Man of Steel and Jesus and Evolution

Is Henry Cavill the hottest Superman ever?

I was one of those people who initially dismissed Man of Steel (MofS). It was nothing personal, but wasn't there a Superman movie out in 2006?

 Anyway, once I found out Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy) writer and director was behind Man of Steel, albeit as a producer,  I decided to give it a second look.

I enjoyed The Dark Knight Trilogy for its dark, gritty and masterful storytelling. One of the criticisms DC Comics gets (in comparison to Marvel Comics)  is that its superheroes are gods, which makes it hard to make them relevant to the modern world (see the issues about bringing Wonder Woman to the bring screen).  Batman stood alone as the only relatable superhero, whose experiences are rooted in the socio-political and economic climate of the present times.

Superman, however,  is an alien, and above everyone else. So, considering the disaster of 2006's Superman Returns (disclaimer: I think Brandon Routh was a good Superman), I was curious to see what the added touch of Christopher Nolan could do to breathe life and relevance into Superman, again.

Like the Dark Knight Trilogy, storytelling takes center stage. The movie is not told in the straightforward fashion of its predecessors. The audience doesn't watch  Kal-El crash land on earth as a baby/toddler and see him come of age, as is the usual narrative. Instead, the defining moments of Clark Kent's childhood are re-visited as memories, as the viewers first meet a scruffy looking, nomadic man, working as a deck hand, and then a waiter, etc.

Game of Thrones: The Rains of Castamere, s.3, e. 9

 I don't really blog about Game of Thrones (GofT), though I  do watch the show. But, the anticipated second last episode was fascinating. Though I expected the fall of Robb Stark, I still felt sorry for him.

As book readers and TV viewers might remember, Robb accepted the invitation to attend the wedding of his uncle  Edmure to one of the Freys, the same Frey family whom he betrayed by breaking an engagement to one of the daughters, so he could marry Talisa.

 Though the Frey patriarch played as if all was forgiven,  it wasn't.  And thus begun the infamous Red Wedding. Between the wedding and the bedding (of Edmure's bride), Arya Stark and  The Hound arrived. They made it to the wedding too late, right about the time the slaughter started.

 Jon Snow, failing to kill an old man who aids The Watch, reveals that he's in fact still a Crow. A battle breaks out between he and the Wildings, and he abandons Ygritte. Uh? Even Ygritte is shocked.

 Meanwhile, Back to the Red Wedding. The Starks suffer yet another loss, or two losses, but Catelyn went into Lady Stoneheart mode and she was fierce. A

GRRM treats the Starks as sacrifices.  Their "goodness" makes them out of place in Westeros. We have not seen all the Starks in one place since season 1, episode 1. Yet, just for a second, I was rooting for them to reunite, even if for a moment. And they were so close to reuniting. Bran and Rickon were in the same spot as Jon Snow; Bran even saw Jon fighting when he went into Warg trance. Arya was in the same spot as  Robb and Catelyn, and yet the Starks never got together. Once again, Arya watches her family members get butchered.  It's just a tragedy.


 What's next for the season finale?

Teen Wolf Returns for Season 3

It's hard to keep track of this show. It follows the Game of Thrones yearly Schedule, which  just reminds me that every year I am getting older.
 Last Teen Wolf left off, Gorn, I mean Jackson, the lizard boy, was terrorizing the "kids." The actor playing Jackson has since left the show, so it's unclear what the new villain will be. I think Scott became an alpha at the end of last season.
 Anyway, the show returns for season 3, June 3, 2013.

Star Trek Into Darkness

I have been hesitant to speak about Star Trek Into Darkness for some time now, but the inevitable has arrived. I loved the 2009 re-vamped Star Trek; in part, I understood that the newer, faster pace of the 2009 version had to be done to re-energize a franchise breathing its last breath (thanks, Nemesis).  Yet, as the years advanced, I started to think of what made Star Trek great--what made it stand apart from say, Star Wars. As I pondered these things--intellectual depth, philosophy, politics relevant to its time, I started to believe that J.J. Abrams and his crew (Damon Lindeloff, Roberto Orci and  Alex Kurtzman) "ruined" the franchise.  Strong word, "ruined," I know.

Star Trek 2009 was a popcorn flick, but while it bore the name and uniforms of the Starfleet officers, it wasn't Star Trek. So I believed, despite acknowledging that ST '09 was smart and savvy; it wasn't Star Trek. It was a prequel, a sequel, a spoof and a homage to the original series, and inside jokes such as "Olson is gone, sir" made me giggle, but it wasn't Star Trek. The trailers for Star Trek Into Darkness (STID) haven't helped absolve Abrams of blame. Things getting blown up--it came across simply as a popcorn flick, brainless and lacking the philosophical and relevant politics of the original series.

5 Fall Preview Shows To Anticipate

Of course I run the risk of disappointment (Terra Nova, my heart still weeps at the potential lost here); nonetheless  I've learned not to hold a grudge, and so I'll continue to anticipate good Sci-Fi/Fantasy/mystery shows. Here's my top 5 list of shows I hope don't disappoint come fall TV season.

1.  NBC's Dracula-- Johnathan Rhys Meyers (sigh) is playing the title character in this series. Once you get over the anomaly of his being Dracula, where does the story go? I can't see this series lasting, but I also said the same about Hannibal.

 The late 19th century, and the mysterious Dracula has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He’s especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night – useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: he hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan… until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife