Movie: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

X-Men: Days of Future Past
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

I love X-Men... need I say more? I don't think so but of course I will...

So many awesome characters, so many awesome actors. We got to see everyone we wanted to see, even if the main X-Men we're used to didn't get that much screen time. I'm a little peeved Anna Paquin got cut to a bare 3 seconds at the end of the film but I'm sure we will see more Rogue in the extras when the DVD is released. Shawn Ashmore as Bobby/Iceman, Daniel Cudmore as Collossus, Booboo Stewart as Warpath, Lucas Till as Havok... and I haven't even brought out the big guns yet!

So the story revolves around Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) of course. I have no idea where Kitty (Ellen Page) got the send-someone-back-in-time power from. Did she have that in the comics? I can't remember... But anyway, she sends Logan back because apparently he's the only one who can handle it. Young Xavier, played by the amazing James McAvoy, is in a bit of a slump after Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) left him for Erik/Magnito (Michael Fassbender/Ian McKellen).. oh, yeah, and Erik crippled him... So this film is (mostly) set after the events of First Class. Logan has to pull Xavier out of it with the help of Beast (Nicholas Hoult) in order to save both the mutant and human populations from destroying themselves with giant killer robots called Sentinels (seriously, The Matrix again anyone?) designed by antagonist Dr. Trask (Peter Dinklage). Like giant sentient robots are ever a good idea!

Quicksilver was one of the best things about this film. I remember when the trailer came out some people thought he would be lame.. but no, he is awesome! The small part he plays in the film really stuck in my mind and when I watched it recently for the second time, he was just as good. He's played by Evan Peters from American Horror Story who does a fabulous job. Hope we see more of him in the next films. I also thought the meeting of the two Xavier's was excellent, how cool to meet your future self... and who else would be able to kick young Xavier's ass back into gear but older, wiser Xavier (Patrick Stewart)? Stand out performance was definitely James McAvoy.

I'm a little disappointed that Taylor Kitsch's role of Gambit hasn't reappeared. Gambit was always one of my favourite X-Men and the little teaser we got of him in Origins: Wolverine just wasn't enough for me. I would have thought the timeline would be perfect for him too... Bring back Gambit! Also, the reappearance of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Cyclops (James Marsden)! I did a little swoon there but we all knew they were both coming back didn't we? Yes, I watched the cartoons as a kid... And you can't have an X-Men film without Storm (Halle Berry).

I love X-Men. Keep 'em coming. Which X-Men is your favourite? Who do you want to see in the next film? Let me know in the comments!

4 out of 5 Marvels...

Movie: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Action, Adventure, Sci Fi

I am joining the masses in swooning over Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, Winter's Bone) - she is amazing, though I'm more impressed with how she handles herself in the spotlight. She is a proper role model for young girls. This isn't her best film by a long way but I have to applaud her for making me more sympathetic to Katniss.

When I read these books (by Suzanne Collins) Katniss annoyed the absolute hell out of me. She is even more complacent than Bella (Twilight). She seems to achieve things but really it's more the people around her helping her. You don't get any of her internal monologue in the films - thank goodness - because she spends most of the time completely oblivious to the things going on around her. I felt like slapping her sometimes. JLaw seems to bring a bit more confidence to the character, which I like.

The two love interests - yes, I said two - are Peeta (Josh Hutcherson - Red Dawn, Bridge To Terabithia) the baker's boy who's always had a thing for Katniss and fellow Hunger Games winner, and Gale (Aussie Liam Hemsworth - Neighbours, Paranoia) Katniss' best friend and hunting partner. Unfortunately for Katniss and Gale, in order to win the Hunger Games Katniss and Peeta had to pretend to be madly in love. This is where the books annoyed me; it's damn obvious to us that Peeta actually has real feelings for Katniss but she is so absorbed in her own self and not being able to have Gale that she completely disregards Peeta. Ugh! There is a little of this in the film but it's not nearly as blatant as in the books.

Stand out performances for me were Effie Trinket played by Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make a Porno, 30 Rock) and her amazing outfits! Donald Sutherland (Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, MASH) as the nefarious President Snow. Lenny Kravitz as Cinna (sobs). Stanley Tucci (Burlesque, Captain America) as the very bronzed Caesar. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Moneyball, Almost Famous) as the new game maker, Plutarch Heavensbee. Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, Natural Born Killers) as drunken Haymitch. And finally, Sam Claflin (Snow White and The Huntsman) as Finnick Odair.

This film was much better than the first and I'm sure the next one will be even better! That's the way it was with the books too, it's got a really nice build up and by the end the whole game has changed. I can't think of anything from the books that I missed in the film. The arena was just as I imagined it from the Lightning Tree to the Tsunami. Well done!

Next film we get to see The Mockingjay in action! Can't wait!

4 out of 5 crazy false eyelashes...

Movie: The Hunger Games (2012)

The Hunger Games (2012)
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

I watched this film a while ago when it first came out, then I read all the books in a week. There are three books by Suzanne Collins and I'm pretty certain that they've signed to have all three made into movies as well.

Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men: First Class) is Katniss Everdeen, and I have to tell you that she is one of my least favorite heroines ever. If Jennifer falls flat on the screen it's because that's the way Katniss is. She seems a bit dull to me at times and she can never make a decision. Her character frustrated me to no end and I swear it's just dumb luck that keeps her alive throughout the whole series. I noticed during the movie that you don't get a lot of her inner thoughts coming across, whereas the books gave you a lot more info about why she acts the way she does sometimes... still, the character herself annoys the crap outa me.

Josh Hutcherson (Cirque Du Freak: The Vampires Assistant) is lovable Peeta Mellark. You are meant to instantly like him. He kinda gave me the creeps in the books, but I really liked Josh's portrayal of him. Then there's Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) who plays Gale. I can't really say a lot about him without giving away the other two books but I did hear from a friend how annoyed they were with the ending of this film as it didn't give away what happens with Gale and Katniss. Don't worry people, that is resolved in the next two instalments!

I liked the casting for all three of these main characters but the highlights for me were Lenny Kravitz (the singer) as Cinna, Woody Harrelson (Zombiland) as District 12's drunken mentor, Haymitch, and Donald Sutherland (MASH) as the evil President Snow. Those three were cast perfectly for me! Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada) also impressed me as the flamboyant Caesar; the Hunger Games presenter. Can't wait to see his outfits for the next movie.

The flamboyant, almost cross-dress style was not quite what I envisioned but they were described to be overly dramatic in their dress. It's still a bit shocking to see. I was also wondering how they were going to keep death scenes family friendly, I'm pretty sure it's a PG-13 rated film... They did a nice mix actually, the cornucopia scene when they first enter the arena was done very well, lots of scene flashing and blood on swords but no gory wounds. Well done!

There was a lot of controversy over the casting of Rue (Amandla Stenberg) though I don't understand it myself. She was described as being dark of skin and to have a quality about her that reminded Katniss of Prim, not that she actually looked like her. Anyway, I have no beef with the casting or Rue's death scene. They were great.

Sorry about the ramble, you might get a few posts of this length when I've read the books to whatever I'm watching 'cos I like to compare the two. The only bit I was annoyed that they missed was the dehydration at the very beginning... missing that part made Katniss seem indestructible whereas in the books she came very close to dying. The next two instalments will be interesting to see, that's for sure!

4 out of 5 bullseyes...

[Score is mostly 'cos of the books and 'cos I know what happens]