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-

Transcendence

I love Johnny Depp okay? But anyone who is completely honest has to agree that this man has been phoning in his acting since Jack Sparrow first pranced down that dock back in 2003. He has had a few glimmers of the old pre-pirates Depp in movies like Finding Neverland, Secret Window, and Public Enemies. I take nothing away from his zany characters but for too long has he been comfortable hiding behind prosthetics, pounds of makeup, and a quirky character. Wally Pfister has been nominated four times for Best Cinematography and won once. He was the Cinematographer on every one of Christopher Nolan's films. All of which I love so I was more than intrigued that he would debut as a Director for Transcendence. I am happy to report that Depp has transcended his stereotypical bizarre characters to actually acting again and Pfister has transcended Nolan's shadow to make his own mark.

Artificial intelligence is a tricky subject. We're beyond asking if it's possible because it exists. But what happens when AI becomes self aware? Becomes independent of human interaction? Dr. Will Caster and his wife Evelyn are leading the scientific community in search of these answers. But anyone who watches the Syfy channel can tell you some questions shouldn't be answered. There are some out there who believe this really passionately. So passionately they will stop at nothing to prevent an AI from actually being self aware. Nothing includes bombing research facilities, poisoning scientists, and even shooting Will Caster. (Those same people who watch Syfy will now speak up saying how that never stopped a good story)

I sometimes think that if aliens ever discovered earth they would just leave us alone: "Yep, no intelligent beings here!" Nothing reinforces this idea more than when a movie comes out that tries to get you to think. Some times movie are accidentally brilliant (I proudly tout The Purge as the greatest example of this) So many people hated Inception, The Prestige, and Memento. All Nolan movies yes, and also Wally Pfister was the Cinematographer on every one. So there are moments that you can see some Nolan (who served as Executive Producer) creeping through the frames but they are few and far between. But Pfister does something more, He creates an intelligent movie. At times a movie that is self aware in its own intelligence. And if there's one thing American audiences hate, its being made to think about what they're watching.
A

Draft Day

A lot of people watch football. It has become an American pastime surpassing the cultural importance of even baseball. Who better to portray a NFL team manager on draft day (the day that is surpassed perhaps only by the Superbowl in importance to football teams) than the actor known for his iconic role in Field of Dreams? Though it's been many years since Kevin Costner had the type of star power that you can just make a movie and they will come...


The Cleveland Browns suck. I don't say that just cause I'm a Steelers fan. They really do. Everyone, even their own fans know it. But they have a lot of potential. Sonny Weaver Jr. has big plans for the Brown and it all comes down to the big day: the 2014 NFL Draft. Draft day is when stars are born or fall into obscurity. It's also the day team managers can make a championship team, or make terrible decisions that land them in the unemployment office. In all the deals being hashed and decisions being weighed, Sonny's personal life problems keep coming up. His dad recently died (after Sonny fired him), his demanding mother shows up at his office with an unusual request, and his girlfriend is pregnant. Unfortunately, everyone doubts Sonny's ability to bring the Brown back from disaster and juggle all of these issues on the same day... including Sonny himself.  

You could call Draft Day a sports movie... or a drama... or a romantic comedy... Think like Jerry Maguire (Chadwick Boseman even plays a character similar to the one Cuba Gooding Jr. played. To the point where you expect him to begin yelling "SHOW ME THE MONEY!" at any moment) Just like it's tough to pin down exactly where this movie falls on the genre spectrum its also hard to pin down why it's good or bad.
To watch Kevin Costner play the heck out of a character again is fun to watch but otherwise this movie gets a resounding "Eh..."     C+

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I have a hard time liking Marvel movies. One: I'm a DC Comics man. Two: Every time a Marvel movie comes out I compare it to the greatest superhero movies ever made: The Dark Knight Trilogy. I've given up even pretending like I even watched The Incredible Hulk, I grudgingly admit liking Iron Man, I happily hate Iron Man 2, I really like Thor, Thor 2 and Iron Man 3, and even though I like The Avengers, I can quickly point out its many faults. The Marvel movie I like the most was always Captain America. Captain America 2 outdoes its predecessor in every way...

Steve Rodgers looks pretty good for 95 years old, he jogs every day, enjoys catching up with old friends and the current times, and the occasional top secret mission keeps him young and healthy. See, Steve isn't just any old WWII vet, he's Captain freakin' America! A symbol of justice, freedom, and sit ups! But now in a modern, complex, post 9/11 world, Captain America is having a hard time being those symbols anymore (except the sit ups). Now with cyber spying, wire tapping, and preemptive strikes, Steve feels like the old values of freedom and privacy are being lost. As he puts it: "This isn't freedom, it's fear." After the loss of a close friend and the new threat of a super assassin, The Winter Soldier, Captain America is a little out of his element. Not knowing who to trust the ol' Cap goes on a search for answers in a world fraught with unseen dangers.

Let me get right to the point: It is my personal opinion that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is by far the best Marvel movie. Its action is breathtaking, its dilemmas relate to the real world, and in a time when anti heroes and complex heroes and sometimes downright villains are the main draw (which to be honest, I love) in The Winter Soldier we find a hero who is truly heroic. He the all American boy scout, the never tell a lie role model, and at the same time the arm breaking, butt kicking, head cracking war hero that he needs to be. It is a downright, unashamedly American, feel good action movie. And I loved it.        A+