X-Men: Days of Future Past

Here is a confession: I've never been a big fan of the X-Men movies, with the exception of First Class. It's strange because all the people I know who are big comic fans are mostly big X-Men fans, but I just don't get it. And you think I would since I've always felt like I never fit in anywhere or with anyone; so you would think mutants would be right up my alley. Maybe the filmmakers just aren't doing a good job transferring from page to screen? Or maybe it's the fact that the X-Men's biggest star - Hugh Jackman as Wolverine - just does nothing for me. I get that this character is wildly popular and they want to make him the star of everything, but he's just not compelling to me, as a character or an actor. The best thing First Class did is reboot the whole franchise. It succeeded in hiring some truly great and exciting actors to play younger versions of these characters - Michael Fassbender as Magneto and James McAvoy as Xavier. These guys are great fun to watch, and Days of Future Past is a success when it's following them.

The film opens in the future when robots named the Sentinels are threatening to eliminate the mutants totally. The film opens with a fun, but sort of confusing fight scene in which mutants we don't know (if you haven't read the comic books) use powers we are unaware of and that are mostly unexplained to us to fight these Sentinels. Eventually, they escape the danger for the moment and someone has the brilliant idea that Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) should use her time travel power (or whatever; because science!!) and send back the consciousness of Wolverine to the 1970's so they could stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from murdering the scientist creator of the Sentinels (Peter Dinklage). In the 1970' is the first time Mystique kills, which not only sends her on a dangerous path, but also gets her captured and tested and its her blood that is eventually used to create the Sentinels. We have to keep in mind that, although Rebecca Romaijn's Mystique was sort of exposible, now she is played by Jennifer Lawrence, everyone's favorite silly girl next door who can even make rape jokes and no one so much as raises an eyebrow, so now Mystique is THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE. Anyway, Wolverine goes back to the 1970's where he finds McAvoy's Professor X with long hair and a small drug habit. He takes some convincing, but the hard part is breaking Magneto out of a prison 100 feet under the Pentagon. They do this with the help of Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who all but steals the movie with his single scene. He is joyous as the super quick mutant who can break into anything and has a hell of a lot of fun doing so. It's the movies best scene, and unfortunately, Quicksilver is gone in a flash.

It's not that Days of Future Past is bad per se, because it's not. It's a fun movie, albeit, sort of confusing and repetitive. It feels like the script gets bogged down at some parts, trying to keep track of all these mutants (also: too many mutants!) and trying to stay cohesive. The movie is far better when it stays in the past, and I found the jumping back and forth a bit jarring. It could have easily opened and closed in the future - nice tidy bookends - while keeping the entire middle in the past. To me, that would have been a more compelling storytelling device, and one that would stick with the strengths of the film. I'm not saying that it isn't nice to see the original X-Men, but most of the cool X-Men appear only super briefly, and I won't try to spoil anything but I honestly love that Anna Paquin got higher billing than Ellen Page for something like 17 seconds of screen time. I could honestly do without ever seeing Halle Berry as Storm ever again. This series doesn't know what to do with her; it never did. Reboot the character, cast Lupita Nyong'o. The internet will be happy. It's just that it's all the same - how many times can we watch Xavier try to convince Mystique not to kill the scientist? And the movie ends with absolutely no resolution. It just ends, almost completely obliterating the X-Men canon while doing so, which is a nice way to press re-start on a series, but also sort of infuriating as an audience member who loves a movie with a good ending.

But, like I said, the movie isn't bad. And if First Class belonged to Fassbender and his magnetic (pun intended) Erik (which it did), then Days of Future Past belongs to McAvoy and his troubled Professor Xavier. He is an absolute thrill to watch while playing Charles in his darkest days. His performance brings this movie to a whole other level and if it was possible to get an Oscar nomination for a superhero movie (Heath Ledger excluded; he's the exception, not the rule), I would start a campaign for McAvoy right this moment. So with the exception of McAvoy's brilliant performance, Quicksilver's amazing scene, and Michael Fassbender's all around perfectness / sexiness, Days of Future Past, for me, was sort of lackluster. In another year, I might have given it a higher grade. In another year, I might have been able to let go of the flaws and just have a good time. But this is the year of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the bar has been raised. And lackluster, confusing, jumbled story telling isn't going to cut it with me this summer!

Grade: C+
(B- if I'm feeling nice, which I'm currently not!) (Also, more shirtless Fassbender scenes would have gotten you a B+, FYI) (Just kidding) (Or not)

DVD Mini Reviews

Once again, trying to get caught up on all the movies I missed in theaters earlier this year, for better or worse (mostly worse, unfortunately).

The Call
Stars: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin
Plot: A 911 operator gets a phone call from a teenager who has been kidnapped and is being kept in the truck of a car speeding on the freeway and it is eerily reminiscent of a call she had a few months earlier that ended in the death of a different blonde, pretty teenager.
Thoughts: Look, I'm surprised as you are, but I actually enjoyed this movie up until that TERRIBLE ending (and it was so bad, it deserves all caps!). Sure, there are plot holes but I can ignore a plot hole if the movie is at least intriguing and fast paced and entertaining, and The Call was all of these things. Right up until the end, anyway.
Grade: C

Upstream Color
Stars: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth
Plot: I copy and pasted the following from IMDB because I can't even... "A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives."
Thoughts: I mean, maybe I'm not as smart as I thought I was, but I didn't get this movie AT ALL. I typically enjoy difficult films. I'm okay with not really completely understanding what's happening, but this movie was so far over my head that I could barely even stand to watch it. It's one of those beautiful, pretentious movies that intellectuals and film snobs love, so I watched it hoping to take something away from it, but really just left with a headache.
Grade: F

Stoker
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Jacki Weaver
Plot: After the death of her father, India grieves while also dealing with some internal changes. Also, her mysterious uncle comes to visit.
Thoughts: The great thing about this movie is that it has stayed with me for weeks. I'm still thinking about it, all this time later. The performances across the board are phenomenal, especially from Wasikowska, who is just amazing. Still, I think it feels like it is too artsy for its own good at times. It's got a good story though, and it's definitely an intriguing film.
Grade: B-

Black Rock
Stars: Kate Aselton, Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell
Plot: Three childhood friends return to a seemingly abandoned island for a camping trip only to discover it isn't so abandoned and, soon, they are fighting for their lives.
Thoughts: Theoretically, this is a great movie. I love the fact that it's directed by a woman and stars three women who have complicated personal lives and are sort of bad ass. However, it's all so pointless. The movie wants to be shocking, when it really should just be a character study. I wanted to like this so much more than I did.
Grade: D+

21 & Over
Stars: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Sarah Wright
Plot: A group of friends party for one of their 21st birthdays. Hi-jinx ensues, i.e. The Hangover for college kids.
Thoughts: There were a few genuinely funny moments in this film, and Teller all but saves the movie with his wry charm (he's going to be a huge star, but don't trust me. He's in Spectacular Now out soon and Divergent next year). Still, it's mostly cliche after cliche about hard partying and drinking games and male nudity. We've all seen this movie before.
Grade: C-