Superman Returns

You've probably tuned into the accolades already, and I'll add mine: Superman Returns is the best superhero flick of the summer, if not the best movie of the season full stop. Kate Bosworth continues to prove herself as an actress (love those mismatched eyes), making the Lois Lane role her own (and not some sort of homage to Lois Lanes past, thank Jor-El). Kevin Spacey turns in his best performance since American Beauty, at least to my knowledge (I heard Shipping News was good?), and whoever cast Parker Posey deserves a big fat kiss. Brandon Routh as the Big Blue Boy Scout turns in an understated (and likely underrated) perfomance, filling the boots ably but never overselling. A nice job directing by Bryan Singer, even if he did abandon the X-Franchise mid-trilogy. I particularly liked the movie's quieter moments, as when Clark uses his x-ray vision to watch Lois ride an elevator.

One troubling bit that my wife commented on after the movie: being Superman's mom has to be one of the tougher jobs in cinema history. Doesn't Ma Kent get any respect? Supes just up and disappears for five years without writing, and when the spit hits the fan one wonders whether he bothers to call home to say everything's OK.

Go, buy tickets. Watch out for the hordes of your fellow movie-goers, though. They're not any more polite than when you last saw them.