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The strengths of Man of Steel occur in the first half of the film. The introduction to the new Superman is handled with aplomb while the fall of Krypton is given a signification explanation (for once). I have a couple of storyline problems involving the ability of the chief scientist of the world being able to kick the ass of the chief warrior. Beyond that, I found myself thinking that Man of Steel was going to be a great film.

Then, the second half of the movie lost me. It fell victim to Michael Bay Syndrome with a series of less and less meaningful fight sequences. Snyder has always had a penchant for over-indulgence; Man of Steel is his masterpiece in this regard. This mess is a shame because Henry Cavill is an impeccable choice as Superman. I had felt all along that he would be another Brandon Routh, an empty suit in over his head. To my shock, Cavill's presence added gravity to the proceedings. If there is a Justice League movie, the combination of him and Christian Bale (or even Joseph-Gordon Levitt) would be lights out. For me personally, the action sequences diminish Man of Steel a great deal but there is still enough in there to make it a worthy tentpole title. Fans of action will be more satisfied by the whizbang nature of the third act.

I had seen The Red Violin years ago when I was vacationing in Belgium. I primarily watched it then because A) Samuel Jackson was the star and B) The movie was at least partially in English with subtitles for the rest. I don't speak Flemish so it was my only viable viewing option while stuck at the hotel. I had remembered it fondly over the years, but I realized upon watching it again recently that it suffered from the same issue as Sometimes by Britney Spears. When you are abroad and something is in a language you understand, you gravitate toward it more than its quality necessarily dictates.

The Red Violin is a sad tale that BOP Trivia experts know has a hidden meaning. The Violin is red because it is stained with blood. I mean that in a literal sense in addition to a figurative one. There are some great performances in the movie but it is too depressing for me to say that I truly enjoy it. So if I want to watch a movie that makes me think of Belgium, I'll pick In Bruges instead.

Since everyone else is slagging Beautiful Creatures, I will join the tirade parade. I think it's a slam dunk to be the worst film I see this year. People have already covered the "not fun-bad, just bad-bad" aspect of the movie. I want to discuss a different aspect instead. I find this movie offensive. I frequently note that certain partisan political officials possess generic, shallow perceptions of everyone living in major metropolitan areas, particularly New York City and Los Angeles aka Hollywood (one and the same to many xenophobes). I am bothered by such superficial judgments. Beautiful Creatures is the inverse of those hateful thought processes. A New York City screenwriter adapts a novel written by a pair of California authors.

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