X-Men Days of Future Past (2014) Review

X Men Days of future Past is really a statement by its director, Bryan Singer. A statement that not only can he direct a great comic book movie but that X Men is HIS franchise. Singer began the franchise back in 2000 when comic book movies were not the box office giants they are today. It can be argued that he directed the first "modern" comic book movie. It was a film which utilized the relatively new tool of  CGI to help bring its powerful heroes to light. After that first installment he followed it up with a sequel which many critics believe is even stronger than the original. The franchise was off to a great start and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Patrick Stewarts Professor X, and Ian McKellen's Magneto were now instantly recognizable. Unfortunately for us movie-goers the third installment was helmed by another director and it suffered for it. After this, two wolverine movies were made, and then in 2011 the franchise was "rebooted" by Mathew Vaughn with X-Men First Class. First Class gave us the backstories of Charles and Erik before they became enemies. It was set in the sixties and had a great Bond-like vibe. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. As you may be able to tell from this complicated history the franchise was really all over the place and the task was given to Bryan Singer to right it all. It is a seemingly impossible task but miraculously he has pulled it off and made my favorite X-Men film to date.

The film opens in the future where Mutant killing Sentinels have wiped out much of civilization. Professor X sends Wolverine back in time to stop these  Machines from ever being used. This plot allows for a bridging of the universe of the first three films and the universe of the "reboot". Of course complications ensue and many great twists occur along the way which you should enjoy for yourselves. One of the best things about this film is just how great the cast is. everyone is back and plays their characters with a virtuosity the blurs the line between actor and character. Stewart IS Professor X and Jackman IS Wolverine just as Fassbender IS the younger Erik and Jennifer Lawrence IS Mystique. The story fleshes out both time periods even if the majority of the film is set in the past. The film is not afraid to have fun either. It was probably tempting to make everything in a film this epic deadly serious but it is a credit to the script and to singer that the film ahs plenty of moments of fun.

Singer shows off in several sequences that remind the audience just how good the early X-Men films were at bringing the comic books from the page to the screen. The action sequences work and they are done with an energy which keeps the film exciting. There enough surprises along the way that the movie never becomes stale. To be a comic book movie made in 2014 and still feel fresh is a great feat.

If there is one nit-pick it would be that the characters who are specific to the future don't get much time to be fleshed out. Some of them are just kinda there. For comic book fans this is probably fine because they are already familiar with the characters but for the average film goer some of the characters seem like extras. I'm not suggesting they should've been fleshed out because that would have weighed down the film but it is something which I noticed. The film packs so much into its run time it's really incredible how well paced it is. The fact that Singer was able to bring together this convoluted franchise is as great a feat as what Whedon did with the avengers. The fact that he made me really excited about future X-Men movies is maybe something he deserves even more praise for 4.5/5!   

12 Years a Slave Review

Some films are great because they are entertaining (here's looking at you Raiders of the Lost Ark). Other films are great because they are visually spectacular (Star Wars, Gravity, etc.). Still some films are great because they are important, not just artistically, but historically. After finally seeing the much-praised 12 Years A Slave I believe it falls into that last category.

12 Years a Slave tells the story of Solomon. He is a free man who is captured and sold as a slave. This about all you need to know going in. The film uses this simple and perfect plot to help show the horrific nature of the institution itself. By using Solomon, a real person, as an outsider the director is able to bring us into this horrible world as Solomon is being introduced to it. This makes Solomon a character we can identify with, which helps us to better put ourselves in his situation. It is this that helps the director give the film such impact on the viewer. As Solomon is seeing and being oppressed by the injustice for the first time, we , as viewers, are as well.

Make no mistake, this is not Django Unchained. Not to malign that film but it used this backdrop relatively realistically as a way to provide context for its rather pulpy storyline. 12 Years a Slave is about pulling no punches. Some scenes are so hard to watch they will make you cringe. This cringing does not come from the gore on screen but from the acts themselves and sometimes the mere elapse of time. There is a point in the film where the director allows events to elapse in real time and this mere device makes that scene so hard to watch. In that moment I was not witnessing history from afar but living it.  I was very happy that the film made sure to be real and not over-or under-play any aspects as to, in some way, glorify the proceedings. The film felt real and raw.

The acting helped to bring this realism to the forefront as well. Ejiofor gives a perfect performance. He brings Solomon to life. Fasbender Is also incredibly well cast in this film and he creates a truly horrifyingly realistic slave-owner. Benedict Cumberbatch also makes a welcome appearance and does well with his screen time. The directing in this film is top-notch. Steve McQueen knows how to work the audience to incredible levels (as in the scene mentioned above) The film is one of the most recent epics to come out of Hollywood that one could actually call great.

Some might find that comparing 12 years a Slave to the Hollywood epics of old is insulting. They may feel that by making this comparison I am ignoring the films realism and true purpose. The Idea people have about the classic epics is that they are romantic and this film is certainly not. The comparison comes into play because like a great epic of old this film has a fantastic ensemble and well constructed story. Also like a classic epic this film takes a broad topic or period of history and makes a film that perfectly  captures it. It is important to note that while those two points put 12 Years a Slave in the category of a Hollywood epic there are several points in the film in which McQueen purposefully tones down these qualities. The specific shot that told me this was the shot of the boat with the slaves going down the river. The interesting fact is that there is no full shot of the boat on the river. The shot is instead of the propulsion of the boat and the water. This choice gives the film a distinct lack of romanticism that does a film of such serious subject matter credit. This film should be honored with  best picture and it was honestly the best film of the year. 5/5!

Two Films: Inglorious Bastards

Inglorious Bastards (1978)
I would never have seen the original Inglorious Bastards if it were not for my happening to be in one of those nearly extinct video stores. I had no knowledge up to the point when I saw the DVD on the shelf that this film even existed. I didn't know what to expect and was glad to be pleasantly surprised to find that this film is actually a gem. It was an Italian made film that got limited release in America and very little attention. The best way to describe it would be to say that it is sort of a spaghetti western version of the Dirty Dozen. It's about a convoy of allied criminals whose transportation to prison is interrupted and attacked forcing the prisoners to fight their way through Nazi occupied territory. It belongs to the genre of the World War 2 adventure and for that genre it is very action filled and quite a lot of fun. It really is worth checking out and fun for anyone who likes films like this. 4/5



Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Inglorious Basterds is in no way shape or form a remake the 1978 original. This is a Tarantino film through and through and a great one at that! In fact Inglourious Basterds makes its case as being at least in the top 3 of Tarantino's films and in my opinion it is better than Django Unchained. to try and summarize the plot is completely futile and the film should just be experienced for itself. What I will say is that this film is only partially related to WW2  Adventure films like the Dirty Dozen. It definitely has parts that belong to that genre but it is much more than that. This film is very violent and foul mouthed but not nearly as much as other Tarantino films. It is really the acting and the characters that make this movie work to perfection. Tarantino's dialogue is only allowed to live up to its full potential if delivered by the right actors and these are the right actors. Christoph Waltz definitely deserved his academy award for his performance as a Nazi colonel. Brad Pitt does a fine job in his role and so does the rest of the ensemble cast. As stated above this has all of the great ingrediants of a Tarantino film: fantastic dialogue, film references including cameos by actors from the original film, and a great soundtrack. Inglourious Basterds really is a fantastic film with some of the best scenes and acting Tarantino has ever had. A real standout is the opening sequence which while 20 minutes long never feels sluggish and slowly builds to an inevitable conclusion. My conclusion about this film is that it is great 5/5!