What to Watch This Weekend: November 15, 2013

In Theaters: The Best Man Holiday

The Best Man Holiday reunites the cast from 1999's The Best Man into a convincing, if overly dramatic friend dramedy. The characters put on believable performances and interact in a natural and convincing way, even if the situations can be a little overblown. Check it out if you want a lot of laughs and maybe a few tears this weekend.

On DVD: Man of Steel

Man of Steel is a worthy reboot to one of the most beloved comic book heroes. It continues the recent DC direction of more dramatic and realistic superheroes and provides a nice contrast to the Marvel franchises. It is a beautifully-done, slower-paced, but more emotional take on the superhero genre.

Streaming (Netflix and Amazon): Skyfall

The third Daniel Craig James Bond film was met with plenty of critical acclaim as it painted Bond as a more vulnerable character than the ultraconfident Bond from past films. The highlight of the film has to be Javier Bardem, but the entire movie is a fun, if extended, ride.

Netflix Link: http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Skyfall/70243459?locale=en-US

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Skyfall-Daniel-Craig/dp/B00B5HQKNI/

Streaming (Netflix): A Hijacking

The main complaint I've heard from people who've seen Captain Phillips is that the Danish movie, A Hijacking, already did that film and did it much better. Well, now you can see for yourself whether you agree with this. In A Hijacking, the crew of a Danish cargo ship is hijacked by Somali pirates who proceed to engage in escalating negotiations with authorities in Copenhagen.

Netflix Link: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/A_Hijacking/70258415

Weekend Box Office for June 14 - 16, 2013; Man of Steel is solid

Man of Steel soared with a $113 million opening weekend, beating Toy Story 3's former June record of $110 million. It actually took in $125 million by this point, but both MoS and This is the End had early openings on Thursday and Wednesday, respectively, that slightly lowered their weekend grosses. It's the third-highest DC Comics film opening following The Dark Knight and its sequel, and more than doubles the $52.5 million opening of Superman Returns. The End performed similarly to other recent comedies featuring its stars like Superbad, Pineapple Express and Knocked Up, which opened with $23 - 33 million.

The Purge had one of the highest second weekend drops of all time, dropping from $34 to $8 million. It's still made considerably more than its budget, and horror movies are typically very front-loaded. The Hangover Part III just missed the top 10, totaling only $107 million after its fourth weekend. At this point, the first film had made over $180 million and was maintaining over half its audience from weekend to weekend. Next weekend, Monsters University and World War Z will likely take the family and sci-fi audiences from holdouts Epic, Star Trek, After Earth and Iron Man. See more box office estimates here.

Box office estimates for June 14 - 16, 2013:
(rank, title, weekend gross, % change, total gross, weekend #)

1	Man of Steel	$113,080,000	-	$125,080,000	1
2	This is the End	$20,500,000	-	$32,800,000	1
3	Now You See Me	$10,320,000	-45.8%	$80,009,000	3
4	Fast & Furious 6	$9,433,000	-51.9%	$219,574,000	4
5	The Purge	$8,201,000	-75.9%	$51,845,000	2
6	The Internship	$7,000,000	-59.6%	$30,951,000	2
7	Epic	$6,000,000	-49.5%	$95,429,000	4
8	Star Trek Into Darkness	$5,660,000	-50.5%	$210,491,000	5
9	After Earth	$3,750,000	-65.0%	$54,200,000	3
10	Iron Man 3	$2,908,000	-49.5%	$399,610,000	7

What to Watch this Weekend: June 14, 2013

 

In Theaters: Man of Steel

Man of Steel is a good movie; a very good movie. It's a dramatic take on Superman that is refreshingly different from the approach taken by the Marvel movies. We both thought you should see it, and this weekend is the perfect chance to do just that!

In Theaters: This is the End

Sure, This is the End--at a glance--doesn't appear to be a great movie, but it has a great opening, a slow middle, and a surprisingly good ending. It's a lot of fun to watch, especially seeing the actors playing exaggerated versions of themselves. We recommended you see it.

On DVD: Oz the Great and Powerful

Oz has great special effects and a few magical moments and characters, but its plot is surprisingly dull. The world is beautiful though sometimes it looks like everyone is wandering through pretty, computer-generated paintings, and Mila Kunis and James Franco's performances aren't always effective. It's a somewhat inspired prequel that deserves better execution. If you're going to buy it today, make sure to save $7.

Streaming (Amazon): Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection

4 stars in 460 customer reviews on Amazon can't be wrong. Tyler Perry's long running Madea series is back and in this movie, Madea has to protect some wall street something or other who has been set up. Again, 4 stars in 460 customer reviews. 

Good Deal: Purchase $50+ in Fandango gift cards, see Man of Steel for free.

Man of Steel is a very good movie. We both thought you should see it. You're probably already planning on seeing it. So why not go see it for free. If you buy $50+ in gift cards to Fandango (which you can use to see other movies), you'll get a free ticket to see Man of Steel. It's not a great deal but if you're going to see the movie anyways and use Fandango, you probably want to take advantage of it.

Review: Man of Steel

Release Date: June 14, 2013
Running Time: 143 minutes

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe
Who to see it with: Anyone who likes comic book movies but wants some more drama / realism in it.

David:

I think Man of Steel is going to be a polarizing movie. Similar to Batman Begins--but with a slower pace and more emotion--it is an attempt to reboot a DC Comics franchise by telling a more realistic, dramatic origin story. I know it's kind of odd to say a comic book movie is realistic, but Zack Snyder takes a more grounded approach to your typical superhero movie. There is no campiness and very little overt humor. It's essentially the opposite approach taken by the Marvel movies, and I love the contrast. I think a lot of people are going to dislike this change, but I thought it was a fresh take on the comic book genre. The acting is mostly great. Henry Cavill is hit or miss. He's amazing in the most important parts of the movie and is a little off in others. But Amy Adams is perfect and Michael Shannon is phenomenal. I also loved Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent and Russell Crowe as Superman's dad. 

The storytelling is wonderfully done. Superman's origin is not told linearly, but through flashbacks that give snippets of Superman's past. You see bits of his childhood and what drives and motivates him. It could be confusing but I thought it was very well done and easy to follow. Some pieces of the story have been changed and might anger purists, but I didn't mind the liberties they took. It's slower paced than your typical comic book movie, but like I said, I loved the contrast  to some of the other superhero films coming out now. The cinematography is simply stunning and helps to sell the dramatic direction of the franchise. There are plenty of beautiful shots of the American heartland that Superman grew up in. I thought it helped ground some of the scenes and inspire a more emotional superhero movie. And, being a comic book movie, it is an understandably CG heavy film  And although the CG is obvious, it's also beautiful.  The rendering of Superman's homeworld is a comic book nerd's fantasy. The fights are over the top (as you would expect from a Superman movie) and some of them go on for a little too long, but you're enjoying them because of how amazing it looks.

The Superman film franchise has a storied past but has recently fallen into disarray. Man of Steel is a fitting and worthy reboot to one of the most beloved comic book heroes. It continues the recent DC direction of more dramatic and realistic superheroes and provides a nice contrast to the Marvel franchises. It is a beautifully-done, slower-paced, but more emotional take on the superhero genre. 

See it.

Lee:

I mostly enjoyed Man of Steel. It avoided several common superhero film issues. Most origin stories start slowly by focusing on the hero's awkward adolescence. This opens with a gorgeous sequence at Superman's home planet, saving Superman's formative years for brief flashbacks of important milestones. Dramatic superhero films often fail at being consistently engaging or feature silly scenarios that clash with the relative seriousness of their stories. (Ang Lee's Hulk and Superman Returns immediately come to mind.) MoS pairs effective drama with big action sequences without being boring or feeling oddly constructed. It also looks and sounds amazing, with a score that's subtler and darker than those of the previous films.

I have a few issues with the plot. A certain character sometimes feels like a plot device, conveniently appearing to offer unattainable information. I really felt this during a climactic moment near the film's middle that is resolved way too easily. I wish this sequence weren't present at all. Its exposition could have been presented outside of that lame scenario. Like most superhero films, the ending is a long CG fest. It looks sort of cool and is expected because of the superpowered characters but feels a little drawn out and, like that earlier scene, ends in a manner that seems a bit too easy. These problems are relatively minor. Man of Steel mostly succeeds at placing an extraordinary character within believable drama. It's obviously more colorful and fantastic than the coldly realistic Dark Knight trilogy, but has more weight than the cartoon-like Marvel films.

See it.

Trailer: Man of Steel

Man of Steel is the sixth live-action Superman film, and a reboot of the film series. Warner Bros. has high hopes for the film, with talk of it possibly being the start of a DC Comics cinematic universe. It certainly looks more exciting than Superman Returns, and it won't suffer that film's burden of simultaneously being a sequel and a reintroduction of the franchise to newer, younger viewers. It's my most wanted superhero movie of 2013. It looks to continue the good trend of DC reboot movies started by Batman Begins. It stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Russell Crowe. Laurence Fishburne will be the first African-American actor to play editor Perry White. Man of Steel flies into theaters on June 14, 2013.