have the chaotic characteristics that came with The Joker. Tom Hardy gives a fantastic performance as he inhabits a larger than life entity set out for destruction and war. Anne Hathaway steals the movie as the slinky, sexy Selina Kyle. Even though she’s never referred to as Catwoman, she fully embodies the spirit of Catwoman and never lets the leather suit get in her way. She uses the suit and heals to her advantage. You never know exactly what to expect out of Catwoman. Where is she going to pop up, can you trust her, is she good or evil? Hathaway is perfect at keeping her mysterious and not playing her as a stereotype. Joseph Gordon-Levitt also stands out as the brave and strong-willed John Blake. He is not afraid to do what is right and stand up for what he believes in.

With a running time of over two and a half hours, Nolan and his screenwriting brother Jonathan Nolan have written a long finale to their saga. There is a lot of ground they cover in order to introduce new characters, connect them to the back story, and create a cohesive storyline for all three parts. I think the movie succeeds at feeling like it is its own story while still feeling a part of the overall saga of the rise and fall and rise of Batman that the trilogy has laid out for the audience. Nolan and cinematographer Wally Pfister have shot about 70 minutes of the movie using 70mm IMAX cameras. Many of the aerial shots and the action sequences are the IMAX scenes. The scope and feel of these scenes are breathtaking especially if you can see it at an IMAX theater like the Great Clips IMAX Theater at the Minnesota Zoo. The Dark Knight Rises is a stunning, breathtaking, and completely satisfying end making the Batman trilogy one of the best trilogies ever made.

RATING: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)

New Trailer: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman

A brand new trailer was unveiled last night for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. This is also the trailer that should be showing before MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS. It was "unlocked" through the movie's digital media marketing campaign that the movies are known for. What do we see in the trailer? More Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwman. There are some nice action shots of her in costume in the fight scenes. Joseph Gordon Levitt's character is featured far more than he has in the other two trailers. You also get to hear a little more of Bane's (Hardy)masked voice.

July 20th, 2012 cannot come fast enough in my opinion. I will be on the edge of my seat from the first frame until the end of the credits.

I've included all three of the trailers below. The newest one is the first one.