X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX Review

After experiencing the full-on force of a solar flare in the opening action sequence of writer/director Simon Kinberg's X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Sophie Turner's Jean Grey describes the after effects as if feeling like "everything is turned up." One might think this is a subtle way of hinting at the mantra of the movie itself, but in reality Kinberg and Dark Phoenix have taken the opposite approach and scaled things way down in comparison to Apocalypse. And I don't mean down in terms of quality, necessarily, as-let's be honest-the X-Men films have been all over the map in terms of quality over the years, but more simply in terms of the scope. Plus, after the disappointment that was Apocalypse, there wasn't much further down one could go quality-wise. While there was hesitance in approaching Dark Phoenix with anything more than slight optimism (and even that felt generous) given the rumored re-shoots, the attempt to re-tell this notable comics saga, as well as the multiple scheduling changes there was still this glimmer of hope given this was Kinberg's opportunity to finally take the reins meaning there might be some type of newfound energy to the characters and, given where the previous film had left off, some newfound enthusiasm for the world that was being built. And in many ways, this is true of the film as it is apparent from the get-go that Kinberg is taking a new approach to this world and to these characters both aesthetically as much as he is dramatically. In terms of what this fresh approach brings to this X-Men universe is the fact that, for the first time in a long time, it feels as if there is a clarity to what is transpiring-both in terms of the visuals and the direction of the story. Needless to say, Bryan Singer's aesthetic had begun to rely more and more on CGI while his stories felt more based on ideas that were fun in the moment without considering the bigger picture (I'm looking at you, timeline). With Dark Phoenix, there is this lucidity that pulses through the film's veins as it strives to at least try different, more interesting things with the surplus of characters in its possession. As is usual, some get the short end of the stick while others who are not necessarily worthy of the focus receive too much screen time, but while there are some major qualms to be had with Dark Phoenix there are also some serious highs that deserve acknowledgment. As someone who didn't grow up on the comics, but was instead introduced through the animated series and subsequent live-action films, this unexpected swan song of an X-Men film delivers enough of the familiar to make one happy and, surprisingly, enough of a renewed approach that shines new light on oft repeated arcs to make one kind of wish this wasn't the last time we'd see this particular group of mutants on the big screen.

First Trailer for X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX

Simon Kinberg, the long-time writer and architect of all Marvel properties not owned by Disney, will make his directorial debut next year by continuing the convoluted storyline in the follow-up to the terrible X-Men: Apocalypse with X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The X-Men films have always held a special place in my heart as I was at just the right age of thirteen when the first Bryan Singer film debuted in theaters in 2000 and ushered in a new wave of comic book movies that would essentially instigate everything that has come along in the nearly twenty years since. In those years since there has of course been the sequels, the spin-offs, and the First Class re-boot that is now having its own trilogy extended as Kinberg will attempt to not only regain audiences trust after the misfire that was Apocalypse, but also re-write the history of the worst reviewed entry in the franchise prior to Apocalypse: The Last Stand. With Dark Phoenix, Sophie Turner's Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into...you guessed it...the Dark Phoenix. The X-Men, including the majority of the First Class cast is (somewhat surprisingly) returning for a fourth go-around-including Michael Fassbender's Magneto, James McAvoy's Professor Charles Xavier, Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique, and Evan Peters' Quick Silver-as well as adding Jessica Chastain's villain to the roster which undoubtedly adds some weight to the project, but that's what we thought when Oscar Isaac signed on as the titular villain in the last movie, so...we'll see. What concerns me is the fact that in the comics, and even in that original trilogy of films-no matter how deep your hate for Last Stand runs, we'd had two previous films and some solid character arcs that were explored that granted a genuine compassion and familiarity for Famke Janssen's character. With Turner, we've barely had a single movie to get to know her iteration of the character and so it is with great optimism that I hope Kinberg has penned a strong script and worked with enough talented filmmakers to do justice to this iconic storyline as fans have already seen how wrong this can go once before. X-Men: Dark Phoenix also stars Tye Sheridan, Nicholas Hoult, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Evan Jonigkeit, and opens on February 14th, 2019.

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE Review

At this point in the sixteen year-old X-Men franchise the only thing the film that followed the ultimate team-up/culmination of fourteen years of X-Men movies had to be was a good next adventure. Going from the high that was Days of Future Past featuring both old and new cast members with a time hopping plot that saw everything torn apart only to be put back together on a new timeline there was never going to be a way to compete, so why not just give audiences what they really wanted in a proper follow-up to First Class? Where the younger versions of the mutants we've all grown to love go on an adventure together and further solidify themselves as the X-Men? Maybe that would have been too easy. Maybe that would have been looked at as taking the road more traveled, but in following up the popular comics storyline of Days of Future Past it was immediately obvious director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg thought they needed to do the same with the sequel and so they opted to adapt another popular storyline from the comics that included one of the X-Men universe's biggest bads: Apocalypse. This was a fine idea in theory and certainly had fans of the series excited for a showdown between Professor X's mutant team and the very first mutant, but seeing as how Kinberg and Singer have chosen to execute that story on the big screen it feels less like a step in the right direction and more like a recycled collection of comic book movie clichés. The whole affair feels tired, rushed, and nowhere near as layered or nuanced as the two previous films that were all in all pretty stellar. That this latest trilogy of X-Men films featuring the incredible core cast of Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and James McAvoy goes out on such a generic note is rather disappointing, but more than that it is frustrating. It is so abundantly clear not only how much talent this cast has that is being wasted, but also how much potential this film had to be a really solid super hero flick with the same story even, but conveyed in different and more interesting ways. Fans of the genre will always be indebted to the X-Men films for jump starting the current domination of movies based on comic books, but while their counterparts at Marvel are flourishing it can't help but feel as if the X-Men are currently somewhat stunted.

SLOW WEST Review

There is something that stings about John Maclean's directorial debut that goes further than the typical resonance a western might have with me. Raised in a time when the western had become something of a genre of tropes and little more, Slow West is eager to create a film not of the place in time that has been crafted by nostalgia, but more in the vein of the intense harshness this location at this period in time actually represented. The West at the turn of the century was not for the faint of heart and Maclean is sure to hit this point hard. He is clearly messing with the aforementioned tropes that typically made up large portions of westerns made after the 1950's, but even further than this he brings a different aesthetic than what we typically expect from westerns which inadvertently throws ones expectations for a loop resulting in a film that is strangely engaging, darkly humorous and overall oddly fascinating. Everything about Slow West feels rather slight, as if any character or any scenario might fall apart or render insignificant at any point, but as the film continues to play out and Maclean's script allows each characters arc to naturally unfold it reveals a very specific set of goals. That is almost to say the film has something substantial to say when in reality it is more about making a statement or observation concerning a time that happened not so long ago with people we hardly recognize. Of course, I have no real idea of what Maclean's intentions were with the film or what drove him to write a western, much less make it his first directorial effort, but what effectively comes from his story is the grand significance of our shifting humanity. At the tail end of the film, and this isn't to spoil anything, there is a montage or recap of every single life that has been taken throughout the course of the film. It isn't to drive home how fragile life is, but more to reinforce the nature and brutality of the time. Life wasn't worth as much back then, which is good for us who can now sit back and call this entertainment, but it's something worth noting in our current state. It's a rather extraneous concept when given the content of the film, but Slow West is just weird enough that it kind of makes sense.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Review

2011's re-tooling of the Planet of the Apes franchise was a surprise in many ways, but mostly in the way that it was really good. I went into the film with modest expectations. Having only ever seen the 1968 original and the Tim Burton re-make I wasn't soaked in the lore of the franchise and didn't hold out hope for a resurgence in the narrative. Still, when you go into a movie framed as somewhat of an origin story and understand where it ultimately has to lead there is a level of intrigue you can't exactly put your finger on and that is what Rise of the Planet of the Apes capitalized on and did so in ways that made the picture, as a full body of work, excel in many ways. With those kinds of expectations set for the sequel and the fantastic trailers that have been rolling out over the past six months it was difficult to adjust one's excitement for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in a fashion that might not be cause for disappointment when the movie finished playing. While I tried to avoid the trailers after the second one was released it was almost impossible to not see several television spots over the past month as Twentieth Century Fox has done well to position this as one of if not the major event movie of the summer. There was a lot of general love for Rise as I can recall speaking with friends who don't go to the movies regularly and them telling me they decided to go see it and how much they enjoyed it. That kind of attitude seemed to resonate with the average movie-goer and will no doubt translate to bigger business for Dawn, but while I can imagine this sequel being more than a satisfactory trip to the movies for those who enjoyed Rise once the excitement calms down it will likely become more clear the film suffers from not having as much substance, as much allegory or as much emotional depth as the first did. While it should not be thought I didn't enjoy this film (it is actually thoroughly enjoyable and will be worthy of repeat viewings) it is not a film that aspires towards the greatness of the first and because of this lack of complexity it feels all the more safe, all the more generic and any other adjectives such as these that allow Dawn to distance itself from the attributes that made Rise so interesting and entertaining.

Teaser Trailer for DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

I think everyone, including 20th Century Fox, was surprised in 2011 when the attempt to re-boot the Planet of the Apes franchise worked as well as it did. I was certainly taken aback by the quality of the film and was even tempted to place it in my top ten for that year, but while that film proved to be an interesting take on where the whole Charlton Heston/1968 drama began I never imagined it would have established a large enough following to amass as much excitement as there seems to be surrounding its follow-up, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. While this is inherently a dream franchise for any studio as they don't have to depend on the name of a certain star being attached, but that the draw is more Andy Serkis in motion capture action as Caesar doesn't necessarily seem to mean they are skimping in terms of story substance. The new film, as directed by Matt Reeves (Let Me In) taking over for Rupert Wyatt, takes place fifteen years after the previous film and will seemingly chronicle the natural progression of how the apes came to be in power and how that Statue of Liberty ended up being buried in the sand. Granted, they are likely leaving plenty of space to get to that point so as to make a few more films in this series, but it will be nice to see the continued and natural arc of how these animals come to be the domineering race on earth. It all sounds a bit silly when you talk about it like that, but the Planet of the Apes series has always had serious social commentary going along with it and that seems to be present in the slim bit of footage and tone this teaser offers. It is a rather haunting first look and while they don't necessarily have to keep an actor on contract that doesn't mean they don't go for quality as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Toby Kebbell, Enrique Murciano, Judy Greer and opens in 3D on July 18, 2014.

PARANORMAN Review

I am always hesitant when it comes to stop motion animation. No matter the intrigue that might come along with it, there is something about the style that makes me feel no matter how hard I try I won't be able to get past it. This was true earlier this year with Aardman's Pirates! Band of Misfits yet I still found myself enjoying that film to a much bigger degree than I ever expected. This might have eased the resilience that would have usually come along with a film like Paranorman. In fact, I was very much looking forward to this film as it seemed, in the very least, to be one of those hand crafted movies that would employ its technique to emphasize the creepy tone of its story. One of those films where I would regain the sense of something along the lines of Hocus Pocus or Monster House where it is a movie I can always pull out around Halloween every year and never be disappointed. Suffice to say Paranorman more than meets the expectations I was holding for it and honestly delivers one of the funniest and more entertaining experiences I've had at the movies in a while (and I just saw The Expendables 2 which was riotously funny). The film has a sense about it where you know the makers understood every aspect of what they were trying to accomplish. They know their characters better than anyone else so when those characters encounter such strange happenings such as what goes on in this small little town they know how they would react and how they would deal with it while always keeping the focus on our main protagonist. And while if you've read the synopsis you may think this all sounds very Sixth Sense-like trust me when I say it turns that little plot device into not just a gift but a curse that justifies its surprisingly touching storyline.

Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee) tries to hide from
the zombies he let loose.

All around we find that every aspect of the film nearly exceeds expectations. Whether it be in the actors voice work that helps develop the characters even further or the visual prowess that is inherit in every frame. I was consistently impressed with how the film rolled out and that I was never bored but instead engaged by how brilliant the pacing. When I was immediately intrigued by the story early on I worried it would end up going down a road that was less than satisfactory. In this regard, I was lucky enough to be proven wrong. When the film opens (with a great homage to the grindhouse/slasher flicks of the 70's and 80's by the way) we are not only immediately given a taste of the genuine affection the film has for scary movies, but we also see the delicacy and intelligence of the filmmaking in the way it is explained to us that Norman sees dead people and that is just something everyone around him needs to live with. We see that it is something not completely accepted about Norman, but it is known and it defines his life in this moment. Here is where the well rounded, fully realized character comes into play as it is clear that Norman sees this as something he'd rather not be burdened with, but he also likes to be alone and this is a fine enough excuse to be that way. He doesn't really care to have friends in the casual sense of the word. He would rather just be left to his own devices without having to deal with the humiliation he finds around every corner at school. This gift he has for seeing the dead is naturally not a random coincidence though and as Norman and his ever persistent companion Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) find out there is much more to the history of their town then the school play they put every year likes to include.

Courtney (Anna Kendrick), Norman, Alvin
(Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Neil (Tucker Albrizzi) and
Mitch (Casey Affleck) are on a scary adventure.

While Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, The Road) creates a sense of maturity in a young Norman while still instilling the unjaded, child like wonderment that belongs to someone his age we are also treated to several other performances that make this a cast of characters one you don't mind going on an adventure with. I especially enjoyed the bits of subtle humor that were injected throughout. They weren't your typical bits of animated humor either, but significant in the way that they came perfectly integrated into the DNA of who the characters are. The school bully is named Alvin and he gets one of the few recognizable voices here from McLovin himself Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Alvin is an idiot and finds it rewarding to hide his shortcomings by pointing out Norman's. Jeff Garlin and Leslie Mann provide a few great bits as the parents presiding over all of this while Anna Kendrick and Casey Affleck are the older siblings to Norman and Neil who somehow get roped into the thick of the plot. Even John Goodman shows up early on as one of Norman's uncles who seems to share a certain trait that he needs to pass on to our hero. In the end, it really does come down to how the film took the archetypes of this rather tired premise and breathes life into it through the course they take in executing it and how they populate the world and realize that vision altogether. The piece completely compliments itself in every aspect. I thoroughly enjoyed it, my only drawback being that it doesn't ever truly find a ground on which to stand. It is stuck somewhere between genres and demographics, but I've never been one to let the lines restrict the need to create what one really wants to see their final product become so props to directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell.

Norman and his gang come to realize that all is not what
it appears to be in their small town.

That being said, there was the distinct concern as I watched the film about who exactly this was aimed at or made for. My mind kept coming back to the film lovers who specifically found their interests satisfied in old school horror flicks. Given that is a small demographic to create a film for I had to think there was more to it than that.  There were plenty of children in the theater with their parents and while there was a good amount of laughter coming from each their was also that concerned laughter at some of the more subversive humor from the parents that weren't totally sure if they were appropriate in laughing at what their child just missed, or if other parents in the theater might judge them for it. It straddles the description of "family entertainment" pretty strongly as there were certainly a few scenes and images that conjured up real fear in the children sitting around us. There were also a few jokes and words that weren't exactly subtle to the children sitting next to me either. I can't say that I really worried about this dilemma after seeing the film, I was more surprised at how damn charming the film was. I wanted to see it again and recall the jokes and was also wishing i already had the blu-ray so I could watch the special features. It is that kind of movie, it wraps you up in itself and takes you on an adventurous, scary, and outright fun trip that you hate to see end and only hope you can catch up with those folks again sometime in the future whether it be at home or in a sequel. Paranorman may not be for everyone, but that is what makes it so appealing to those who it is intended for.

PARANORMAN Review

I am always hesitant when it comes to stop motion animation. No matter the intrigue that might come along with it, there is something about the style that makes me feel no matter how hard I try I won't be able to get past it. This was true earlier this year with Aardman's Pirates! Band of Misfits yet I still found myself enjoying that film to a much bigger degree than I ever expected. This might have eased the resilience that would have usually come along with a film like Paranorman. In fact, I was very much looking forward to this film as it seemed, in the very least, to be one of those hand crafted movies that would employ its technique to emphasize the creepy tone of its story. One of those films where I would regain the sense of something along the lines of Hocus Pocus or Monster House where it is a movie I can always pull out around Halloween every year and never be disappointed. Suffice to say Paranorman more than meets the expectations I was holding for it and honestly delivers one of the funniest and more entertaining experiences I've had at the movies in a while (and I just saw The Expendables 2 which was riotously funny). The film has a sense about it where you know the makers understood every aspect of what they were trying to accomplish. They know their characters better than anyone else so when those characters encounter such strange happenings such as what goes on in this small little town they know how they would react and how they would deal with it while always keeping the focus on our main protagonist. And while if you've read the synopsis you may think this all sounds very Sixth Sense-like trust me when I say it turns that little plot device into not just a gift but a curse that justifies its surprisingly touching storyline.