Man of Steel begins on the last day of Krypton’s existence. Rendered with art design straight out of a forties comic book, the purple-and-gray planet is on the verge of literal implosion. Its residents are strangely nonplussed, save for Jor-El (a Xanaxed Russell Crowe), Krypton’s top scientist, and his wife Lara (Ayelet Zurer), who send their infant son to a distant planet – can you guess which? – so the latter can avoid being snuffed out by Jor-El’s foe, General Zod (Michael Shannon). The rest of the film is a portrait of the superhero as a young man – learning of his alien ancestry, dealing with it in fits and starts, and finally getting over it because he has better things to do, like preventing genocide.

It’s nearly impossible to avoid comparing Man of Steel to the last solemn superhero franchise, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Nolan served as a co-producer here, and like his pointy-eared movies, this update of the Metropolis Marvel is overlong, plays annoyingly coy with the protagonist’s hero-name, and throws out a lot of random ideas instead of asserting a coherent vision. But this Clark Kent also shares with Nolan’s Bruce Wayne a great origin story full of lovely moments and, at least with Batman Begins, a captivating love object who’s not an insult to women. It also departs from The Dark Knight in the best way by not being the least bit pretentious. Superman has always been the jock at The Breakfast Club of superheroes, and director Zack Snyder made the right choice not to burden his film with Bat-like brooding.

Man of Steel’s soul resides in its tender origin story, told in flashbacks. Clark’s powers make him more of a freak than a hero in his small town (shades of X-Men here), and his constant struggles to rein in his powers, which are a liability in the classroom and a barely restrained A-bomb among bullies – are touching, if familiar. There’s an intriguing suggestion of Midwestern conformity that makes Smallville less of a Mayberry and more like a real place. The flashbacks hit just the right note of earnestness without sentimentality and are edited so that you want more, even if another half-minute would be too much. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner look more like lifelong Californians with picture-perfect tans than Bible-belt farmers, but they bring a grounded sweetness to Ma and Pa Kent, as do the child actors who play Little Clarklet (Dylan Sprayberry and Cooper Timberline – such child-actor names!).

Unfortunately, grown-up Clark Kent is a lot less interesting. Star Henry Cavill plays Superman as an icon, not as the human being his character (sort of) tries to be. Snyder gets a lot out of trading card-worthy images of Cavill’s determined blue eyes and Schwarzeneggerian muscles, but the hero himself is as blandly all-American as product placement in summer blockbusters. (Rest assured, Sears, IHOP, and 7-11 all get the beauty shots they paid for.) In a different movie, maybe on Lifetime, the pre-superhero Clark, a suspiciously pretty rambler, might be an obvious serial killer. But in Man of Steel, he’s just an extraterrestrial variation of Your LL Bean Boyfriend – just as pretty, but glossy and two-dimensional.

Likewise, Shannon’s Zod is a disappointingly ordinary villain. He’s a thematically muddled character, cobbled together from a grab bag of super-villain motivations: Look, up there in the sky! It’s family rivalry! It’s eugenics! No, it’s nihilism! Snyder makes a point of the super-ness of Kal-El and Zod in the initially fun, then seemingly interminable fight scenes. Hurtling through skycrapers and toward helicopters, their battles are superhuman-scaled, making the fight scenes simultaneously more interesting – what else in downtown Metropolis will they collaterally obliterate while pummeling each other in the face? – and more tedious, since they’re both possess such invincible physiology it’s hard to get a sense of narrative momentum. As the action drags on, it becomes difficult not to feel numbed by all the violence for the sake of violence.

Bereft of a compelling hero or villain, the film at least offers a deliciously sensible Lois Lane (Amy Adams) as a consolation prize. Dressed in business-casual clothes for most of the film, Adams’ Lois possesses a keen sense of compassion and journalistic daring, and is as put-together as Clark is initially confused. Cavill and Adams have a warm chemistry, but it feels so much closer to that of platonic friends, or even a big sister/little brother relationship, that their inevitable lip-lock feels not just forced but kinda gross. Lois can do better than the Man of Steel, and so can audiences.

The Daily Mail has offered that the producers of the franchise, Michael G. Wilson and the disgustingly named Barbara Broccoli, have approached Nolan with an offer to direct the next installment. No (reported) word on what the outcome of the (reported) talks are, but I’m sure we can hear all about it as soon as we get a source on the inside (allegedly).

Beyond that, the film’s details are top secret so let’s all assume that this is a big screen adaptation of the Jerry O’Connell science fiction series, Sliders. If this reality makes any sense, Michael Caine will soon join in the role of Prof. Maxmillian Arturo originally made famous by John Rhys-Davies. (THR)

Not much is known about Interstellar except that Nolan will direct from his brother Jonathan’s script which is said to deal with “time travel and alternate dimensions and sees a group of explorers travel through a wormhole.”

Seriously. The Honest Trailer for this is going to be so good. (Star Tribune)

I could dimly lay out the premise, but suffice it to say, it’s science fiction and involves wormholes, alternate realities, and time travel. Oh, and it’s based on the works of a gravitational physicist, so you know the characters will be relatable.

Oh shit. My nose is bleeding. Damn you, Nolan.

The film recently had Steven Spielberg attached to it, who probably would have laid it out in a nice, linear fashion and used heavy-symbolism that we could all keep up with. That sounds much nicer.

But, in all fairness, the poster did foreshadow plot holes.

What a good guy. Hopefully he didn’t do any speaking in his Batman voice because, y’know, it’s a hospital. People are trying to sleep. (via WWTDD)

Second teaser below because the first one wasn’t Kevin Costner-y enough.

From Christopher Nolan, the director who makes Joel Schumacher look like a huge turd sandwich, comes the gritty continuation of Batman and his awful, awful voice : The Dark Knight. Now you can relive all the glorious, gritty plot holes before seeing The Dark Knight Rises…

To help you do just that, there’s this new trailer that details Batman’s journey thus far and previews what challenges await him. Like Matthew Modine firing a machine gun. Doesn’t seem like that would be too challenging in theory, but I’ve learned long ago never to underestimate Matthew Modine. He’s an artist with firearms. **absent-mindedly thumbs scar tissue on shoulder**

Please enjoy the Internet’s best Dark Knight Rises parodies.

The Dark Knight Rises with 60′s Robin

This parody is perfect. It’s shot well, well-acted, funny, and more importantly, the humor’s fresh. Of all the Dark Knight parodies out there, this is the only original that saw past Batman’s voice to introduce a funnier concept. Plus, Robin gets his ass kicked. It’s the most realistic take on Batman yet.

 Teaser Trailer Parody

You’d think the World’s Greatest Detective would be slightly better at charades.

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer (Batman: The Animated Series Version)

It’s not the most original concept to re-edit a new franchise with footage from an earlier take on the material, but that’s not to say it isn’t awesome. Because it is. Take a look. Awesome.

Hitler Is Told About The Dark Knight Rises

His rage is warranted.

The Lion King Rises

When you really think about, Simba and Bruce Wayne do have a lot in common. Also winning this video points, Rafiki clobbering hyenas set perfectly to the drum hits.

The Dark Alfred Rises

Just what these movies have been lacking, more Alfred. If Bale and Nolan won’t come back for another, Michael Caine will definitely do a spin-off Alfred film. His film resume has proved he’s not choosey.

Dark Knight Rises (XXX Parody)

Immature and pun-ridden, yes. But, whatever. After culling through Dark Knight Rises parody videos all morning, it’s wholly refreshing to find any that don’t center on the difficulty to understand Batman or Bane‘s speaking voices.

Community Season 3 Rises

I’m not just posting this because Internet nerds will yell at me if I don’t. I’m posting it because he footage from Community’s third season loans itself surprisingly well. Now let’s please get Annie in a Catwoman suit during season four. Thanks.

But don’t let anybody say that this is evidence of Chris Nolan taking this movie away from Zack Snyder. Here’s Nolan on what he expects his job as producer to be like:

“My big point of responsibility was helping shepherd David [Goyer]‘s script. When I’m finished with this I’ll be there for whatever Zack wants from me, but it’s very much his movie.”

In any case, this will be the first time Snyder has done a movie without his usual composer Tyler Bates, so this is definitely a new and different direction for Snyder. Now if you’ll excuse me — “BRAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHM.” (The Playlist)

While doing press for the upcoming Dark Shadows, Tim Burton compared his contributions to the Batman films to those of Christopher Nolan, whose The Dark Knight Rises is perhaps the most anticipated film of…ever.

Speaking about the comparisons, Burton said, “I always get told that my material is dark, but nowadays my version of Batman looks like a lighthearted romp in comparison to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight.”

I would say that while Burton’s take was certainly more noir (I think I remember one daylight scene in both films), there was a campy sense of humor that harkened back to the TV show, almost, whereas Nolan’s films have all the comedy of a crime epic like Heat.

Comparing them seems a little silly, as they’re films from two distinct directors at the top of their game. Let’s just agree that both are excellent, and the presences of Christopher Walken and Joseph Gordon-Levitt will offset each other, resulting a tie that lasts for all of eternity.

Fair?

(Screen Rant)

Sources have now informed us that Warner Bros. has sent out a new audio mix for the Dark Knight Rises prologue to IMAX theaters, and Bane’s dialogue is now much easier to understand.

According to these “sources” who are no doubt risking their very lives to bring us this important information, the dialogue itself remains the same, but other background noise, including that of a plane, have been lowered, making Bane much more comprehensible. Also, there are rumors that Michael Caine‘s dialogue is now less cockney thanks to a 30% reduction in glottal stops. (Collider)

We’ve got the football stadium that Bane appears to raise hell on, we’ve got Catwoman being all seductive, we’ve got the Arkham inmates rioting, and we’ve got Michael Caine doing the best Michael Caine impression since these guys.

All in all, a great trailer, I just can’t tell how it’s any different.

Some thoughtful moviegoer was nice enough to film this trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Sadly, they filmed it using their butt. However, since this is the most highly-anticipated film this year it still looks great. Despite the assy quality of the filming.

So have a look while you can at Arkham inmates running amok, Bane ruining a day at the football stadium, and Anne Hathaway occupying Gotham. (Buzzfeed)

The footage will only screen in 42 IMAX theaters attached to prints of Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. Though these theaters may be a trek for many fans, they are the only ones that can handle the 70mm projection, and this is how Christopher Nolan wants the introduction of Bane to be seen.

“Our experience on ‘The Dark Knight‘ shooting and projecting IMAX 15 perf 65mm/70mm film was inspiring.” Nolan said in a statement which presumably had doodles of Batman punching crooks on it. “The immersive quality of the image goes beyond any other filmmaking tool available, and in revisiting Gotham, we were determined to shoot even more of the movie in this unique format. Giving the fans an early look at an IMAX sequence is a great way to draw attention to what I believe will be an incredible way to experience our story when it comes out next summer.”

So, get your tickets to Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, gas up the car, and pack some snacks. It’s road trippin’ time. Here are the locations where you can get your first look beginning December 16th.

Austin, TX || IMAX Theater Austin
Boston, MA || Jordan’s IMAX
Boston, MA || IMAX 3D Theatre in Reading
Calgary, AB || Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 + IMAX
Chantilly, VA || Washington, DC Udvar-Hazy Center IMAX
Chicago, IL || Navy Pier IMAX Theatre
Des Moines, IA || SCI IMAX Dome Theater Des
Detroit, MI || Henry Ford IMAX
Edmonton, AB || Scotiabank Theatre Edmonton + IMAX
Harrisburg, PA || The Whitaker Center for Science & the Arts IMAX
Houston, TX || Houston Marq*e Stadium 22 + IMAX
Indianapolis, IN || White River IMAX
Los Angeles, CA || Irvine Spectrum 20 + IMAX
Los Angeles, CA || RAVE 18 + IMAX
Los Angeles, CA || Ontario Palace Stadium 22 + IMAX
Los Angeles, CA || Citywalk Stadium 19 with IMAX
Madison, WI || Star 18 Fitchburg with IMAX
Miami, FL || AutoNation IMAX
Minneapolis, MN || Great Clips IMAX
Montreal, QC || Cinema Banque Scotia Montreal + IMAX
Nashville,TN || Opry Mills Stadium 20 + IMAX
New York, NY || Lincoln Square 13 with IMAX
New York, NY || Palisades IMAX
Omaha, NE || Star Cinema 16 with IMAX
Orlando, FL || Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 + IMAX
Ottawa, ON || Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX
Palm Springs, CA || Desert IMAX Theatre
Philadelphia, PA || IMAX & the Tropicana
Philadelphia, PA || Tuttleman IMAX – Franklin Institute
Phoenix, AZ || Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX
Providence, RI || Providence Place 16 with IMAX
Quebec City, QC || IMAX Le Theatre At Quebec
Sacramento, CA || Esquire IMAX
San Antonio, TX || IMAX at RiverCenter
San Francisco, CA || Metreon 16 with IMAX & ETX
Seattle, WA || Boeing IMAX – Pacific Science Center
Tampa, FL || Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI)
Toronto, ON || Coliseum 12 Mississauga + IMAX
Toronto, ON || Scotiabank Theatre Toronto + IMAX
Toronto, ON || Colossus 18 Woodbridge + IMAX
Vancouver, BC || Colossus Langley + IMAX
Vancouver, BC || Silvercity Riverport 18 + IMAX
UK || BFI London
UK || National Media Museum IMAX Bradford
UK || Glasgow Science Centre IMAX Cinema
UK || Odeon Manchester IMAX @ The Printworks

(via The Playlist)

Who Is Bane?

No, not these dudes.

Bane is from a fictional country in the Caribbean, Santa Prisca. He has some stupid background story about how he grew up in prison because a corrupt government made him serve out his father’s sentence. Whatever.

Anyway, supposedly his childhood spent in the joint is what makes him this extra diesel bad ass with crazy martial arts skills. While in jail, he not only learned to fight, but also became a man of letters when not hitting the iron. The Jesui Brothers taught him everything he needed to know about the fine arts and humanities, enabling him to become a career super criminal. Gee, now I’m wishing I had grown up in prison.

But it wasn’t all pumping iron and reading books. While in prison, Bane was also used as a guinea pig in an experiment with a substance called Venom, which is sadly not the totally rad black costume that takes over Spiderman. It’s a fictional steroid that makes him ginormous. The down side is, he has to have it pumped directly into his brain every 12 hours, or else he dies. It’s a trade off.

After the prison experiment makes him even tougher, he breaks out and sets out for Gotham. Why? Because he thinks that Batman has been haunting him in his dreams since childhood, which is, y’know, totally normal and stuff. When he gets to Gotham, he busts out all the wacky villains who live inside Arkham Asylum. He eventually breaks Batman’s back leading to a super lame story arc where a character named Azrael becomes Batman and gets some ill battle armor.

What Is Bane?

RAGDOLL IST KRIEG!

Bane is kind of like a monster heel from professional wrestling. For those of you unaware, monster heels are the dudes who don’t feel any pain because they aren’t human and can’t be reasoned with. Examples include The Undertaker before he became a dead biker and Brock Lesnar before he became a total joke. Much like most monster heels, after the initial shock wore off, he was relegated to being a third-tier villain in the DC Comics Universe. He is now part of the Secret Six alongside such epic winners as Catman, Rag Doll and Deadshot. I mean, come on! The dude almost killed Batman, and now he hangs out with some fool in a mask whose power is bending his arms in weird directions. Yeah, Don Didio isn’t totally killing DC or anything.

Now, the part about how/where you’ll actually get to see the clip is a bit unclear. The rumor for some time has been that the sneak peek would be attached to Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which does indeed have a wide release date of December 21st. But AMC theaters recently released a statement that said only 70mm IMAX screens would show the clip, although that statement was quickly yanked after it was made. So, maybe plan on just catching it on your computer screen? I’m sure it’ll be just as good.

Oh, one more thing: Some photos from the movie have surfaced, which I’ve posted below out of the goodness of my heart. You’re welcome. (The Playlist)

The film will take place eight years after The Dark Knight, giving us an older, weaker Batman. Did he do this to screw over the next director by making him negotiate a 50 year-old Batman? Probably not, but that would be an awesome move.

Also, for those unfamiliar with Tom Hardy‘s character, Bane, get familiar. According to Nolan:

“He’s brutal. Brutal. He’s a big dude who’s incredibly clinical, in the fact that he has a result-based and oriented fighting style. It’s not about fighting. It’s about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it’s nasty. Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. He’s a smashing machine. He’s a wrecking ball. If we’re going to shoot somebody, shoot the pregnant woman or the old lady first. Make sure everybody stands up. He’s a terrorist in his mentality as well as brutal actions. He’s a horrible piece of work.”

So Bane smash old Batman. I’m excited already.

Nolan’s interview also reveals that a six-minute prologue will run before IMAX versions of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

I’m no fanboy, but this is kind of exciting.

Advantageous for everyone except the downtrodden 99 Percenters who are about to have their protest crashed and their likenesses bootlegged without pay. But, hey, not everyone can be rich. (LA Times)

In the clips above and below, you can see Tom Hardy as Bane after he and his thugs crash a Gotham Rogues game. In the interest of not revealing too many spoilers, we won’t describe what takes place in these set videos. Watch at your own risk if you want to maintain a modicum of surprise when you see the eventual film. And, if that’s the case, might we suggest you avoid the Internet until July 20, 2012.

(via Collider)

What’s not clear from this photo is what exactly makes her cat-like? No claws, no tail, no ears, no whip (because cats like whips). Maybe she’s portrayed as a lonely woman who owns a lot of cats. I’m reaching here. (AICN)

Click image to enlarge.

11 photosBatman & Bane Beefing In 'Dark Knight Rises' Pics

In Shadyside, a suburb a few miles outside of Pittsburgh, a man did exactly that, claiming that the carjacking was written into the script of The Dark Knight Rises, despite the fact that they were on Ivy Street, miles away from the shooting locations, and there was, uh, no camera crew around. He should have said he was REHEARSING for a scene. STUPID!

Seriously, Pittsburgh? Ivy Street? Shadyside? Did you change all the city and street names when Pleasantville was shooting in town, then forget to change them that? Those names might work for Father of the Bride, but not for something as brooding and dark as The Dark Knight Rises.