Abs of Steel

I finally saw "Man of Steel" this weekend after being bombarded with negative reviews of the film from friends.  I actually had fun, and the above picture will show you why.  Henry Cavill is both shirtless and on fire in the film.  That scene alone was worth the $14.50.  I literally started clapping when it happened.  Now I grew up on the Christopher Reeve movies (I think I even went to "Superman 2" with a group of girls for my birthday party one year), and "Man of Steel" is certainly much more angsty than that series, as it seems are all of the superhero reboots of this millennium.  I do find it interesting how even in this millennium, human-looking alien races always tend to be white.  And there are some clunkers in terms of dialogue, particularly the line poor Amy Adams has to say after their first kiss.  But overall, I was entertained.  The flashback scenes were actually quite touching, especially those with Kevin Costner who was acting like crazy in his five minutes of the film.  And let's face it, Henry Cavill is just so darn pretty to look at.  While his shirtlessness is limited to the early scenes of the movie, his Super suit leaves very little to the imagination.  And aside from his ridiculous body, he also does have one of the best smiles I've seen on the big screen in quite a while.  I liked it, and I don't mind saying so.

In the meantime, I noticed a sort of sad trend during the previews in that every single film presented some kind of apocalyptic vision of the not too distant future.  Although I'm not surprised, I did find myself feeling more and more somber as each film preview rolled.  I wondered if this is where we are as a society.  The news seems so terrible from day to day with no relief in sight.  Honestly, I am currently live-streaming the webcam shot of St. Mary's Hospital door in London waiting for news of the royal baby's birth because that seems like the only good news there might be this summer.  I am hopeful that perhaps all these depressing apocalyptic films will make people demand good stories sometime soon.  That's the silver lining that I'm hoping for.  In the meantime, as long as Mr. Cavill continues to take off his shirt for the cause, I am a big fan.  Until Friday, I continue to be...

Yours in shirtlessness,
Nandita
President
IMS