Man of Steel

Man of Steel (2013) starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne. Before the planet Krypton explodes, Jor-El (Crowe) sends his son Kal-El (Cavill) into space on a rocket to Earth. Kal-El grows up to become Superman, and faces his greatest challenge when General Zod (Shannon) arrives on Earth, bent on changing it to a Krypton-like planet where his people can be restored. For me, this film had a Transformers-like feel to it, as various parts of Earth were trashed (and many lives lost) while the aliens battled it out. Amy Adams plays Lois Lane convincingly, while Kal-El's Earth parents, Ma and Pa Kent, are played creditably by Costner and Lane. Whether anyone will ever make a good Superman movie again remains to be seen. This one is just passable. (Subtitles in English are available for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: B  

Iron Man (DVD)

Iron Man (2008) starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard. Ultra-rich inventor and weapons merchant Tony Stark (Downey) escapes from kidnappers in Afghanistan by building a makeshift suit of super-armor and fighting his way out. But while he was there, he saw American troops killed by weapons that his company made -- and decides that from now on, he will use his genius for good. Various complications ensue, with plenty of action and special effects. Grade: A