The Super Network

Every week the people of Super Website (Super Blog) will give you a recommendation of a Film, DVD, Bluray, Book, Soundtrack or any other item for you the readers to check out.

Super Marcey Recommend’s:

X-Men: First Class

I am a huge X-Men fan, and while I had my doubts about another film since Wolverine was quite disappointing, I went into this new film excited. However I never expected that this would be such a fantastic film, and one that I place highly on the scale of comic book adaptations. I have now seen First Class 3 times in 6 days, and I can say without a doubt I’d place it right up there with the likes of Chris Nolan’s Batman films, Richard Donner’s Superman films, Raimi’s first two Spider-man films and Bryan Singer’s X-Men films.

Here is an exert from my review, you can find the entire piece over at KillerFilm.com

“There is a lot going on in this film, but most importantly is the introduction and development of our main characters. Charles and Erik both grew up vastly different, coming back different backgrounds. However one is on a much darker path, and when the other saves him things change for them both. A friendship and lifelong bond is formed, and through their actions they find others like them. Their up bringing certainly impacts them deeply with their actions and how they feel about being mutants and how others feel towards them. This film manages to make this all feel very real and the development their characters face seems very natural and emotional. While those are at the heart and soul of the film, the other characters are also well developed including Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult).  They both have similar issues with their abilities and those issues very much turn them into two very different people. On the other side of the fence, the villain of the story is an interesting one and while we don’t know too much about him he is a very real threat.“

| IMDB|

Logan J. Fowler Recommend’s:

Waiting For Superman

As a person who hasn’t gotten into documentaries as much as he should have, Waiting for Superman was always one that was on the top of my list to see. It may be due to bias (I am a teacher), but at the same time, it made me view the education system of America in a whole new light and I definitely think you should give the film the time of day, despite your choice of career.

For those who are unaware, in public education the schools have something called “tenure.” It is when teachers are granted job security after several years working in the field. Tenure is abused highly, as most teachers who are granted it just sit back and coast post receiving.

Waiting for Superman looks at multiple children, those whose parents or guardians are becoming sick of the public school system and looking to get them into charter schools, which are institutions that have public school funding but are privately owned. They teachers are better because they aren’t granted an easy way out.

The film is intercut with statistics and educational jargin that is discussed enough so you won’t have trouble understanding it. However, the core of this story is the children that were previously mentioned. They are all good kids who deserve a fighting chance, but their chances are limited because charter schools run on a lottery system, so a child is assigned a number and hope for the very best.

I don’t wish to spoil it, but by the end of Waiting for Superman, I was reaching for tissues. It is a very sad state that the educational system is in, and this movie shows how many steps backwards that schooling has taken. The results are disturbing and eye opening, and I have never recommended a movie more highly than this one. As I discussed on a podcast found here on this very website, Waiting For Superman was a movie that changed me. While I don’t know if it will have the same effect on you, I can guarantee you will find the film nothing short of profound.

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Pat Torfe Recommend’s:

Transformers: The Movie

Keeping with the nostalgia from last week, my pick this time around is a classic 80s pop culture film that helped to define my childhood: Transformers: The Movie. No, it’s not the live-action explosion-fest that Michael Bay put together, I’m talking about the 1986 film directed by Nelson Shin that not only had the balls to have characters audibly swear, but also kill off certain characters that were there from the beginning of the series! It was heartwrenching at the age of seven to have your favorite characters gunned down, but that’s only part of what makes this film memorable. The story is an extension of the cartoon: the year is 2005, and the Autobots are planning to retake their home planet Cybertron after the Decepticons invaded. Problem is, a little espionage by Laserbeak ends up being the Autobots’ undoing. Meanwhile, a giant artificial planet called Unicron has appeared, devouring other planets in its path on its way to do the same to Cybertron and eventually Earth. It’s up to the Autobots to defy the odds and save the galaxy.

Yeah, the story is kind of predictable, but you have to ask yourself who the audience was for the film. The animation was vastly improved from the television series (no recolours or missing body parts here!), smooth and full of colour. The film also boasts star power with the likes of Orson Welles (his last film), Judd Nelson, Robert Stack, Leonard Nimoy and Eric Idle. Of course, all of the voice cast from the cartoon is here, including the memorable Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Frank Welker as Megatron. Another big plus about the film was the soundtrack. Oh man, I love this one. Heavy metal songs by the likes of Spectre General aka Kick Axe, a wonderful score by Vince DiCola, and memorable tunes by Stan Bush (“You’ve got the touch!”) and even Weird Al! Really, this all makes for a great trip down memory lane, and the DVD released by Sony prior to losing the rights to the franchise was superb (if only it had come out on Blu-Ray…). Bottom line, you can’t say that you grew up in the 80s if you haven’t seen this film. Transform and roll out!

| IMDB | Purchase on DVD |

Nick Bosworth Recommend’s:

Casino Royale

Let’s first start off with the man who calls himself James Bond and that is Daniel Craig. Throughout his career, Craig has played a number of roles that portray a toughness in himself such as his role in “Munich” as an assassin or even his character in “Layer Cake”. However, he was never able to show his true talent until this film. Craig is the answer to the 007 franchise as he was able to bring a side of Bond to the big screen that none of us have ever seen before. His moral toughness and reckless actions throughout the film are what make the character of Bond so unique and Craig pulled it off perfectly. He shined on so many levels between his serious acting and even being very sarcastic at times as well to help the audience warm up to him and not think he is just a heartless bastard. Craig handled the action perfectly and every situation that was thrown at him unlike past Bond stars who had their strengths and weaknesses.

Now let’s get to the brilliant supporting cast of “Casino Royale” so I’ll start off with the absolutely stunning and magnificent Eva Green. It was such a pleasure to see a Bond girl who actually had some form of intelligence as the last few Bond girls have been a total waste of oxygen in my opinion. Eva was brilliant in her role as Vesper Lynd and her chemistry with Craig was undeniable. She remained a mystery throughout the film and that made her character so much more interesting. She was very beautiful throughout and every scene she had Craig was mind-blowing. Next, I must talk about maybe one of the greatest Bond villains ever and that is Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre. Mads took a very simple character and turned him into someone so mystifying and terrifying that you never knew what he would do next. He was the best choice for the part and there is no doubt of that. The scenes with him and Craig together were some of the best in the film. Especially the “torture” scene as most of you saw. As well, Dame Judi Dench put on a fabulous performance as M once again. She had much more flare this time and it really brought her character out significantly. She’s always a welcome face in the world of Bond. Giancarlo Giannini did a great job as Mathis and was really quite funny as well in those times when the pressure was on. Jeffrey Wright was also fantastic as Felix Leiter but I was a little dissapointed that he didn’t get more screen time. Let’s hope we’ll see more of him in the future. And of course there is also Eva Green who isn’t hard on the eyes as well and serves as a very important part of the story in Bond’s character development. She had terrific chemistry with Craig in this regard.

Right now, I’d like to thank one of the greatest Bond directors of all-time….Martin Campbell. Martin did a magnificent job on this film and has turned it into a masterpiece that he will always be able to treasure. Not all of his films are loved by the world but when he dons the “Bond” directors cap, he becomes a legend. Bravo Martin bravo! As well, the action in the film was absolutely mind-blowing and the stunts were some of the best I have ever seen. Especially the chase scene at the beginning. The cars were super hot and so were the women. As for the length of the film and the pacing, I thought both were spot on and perfect. The move just zoomed by and I was never bored for a second. The poker game was perfectly thought out and well-paced in my opinion. Simply amazing! To sum all of this up, “Casino Royale” is the greatest Bond film of the last 30 years and I consider Daniel Craig to be the best Bond ever and I’ll never take that back.

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