THE 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARDS!

“My Picks for 2016 Award Winning Films”

One of the biggest problems I have with “awards season” is that all the award ceremonies only make there picks from roughly the last two months out of the year.  You rarely see films on the list that were released at the beginning of the year or films that critics seem to love that came out of left field during the year but then are forgotten by the end of the year when “awards season” opens and all the studios release their “award contenders” at the same time (FYI – films produced specifically by studios to win awards, thus accolades).  Instead, I’ve decided to create my own list of Award Contenders that encompass films from all genres that had a domestic US release at any time within the year (and not those films that get an “award qualifying run” that are released in a single theater in New York or LA before going wide in the following year).

I’ve looked at all the films that I’ve seen that received a domestic release in 2016 from all genres and decided to create my own award nominations and winners.  The rules are simple.  The film must have had a domestic release in 2016 and I have to have seen it.  There are no films on my list that I haven’t seen so the following films are not included (since I haven’t seen them but may have gotten on the list if I had) – The Handmaiden, Elle, Miles Ahead, The Eagle Huntress, The Mermaid, Midnight Special, A Hologram for the King, 20^th Century Women, Hell or High Water, Loving, Captain Fantastic, Kubo & the Two Strings, Finding Dory, Sully, Weiner, Florence Foster Jenkins, The Lobster, Silence, Moonlight, Lion, The Founder, Hidden Figures, Jackie, Nocturnal Animals, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and Life, Animated.  Those are all the films I wished I had seen but I can only see so many great films a year.

So, let’s get started with the award ceremony I will call – THE REAL CONTENDERS!

 

BEST MAKE UP

*Birth of a Nation

*Operation Chromite

*The Shallows

*Star Trek Beyond

*Train to Busan

*A Monster Calls

There was a lot of great films with some spectacular make up this year and usually I would go with the most elaborate appliances (Star Trek Beyond, Train to Busan) and this is where a period film would usually shine (Operation Chromite, Birth of a Nation) but I’m always looking for something new that enhances the film and the characters in the film and this is where Birth of a Nation and The Shallows shine the most as you see through make up how the characters change throughout the film and as much as I love the film A Monster Calls, I have to hand it to The Shallows not only for showing us Blake Lively’s deterioration throughout the film through make up that never seemed to come off in the water. THE SHALLOWS wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

*Fences

*Birth of a Nation

*Star Trek Beyond

*Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

In this category, we come up with three films where costumes were familiar (Star Trek, Fantastic Beasts, and Rogue One) and two films that are period films (Fences, Birth of a Nation) and normally I would love to give this award to a fantasy or sci-fi film that crafts something new and exciting because let’s face it, costumes can make or break a genre a film as it helps put you into the world being created.  But this time I have to hand to the film Fences which took the world of the phenomenal play and used costumes to really create the time period and put you into the world of that time period.  Each character had such a unique and personal costume that not only spoke about their character, their status in society, but their relationships to each of the other characters in the film.  FENCES wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST VISUAL FX

*Captain America: Civil War

*Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*Arrival

*A Monster Calls

*The Shallows

This is one of the toughest categories to look at as all the films used their visual FX to put audiences into the world of the film.  A shark has never been as real as the one in The Shallows and without the Monster in A Monster Calls much of the story wouldn’t have had much of an impact.  There hasn’t been an alien creature & spaceship nearly as inventive as the ones seen in Arrival and Captain America: Civil War has one of the best super-hero battles ever put on the screen but it is Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them that had a multitude of CGI characters that really made an emotional impact and enhanced the story and experience of the film from beginning to end.  FANTASTIC BEASTS & WHERE TO FIND THEM wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

*Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*Fences

*Arrival

*High-Rise

*The Witch

Another tough category as the production design in each of these films played a unique role and was a character.  Arrival and Fantastic Beasts had the most elaborate production design that helped create the world of the films and Fences and The Witch had to use limited settings to craft their worlds yet also tell a complete and compelling story.  It is High-Rise that truly had a magnificent production design where the world was the main character itself as it crumbled under the pressure of all the characters within the film.   Without the contributions of the production design team High-Rise wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful a film as it was.  HIGH-RISE wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST EDITING

*Green Room

*Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*A Monster Calls

*Eye In the Sky

*Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

The art of editing is one of the most important elements to a film as it is the biggest contribution to the overall way in which a film ultimately tells its story.  It helps build character, create mood & tone, and helps with pacing, among other things.  In the past, Star Wars films have been nominated numerous times in this category and won (and the magic of editing is not lost on this latest film); the same can be said of the Harry Potter spin-off film Fantastic Beasts.  A Monster Calls manages to seamlessly blend the fantastic with that of the real but it is with Green Room and Eye In the Sky where the editing creates constant suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.  This is the backbone of the politically changed thriller Eye in the Sky which without the art of the editing team could not have been as effective a film.  EYE IN THE SKY wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST SOUND DESIGN

*Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

*Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*Birth of a Nation

*Arrival

*The Witch

I absolutely loved the sound design for The Witch as it helps create the mood and atmosphere of the film as the world of the characters deteriorate under the influence of a witch and Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts had some amazing sound as well (to be expected from such high-profile franchise films).  Birth of a Nation excelled more than I would have expected given the independent status of the production but it is Arrival that really put me into a world that was a domestic drama that also had elements of sci-fi (that never over took the character elements).  It was subtle yet striking at the same time which is not an easy thing to balance.  ARRIVAL wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

*James Newton Howard, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*Johann Johannsson, Arrival

*Mark Korven, The Witch

*Fernando Velazquez, A Monster Calls

*Michael Giacchino, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

It was great to hear someone bring something fresh to the Star Wars franchise with Giacchino’s score and Velazquez and Korven’s scores bring great presence to their respective films but the real contest was between Howard’s amazing Fantastic Beasts and Johannsson’s phenomenal Arrival scores which were some of the best scores I heard all year.  It is Howard who melds different styles of music to bring a more period aspect to the Harry Potter franchise that you never even knew could be there.  Without his score you would probably forget you were even watching a period film, so FANTASTIC BEASTS & WHERE TO FIND THEM wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

*Haris Zambarloukos, Eye In the Sky

*Eliot Davis, Birth of a Nation

*Jarin Blaschke, The Witch

*Bradford Young, Arrival

*Oscar Faura, A Monster Calls

Eye in the Sky and Birth of a Nation were front runners for me for a very long time as they displayed some amazing cinematography to craft their stories.  With genre films such as A Monster Calls and The Witch, the cinematography becomes a character to draw you into the story but it is with Yong’s superb work on Arrival that truly shines not only in the sequences inside the alien spacecraft and on the ground but also the flashbacks which are a character in the film itself.  ARRIVAL wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

*Arrival, Screenplay by Eric Heisserer

*A Monster Calls, Screenplay by Patrick Ness

*Fences, Screenplay by August Wilson

This was a tough category as all three films were fantastic but it is with Fences that I thought had the toughest job translating from source material to film since it was much of a single location and the dialogue played a key element in dramatizing the story for an audience.  The written word is never as powerful as it is in this film; therefore, FENCES wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

*The Witch, Screenplay by Robert Eggers

*Equity, Screenplay by Amy Fox

*Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, Screenplay by J.K. Rowling

*Birth of a Nation, Screenplay by Nate Parker

*Elvis & Nixon, Screenplay by Joey Sagal & Hanala Sagal & Cary Elwis

The hard truth of the fact is that Elvis & Nixon, Birth of a Nation, and Fantastic Beasts would not have been nearly as powerful of films without the contributions of the amazing casts.  These films work because of the ensemble and not necessarily because of the scripts.  In regards to The Witch, less is more as the story is key to the film but not necessarily as powerful as many of the film’s other chief elements.  It is with Equity where the script just bleeds brilliance and smart and edgy like an Aaron Sorkin film and because the cast is mostly made up of unknowns and character actors it makes the script that much more powerful.  EQUITY wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

*The Wailing (South Korea)

*A Map Against the World (South Korea)

*Train to Busan (South Korea)

*Age of Shadows (South Korea)

*Tunnel (South Korea)

Okay, so this category is a little biased as all the films come from South Korea but I did see films from other countries, just these films were the best.  This is a wild variety as well from the period thriller Age of Shadows to the drama Tunnel and A Map Against the World to the horrors of The Wailing and Train to Busan but it is A Map Against the World that truly shines among all others.  A Map Against the World was an epic film about a person who never knew he’d become so epic.  A drama that’s an emotional journey for the main character as well as the audience.  A MAP AGAINST THE WORLD wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

*John Goodman, 10 Cloverfield Lane

*Ralph Fiennes, A Bigger Splash

*Barkhad Abdi, Eye in the Sky

*James Purefoy, Equity

*Luke Evans, High-Rise

Although all the actors in this category gave great performances the real contest was between Fiennes, Goodman, and Abdi which gave great performances.  People will remember these performances more than the films themselves.  It was Abdi’s performance in Eye in the Sky that stayed with me all year long as one of the best I’d seen throughout the year.  Most of the film’s success hinges on him which is why BARKHAD ABDI wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

*Viola Davis, Fences

*Alysia Reiner, Equity

*Margot Robbie, Suicide Squad

*Samantha Morton, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*Eva Green, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

 I loved the performances of all the women on this list but the real competition was between Davis and Morton who gave cringe worthy performances in each of their respective films.  You have no idea how hard it was to choose between these two women and these two performances but Davis edges out Morton for the degree to which she put her heart and soul into the film (you can see the spit come her mouth and the snot from her nose).  VIOLA DAVIS wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST ACTOR

*Nate Parker, Birth of a Nation

*Michael Shannon, Elvis & Nixon

*Eddie Redmayne, Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

*Denzel Washington, Fences

*Seung-Won Cha, A Map Against the World

This is another tough category as Washington gave a great dramatic performance and Shannon gave an equally compelling comedic performance.  Parker went all the way with his performance (maybe even a little too far) but it really boils down to Redmayne and Cha who give each of their characters so much pathos that they shine over everyone else.  Cha comes out on top due to the tragic nature of his character’s real life story and the fact that he has to balance comedy with drama with adventure all within the same film and he does it seamlessly.  SEUNG-WON CHA wins 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST ACTRESS

*Tilda Swinton, A Bigger Splash

*Amy Adams, Arrival

*Amy Gunn, Equity

*Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch

*Blake Lively, The Shallows

Taylor-Joy came out of nowhere with her performance in The Witch and I look forward to seeing her in more films (like her standout performance in this year’s Split) and Lively gives the best performance of her career in a film where the camera is on her the entire time; both actors have so much to offer in future roles.  Gunn was also someone I wasn’t familiar with before seeing her in Equity but now I will look out for her in other films.  Adams is one of my favorite actresses right now and I’ll watch her in anything because she always gives 150% to every role but it is Swinton in her almost completely mute role that stands out among the rest.  Swinton holds her own even when she can’t speak as much of her performance is through facial expressions and body language, therefore TILDA SWINTON wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST DIRECTOR

*Nate Parker, Birth of a Nation

*Meera Menon, Equity

*Fences, Denzel Washington

*Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

*Woo-Suk Kang, A Map Against the World

This represents some of the best films of 2016 (excluding all those films I have yet to see) and there isn’t a bad film among them which is why it is so hard to choose the best among them.  Birth of a Nation was amazing but not a film I’ll particularly watch over and over again.  Equity is that film that’s extremely smart and intelligent that you must be in the mood for (but when you are it is fantastic).  The same can be said for Fences which is amazing because of the performances and not necessarily for all the other elements in the film which is why the true contest is between Arrival and A Map Against the World.  Because of the sheer scope of the film and the fact that the Kang had to balance so many different tones and genres within the same film, WOO-SUK KANG wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

BEST FILM

*A Bigger Splash

*Birth of a Nation

*Equity

*Fences

*Arrival

Since A Map Against the World already won Best Foreign Language Film it should be as no surprise that Arrival would come on top in this category.  This presents a sci-fi epic that remembers to always be character based and grounded.  These are the elements that will make audiences return to the film time and time again.  ARRIVAL wins the 2016 REAL CONTENDER AWARD!

***

Well, I hope you enjoyed my list.  I’m sorry that I couldn’t get to all of the great films of 2016 (as I don’t get any free screeners) but I encourage everyone to make their own lists and present them to the world.  Your opinion is just as valid as anyone else’s and you’ll have fun putting together your own lists of favorites.  Until next year, enjoy great films wherever you can find them.

FYI – there was no Animation category because the only 2016 animated film I saw was Batman: The Killing Joke.

"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - “The Controversy Over BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)”

“The Controversy Over BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016)”

Let me first just say that since this is being released as a “Rants & Ravings About Horror” article that it still belongs within the confines of this column because it’s still a “rant” and a “raving” and if you’ve been a long tern reader you know I occasionally like to write about the fantasy and superhero films that make an impact and no superhero film has made as polarizing an impact as Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).  Many of you will be surprised to know that I actually thought the film was really good and one of the more interesting comic book based films that have recently been released but I will also say that despite the fact that I enjoyed the film, the film itself deserves all the criticisms that it is receiving from detractors.

In order to examine why this is I’m going to first take a look at the “bad” criticisms of the film before looking at the good so if you are someone who hasn’t seen the film yet and don’t want any spoilers I suggest you stop reading now.  For everyone else let’s just dive right in. 

WHY IS THE FILM GETTING BAD PRESS?

After making a tremendous splash at the Box Office its first week of release, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice quickly faded in its second weekend due to many different factors.  The biggest drop being that the second largest film market in the world – China, dropped the film from mos  China is where the film had its second biggest debut next to the US so when the film disappeared from most of those screens in that country the film took a big hit.  The executives behind this debacle should have seen this coming and waited until after the Chinese festivals to release the film. By the time these festivals are over and the film does manage to get more screens again (if it does) the damage will already be done.  You may not think this is that big of a deal but in actuality China is the second largest market for international films and is expected to become number one within the next five years due to the fact that they are continuing to build more theaters to support the need in the country whereas here in the US we are at an over saturation point.

t of its theaters in order to support local films during their time of holiday spectacle.

The film is getting great reviews from “fan boys” but scathing reviews from general audiences.  Let’s define the difference.  A “fan boy” will not only be those people who read comics and know the ends and outs of every comic book character there is but it also includes audiences who love superhero films and go see them all on the big screen.  General audiences may see one or two superhero films a year (if that many) and it will probably be with a group of friends or they like the actor in the film more than the concept of the film itself (i.e. the popularity of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man).  These general audiences have never read Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and only know of Superman through the Christopher Reeves films and probably The Adventures of Lois & Clark and Smallville and Batman from the original Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher films (but probably thought the Christopher Nolan films were a little too dark).  General audiences are who buy multiple tickets and propel films to extraordinary box office receipts through word of mouth and telling their friends.  Fan boys see the film once and then buy a bootleg of the film so they can watch the film again a hundred times (some do revisit the film on the big screen from time to time).  I hate to say this but Batman V. Superman is a dark and brooding film about dark and brooding characters that think philosophical about their place in the world while doing so through violence and complete disregard to all the other characters in the film.  That and the fact that Superman dies in the film nailed the coffin shut on the overall future prospects of this film.  Add to the fact that the film is neither fun nor contain any moments of humor to break up the dark moody characters and you have a film that’s too dark for its own good.  

Another theme permeating through the film is terrorism and World ideologies about a God-like figure and you’ve created a film that speaks to both religious and political opinions which to most people a superhero film should never do.  Plus they kill Superman at the end!?!  Anyone who has read the boring and badly written comic book storyline Superman: Doomsday knows that Superman dies at the end.  It was a great concept (although badly written) that opened the doors for a whole bunch of different storylines in the Superman comics (I won’t go into any of that here) but general audiences have no clue about any of this; they just know Superman dies at the end and what parent is going to let their child go see a dark and brooding comic book film where Superman dies at the end?  If I had children I wouldn’t let any of them under the age of thirteen go see this film and I wouldn’t pay to let my children go see this film.  

Unfortunately, for general audiences who bring families and friends to the theater this is not a film that they are going to see nor recommend to others because their impression will be that it is not a film that families should go see with their children (unless they are demented parents who don’t mind taking their young children to see films like the R-Rated Deadpool).  Since studios and Warner Bros., in general, rely on this demographic to fuel the success of their films they should have expected the polarizing response to the film and the quick box office drop.  This is not a film a studio should have put a reported $250 million into to produce if they thought it would make at least $1 billion back on its return.

 

WHAT THE FILM GOT RIGHT.

All the above being said, I pretty much loved most of what the film had to say.  Zack Snyder is a very capable director with a very dark vision of everything he does.  He’s directed two of the best and most faithful comic book films with 300 and Watchman (and crafted one of the best horror film remakes with Dawn of the Dead) but those films are obscure to mainstream audiences and were already R-Rated in tone so the violence and mayhem was expected.  Snyder is lucky that I’ve always looked at Superman as a pansy and sissy and too altruistic character that’s too patriotic and bland (for the most part I feel the same way about the comic book version of Captain America).  When Snyder released his film Man of Steel I was hoping he’d do something interesting with the bland and uninteresting farm-boy and for the most part he did.  He melded an origin story within the confines of a coming of age story about a character who doesn’t know his place in the world and is just learning it.  This is a very similar journey that the original young Peter Parker had to go through when the character was in high school (a fact I’m actually looking forward to for the new version of Spider-Man).  General audiences were mixed on this film as well and “hard core” Superman fan boys (from what I know) hated what Snyder did with the character especially considering that he was responsible for the death of so many people (something never reflected in previous films).  Snyder was obviously influenced by the success of the Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy, which is based on a darker character (who is always moody and brooding), but to utilize those same aesthetics for a Superman film was a bolder move.  Man of Steel was a success allowing Snyder to bring his style to the ultimate match up of Batman verses Superman.  Sounds like a great idea.

What I love about Snyder and his films are that like Nolan he has no interest in telling a simple superhero story.  His films have deeper meaning and thought put into them (even Sucker Punch so give that film another look if you don’t believe me).  Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice gets to the heart of what “justice” means in today’s world filled with terrorists and religious ideologies run rampant.  There is no clear cut black and white but everything is in the grey.  He uses these themes to not only compare and contrast the ideologies of Batman and Superman but to also compare and contrast their ideas of justice with that of God-like divinity and atheism as personified through the damaged Lex Luther who wants to destroy them both using his “god-like” ability to create Doomsday and destroy a God (Superman) through Krytonite.  Snyder’s film also touches upon family (Bruce Wayne’s link to his mother and Clark Kent’s to his, both named Martha) and the things that also ground us to Earth which in Superman’s case is Lois Lane, the woman he loves and will do anything for.  By the end of the film Superman sacrifices himself to save the people of Earth from the destruction caused by Doomsday; Superman has been grappling with his place in the world for the whole film and it isn’t until this moment that he realizes where he belongs and what it is he was meant to do.  Batman’s journey is one born from violence, not only from that of watching his parents die in front of him but also watching his friends and co-workers die at the hands of Superman’s fight with General Zod.  Bruce Wayne needs to put a face to the violence and unfortunately it is Superman (an alien being he doesn’t understand and whom desperate people look to as a God) a man he comes to hate and will do anything to destroy.  Wayne’s journey is a different one yet also parallels that of Clark Kent and which culminates when they are forced to battle each other.  Snyder’s themes come to a logical head at the end of the film and end the way they should.

*****

Some people also try to criticize the actors.  Everyone seems to be perfectly fine with Ben Affleck as Batman, which is funny considering the backlash of when he was announced as the latest actor to put on the suit.  I’ve never been a huge Affleck fan but I’ve always maintained that pretty much anyone can play Batman and get away with it.  Warner Bros. is lucky that Batman, and maybe James Bond and Jack Ryan, is one of the few characters that anyone can take over and the public won’t go too crazy over.  Henry Cavill’s performance has not faired quite as well with most people claiming him to be too wooden but I think that is deliberate and actually perfect for the character.  Cavill is playing an alien being that doesn’t understand all of human emotions and what it means to be human; that’s the point of the whole film which is to watch him grow and understand this through his relationship with Lois Lane and his experience with Batman (a contrast between normal human and “super”-human).  If Cavill’s performance was the same as Affleck’s then there would be no way to tell the two apart.  This is part of showing the complexities between the two characters.   One (Batman) fights for humanity as a human and the other (Superman) fights for humanity as an alien.  I thought they both did the perfect job at representing their characters and showing a change between them by the end.  If you are still believe Cavill is not a good actor then you weren’t paying attention to the amazing dream sequence where Superman kills two people in front of Batman whom he believes killed Lois.

Although not given as much to do this go around Amy Adams does a fine job as Lois Lane and for the first time we get to see a genuine relationship between the two characters.  Their relationship seems like a real one between a human and alien and never comes off as hokey.  The relationship between Bruce Wayne and his Butler Alfred (Jeremy Irons) has never been as properly interpreted than in this film.  In the comics Alfred was/is always helping Bruce with his “toys” but none of this has been portrayed in any of the other films.  Snyder loves to pull from the actual comics because he’s just as big a fan as the rest of us.  It’s a small detail but an important one nevertheless.

 

Now, getting into the other things that I like and dislike about the film.

Although I loved every minute of seeing Wonder Woman in the final act of the film there is no reason why she even needs to be in the film other than to set up future films.  I’ve kind of gotten sick of all the “franchise” films setting up future films with scenes and bonuses that not only add to the film’s running time but also have little if nothing to do with the current film being told.  Case in point, the scene of the Flash going back in time to warn Bruce Wayne or the apocalyptic nightmare of a future world that Wayne has.  The only dream sequence I thought was fantastic was the opening one in which we see Wayne as a child when he discovers his destiny (Young Bruce being lifted through the cavern by bats was a fantastic touch).

Although none of the meta-humans storylines figure into this film I actually really liked the video clip reveals of Aquaman and Cyborg and look forward to both of these films.  The one thing I did like is the final scene of the film with Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince at Clark Kent’s grave deciding they need to form the “Justice League”.  Marvel has handled this type of bonus better by putting these style scenes at the end credits of their films so it’s just a little something extra for the fans but here it’s added time that should have been better spent on Martha Kent and the ramifications of everything she’s gone through especially the death of her son.

 

I actually really enjoyed this version of Lex Luther.  Most people are criticizing Jessie Eisenberg’s performance but it melds really well with a character bent on destroying the God-like Superman and Batman (or characters that think they are God); this is an aspect of the character from the comics which has never been explored until now.  Now in prison the character can prepare even darker schemes.

*****

Overall, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a film I enjoyed very much despite originally having no interest in the film other than it being directed by Zack Snyder with a score by Hans Zimmer (one of my favorite living composers).  It was better than expected but deserves all the polarizing criticisms that it is getting.  If Warner Bros. doesn’t want this type of backlash then they should have invested in a safer director to handle the film (maybe McG or Michael Bay).  This being said, I think Snyder is the worst choice for the Justice League film which doesn’t need to be dark and brooding but a big adventure film with lots of action and humor to differentiate all the different characters.  I would be more interested in learning how Snyder would resurrect Superman in a solo Man of Steel sequel examining the themes he’s already put in place from these two films.  Instead, after the dismal response of Batman V. Superman I wouldn’t be surprised if Snyder was forced into compromises with his vision in order to satisfy a more mainstream (and thus profitable) audience.  This would be a shame as Snyder is not a director whose style and vision you want to limit and make more “mainstream.”