X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Posted on June 14, 2019 by C966939529

They gave up. That’s it.

I have to admit I am a fan of the original X-men films, I’m talking with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Since the reboot they haven’t lived up to expectations, and unfortunately, I think they lost their way with this film as well. Even before the film was released the marketing has been completely off.

I watched the trailer and it appears that Jean Grey has gone bad…that is it. Throughout the film it is a lot more emotional, which I liked, but it seems that they just seem this movie as a means to an end.

We only met Jean in X-Men Apocalypse and now we suddenly reach the crescendo of her journey? In Apocalypse I felt we didn’t get to see the full potential of the character and felt Sophie Turner’s performance was a bit flat. Now we can see the full potential realised as well as Turner’s portrayal.

I feel a bit bad for Simon Kinberg who has his directing debut on this film because taking a franchise as a first film is very difficult as you don’t want it to be so drastically different in style from the other films. I would like to see him director freely allowing him to discover his true style.

Right, so here we go SPOILER ALERT!

Time to stop reading if you don’t want to get it ruined.

If you have seen Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, you will completely understand this betrayal.

Aliens, they used fucking Aliens!

This was a massive screw up. If you read the comics, you know that Phoenix is a cosmic force. But just because its cosmic doesn’t mean you have to bring aliens into it!!!!

This idea is sloppy writing and really grinds my gears! The story is lazy and the only saving grace was Turner really bringing in the emotion, but nothing could save this. Even the idea of killing off Raven / Mystique was well done but the emotional change of the other character was so sudden it really takes you out of the story.

It starts out that everyone wants to help and save Jean but as soon as she kills Raven, accidentally in a beautiful scene by the way, everyone changes to pure rage and hatred. You can understand it with Hank as he loves Raven, but Erik’s rage was too out of character. Jean goes to him for help and he tried to help but as soon as he learns of Raven’s death, she needs to die. Then as quick as he sees Charles, he changes he mind yet again! Magneto getting to the rage is absolutely on point but giving up so easily? No way!

Overall this film is below par. I found the story lacking and even though there were some good acting and big names, nothing was going to save it. It is almost like they gave up before they even released the film.

2/5

Director: Simon Kinberg

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain

Crew: Hans Zimmer (Music), Mauro Fiore (Cinematography)

Genre: American Superhero

Rating: 12A

Avengers: Endgame – Part 1

Posted on April 30, 2019 by C966939529

I cried, I laughed, I lived and I died – Perfection

Over 10 years, and it all comes down to this…. I am so nerding out as I am sure every MCU fan is. But as promised this is a SPOILER FREE POST! #Part1

#Don’tSpoilTheEndgame

That of course is going to make it slightly difficult for me to contain my excitement. I will give some basic facts of the timeline (well some of it) and a couple of predictions.

So, lets get to it!

This is the climax, I mean they literally couldn’t have picked a better name for this film, and with every climax there is a worry. Is it going to work to match the imagination of the fan base? Is it going to answer our questions or is it going to be a let-down?

Never fear Marvel is here! As always, they have kept their crucial team of the Russo Brothers directing, the magic writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and of course produced by Kevin Feige. This core team to me is how they have kept the franchaise so perfect. In interviews they have always said they knew where it was going to end, and they have almost worked backwards. They admit they re-watched all the previous films because they wanted to have no cliff-hanger and give the characters and fans a definitive ending.

In an interview with Buzzfeed News they have admitted they are taking a break and closing this chapter on their careers.

“[We’re] taking a break,” Markus said. “[The MCU] is obviously about to have a huge injection of new blood. Launching a lot of new things. So it’s going to get interesting.”“But, you know, it’s the best working experience of our lives,” McFeely added. “So, if they call, we’d answer.” (Vary, 2019)

So into the nitty gritty! The film is set 22 days after the infamous snap, and then takes a time jump 5 years into the future…and that’s all I am going to say about the story! See told you – SPOILER FREE!

What I want to focus on is the imagery which is apparent throughout. At the end of Infinity War, we know that the focus is on getting to Thanos’ gauntlet on his left hand. I noticed on the Infinity War posters, you can see hands of the characters, especially because most of their powers are channelled through them.

Now looking at the posters for Endgame, its all about the faces. No hands. But in the film there is a massive focus on the hands. There are lots of close up shots of hands and a lot of the characters are wearing some form of gloves, as in a nod to the gauntlet that holds the worlds fate in its hand. (Not sorry for the pun.)

Even the difference in the colour pallet can be seen, the light and dark. This follows through the film and even through the entire franchise.

So now I have a theory on what is happening after Endgame.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 is already in development and I can link it into Endgame. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – in the post credit scene we see the Sovereign leader showing off her new creation which she calls Adam. Already I am picking up the rebirth of the Universe vibes. So in Endgame we have Thanos in a place called “The Garden”….Marvel are literally setting up the freaking Garden of Eden! Even in Infinity War Thanos says he wants to create Paradise – “Going to bed hungry. Scrounging for scraps. Your planet was on the brink of collapse. I was the one who stopped that. You know what’s happened since then? The children born have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It’s a paradise.” (Russo, 2018)

Garden of Eden is literal Paradise! This cannot be a coincidence. But I guess we will have to wait till 2022 to find out.

So in closing to the end of this Phase of the MCU, as all the fans out there I want to say Thank you to the cast and crew for giving us the ending that we deserved. The story, character arcs, imagery was all perfect and I can’t wait to discuss it more once the Spoiler ban has passed. In a few weeks I will go into more detail of the story and what it means for the characters but for now #ThanosDemandsYourSilence.

#ThankYouAvengers

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, and Josh Brolin

Crew: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Writers)

Genre: Superhero

Rating: 12A

References

Russo, A. &. (Director). (2018). Avengers: Infinity War [Motion Picture].

Vary, A. B. (2019, April 19). How Captain Marvel, Valkyrie, Ant-Man, And Hawkeye Somehow Fit Into “Avengers: Endgame”. Retrieved from Buzzfeed News: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/adambvary/avengers-endgame-screenwriters-captain-marvel-valkyrie

Deadpool 2

Posted on May 25, 2018 by C966939529

“Dark, Daring and Dreadfully Delightful!”

Well if you have read my blog before, you probably know how much I loved the original Deadpool – I even got re-tweeted opening up to my friends across the pond (Hi American friends!)

So as you can guess I was really looking forward to the sequel. As with many sequels the original cast players have returned but the same can’t be said for the crew. Tim Miller, the director of Deadpool was originally linked to the project but he parted ways after some disagreements with Ryan Reynolds. According to interviews Reynolds has given, it was over the role of Cable, but it seems to be an amicable split.

“All I can really add is that I’m sad to see him off the film. Tim’s brilliant and nobody worked harder on Deadpool than he did.” (Wilson, 2016) Instead he was replaced by David Leitch, whose recent works include John Wick and Atomic Blonde.

Reynolds has also become a scriptwriter as well as a producer – what do we think to the next one? Reynolds directing????

Another great addition to the Deadpool family is Zazie Beetz – who plays Domino. You may recognise her from most recently Geostorm. I loved her, and he portrayal of the character. In a lot of scenes, I related to her an awful lot!

OK you know the drill

SPOILER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET!!!

This film is a lot like it counterpart – lots of dirty jokes, cameos and of course passes at Wolverine!

I loved all the throw backs to the previous film! My personal favourite was the reference to the “1,600 kilos of cocaine somewhere in the apartment – right next to the cure for blindness”, which of course he finds in Al’s apartment right next to a package called “The cure for blindness”. He also takes a shot at the X-Men as we see Wade in Professor Xavier’s wheelchair and even in Cerebro!

We see Wade go through a real journey of self-discovery – mainly through film and pop culture references including but not limited to (Some of my favourites!) :

Say Anything –
James Bond – Opening Credits
Flashdance
Chibi-style
Celebrity references – George Michael and David Bowie
DC Universe – “So dark, you sure you’re not from the DC universe?”.
X-Men –
Ryan Reynolds – Going back in time to stop Green Lantern being made

WB has a good sense of humour about it:

Wolverine – “Fuck Wolverine. First he rides my coattails with the R-rating, and then, that hairy motherfucker ups the ante by dying! What a dick! Well, guess what, Wolvie? I’m dying in this movie.”
Brad Pitt – Before Josh Brolin got the role, Brad Pitt was interested but instead he got a cameo – see if you spot him 😉
Avengers – Hawkeye – “With this collar on, my superpower is just unbridled cancer. Give me a bow and arrow and I’m basically Hawkeye.”
Avengers – Thanos – “Zip it, Thanos!”
Avengers – Hulk – “Sun is getting real low.”

The trailer completely through me off base – which I loved, when you are introduced to the X-Force and then to have them practically all die is a big screw you to the audience!

My only criticism I had was the Wolverine jokes – there was so many and I felt we had already dealt which that. But that is just personal, I know people who loved them all!

A great watch, had me in stitches and I can’t wait for the third one!

4/5

Director: David Leitch

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Josh Brolin, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Jack Kesy

Crew: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ryan Reynolds (Screenwriters), Ryan Reynolds (Producer)

Genre: American Superheroes, Action

Rating: 15

Works Cited

Wilson, L. (2016, November 15). Ryan Reynolds Addresses Losing Tim Miller on Deadpool 2. Retrieved from Screen Rant: https://screenrant.com/deadpool-movie-ryan-reynolds-challenges-filming/#

Avengers Infinity War 3D

Posted on May 1, 2018 by C966939529

“Marvel-lous Movie Magic”

I have been waiting for 10 years for this film as have all Marvel fans, and it does not disappoint!

This is part one of Infinity War which means lots of cliff-hangers, unknown character fates and so many possibilities in part two. They were filmed back to back for continuity and was wrapped in January 2018.

The last Marvel film was Black Panther from February and the last time the Avengers were together was 2 years ago in Captain America Civil War.

This story has been planned for 10 years and each character has gone through their character development over multiple films. This is why DC failed in their attempt as they ignored the individual characters. Maybe that is just my MCU love coming through!

I have one problem though – WHY IS BLACK WIDOW BLONDE!?!? There is no mention of this change of hair anywhere in the film! For 8 years since she was introduced in Iron Man 2, always been a red head. I want answers!!

OK rant over – So here it is guys:

SPOILER ALERT!

Even our bad guy Thanos’s background is developed which is a fantastic asset and makes him more relatable. He is humanised during his search for the Infinity Stones, especially for the mysterious Soul Stone, as he sacrifices his daughter Gamora.

In previous movies we have just accepted that Thanos wants the Infinity Stones in order to rule the world, as most bad guys do. This time Thanos explains that he is trying to save the world. He believes “Life needs correction” and instead of having everyone starve, kill half the population and then everyone lives a better life. He sees it as a necessary evil and that it takes a strong person to make that decision. Really hardcore! In a flashback we see how Thanos believes he is saving Gamora as a child and trying to distract her from the horrible genocide going on around her. I love the depth of Thanos and it really makes you think would you be able to make a decision like that?

We have seen these sort of decisions before, just to name a few:

Avengers Assemble – Iron Man flying through the wormhole
Civil War – Should Wanda’s powers be allowed?
Guardian’s of the Galaxy – They all handle the power stone to save the world, not just Quill.
Doctor Strange – Protecting the Time Stone, regardless of anything else.

Another theme I like following through the timeline is the Ironic role of Wanda’s powers. Scarlett Witch was given her powers after undergoing tests using the Mind stone with her brother. (RIP Pietro!) Her powers have been up for discussion numerous times, especially in Civil War when the Accords are draw up because of her. Ironically now she is the only person who can destroy an Infinity Stone, a decision (See trending theme!) she has to make sacrificing Vision, who possesses the Mind Stone to stop Thanos.

Now it comes down to the main discussion this film has brought about.

Who is Alive?!?! Who is Dead?!??

Just as in the world when Thanos clicks his fingers and kills off half of the population, we lose half of our Avengers! I expected to see some deaths but this many no way! I may have cried…no judgment! In my defense it is heartbreaking to see your favourite characters disappear into dust, damn you Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. As the screenwriters for part two as well, they have a lot to answer for!

SURVIVORS

VICTIMS

It isn’t just the Avengers we lose. In the Post credit scene we see Maria Hill and Nick Fury also succumb to the new world order. Before they do Fury, being Fury, makes one final call for help using an ancient pager displaying a blue and red signia.

This is the symbol of Captain Marvel! Oscar winner, Brie Larson signed up to the role which has its own movie currently being filmed and due for release in March 2019. We already knew that she was going to be featured in Avengers 4 and this is our confirmation! We are going through big changes as we head into Phase 4 and a lot of the current cast have fulfilled their contracts and won’t be coming back to the universe after Avengers 4 – We are going to be introduced to exciting new characters. As much as it is going to hurt to lose our fan favourites, I know as a fandom we are going to embrace the next chapter.

Before I finish as usual Marvel has given us some great one liners and I couldn’t resist sharing some of my favourites.

Favourite Quotes:

“I am Groot.” “I am Steve Rogers.”

“Oh, screw you, you big green asshole! I’ll do it myself!”

“What’s the matter with you, kids? You’ve never seen a spaceship before?”

“Dude, you’re embarrassing me in front of wizards.”

“ Kick names, take ass.”

“Groot: [in a mocking tone] I am Groot. Peter Quill: Whoa! Drax: Wow. Peter Quill: You got some acorns on you, kid. Rocket Raccoon: Ever since you got a little sap, you’re a total D-hole. Now, keep it up and I’m gonna smash that thing to pieces!”

“Rocket Raccoon: You speak Groot? Thor: They taught it on Asgard. It was an elective.”

Directors: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, and Chris Pratt

Crew: Kevin Feige (Producer), Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Screenwriters), Alan Silvestri (Music)

Genre: American Superhero

Rating: 12A

Suicide Squad 3D

Posted on August 10, 2016 by C966939529

“Storyless Shit”

I was really looking forward to seeing this film from the trailers. After Batman v Superman I was worried with DC so I was looking forward to it with trepidation. Looking at the cast they got very lucky, Jared Leto as the Joke, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Jay Hernandez as Diablo = amazing! But there was also some very bad decisions.

The character of Enchantress and Dr June Moone I was expecting a really Jekyll and Hyde idea really separating the two sides of the individuals. Cara Delevingne was one toned and I saw no acting skills at all. In interviews apparently director David Ayre asked Delevingne to walk around in the mud and woods naked to get into character. I would never have guessed she made such an effort. (Shepherd, 2016)

I loved Jared Leto as the Joker. He brought a completely different interpretation of the character compared to Heath Ledger.(RIP)

(Katz, 2016) (Browne, 2014)

Ledger brought the real manic mastermind side of the Joker to the story but Leto brought the real crazy psychopath. Even his eyes were crazy! But that means nothing because his not in the damn movie!! From the trailer I thought he was a part of the SKWAD but it was just a hyped up cameo. Considering how long Leto spent in Make up for the tattoos seems like a waste of time. Leto even commented “Were there any that didn’t get cut? I’m asking you, were there any that didn’t get cut? There were so many scenes that got cut from the movie, I couldn’t even start. I think that the Joker… we did a lot of experimentation on the set, we explored a lot. There’s so much that we shot that’s not in the film.” (Placido, 2016)I just think they brought him into the film to say the Joker is a part of it, even though Leto gave a great performance.

Speaking of the Joker, another standout character was Harley Quinn. As Griggs says “That is just a whole lot of pretty and a whole lot of crazy.” Margot Robbie completely nails this. We see a few flashbacks of Harley and the Joker and unlike Enchantress we see the two sides of her. We see Dr Harleen Quinzel before she makes her transformation to Harley Quinn. I think it is a good metaphor that love can make you crazy.

“Harley Quinn: You ever been in love?

Deadshot: No. Never.

Harley Quinn: Bullshit.

Deadshot: You don’t kill as many people as I’ve killed and still sleep like a kitten, but feel shit like love.

Harley Quinn: Another textbook sociopath.”

I wish I could talk about every character in the film but there are too many! There are a lot of pointless characters such as Slipknot, who suddenly appears and then disappears in a few scenes but this isn’t the worst crime this film commits.

The main problem for me is the lack of storyline. It starts off after the death of Superman from Batman v Superman and Waller is suddenly creating this “task force of the most dangerous people on the planet” but for no real reason! Also once they have assembled their team the story just drops off. I found myself very bored for the second half of the film and no film viewer wants to be paying to be bored.

Another thing that bugs me is the sexist remarks towards the female characters. Examples include “Stay evil doll face…” and “Listen, you are my gift to this handsome honka honka! You belong to him now.” Women should not be referred to as “hoes” or an object. I think they focussed on this a bit too much. I can understand that the characters are that way inclined but it was too much of a focus for me and took me out of the film.

I wanted so much for this to be DCs comeback but it has just not happened. I don’t have a lot of faith in the upcoming Wonder Woman or Justice League films.

As this was slightly better than Batman v Superman I wish I could give more but I can only give 2.5 out of 5.

Director: David Ayer

Cast: Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis

Crew: Roman Vasyanov (Cinematographer)

Genre: Superheroes

Rating: 15

Works Cited

Browne, K. S. (2014, Dec 10). There’s a Secret Hidden Behind Heath Ledger’s Joker. Retrieved from Movie Pilot: http://moviepilot.com/posts/2494166

Katz, J. (2016, May 25). ‘Suicide Squad’ Director Says ‘The Crew Stops Working’ When Jared Leto Does The Joker. Retrieved from Billboard: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7280199/suicide-squad-jared-leto-joker-crew-stops-working

Placido, D. D. (2016, August 6). Jared Leto Is Just As Disappointed With ‘Suicide Squad’ As The Rest Of Us. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2016/08/06/jared-leto-is-just-as-disappointed-with-suicide-squad-as-the-rest-of-us/#5e85db1d4ff0

Shepherd, J. (2016, May 19). Suicide Squad: Cara Delevingne auditioned by ‘getting naked in the woods’ and ‘howling like a wolf’. Retrieved from Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/suicide-squad-cara-delevingne-auditioned-by-getting-naked-in-the-woods-and-howling-like-a-wolf-a7037481.html

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Claire's Cinematic Corner

Comics

X-Men: Dark Phoenix

Right, so here we go SPOILER ALERT!

Avengers: Endgame – Part 1

References

Deadpool 2

OK you know the drill

SPOILER ALERT!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET!!!

Works Cited

Avengers Infinity War 3D

SPOILER ALERT!

Suicide Squad 3D

Works Cited