Sometimes it’s best to start out small and work up to something bigger.

There’s no denying that Richard Donner set the bar for the “Superman” franchise with his 1978 film. The icy landscapes of Planet Krypton, John Williams’ vigorous musical score, Christopher Reeve’s iconic performance, every aspect of Donner’s movie remains definitive. Since then, most interpretations of Superman have either drawn inspiration from or paid homage to the original classic. One has to give director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan credit for taking “Man of Steel” in the complete opposite direction. Where Donner’s “Superman” was light, funny, and colorful, “Man of Steel” is dark, serious, and brooding. The film presents a vision of Superman that’s new and bold with a satisfying payoff.

And so it begins. After six years since the last substantive debates over immigration reform, the Senate Judiciary Committee recently approved the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, the title of the legislation borne out of the months-long work of the bipartisan Gang of Eight, which includes Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake.

Dear Mikey: I just turned 25 years old and I got myself in a situation where I had to file bankruptcy a week before my birthday. This is not at all where I expected myself to be when I turned 25. I thought I would have my career launched already (just got laid off), have my bachelor’s degree by now (still have 21 more credits to go), be married by now (girlfriend and I just broke up a month ago), having kids (not even close), and a house (can barely afford the rent in my apartment).

Volleyball was Kyle Pitman’s secondary sport, but it was hard to tell with his effort and influence on the court.

The Arizona Newspapers Foundation, Inc. (ANF) announced a scholarship available to Arizona college students majoring in journalism. This summer, ANF will award scholarships to students attending Arizona State University, University of Arizona or Northern Arizona University full-time. Students must have completed at least one term and have one term remaining before graduation.

Whether you’re a parent or caregiver, we all want the best for our kids. Part of that is making sure they have the reading skills to succeed in school and in life.

Thank you for sticking around when the going got tough.

Tyler Petcher, a 2009 graduate of Mountain Pointe High School, graduated May 12 from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., with a bachelor’s degree in chemical/biomolecular engineering. He has accepted a position in Illinois as a field service engineer at a wastewater and reuse company.

Valley Christian graduate and Ahwatukee resident Carter Gladstone found a home to continue his baseball career as the outfielder signed with Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday.

On May 18 Everest College Phoenix celebrated the graduation of 141 students from its Phoenix campus. During the graduation ceremony, Calvin Coolidge Goode was recognized for his extraordinary leadership in Arizona and beyond as well as his dedication to the promotion of education and advancement of civil rights. He was presented with an Everest College Phoenix honorary degree, doctor of humane letters.

Jaycob Brugman hasn’t even played his first game with the Oakland A’s organization and he is already counting down the days until the season ends.

Whether you had parents that were distant or parents that were overbearing, we all likely dreamed about running away from home while growing up. These unrealistic fantasies likely involved hitting the road with one or two good friends and building a safe haven somewhere in the wildness. Naturally, we all quickly woke up from this daydream, realizing that we’d never make it on our own. “The Kings of Summer” exists in an offbeat world fueled by our youthful daydreams. The end product is funny and quirky, but also wise and nostalgic with something meaningful to say about coming of age.

There’s a popular television situation comedy that has spent the last nine years covering a man telling his children about his search for their mother some 20 years earlier. It’s a winding tale, of course, that covers false starts, unlikely coincidences, and (because it’s the 21st century) sexual misadventures.

Dr. Amy Puls and Dr. Peter Pinto of Ahwatukee Foothills announce the upcoming wedding of their son, Johnny Pinto, to Dr. Chelsea Dinner. Parents of the bride, Dr. Alan and Anne Dinner, reside in Indianapolis, Ind. 

What a crazy three days for area athletes.

An Ahwatukee couple’s youngest son was killed in Afghanistan this week when a suicide bomber attacked his unit.

Most of the ads for “After Earth” have neglected to mention that M. Night Shyamalan co-wrote and directed the film. Movie studios finally seem to be realizing that having Shyamalan’s name plastered above the title will no longer sell tickets. If anything, it will have audiences fleeing from the theater in revulsion. Whenever it looks like Shyamalan can’t embarrass himself any further, he always comes out with a new film that’s even more atrocious than the last. At least with his previous debacle, “The Last Airbender,” Shyamalan hit ground zero. There’s no way he could possibly make a film even more poorly written, effortlessly acted, and bleakly directed, right?


Thanks to the Ahwatukee Chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) active seniors at Mountain Park Senior Living now have one more activity to get their heart rates pumping — a new ping-pong table.
The Ahwatukee Foothills Chapter of the National Charity League (AFNCL) presented Michelle Major, director of fun for Mountain Park Senior Living Center, with a check for $500 on May 9. Traci Tartaglio, Lauri Branch, and Katie Branch of AFNCL were on hand to present the check to Major and a few residents.
The AFNCL is a mother/daughter organization for girls from seventh grade through high school graduation. This 300-plus member organization participates in volunteer work across the metro Phoenix area. AFNCL’s mission is to strengthen the bonds between mother and daughter through the spirit of volunteerism, and has enjoyed a thriving partnership with Mountain Park Senior Living Center.
Tartaglio participates in AFNCL along with her daughter Bailee. 
For more information, visit www.nationalcharityleague.org/nclahwatukee.