film by Keiron Self
MAN OF STEEL ****
Dir: Zack Snyder( 12A, 148 mins) Superman returns( again) under the watchful eye of producer Christopher Nolan and Watchmen director Zack Snyder. Aiming to add more grit and contemporary relevance to the shiniest superhero in the DC Comics Universe, Henry Cavill dons the cape as Clark Kent / Superman, sent to Earth as his home planet Krypton explodes. Tutored in the ways of Earth by adopted human parents Kevin Costner and Diane Lane in Smallville USA, he has to live up to his powers when Earth faces a threat in the shape of barking nutjob General Zod – played with foaming relish by Michael Shannon – another former Krypton inhabitant, and fellow warrior Faora, played by Antje Traue. Can Superman face up to what he is, and can humanity accommodate him? Amy Adams is on sparkly form as Lois Lane, Superman’ s squeeze, Russell Crowe does his Gladiator accent as Jor El, Superman’ s real Dad, and Cavill’ s jaw, hairlick and muscly bod ably inhabit the Man Of Steel himself. This looks to be a more satisfying take on the legend than Bryan Singer’ s respectful Superman Returns epic. With superb FX and a post- Batman Nolan on shepherding duties, you should be able to believe that a man can fly... again. Opens June 14
THIS IS THE END ***
Dir: Evan Goldberg / Seth Rogen( 15, 100 mins)
In what sounds like it could be a hideously extended in-joke, this has the slacker comedy crew of recent years: a team that includes Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Jay Baruschel and Craig Robinson all playing versions of themselves as the end of the world happens. Not to be confused with the upcoming Simon Pegg comedy The World’ s End, this has our central troupe turning up to James Franco’ s house for an insane party before the apocalypse comes knocking. Many A-list stars are dispatched in gruesome fashion, Rihanna amongst them, as things get biblical. The group barricade themselves into a house in the hope of outlasting Armageddon, and they start squabbling over Milky Ways and water with customary foul-mouthed banter. Goldberg and Rogen collaborated before on the scripts for Superbad and The Pineapple Express, where occasionally improvisation stalled the funny. Hopefully with this SFX riddled meta-epic there’ s some smartness amidst the smugness, rather than just mates indulging themselves. Although to be honest, an axe-wielding Emma Watson cameo looks set to be worth risking a watch. Opens June 28
DESPICABLE ME 2 ****
Dir: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud( PG, 90 mins) Gru, the supervillain with a heart, gets another welcome outing after the thoroughly enjoyable Despicable Me. Enlisted by the Anti-Villain league to do battle against a new threat, Gru has to once again balance home life with his adopted daughters Margo, Agnes and Edith alongside evil / good doing and marshalling his show-stealing minions. Steve Carell once again employs his strangely pan-European accent as Gru, with Kristen Wiig playing his anti-villain recruiter Lucy Wilde. The Hangover’ s Ken Jeong and Steve Coogan add their vocal talents and comic pedigree whilst, unfortunately, the still miscast Russell Brand returns as Dr. Nefario. Benjamin Bratt voices the villain after Al Pacino dropped out at the 11th hour, robbing us of some serious‘ hoo-ha!!’ This should be a blend of super-heroic escapades, stupidity and slapstick, with the best bits still coming from the surreal minions Kevin, Phil and Dave. Opens June 28
BEFORE MIDNIGHT ****
Dir: Richard Linklater( 15, 108 mins) After the heartwarming intelligent romanticism of Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, director Richard Linklater and central couple Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return to the characters Jesse and Celine now a decade into their relationship. They have twin girls and have gone to Greece for a vacation, but by the last day they find themselves in search of a spark that may rekindle their floundering partnership. The initial rush of love and romance has dissipated as the realities of maintaining a relationship come to the forefront. Superbly written and performed by Delpy and Hawke – with expert unflinching direction from Linklater – this, like its predecessors, is a witty, verbose and painfully truthful examination of life and the compromises it requires for any close partnership. Hawke and Delpy are note-perfect as the struggling couple; their present niggles – heightened by the two films that have come before – adding to the well observed poignancy. Opens June 21
HUMMINGBIRD **
Dir: Steven Knight( 15, 100 mins) Ah, Jason Statham, very good at hitting people, but not so hot on the dramatics, as this rather leaden drama proves. Statham plays a homeless court-martialled army vet who finds himself falling in love with a nun in one of the many ludicrous script developments. On the run after breaking into a New York apartment, Statham finds a plentiful amount of cash as he starts working for the Chinese mob, using his money to help the homeless and support an exgirlfriend. It’ s as he helps his former fellow vagrants that he meets and falls in love with Agata Buzek’ s nun and encounters a ring of sex traffickers. This inevitably opens a can of whupass on some baddies. Failing to be either an action film or drama, this is deeply unsatisfying for even die hard Stathamites. There’ s no homoerotic oil wrestling or anything. Opens June 28
ALSO RELEASED: STONE ROSES: MADE OF STONE( U) Shane Meadows follows the Stone Roses about with head-nodding results. Fool’ s Gold anyone? BEHIND THE CANDELABRA( 15) Steven Soderbergh directs Michael Douglas as famous pianist and master of the flamboyant, Liberace. Matt Damon plays Liberace’ s lover. Should be tinkly stuff. THE LAST EXORCISM PART II( 15) So The Last Exorcism wasn’ t the last then. ADMISSION( 15) Tina Fey and Paul Rudd star in this so-so university-set comedy with Fey trying to get the son she gave up for adoption into Princeton. STUCK
BUZZ 34