"Most people don't believe something can happen until it already has. That's not stupidity or weakness, that's just human nature."

Zombies!! Zombies!!! Zombies!!! Honestly, what's better than zombies? World War Z, released June 21, 2013 starring Brad Pitt is a film all about, well the Zombie Apocalypse of course! It's safe to say that the idea of this movie is appealing in its own right. The movie is based on the critically acclaimed book written by Max Brooks, in which an Ex-Untied Nations worker has to help save his family and the planet during a "zombie" outbreak. This film is intense, fast moving, and takes several different turns. Overall I would give it an A for amazing!! No plus or minus, just a solid A.

Brad Pitt played Gerry Lane in the film and was excellent, as usual. But instead of playing the sexy stud that fights the bad guy and saves the girl, he plays a stay-home-dad (who just happens to be ex-military for the United Nations) that would do anything to protect his family. This isn't necessarily a new role for Brad but it is a little different and refreshing! Karin Lane played by Mireille Enos is the mother and wife in this film and she was great. Why? Because she played a wife and mother the way a real wife/mother would act in a high pressure/danger situation. AKA: She protected her kids!!! I'm so sick of movies where women, especially mothers, are so terrified by fear they can’t even protect their own children. That's just dumb and disrespectful to good moms everywhere. If your child is in danger, you protect them at all cost. In the film Gerry did everything to protect his family, but Karin did everything to save her children, even if that meant running ahead with the kids, leaving Gerry to fight off the zombies alone. That doesn’t mean she didn’t love Gerry, she just trusted him to get his job done so she could get her job done.

Family is the core dynamic of this film and that's what makes this film good, in my opinion. This movie contains a good strong family. The kids listened to their parents. Even when they were scared and didn't know what to do, they ran when their parents told them to run. And they all loved each other. It was so nice to see an on screen family that was happy and tried to stay positive, despite the circumstances (I mean it’s the end of the world and these people try to keep their heads up. They deserve some props). It actually helped me connect to the characters more because, though all characters have their flaws, none of them were particularly selfish and their motives were pure. They did things to protect the people they love and that is great to see.

Now let’s get to the good part... ZOMBIES!!! The zombies in this film are crazy cool. The whole idea of the film is not the classic "zombies are the undead, gross, and need human brains to survive.” Instead, it goes more of the direction that the zombies came from some sort of unknown virus. Obviously, this movie isn't the first thing to put that twist on a zombie movie, but it still works. The zombies themselves look awesome. They are haunting and creepy but they are not gross looking, necessarily. The way the zombies move is what makes them sooooo crazy looking. It's one of those things you will just have to see for yourself. And as always, the zombies do provide some funny moments. For example, when they randomly bang their head into a wall, you cant help but laugh.

This movie is a high tension film. You will be at the edge of your seat for sure. I got so worked up when I first saw it that I gasp so loud, I scared a lady one row down from me (mission accomplished). Everyone in the theater will be on edge until the credits start to roll. Speaking of credits, the end is not what you would expect out of a movie like this, but it is a great ending to the story. I like the way it ended because it leaves you feeling like all your questions are answered, but at the same time you are still pondering certain things. It’s a good film that shows how a good family core relates to human nature, and how human nature reacts to Mother Nature: a true serial killer. Have a good night at the movies folks!

- Megan O'Neal

"My Father believed that if people knew who I really was, they would reject me. What do you think?"

Superman! One of the coolest and most iconic superheroes to every hit comic book stands. I mean even if you hate comic books you cant hate Superman. He is just a genuine good guy, and lets not forget he is incredibly suave and sexy (even as the nerdy Clark Kent). But in recent cinematic history, they have stained the name of Superman. After the epic failure of the last Superman movie, Superman Returns, released in 2006, I lost all hope in any Superman movie that could meet my expectations. But in June 2013 my expectations were met! Man of Steel release June 14, 2013, directed by Zack Snyder, was a movie I had been looking forward to since 2012, and it didn't disappoint. However, it is not what I expected. But hey, it was co-written by Christopher Nolan, so nothing ever goes how you expect when Nolan is involved.

So what did I mean by saying this movie isn't what you expect? Well its not like oh here is Clark as a kid, now a teenager, now a grown up. It's actually not a chronological period piece, which is part of the reason I liked it. Granted they do show Clark as a child and a teen but they do it in a cool and innovated way that I really enjoyed (when you see it you will know what I mean). Another thing about this movie that was unexpected was the fact that they focus a lot on Jor-El (played by Russel Crowe) and why/how he sent his son to earth. I just thought Clark would be on Earth and we would just accept the fact that his parent sent him away.

Russel Crowe, well he's Russel Crowe. He did a decent job as always. He performance wasn't Oscar worthy by any means, but it was a solid performance that helped move the movie along.  The villain of this film was General Zod, played by  Michael Shannon, who did a good job. I was just really happy this movie didn't have Lex Luthor as the villain. It was refreshing to have a new spin on an old story. Michael Shannon made a good bad guy, partly because he has these crazy eyes and veins popping out of his head, that he kinda gave me the creeps. But I'm pretty sure that was the reaction he wanted his audience to have.

Now, Amy Adams, I love her so much, and she was an adorable Lois Lane. She is a spark-plug to be sure, so she brought sass to the character of Lois, which is perfect. I always loved Lois in the comics because she was a strong female. She didn't necessarily want to be saved; she just got herself into trouble, so she had to be saved. Adams makes a good Lois, and I was glad she was the one who brought that character to life. Also her and Henry Cavill have amazing chemistry!! They look at each other and BAM!! Instant love connection .... it's fantastic! 

Speaking of Henry Cavill... Now I know I'm a girl and I'm bias but he is soooooo HOT!! And honestly Superman is suppose to be hot! He was so ripped in this movie it was crazy. Even some of my guy friends had to comment on how good looking Cavill was. But the movie did a classy job of showing how hot he was all the time. He only really has his shirt off for one scene, because the movie isn't about that, though it is a plus. Now I think Cavill is the perfect Superman. He has that classic look about him that makes him the right actor for the role. And he is has that whole "farm boy" thing going for him. And I realize that he doesn't have a lot of lines in the film, but hes Superman. Superman has always been a man of few words, unless he is telling you what to do (in the nicest way possible, of course). The thing about Superman is he is a leader and a protector. He has to be presence; I think Henry Cavill captured the essence of Superman (and its not all about his looks, though those helped, he is a good actor)

Another reason this movie is worth a look is because the special effects were very good. The flying sequences in this film are real looking and believable. They are pretty sweet honestly. I was impressed because some flying scenes can look really lame. But these looked cool. Somehow, it seems, they composite the faces of the actors during some of the flying scenes, so you can see their faces while they are flying and fighting in the air. That makes it look real because you are seeing a face, not just blurry characters flying around on screen.

Overall, this movie would be an A-. It's not an A + because it still left you wanting a little more. But it is a great start and it does Superman justice. He is a solid character. He has morals and stands for something. They kept him humble and they made sure he stayed true to who Superman is. They didn't corrupt him like some movies try to do with heroes. He was a true hero and that's the main thing I want out of my superhero movies. A good character that people look up to. So this movie is definitely worth checking out ASAP. You wont want to miss it! Hoping you have a happy day spent at the movies,

- Megan O'Neal