5. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow -

This movie is, admittedly, more of a special effects exercise. But it also broke some serious ground and created a lot of filmmaking techniques that we still see today. Shot on a soundstage with little more than a green screen, some props, and good actors it’s almost like Indiana Jones lite. It is still a fantastic piece of entertainment that was virtually ignored by audiences when it came out. If you like color films from the 20s and 30s, Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers comics, or are just an effects buff, you have got to see this movie.

4. Speed Racer –
Speed Racer is one of the most polarizing, but still underrated, films of the last ten years. The Wachowski’s follow up to the Matrix trilogy featured all of their signatures: fast paced action, great use of slow motion, eye scorching visuals, and top notch actors. The problem a lot of people seemed to have with the movie was its cartoonish villains and it’s extremely bright visuals. Admittedly, the scenes can be extremely busy from time to time, but the fact that the film is so willing to embrace its animation roots when it could have gone ignored is commendable. When you look past the ridiculousness of the visuals, you’ll find there’s actually an engaging and well thought out story to back it up with some charming performances. This one seriously needs a second look.

3. Bowfinger -
Remember when Eddie Murphy was funny? Yeah, I agree it’s been way too long. Bowfinger is, to me, the last legitimately funny movie he was in, and that makes it all the more a shame that it didn’t get more attention when it came out. This is a hilarious satire of the movie industry and just how difficult it is for someone to break in. Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy are equally hilarious in a movie about a filmmaker who spends his life savings on trying to make a movie with the biggest action star in Hollywood…without him realizing he’s in it. This movie was directed by Frank Oz and is seriously hilarious. On top of that it features a cameo by pre-comeback Robert Downey Jr. Since I couldn’t find a good version of the trailer, here’s one of my favorite scenes.

2. Be Kind Rewind -
This movie was criminally mismarketed. The trailers try to pass it off as a Jack Black star vehicle when it is clearly not the case. This is a surprisingly warm film from Michel Gondry about a small town. It would be easy to talk just about the Sweded movie plot, which is still very entertaining. But the real star of this movie is the town of Pasaic, New Jersey. Gondry used real people in the town to play parts while using his quirky style to pull out some great performances, especially from Mos Def, Danny Glover, and Melonie Diaz. In fact, I’m going to go for it and even say there seems to be a Frank Capra influence running through it in terms of just how much it deals with the idealogy of a community coming together.

1. Last Man Standing -
This movie is probably the one movie that I get the most people confused about for two reasons. Number one, they’ve never heard of it. Number two, it’s basically a remake on top of a remake…or something like that. The movie is based on Akira Kurosawa’s classic flick Yojimbo, which was remade by Sergio Leone as a Fistful of Dollars. Well, this movie is a remake of Yojimbo set in a Texas border town during the Prohibition era with Bruce Willis serving as our man with no name…or at the very least our man with a very lousy alias. This movie has it all: Hong Kong style action, great performances, and amazing score by Ry Cooder, and it’s directed by Walter Hill. I swear, Walter Hill’s movies bleed toughness. And if that wasn’t enough to sell you on it, then picture this: Bruce Willis vs. Christopher Walken. Need I say more?

Action Comics opens with the Metropolis Police Department storming an upscale penthouse. They make it to a balcony where Superman, clothed in work boots, scuffed jeans, an “S” tee shirt and his iconic cape holding a wealthy construction mogul over his head. This is something we’ve never really seen before: Superman squaring off against the law. This sets the tone for the whole book. Superman has been at it for only six months. He can’t fly. He’s still bullet proof, but anything stronger can knock him down and make him bleed. And he doesn’t know anything about Krypton. He states his motivation quickly. He believes “the law works the same for rich and poor alike.” Superman is a social crusader here. His abilities are small scale to start with, so it only makes sense that the kind of villains he faces are small scale as well.

This book is not your father’s Superman, although it may somewhat be your grandfather’s Superman. Grant Morrison’s spun gold once again and shows that he may very well be the best Superman writer out there. While we’re not given a whole lot in the way of character driven dialogue for our first issue, this is a fantastic and bold set up. The relationships between Superman and his supporting cast is dealt with quickly and efficiently. Characters are introduced quickly so time is not wasted. It feels like the opening scene of an action movie, which is fitting considering that it’s Action Comics. The book is action packed throughout and does not disappoint in that regard. After the let down that the Grounded storyline delivered, it feels good to see Superman kicking butt and taking names again.

The artwork by Rags Moralis is wonderful. He gets just the right amount of grit and realism in the mix while still maintaining the wide-eyed wonder that we associate with Superman books. He renders Superman as a powerful figure without being overly muscular. Each character looks unique, which is a plus among today’s comic art field since a lot of comic artists these days do not seem to have learned how to make each character look like their own person.

Action Comics No. 1 is a great introduction to the world of the New 52. This is the comic that should’ve been used to start out the relaunch, since Justice League No. 1 really felt like a missed opportunity. This issue ends on a great cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more, but not in an unsatisfactory way. This is a must buy for Superman fans, DC fans, or comics fans in general.

And now for a side note, kiddies. I know George Lucas did a LOT of wrong by us over the years. I mean, come on. The stiff dialogue in the prequel trilogies, the force bacteria crap, and of course the facepalm inducing Jar Jar. But I’ve always looked at it like this: the prequels are like extended reading. They don’t really matter in the face of the main trilogy. The story of Luke is more important than Whinikin (that’s his new name).

Now, we’ve got you mostly caught up. There’s currently a shortlist of directors out there that includes Darren Aronofsky, Tony Scott, Duncan Jones, Matt Reeves, Zack Snyder and a couple other names that I’ve honestly never heard of.

To be honest, I’m only interested in two names on the list: Duncan Jones and Matt Reeves. Duncan Jones made Moon, which was awesome, but I don’t know if he’s suited for Superman yet. Matt Reeves did Cloverfield and Let Me In, which I think shows he’s able to work with big budgets, but his resume’s kind of dark, though. As much as I know people would love Zack Snyder behind the camera, I honestly think the stylistic elements would overtake the story, and Aronofsky, as talented as he is, has never done a project remotely like Superman, and his films are, honestly, a bit too dark.

It kind of unnerves me that they’re looking at directors who are known for doing relatively dark films. Superman is not Batman, he does not need to be darkened. Superman is meant to be an uplifting and inspiring character, not dark and brooding. I hope they just pick a director who is faithful to the character and manages to make Superman cool again.

You can pick up your copy right here!

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