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Expectations are very high for the release of “Man of Steel,” and there are several questions on everyone’s minds. Will DC Comics’ most iconic hero soar to box office records? Is Henry Cavill Hollywood’s next leading man, or will he fade into obscurity like Brandon Routh? Finally, does “Man of Steel” give any hope of a “Justice League” movie?

While most of these answers are for the audience to decide this weekend, the one mystery that can be lifted is whether “Man of Steel” is a good film. Regardless of any flaws, the movie is solid as steel. Directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan, the movie is packed with action and unique science-fiction elements that still maintain Superman’s patriotic, Americana feel.

The movie begins on Krypton as the planet explodes and Kal-El (Superman’s Kryptonian name) is sent to Earth. The movie shows Kal drifting through America roughly 30 years later, with occasional flashbacks of Kal growing up in Smallville, Kan., and learning of his powers.

Soon enough, it is up to Kal to protect Earth from the villainous General Zod, who is desperate to use Kal to recreate Krypton. If special effects are something of interest to you, the opening scenes on Planet Krypton are mesmerizing.

Snyder has improved from his “Sucker Punch” days to create a realistic looking world the audience has never seen before. Planet Krypton, seen at the beginning of the movie, is the exact definition of “space opera,” with hundreds of spaceships battling in the sky.

On Earth, Snyder works hard to ground the character of Kal-El before he is reintroduced to the world as Superman. Cavill embodies Superman both physically — he is a behemoth on screen — and emotionally.

He truly proves himself as a leading man by convincing the audience that Kal-El possesses godlike powers in addition to being wholesome and helpful boy from Kansas who puts his family, his country and eventually his planet first.

Amy Adams as Lois Lane impresses again as a strong, intelligent, adventurous woman who is never conveyed as being completely helpless. Michael Shannon as General Zod gives his trademark death stare but is truly impressive at humanizing Zod and persuading the audience that his character should not be reduced to a mere psychopath.

Producer Christopher Nolan brings a tonal cohesiveness to the recent DC Comic film adaptations. However this means that “Steel” inherits a lot of the same critiques as Nolan’s Batman movies. Like “The Dark Knight Rises,” the movie becomes very bleak, and many lives are lost.

Snyder’s direction seems to balance Nolan’s dark tendencies.Some scenes bring the audience to tears while others are more fun. As for the rumors that “Man of Steel” is the big stepping-stone in the tumultuous road to a Justice League movie, the film mostly disappoints as it is very much a standalone film. There is no mention of any other aspects of the DC world, like Batman or Gotham City, and there is not much grounding for a sequel.

Still, a long future for Cavill as Superman seems very likely. “Man of Steel” is a strong enough film to leave audiences buzzing until the next installment.

Marcus Jones is a staff writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.

“The Bling Ring” very well may be the new classic in the genre of teenagers behaving badly. Reminiscent of the iconic teen film “Mean Girls” and the recent spectacle “Spring Breakers,” “The Bling Ring” falls right in between those two on the spectrum of funny to insane.

The new film tells the story of Marc (Israel Broussard), a new student at Indian Hills High School, a school for students who were kicked out of their regular schools. After befriending two girls, Rebecca (Katie Chang) and Chloe (Claire Jullen), he soon joins them on their favorite pastime — robbing people. What starts as car-jacking turns into home invasion when one of their schoolmates is out of town.

From the rush of their first successful house robbery, the teenagers then set their sights on celebrities — beginning with Paris Hilton, under the assumption that a person who would allow a sex tape to leak would be dumb enough to leave the key under the doormat.

Sofia Coppola is most successful in setting a solid tone. Her film makes it fun to live vicariously through the teens while they raid all the celebrities’ homes. The film captures the extreme voyeurism our society has with celebrities — the house raids are reminiscent of watching an episode of “MTV Cribs” — and makes you wish you were there.

However, although the film is incredibly entertaining, especially for those who flip through a tabloid from time to time, Coppola makes some questionable directorial choices. The main issue with ”The Bling Ring” its lackadaisical approach to historical accuracy.

The film remains faithful to the timeline of the actual events, but the archival footage Coppola uses is just a mashup of news stories and videos of the celebrities without any particular chronological order. It’s also strange that Coppola chose music that was released after the actual debacle — this wouldn’t be so much of a problem if not for the fact that the characters are seen singing along.

Coppola also makes some frustrating decisions with character and casting. She changes all the students’ names in the movie, likely to protect their identities, but those who know the true story of the Bling Ring will notice a character equivalent of central player Diana Tamayo to be missing. Why this character is missing is unknown, when in real life she was one of the heads of the group, and also an alleged illegal immigrant that could have made for a very captivating conflict for a character.

And, as much as everyone loves Emma Watson — who later joins the group as Nicki — and as much as she sells her character, she is forced to fry her voice with almost every word she says, as if she is playing a caricature of a Valley girl.

Interestingly enough, Watson and Taissa Farmiga — whose characters are based on real-life sisters Alexis Neiers and Tess Taylor, respectively — actually look much more like the other girl, and perhaps should have been casted as such.

Much like “Mean Girls” and the other great teen films of our era, “The Bling Ring” has the “replay” factor, both because and despite of Emma Watson. Those who want more insight on the story should read the article that the film is based on.

The directions that Sofia Coppola take her film are at times confusing and at other times great, but seeing this film may just inspire you to start robbing homes yourself.

Marcus Jones is a staff writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.

Courtesy of Scott Free Productions

Alexander Skarsgård and Ellen Page might find it rather challenging to attend any Hollywood party after the public sees “The East.” Their characters are a part of the titular cult that redefines torture after performing an act of ecoterrorism on a party of rich individuals.

And that is just the first of the three acts of violence, or, as the cult calls them, “jams,” that are performed to spread the message about the corruption of large corporations that pollute the environment.

But agent Sarah Moss (Brit Marling) plans to infiltrate the East and stop their violence. She becomes a mole, obtaining crucial information to expose this secret group by sending information back to her boss (Patricia Clarkson).

This anarchist collective consists of the enigmatic leader named Benji (Skarsgård), a Brown University dropout named Izzy (Page), an unorthodox doctor (Toby Kebbell) and a variety of other odd characters. They gather food from garbage, feel the insides of a deer corpse and dress in straitjackets to bond.

But after a while, you realize that this group is more than a group of modern-day hippies. Maybe there is some truth in their cause. But will the eye-for-an-eye philosophy work, or only cause more chaos? That moral play, though not vastly different from most other films of this ilk, is precisely formulated thanks to Marling’s performance and apt direction by Zal Batmanglij.

Marling and Batmanglij wrote the script together, and the two have crafted a thriller that is not too slow, but not too high-octane that would render it bombastic. While you will be thinking about the film’s moralistic undertones, you will also be entertained and slightly disturbed by Moss as she unravels the inner depths of the East’s motives.

Unfortunately, the film suffers from something many thrillers tend to have — a weak third act. Marling and Batmanglij have written such a tight thriller for the first two-thirds that the final unnecessary twist feels messy in comparison.

But despite these complaints, “The East” is a treat for individuals tired of summer blockbusters. Among the high-octane thrillers that move quick enough to cover their plot holes, “The East’s” distributor, Fox Searchlight, is brave in releasing a film that steers away from that archetype. “The East” is briskly paced, intelligently written and realistically frightening.

Zack Grullon is a staff writer. Email him at film@nyunews.com.

Rachel Kaplan/WSN

The faculty of the Silver School of Social Work held a vote of no confidence against NYU President John Sexton from May 21 to May 28. Professor Wen-Jui Han explained that 95 percent of the faculty participated in the votes.

The vote did not pass, as 12 faculty members voted in favor, 20 voted against, and 9 abstained from voting. However, the faculty also voted on a resolution, which passed with 23 votes in favor, 13 against, and 5 abstentions.

The resolution includes motions to increase financial transparency, student financial aid, and faculty input on university decisions, and requested a return to the mission of “a private university in public service.” The faculty sent the full resolution to the Board of Trustees, but has not received a response yet.

Stay tuned to nyunews.com for more updates.

SSSW Faculty Resolution by ScribdWSN

Nicole Brown is investigative editor. Email her at nbrown@nyunews.com.