The ICON of the SUPERS RETURNS

Faster than a speeding bullet--- HE HAS FINALLY RETURNED. I am one of the lucky few who got the chance to watch it in advance. I won two tickets to the advance screening of Superman Returns through pinoy exchange (yeah lucky me Ü).

I am a self-confessed comic-book to movie fan. I have already watched a dozen of these comic book movie adaptations and only a few has fallen short of my expectations (of course we all know about X-Men 3, Fantastic Four, Dare Devil to give names to the few). Just a little side story before going for my ultimate review... You see, the night of the advance screening (June 27), it was raining heavily. Jelson picked me up at the office at about 6:30pm and since the theater is at Galleria, I didn't think that going there via private transpo will get us there by 7:30pm. Therefore, we took the fastest transportation in the Philippines to date--- MRT. I completely forgot how far the Ortigas station was from Galleria. By the time Jelson and I made it to the newly built escalator outside Robinsons, we were half drenched (oh, did I forget to mention that neither of us had any umbrella?). I was about to ask Jelson if this movie was going to be worth the trouble that we went through but opted otherwise because I might spoil the night for us to even start a discussion. Maybe this question is best answered later.

The movie was opened by a very short paragraph to where the movie will be starting (since it is entitled Superman Returns, we need to know where he is returning from, right?). As soon as the opening bars of the London Symphony Orchestra's Superman Theme filled the theater, I felt like I was time travelling back to my childhood days when I was watching Superman via our betamax. The parade of the planets that go with each beat of the music was very reminiscent of what is to be expected of all Superman movies. The entire OBB has left me in awe, complete with my jaw open, and I am not exagerrating here. Nostalgic is the best term to describe the feeling.

Brandon Routh was surprisingly so convincing as Clark Kent (I don't want to compare him to the Clark of Smallville since I really do not watch it) that you would really think that Christopher Reeves has descended upon him and tasked him to play the role. Donning the blue and red costume and seeing once again the superhero who made us believe that a man can fly made me shiver all the more.

Just a few comments on the plot. If you haven't watched the movie I suggest you stop reading from this point onward. The character of Superman was and is loved by (as Lex Luthor said in the movie empathically) BILLIONS. I am deeply affected by the storyline. Superman has been humanized from being the man of steel to being--- a MAN. This shouldn't be a surprise to me since most comic book adapted movies has been giving this humanization effect on our superheroes especially after the 9/11. Yes. Case in point, try to recall how different Spiderman (which was made prior to 9/11) and Spiderman 2 are. Peter Parker even delivered a very poignant line to MJ that would justify what I'm pointing here---"I'm different now. Punch me and I'll bleed". But that's Marvel, let's go back to the DC headliner. The plot merely highlighted the lovestory angle of Lois and Superman. Yes, 5 years is a long period of waiting, but that doesn't mean that only the world of Lois was affected, how about Lex Luthor? I was waiting for some uberly evil plan of Superman's most celebrated enemy but there was just none. The only thing that made me stay and watch out for Lex Luthor's character is Kevin Spacey's a superb acting. But why oh why did this Kitty in the movie have to be so irritating? She ruins the scene where Kevin Spacey delivers great acting.

The scene that depicted the biggest humanization of Superman is falling from space into a park and having to be admitted in a local hospital. It was gloomy, emotional, and too painful to watch. I can't begin to imagine why it had to be that way. He is the man of steel. I was shaking my head as I watch that scene. It was like telling a child that the man you look up to is not real. But that's comic book superhero's reality setting in. They have weaknesses and sadly, in this movie, it was (for me) excruciatingly displayed.

Another part of the movie that I just couldn't agree with Bryan Singer is Superman having a child. I just think that if he was trying to rebuild the franchise (we all know it has been quite sometime since the blue and red suit has been seen on the big screen) it was just too soon.

Still, you have to hand it to this director (who by the way left X-Men 3 to rot in the pits of worst storylines ever in favor of this movie--- really can't help dissing the last installment of the X-men movie) for putting Superman back in the scene. Singer was very triumphant in re-making the image of the man of steel as iconic.

To answer my question earlier--- Was the movie worth it? YES. Because once you see the bird, no the plane, no--- SUPERMAN fly, you are reminded that yes, he is the ICON of them all.

So, you like movies?

Some reviews of the movies that I watched (all with Jelson) lately...

Mission Impossible 3 (May 2006)
Jelson and I are big Alias fans (well, admittedly, Jelson is more of the fan because of Jennifer Garner) and since this film is from the director of the said series, it wasn't a wonder that the movie was likely to have the same "look". It was like watching Alias, only this time, Tom Cruise was there. I was honestly waiting for a cameo of Sydney and Vaughn (no, they did not appear). Everything about the movie has Alias written all over it. They had their own version of Marshal (yeah, the techie guy), typewriter style of showing which part of the world they'd be kicking ass, and of course, you can't miss out misleading scenes and expecting who among your ally will be the traitor. Overall, it's still one of those great movies that I watched 2 times in one week.

The Da Vinci Code (May 2006)
I am probably one of the few people who have not finished the book and still watched the movie. I have to hand it to Dan Brown for coming up with a fiction like this. It's a great story, exciting and thought provoking. The controversy that filled this movie made me think otherwise of what was being claimed to have it banned. Anyway, I am still glad to have watched it. There were a few alterations from the book (which probably couldn't be helped) but the greatest part of the movie was seemingly touring The Lourve and the treasures it holds inside on the big screen.


X-Men: The Last Stand (May 2006)
This is quite special to us because this is a first of many (Jelson and I watched this with Ate Jeng and Kuya Al). First time we watched out of the country (we watched it at Singapore), sat on Oscar chairs (which is uberly comfortable by the way), and we watched it at 1:10 am. I didn't get to watch X-Men 2 so I had to ask so many questions prior to and while watching the movie (thankfully, Jelson wasn't pissed). I am a comic book fan, but of Spiderman that is, still I appreciate movies that are adapted from comics. X3 is exciting to watch. I held my breath several times. But honestly, did they have to kill Cyclops senselessly? And poor Angel had to be in what, only four frames? Yes, watch it again and count 'em all with your five fingers. The title is so fitting, because in the end, the only X-men member standing was Wolverine (and we don't need to bother and think why).

CARS (June 2006)
Yes, life is like a highway. Cars is the last movie produced by Pixar before they were bought by Disney (insert your reaction of "ahhhh" with a little nod of the head and now understanding why you have seen The Incredibles, Monster's Inc. premier at Disney Channel). Anyway, the movie has an amazing graphic detail. Everything seemed real and seamless. Humility, as always, was the theme of the movie. Lightning (the red car who flashes his sides and exclaims "Ka-chow") reminded me of someone who used to aspire for big things and thus work hard for it that she completely forgot to take into consideration the whole picture. I enjoyed the movie because it leaves you feeling good after seeing the movie credits. This is great to watch with kids and even the kids at heart.

The Lakehouse (June 2006)
I am a fan of Asian series and movies for over 3 years now. When I learned that Hollywood would be doing their own version of one of the well-loved movies of Korea, I was expecting not to like. Most of the time it ends up falling short of your expectations (just like The Ring, The Grudge etc.). But, this movie is so different. The Lakehouse, a re-make of Ji Hyeon's Il Mare, is unbelievably going to make you fall in love. Not only did I remember how much I liked the chemisty of Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves on screen, but I was reminded again how it feels to fall in love like it's your first time. By the end of the movie, I was biting my lip constraining myself from the kilig feeling that it left me. Oh, and much to my wish of being in the company of appreciative audience, I did, too much in fact that during the finale, people at Gateway Cinema 5 were hooting and clapping their hands...

BRIGHTLY SHINING ON MY LIFE

I was supposed to write something for father’s day but thought about someone else instead (Sorry Papa). Lately, I have been trying to see that beyond difficulties and troubles, I finally found something constant in my life that gives me a reason to smile each day and think that Life is really balanced.

Jelson, my beau of 6 years, makes me feel that time spent with each other is well worth it--- Meeting him at Skyline (our canteen at the office) after a really long day, talking about wrestling, countless hours strolling at the mall, inside the Vitara while he drives and I sit silently watching urban life in motion, watching movies and eating great food (our favorite past time), nights spent talking on the phone (yes, it’s so high school but we really do it still), and praying before going to bed.

I realized that no matter how simple the things that we do are it’s more fun that anyone could imagine because we do things together.

This song has been in my ipod for 3 months now and each time I hear it, I always have an image of a smiling Jelson, looking at me lovingly. This song should have played on April 8, 2000 Ü

Hey Look At The Sun
(Yes, this is from Sitti's album)

All of my life
There were things I wanted to do
But they all changed
The moment I set my eyes on you
The magnetism that attracted me to you
There's something inside
I just can't explain
And now I know
What I must do

Hey look at the Sun
It's finally shining on my life
Hey look at the sun
It's finally shining on my life
And it's all because of you
It's finally shining on my life
For me and for you

All of my life
I've wandered 'round time and again
But I never thought
That all my searching would
Come to an end
And then you came along
And my world of love began
So now I'm going to
Change my ways
You're all I want
You're all I need