X-Men: Days of Future Past Second Viewing

I watched X-Men: Days of Future Past, again! Believe it or not, I have never seen a movie twice in theaters, until now. One of my objectives while watching Days of Future Past again was to determine if my opinion has changed whatsoever from my perfect 10/10 original score from my original review. After my second viewing analysis, my original opinion is most definitely reaffirmed. I could not find a single aspect of the film that did not work or was flawed. The characters received ample development, the plot is incredibly tight, with the time-travel logic being near perfect, and the performances are superb, particularly James McAvoy, who should be nominated for an Oscar. It is still one of my all-time favorite films, with a time-travel element that is one of the best explained and portrayed in a movie. 

Long story short, Jacob and I promised our friend Jackson that we would go see the movie with him if it would ever come to the local theater. Since it took so long to come, Jacob and I ended up seeing it out of town, but it finally came to the local theater, so we saw it again. With the exception of two kids, who were actually quiet, we indirectly knew the people in theater, so that was interesting. Have you seen X-Men twice in theaters? Have you seen it at all? If not, what are you waiting for!? Please comment below and let me know. Also, sorry for not replying to every comment, as you might know, my arm is bothering me badly, so I can't type with it.

This is my desktop background!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

X-Men: Days of Future Past Review

X-Men: Days of Future Past takes several years after the previous X-Men films in a world where mutants and those that have the potential to produce mutant offspring are either subjugated into concentration camps or are on the run from powerful robotic Sentinels that rule the new world. To prevent this terrible future from happening, Wolverine is sent back to the 70s to stop an event that sparked the war.

With 14 years and six films, the X-Men franchise has had a somewhat confusing continuity, and Days of Future Past bridges the gap between the two timelines setup in the original X-Men trilogy and the First Class film. Even though there are still a few minor continuity errors that are not entirely explained, considering what has happened to the franchise since Bryan Singer left, he was able to fix just about everything in Days of Future Past to near perfection, while simultaneously crafting an exceptional film that is one of the best comic book films to date.

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Genre: Comic Book, Action, Sci-Fi, Time-travel,

Release Date: May 23, 2014

Running Time: 131 minutes

MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Compelling character development and drama, Logical time-travel elements, Several shocking plot twists, Quicksilver is jaw-droppingly awesome, Rights the wrongs of the previous films, Hugh Jackman is still the man, Blink is freaking cool, All-star cast, Impressive mutant action throughout, John Ottman's classic score, Many geeky references and geek-out moments, Ties-into the other films well, Strong performances across the board, Emotional impact, Perfect adaptation of source material, Thematically strong, Genuinely suspense, Great humor, Provides an excellent new starting point, Balances enormous cast expertly, Morally ambiguous, 

The Bad:

Plot: 10/10- Time-travel stories are difficult to write even when the entire film is focused on that one element, and as a massive fan of time-travel stories, spotting dodgy and inconsistent time-travel logic is not hard, yet Days of Future Past manages to craft a time-travel story that actually makes logical sense (or at least as logical as time-travel can be)! 

In other areas of the plot, Days of Future Past excels with brisk pacing that is never too fast or slow, reinforcement of the themes the X-Men franchise is founded on, and enough geeky references to make a fan giddy with delight. However, the movie does rely on the viewer's knowledge of the previous X-Men movies to obtain the full effect, and since I have seen all of the X-Men films multiple times, I was able to catch just about everything, but the casual viewer might become lost. The movie continues to throw in several very shocking plot twists, many of which made me audibly gasp. Additionally, Bryan Singer's pitch perfect tone captures the feel of the comics much more so than his previous work on the franchise.

Characterization: 10/10- Despite the enormous cast, the film is able to manage them skillfully. As with most X-Men films, Wolverine is the central character at first; however, Xavier, Erik (Magneto), Beast, and Mystique (mostly the younger versions) all receive ample development. In fact, the broken friendship between Xavier and Erik is possibly the strongest and most compelling aspect of the entire film. After seeing what has happened to the characters in both the future and the past, the conflict between the two characters is extremely effective. Mystique's character arc often surprised me with the direction it took and the amount of depth given to it considering the screen time available. Despite everyone's initial skepticism about the character Quicksilver (myself included), let me say, without a doubt, that his scenes are worth price of admission alone. Seriously, you have to see them to believe it.

Many of the characters from the original X-Men trilogy return and with the exception of Storm, I am fairly attached to these characters from previous films, particularly my one of personal favorite characters from the comics, Iceman. *Possible Spoilers* So, if you are also a fan of the movies and are still attached to some of these characters, prepare for a few heart wrenching moments of shock. *End Spoilers* In addition to all of these characters, there are other new mutants that are introduced like Blink, whose powers are amazing, and Bishop. While the new characters are more like extras in the battle scenes, there have never been cooler extras in a film. One aspect of the film that is often criticized is the motivations of the antagonist Bolivar Trask. While his character is not given a lot of depth, why does a military contractor need more motivations than money, the pursuit of science, and possible fame? That is often what motivates real life military contractors.

Action/Direction: 9.9/10- X-Men has always been unique in the fact that there are always such a large variety of mutant powers on display in film, and with ten years since Bryan Singer's last X-Men movie, he capitalizes on the opportunity for some awesome and inventive action set pieces. While the action is not on par with that of this year's The Winter Soldier, it is certainly an impressive effort, particularly anything that involves Quicksilver. In general, Bryan Singer's direction is spot on with some unique techniques and absolutely zero shaky-cam!

Blink's powers are freaking awesome!

Acting: 10/10- Days of Future Past's cast is huge! From Jackman's iconic portrayal of Wolverine to Michael Fassbender's brilliant rage to Patrick Stewart's gravitas, everyone is flawless. 

James McAvoy's performance is even more compelling than his last outing, and Jennifer Lawrence is well, the same J-Law that we all know and love, but darker and more conflicted this time around. Evan Peters as Quicksilver is another standout among the exceptional cast. Fortunately, even the horribly miscast Halle Berry is barely given any speaking lines to distract from the film.

Special effects: 9.8/10- Days of Future Past's special effects are its only weaker element since some of the mutant powers are not on par with the Marvel Cinematic universe in the larger action scenes. However, the special effects for Quicksilver boost the score substantially thanks to the best portrayal of superspeed in any film. Also, the practical makeup effects for Mystique and especially Beast were superb and very believable.

Soundtrack: 9.5/10- John Ottman returns to score the film, and his return is more than welcome. He combines elements of the brilliant First Class score with the original theme, which reminded me how good it was in the first place.

Humor: 8.0/10- While not always humorous, Days of Future Past has the perfect amount of humor to add to the enjoyment, yet still remaining serious. *Possible Spoiler* All of Quicksilver's scenes are positively hysterical! *End Spoilers*

Entertainment Value: 10/10- When I was not on the edge-of-seat in suspense or having my jaw drop to the floor, I probably had the dumbest looking grim on my face because I was in pure nerdy bliss. The X-Men are back and better than ever, and my favorite Silver-Age comic story is perfectly adapted. I have not been happier watching a movie since Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Overall: 10/10- Overall, X-Men: Days of Future Past is an exceptional experience that has the heart, themes, action, and characters that made the franchise and comic so great in the first place. And yes, I have done it again, another 10 out of 10, and on my scale less than 13 films have received such a rating, so know that I do not throw the rating around lightly.

Closing comments: X-Men: Days of Future Past has finally given us the an X-Men film that is on-par with Marvel's Cinematic Universe, as well as providing an excellent foundation on which to build the rest of the franchise on in the future. Note however, if you are not a fan of the X-Men films in some capacity, you will likely not find the movie as enjoyable and satisfying as I have.

Recommended for: X-Men fans, Comic Book fans, Action fans, Sci-Fi fans, Time-travel fans,

Please check back tomorrow for my review of Snowpiercer.

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

X-Men Retrospective and Guide

With the upcoming release of X-Men: Days of the Future, it seemed like a good time for an X-Men retrospective looking back at all the films in the franchise as well as looking to the future of the franchise. The X-Men side of the Marvel universe is every bit as large as the Avengers; there are literally thousands of mutant along with other non-mutant characters related to the X-Men franchise. Despite a rough patch with Origins and X-Men 3: the Last Stand, the X-Men franchise appears to have finally gotten their stuff together with both First Class and the Wolverine turning out better than expected, and with Bryan Singer back for Days of Future Past, the X-Men's future appears bright. X-Men has to be one of the currently longest running franchises not to have had major recasting, like James Bond, or a complete reboot like Spider-Man. Additionally, if you are relatively new to the franchise, and you want to be ready for the upcoming Days of Future Past, I will explain which movies you need to watch, and what order to watch them in. Without further ado, shall we begin?

X-Men

X-Men, the movie that started it all. Sure, Blade was Marvel’s film big screen movie that did not completely suck, X-Men was the first real superhero movie, and it was a strong first effort. Coming off of the Academy Award winning The Usual Suspects, Bryan Singer finally gave audiences a comic book movie that actually takes itself seriously for the most part. Also, a relatively unknown Australia musical star, Hugh Jackman, was cast in the role of the franchise’s most popular character Wolverine, and it was certainly an excellent choice. While the film certainly has flaws, it still holds up well even today.

X2: X-Men United

After a very solid effort with the first X-Men, Bryan Singer kicks it up to another level by improving every aspect of his film. While the first X-Men was a lot of fun, X2: X-Men United was deeper and more complex in terms of the story and character motivation. We finally got to see a glimpse at Wolverine’s past, and the more anti-hero nature of Magneto is present in the film as well. With the exception of Halle Berry continuing to be the worst possible casting choice for Storm, and James Marsden as Cyclops continuing to get the short end of the stick in terms of development, X2 set the new standard for all comic book movie sequels to come.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

After the awesomeness of X2, the Last Stand was a complete let down. While I do not hate the movie as much as others do, it still completely butchered one of the most iconic comic book stories of all-time, the Phoenix Sage, and now we will likely never see a good adaptation of the story. The lack in quality is due to Bryan Singer leaving the X-Men franchise to direct the even worse Superman Returns, which left Brett Ratner to ruin the movie in Singer’s absence. Despite its major issues, X-Men 3 is still a fun action movie, and a must watch for those wanting to watch the upcoming Days of Future Past since plot points in the film will likely be mentioned in the new film.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wolverine's origin is one of the most mysterious and best origins in comics, so what did the team over at Fox decide to do? Overload the film with unnecessary characters, more action movie clichés than you can shake a stick at, and special effects that look like they were done in a low budget fan film (as you can see by the gif). On top of that, the film butchers one of the most popular and fun comic book characters, Deadpool! Yeah, saying X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a disaster is a bit of an understatement. Hugh Jackman is the only movie positive is the only thing the film has going for it unfortunately. Fortunately, much of the film is completely retconned with the subsequent films never really referencing any part of them, therefore watching it is completely unnecessary.

X-Men: First Class 

After a long delay in production, First Class was destined to fail, however Matthew Vaughn turned First Class into the best X-Men film yet and one of the few prequels to actually not suck. With a stronger focus on the characters and the themes of acceptance in society, First Class revitalized the X-Men after several years of disappointing films. In fact, First Class is one of the few comic book films that strays from the source material and actually manages to work. However, the film did confuse some viewers by making changes to the film’s continuity that do not entirely make sense. Hopefully Days of Future Past will clear up the confusion with its time-traveling plot.

 The Wolverine

While not as strong as First Class or X2, The Wolverine finally gave fans a Wolverine movie that actually does the character justice. While smaller in scale than the other films, the Wolverine focuses on exactly who it should, Logan. Aside from Viper, there are no unnecessary and random mutants to take the focus away from Wolverine, and it works very well. Even though the third act fell into a few tropes, James Mangold did a excellent adapting Wolverine’s journey in Japan. The Wolverine is not the most necessary film to watch before Days of Future Past, but if you have the option, most definitely watch it if you can because it continues Logan’s storyline.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Based on one of the more popular X-Men comic book storylines, Days of Future Past has been met with positive reviews citing that it may be the best X-Men film to date! Without spoiling too much, the cast of both the original X-Men films and First Class will be coming together for the film.

To summarize what films you should watch before Days of Future Past, the original X-Men trilogy and X-Men: First Class are all must-watches before seeing the new film, and the Wolverine is highly recommended for both being high quality and continuing Wolverine's story. 

With an X-Force and Apocalypse film upcoming, as well as a possible television series in the works, the X-Men's future looks bright!

What are your favorite X-Men movies? Are you a fan of the franchise? Please comment below and let me know. Now, I leave you with the coolest cartoon opening of all-time that defined my childhood.

  

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Wolverine Unrated Extended Cut

An unrated extended cut of The Wolverine will be released later this year not long after the standard Blu-Ray release. Along with the extended cut, the Blu-Ray will include an alternate ending and more special features, which are not included in the standard package. Although I was the only person in the universe with the opinion, I thought the The Wolverine  is one of the best movies of the year, despite the subpar ending, but maybe this extended cut will add some needed scenes to the film. According to the description, the film will feature more hardcore violence than the theatrical release. While I do not usually care about a film being more or less violent, a more violent cut of Wolverine is something that many fans, myself included, have been wanting to see. Although I am not sure if I will buy the extended cut when it comes out, I will definitely be interested in seeing how it turns out at some point. Are you interested in The Wolverine extended cut? Please comment below and check my other post today about the I, Frankenstein Trailer.

 

 

  

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Wolverine Review.

Thoughts: After the previous Wolverine movie disappointing, few expected much from the Wolverine, however the movie surprised many by how good it was, particularly me. The Wolverine finally gives fans the Wolverine movie that fans have been waiting for; one that focusing on the character and his inner struggle.

The Wolverine takes place after X-Men: The Last Stand and the movie fortunately does even not reference X-Men: Origins, therefore, if you have only seen the X-Men trilogy, you can watch the Wolverine without any other prior knowledge.

As for the movie itself, the Wolverine satisfies on so many levels, from its brutal action scenes, to the slower moments where the film develops the characters. The Wolverine is loosely based on famous Wolverine comic where he travels to Japan, and while it adapts the source material well, it is more inspired by it rather than holds to it, which is good. Because most of the film is set in Japan, there is a unique tone and feeling to the film that most other comic book movies do not have. While the Wolverine does lean towards the "comic-book-y" story near the end of the film, the rest of it is more of a unique action film with the Wolverine character in it.

The Wolverine does not shy away from the brutality of the character and his violent featuring some impressively violent scenes for a PG-13 film. We finally get to see blood on Wolverine's claws, which may sound morbid, but Wolverine is a brutal character and the film shows that aspect.

Directed by: James Mangold
Genre: Action, Action Adventure, Comic Book,
Release Date: July 26, 2013
Running Time: 126 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13


The Good: Surprisingly deep character development and themes, Brutal and violent, Incredible action set pieces, Gritty and realistic tone, Hugh Jackman is even better than usual, Great soundtrack, Nice slower section, Humanizes the character, Japanese setting, James Mangold's direction, Epic after credits scene, Outstanding sound design, Believable romance, A lot of practical stun work, Easy to invest in the character and story,

The Bad:



Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
In 1945, Logan, the Wolverine, is held in a Japanese POW camp near Nagasaki. During the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Logan rescues an officer named Yashida and shields him from the blast.
In the present day, Logan lives as a hermit in the Yukon, tormented by hallucinations of Jean Grey, whom he was forced to kill in X-Men: The Last Stand. He is located by Yukio, a mutant with the precognitive ability to foresee people's deaths, on-behalf of Yashida, now the CEO of a technology corporation. Yashida, who is dying of cancer, wants Logan to accompany Yukio to Japan so that he may repay his life debt.
In Tokyo, Logan meets Yashida's son, Shingen, and granddaughter, Mariko. There, Yashida offers to transfer Logan's healing abilities into his own body, thus saving Yashida's life and alleviating Logan of his immortality, which Logan views as a curse. Logan refuses and prepares to leave the following day. Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 9.6/10- The Wolverine's plot is a deeper character study rather than a big flashy comic book film, which worked to the movie's favor. During the Wolverine, I was completely invested in the character throughout the entire film. I was completely involved in the story wondering what was going to happen next. The Wolverine is a much smaller scale film compared to most others in the genre, which is rather refreshing. Do not get me wrong, big epic movies like The Avengers and the Dark Knight Rises where an entire city is in danger is great, but the Wolverine gives us something new and original in that respect. To my surprise, the romance was actually really well done and very believable.
Because of the Japanese setting, the tone and setting reminded me of a samurai film and I loved that because I am a fan the genre and the Japanese warrior culture. I was surprised by much of the movie was set in Japanese, and while I am not crazy about subtitles, they gave the film an authentic and realistic feel. Also the movie contained a few western motifs, which were great. My only real problem with the plot is that the villains where a little underdeveloped and not as good as they could have been. However, the film places the focus where it should be, on Wolverine's character.

Action: 9.7/10- The Wolverine's action scenes are raw and intense. While there is an occasional shot or two that could have been framed better, the majority of the action and its directing was spot on. Logan finally has the chance to unleash his full fury with somewhat realistic action scenes up until the final Act. The final battle was impressive and fun to watch, even though it was a departure from the more grounded action previously setup in the film. Despite how terrible the train fight scene looked in the trailer, it was actually an awesome action scene.

Acting: 9.3/10- Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine is the modern definition of manliness; the dude is seriously bada**. After 13 years of playing the character of Wolverine, Jackman still has it in him and he gives the character more depth than ever before with his performance. It is refreshing to see many new faces from the predominately Japanese cast. Tao Okamoto delivers a compelling performance as Mariko, and she has great chemistry with Jackman. Rila Fukushima as Yukio was great! She turned out to be one of the better characters in the movie. Svetlana Khodchenkova as Dr. Green / Viper was not bad nor was she all that great either; she was just kind of there.

Special effects: 8.8/10- Shockingly, the Wolverine does not rely heavily on big flashy special effects as other superheroes movies do, which is kind of cool actually. There are a lot of practical effects and stun work used during the action scenes, all of which was excellent. The train fight that looked terribly fake in the trailer actually looks realistic and believable in the movie, one of the better action sequences.

Soundtrack: 8.8/10- Marco Beltrami's score perfect compliments the Wolverine tone and setting. The music sounded as though it featured many Japanese tunes and instruments, which added to the Japanese setting.

Comedy: 7.5/10- While the humor is not prevalent throughout the film, Jackman has several hilarious and memorable moments throughout the movie.

Would I Watch This Again: The Wolverine is a film that I will definitely be buying on Blu-Ray and one that I will watch many times.

Overall: 9.6/10- Overall the Wolverine perfectly portrays the character as well as producing something new and original in the genre. The Wolverine focuses on the character's inner struggle and smaller more personal story that surprisingly turned out perfectly. Although I know that I am in the vast minority when it comes to my opinion of the Wolverine, I do believe that James Mangold made a film that stands up on multiple levels, even if the ending was a little lacking.

Closing comments: For those who are not fans of the character, the movie would rate more around a 8.5/10 in terms of being a great action film with a deep character driven story; fans of the character, however, should love the movie as much I do did.

Recommended for: Comic Book fans, Hugh Jackman fans, X-Men fans, Wolverine fans, Action fans, Samurai film fans,

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Cumberbatch in Star Wars, and Star Trek and the Wolverine Reviews Upcoming.

Benedict Cumberbatch is rumored to up for a role in the new Star Wars films! Although he had denied that he is involved in the film, Cumberbatch has said that he wants a part and has discussed the idea with J.J. Abrams. Considering that they worked together on Into Darkness, the idea is not entirely out of the question. It was also announced that Tom Hiddleston is replacing Cumberbatch in Del Toro's film, Crimson Peak. According to reports, Crimson Peak and Star Wars Ep. 7 are scheduled to be filming at the same time, therefore some have spectulated that is why Cumberbatch has left the project, although he claims that he had no knowledge of when Star Wars was filming. Now that the possibility is out there, do we actutally want Cumberbatch to play a part in the new Star Wars film after playing such a big part in Star Trek? Rumors are that he would play the villain in the Star Wars film. While Cumberbatch is a brilliant actor, particularly in the Sherlock TV series and Into Darkness, should he really play the villain in Star Wars? If he where to be cast in the Star Wars film, I would much prefer him to play a hero, thus against type and therefore would not be compared to his Trek counterpart. However, I would much prefer Tom Hiddleston to play a protagonist in the Star Wars film, but that is another discussion entirely.

 

Last night I rented Star Trek: Into Darkness and watched it, which my Twitter followers already know. The other news is that my local theater finally got The Wolverine, so I am going to see it tonight or tomorrow after over a month of waiting. Therefore, reviews for both films are going to be coming tomorrow, Friday, or Monday, depending upon how long it takes me to review each film and what time I have the reviews finished. Depending on which day my reviews of the films are posted, my aforementioned Firefly post will be on the day that the review is not posted on. After the reviews, I shall continue with the posts from the Reader's Choice picks, which you can still vote on if you have not already. As you might remember, one of my best friends Jamie, already wrote a guest post review for Star Trek: Into Darkness, which you can see here.

So what are your thoughts about Cumberbatch in Star Wars? Please comment below and check back for my upcoming reviews.

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Wolverine Review Roundup.

The Wolverine is coming out in theaters today, what do the critics think? Well, most say that the Wolverine is a great movie. Despite everyone's expectations, the Wolverine turns out to be the standalone Wolverine movie everyone wanted. Some critics are praising it for its themes, handling of the source material, and fun, and mostly grounded, action scenes. After X-Men: Origins butchered Wolverine's origin story and several characters, the Wolverine actually not sucking it a huge surprise for most critics. Also after Man of Steel disappointed all but the most die-heart Nolanites, it is great to see the Wolverine does not disappoint. It is currently receiving better reviews than Man of Steel and about equal to, or slightly lower, than Iron Man 3. I definitely cannot wait to see the movie and from the looks of it, as long as you have seen the X-Men trilogy (not Origins), the movie should be easy to follow. Now for the critics reviews. 

 

The Wolverine Review by Jordan Rath: 8.0/10- "If you were worried about The Wolverine, and understandably so, you needn't worry anymore. It's one of the most satisfying trips to the movies you will have this summer and it's great to see Hugh Jackman in a GOOD Wolverine film again. With Days of Future Past looking like it might be one of the all time greats, things are looking up for the X-Men once again."

 

"The Wolverine" (2013) by Hamlette.

 

IGN: 8.5/10- IGN states that the Wolverine was "thematically compelling" and the ninja fight scenes were awesome. To sum up their review, the Wolverine is the standalone movie that the character deserves.  

 

Chris Stuckmann: -A: Except for the last 20 minutes, Stuckmann loved the Wolverine, saying that it perfectly captured the character and had a perfect mix of drama and action.

 

Jeremy Jahns: Buy It on Blu-Ray: Jahns gave the Wolverine the same score as Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel. He said that it was surprisingly a lot better than he expected and the only thing he disliked was one of the villains.

 

Rotten Tomatoes: 71%: "Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained."

 

Film: The Wolverine (2013) by Gypsy King: 4/5- "Most importantly, Jackman is still great to watch as Wolverine and shows no sign of stopping yet." Warning: Review contains spoilers.

 

Unfortunately, the Wolverine is not being shown at my local theater, so I will have to go out of town to see it hopefully on Tuesday or Wednesday.

 

If you have reviewed the movie, please leave a link in the comments and I will add your review to the list.

 

Do you plan to see the Wolverine in theaters? Are you surprised by the positive critical reception? Please comment below.

 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Wolverine Countdown and Posting Schedule.

 

 The Wolverine is coming to theaters in less than two weeks! Among a year of inconsistency, will The Wolverine actually not suck? To countdown until The Wolverine, I will be reviewing the first X-Men film and probably X2 in the coming weeks. Hopefully the movie will turn out to be awesome and better than Man of Steel because I am going to see it in theaters when it comes out. After two disappointing X-Men movies, X-Men: First Class turned out to be fantastic, the best X-Men film yet, therefore there is hope for that The Wolverine will be great. With X-Men: Days of Futures Past, maybe The Wolverine will make references to the upcoming film in a way. Also there are rumors that Fox will be making an X-Force film, and since most readers have no idea who they are, I will make a post explaining if the news turns out to be true. Here is the upcoming schedule for the week.

 

Tuesday: Doctor Who: Blink Review

Wednesday: Firefly Review: Part 3: the Characters

Thursday: Aliens

Friday: X-Men (2000) Review

 

Are you excited for The Wolverine? And what are your favorite X-Men films? Please comment below.

 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Coming Soon: July 2013

Today I would like to introduce another guest author my virtual friend and fellow film critic Jordan at RATH'S REVIEWS. After reading his July movie guide, I highly recommend following his blog RATH'S REVIEWS for some of the latest and best film reviews around. 

 

So here we are. Halfway done with the year and with the summer blockbuster season. We have seen a man learn that he is more than an iron suit, how people partied in the 1920's, what a warp speed space battle looks like, how cars, planes, and runways can defy logic and physics, how movie stars act when its the end of the world, what happens when Superman really fights, and how Brad Pitt keeps his hair looking great despite a zombie apocalypse. All in all it has been an entertaining year, although I'm not sure it has reached the dizzying heights that last summer achieved. In this series of posts, I will look at the movies coming out that you should know about and what you should know about them. Click the titles of the movies for their trailer!

Despicable Me 2 -- July 3

Why it's Worth Seeing: Don't hate me, but I have yet to see the first Despicable Me. With that being said, I have never heard a bad thing about it and it sounds like the minions are funny enough to carry a movie by themselves. The movie should focus on Steve Carell and the minions in order to achieve maximum laughs.

What Could Go Wrong: What always goes wrong with animation sequels? Hardly any of them are better than the original and it's usually because of a lack of effort and inspiration. Some examples are more drastic than others, but they are usually significantly less magical. (*begins praying that this doesn't happen to Wreck-it Ralph 2*)

The Lone Ranger -- July 3

Why it's Worth Seeing: Despite my prediction that this will be the flop of the summer, there is always a chance that Disney and Bruckheimer will capture the same awesomeness that they did with the first two Pirates movies. Remember last year's John Carter? Yeah, not many people do. But it was actually a pretty entertaining movie. The Lone Ranger doesn't suffer a terrible release date so it will most likely fare a lot better than JC did.

What Could Go Wrong: If you've seen the last couple of Pirate movies you know exactly what could go wrong. Fun? Sure. Inspired? Not in the slightest. They are forgettable movies and lack the imagination that the first couple did. With this being a new franchise, Bruckheimer could falter even more and deliver a stinker.

Grown Ups 2 -- July 12

Why it's Worth Seeing: Sandler films often get a lot of flack from "professional" critics, but there is no denying the fact that he certainly has some classic comedies on his acting resume. Despite the universal panning of Grown Ups, I heard that it was actually pretty fun and not half bad (again, I did not see the first one). Critics hate on Sandler because they can, but that doesn't always mean they are right.

What Could Go Wrong: Most of the time the critics are right. It's been a while since Sandler gave us hits like The Waterboy and Big Daddy. I think that Don't Mess with the Zohan was the last film of his that I saw in theaters. There is a reason I haven't been back since; he just isn't that funny sometimes.

Pacific Rim -- July 12

Why it's Worth Seeing: Giant monsters. Giant robots. Guillermo Del Toro directing. IMAX. Need I say more? Count this as one of my most anticipated, especially after some of the good buzz it has been getting.

What Could Go Wrong: Hopefully not much with Del Toro at the helm, but then again remember how cool cowboys fighting aliens sounded? Let's hope that Del Toro can surpass Michael Bay in the "fighting robots" movie genre but sometimes the coolest sounding movie premises fall the hardest.

Turbo -- July 17

Why it's Worth Seeing: Early previews have some strong jokes and the voice cast is pretty impressive including Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, and Samuel L. Jackson. 

What Could Go Wrong: Like most of the other animated films so far this year (with maybe the exception of Monsters University), it could be very uninspired. Kids will drag their parents to anything and parents will sit through most anything to get their kids to be quiet. Nothing about Turbo looks particularly fantastic. Call me jaded, but after how superb Wreck-it Ralph was late last year, I am pretty picky with my animated movies. 

The Conjuring -- July 19

Why it's Worth Seeing: I am not a horror fan in the slightest. I only go to a horror movie if it's getting fantastic buzz unanimously. Two of those movies were Saw and Insidious, both of which were pretty engrossing/terrifying. The director of both of those films is back with this one and he knows how to get the scares. The Conjuring could end up being the sleeper horror hit of the year.

What Could Go Wrong: Well, it's a horror movie so a whole lot. It could be funnier than it is scary, it could tell a stupid story, it could have shockingly idiotic characters...take your pick really. Messing up a horror movie is one of the easiest things to do in Hollywood. Making a classic horror movie is one of the hardest. 

R.I.P.D. -- July 19

Why it's Worth Seeing: The fact that it has Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds is certainly a strong case in and of itself. Not to mention, the trailer is pretty funny. This could be a comedy duo that no one saw coming and if the action is equally as strong audiences could be in for a real treat. 

What Could Go Wrong: I can't shake the familiar feeling of Men in Black with the trailer. Even though they come from different source material, the trailer makes it feel incredibly like that other movie series with an unexpected comedy duo. This could be a movie that you don't want to pay for, but you will enjoy it a lot once it's on TV. 

RED 2 -- July 19

Why it's Worth Seeing: The first RED was an unexpected treasure. I only saw it once, but it was a delightful viewing. It was funny, told a decent enough story, and had some cool action. Mostly everyone is back for the sequel and that makes for one really impressive cast. As long as the spirit of the first one is recaptured then RED 2 should be a fun time. 

What Could Go Wrong: They have taken their time between sequels, so hopefully not too much. That being said, it could just be a bunch of old -person jokes and no story or inventive action. 

Only God Forgives -- July 19

Why it's Worth Seeing: Rounding out the very busy July 19th weekend is Only God Forgives. The last time Ryan Gosling and director Nicolas Winding Refn got together they made one of my favorite movies of all time: Drive. It was quiet, took it's time, featured an absolutely fantastic soundtrack, and was shockingly violent. If you've never been seduced by a movie, watch Drive. If Gosling and Refn can recapture that vibe again, we could be looking at a new personal favorite.

What Could Go Wrong: Drive was mostly universally praised. Reviews for Only God Forgives are coming in fairly mixed at this point claiming that Refn essentially tried to repackage Drive and the results are less than compelling. Hopefully we avoid copycat syndrome and the critics turn out to be wrong. 

The Wolverine -- July 26

Why it's Worth Seeing: The trailer and buzz is indicating that the creators are actually getting serious with the character this time unlike X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Based on the comic book's mythology, the story being told in The Wolverine is one of the most important in the tough guy's history so hopes are high. 

What Could Go Wrong: Sometimes the X-Men are just better as a group. Between the DC and Marvel super battle going on right now, it seems like the X-Men get left in the dust recently (other than X-Men First Class). Hopefully The Wolverine changes that and makes them relevant again, but if the plot doesn't serve a higher purpose to the universe it could come across as a pointless cash grab.

So there you have it! That's what is coming to a theater near you in the month of July. Now allow me to introduce myself: I am Jordan from Rath's Reviews! On my site I review new movies, movies that have released a few years ago, and I just recently began to review videogames. James and I have become virtual friends over the last few months and like many of you, I absolutely love the content that he is putting out on a consistent basis. Another thing about his site that I have noticed is how devoted his followers (you guys!) are. It's awesome to see everyone interacting and communicating all about our love for movies. If you want to, feel free to visit my site! If you like what you see, I would be honored for you to follow me (its the very top blue tile on the right side of the site) and like the Facebook Page (linked at the top of the site). I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope you enjoy my site (click below to get there!)

RATH'S REVIEWS

 

Thanks Jordan for an awesome post, and this is only the beginning. Jordan will be writing more movie guides for each month here on J and J Productions, and seriously, go check out his blog. Also please check back tomorrow for the first part of my Firefly review.

The Wolverine Trailer!

 

The Wolverine trailer has finally been released! And I have to say that I am impressed. After the mediocre X-Men Origins: Wolverine that completely butchered Deadpool, one of the best comic book questions, and Wolverine' origin story. Fortunately The Wolverine looks like a true Wolverine film, about Wolverine, not the X-Men. While I am skeptical, I am very optimistic considering how well done X-Men: First Class was and Fox really wants to make things right after Wolverine's first standalone film. There are two trailers, the domestic and international, both offer some great clips from the film and makes me excited to see it. Although some are excited to see Wolverine loose his Healing Factor, I am not so sure if this is the best storyline to do it. Because X-Men: First Class changed the comics so drastically, and it actually worked so well, I believe Fox, who owns the X-Men franchise, wants to try something different and new. What I find odd is that the character Viper (aka Madame Hydra), is in the film. She is one of the leaders of Hydra from the comics, yet Hydra is owned by Disney and was used in the Captain America film. Not exactly sure how Fox acquired the rights to the character, but it is confirmed that they cannot have a direct reference to Hydra in the movie. In the end, I am much more excited for The Wolverine than Man of Steel, and cannot wait until it is released!

For newcomers to the blog, I am a big X-Men fan and it was one of the comics that got he started into comic books. Below is a great rewind of the trailer comparing it to the comic book story. What are your thoughts on the new trailer? Please comment below.

 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.