Ranking the films of the X-Men franchise

Now that I have seen X-Men; Days of Future past, I would like to take the time to rank the seven films so far. The next installment is X-Men: Age of Apocalypse. Back in the 80's I got into the Uncanny X-Men right around the Dark Phoenix saga in 1981. From There I had a subscription until I finished high school in 1988. Not only did I collect the X-Men but I collected X-Force and the New Mutants (there were other non X-Men titles too as that's where my paper route money went. So I consider myself something of a X-Men connoisseur. A thing to remember is no movie can be 100% loyal to the source material so the diehards need to get over it. Let's do this!

7. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009): I made the mistake of going to the midnight premiere of this film and because of it, I haven't gone to another. This is the lowest rated X-Men film on Rottentomatoes.com and there's a reason for it. We already knew a lot about his backstory and we didn't really to see all if it in my opinion. Here was a shocker, Logan and Sabertooth are related! They kind of hinted at that in the first film and they gave us the Logan/Sabertooth dynamic that no one asked for. This film was ambitious though, if successful, a Deadpool film would've happened (it's still a possibility) and a Gambit film couldn't have been to far behind. Essentially it's a long commercial for hair products with Jackman is the pitchman. He can't keep his shirt on and he seems to yell a lot.

6. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006): This was a tough call between this and X-Men Origins for last place. At the end of the day The Last Stand was a bad X-Men film while Origins was an awful film. This film had so much potential but it was possibly doomed from the get go as Bryan Singer left the franchise to direct Superman Returns (effectively putting that franchise back in a coma until 2012) and taking James Mardsen (Cyclops) with him. What keeps this out of last place was that it at least tried. There was a good film in there, one that stayed close to the Dark Phoenix saga but failed to reach the mark. It's possible that I'm being too nice. Who knows but if Origins is on TV I will pass it by without hesitation but I would stick around for a few minutes with this one.

5. The Wolverine (2013): Not a bad film but it offered nothing of substance to the X-Men franchise. This was strictly a money grab and to make up for the heinousity that was Origins. The film tells the tale of Logan's time in Japan after the events of The Last Stand. I've stated this before, Wolverine is the cash cow of the franchise. No doubt there is a sequel to this in the works somewhere. My review can be read here.

4. X-Men (2000): The film that started it all. Solid performances from Stewart and McKellan. Jackman turned out to be an excellent choice for Wolverine. Solid in all spots with a few notable exceptions. It did a nice job of laying the groundwork for the franchise.

3. X-Men: First Class (2011): This was another tough call between this and the first film of the franchise. It gets my vote for the bronze medal based on the performances of Fassbender and McAvoy. The filmmakers did a great job of molding the relationship between Xavier and Magneto that. The inclusion of nemesis Sebastian Shaw was a nice touch too as well as using the Cuban Missile Crisis as the introduction of the X-men, just like the comics. The film did make a few changes to the canon:

• Hank McCoy invents Cerebro in this film but X-Men states that both Xavier and Magneto created it tohether.
• Xavier says in X-Men that he can't read Magneto's thoughts because of the helmet that he made for Magneto. In this film Magneto steals it from Shaw after he kills him.
• Moira MacTaggert is a CIA agent but a scientist in the post credit scene of X-Men: The Last Stand.

The things that I didn't like about this film didn't weigh that much apparently. Maybe it was the swinging 60s wardrobe for the female cast members that swayed my decision.

Hmm, those examples are just lingerie. 

It must have been the homage to the original blue/yellow uniforms from the comics.

Definitely the homage to the original costumes. Yes, that it is the reason.

2.  X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014): My review of the film has been posted. Bryan Singer was back directing and there were excellent performances all around. The film did it's best to tie up any loose ends caused by previous installments. Again the Xavier/Magneto relationship takes center stage (along with Wolverine. Given). It also stayed as close as it could to the source material. Heck I may go see this again now that I think about. Also, nice work on the 70's wardrobe and hairdos.

1. X2: X-Men United (2003): Regarded as a metaphor for gay rights this was the best of the bunch. It introduced us to Logan nemesis William Stryker and used some plot lines from the 1982 graphic novel, God Loves, Man Kills. This film also gives us a look into Jean Grey's Phoenix persona (that Last Stand failed to complete delivery on). It also marked a increase in the Logan/Mystique dynamic that kind of fizzled out for some reason. This film didn't get this highest rotten tomatoes rating of the franchise but it's widely regarded as the best by people who can write better than I can. 

Thank you for your time.

7. X-Men: Days of Future Past

Film number seven of 2014. I've said it before that I used to be a huge fan of the X-Men comics in the 80s, I've seen all the films and will continue to do so. There are in fact, people out there who are way more involved with the timeline for the X-Men franchise and are better at explaining it. Here's an interesting link and there's a ton more Zergnet. What I will do here is discuss the film and how it pertains to the X-Universe.

As stated prior, the Days of Future Past plot line was a 2 issue story arc that took place right after the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Kitty Pryde is sent back in time to change history so that mutant kind won't be wiped out by the sentinels. In that arc, Kitty is trying to stop the murder of Senator Robert Kelly. When Kelly is killed, the sentinel initiative gets pushed through Congress, then mutants and superhumans will be hunted down. For the sake of the film, Wolverine gets sent back, he's currently the most popular character and there's also a time difference that would make it impossible for Kitty to go back. Wolverine's healing power makes it more feasible. Beside, do we really need to see a film where Kitty Pryde do all the heavy lifting? No we don't. Also, instead of staunch anti-mutant Senator Kelly, we get sentinel creator Bolivar Trask is the target of the assassination that sets forth the chain of events that will lead to the destruction of not just mutants but mankind.

Most of the cast from all of the X-Men films are back as well. They include:

• Hugh Jackman as Wolverine 
• Patrick Stewart as Professor X
• Ian McKellen as Magneto 
• Halle Berry as Storm
• Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde
• James McAvoy as Prof X from X-Men First Class
• Michael Fassbender as Magneto from X-Men First Class
• Nicholas Holt as Hank McCoy/Beast from X-Men First Class
• Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique from X-Men First Class

Non X-Men First Class alum like Colossus, Iceman and Rogue show up as well. New mutants like Blink, Sunspot (different version than the comic) and Cable (who's power I still don't understand) are also in the film. The character of William Stryker also makes another appearance. Havok from First Class is back as well but he like a few others has a minor role that offers almost no significance other than a friendly face. Before I move on, I want to say that the performance Peter Dinklage gives as Bolivar Trask was nothing short of brilliant. 

The film opens up in the year 2023, sentinels have pushed mutants and mankind alike to the edge of extinction. The X-Men battle with sentinels and usually get defeated but Kitty is able to send Bishop back in time a few days to warn them of the impending attack, allowing them to seek refuge somewhere else to avoid destruction. The opening scene takes place in Moscow but Kitty sends Bishop back just in time and we next see everyone gathered in China. It's here where we learn that in 1973 Mystique kills Trask, starting a chain of events that see the creation of the sentinels and they're evolution to unstoppable killing machines. Xavier, Magneto, Kitty and Wolverine hatch a plan to send Wolverine back as his healing power will allow him the survive a trip that far back. His goal is to link up with the 1973 version of Prof X and stop Mystique from murdering Trask because after the murder, Mystique is captured and it's her DNA that will eventually lead to the sentinels being able to counter the X-Men's powers. Magneto, Prof X and Iceman stay with Kitty as she sends Logan back. Keeping a lookout for the sentinels outside the temple are Colossus, Cable, Storm, Sunspot, Blink and Warpath (eventually when they're overrun Magneto and Iceman become the last line of defense).

Logan makes it to 1973 successfully and he makes short time to Xavier's rundown mansion (be advised: it's the 70's so all the character in this plot line are wearing bitching 70s threads with the wide ties, short skirts and hairdos, much like the cast sported groovy 60s clothes in X-Men First Class). Hank McCoy is living at the mansion with Xavier and Charles hasn't been the same since we last saw him in X-Men First Class. Thanks to Hank's concoction, he is able to walk but the serum stunts his telepathic abilities (that's why he's walking around in the trailer). Reluctantly, Xavier decides to help Logan and they need to bust Magneto out of prison. To help with that they recruit Peter Maximoff aka Quicksilver, the Marvel Universe's answer to The Flash. 

Once Magneto is out the alliance between him and Xavier is tentative at best as there is a lot of underlying bitterness between the two since Cuba. Each blame each other for abandoning the cause. Eventually they end up in France where the Vietnam Peace Accords are underway and Trask will be there. They manage to thwart Mystique's plot but the ensuing flight causes a panic as mutants are out in the public. Trask may have been saved but the commotion in Paris allows him the get the funding for the sentinels.  Mystique escapes but she's shot and her blood/DNA is collected. So far nothing has changed. In 2023, the sentinels locate the mutants and begin to attack the temple, they all know that this is it. 

 Magneto has ended up getting metal into the sentinels during transport (they're made with a non metal polymer so Magneto cannot use his powers against them) and turns them on the crowd at their unveiling in Washington on the White House lawn. Logan, Hank and Xavier (having stopped taking the serum so his powers have returned) do battle with Magneto and Mystique but it doesn't go well. Eventually it's Mystique that decides not to kill Trask and thwarts Magneto. Xavier is able to convince Magneto to not kill anyone but allows him to escape. Wolverine gets himself launch into the Potomac by Magneto (Logan hasn't undergone his adamantium bath in 1973 but Magneto go the best of him anyway. Good scene). 

Back in 2023, the sentinels have gruesomely dispatched the defenders and are about to close it out when the events of 1973 cause everything to fade to black. Logan awakens in the X mansion and all appears well.  Sorry about the length there but I wanted to give an idea of what was going on without giving everything away.

I thought this film was very good This is the 7th film of franchise and there are continuity issues still looming but I'll discuss those in a bit. The performance will solid all the way around. I've mentioned Dinklage's performance earlier. The dynamic between McAvoy and Fassbender is excellent. Both embrace the characters (again) and play off each other nicely. Both blame the other for mutants being hunted and the deaths of the colleagues (characters from First Class were captured, tortured and experimented on by Trask) in very powerful scenes. 

Wolverine is the cash cow of the franchise, that if any was a factor in having his character go back to 1973. However, his role at the end of the 1973 timeline is minimal which I found quite surprising and yet refreshing. This was about Magneto and Xavier and that's how it played out. Nice work. The introduction of Quicksilver was nice too. Logan mentions that he knows a guy who can help them get into the Pentagon where Magneto is imprisoned. Quicksilver in the comics was always a bit of a dick but in the film he's a just a goofball kid. The scenes where he uses his powers are nicely done in terms of humor and special effects. In the comics Quicksilver is the son of Magneto (his sister, the Scarlet Witch is Magneto's daughter) but there's only a wink wink reference to his paternity and if it is Magneto then it happened prior to the events of X-Men First Class so who cares. No need to muddy up the water any more. 

Jennifer Lawrence was a hot commodity when production of this film began and I suspect that had a lot to do with her role expanding in this film. Rebecca Romijin was never as popular as JLaw is now so Mystique is close to Wolverine type popularity (though not enough to garner her own film). It makes sense and JLaw is very talented. I was lukewarm about the way she was introduced in First Class but it works in terms of the plot. The special effects are very good as well. I wasn't bothered by a lack of Rogue. Her character has been diminished since the first installment. No big loss.

Now the continuity. This film more or less hits the reset button on the franchise. There are some questions that may never get answered but they're probably minor. For instance, Emma Frost. You can see the sentinels manifest her mutation in the future but she was a woman in First Class and a teenager in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. To help illustrate the timeline issue I was able to find a graphic:

The very end is the key. It washes away a lot of the plot sins of the other films by Logan waking up in 2023 back at the X mansion and running into the likes of Rogue, Jean Grey and Cyclops. So it's possible that parts of the 1st three X-Men films may have never happened. I'm ok with some continuity issues. They way the films are made there are going to be some. You can argue that X-Men Origins: Wolverine didn't need to be made (it didn't) but Wolverine is the cash cow and we are going to see films involving him. The big continuity issue was Professor Xavier. He died in Last Stand. He did manage to come back in the end credit scene but it was in the body of another person. Yet in the end credit scene of The Wolverine, there he is. There was no attempt to explain that little bugaboo. 

The next step will be to rank the franchise films but as of now, this film is near the top. Stay tuned. The end credit scene was at first confusing but I eventually figured it out with a little help. The next installment will be X-Men: Age of Apocalypse. 

6. Godzilla

Film number six this year in 2014. I'm going a bit slow but whatever, I'll probably ramp it up over the summer and quite frankly I really haven't been interested in a lot of titles that have come out so far. However, I was really looking forward to Godzilla. When I was but a wee lad prior to Star Wars in 1977, Godzilla was my favorite film character. I loved me some Godzilla. As I grew older, I began to realize that these films weren't all that good. Then in 1998, the guys who gave us Stargate and ID4 (another film that doesn't stand the test of time but that's a discussion for another time) were bringing Godzilla back! Suffice to say I was pretty stoked. Granted the film was pretty awful, it made a lot of money but it was bad. I can put my faith in Will Smith to save Earth even when he's teamed up with Jeff Goldblum  but Matthew Broderick saving NYC? Sorry, even with my vivid imagination it wasn't going to happen. The monster looked good, they gave it a real dinosaur kind of feel since there had already been 2 Jurassic Park films before Roland Emmerich's version of Godzilla was released. The story was lacking to say the least but at least they sold a lot action figures (which is pretty what it's all about these days in film, merchandising!).

In director Gareth Edwards' reboot, the origin of Godzilla is kind of swept aside but we do get some tidbits about his history. Originally, Godzilla was a spawn of the atomic age, a message that the "atomic monster" would wipe us all out if humanity wasn't careful. That's the way life was when the original Japanese version came out in 1954 (the threat of nuclear annihilation was very real back then). In the reboot, the story is that the Pacific nuclear tests were designed to kill Godzilla. I'm fine with that, I know his origin and to skip it and get to the good stuff is cool with me.

So Godzilla was an issue for awhile and thanks to atomic weapons, he seemed to have disappeared. Then we go to the Philippines in 1999, where a caved in mine leads to a discovery of a large fossil and what appears to be a hatched egg of some sorts and you can see the path that this large creature cut as it made its way to the sea. In a sleepy coastal Japanese town where Bryan Cranston & Juliette Binoche work at the nuclear power plant and live with their young son, there have been some seismic anomalies. Cranston is worried about them and Binoche goes into the reactor to check on it. Disaster strikes and Cranston is forced to seal off the reactor with his wife and her team inside. Harsh stuff. The plant is nearly destroyed and the town is evacuated and placed under quarantine. An earthquake is to blame.

Fast forward to present day, Cranston's son (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) returns home from Afghanistan to his wife (Elizabeth Olsen) and son. He is a Navy EOD expert. He's home one night and gets a call that his Dad was arrested for being in the quarantine zone. So much for spending time with his family. Cranston still hasn't gotten over his wife's death and doesn't buy the earthquake excuse and has been investigating it since it happened. So much so that he's now a crackpot. Cranston manages to convince Taylor-Johnson to sneak back into the area with him to retrieve his diskettes (remember those?) When there, Cranston takes off his protective gear, the area is clean. No radiation. They go back to their old home to retrieve the floppy disks and a few keepsakes (there's a shot of some damaged items that clearly spell out Mothra, nice). Given, they're caught and while being interrogated Cranston meets up with Ken Watanabe (Dr. Ishiro Serizawa, it's an homage to the original film). The two compare notes about what happened and they get to the root of the problem. A giant cocoon has been feeding off the radiation for the last 15 years and the Watanabe and his Monarch Project team (the group that has been clandestinely been in charge of the Godzilla in the 50's) are dumbfounded as to what it is. Now with Cranston's findings they have an idea but before they can put together a hypothesis, the cocoon breaks open and the giant monster inside starts to wreak havoc.

This is the toy version. Merchandising!

During the creature's rampage, Cranston is mortally wounded but not before Watanabe collects him and Taylor-Johnson to head to a US Naval aircraft carrier to begin pursuit (not exactly sure what Cranston was going to do being on death's door but I'm just a spectator so what do I know). Onboard the carrier, the monster is known as a M.U.T.O (massive unidentified terrestrial object). The MUTO has a special power, it can deliver an electromagnetic pulse which renders all electronics useless. This MUTO can also fly and it eludes the carrier force after setting off an EMP. During the chase, the Navy picks up a new signal, a real big one. Care to wager a guess on the identity of the signal? Yes, it's Godzilla! We get to see a full glimpse of Godzilla on Hawaii as he and the MUTO have a go. The battle is short lived as the MUTO escapes and heads for mainland USA with Godzilla and the Navy in hot pursuit. While chasing the MUTO to the mainland, Watanabe discovers that the signal the MUTO is emitting is a mating call and sure enough, there's a female MUTO that was stored in the US governments nuclear waste storage facility in Nevada and it's now loose.

Here's where the Navy hatches a bold plan to eliminate all 3 monsters. Despite the fact that the MUTOs feed on radiation, the military is going to "lure" all creatures to San Francisco and detonate a nuclear device so that the blast will kill them. This is where Taylor-Johnson comes back into play. They need to re-equip the warheads with an older non-electrical timer so the MUTO's EMPs won't render it useless. Watanabe is against this idea because he feels that nature will balance things out in the form of Godzilla. Like the rest of us, he wants to see a Kaiju battle but the stuffy military is more worried about civilian casualties. Of course the military's plan backfires, the female MUTO eats one of the warheads and the male gives the second one to her as a food source for the soon to be born hatchlings. To speed up the synopsis, Godzilla and the MUTOs do indeed have an epic battle during which time, Taylor-Johnson himself destroys the unborn hatchlings (much to the dismay of the now angered female MUTO). Godzilla defeats the MUTOs but apparently dies in the process (destroying all hopes for a franchise in the process).

During the aftermath, Taylor-Johnson regroups with his wife and young boy and the news media hails Godzilla as a hero (a scrolling banner reads "Godzilla, King of the Monsters saves our city"), the destruction of the city being a small price to pay. However, Godzilla was only just resting, he gets up, gives the people a wink and dives into water and swims home (franchise restored!) Everyone lives happily ever after. Except for all the military and civilian personnel who lost their lives during the conflict. Honolulu, Las Vegas and San Francisco are in ruins but its no big deal (much like Metropolis after the Superman Zod battle in Man of Steel) because that stuff takes care of itself right?

Getting to the point, I liked this film. It was a straight monster movie. The specials effects were really good and the final battle between Godzilla and the female MUTO was great. The film didn't get bogged down in all the human nonsense like the 1998 version (did anyone really care about the relationship between Broderick and Maria Portillo? Me neither) but there was enough with the family dynamic of Cranston/Taylor-Johnson and Olsen to keep it moving. Some people may not like the limited role that Cranston had but in the end the film was about Godzilla. Some people may not like that Godzilla seemed overweight or that his only purpose was to keep the MUTOs from doing their thing. What does Godzilla do? He fights monsters. This was far from a perfect film but it never set out to be that. There were things I didn't care for but it wasn't enough to get into a twist over (I thought the scrolling banner was dumb and Godzilla's "death" was really nothing more than filler as you know sequels are in the works as I write this). Its an action film, a summer blockbuster. Its purpose is to give the audience an escape and it did that, I mean it was better than Pacific Rim. Godzilla was fun and entertaining and it didn't seem to have an underlying theme other than family and that nature will somehow find a way to even things out.

This film was enjoyable and I recommend seeing it on this big screen at it was intended. Thank you for your time.

June 2014 Film Preview

June 6th

• Edge of Tomorrow: Tom Cruise stars as a soldier fighting aliens with Emily Blunt. The thing here is Cruise is reliving the same day. Think Groundhog Day meets Source Code. There's some cool stuff and they fight the aliens in mecha suits in the trailer but Cruise hasn't done a really good action film in awhile. I may take a pass on this.
• The Fault in our Stars: Everyone's new sweetheart Shailene Woodley stars as a teenaged cancer victim coping with cancer and being a teenage girl. She meets hunky stud Ansel Elgort at a support group and they fall in love. Elgort's character lost a leg to cancer or something so despite being 2 really good looking people, they're also flawed. There will be some tearjerking scenes and a possible unhappy ending. This is a film that is probably not aimed at my demographic.
• Willow Creek: Bobcat Goldthwait (yeah, that guy) directs this "found footage" film about a cute mid-late 20s couple who go into the woods and possibly meet their demise. As an added bonus, Bigfoot maybe involved. This looks low budget for sure so this title may be a difficult to find.
• Obvious Child: Jenny Slate stars as a 20 something stand up comic who's having some issues in her young life (like most twenty-somethings). She winds up getting pregnant from a one night stand and tries to figure out how to tell the guy while they kind of fall for each other. Think Juno for the post college crowd. This is another indie film that may not get a wide release but look for it on iTunes perhaps. Obvious Child hits all the indie benchmarks: quirky but cute characters, cool soundtrack and relevant (to the characters) issues. Another film not in my demographic. 
• Trust Me: SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson stars, writes and directs this dramedy about a down on his luck child actor agent. The once successful agent is striking out in his career and personal life until he represents and up & comer Saxon Sharbino who could change his fortunes. His nemesis is fellow agent Sam Rockwell who has been getting the best of him as late. Trust Me looks a lot like Jerry MacGuire but it does have a very talented cast. Now the film debuted at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival but is just now going into a limited release. If you can find this, please beware because as of now it has yet to be rated on rottentomatoes.com.

June 13th

• How to Train Your Dragon 2: Hiccup and Toothless are back and better than ever. There's more dragons, more dragon hijinx and I'm sure Hiccup and Astrid explore their feelings for each other. Hiccup also meets up with his long lost mother who happens to have an in with dragons. I saw the original and it was a nice film. I probably won't see this in the theatre but when it hits HBO or Redbox, I'll check it out.
• 22 Jump Street: Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum now go undercover at Spring Break. I ran away from 21 Jump Street and I will avoid this one. Upon seeing the trailer, it is not hard to see where the film is going to take you. Again, not aimed at my demographic.
• The Rover: Every tweens favorite pasty skinned, brooding vampire stars with Guy Pierce in a dystopian Australian Outback. Pearce has a run in with a gang and teams up with the guy they left behind, Pattinson. This film is dark, gritty and violent (about what I'd expect from a film set in the dystopian Outback). This is another film that may not see a wide release but it looks pretty cool. Personally, I'd like it a lot more if it didn't have Pattinson but ya can't have everything. Right?
• Lullaby: Richard Jenkins plays the patriarch who has been slowly dying of cancer for years. He's ready to have the plugs pulled and wants to see his estranged kids one last time (this sounds real familiar). Well at least his son is estranged because he's got stubble and plays in a band. The daughter apparently followed in her dad's footsteps and became a lawyer and she files an injunction so he can't have the plug pulled. Along comes the son's old flame (Amy Adams alert) and he starts to see things a little differently. This is the type of drama that only happens to rich people, if Jenkins was poor or middle class then there wouldn't be a movie. 
• The Signal: Nic and Hailey are 2 young lovers who are in Nevada hiking for some reason the trailer doesn't explain. They're an ordinary young adult couple who do funs stuff and make goo-goo eyes at each other. Something then happens (in the woods no less) and Nic they wake up in a weird hospital with Laurence Fishburne in a anti-virus suit telling them something has happened. Nic decides to bust out of this prison, grabs Hailey and goes on the lamb. Fishburne and his buddies aren't too keen on this and try to bring them back. It also looks like Nic gets some "powers" because he came in contact with "The Signal." 
• All Cheerleaders Must Die: A group of nubile high school girls (from the cheerleading team in case you were wondering) die in a car accident but are saved by becoming vampires. Suffice to say that they take a shine to their status as undead creatures and start a bloodsucking spree at their school. This one is Mean Girls meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This looks pretty stupid.
• Hellion: Kat Candler writes and directs this tale of a teenage boy who's behavior causes his little brother to be taken away by children's services. The older boy and his absentee father (Aaron Paul) must make amends and bring the family back together. Originally made as a short in 2012, Candler got funding to make a full length feature and was able to bag a post Breaking Bad Aaron Paul. Dark Indie drama.

June 20th

• Think Like a Man Too: The gang from Think Like a Man is back and this time they're going to Vegas! Since the original cost only $12 million to produce and raked in nearly $100 million why up the ante and go to Vegas just like The Hangover. The difference here is that instead of just the men having a bachelor party, the women have their bachelorette party too and the ladies take it up a notch (so you have The Hangover meets Bridesmaids all in one, except this cast is much better looking)! Be advised...I never saw the original but the trailer practically screams The Hangover for African-Americans! There's aslo some funny stereotypes too, the like scene involving Kevin Hart and not being able to swim (I didn't laugh). 
• Jersey Boys: Film adaptation of the Broadway play. Christopher Walken is in it.
• Third Person: An ensemble cast that breaks down into 3 stories involving people in different stages of relationships in 3 different cities; Rome, Paris and NYC. James Franco and Mila Kunis are an estranged couple fighting for custody of their young son in New York. Liam Neeson is in Paris (writing a book not killing sex traffickers) with Olivia Wilde, who's not his wife. his wife is back home played by Kim Basinger. Adrien Brody is in Rome with Moran Atias (The trailer leaves their part ambiguous for times sake I guess). The kicker here is that everything could be part of Liam Neeson's new book he's writing. Paul Haggis directed and wrote the screenplay so it could be interesting to see but it logs in a 137 minutes and that might be too much for my tastes. At that length it gets hard for me to get into the problems of good looking people. If there's good buzz around it, my girlfriend has an interest in seeing it and I've already seen Godzilla and X-Men, then it's possible that I could see this. 
• Coherence: a group of 8 good looking, thin friends gather for a dinner party on the night a comet passes over the Earth. Things go bad when the lights go out and weird shit starts to happen when. The tension mounts as they run lower on wine and things don't appear right. Shot in close quarters, this looks interesting. Things start to break down and the cast starts to turn on each other (I almost never get tired of that trope). This is a small indie sci-fi so it may not get a wide release. If it's available near me I may take a chance on it.

June 27th

• Transformers: Age of Extinction: Mark Wahlberg replaces Shia LaBeauf in the 4th Transformers installment. After the 3rd film, the transformers have gone underground while Chicago licks its wounds. Apparently, we Americans are none to happy with giant robots now so there's a bit a prejudice towards them and they blend in by becoming regular modes of transportation. That said, transformer evil never sleeps, it just lays dormant until its time for a sequel. Something happens, Prime gets awakened and reforms the Autobots to fight whatever evil may be out there. Merchandising is a large factor in this film as the Dynobots will make an appearance. I saw the 1st 3 films in the theater and unless someone I trust tells me I need to see this film, I'm going to pass. They're looking to sell action figures here and I've had enough. There's no doubt in my mind the the specials effects will be great but I doubt other than new transformers it's all been done. Enough already. Though, with my life on the line, I'd rather see this film than Blended.
• Snowpiercer: In a post apocalyptic future where the the survivors of an ice age (yep, climate change finally got us) are crammed together in a train. However, 1st class and coach take on a whole new meaning as the train is divided by class (or rich section/poor section) and a police force keeps the poor folk at the end of the train. This doesn't sit well with Chris (Captain America) Evans and he's going to do something about. However, he needs to find a security specialist Kang-ho Song, in order for the revolution to succeed. This film is directed by Joon-ho Bong (who's done some nice work) and making it's U.S. release. It looks pretty cool and might be worth a shot. 
• They Came Together: This is a rom-com that makes fun of the rom-com genre. It's got a mostly SNL alum cast (and Paul Rudd) so it coud seem like a series of SNL skits strung together to make a film (my usual warning is if a film is under 90 minutes then that may mean that it's straight to video). This one could be really stupid or worth watching but still stupid in a funny way. Solid cast.
• Whitey: United States v. James J. Bulger: The definitive tale of Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's Frank Costello in The Departed. The film looks to give the facts surrounding Bulger's years as a mobster with alleged Federal protection and how he managed to kill several people while being an informant for law enforcement. In 2013 Bulger was sentenced to life in prison after being arrest in 2011 after manhunt that lasted 16 years. This is probably worth watching.

5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

May 2nd in Chicago: Obviously there was a lot of hype for this film, the 5th Spider-Man film in 12 years. Let me get right to the point...this film was not good and very disappointing. The Spider-Man reboot happened came out in 2012 and the it's sequel only 2 years after that. The film looked rushed. I've done some research and all of the Rhino scenes were shoehorned in at the the last minute. Even the relationship between Peter and Harry seemed forced. It's revealed that Harry comes back to Osbourne Manor because his father, Norman, is dying. Harry has been away at boarding school for 8 years. We are led to believe that Harry and Peter are best pals despite not having seen each other in nearly a decade! Also, it's been noted that Dane DeHaan's performance of Harry Osbourne was very similar (if not exact) to his role as the villain in Chronicle. Jamie Foxx's turn as  Max Dillon was very reminiscent if Jim Carrey's Edward Nigma in Batman Forever. As Electro he really just talked in a bitter deep voice. Much like Carrey as the Riddler, Foxx hammed it up. He's capable of better. 

The film also borrowed A LOT from Sam Raimi's Spiderman films. After Harry is installed as the CEO of Oscorp (a 20 year old kid who doesn't even have a college degree mind you) the board works behind the scenes to wrest control from him. Harry then busts Electro out of Ravenscroft Institute (the Marvel Universe version of Arkham Asylum) to exact revenge on the man who took control of his company away (much like Willem DaFoe did). What I thought was interesting was that after being freed, Electro and Harry stop off at a superhero haberdashery to pickup a supersuit for Electro, complete with a spiffy lightning bolt logo on the sleeve. Apparently the tailor at the haberdashery they used works very fast. 

Garfield & Stone go through the same, "I love her but I can't be with her lest her life becomes threatened because I'm Spider-Man" dance as McGuire and Dunst did in the first go around. Garfield is haunted by the image of Dennis Leary so he breaks up with Stone and I got the feeling it wasn't the first time either. Even DeHaan's transformation into the Green Goblin is the same as DeFoe's transformation with the notable exception that DeHaan used an injection whereas DeFoe used gas. 

Now, I'm willing to overlook some science stuff when it comes to Science Fiction (like the fact that Peter invented a super strong polymer and delivery system [webbing & web shooters] but his aunt has to take extra jobs to pay the mortgage) but there were a few things that have no semblance of realism but have nothing to do with science fiction. The glaring examples were Gwen Stacy getting a high level job at Oscorp despite having only graduated high school (it was a science high school so maybe that had something to do with it). She also has the ability to reset the power grid after Electro's mayhem. Let's not forget that the was wanted by Oscorp security for an illegal hack. She leaves and that's that. I got to think that someone from Oscorp would have something to say about that seeing how it's an evil corporation and all. There's also the fact that the NYPD seem to have several trucks carrying riot fences around in case of super villain mischief. The police and the barricades show up quickly but SWAT or something like that gets stuck in traffic. 

In the Sony's version of the Marvel Universe SHIELD doesn't exist but the NYPD and FBI do. When Spider-Man battle a mechanized Rhino at the end of the film it seems realistic that either the two or any other law enforcement agency (be it federal, state or whomever) might want to take a look at the unique technology of the Rhino suit. The events take place in the post 9/11 world of NYC. The authorities do not take kindly to mechanized battle suits shooting up Manhattan. An analysis of the armor would probably find out a lot about how it's manufactured and could possibly lead the cops to Oscorp. Of course that could put a holes in any possible sequels and a Sinister Six spin-off series so why bother with things like that.

On the plus side, the chemistry between Garfield and Stone was great. The filmmakers did a nice job with the homage to Gwen Stacy's death in Spider-Man #121. However, there were a lot of useless cameos and inside jokes as well but I just don't have the energy to go through them. Judge the film yourself but it was not good and it should have been better. Thank you for your time.