Reviews written by Cole the Kid Critic

Sorry Christopher Nolan fans, MAN OF STEEL is very much a Zack Snyder film. And, like a Zack Snyder film, MAN OF STEEL has no idea what it wants to be. MAN OF STEEL is about Superman donning the cape in order to protect mankind from the remnants of Krypton. The best word to describe this movie is confused, at every turn there's a clashing between a relatively real perspective (thanks to exec producer Nolan and Co.) and a near goofy, overly picturesque (director Snyder) version of Superman. The picturesque version becomes troublesome because once we leave Krypton, the film goes into this origin story lull full of faded cinematography shots of Kansas and other landscapes. It's easy to understand what they're going for, but a Cliff Notes version would have sufficed and allowed for a more thought out story. It picks up in the third act, but by that time there's too little meat on the bone.

The acting and characters are a mixed bag, Michael Shannon's turn at Zod was great, but frustrating at the same time because Shannon feels held back (viewers of Premium Rush will know what I'm talking about). Amy Adams' turn as Lois Lane is by far the best incarnation of the character in franchise history and even arguably gets more character development than Superman. Which brings me to the big man himself, Henry Cavill plays the character in a reserved manner that leaves our hero with little charisma and development. Props are due at least for trying to step away from the looming presence of the original Superman by weaving its own tale, but the sunlight outside the shadow has proven more Kryptonite than yellow sun.

The Internship feels like it was made by an Android using Google key words to make a comedy. The Internship is about two jobless adults taking an internship with Google in hopes for a job. If you crossed a generic comedy script with corporate PR, you get this film. It's fairly trite without too many laughs, but it does have its comedic moments. The story is nothing special and is filled with one dimensional stereotypes whose problems are solved at the flip of a convenient switch. In short, there's little compelling to this film.

No dinosaur films have ever (Tricera)top-ed Jurassic Park. Despite
being around over 20 years old, the film's thrill have all managed to
stay in tact, the T-Rex scene still stands as one of the most tense
scenes in cinematic history. More than that, a lot of good and
terrifying moments were vividly recalled while rewatching this film,
always knowing what lurked around the corner and remembering how
scarred my younger self was when watching it. Despite the core of the
film being just as great, the cultural references do feel dated and
quite cheesy. Although, I get a kick out of someone being excited for
"CD-Rom" technology and the word "hacker" needing to be explained for
a moment. Furthermore, rewatching does make you more aware of the
"Spielberg-isms" and the moments clearly framed for art shots with
John Williams score blasting in the background. Apart from that,
Jurassic Park is probably one of the best choices for a 3D makeover,
as the film is very much about having dinosaurs running/snapping
toward the audience. What's best about the theater rerelease is that
it recreates the silent atmosphere that works so great for many
thriller/horror films.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is like cotton candy; the first bite is great, but it quickly leaves you with a sugary aftertaste that leaves you wishing for something more substantial. The film opens with a black-and-white carnival scene that, combined with the 3D, provides one of the most interesting experiments in 3D film making to date. This
set-up is also host to the best character interactions in the whole film which is unfortunate because once the film goes to color, the whole movie slows down. When we land in Oz we find that the CGI comes off as beautiful, yet distant. It comes to the point where the film
feels like James Franco's Green Screen Adventure. It doesn't help that the film's greatest weakness is the dialogue which feels plain and unsubtle. Just about all the characters lack good writing and end-up feeling one dimensional and provides little reason for caring for any
single character. James Franco provides his natural charisma to the Wizard and is easily one of the best-parts of the film, but his character's succumbs to the trite writing and falls in line with the other bland characters in the third act. What's saddening about the
film is that it feels like there's a host of adventure to be found in Oz, yet we're not allowed to fully explore it. OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is not a bad film, but it certainly feels like a forgettable chapter in a classic story.

A still beating pulse in a genre dead to guys. Warm Bodies is about a zombie that falls for a human and slowly regains his humanity as a result. If you can get past the film's treatment of traditional zombie mythos, then you'll find a fairly decent horror romance comedy. The movie is plenty funny and manages to make you laugh, but nothing is really all that amazing. The same pretty much goes for the romance, seen better, seen worse. The storyline is also very predictable and pulls no surprises. What summarizes the film for me is "good, not great."

THE HOBBIT is a little short on expectations. THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is about an ordinary young hobbit traveling with a band of dwarves bent on reclaiming their homeland. THE HOBBIT suffers from AVATAR syndrome, putting the showcase of technology over the story. Not to say that the script is bad, but is does feel like it's channeling a few cliches and some lazy writing in order to allow director Peter Jackson to play with some of his new toys. Other than that, the acting is on par with expectations and the cinematography overall had a more colorful palette to it than the original trilogy. I'd comment on the trademark special effects, but I watched the film in a special new 48 frames per second (as compared to the standard 24) and it just gave everything around it an animatronic vibe. All in all, the first hobbit movie is definitely a fine film, but it fails to recapture the magic of the original three movies. Ages 11+

A plain wallflower this is not. Perks of Being a Wallflower is a touching piece on loneliness, depression, and love. While the drama is incredibly heavy, the film has a constant charming humor that permeates throughout the film and gives it an upbeat feeling despite its sad outside. My few gripes are that there are to many side plots that don't get resolved satisfyingly and the film leaps at to many chances to show that it's the 80's.