While the most recent theatrical trailer for director Zack Snyder’s Superman film Man of Steel delivered the goods visually, it also gave us our first preview of composer Hans Zimmer’s score for the film.  Crafting a new Superman theme was no small task as John Williams’ iconic theme will likely always be synonymous with the hero, but it was important for Zimmer to come up with something that solidified Man of Steel as a wholly new take on the character.  The result, as evidenced in the trailer and in this recently released full track (titled “An Ideal Hope”), is a magnificently pulsing theme that builds to a fantastic crescendo while bringing to mind the ascent of a hero like Superman from confused boy to Protector of Earth.

Hit the jump to listen to a full track from Hans Zimmer’s score, which is essentially an extended version of what we heard in the trailer, and click here to read the full details regarding the soundtrack release.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th, and Zimmer’s score will be released on June 11th.

Warner Bros. has released a new TV spot and banner poster for director Zack Snyder’s Superman film Man of Steel.  The 30-second spot does a nice job of teasing the grounded, character-centric nature of the pic while also highlighting the epic action that awaits audiences.  All of the footage is backed by Hans Zimmer’s pulsing new Superman theme, and we also get to see some sort of massive-looking ship making ground on Earth.  While the initial trailers were fairly small in scale, the most recent spots are doing a great job of teasing the grand set pieces that we’ll hopefully be seeing throughout the film.

Hit the jump to watch the new TV spot and to see the new banner.  The film stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fisburne, Antje Traue, and Russell Crowe.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th. 

Warner Bros. has released the third poster for director Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot Man of Steel, and this time Supes takes to the skies.  The first Comic-Con poster teased the new costume, the second poster showed Henry Cavill’s Superman in cuffs, and now this third one-sheet teases the superhero’s power of flight.  It’s a neat concept, but there’s a tad too much photoshop on Cavill’s face for my taste.  Snyder previously said he wanted the flying scenes to be a “violent experience,” and the blurriness of the skyline in the distance on this poster definitely promises some very quick speeds.

Hit the jump to check out the new poster.  The film also stars Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fisburne, Antje Traue, and Russell Crowe.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th. 

A new TV spot has been released a new TV spot for Man of Steel.  It has all the pomp and circumstance we’ve come to expect from the film’s marketing campaign, and when it comes to Superman, such presentation is required.  It’s Superman, after all.  The TV spot also shows off some of the action we previously saw in the excellent trailer, but the real takeaway is Superman screaming.  What causes this scream?  Does Pa Kent die (I don’t know if Pa Kent dies in the movie, but his death is a touchstone in the character’s biography)?  Does Supes step on a kryptonite nail?  Is he forced to watch Superman IV: The Quest for Peace?

Hit the jump to check out the TV spot.  The film stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fisburne, Antje Traue, and Russell Crowe.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th.

Opening this weekend, in limited release, is director/co-writer Ariel Vromen’s The Iceman.  The drama is based on the book by Anthony Bruno that chronicles the life of Richard Kuklinski (played by Michael Shannon), a professional hitman who kept his work secret from his family.  The contract killer received the nickname “The Iceman” because he froze the bodies of his victims in order to disguise their time of death and throw the authorities off track.  The film also stars Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, Winona Ryder, Robert Davi, and Danny Abeckaser.  For more on The Iceman, watch the trailer.

At the recent Los Angeles press day, I landed an exclusive interview with Michael Shannon.  We talked about the way he prepares for a role, making The Iceman, the balance between Hollywood-izing the subject matter versus also telling the real story, whether he still has to audition, and so much more.  In addition, he also talked about playing General Zod in Man of Steel, Jake Paltrow’s Young Ones, other future projects, losing his anonymity, and we even talked about his early work playing a Wrestlemania fan in Groundhog Day!  Hit the jump to either read or listen to what he had to say.

30-second snippets of Hans Zimmer‘s Man of Steel score have been released.  Zimmer was tapped to score the film before he was even officially approached for the gig.  Everyone simply assumed that Man of Steel producer Christopher Nolan would move his Dark Knight Trilogy composer over to Zack Snyder‘s Superman reboot.  Zimmer eventually took the job, which came with the unenviable task of being in the shadow of John Williams‘ classic Superman theme.  But Zimmer has a long and fairly diverse filmography, although his work does tend to get parodied for its heavy bass-driven punctuations (or “BWAAAAH”s).  Listening to these snippets, about half the score is unmistakably Zimmer (“I Will Find Him” even has the “BWAAAAH” sound) and the other half, such as “Sent Here for a Reason” and “Goodbye My Son” are soft, meditative pieces that are almost worthy of a day spa.

Click over to Amazon to listen to pieces from the score, which will be released in two versions on June 11th.  There will be a regular edition and a deluxe edition that contains six extra tracks.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th. [Update: We've been provided with the full press release for the soundtrack, which includes detailed information on the soundtrack release. Both the regular and limited edition soundtracks come with a 28-minute track that allows fans to listen to Zimmer's initial experiments with the score, seeing how he laid the foundation for what was to come. Hit the jump for more.]

Last night I had the opportunity to check out a late showing of Pain & Gain during which I encountered a few thoughts that I couldn’t shake: 1) I wish Michael Bay would make more films like this and less of the transforming car variety. 2) Why can’t Dwayne Johnson be in every movie? 3) This is probably the craziest “Based on a True Story” movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve heard Bay say that some of the most extreme elements of the plot are also the most true to the original story. This is good to know because had someone written a lot of what shows up in the film I would likely call it too farfetched for my suspended disbelief to withstand. Make no mistake, this is a wild, entertaining ride that utilizes layers of action, crime, comedy, sex, and even a touch of sadism to keep you invested from beginning to end.

My mini-review aside, this week’s Top 5 includes the first trailer for Thor: The Dark World, Pain & Gain interviews with Michael Bay, Mark Wahlberg, and more, a recap of our visit to Pixar for Monsters University, news that Zack Snyder could take the helm of Justice League pending Man of Steel‘s success, and the first entry in a new interview series from Steve: “Breaking Down the Movie” with The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance. As is customary, a brief recap and link to each of the above is ready and waiting after the jump.

While we all waited a long, long time to see the first footage from Man of Steel (especially given that the film started production in the fall of 2011), as the release date looms closer we’re starting to learn much more about Zack Snyder’s new take on Superman.  The director recently addressed the backlash he received when it was first announced that he would be directing the new Superman movie, and now a new interview has surfaced in which Snyder talks more specifically about how he approached the “Superman flying” scenes and creating the planet of Krypton.  In addition, he spoke about about the first time he saw Henry Cavill in the suit.  Hit the jump to read on.

This summer, Walmart plans to become the first retailer to offer advanced tickets to a major motion picture by selling nearly 1 million tickets for Zack Snyder’s highly anticipated Man of Steel.  The corporate juggernaut will offer said tickets in 3,700 of its stores, beginning at 8am on May 18^th.  The tickets will be for a June 13^th screening, and the film’s official stateside 3D release date is June 14^th.  By selling the tickets on May 18^th, audiences get a 3-4 day advance, as general ticket sales are slated for May 21^st or 22^nd. Man of Steel features a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Shannon, and Antje Traue.  Hit the jump for more information on the partnership. 

Much is riding on the success of this summer’s Man of Steel.  Not only is Warner Bros. hoping the film launches a new Superman franchise, but it is also the key to moving forward with other DC properties in the wake of Marvel’s immense success (ie. The Avengers grossing $1.5 billion).  The early buzz on Man of Steel is incredibly positive and the film’s latest trailer was rather remarkable, so expectations are quite high.  We know that Warner Bros. is developing a Justice League film with a potential 2015 release date, but further details about the pic have been rather unclear.

In a new interview with director Zack Snyder, though, it was revealed that the current plan is to ask Snyder to helm Justice League should Man of Steel take off.  Hit the jump for more.

As the marketing campaign for Warner Bros.’ Man of Steel has heated up in recent weeks by way of new images and a truly remarkable new trailer, the veil has been lifted with regards to the film’s villain.  Michael Shannon seems an inspired choice to play General Zod in director Zack Snyder’s fresh take on the comics character, and we got a few tantalizing glimpses of the actor in action in the most recent trailer.

Steve recently spoke with Shannon in anticipation of the crime drama The Iceman, and the actor also talked a bit about his work in Man of Steel, confirming that Zod’s armor is entirely CG.  Additionally, Shannon discussed Jake Paltrow’s upcoming film Young Ones and his next collaboration with director Jeff Nichols, which they hope to start filming later this year.  Hit the jump to read on.

While I’m sure many of you are still reeling from that stellar Man of Steel trailer that dropped last week, a few other Superman-related goodies have now surfaced online by way of a new poster, banner, and a couple of Man of Steel-infused covers for Empire Magazine.  The new poster maintains the basic layout of the previous ones, but this time we see Supes standing outside a snow-laden Fortress of Solitude, while the Empire covers give us a great look at Michael Shannon’s General Zod from head to toe.

Hit the jump to check them out.  The film also stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fisburne, and Antje Traue.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th. [Update: We've now learned that the posters are fanmade.] 

Last weekend I finally had the chance to check out director Rodney Ascher‘s The Shining analysis doc Room 237 on Xbox Live. The film garnered a rave review from Matt when he screened it at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and for the most part I share his enthusiasm for the pic.  On one hand, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen and I admire it for that exact reason. The extensive scenic analysis Room 237 employs, the hypnotic score, and its refusal to show the faces of those presenting their theories makes it an absolutely captivating ride that never lets you come up for air. On the other hand, I now have to live the rest of my life looking for Stanley Kubrick‘s airbrushed face in the clouds during The Shining‘s opening scene. And when/if I ever find it, what am I supposed to do with that information? Sigh.

I could go on about the film’s individual parts, but suffice to say that I consider it required viewing for anyone with even a fleeting interest in film analysis, Kubrick, and/or The Shining. And with that I’ll move on to the reason we’re all here. In this week’s Top 5 you’ll have the pleasure of checking out a stellar new trailer and a slew of other assets from Man of Steel, our set visit recap for The Hangover Part III, the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, more set visit goodness for Now You See Me, and all of our CinemaCon 2013 coverage. The “Continue Reading” button below is your ticket to a brief recap and link to each of the above.

Celebrate Superman’s 75th birthday today with this newly-released image from Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.  Henry Cavill (Immortals) shows off the new super-suit from head to toe which is closer to the more modern comic book styles, notably the lack of red trunks.  Also, according to the most recent trailer that fired up fanboys everywhere, that “S” on his chest may not really be an “S” after all.

Also starring Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Michael Shannon, Laurence Fishburne and Russell Crowe, Man of Steel opens June 14th.  Hit the jump to check out the new image.

Last night, Warner Bros. released a new trailer for Man of Steel.  It went a long way towards making me more excited for the flick.  If the film is a hit, then Warner Bros. will want to hit the ground running with the sequel, and they’ll probably continue their superhero trend of not breaking out the marquee villain until the sequel.  Although Zod will provide Man of Steel with some epic set pieces, Superman’s true nemesis is Lex Luthor, and director Zack Snyder hasn’t forgotten about him.  The new trailer has a quick flash of LexCorp Tower, so Luthor definitely exists in this reboot, and he’s already powerful.  So will we see him in the finished film?  If Warner Bros. has been able to keep the casting under wraps for this long, then kudos to them.  But I expect it to be handled in a similar fashion to Norman Osborne in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Hit the jump to check out the full image.  The film stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, and Russell Crowe.  Man of Steel opens in 3D on June 14th.