Superman II (1980)
Dir. Richard Lester
If the first film is the messy prototype for these grand, sweeping superhero epics that Chris Nolan puts together, this one is the prototype for everything else. Protracted and mostly unintelligent action framing a kinda neat concept of Superman losing his powers to be with Lois. I'd like it more if it went further with that - we only get the consequences very briefly before it's back to business as usual. The highlights of the first film were the two names billed above the title - Brando and Hackman, but here it's certainly Stamp, who dials it either to 11 or 1 and nothing in-between. It's a fun, disposable film, but like the first one, marred by the compromise at the hands of the Salkinds.
Monsters University (2013)
Dir. Dan Scanlon
Hooray! First it was Shane Black, now it's Dan Scanlon actually getting genre right and providing something that does precisely what it says on the tin. Such is the state of cinema now that we have to applaud such things, but Monsters University is nonetheless a charming and fun piece of work from Pixar that surprisingly forges ahead into unusual but essential thematic territory for a children's film, revolving around aspirations and capability. There are some great gags in there without it being necessarily uproarious - it doesn't hit the heights of the masterful original, but it does deserve a place next to it in the Pixar stable. One lakeside scene during the third act elevates the whole thing, for me personally, to being something of a return to form. Even if I did like Brave for its gumption.
Dir. Richard Lester
If the first film is the messy prototype for these grand, sweeping superhero epics that Chris Nolan puts together, this one is the prototype for everything else. Protracted and mostly unintelligent action framing a kinda neat concept of Superman losing his powers to be with Lois. I'd like it more if it went further with that - we only get the consequences very briefly before it's back to business as usual. The highlights of the first film were the two names billed above the title - Brando and Hackman, but here it's certainly Stamp, who dials it either to 11 or 1 and nothing in-between. It's a fun, disposable film, but like the first one, marred by the compromise at the hands of the Salkinds.
Monsters University (2013)
Dir. Dan Scanlon
Hooray! First it was Shane Black, now it's Dan Scanlon actually getting genre right and providing something that does precisely what it says on the tin. Such is the state of cinema now that we have to applaud such things, but Monsters University is nonetheless a charming and fun piece of work from Pixar that surprisingly forges ahead into unusual but essential thematic territory for a children's film, revolving around aspirations and capability. There are some great gags in there without it being necessarily uproarious - it doesn't hit the heights of the masterful original, but it does deserve a place next to it in the Pixar stable. One lakeside scene during the third act elevates the whole thing, for me personally, to being something of a return to form. Even if I did like Brave for its gumption.
