Warner Bros. has released the trailer for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and from the looks of it, Snyder hasn’t let us down.

What do you think about this Superman re-boot?

Jay Z has a new documentary called “Where I’m From,” and while you get an inside look at Hova’s Barclays Center concerts, the star of the show was a regular New Yorker named Ellen Grossman.

We’re huge fans of Jay at The Hub Now, but this makes us love the guy even more.

The Film:  Casino Royale

Year: 2006

Genre:  Action/Drama

Directed By:  Martin Campbell

Written By:  Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Jeffrey Wright, Judy Dench

Why Rent It?

The buzz on Skyfall has been high, so let’s take a look at the film that led us to the best Bond ever.

The Breakdown:

Casino Royale was Daniel Craig’s first film in the title role of Bond.

Craig quickly proved that he was the best Bond.  Ever.  

As with every good Bond film, Casino Royale featured a great Bond theme.

Final Analysis: 

Casino Royale showed the world a new Bond, and the world loved it.

As the 21st film in the series, Casino Royale marked the rebirth of Bond, telling the story of how he gained 007 status.

With Daniel Craig in the lead, the Bond franchise was reborn and has led to best Bond films in the history of the franchise.

Casino Royale is available on Amazon and at Netflix.

Travel Back To:  1957

The Artist:  Miles Davis

The Album:  The Birth of The Cool

Why Take the Trip? 

We love all kinds of music at THN, and jazz is no exception, especially when it’s groundbreaking.

The Birth of the Cool  was released in 1957, but the songs were recorded between 1949 and 1950 with Miles Davis’ nonet.

Know Before You Go:

Davis’ departure from the Bebop sound of the late 1940s led him to the Cool jazz sounds of The Birth of The Cool.

The album’s tracks featured paired instruments playing melody while another pair played a background part.

Davis said:

I wanted the instruments to sound like human voices singing…and they did.

If you’re looking for an introduction to jazz that doesn’t sound like something you hear at the dentist, give this album a spin.

Standout Tracks:

→ Venus De Milo

→  Boplicity

→ Rogue

→ Move

The Birth of The Cool, is available on Amazon and iTunes.

The Film:  The Illusionist

Year: 2006

Genre:  Drama

Directed By:  Neil Burger

Written By:  Neil Burger

Starring: Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti

Why Rent It?

Edward Norton is himself an illusionist.

The man who played the victim in Primal Fear is a master of making us believe that he is his character.

The Breakdown:

Edward Norton’s character, Eisenheim, shows us that time can be an illusion.

There is always a skeptic in the crowd…

The Illusionist teaches us that nothing is what it seems.

Final Analysis: 

The Illusionist is above all a love story about a man who loves a woman above his social standing.

It takes place in 1900s Vienna,  and Norton, Biel, and Giamatti deliver strong performances.

New York Times critic Stephen Holden said:

Magic usually doesn’t translate well onto the screen, since the movies themselves are larger-than-life illusions projected through thin air, especially in the age of computer-generated special effects, when every image is susceptible to endless manipulation.

But the surreal, spiritualist feats Eisenheim executes, undiluted by obvious cinematographic embellishment, still produce a wow effect on the screen because they have an aesthetic elegance that transcends trickery.

Even if they’re fake, they look like works of art.

The Illusionist is available on Amazon and at Netflix.

Bruno Mars was the host and musical guest on this week’s SNL, and he helped the show pull in its highest ratings since Lindsay Lohan hosted the show earlier this year.

Mars peformed two songs from his new album, Unorthodox Jukebox, which is set to be released December 11th.

Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven – SNL 10-20-12

The best skit of the night was one featuring Mars as an intern at Pandora internet radio.

Sadly, due to music rights, you can’t catch the clip on nbc.com or Hulu.

But, you can SEE IT HERE!

We all know how Bond takes his martinis and Heinekins, but what about his Coke Zero?

If you want to find out before Skyfall hits theaters in November, maybe you should try a Coke machine.

Final Score:

Coca Cola: 1

Pepsi: Not Even in the Game

Travel Back To:  2006

The Artist:  Arctic Monkeys

The Album:  Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not 

Why Take the Trip? 

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was Arctic Monkeys’ debut album.

It was the fastest selling debut album in UK history, selling over 360,000 copies in its first week on the charts.

Know Before You Go:

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not was considered a concept album by some since the songs are about the club scene in Northern England.

The album kicks off strongly with “The View From The Afternoon” where lead singer Alex Turner belts:

Anticipation has a habit to set you up

For disappointment in the evening entertainment but…

NME said of the album:

Essentially this is a stripped-down, punk rock record with every touchstone of Great British Music covered: The Britishness of The Kinks, the melodic nous of The Beatles, the sneer of Sex Pistols, the wit of The Smiths, the groove of The Stone Roses, the anthems of Oasis, the clatter of The Libertines…

If you’re looking for 40 minutes of rock, give this album a listen.

You can’t go wrong with a group who played the Opening Ceremonies of the London 2012 Games and who’s been compared to Oasis and the Stone Roses.  Trust us.

Standout Tracks:

→ Dancing Shoes

→  When the Sun Goes Down

→  I Bet You Look Good on the DanceFloor

→ The View From The Afternoon

Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not is available on Amazon and iTunes.

The Film:  Sharky’s Machine

Year: 1981

Genre:  Drama

Directed By:  Burt Reynolds

Written By:  William Diehl, Gerald Di Pego

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Vittorio Gassman, Brian Keith

Why Rent It?

We love Burt Reynolds.

So, we really love that while he was at the top of his game, he decided to make a film that went against the fun-loving image that made him a star.

The Breakdown:

Sharky’s Machine was directed by Reynolds, and he proved to be a solid director.

Reynolds took a chance playing a serious role.

This film is underrated.

Final Analysis: 

Sharky’s Machine proved that Reynolds was a competent actor and director.

The man who had been making his money as the fun loving “Bandit” in the Smokey and the Bandit films took a chance on a gritty cop drama, and it payed off.

In addition, Reynolds took a chance by setting the film in Atlanta.  His vision payed off, and the film features some incredibly tense sequences involving fingers and blades.

Trust us, it’s worth the rental for that scene alone.  It also features a great free-fall stunt at the film’s climax.

Sharky’s Machine is available on Amazon and at Netflix.

Travel Back To:  2002

The Artist:  Jay-Z

The Album:  The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse

Why Take the Trip? 

The Blueprint 2 was Jay-Z’s 7th album, and it debuted at #1.

The album’s first single was a duet featuring Jay’s then girlfriend, Beyonce.

” ‘ 03 Bonnie & Clyde” was a top ten hit.

Know Before You Go:

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse is a 2-Disc set.

The first disc, The Gift features more upbeat tracks, while the 2nd disc, The Curse, takes a darker tone.

In the end, you have about an hour and 48 minutes of Jay-Z, and that’s not a bad thing.

Standout Tracks:

→ Hovi Baby

→ Excuse Me Miss

→  The Watcher 2

→  03 Bonnie & Clyde

The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse is available on Amazon and iTunes.