Hans Zimmer, Man of Steel Soundtrack

Hans Zimmer, MAN OF STEEL Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (WaterTower Music)
Don’t look for heroic marches in THE DARK KNIGHT composer's MoS score, which alternates between percussive aggression and evocative—frequently plaintive—leitmotifs. The non-linear sequencing is annoying, and a few tracks veer dangerously close to New Age cheese, but overall, it’s a solid, neck-snapping addition to Superman’s musical legacy.

Meeting Evil

MEETING EVIL
Samuel Jackson plays the titular malevolence who pushes a browbeaten Luke Wilson to the edge in this cartoonish allegory about the many evils men do (from simple rudeness to murder). Writer / Director Chris Fisher shoots for a Lynchian feel, but there’s a marked lack of style, cleverness, and coherence.

Walt Kelly: The Life and Art of the Creator of Pogo

WALT KELLY: THE LIFE AND ART OF THE CREATOR OF POGO by Thomas Andrae and Carsten Laqua (Hermes Press)
This scholarly tome about the genius cartoonist forgets the adage about a picture’s worth, dryly explaining Kelly’s pointed satire and gentle whimsy when more of his masterful line and wordplay would’ve done the trick. A staid design adds to the textbook feel of what should’ve been an essential monograph.

Our Idiot Brother

OUR IDIOT BROTHER
Imagine a Woody Allen movie with a hippie protagonist and a stellar cast led by the always dependable Paul Rudd. Now subtract story, wit, and charm, and replace with meandering, quasi-amusing vignettes that lead absolutely nowhere. The result is a dull, head-scratching waste of time and talent.