Superman 2 (Flack’s Review)
Posted on | August 21, 2011 | 3 Comments
This is the sequel to the 1978 blockbuster that starred Christopher Reeve as the title character. It is about Superman/Clark Kent. Three villains including the evil General Zod travel from Krypton to Earth to destroy everything. Meanwhile Superman’s romance with Lois Lane gets complicated as he must decide whether to reveal to her that he is Clark Kent.
This film is not nearly as good as the five-star original classic, Superman. Most of it is too silly to be taken seriously unlike the original that had a few jokes that fit in into the movie’s plot and tone. In fact, this film is more like the 1966 Batman movie (based on the TV show) than its predecessor. The best part of the film is the battle at the end. The action is stunning and awesome and is not too silly.
My favorite character is Superman. At least Christopher Reeve still does a good job and is in fact better than in the original because the chemistry with Margot Kidder (who plays Lois Lane) is good and the parts with him deciding what to tell her are very well performed.
I give this film 3 stars. The only good things are the wonderful performances from Gene Hackman as Lex Luther (although he is not as good as in the original mainly because he is sillier like most of the other characters) to Margot Kidder as Lois Lane. The director, Richard Lesters other films are very good. He has directed both Help! and A Hard Day’s Night as well the 1973 Three Musketeers that starred Richard Chamberlin and Michael York. Maybe they should have kept Richard Donner from the original Superman film because Lester is too silly for this movie even though for his other movies his humorous touch worked very well. The special effects are surprisingly not as good as the original.
If there had been a better story, less silliness, and more of a focus on Superman/Clark Kent instead of General Zod just throwing things around and his helpers being goofy than maybe this film could have been better. Most of the reviews I had read thought it was as good if not better than the original but I am not sure what they were talking about.
Henry Cavill (above) will play Superman
Superman News: A new Superman is being made and I am pretty sure this one will not be so silly. It is going to be produced by Christopher Nolan who directed The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. Both of those films were well reviewed and I wonder if this one will be. It is going to be directed by Zach Snyder (director of 300 and Watchmen). It will star the mostly unknown actor, Henry Cavill, as the Man of Steel. Amy Adams will play Lois Lane, Russell Crowe will play Superman’s father Jor-el,and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane will play Superman’s adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent. Laurence Fishburne is rumored to play Perry White, the head of the Daily Planet. As the villain, Michael Shannon will play General Zod and hopefully do a better job than the actor in Superman 2. No one is sure if Lex Luther will make an appearance in the film but if he does I wonder if the actor will be as good as Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacey were when the played the role. It was originally scheduled to be released in December 2012 but Warner Brothers did not want it to compete with its other big release, The Hobbitt Part 1 that Christmas. It is now going to be released June 14, 2013. I would like to see this movie but if it is as dark as Christopher Nolan’s Batman films I probably won’t be allowed to.
Summer Movies for kids 2010
Posted on | May 21, 2010 | 1 Comment
Today’s post was co-written by our mom, publisher of Kidoinfo.com.
Here is our list of summer movies for kids—not all are for little kids. Use the information below to help you make decisions of which ones are appropriate for your family. Our top pick is Toy Story 3. We are also looking forward to The Last Airbender, The Karate Kid and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. We wish they were old enough to see Robin Hood and Prince of Persia.
MAY
IRON MAN 2 Release Date: May 7, 2010
Runtime: 124 min
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Jon Favreau
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson
SYNOPSIS: Based on the comic book series, this sequel to Iron Man (2008), billionaire Tony Stark must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends and new enemies due to his superhero alter ego Iron Man.
ROBIN HOOD Release Date: May 14, 2010
Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content.
Runtime: 140 minutes
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Ridley Scott
Studio: Universal Pictures
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Danny Huston
Genre: Action | Drama
SYNOPSIS: Based on the classic tale of Robin Hood, an archer in the army of King Richard fighting against the French. While King Richard is gone, Robin travels to Nottingham and assembles a gang to prey upon the rich and help the poor.
SHREK FOREVER AFTER Release Date: May 21, 2010
Runtime: 93 minutes
Rating: Rated PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Mike Mitchell
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: In this fourth movie, Shrek is feeling over-domesticated. He used to send villagers running in terror, now they ask him to sign their pitchforks. To regain his ogre mojo, he strikes a deal with the crafty Rumpelstiltskin. When the pact goes wrong Shrek must confront what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never existed.
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME Release Date: May 28, 2010
Run Time: 116 minutes
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Mike Newell
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance
SYNOPSIS: Based on the comic book Prince of Persia later made into a video game series. Jake Gyllenhaal plays an adventurous Persian prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a world-destroying sandstorm.
JUNE
MARMADUKE Release Date: June 4, 2010
Runtime: N/A
Rating: PG for some rude humor and language
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director:Tom Dey
Studio: Davis Entertainment
Cast: Owen Wilson, Keiffer Sutherland, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Stone
Genre: Comedy | Family
SYNOPSIS: Based on the comic Marmaduke found in the daily funny pages of many local papers. A suburban family moves to new neighborhood with the large lovable great dane who is prone to wreak havoc when he is around.
THE KARATE KID Release Date: June 11, 2010
Run Time: N/A
Rating: PG for bullying, martial arts action violence and some mild language
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Harald Zwart
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson
Genre: Action | Drama | Family | Sport
SYNOPSIS: Based on the 1984 coming-of-age classic, The Karate Kid (starring Ralph Macchio) about a California kid and the karate master who takes him under his wing. In this remake, the story is a coming of age story re-set in China.
TOY STORY 3 Release Date: June 18, 2010
Run Time: 86 minutes
Rating: N/A. Probably G
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Lee Unkrich
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
Voices: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: Andy is going off to college. After he packs up his old toys they get mistaken for trash and wind up at The Sunnyside Daycare. In this action-packed adventure our favorite toys meet up with a new group of toys and need to figure out how to get back to their old pal, Andy.
JULY
THE LAST AIRBENDER Release Date: July 2, 2010
Run Time: N/A
Rating: N/A
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Jackson Rathbone, Cliff Curtis, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz
Genre: Adventure | Family | Fantasy | War
SYNOPSIS: A 3-D, live-action adaptation of the animated TV series, The Last Airbender about a young spiritual figure who looks for adventure.
DESPICABLE ME Release Date: July 9, 2010
Runtime: N/A
Rating: Rated PG for rude humor and mild action.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Voices: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Jason Segel, Ken Jeong, Julie Andrews
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Genre: Animation | Family
Studio: Illumination Entertainment
SYNOPSIS: Three orphan girls come into the life of a despicable supervillain who is trying to steal the moon.
THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE Release Date: July 16, 2010
Runtime:N/A
Rating: N/A
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina
Genre: Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: A live-action, modern-day retelling of the classic tale, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in which a seemingly normal kid is recruited by a Manhattan sorcerer who needs his help to battle the forces of darkness.
RAMONA AND BEEZUS Release Date: July 23, 2010
Runtime: N/A
Rating: G
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Starring: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett
Director: Elizabeth Allen
Genre: Family | Comedy
Studio: 20th Century Fox
SYNOPSIS: Beverly Cleary’s classic children’s books come to life, following the misadventures of the young grade-schooler, Ramona Quimby.
NANNY MCPHEE AND THE BIG BANG Release Date: August 20, 2010
Runtime: 109 minutes
Rating: PG for rude humor, some language and mild thematic elements.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Cast: Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans.
Director: Susanna White.
Studio: Universal Pictures
Genre: Comedy | Family | Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: The magical and unusual looking governess from Chistianna Brand’s books shows up in a sequel to the 2005 family film. This time, she’s summoned to help a harried mother raise her children while the woman’s husband is away at war.
“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” will be in 3-D!!!!!
Posted on | April 16, 2010 | 4 Comments
Based on the book by Brian Selznick, the upcoming movie Hugo Cabret will be in 3-D. It will be directed by Martin Scorsese who recently won the Cecil B. Demile award for someone who has directed, produced or acted in many, many movies over their lifetime. I think the film will have tons of special effects . The movie is coming out on December 11, 2011 — there will definitly be a review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our picks of 2010 Children/Young Adult Films
Posted on | January 10, 2010 | Add Comments
Here are the best movies we know are coming out this year. One or two may not be appropriate but we think they are still good. Some are based on a book. So you can start reading now so you will be ready when the film comes out.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Based on the book: The Lightning Thief by author Rick Riordan
Opens February 12, 2010
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland
Based on the Lewis Carroll novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass
Opens March 5, 2010
Dreamworks’ Shrek Forever After
Opens May 21, 2010
PIXAR’s Toy Story 3
Opens June 18, 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 1
Based on the J.K. Rowling’s novel Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollows
Opens November 19, 2010
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