Film Review: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2011) - Revisited

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writers (screenplay): Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn
Writers (story): Sheldon Turner, Bryan Singer
Running Time: 127 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
UK Release Date: 1^st June 2011

Watched on Sky+ Friday 29^th June 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I saw this film on the first day of release just over a year ago and was keen to see it it was still as good when it aired on TV for the first time this week. What follows is basically the review I wrote then with a few alterations and additions. A really enjoyable film with quite a complicated plot but I found that despite a running time of over two hours it really flew by! Testament to the writers, actors, director and everyone else involved, it’s a big thumbs up from me. Here’s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

We are told the story of how Charles Xavier founded his school for mutants in 1963. How he and his best friend, Erik Lehnsherr, later to be known as Magneto, had differing visions for the future for mutants. The stories of Hank McCoy (Beast) and Raven (Mystique), amongst others, are also told, particularly how Raven grew up with Charles but ultimately couldn’t see his vision. The narrative is set against the Cuban Missile Crisis, which, for the purposes of this story, is manipulated by one Sebastian Shaw, who has his own reasons for wanting to start a nuclear war. Shaw also has a very strong significance to Erik but I’m not going to tell you about that here (no spoilers here).

A really well made film with, at its’ heart a really enthralling, well thought-out storyline. Great performances all round, particularly from; James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto, Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, Rose Byrne as CIA agent Moira MacTaggert, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven / Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy / Beast.

As we have come to expect from these films, the special effects are of the highest quality. Fortunately this does not distract from the excellent plot that gives so much more depth to the main characters. There is a fair amount of humour as well, look out for a very brief appearance from Wolverine (very funny). Over all, an exceedingly well made film that I hope becomes a big hit. It’s intelligent without ever talking down to the audience and I really enjoyed it. I would be happy to see it again and it’s still pencilled in to be added to by DVD collection… Recommended.

My Score 8.2/10

IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (based on 195,866 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/

MetaScore: 65/100: (Based on 38 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 87/100 (based on 239 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 88/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 115,264 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_first_class/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Professor Charles Xavier: Ready for this?
Erik Lehnsherr: Let's find out!

[about the Class going into action]
Professor Charles Xavier: They're just kids...
Erik Lehnsherr: No, they WERE kids. Shaw has his army, we need ours.

1st German: Who... What are you?
Erik Lehnsherr: Let's just say I'm Frankenstein's monster. And I'm looking for my creator.

Sean Cassidy: You truly believe I'll fly this time?
Professor Charles Xavier: Unreservedly.
Sean Cassidy: I trust you.
Professor Charles Xavier: I'm touched.
Sean Cassidy: [pointing at Hank] I don't trust him.
Professor Charles Xavier: [to Hank] Say nothing.
Sean Cassidy: I'm gonna die!
Professor Charles Xavier: Alright. Look, we're not gonna make you do anything without...
Erik Lehnsherr: Here, let me help you.
[pushes Sean off the antenna]
Professor Charles Xavier: Erik!
Erik Lehnsherr: What? You know you were thinking the same.

Raven Darkholme: We have to call him, Havok. That's his name now. And we were thinking...
[points to Charles]
Raven Darkholme: ...you should be Professor X...
[points to Erik]
Raven Darkholme: ...and you should be Magneto.
Erik Lehnsherr: Exceptional.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: BRIDESMAIDS (2011)

Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Romance
UK Release date: 24^th June 2011

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 16^th June 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This was the hit comedy of 2011… ‘Even Better than The Hangover’ it proudly proclaims on the poster. For me, that’s not hard, I really didn’t enjoy The Hangover (ducks to avoid flack). There are obvious parallels here but I thought this film was far superior; everything about it from the writing to the performances was so much better. It’s not perfect though, but I’ll tell you about that after this brief summary.

Lillian is getting married and her best friend that she grew up with, Annie Walker, is to be her maid of honour. Now Lillian has made new friends through her husband to be, one of which is Helen, who sees herself as Lillian’s new best friend. It all becomes very competitive as the pair of them vies to do right by Lillian, at times with hilarious consequences (but not always). Annie has a failed bakery business behind her and Helen is married to Dougie’s boss and so is quite well off. In her personal life, Annie is sleeping with a man who doesn’t want a relationship; in fact he’s not to keen on her even spending the night! It’s all getting a bit much for Annie when she’s pulled over by a cop, Rhodes; can he put her back on track? Will she ever come to terms with Helen? These and many other questions are to be answered… and don’t think I’m answering them here! No, Officer Rhodes would have my license! He’s tough you know.

Very well made and yes, it did pass the ‘six laugh test’ – If a comedy doesn’t get more than six laughs from me… it ain’t no comedy! As for performances, well, everyone was very good; Kristen Wiig as Annie Walker, Maya Rudolph as Lillian and Rose Byrne as Helen all did great jobs. I loved Melissa McCarthy as Megan, she really made me laugh and (of course) Chris O'Dowd as Rhodes; I know him from the TV show ‘The IT Crowd’ here in the UK. Also worthy of note were; Rebel Wilson as Brynn, Matt Lucas as Gil, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Rita and Ellie Kemper as Becca. Oh, and look out for Jon Hamm (uncredited) as Ted.

A story about popularity, friendship, love, relationships… all kinds of stuff really; I was kind of struggling to keep up by the end! There is a trend in comedies (of late) of putting people in awkward, uncomfortable, often embarrassing situations and I must say I’m afraid don’t find it funny. You are made to care about a particular character and then laugh at them as they squirm in an uncomfortable situation. Sorry people, it just doesn’t do anything for me. As far as this film goes, yes there were some of those moments, but there were also some truly comic moments, mostly supplied by the wonderful Melissa McCarthy, it has to be said; although Kristen Wiig and Chris O'Dowd did raise a titter or two. The surprise for me though, was the performance of Rose Byrne, she did really well in a genre I wouldn’t particularly associate with her. Over all, I must say, despite a couple of misgivings, I did enjoy this film a lot more than I expected to… Recommended.

My score: 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.9/10 (based on 93,096 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1478338/

MetaScore: 75/100: (Based on 39 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 90/100 (based on 232 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 73/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 87,373 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridesmaids_2011/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Megan: I'm glad he's single because I'm going to climb that like a tree.

Helen's Stepson: I've seen better tennis playing in a tampon commercial.

Rhodes: Do you want to tell a cop about it? We're just like priests except we would tell everybody afterwards.

Rhodes: If I wasn't a cop anymore, I would still go out with a gun and shoot people.

Annie: This is the first time I've seen you look ugly, and that makes me happy!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.bridesmaidsmovie.com
Trailer:

Film Review: X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (2011)

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Running Time: 132 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama
UK Release Date: 1st June 2011

Watched at the Cinema Wednesday 1st June 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

It isn’t often I get to see a film on the first day of release, but due to a timely week off work I was able to make it to the first screening at my local cinema. There was no need to rush, the other eight people there were well spread out and I had an entire row (or six) to myself! I guess I should talk about the film… that’s why you’re reading this after all. Really enjoyable with quite a complicated plot but I found that despite a running time of over two hours it really flew by! Testament to the writers, actors, director and everyone else involved, it’s a big thumbs up from me.

We are told the story of how Charles Xavier founded his school for mutants in 1963. How he and his best friend, Erik Lehnsherr, later to be known as Magneto, had differing visions for the future for mutants. The stories of Hank McCoy (Beast) and Raven (Mystique), amongst others, are also told, particularly how Raven grew up with Charles but ultimately couldn’t see his vision. The narrative is set against the Cuban Missile Crisis, which, for the purposes of this story, is manipulated by one Sebastian Shaw, who has his own reasons for wanting to start a nuclear war. Shaw also has a very strong significance to Erik but I’m not going to tell you about that here (no spoilers here).

Great performances all round, particularly from; James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto, Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, Rose Byrne as CIA agent Moira MacTaggert, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven / Mystique and Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy / Beast.

As we have come to expect from these films, the special effects are of the highest quality. Fortunately this does not distract from the excellent plot that gives so much more depth to the main characters. There is a fair amount of humour as well, look out for a very brief appearance from Wolverine (very funny). Over all, an exceedingly well made film that I hope becomes a big hit. It’s intelligent without ever talking down to the audience and I really enjoyed it. I would be happy to see it again and it’s already pencilled in to be added to by DVD collection… Recommended.

My Score 8.5/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1270798/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/x_men_first_class/
Official Site: http://www.x-menfirstclassmovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: KNOWING (2009)

Director: Alex Proyas
Running time: 115 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

UK Release Date: 25th March 2009

Watched on DVD Monday 14th April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I have heard many mixed reviews about this film, so it was with a little trepidation I put the disc in the DVD player. I shouldn’t have worried, I can see why the reviews are mixed, but over all it’s not all that bad. Admittedly, it could have been done a lot better, but I’ll accept it as it stands. The setting is Massachusetts in the United States and we start in the year 1959.

Lucinda Embry is a loner and she hears whispering voices that she doesn’t talk about. To celebrate the opening of a new school it is decided that they will bury a time capsule at Lucinda’s suggestion. All of the class are to draw pictures of what they think life will be like in 50 years time, when the capsule will be opened. Lucinda just writes down numbers and her teacher, exasperated, puts her effort in anyway. On the day the capsule is buried Lucinda goes missing and is eventually found in a basement closet scratching more numbers into the door. We now switch to Massachusetts of the present day (2009) where MIT professor, John Koestler lives alone with his son Caleb. It just happens that Caleb attends the same school that Lucinda went to 50 years before. On the day of the opening of the capsule Caleb is handed Lucinda’s envelope, which he takes home. John sees the numbers and is intrigued by them. He works out that the numbers represent disasters that have happened in the past, along with the number of fatalities and the location. The trouble is, there are three events that are yet to happen! He tries to find Lucinda, but she had died some time ago, but she had a daughter, Diana Wayland. John eventually tracks Diana down; she too has a daughter, Abby. As the predictions from Lucinda’s numbers come true, John realises what the last event will be and what the consequences are for the entire human race. I think that’s enough spoilers for one day!

It’s a very well made film with a lot of use of CGI, possibly too much IMHO. There’s plenty of excitement to keep the tempo up and quite a decent soundtrack. An element of mystery kept me interested until the end, but I did find it a little too long. Decent performances from all of the major players, honourable mentions go to Nicolas Cage as Professor Jonathan ‘John’ Koestler, Chandler Canterbury as Caleb Koestler, Rose Byrne as Diana Wayland and Lara Robinson as Abby Wayland & Lucinda Embry.

It’s not the best film of its genre, but it’s certainly not the worst. I found it pretty entertaining and the mystery of the ‘strangers’ kept me enthralled (I know I didn’t mention them earlier). Over all, it’s a little over long and relies a little too heavily on CGI, but apart from that it’s not all that bad. Recommended for entertainment & mystery, but you’ll probably only watch it once.

My score: 7.1/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0448011/
Official Site: http://www.knowing-themovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3391554329/