New Releases: March 25, 2016

1. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (Warner Brothers, 4,242 Theaters, 151 Minutes, Rated PG – 13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality, Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer at press time: 30% Fresh [197 reviews]): The animosity between Superman and Batman is a relatively recent thing in the comic books. Up until about 30 years ago, the two were the best of friends. But then The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Returns came out and set them on an adversarial path. Now they are essentially the Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell of the DC Universe.

So, having the two characters face off in this film is probably what Warners thinks is the ultimate fan service. And the fact that their dust up in the film touches on themes introduced in the above The Man of Steel series makes it all the more fanboy worthy.

But is the film any good? That Tomatometer score tends to say no. FBOL Head Honcho Rich Drees will post his review later today, with mine (possibly) coming some time later in the weekend. See if we think any differently.

2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (Universal, 3,132 Theaters,94 Minutes, Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material, Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer at press time: 26% Fresh [75 reviews]): Is it just me, or does it seem to you like the cast of this film hasn’t aged much since the last one. I look ten years older than I did yesterday, these guys barely age in 14 years.

The story of first film is legendary. Based on a stage play that Rita Wilson saw and later convinced husband Tom Hanks to produce, the film made almost $369 million dollars at the box office without ever holding the number one spot. Since the budget was only $5 million, it became one of the most profitable films of all time.

With that big of a success, it is a wonder that it took so long for a sequel. The creative force behind the film, Nia Vardalos, was busy on other projects that came about dure to her success with the film, including a tie-in TV series. I guess she was finally motivated to do a sequel so people who hate comic book films can see something this weekend.