Random Bits From The Week That Was...

So, here were are again... Friday! And, as always, there were a number of news stories that broke this week, that either I was too lazy to blog about, or they didn't require a full on rant, as is my usual...


Days Of Future Past Takes Off...

The folks over at Fox have to be pretty pleased with the numbers that the latest film in their X-Men franchise has been pulling in. Not only did it open with $110M domestically over the long, Memorial Day weekend, it also made a huge $171.08M internationally. This overseas number eclipsed the numbers put up by Avatar, making it Fox's biggest international opening weekend of all time. It's in tough this weekend, however, going against new releases Maleficent and A Million Ways To Die In The West. I expect that Maleficent will come out the clear winner, given it's family friendly vibe and that Million Ways will falter, as word is the film's not that good. It will be interesting to see the percentage drop for DOFP, given the strong word of mouth factor and the great reviews for the film.


Old and New Faces Will Appear In Apocalypse...

Since the release of DOFP and that post credits scene involving En Sabah Nur, speculation has been running rampant in regards to the next instalment, X-Men: Apocalypse, set for release in the summer of 2016. While nothing has been officially announced, as the project is still in the early stages of development, it has been speculated that the story will be more of a sequel to First Class, involving the main cast of that branch of the franchise. Set in the 1980's, it will be a study in the origins of the mutant species, which of course, means Apocalypse. Writer Simon Kinberg did announce this week that some of the original cast members would be back for the film, although how this is going to work, I'm not so sure. They may do another "alternate timeline/time travel" thing, which would be the only way for it to make sense, although I'm not sure that this is the right way to go, given that they just mucked with the timeline in DOFP. I had heard another rumour that Scott, Jean and Storm would be recast with younger actors, making the characters fit in with the First Class cast. I guess we'll see what happens with this one.


Fantastic Beasts Still Looking For A Director...

It appears that Alfonso Cuaron has dropped out of the next Harry Potter franchise film. Rumoured, last week, to be in deep discussion with Warner Brothers to direct Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, earlier this week Cuaron stated that he would not be directing the first film in the upcoming trilogy. It seems that immersing himself in another special effects laden project is not what he was looking for, which makes sense given the time and effort that went into his Academy Award winning film, Gravity. Of course, this leads to even greater speculation that he just may be the guy to bring the world of The Shining back to the big screen. Although he denies knowing anything about The Overlook Hotel project over at Warner Brothers, I wouldn't be surprised to eventually see his name attached. I think that this is a better project for his directing style than Fantastic Beasts (I am one of the very few people who did not like his take on The Prisoner of Azkaban) and am looking forward to hearing more about this project.


Plot Details For Pixar's "Inside Out" Released...

Sadly, there are no new Pixar films being released in 2014. However, there are a number of projects that are being geared up by the studio to be released in the next couple of years. Some that are very interesting. Set for release on June 19, 2015, "Inside Out" is one of them, and this week we got a peek at what the movie is about. Set inside the mind of 11 year-old Riley, as her world is turned upside down when her family moves to a new city. Guided by her emotions- Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness- we'll see the conflicts that arise in her head as her emotions try to help her navigate a new city, a new house and a new school. The voice cast for this project looks fantastic and I think that this is a perfect project for Pixar. Lately, some of their films, mostly their sequels, have been considered disappointments, so it's nice to see some new, interesting projects on the horizon. (Although the two sequels that they have planned next are on my must see list, Finding Dory and The Incredibles 2). Let's hope this marks a bit of a resurgence for the once, untouchable animation studio.


Del Toro's "Book of Life" Trailer Drops...

So, apparently, Guillermo Del Toro doesn't sleep. He has like 100,000 projects on the go at any one time (although one of them doesn't appear to be Hellboy 3!) and his fingers in a 100,000 others. Like this one. An animated movie, set for release on October 17, 2014, it tells the story of Manolo, a young man torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Visually, this project looks stunning. The vivid colours and imagery really pop, and the actors cast to voice the film are top notch. It has a very unique animated style, giving it an almost stop motion quality. Overall, it reminds me of Tim Burton's stop motion masterpiece, The Nightmare Before Christmas. This one was not on my radar before now, but has quickly become one of my most anticipated films of the year.


Fox Is Looking For A New Chairman of Entertainment It Seems...

Kevin Reilly will be stepping down as the Chairman of Entertainment over at the Fox Broadcasting Company. Holding the position since 2012, Reilly will depart the post by the end of June. With only three of the nine series that Fox debuted in the fall, earning renewals, it's no surprise that jobs will be on the chopping block. Returning programming at the network also took a hit this season, most of it's shows either flat or down in the ratings from previous years. Fox placed second overall in the demo this season, but fourth in total audience. Change, in the face of these numbers, was inevitable. While I enjoy programming over at Fox, it seems like the studio doesn't have any faith in their projects and they sharpen the axe quite quickly. It will be interesting to see how they handle the buzzy Gotham in the fall, if the numbers aren't what they hoped for. Of course, I'm still angry at the network and Murdoch for cancelling Firefly back in 2002. Apparently, I hold a grudge! :)


And finally...

New International Trailer For Apes on Horses Drops...

A new trailer for the upcoming Dawn of The Planet of The Apes dropped, and boy is it a doozy. Even though there is not a whole lot of new footage in the trailer, it is rearranged slightly, giving a different perspective on the film. I thought nothing of Rise of the Planet of the Apes when it was released, but was completely blown away when I eventually saw the film. It was an incredible story, told by an incredible cast and Andy Serkis as Caesar was amazing. I am greatly anticipating this one, and will be sure to review it once I finally see it on July 11th.

Review: Sometimes Your Future Lies In Your Past...

**********SPOILER ALERT!!!!!**********

The following is a review of X-Men: Day Of Future Past, and may contain spoilers. If you do not want to be spoiled, then I suggest you do not read any further. If, you are one of those weird people who don't mind being spoiled with things like plot details and such, then be all means, continue...

I have now seen this movie twice. It has been in theatres for a grand total of 3 days, and I have seen it twice. That is how much I loved it. This is a fantastic film... and I don't just mean genre film, or superhero film, I mean a great film, period. I honestly don't know that I am going to see another movie this year that I feel is better than Days Of Future Past. 

To me, this movie had everything that I am looking for in a great film. The screenplay was fantastic. The story is incredibly well written, and true to the feeling of the comic book characters, without coming off too campy. There have always been some continuity issues with the X-Men franchise (some bigger than others!), and Fox has always just kind of swept them under the rug and not looked back. There are a few here too, especially in the timing of certain pivotal moments that occurred in previous movies, but, personally I am willing to overlook them, as it's difficult when you are dealing with different film makers for each property, to get them to line up exactly. (Yes, I know that Marvel has managed to do it through 8 films and a television show, but give me this one, please?). And then of course, ultimately, by the end of the film, it doesn't really matter anyway, so we might as well just go with it. The way that the Simon Kinberg was able to seamlessly weave the future story arc to the past was spectacular. The pacing and cut of the film were perfect. I can't think of a point where I felt bored or that the story was dragging or I needed more action or something to shake things up. The two plus hours flew by, both times.

 A lot of people were upset when word came that Hugh Jackman, as Wolverine, would once again be the central character in the film. In the comics, it is Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat, who is the one who gets sent back in time to alter the events of the past. I understand Fox's decision to put Jackman front and centre. He is the face of the franchise. Everyone knows who Wolverine is, given the fact that he has been in all 7 of Fox's X-Men movies, if you include the brief cameo he did in First Class. And honestly, Jackman has never been better. I'm sure by now, the character fits him like a glove. And physically... holy hell! The man is perfection personified. He got into amazing shape for The Wolverine last year and just continued on through the filming of Days of Future Past. I'm all for gratuitous nudity if it looks like that!

With that being said, while Wolverine is a key character in this film, the movie actually belongs to James McAvoy, as the younger Charles Xavier. And boy does he deliver. Charles is a broken, defeated man and McAvoy oozes despair. His portrayal is heartbreaking. You feel his pain and grief through the screen. He is a fantastic actor and I am glad that he was able to show that here, bringing a new dimension and depth to a character that we thought we knew. (If you haven't seen McAvoy in Wanted, you really should. That is another excellent, under-rated movie). Michael Fassbender, as the younger Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, is also spectacular. His portrayal of the character has always been something to marvel at, and he doesn't disappoint here. Although his character is a villain, he is also extremely sympathetic. He's doing what he thinks is right for the good of all mutants, and it's hard to fault him for that. The scene on the plane when he and Charles argue about their tumultuous past is breathtaking in it's heartbreak and intensity. (Of course, Michael Fassbender could read the phone book on screen for 2 hours and I would be mesmerized!) The rest of the cast, including Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy, are also at the top of their game. The performances that Bryan Singer was able to get from the entire cast is one of the things that make this such a great movie. Many of the characters, especially in the future scenes, like Bishop, Blink, Warpath, Colossus, Sunspot and Iceman, are not given a lot of screen time, but what they do with it is remarkable. It is seriously devastating to watch the Sentinel's tear through them at the end of the film. I am glad that Bryan Singer chose to come back to this universe and more or less make things right. He knows and understands this universe like no one else, which is evident by what he put on our movie screens.

The only issue that I have with this film, is the fact that, with the exception of X-Men: First Class, they managed to erase everything else that has happened in the universe. While I appreciate the "screw you" that Singer threw Ratner's way in regards to wiping X-Men: The Last Stand out of existence (while I didn't hate the film, and thought it had a few redeeming qualities, it is generally reviled by fans), I am disappointed that the events of X-Men, X2: X-Men United and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (again, I didn't hate this film either and do think that it also had some redeeming qualities and important character points, but again it is reviled by most, who I am sure are glad that the events depicted in it are now also wiped out of existence) are all moot, as well as the events of last summer's The Wolverine. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me for Fox to go through all of the trouble of making and marketing The Wolverine, only to have the entire thing be nothing but a memory to Logan, less than a year later. But, what can you do? What's done is done. The end scene of the movie was great though. It was fantastic to see a happy future, where everyone, including Scott Summers and Jean Grey, survived. The cameos by the original actors from all of the films was a great touch.

With the release of X-Men: Apocalypse set for exactly 2 years from now, I was slightly surprised to see that they didn't use the time travel angle to somehow get the cast from First Class in to the present timeline. It was my expectation that something along those lines would happen, as it was quite obvious, aside from Hugh Jackman, the majority of the original cast members would not be back to reprise their roles in any future projects. This movie was going to be a passing of the torch, so to speak. And I guess, in many ways, it was. Rumour has it that X-Men: Apocalypse will be more of a First Class sequel than anything else, with the surviving cast members of that movie moving forward to the 1980's. There are also plans for a third Wolverine movie, set for release in March of 2017. Many expect that this will be Hugh Jackman's final go around as the character. And while, I am hoping, that since they altered his history, and that Mystique is the "William Stryker" that takes him at the end of DOFP, they may revisit the Weapon X program storyline once more. Maybe get it right this time. Regardless, if Jackman is finally hanging up the claws for good, all I can say is, thank you, sir and bravo. While you will be missed, you will never be forgotten.