Man of Steel

I saw Man of Steel this afternoon, and it ain't your mom's Superman. This is an incarnation of Superman that is completely new and of the moment (or maybe not, since I have never read the comics, only seen the movies).

Let's just get this out of the way first: Henry Cavill is extremely beautiful. He's probably the most good-looking Superman of them all. Brandon Routh looked the part, certainly, but did not exude the same hotness as Cavill. He also sports a beard for part of the movie (which, honestly, was the reason I even became interested in seeing this movie). Superman has always seemed kind of vanilla to me, but the beard piqued my interest.

The trailers kept my interest.

Zack Snyder, the director, has a look that he uses in almost all of his films. For me it worked and it sort of didn't work. The color palette is grey and washed out; nothing is bright and sunny. I was fine with that. I don't think his visual effects were the best, though. Where Snyder really excelled was in the flashback sequences. He so perfectly captures the beauty and quaintness of Clark's growing up, from a shot of a swing seat to a field of grass to laundry blowing in the wind. It was these flashback sequences, so elegiac, that gave the movie its emotional core and they are the best parts of the movie.

What I really liked was Cavill's portrayal of Superman. He's beautiful, yes, but he plays the part so understated and sort of sad, really. He's good and kind, but isn't extreme or annoying about it. He's just a guy, raised in Kansas by good parents, who's trying to find his place in the world. The two dads, played by Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner, both give weight and substance to their roles and I liked their dichotomous views on how Clark/Superman should live. Amy Adams was fine as Lois Lane, but her introduction into Superman's life seemed a bit clunky and rushed, and led to one truly cheesy line. However, their romance is sweet and simple and I like that.

The movie isn't perfect, but it's good enough. It felt a bit more sci-fi than superhero-y with its spaceships and spacesuits. The destruction of Metropolis, and the people who live there, is a bit out of step with what Superman does at the end to save three people, but perhaps I'm splitting hairs. I actually think that the sequel will be better, judging from the end, and perhaps a bit more happy.

Also, when Superman says in the movie, "I grew up in Kansas," a few in the audience clapped. He also wears a Royals t-shirt in one scene, which I could tell many in the audience liked. Seriously, the man is just so beautiful.

Old Foto Friday

In honor of Father's Day this Sunday, here's a picture of my dad and me at my cousin Katie's wedding reception in Ephraim, UT. I used this trip as a recruiting opportunity to convince Lindsay to attend Snow College with me. This is my senior year, March 2001.

Ticket Stub Tuesday

My ticket stub from Moulin Rouge, June 14, 2001. My best friend, Lindsay-loo, loves Ewan McGregor, so I'm pretty sure I saw this movie with her. I remember when we saw it a second time, driving up to Provo from Snow College to see it in that theater by BYU, but this ticket stub is from when we saw it the first time.


(It's hard to read because it's pretty faded because the ticket stub is from 2001!)

This is the third film in Baz Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy. It starts off a little crazy, and I remember thinking What has Lindsay roped me into seeing? But if you can get past the first twenty minutes or so, it is a beautiful story told in a wonderful Baz sort of way. Watch it if you haven't!

A City Girl

I am, without a doubt, a big city girl. Yesterday I was in Kansas City and just being downtown in a thriving city lifted my spirits and made me feel happy. I loved the hustle and bustle, the people walking and the bikers biking. I loved the sounds and the lights and the big buildings. I felt comfortable. It's only an hour away, and I foresee many trips to KC. 

Old Foto Friday

I love this picture. It was our first semester at Snow College, September 2001, and we were all living on our own away from home for the first time. This is a night that the power went out, and we decided to make hot chocolate and show off our cool mugs--Rachel's from New York, mine and Lindsay's were ones we painted at ourselves at a ceramic place in Pocatello.

 Rachel just had a baby girl last week, and Lindsay-loo is coming up on her sixth wedding anniversary. And I live in Topeka (no kids, no husband).

Ticket Stub Tuesday

I keep all my movie ticket stubs. I have since I can remember going to the movies regularly, which started around '96 when I lived in Pocatello. For a long time I've wanted to do something with these, like create a huge collage or something to put on my wall. Until I get around to that, I am going to start Ticket Stub Tuesday on my blog.

My ticket stubs from the Special Edition releases of Star Wars. Until this point, I had only ever seen the trilogy on tv. I was beyond excited for these re-releases because I was finally going to see these most awesome movies on the BIG SCREEN! They were released in the Spring of '97, and while I am not a fan of the Special Edition Star Wars, I won't ever forget the experience.

Gumption

I am new at my job. Besides working at Bountiful (which is much smaller and therefore much different than Topeka), this is my first experience working for a city and all that it entails. Needless to say I have a lot of questions when I'm at work--mostly regarding who to contact, when to ask for things, how the process works.

My bosses were teasing me about this on Friday night as a bunch of us from the office were out at the Blind Tiger. I'm okay with this, because one, when your co-workers tease you you know they like you, and two, I have to ask questions to learn. My boss said, regarding all the questions I've been asking, that I had real gumption and he liked it because it meant he didn't always have to be checking in and making sure I was working.

Being told I have gumption is probably the best compliment I've ever been given. I always think of Kate Winslet in "The Holiday" when anyone uses the word gumption.