In a recent post I commented that, after hearing the reviews, this movie must have slipped by my radar. People were gushing with such zeal about this movie, claiming that it had been overlooked because it was yet another X-men movie, I felt I just had to go check it out. So, after attending the store closing of my neighborhood Starbucks (yeah, they do actually close them), I went to check this film out.
After all the positive word of mouth I'd heard about X-Men: First Class, my expectations were pretty high. Things open as the first X-men movie did with Erik ripping open the gate at a concentration camp as the Nazis take his mother from him. This version continues on in that time period just long enough to get Erik angry and reveal his potential to an evil German officer played by Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon? Yes, and he's great as a maniacal mutant bent on the destruction of the world.
Other than Erik's revenge, the rest of this story revolves around the loyalties of the angry and single-minded Erik, a flawed, more human Dr. Xavier and the conflicted Mystique. The other story lines are weak compared to those of these three. Some of it is even silly and ridiculous. The Beast just looked plain silly. I'm sorry. The Muppets look better than this powder blue Ewok. The poor makeup, or whatever they did, totally destroyed the mood. I had to keep from laughing every time his ridiculous image popped up on screen. The worst part about it is his role is so integral to the storyline and Mystique's inner struggle.
The other mutants are totally disposable, adding only a pretty face or an overused power with no real purpose to the story. Eric and Xavier are the key to this movie,and neither disappoints. While I would liked to have seen this story revolve only around those two, there is still enough between them to make this a decent watch. It is not as good as the first X-men movie, but there is enough quality storytelling and impressive acting to make this movie more enjoyable than the other three films that followed the original.
Was my radar right about this movie? I wish they would stop rebooting every comic book and start them all at the beginning. Everyone knows what's going to happen already. Although, Kevin Bacon as a German speaking villain was a major plus. Was it worth going to see in the theater? In honesty, I wish I had waited to watch this at home with friends for the first time. I'm sorry, I just can't forgive them for the powder-blue teddy bear they made Beast into.
Until next time, thanks for reading.
-aap
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
And on a lighter note
And on a lighter note... after seeing Super 8 a little over a week ago, I am now contemplating what to see next in the theater. The one other summer, blockbuster movie that has struck me this year, beyond the awesome special effects of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, is Captain America: The First Avenger.
Ol' Cap was never a childhood favorite of mine - I much preferred Batman and Spiderman to World War II Superheroes at the time. But there is something about those decades in the American psyche that has endured. It was, in our brief history as a country, the Golden Age in America. A time of Myth and Legend bore out of the horrors of a just war, when heroes opposed villains and victory was the only objective. (The music from those years is some of my favorite, too.)
Thus, that Era has also been a virtual goldmine for movie making as well. I could list off a couple dozen, if not a hundred, remarkable films that are set between 1930-1950, but I won't. I'm sure you could do the same, and have thought of a few while just reading these past few sentences. It just works well for us. And likely always will.
This film has one thing going against it for me. I do not like seeing actors play more than one superhero, for ridiculously obvious reasons. (Ryan Reynolds second turn as a superhero in Green Lantern being a good example.) Though don't get me wrong, I think Captain America: The First Avenger looks great, and Chris Evans appears to have made the role his own. He should make for a Good Hero. But Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull? You could not have cast the role better. He is going to be so over-the-top intense - I can't wait! I’ve seen some stills of him from the film. And you are telling me that Hugo will have that maniacal glean in his eyes, like a younger Gary Oldman or Jack Nicholson before him, while staring out of that crazy looking red skull? Forget about it. Great Villain! I'm there opening night.
I must also mention the movie which slipped by me without garnering my attention at the time. When I first started to see trailers for X-Men:First Class, it seemed to me just another X-men movie. (Is it me, or is this the Year of the Colon?) Then, after it came out, people started talking... and word spread that it was better than expected. The director, and I hadn't paid attention to this film at all, so I had no idea he was the director of Layer Cake, is Matthew Vaughn. But wait, I thought to myself as I began adding it all up, I really liked Layer Cake. It was a good movie. And he had directed the new X-men? I had missed it. Let it slip by. Change of plans folks. It seems I have made an error. This movie, and its World War II backdrop, may very well deserve viewing after all.
Thanks for reading.
-aap
Ol' Cap was never a childhood favorite of mine - I much preferred Batman and Spiderman to World War II Superheroes at the time. But there is something about those decades in the American psyche that has endured. It was, in our brief history as a country, the Golden Age in America. A time of Myth and Legend bore out of the horrors of a just war, when heroes opposed villains and victory was the only objective. (The music from those years is some of my favorite, too.)
Thus, that Era has also been a virtual goldmine for movie making as well. I could list off a couple dozen, if not a hundred, remarkable films that are set between 1930-1950, but I won't. I'm sure you could do the same, and have thought of a few while just reading these past few sentences. It just works well for us. And likely always will.
This film has one thing going against it for me. I do not like seeing actors play more than one superhero, for ridiculously obvious reasons. (Ryan Reynolds second turn as a superhero in Green Lantern being a good example.) Though don't get me wrong, I think Captain America: The First Avenger looks great, and Chris Evans appears to have made the role his own. He should make for a Good Hero. But Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull? You could not have cast the role better. He is going to be so over-the-top intense - I can't wait! I’ve seen some stills of him from the film. And you are telling me that Hugo will have that maniacal glean in his eyes, like a younger Gary Oldman or Jack Nicholson before him, while staring out of that crazy looking red skull? Forget about it. Great Villain! I'm there opening night.
I must also mention the movie which slipped by me without garnering my attention at the time. When I first started to see trailers for X-Men:First Class, it seemed to me just another X-men movie. (Is it me, or is this the Year of the Colon?) Then, after it came out, people started talking... and word spread that it was better than expected. The director, and I hadn't paid attention to this film at all, so I had no idea he was the director of Layer Cake, is Matthew Vaughn. But wait, I thought to myself as I began adding it all up, I really liked Layer Cake. It was a good movie. And he had directed the new X-men? I had missed it. Let it slip by. Change of plans folks. It seems I have made an error. This movie, and its World War II backdrop, may very well deserve viewing after all.
Thanks for reading.
-aap
Friday, June 17, 2011
Where December 21, 2012 meets eternity
I was watching an interesting show last night that was hosted by Morgan Freeman. I believe it was called "Through the Wormhole." It touched on issues that I have always found of interest, like life after death and consciousness. Back in 1999 I began doing research for one of my first screenplays, Cipher. Those of you who have kept up with my blog here (and I thank you for doing so) will be aware of that story to some extent; and any of you who read my novel, Monarch, when it is released in December, will also become aware of my fascination with consciousness and the possibility of some trace of ourselves continuing on after we, our physical selves, have expired.
In the show they interviewed a doctor, I believe he was a neurologist, who suffered from meningitis and fell into a coma for a period of time. After he came out of a coma and recovered he vividly remembered experiencing things that he, as a neurologist, would have otherwise found hard to believe; but remember he did. He described crawling around through the dirt and leaves for an extended period of time, saying that it was awful. But then he emerged from the dirt and was taken to flight, as if on the wings of a butterfly. Now he had my attention. He described effortlessly fluttering through valleys along with a large group of other butterflies. He went on to describe being drawn towards space and a source, possibly the source of all existence. Heady stuff for a guy who is not suppose to have the capacity to remember anything after being in the diseased state that he was in.
The show continued on, talking about other near-death experiences, but I was fixed on the doctor's butterfly memory. Can you blame me? I too have an interest in butterflies, especially since my soon-to-be-released novel is titled and patterned after North America's most spectacular butterfly of them all, the Monarch.
Where does 2012 come in to all of this? My story does most definitely deal with that looming date in the not so distant future, and life and death do play an integral part of the story. The story my main character reads, Cipher, also deals with life and death and a parallel existence to ours here, as well as what it postulates for 12/21/2012. Her reading of that particular story as time winds down to 12/21/2012, for her, and all of those in her life, is the crux of the story.
The number four plays a big role in my telling of Monarch. There are not only four stages to my novel, much like there are four stages to the life cycle of the Monarch butterflies life cycle, but also, if I am successful, there are four layers of experience. Allow me to explain. The first layer is of my main character, Ginger, and her life; the second is of the main character in Cipher, Ted Parker, and his struggles; the third is the parallel world that Ted becomes all too aware of; and the fourth is, hopefully, that of the reader of Monarch and the effect the reading of the story might have on the reader. All four of the layers converge on 12/21/2012. Ginger must finish Cipher before that date. Ted's life is all but controlled by the date. The parallel world in Cipher is tied to this one, so it too is controlled by the date. And any reader who I hope will read my Novel will be compelled to read it, much like Ginger is compelled to read Cipher, before 12/21/2012 arrives in one year, six months and four days.
The writing of this story, which I consider beginning way back in 1999 with the first ideas for Cipher, has been the most magnificent journey of my life. The experiences over the past twelve years have been good, bad and somewhere in between. I wouldn't trade them for anything, even if there are days that I wish I could. I can't wait to share it all with you.
Thanks for reading.
-aap
In the show they interviewed a doctor, I believe he was a neurologist, who suffered from meningitis and fell into a coma for a period of time. After he came out of a coma and recovered he vividly remembered experiencing things that he, as a neurologist, would have otherwise found hard to believe; but remember he did. He described crawling around through the dirt and leaves for an extended period of time, saying that it was awful. But then he emerged from the dirt and was taken to flight, as if on the wings of a butterfly. Now he had my attention. He described effortlessly fluttering through valleys along with a large group of other butterflies. He went on to describe being drawn towards space and a source, possibly the source of all existence. Heady stuff for a guy who is not suppose to have the capacity to remember anything after being in the diseased state that he was in.
The show continued on, talking about other near-death experiences, but I was fixed on the doctor's butterfly memory. Can you blame me? I too have an interest in butterflies, especially since my soon-to-be-released novel is titled and patterned after North America's most spectacular butterfly of them all, the Monarch.
Where does 2012 come in to all of this? My story does most definitely deal with that looming date in the not so distant future, and life and death do play an integral part of the story. The story my main character reads, Cipher, also deals with life and death and a parallel existence to ours here, as well as what it postulates for 12/21/2012. Her reading of that particular story as time winds down to 12/21/2012, for her, and all of those in her life, is the crux of the story.
The number four plays a big role in my telling of Monarch. There are not only four stages to my novel, much like there are four stages to the life cycle of the Monarch butterflies life cycle, but also, if I am successful, there are four layers of experience. Allow me to explain. The first layer is of my main character, Ginger, and her life; the second is of the main character in Cipher, Ted Parker, and his struggles; the third is the parallel world that Ted becomes all too aware of; and the fourth is, hopefully, that of the reader of Monarch and the effect the reading of the story might have on the reader. All four of the layers converge on 12/21/2012. Ginger must finish Cipher before that date. Ted's life is all but controlled by the date. The parallel world in Cipher is tied to this one, so it too is controlled by the date. And any reader who I hope will read my Novel will be compelled to read it, much like Ginger is compelled to read Cipher, before 12/21/2012 arrives in one year, six months and four days.
The writing of this story, which I consider beginning way back in 1999 with the first ideas for Cipher, has been the most magnificent journey of my life. The experiences over the past twelve years have been good, bad and somewhere in between. I wouldn't trade them for anything, even if there are days that I wish I could. I can't wait to share it all with you.
Thanks for reading.
-aap
Thursday, June 16, 2011
MY E-BOOK PROGRESS REPORT FOR JUNE
Back in January was when I began work on the rewrite of my first novel, Monarch. The past five and a half months have been filled with ups and downs, most of which I will not bother to discuss. I will say that it has been one of the most memorable rewrites I've ever undertaken. I figure I am about a month or so behind my original goals I made back in December; though, thankfully, I am right on schedule for my backup plan. In that backup plan I had November tenth as the other possible release date for Stage One. I am very happy to report that I am on track to being able to release it then.
The rewrite of Monarch: Egg is progressing. My illustrator, Scott Padgett, has some great ideas for the artwork that will be incorporated into the novel. You may have seen the logo he's working on in a previous post. I think it conveys Ginger's inner-self - a reflective, unique individual whose inner light is leading her through the darkness towards an uncertain future. I have also been fortunate enough to move on to the rewrite of Stage Two this week. Hooray! for progress.
While I will not be able to make my July deadline for release of Stage One, I am planning to give people an opportunity in July to go ahead and make their purchase of Monarch. Not quite sure of the day the Presale will begin, but I am busy coming up with package plans that will benefit those who do make a purchase prior to November. By mid-July you'll be able to go to monarchthenovel.com and purchase your copy and take advantage of the Presale and its perks for buying early.
Further Updates to follow. Thanks for reading.
-aap
The rewrite of Monarch: Egg is progressing. My illustrator, Scott Padgett, has some great ideas for the artwork that will be incorporated into the novel. You may have seen the logo he's working on in a previous post. I think it conveys Ginger's inner-self - a reflective, unique individual whose inner light is leading her through the darkness towards an uncertain future. I have also been fortunate enough to move on to the rewrite of Stage Two this week. Hooray! for progress.
While I will not be able to make my July deadline for release of Stage One, I am planning to give people an opportunity in July to go ahead and make their purchase of Monarch. Not quite sure of the day the Presale will begin, but I am busy coming up with package plans that will benefit those who do make a purchase prior to November. By mid-July you'll be able to go to monarchthenovel.com and purchase your copy and take advantage of the Presale and its perks for buying early.
Further Updates to follow. Thanks for reading.
-aap
Friday, June 10, 2011
Review of Super 8 (Spoilers!)
First, this is a very well made movie and I enjoyed it. The special effects are first rate. When the train from the trailer comes off the tracks the movie really gets going. Fans of the TV series Lost and of Spielberg's older films should really enjoy this. The pacing is relatively quick, and the young actors are up to the task - especially newcomer Joel Courtney and his love interest Elle Fanning, who is stepping out from her big sister's shadow with this performance. And yes, the creature was worth waiting to see. But when all is said and done Super 8 is at its core the tale of two families dealing with past tragedy, while a monster just so happens to be running amuck in their hometown. A town that in one shot reminded me of the village in The Goonies.
Scott, and anyone else who wants to see this movie without knowing specifics, please stop reading now. Spoilers!!! You have been warned.
The main story works extremely well, but there are finer points that worked better in Spielberg directed versions of this film. So much of this movie had such visible brushstrokes from Steven's older films as to be a distraction at times.
The run time was just under two hours, and the film did seem rushed on occasion. JJ could have kept some of what I am sure wound up on the cutting room floor, and the film might very well have been a little better than it already is. It just seemed like something was missing.
The creature is not seen until the last twenty or thirty minutes of the film and we are left with questions, big questions. (I understand not showing it till later, worked for Jaws, but, like I said in my previous post, we don't know much of anything about the creature, though we do get it's motivation.) The main question I had was: Why transport the monster along with the cubes? Or in that case, why would you move him at all? Maybe they explained it in the movie, but it didn't make sense to me.
In one regard this movie is like the last movie I reviewed, Source Code; they both have similarities to films that came before them - same but different. To put things in perspective, Super 8 is an amalgamate of E.T, Goonies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the TV series Lost, plus a number of other films. But it works. I just have two wishes, of which only one has the chance of coming true: first, I wish I had never seen those other films; second, please release the DVD with extra footage about our rowdy, spider-like visitor from outer space.
In conclusion, this is a blockbuster children's movie that those of us who saw E.T. as a child are likely to get a nostalgic thrill out of. Will the creature come back and visit us again? We'll see.
-aap
Scott, and anyone else who wants to see this movie without knowing specifics, please stop reading now. Spoilers!!! You have been warned.
The main story works extremely well, but there are finer points that worked better in Spielberg directed versions of this film. So much of this movie had such visible brushstrokes from Steven's older films as to be a distraction at times.
The run time was just under two hours, and the film did seem rushed on occasion. JJ could have kept some of what I am sure wound up on the cutting room floor, and the film might very well have been a little better than it already is. It just seemed like something was missing.
The creature is not seen until the last twenty or thirty minutes of the film and we are left with questions, big questions. (I understand not showing it till later, worked for Jaws, but, like I said in my previous post, we don't know much of anything about the creature, though we do get it's motivation.) The main question I had was: Why transport the monster along with the cubes? Or in that case, why would you move him at all? Maybe they explained it in the movie, but it didn't make sense to me.
In one regard this movie is like the last movie I reviewed, Source Code; they both have similarities to films that came before them - same but different. To put things in perspective, Super 8 is an amalgamate of E.T, Goonies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the TV series Lost, plus a number of other films. But it works. I just have two wishes, of which only one has the chance of coming true: first, I wish I had never seen those other films; second, please release the DVD with extra footage about our rowdy, spider-like visitor from outer space.
In conclusion, this is a blockbuster children's movie that those of us who saw E.T. as a child are likely to get a nostalgic thrill out of. Will the creature come back and visit us again? We'll see.
-aap
Monday, June 6, 2011
Super 8
I had been planning to see my next movie on a Wednesday night, but I just couldn't pull the trigger with the selections from Memorial Day Weekend - they didn't hold a real interest for me. Even the new X-men movie barely made a blip on my radar. Although, I have heard both X-Men: First Class and Kung Fu Panda 2 are actually pretty good films. If I had tons of money, I might have been more willing to take a chance on one or both of those films, but since I, like so many people these days, am not a gazillionaire, I try and choose wisely what I spend thirty dollars to go see in a theater. This is the week I have been waiting for all year - a movie worth my shelling out the equivalent of half a tank of gas for is finally upon us.
Super 8 will open this Thursday Night/ Friday Morning and you can bet that I will be there in line, even if the NBA finals are still going on. But hopefully they will finish before I make the short trip to my local theater to check out this summer blockbuster.
The buzz around this movie is weird. Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about the awesome potential of this film for months, but I get a mixed reaction from others. Most people see it as I do: A throwback to Spielberg of the 70s and 80s. Which, in my book of hit and miss assessments, is a great thing. But there are others who don't see it that way, and I can understand their concerns. An over-18 crowd might not be interested because of the age of the lead actors. They may assume it is only a children's movie. And child actors can be hit or miss as far as performances, too. Spielberg has a knack for getting great performances out of his young actors, but he is not directing this. This is JJ's first real crack at directing a film that relies so heavily on youngsters. The fact that people have been held in suspense about the creature, much like Cloverfield, could also get under their collective craw. A frustration with the trailers and not knowing what they are going to see, much like the town folk who repeatedly ran when the boy cried wolf, might dissuade a percentage of people from the theaters.
I think the producers are right not to show the creature until they have to. Industrial Light and Magic is doing the effects after all, so naysayers can rest assured that the creature won't suck. Many trailers for films these days show so much of the film that you know what happens before even going to the theater. That is not entirely the case with this movie. We know there is a train wreck as kids are filming a super 8 movie, and that chaos breaks out afterwards as the creature escapes. But we don't know what the creature looks like, its motivations or history. It worked for Spielberg with Jaws. And it has me counting down the hours till 12:01 Friday morning to see this movie.
-aap
Super 8 will open this Thursday Night/ Friday Morning and you can bet that I will be there in line, even if the NBA finals are still going on. But hopefully they will finish before I make the short trip to my local theater to check out this summer blockbuster.
The buzz around this movie is weird. Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about the awesome potential of this film for months, but I get a mixed reaction from others. Most people see it as I do: A throwback to Spielberg of the 70s and 80s. Which, in my book of hit and miss assessments, is a great thing. But there are others who don't see it that way, and I can understand their concerns. An over-18 crowd might not be interested because of the age of the lead actors. They may assume it is only a children's movie. And child actors can be hit or miss as far as performances, too. Spielberg has a knack for getting great performances out of his young actors, but he is not directing this. This is JJ's first real crack at directing a film that relies so heavily on youngsters. The fact that people have been held in suspense about the creature, much like Cloverfield, could also get under their collective craw. A frustration with the trailers and not knowing what they are going to see, much like the town folk who repeatedly ran when the boy cried wolf, might dissuade a percentage of people from the theaters.
I think the producers are right not to show the creature until they have to. Industrial Light and Magic is doing the effects after all, so naysayers can rest assured that the creature won't suck. Many trailers for films these days show so much of the film that you know what happens before even going to the theater. That is not entirely the case with this movie. We know there is a train wreck as kids are filming a super 8 movie, and that chaos breaks out afterwards as the creature escapes. But we don't know what the creature looks like, its motivations or history. It worked for Spielberg with Jaws. And it has me counting down the hours till 12:01 Friday morning to see this movie.
-aap
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