Throwback Image
Thesis
Playing poker with friends has its ups and downs. But that's not what I'm going to talk about tonight (good game, Jay; happy birthday, Annamarie; see ya soon, Kyle). Instead, this blog will hold fast to Rza's June Blogging Challenge - which means another movie review. This one won't be as rambling and ridiculously long as my Tree Of Life review. It'll even be about a lamestream summer blockbuster!
<< BREAKING NEWS >>
We briefly interrupt this blog to inform you that Lil B and Lil Wayne have recorded a track together for Weezy's upcoming pre-Carter IV mixtape, Sorry 4 The Wait. Thank You Based God. We now return to regular blogging.
Summer Movie Review (04)
X-Men: First Class [2011]
Directed by
Matthew Vaughn
#SurpriseSummer2011 Whoda thunk that Thor and First Class would turn out to be killer comic book movies? After the middling X3 and the abominable Wolverine (still haven't brought myself to watch all of it), my expectations for another Fox-owned X-Men movie were pretty low. But Matthew Vaughn and crew created something special: a superhero origins story that feels fresh, a blockbuster with character-motivated action, and a message that doesn't feel forced. This is the lamestream summer movie to beat.
It is maybe important for this review to understand that I'm an X-Men fanboy. My first artwork to hang in my dad's cubicle was of the X-Men (a drawing I recreated eight years later because I am a nerd). My poor little brother couldn't watch Sesame Street like other toddlers, because I was too busy watching the X-Men animated series. A few years later, I actually graphic-novelized the 2000 film. And I'm currently dedicating a startling percentage of my income to buying collections of Grant Morrison's early-'00s run on New X-Men. All of this to say:
i nerd... First Class make me :)
So, maybe this movie isn't for you. But it's for me. And shouldn't it be held to a different criteria than The Tree Of Life? This is a big summer movie with just the right amount of heart and just the right amount of silly. I love the look, I love the pacing, and I love the story. The vibe of the movie feels right. Erik and Charles' relationship feels right. The dynamic of the X-Men feels right. I don't care that Banshee isn't Irish or that Beast looks a little off or that Moira isn't a geneticist (okay, I'm a little bummed that Moira isn't a geneticist). All I care about is the spirit of coalition and fun. This movie has both.
It also has standout performances and a refreshingly breakneck pace. Michael Fassbender should get awards for his Magneto, all dedication and simmering anger. James McAvoy's Professor X is freewheeling and spirited, with enough seriousness and thoughtfulness to be developed later into the bald Charles everybody knows and loves. For as great as Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart were in these roles, it's remarkable what these young actors were able to do. A few of the moments shared between the two nearly had me in tears (seriously).
Real talk: this is the best X-Men movie yet.
While the first X-Men movie was a revelation back in the day, and X2 had some self-serious swag, neither movie had as much of a good time with the X-Men as this movie did. And it's this fun and adventurous spirit that ends up being the film's strongest attribute. Because behind all of the liberal themes and wacky sci-fi melodrama, X-Men is above all about having fun being whoever you are. First Class captured that sentiment while still delivering on the goods of a big action flick. To me, that makes this is a perfect summer movie.
Summer Music Review (03)
Changing gears. Might as well talk about what I'm listening to right now.
Shadowland [2011]
by Barn Owl
Okay, I intended this review to be longer, but I'm getting hella sleepy. I've listened to it like four times in a row now (it being a relatively short EP), and it has stayed engaging. This is the first Barn Owl I've listened to, but if the rest of their output is this brooding and assured, then I'm gonna have a new love affair this summer. This three-song release is all tension and texture, mood and motion. Sounds like it's burrowing away into my brain. There's plenty more to write, but seriously. Sleepy.
Conclusions
I'm waking up not too long from now to run with my co-worker baby. It'll be good for me. I really do love to sweat. Especially in the rain. I'm a little concerned about my circadian rhythm, at which I threw a major curveball after staying up until 5 AM to watch Game Of Thrones. It certainly wasn't good for me to watch all nine episodes in a single sixteen-hour span, but I can't help but feel a little bit accomplished.
Well, now that my cereal is gone: to bed.
Next Purchase
No comments:
Post a Comment