X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men started it all. It may not have been the first superhero movie but it certainly kicked off the 21st century fascination with cape, or leather, or hockey pad wearing super humans. But being the godfather of modern superhero movies also means being plagued with the problems of The Godfather. The first movie was great, the second greater and then everything went down hill. Now a few sequels, prequels, and spinoffs later the original director returns to bring some old glory back the this franchise. 

This plot is as complicated as its title but here is the gist: In the future, mutant killing, adaptable machines called sentinels are killing of mutants. Charles Xavier, Magneto, The Wolverine, Storm, Kitty Pride, and Iceman (and a few awesome new faces [BLINK!!!!]) are barely surviving. So Kitty sends the Wolverines consciousness back to 1973 to stop a woman scorned from killing someone and bringing a hell that hath no fury on earth. But the Wolverine needs some help from a few old except not so old friends... (and a few awesome new faces [QUICKSILVER!!!!]) 

X-Men had lost all credibility a few years ago: the terrible adaptation of Phoenix, the terrible adaptation of Deadpool, actually the whole terrible Origins movie. Then new life was breathed into this franchise with X-Men: First Class. Then we had a Wolverine that wasn't as terrible as Origins but still not great (two words: Silver Samurai) so Days of Future Past had a lot riding on it. Thankfully Bryan Singer knows how to make X-Men movies. It is a great, humorous but still dark thrill ride. The only criticism is that Quicksilver is not onscreen nearly enough. So if you have seen Godzilla, go see this, if you haven't seen Godzilla yet, go buy tickets to both you loser. 

A-   

GODZILLA

Before Pacific Rim, Jurassic Park, Jaws there was one monster to rule them all. One monster to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Ok, wrong movie, but the idea isn't wrong. Godzilla is the king of monsters. I would argue the most recognizable. But anyone who saw the 1998 Roland Emmerich disaster had to have worries about a new chapter in the monsters saga. Even more so when newcomer Gareth Edwards took a hold of the directors reigns. Maybe though, a newcomer with a fresh look is just what was needed.

Godzilla is the best kept secret today. His appearances in the 1950's in the Pacific Ocean was covered up and explained as nuclear testing. Now there is a new secret 'hatching' and the MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) aren't going to be covered up. Maybe new nuclear bombs will take them out... but maybe the super predator lurking deep in the Pacific is the answer. Anyone know Godzilla's phone number?
(Also people take up a large part of the story and while sometime its good let's all be honest and just say we couldn't care less about them. Monsters!!)

Gareth Edwards brilliantly took a page from Steven Spielberg's Jaws and delays putting the full monster on screen for what feels like an eternity. The MUTO just isn't enough. And after all the anticipation, to see his foot stomp, the camera pan up to his full glorious height, and the King of Monsters let out his iconic RAAAAWRR!!! send shivers from follicles to feet. Everything that should be in a Godzilla film is here, roaring! Buildings falling! etc... The human element can sometime feel like its taking away from monster mania but not enough to be overdone. Godzilla is the first MUST SEE of 2014. The Imax 3D ticket is definitely worth every penny. It's Godzilla done right. I'm not suggesting to go see it... I'm TELLING you, go see GODZILLA!
A+

Neighbors

Neighbors can be the best....or the worst. They can help you with grass cutting and BBQs in the summer and snow shoveling and time killing in the winter. OR they can make you call the cops in the middle of the night to tell them to quiet down and make you check the classifieds for new houses. So what about these cinematic Neighbors, should you live next to them or not even stop to visit?


Mac and Kelly Radner are trying to recapture the fast and furious days of their youth when responsibilities were nonexistent and fun was to be had anytime. Now that they are middle aged, new parents and recently bought their first house they are feeling the pressure of adulthood.
Teddy Sanders and Pete Regazolli are the senior president and vice president respectively of their college fraternity Delta Psi and before they graduate and have to face the responsibilities of adulthood they want to throw the biggest party a fraternity ever threw and party their way into frat legend.
Mac and Kelly, meet your new neighbors Delta Psi.

First off let me say, it surprised me how much Neighbors devoted its run time not just to the absurd, decadent partying, but took a good, hard, honest look at what growing up and maturity means in America today. Parenting and responsibility are not subjects you'd think would get a lot of consideration in a Seth Rogen comedy but they are and can be called the heroes of the film. Also there are some parts that get some raucous laughter. But.... back to the absurd, decadent partying... If you prefer your comedies without language, sex, sexual visual gags, drugs, and general mayhem you don't want to be in the Neighborhood of this film.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Reboots have a tough time living up to past films... especially when a series is rebooted as quickly as Spider-Man was...also especially when the 2nd film in the original trilogy is widely considered one of the best superhero movies ever made. So how does this sequel stack up? And can any sequel be worse then Spider-Man 3?

Peter Parker aka Spider-Man has a lot on his plate. First: He's Spider-Man and as cool as that is, it means juggling a lot of responsibilities. Second: He's graduating. Third: His best friend is dying. Fourth: He is in love with the girl he promised he would stay away from. Fifth: ......Jeez this list is long... To sum up just what we covered, Ole' Pete has it rough. Not to mention the nerdy guy who just became a volatile, electricity shooting, butt kicking guy with a grudge. Kind of like an anti-Spider-Man. Yeah, Pete has it tough, and the movie has the tagline right: this is his biggest battle.

Confession: I like the Mark Webb/Andrew Garfield Spider-Man as opposed to the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire Spider-Man. Raimi's movies were good in themselves and the time it was... But we live in a post Dark Knight world now. A post Avengers world. We all wanted to get the taste of Emo Spider-Man and terrible Venom out of our memories. Webb now offers that Spider-Man to us. One that follows the comics pretty well. (That thing that comic book nerds have been waiting for that we don't talk about out of respect for losers who just watch movies? Yeah, That totally happens in this one.) One that has sequels planned out and two spinoffs focusing on villain stories, Sinister Six and Venom. Like I said Raimi's had their merits but in Amazing Spider-Man 2 we get the Spider-Man movie that we deserve AND the one we need. I look forward to future Spider-Man movies....as long as they're AMAZING!
A-