ELVIS & NIXON

The most requested photograph from the White House is the one showing Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon shaking hands.  But what led to that odd historic moment?  Elvis & Nixon is a quiet yet effective comedy about that might have led to the historic meeting between two seemingly opposite people.

In late 1970, an aging Elvis Presley (Michael Shannon) is growing concerned about America's counterculture, whether it's hippies, drug use, Communism, or Beatlemania.  Deciding he needs to get personally involved, Elvis recruits his friend Jerry Schilling (Alex Pettfyer) and they travel to the White House, requesting a meeting with Richard Nixon.  Elvis' plan: to become a "Federal-Agent-at-Large" and to go undercover, infiltrating and arresting people in the counterculture.

Having the most famous singer in the world going undercover may be ludicrous, but Nixon aides Egil "Bud" Krohl (Colin Hanks) and Dwight Chapin (Evan Peters) see this as an opportunity for Nixon to improve his likability in almost every demographic.  Unfortunately, Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey) just doesn't want to entertain a musician in the Oval Office.  But Elvis and his friends aren't going to accept "no" for an answer, and the two famous people may have more in common than anyone would have guessed...

It would have been easy for Elvis & Nixon to be a simple set of celebrity impersonations, but director Liza Johnson brings out the humanity and desires of the main characters.  Michael Shannon makes Elvis both welcomer and prisoner of his fame, casually accepting women swooning all around him while wishing he could just enjoy a regular life.  (That may be why he desired to go undercover.)  Kevin Spacey has less screen time as the not-yet-disgraced President, yet he manages to make Nixon brilliant and domineering -- yet somehow turned around when he meets Elvis, who casually expects to get and do what he wants.

The humor here is quieter, but it's effective: Elvis' omnipresent guns, Bud and Chapin struggling to make the meeting happen, even Nixon's surprised and surprising response to the person who may be better known than the President.  Elvis & Nixon is an enjoyable, offbeat and plausible imagining of what might have led to this historic meeting.

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch

TAKE SHELTER

What happens when you want to protect your family, but you may need to protect them from yourself?  Take Shelter is a slow, deliberate examination of one man's fears for his family.

Curtis (Michael Shannon) has a good life.  He has a steady job on a drilling crew, where he works with friends.  He loves his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and his young daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart), who is deaf.  They have their own home, enough savings to go on vacation, and even the possibility that surgery could restore Hannah's hearing.

Then the visions and nightmares start.  During the day, Curtis imagines seeing massive storms on the horizon, muddy brown rain, birds flying in unusual patterns, and attacks from faceless people.  At night, he has nightmares of storms and attacks that impact his behavior.  (For example, after dreaming that his dog bites his arm, Curtis keeps the dog outside the house.)

 Curtis is aware enough that this is abnormal that he speaks with a counselor (LisaGay Hamilton), as well as visiting his mother (Kathy Baker) who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.  But he also becomes obsessed with the oncoming storm, as he takes out a loan, borrows work equipment and recruits a friend to help him build a tornado shelter in his backyard.  It's not long before his behavior becomes an obsession, impacting his marriage, his daughter, his friends and his job.

Take Shelter is thoughtful, which is both a strength and weakness of the movie.  The film shows the gradual effect of one man's visions and struggle to decide whether he's protecting or harming his family by trying to shelter them from an apocalyptic storm no one else seems aware of.  There are times this struggle makes the movie slow and boring, but it's also more realistic -- and leads to a believable breakdown.  Michael Shannon is very good as the regular man becoming worried about what he sees, and Jessica Chastain is good as his loving but suffering wife.  Take Shelter isn't perfect (I wasn't thrilled with the end) but it's a thoughtful and (mostly) believable drama.

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch

MAN OF STEEL

I really wish superhero movies would stop retelling the origins of some of the most famous, well-known characters in comic books.  Man of Steel adds a few new wrinkles to the Superman story, but overall it doesn't feel all that new.

Krypton is destroyed, of course, but more happens before then.  Jor-El (Russell Crowe) knows that the planet is doomed, but he also believes Kryptonian society became too static, breeding their people for specific purposes.  General Zod (Michael Shannon) believes in exterminating weak Kryptonian bloodlines, staging a coup and killing Jor-El -- but not before Jor-El can send his son Kal-El to Earth to create his own destiny.  As for Zod, he and his followers are imprisoned in the Phantom Zone.

Jump ahead to Earth, where Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) is trying to find his way in the world.  Clark uses his powers to help others, but his human father Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) tells him to keep his powers a secret because the world isn't ready for him yet.  Reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) tracks Clark down based on the people he saved, while his mother Martha (Diane Lane) offers him a mother's unconditional love.  And a program lets a computer simulation of Jor-El offer Clark advice.

Then Zod and his followers show up on Earth, with a plan that involves destroying humanity to create a new Krypton.  It's time for Clark to don his slightly-less-traditional red-and-blue outfit and become Superman, to save the Earth!

I wish Man of Steel had been more entertaining.  Cavill does good as both Clark and Superman, a hero in the making who can't stop helping people but isn't sure how they'll react to him.  Shannon is terrific as Zod, full of a manic zeal and conviction that, to him, justify all violence.  On the flip side, Russell Crowe gets tiring as the Kryptonian "ghost dad" offering endless advice, Costner seems a little bland, and Amy Adams lacks the certain spark and determination that make Lois Lane a human match for Superman.

Director Zack Snyder handles action far better than drama.  The movie flounders during the first half, as we get barraged by a seemingly-endless number of flashbacks.  Once Superman and the Kryptonians start zipping around the screen, things pick up considerably.  There are a few plot holes, but these are balanced by the epic scale of the battles.

Based on the initial box-office success, Man of Steel will probably be the start of a new Superman franchise.  I'm curious to see what happens next -- and what they can do when the origin doesn't need to be re-told yet again.

Overall grade: B-
Reviewed by James Lynch