FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2013

BAY AREA-BASED FLICK NATION RADIO PROGRAM LEAPS TO MATRIX MEDIA'S WEB TALK RADIO

San Francisco, California (6/19/13) - Award-winning Bay Area film critic Dennis Willis is taking his show to a bigger stage. His weekly Flick Nation Radio program joins Matrix Media's Web Talk Radio on July 8, 2013. "We've been searching high and low for the right media partner and have been impressed at how Web Talk Radio has been able to bridge the gap between traditional broadcast radio and internet radio," Willis said.

Joining him will be longtime collaborators Steve Wagner (KKSF Radio, Filmtrip) and Steven Kirk (Soundwaves, Filmtrip) who will provide reviews and commentaries. Kevin Tripp (KGO Radio, Voice of Russia) will provide in-depth TV analysis and reviews.

Willis, a member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Broadcast Film Critics Association, has never understood why sports and politics were deemed worthy of 24-hour analysis, but the entertainment industry had been relegated to fluff and fashion coverage. "Every single day, decisions are made that affect not only what we watch, but how we watch it. This is the most exciting time in the history of the medium, and it's time to change the conversation."

About Flick Nation:
Flick Nation Radio is the smartest next-generation entertainment program in the USA! Created for active moviegoers and fans of critical-thinking alike, this weekly program features entertainment news, box office reports, home media guides, breaking news segments, technology/trend reports, film reviews, and exclusive interviews with filmmakers and movie stars. Flick Nation isn't your typical cookie-cutter fluff show. It's funny, irreverent, and filled with attitude.

About Dennis Willis:
Dennis Willis is an award-winning producer, editor, writer, and film critic (print and radio). He produced and co-hosted the TV programs Soundwaves and Reel Life (later called Filmtrip), and now anchors the weekly Flick Nation Radio show. In addition, he hosts the weekly radio features At the Movies and Home Media Guide, which are heard on KGO Radio in San Francisco. Dennis' reviews, features and comments have also been heard on KKSF Newstalk 910 (San Francisco), WGN (Chicago), and WNSW (New York City) and WZHF (Washington DC) on the Voice of Russia network. He is the author of the annual Flick Nation Movie Guide and American Popcorn: Hollywood and the War on Common Sense; and a member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Broadcast Film Critics Association.

About Steve Wagner:
Steve Wagner has over twenty-five years of experience in a wide variety of entertainment industry fields. He was co-host and executive producer of the long-running San Francisco (KGO/ABC Ch. 7) television program Filmtrip, where he reviewed over 1,000 films and interviewed over 200 actors, directors and writers, including: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Ang Lee, The Coen Bros., James Cameron, and Shirley MacLaine. Steve was the featured film critic on KFRC Classic Rock FM 99.7 and KKSF Newstalk AM 910 in San Francisco, and was the Broadcast Host (KOFY/WB Ch. 20) for the California Music Awards (Bammies). He has contributed articles and columns on film, music, and popular culture to numerous magazines, including: The Note (Kansas City), San Francisco Socialite, Bay Arts and Music, and MODA (San Francisco).

About Steven Kirk:
Steven Kirk has enjoyed a long history in the performing arts (film, television, theater, commercials, music video, voice over & celebrity look-a-like) as well as being a graphic and wax artist. He was also curator and Media Spokesman for the Hollywood Wax Museum and Hollywood Guinness World Of Records Exhibition, appearing in countless segments seen on E!, Entertainment Tonight and CNN. Steven is an award-winning actor, producer and director in the theatre and has also had a long and varied career on the air as an announcer for radio stations in New York and California with formats ranging from Album Rock (SKY-101), Adult Contemporary (Y94FM), Easy Listening (WEZG) and Jazz .

About Web Talk Radio:
WebTalkRadio.net is a pioneer in Internet talk radio, with more than 100 radio shows airing online. Founded in 2007, WebTalkRadio.net offers on-demand listening so that you can hear what you want on your schedule. Programming focuses on topics that range from travel to politics and self-help to spiritual wisdom. WebTalkRadio was founded by Brad Saul, President of Matrix Media Inc. Matrix Media is a Chicago-based talk radio syndication firm whose terrestrial radio successes have included Dr. Donnica’s Womens Health Report, Animal Planet Radio, Travel Channel Radio and the NBA Radio Network.

Media Contact: Sarah Maginnis
contact@flicknation.net

MAN OF STEEL (6/14/13; Comic Book Adventure; 3D)
Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Russell Crowe
SCR: David S. Goyer, story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer
DIR: Zack Snyder
MPAA: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language.
2 hours 23 mins.
(Warner Bros)

It’s almost impossible to discuss the merits of a new Superman movie without comparing it to what came before. We are, after all, talking about a franchise celebrating its 75th anniversary, and over the course of three-quarters of a century, people form opinions. From the big guy’s red underwear trunks (or lack thereof) to the constantly sliding canon, to the adoration for the Richard Donner-Christopher Reeve films, it goes on and on.

But on it’s own terms, the expensive Man of Steel is a wholly daring, mostly entertaining reboot that positions the Last Son of Krypton for his next franchise run on the big screen. Famously produced by Christopher Nolan, the stalwart visionary behind the Dark Knight trilogy, and infamously directed by Zack Snyder, a man mostly known for loud cartoony spectacles with great visuals, this Man of Steel falls somewhere in the middle.

As an origin story, the boldest choice was to re-imagine the planet Krypton as having an otherworldly ecosystem that would be at home in an Avatar sequel, and arguing that mining the planet’s core was the reason for its demise. As in the 1978 version, planetary politics results in the banishing of evil, ambitious General Zod (Michael Shannon) to the Phantom Zone after an attempted insurgency. And once again, the center of reason belongs to noble Jor-El (Russell Crowe), who sees launching his only son off the dying planet as not only way to possibly save his life, but preserve the Kryptonian race.

Retelling the story about how young Clark Kent comes into his own and discovers his enhanced abilities while being raised by human parents is a tale as familiar as Romeo and Juliet. Everyone knows the beats, so the real trick is pulling off the execution. Man of Steel accomplishes that feat with aplomb by integrating it with adult Clark’s existential journey to become the world’s savior.

The other minor change this film gets right is by not making Superman completely invulnerable in which only the tired trope of Kryptonite can weaken him. Sure, he may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but it’s not like he can’t get his ass kicked under the right circumstances. After all, steel buildings and oil rigs are still awfully heavy. Watching the Man of Steel being put through his emotional and physical paces humanizes him, and makes him more relatable than the Brandon Routh version, who could bounce bullets off his eyes.

As someone who loathed much of Snyder’s previous work (Sucker Punch, 300, that owl movie) with only a passing respect for what he attempted with Watchmen, I was impressed that the director found the right emotional beats when it mattered the most. Then again, I might be getting ahead of myself. We are talking about Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe here. When this trio follows their instincts to the core of the material, it serves them very well. And as much as I expected Crowe to be hammy in a Brando sort of way, he plays Jor-El with the right combination of nobility and parental intensity.

Henry Cavill is great. He has the look, the optimism, and the vibe that a great Superman should have. By necessity – and because glasses really aren’t the best way to conceal one’s identity – the script rethinks Clark’s relationship to ace reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams), and it’s a smart move.

For some reason, prior to its release, everyone loved the idea that Superman Returns (2006) would be an homage to the aforementioned Donner films, complete with an encore of the gorgeous John Williams score. However, once fans actually saw that film, they realized that you can’t go back. It seems to become a big deal that Superman never punched anybody, and that there was very little action.

You wanted action? Be careful what you wish for.

My only complaint about Man of Steel – and it’s a big one – is about the endless, bludgeoning level of destruction. Once it starts, it never stops. After spending a good hour setting up a rich mythology, and rebooting likable characters, General Zod arrives, demanding the surrender of Kal-El. For the good of the people who have no idea who he is yet, Clark surrenders and the movie enters the delightfully rarified space that allows the Superman character to flourish, the relationship between him and Lois (Amy Adams) to deepen, and for the plot mechanics to do their thing.

That’s when the mayhem begins. And it’s not just the wonton destruction of the occasional big city building, or a fight that happens in the streets of Smallville. No, this is global destruction on the level of a Roland Emmerich movie such as Independence Day, and it goes on for days. And let’s face it, when two beings who have enhanced strength and abilities start pummeling each other, leaving citywide destruction in its wake, and nothing seems to work, shouldn’t one of them eventually decide to try something different? Shouldn’t the filmmakers?

The reason why Donner’s 1978 movie is so beloved has nothing to do with the action or the FX (which really haven’t aged well at all). It’s the characters, stupid. It’s Christopher Reeve’s dual performance as bumbling Clark and heroic Supes. It’s Margot Kidder’s layered Lois, Marc McClure’s earnest Jimmy Olson, Gene Hackman’s pompous (and humorous) Lex Luthor, the bumbling Otis, the barking Perry White. All completely entertaining.

Man Of Steel, which is strangely devoid of much-needed humor, gives us iconic characters recast in a more realistic light, but where’s the scrappy fun? And since this is mainly Clark’s journey, the movie doesn’t offer up much in the way of Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) at all. Jimmy Olson is now Jenny Olson, a character who establishes herself not by being capable or witty within the walls of the Daily Planet, but by quickly becoming the damsel in distress once the city starts falling apart.

The biggest problem is that this battle royale between two worlds is the kind of epic finale one would expect from the end of a trilogy, not the beginning of one. Because, even if they bring in Lex Luther, Kryptonite, and Nuclear Man for the sequel, how can you possibly top an Earth-shaking (literally) plot to terraform our world at the hands of a Shakespearean-level Kryptonian super villain? Somehow the idea of an earthbound businessman obsessed with real estate seems a little quaint.

Again, on it’s own, ignoring everything that has preceded it, Man of Steel works as a film. The performances are strong, the mythology is solid. The franchise is once again in a good place. But if the cinematic adventures of Superman are going to endure for another 75 years, the powers that be are going to have to remember to lighten up a little and have some fun.

– DENNIS WILLIS

Some part of you wants La Camioneta to be a puff piece—a light-as-air documentary about guys refurbishing old school buses in Guatemala.

The premise sounds like “Pimp My Ride” in Central America, and it would be if the guys involved weren’t so damn enlightened. They have to be; it’s a sink or swim mentality where they live. When we meet the bus the film will watch transcend to something more joyous, we’re in the Midwest, where a Guatemalan man will drive it through Mexico to its next life.

In Mexico, the temperature is different and the shadow of corrupt officials falls on even petty crime. We have cause to worry for our driver, who waits out the cocky customs officer who negotiates the bus’ inspection like a game he can’t lose. In contrast, Guatemala feels like deliverance, but that feeling will grow more complicated. The man who buys the bus takes it to his station for fixing and refurbishment. He sees in it a quality of spirit, “it is a migrant, too,” he says.

Though Mark Kendall’s documentary only alludes to the condition of “public” transportation in Guatemala, he gives us a clear feeling for the imminent danger of the job: extortion is common, as is violence. Kendall cuts from the scene of a crime, where a driver is pulled from his bus, while the women who run the orphanages that may house his children face government officials.

These men work for their families, work for their God and work for their lives, and this hunger and determination to not just survive but live fully, finds a voice in their work. The Camioneta (the bus) is every bit as much a shining, exuberant road warrior as the men who built it. Sure, hope is a thing with wings and so is this Camioneta.

– SARA MARIA VIZCARRONDO