 With the talk all Batman these days, with good reason, I thought I would take a look back at the attempted re-boot of the Superman franchise with Bryan Singer’s under appreciated Superman Returns (2006). Singer made it clear from the beginning his deep love of the Superman (1978) movie of the late seventies, directed by Richard Donner, and wanted very much to capture that sense of awe and majesty in dealing with Superman on film. I remember New Year’s Eve, 1978, at the theater about to see Superman (1978). All year we had heard and seen the ads, screaming the words, “you’ll believe a man can fly.” OK, now was the time.
Show me. Read more on Historical Circuit: Superman Returns…
 Tomorrow, the staff and I will be recording our great podcast centering on a certain superhero film that opened this weekend. We will also be announcing the winners of the 2000 Awards Circuit Community Awards.
This is your opportunity to ask questions that will be read on the podcast. If they are spoiler related questions relating to “The Dark Knight Rises,” ensure to put *SPOILER ALERT* at the top of your question.
Looking forward to them! Read more on Taking Questions for “Power Hour”…
 Completing his Batman trilogy in extraordinary fashion, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises concludes what is, without question, one of the finest trilogies ever created. Nolan pulls off a near impossible feat, one he created for himself of course, by providing an emotionally satisfying and triumphant finale; essentially raising the bar extremely high for all other superhero stories and reinventions going forward. Fans of Nolan’s films will be again amazed at his incredible skillset as a filmmaker and storyteller, while those who have embraced this particular Batman relaunch, from 2005’s Batman Begins to 2008’s The Dark Knight, will fall back in their chairs, spent and smiling, relieved that this Dark Knight does indeed rise and deliver.
Through each and every project, Christopher Nolan’s vision, scope, and limitless imagination makes each task he sets out to accomplish all the more daunting and impressive. Many of those waiting for Rises have been counting down the days since the credits starting rolling at the end of The Dark Knight and that pressure on Nolan had to have felt insurmountable at times. And yet, Nolan is unrelenting. Mixing aggressiveness with confidence, risk with bravery, Nolan adds more layers to his Batman mythology, before a stunning final act leaves you breathless. For those who have complained that Christopher Nolan cannot close out his films and/or screenplays, those critical voices best be silent for awhile. The Dark Knight Rises is, in many ways, an unforgettable experience.
Read more on The Dark Knight Rises (****)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: Anne Hathaway, batman, Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, Hans Zimmer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Superhero, the dark knight rises, Tom Hardy, Wally Pfister
 Yes, The Dark Knight has indeed “RISEN” this weekend. It’s hard to discuss Nolan’s new film without centering on the devastating events of this weekend: The Aurora Theater Shootings. It goes without saying that there are very cruel and evil people in this world, and their acts will never make sense to us. What we can do is just surround ourselves with our family and our friends, and enjoy each and every day with them just a little harder. Like my colleagues, I also agree that now is not the time to be fearful of going to the cinema — we have to make a stand and show our strength and our inability to crumble as a society when evil and tragedy meet us head on, or else people like this weekend’s shooter (who isn’t even worth mentioning by name) will win. Our prayers go to the families of this tragedy, and I hope they find some comfort knowing that the world stands behind them in support.
Joey, John, and Editor-in-Chief Clayton Davis have all contributed reviews of this film. I know it seems like we’re on review overload at times on this site, but for significant films like this, I believe everyone has appreciated each of our different takes on The Dark Knight Rises. While my film score my not differ from John and Joeys’ reviews, I want to tackle this review differently than anything I’ve done before: I’ll be reviewing this film in VLOG format. Sorry if I haven’t been making the rounds with my razor in awhile, but I thought I’d review The Dark Knight Rises by explaining — through spoken words — why I feel this particular film is its own brand of masterpiece cinema. The video review is divided into two parts, so I hope you all enjoy whilst watching/listening (*and I apologize for the sound echo — try to hone in on what I’m saying, which is easier if you use one ear bud*)…
Read more on The Dark Knight Rises VLOG Review (****)…
 I think Peter Berg is a filmmaker with a world of talent…he’s just never put it all together yet. Once he does though, we’re going to get a great movie. Could his next project be the one? Time will tell, but it’s certainly got a strong cast building for it, an adaptation of the non-fiction book ‘Lone Survivor’. The cast already has Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster, and Taylor Kitsch involved, though now Variety is reporting here that Emile Hirsch is going to be rounding out the cast with the final leading role. After the jump you can see a bit about the book, but it’s a strong premise, I assure you. Find out more about it below…
Read more on Emile Hirsch to co-star in Peter Berg’s next film…
 They say that movies always come in pairs. Examples include ‘Armageddon’ and ‘Deep Impact’ (a highly underrated flick in my eyes), ‘Dante’s Peak’ and ‘Volcano’, and so on. Now you can seemingly add ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘Bachelorette’ to that list. It looks like a very different type of movie (more indie, less overtly funny), and after the jump you can see the Trailer that’s hit for the film. ‘Bachelorette’ stars Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Adam Scott, James Marsden, Lizzy Caplan and Rebel Wilson (who could again steal the show)…and it doesn’t look bad. Not great, but not terrible either. Anyway, you can decide for yourself below…
Read more on Here’s the Trailer for ‘Bachelorette’!…
 As we all know by now, Steven Spielberg likes to mix his more Oscar friendly fare with some action in between whenever possible. Last year, it was the combination of ‘War Horse’ with ‘The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn’, and now he’s following up ‘Lincoln’, his latest shot at Oscar, with an epic sic-fi action movie called ‘Robopocalypse’. According to The Playlist here, he wants Chris Hemsworth to be in the lead, and I think that’s a fine choice. There’s no word on is Hemsworth is set for the role, but it may very well come to fruition. After the jump you can see what the book that Spielberg is basing the film on is about, but it sounds good to me. Check it out below…
Read more on Steven Spielberg wants Chris Hemsworth in ‘Robopocalypse’…
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With the talk all Batman these days, with good reason, I thought I would take a look back at the attempted re-boot of the Superman franchise with Bryan Singer’s under appreciated Superman Returns (2006). Singer made it clear from the beginning his deep love of the Superman (1978) movie of the late seventies, directed by Richard Donner, and wanted very much to capture that sense of awe and majesty in dealing with Superman on film. I remember New Year’s Eve, 1978, at the theater about to see Superman (1978). All year we had heard and seen the ads, screaming the words, “you’ll believe a man can fly.” OK, now was the time.
