X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

“You are all my children, and you're lost because you follow blind leaders. These false gods, systems of the weak, they've ruined my world. No more.”

            Ever wonder where all the superpowers the superheroes have in movies comes from? Like, heck, how did that kid get laser beams coming out of his and this girl have the ability to read minds or another girl get the ability to practically suck the life outta people with just one touch? Who was the first person to show signs of being a “mutant” or someone “special”? X-Men: Apocalypse shows the origins of where it is believed the first mutant originated and how he comes back and almost destroys the world.

            The first mutant is believed to have been En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac) in Ancient Egypt. He had amassed a great following and was just about to transfer his powers into a younger pharaoh when a few of his followers betrayed him. The disloyal followers caved the tomb in and buried En Sabah Nur and others in the ground for what was supposed to be for all eternity.

            Flash forward to Egypt in 1983. CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) has been researching this legend of Nur. She finds an entrance to the buried tomb underneath a modern Egyptian market. When she climbs down she finds Nur Worshippers trying to resurrect Nur. They are successful. Their success brings with it a seismic wave that can be felt all around the world.

            In the United States Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is running his school for mutants along with Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult). He has not seen his fellow mutants Erik (Michael Fassbender) or Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) in years. He has no idea where in the world they could be. In the years since they were last together Raven has been trying to save mutants around the world and Erik has been living quietly and secretly in Poland with his family.

            Nur, or Apocalypse, begins to assemble mutants to begin to make the world the way he believes it should be. He believes the world has lost its way and wants to change that. He finds a young Storm, Archangel, and Psylocke (Olivia Munn). Through some unfortunate events Apocalypse is able to recruit Erik to his cause.

            Much like Captain America: Civil War, the mutants battle each other. It is Xavier vs. Erik for some time. Xavier knows that Erik is a good man who has just had rough times and truly does not want to hurt anyone. And as in Civil War, young mutants/superheroes are allowed along to help fight Apocalypse from taking over the world.

            There are a lot of other side stories running throughout X-Men: Apocalypse but for the most part I have written up the main and most important plot of the story. The side stories are good and interesting such as the arrival of Scott Summers, the manifestation of young Jean Grey’s mental powers, Quicksilver saving everyone in the school before it blows up, and Quicksilver’s quest to find his father Magneto.

            The cast of X-Men has been great since the franchise began. Every one of the characters is perfectly cast. I still find it awesome that Jennifer Lawrence is playing a superhero. The girl is such a good actress she can literally play anything and be great. Michael Fassbender is perfection as the younger Magneto. I liked seeing Olivia Munn as Psylocke. I think she is an actress that has potential to become very good and maybe even have a future as a Sci-Fi/comic book-movie actress. I would really like to see Psylocke in another X-Men movie. When I found out Oscar Isaac played Apocalypse I was actually stunned because I could not even tell it was him! I love Isaac as an actor he is another actor I think has a great future ahead of him when it comes to his acting and the roles he can play. He has played so many different types of characters in so many different types of roles. Isaac did a fantastic job as Apocalypse. I would love to see him another action/comic book-story movie, just this time as a good guy. Rose Byrne is one of my all-time favorite actresses. She is truly so versatile with whatever role she is in and fits in so well in the Marvel superhero universe even if she does not have any powers.

            X-Men: Apocalypse was a good movie. The story was interesting and the cast and characters were awesome. The movie did not get good reviews; a lot of reviewers were on the fence about it. I can definitely see why. There is such an insane amount of generic superhero movies out now. As I mentioned, the plot reminded of Captain America: Civil War with the mutants facing off against each other. I feel like how many times can these superheroes save the world using their powers to save the world? I also see like the world needs a break from superhero movies for a while but they make so much money so that will never happen. X-Men: Apocalypse is worth seeing if you enjoy comic book and action movies. 

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2014)

“You know before you I had no idea who I was.”

            I have written up the two other versions of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby called Him and Her. This last version is Him and Her edited together and with a few added scenes.

            I have linked my previous reviews so you can read those instead of my going into a long summary of the story. Here is a short one:

            Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) and Connor (James McAvoy) have endured the loss of their infant son. Each of them is dealing with that grief in their own way. Eleanor became so depressed she tried to kill herself. Connor throws himself into his failing restaurant and chooses not to speak of what happened. Their grief tears them apart because they cannot figure out a way to do so together. Eleanor is upset with Connor because she does not feel he cares enough. After she attempts suicide Eleanor goes back to her parents’ home in Connecticut. She does not want to see or speak to Connor for a while. All Connor wants is for them to talk and be together.

            Once again, Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy were perfect. Chastain was phenomenal. There was no way I could look away from the screen whenever she was on it. You can see her immense talent in every one of her scenes. Bill Hader has an interesting range as an actor. He was kind of the bumbling funny friend to the guy but he played it with a seriousness underneath.

            I really liked this trilogy. I loved how the story was ambiguous. There is not a lot of detail with what exactly happened to their son, if her parents really like Connor, etc. Sometimes in movies and TV shows I like it when we know little about the characters because it lets us fill in detail or it forces us to just see what is happening in these peoples’ lives at that moment. Details can bog down a story instead of help it. I was so satisfied with the way The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby played out between the perspectives of Eleanor and Connor that I did not need any more detail than what was given to us. With any arguments or issues in life I always like to know both sides of the story I like that gray area that the black and white create. That is what The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them did. It put Him and Her together to show us both perspectives side by side. It showed us the gray areas of their story.  I loved these movies from the first scene of Her. The story is not outrageously original but the acting and the direction and obviously the editing make it so interesting to watch. I read somewhere that if you do watch The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby trilogy to start off with Him. I started off with Her and to me it really did not make difference to me story wise but I guess I will agree and start off with Him first because then you may understand Eleanor’s frustration a little better. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is absolutely worth watching. They were three of the best current movies have seen in a while. 

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him (2014)

“Just let me disappear for a while.”

            In case you do not know the 2014 movie The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is three separate movies. The three versions are broken down with the subtitles Her, Him, and Them. A few days ago I watched the Her version of the story and loved it. Today I watched the Him version and also loved it.

            Connor Ludlow (James McAvoy) owns a restaurant that is not doing too well. His friend Stuart (Bill Hader) is supposed to be the head chef but he just slacks off. On top of those two stresses in his life Connor is trying to deal with a loss as well as his wife Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) who is not handling the loss well at all. Needless to say his mind is not in a good place.

            Connor goes to see his father who runs a successful restaurant. His father wanted to help him out with his restaurant but Connor wanted to do it on his own. He goes to speak to his father one day but it just ends up with Connor getting mad and walking out. When he gets home he receives a call that Eleanor has tried to kill herself. At the hospital Eleanor tells Connor she cannot go back to the apartment and that she wants a break.

            From Connor’s perspective we see how he has been trying to deal with the tragic loss he and Eleanor went through. He will not talk about it with anyone else and all that pent up frustration and anger and sadness gets taken out on a customer and Stuart. He is still in love with Eleanor and she is still in love with him.

            The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him was so good I do not want to give too much away. I like seeing the different perspectives of how one man and one woman grieve the same loss. James McAvoy was excellent. You can see the hurt and sadness on Connor’s face and in his eyes. All I wanted to do was give him a hug and let him know I am there for him! Same as with the Her version of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby definitely watch Him. It was so well acted and directed. I loved everything about it.

            Tomorrow I shall be watching and writing up The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them. Stay tuned

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her (2014)

“Tragedy is a foreign country. I don’t know how to talk to the natives.”

            Ever feel like you thought you had your life together, you thought it was going well, you were in a state of bliss and happiness, and then something comes along like a semi-truck and throws you out of your happy life off course? I have experienced it many times. It is the worse experience especially because I suffer from anxiety, depression, and ADHD which magnifies that awful come down from happiness tenfold. I have gone through plenty of times where I felt like I had my life in order and one little thing happens and so much feels like it is crashing down. After that crash I have to depend on the help from my parents which is the last thing I want to do because I do not want to depend on people and I know deep down they find my neediness to an added stress in their lives they do not want or need. When I get into one of these awful moods I do not feel like an adult anymore. Hell, who am I kidding I never feel like an adult I feel like an annoying, lonely, miserable, unaccomplished twenty-seven year old still living at home. I used to try desperately and relentlessly to get back to that happy, blissful state after a bad crash and when it did not come fast enough it would make me even more upset.

             The character of Eleanor Rigby, the titular character in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her goes through something similar to my situation. But in this instance she has experienced something far more worse and tragic than I ever want to experience in my life.

            At the beginning of the movie, Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) tries to kill herself by drowning. She survives her attempt and is brought home to live with her parents. Right away the mood between Eleanor and her parents feels a little tense. There is love between them but it does not feel comfortable. Eleanor in no way appears to be pleased to be back living with her parents, sister, and nephew. It is as though Eleanor has become a burden on everyone’s routine in the house. As a way to help her move forward, her father, a psychology professor, gets her into a class with a former colleague of his named Professor Friedman (Viola Davis).

            Eleanor seems to just be floating through a cloudy life. You can almost feel the void and the emptiness and yearning for what she has lost. You can also feel a sense of desperation for something she does not even know she wants.

            During class one day, Eleanor is handed a note by a student behind her. The note is from a man a few rows behind. When Eleanor looks back she sees a man waving to her. Right away she begins to breathe heavily as panic takes over her. She leaves right in the middle of class and the man follows. Outside she tells Connor (James McAvoy) to leave her alone. As he goes to walk across the street he is hit by a taxi. Eleanor reveals that Connor is her husband.

            Slowly we, as the audience, are shown in small bits why Eleanor and Connor are no longer together. We see a little bit of what that emptiness and void and sadness is that fills Eleanor that brought her crashing down.

            I cannot even begin to describe how amazing Jessica Chastain is in this movie. I mean, her performance is not earth shattering but the woman is just so unbelievably gifted as an actress. Every one of her scenes either by herself or with another actor was fantastic. It is not very often, especially nowadays, where you can feel the emotions the characters in movies go through because so many actors and actresses just cannot pull that off. Chastain is one of very few actresses today who one hundred percent believe her characters and feel every emotion they go through. No wonder the woman is constantly up for Academy Awards!

            Viola Davis was fantastic as well. I liked how her character and Eleanor became close but not like super close on an emotional level. Their relationship was one that was like a no-bullshit friendship. They said what they wanted with very little detail and the other accepted it. There was a lot of roughness and sarcasm between Friedman and Eleanor. Davis was perfect in all her scenes. I did not realize until now that both Davis and Chastain were in The Help together. Literally not until this very moment did I realize that. Go me. I liked them a lot better in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her than The Help.

            I also did not realize that there are two other versions of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. There is one told from Connor’s side and one from both their perspectives. I cannot wait to watch them. I really, really liked this version. I liked how you can see Eleanor’s perspective of a tragic situation and how she deals with it. She tries to move on but she wants Connor she wants that one part of her life that made her happy. The story may not be completely original but I love the way it was told by switching back and forth from past to present. After something tragic or deeply emotional happens that is all you do, you look back to certain happy moments and put them into perspective in your situation. Although not on such a tragic level as Eleanor I can relate to her and part of what she is feeling. That relation made me feel for her character and the story. You do not even need to relate to the story or the character to like The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her. As a whole it is a great movie that I recommend seeing. 

X Men: First Class (2011)

“A new species is being born. Help me guide it, shape it, lead it.”

            With two of my younger brothers being typical boys and loving comic book stories and their movies I have sat through just about every action movie that has been based off a comic book. I have to say the X Men series is one of my favorite action/comic book film series. I think X Men has some of the best characters and stories and a really good philosophical take on good versus evil. I love a good back story and seeing where characters come from and what their motives are. In X Men First Class we are given the back story of how the X Men came to be and how Professor X and Magnet used to be on the same side.

            The film opens on a concentration camp as people are being separated for work or death. A young boy is separated from his mother and begins to cry and becomes angry. In his anger he is able to bend a metal gate. In the window above the gate is man named Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon). He is an American working for the Nazis on their experiments on prisoners. He sees the boy and has him brought up to his office. He manipulates the boy whose name is Erik Lenhsherr to seeing his ability. As time goes on Shaw trains the boy to use his ability but eventually Erik goes his own way in life carrying a grudge for Shaw. Erik (Michael Fassbender) is on a path of revenge to kill all the Nazis he can. He travels down to Argentina to kill two Nazis when he sees a picture of them with Shaw on a boat.

            Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) always knew he was different. He can read and control people’s minds. In college he studies the human brain and how it works to better understand how to use his powers. His “sister” is Raven aka Mystique. Raven is having some identity issues she is self conscious about her mutant self and her human identity.

            Charles is found by CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne). She needs his help to understand mutants and their powers. Moira is looking for Shaw and she finds him with Charles’s help. Also by the boat is Erik. Shaw unfortunately gets away with the help of his mutant helpers who include Emma Frost.

            Charles has Erik come and help him. With the help of a man from the CIA who has been very interested in mutants has them come to an institution that was set up specifically for mutants and their study. Erik and Charles find mutants who can help them and who they can help as well.

            I really do not want to go into the rest of the story because it is long and I do not want to give away too much. Well, if you know the other X Men movies you know what happens.  

            I enjoyed X Men First Class a lot. I really liked how it took two historic occurrences- the Holocaust and the Cuban Missile Crisis- and used them as part of their story and how they had a hand in stopping the end of the world. The characters are just so good they were very well written and extremely well acted. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were greatly paired and greatly cast as the power head mutants. The only issue with Fassbender is it seems his accent changes a lot throughout the movie it gets a little weird. Rose Byrne is awesome she does not do too much she is just awesome all the same. I adore her as an actress she can do anything. The supporting actors were all excellent.

            X Men First Class is a fabulous movie. The action is nonstop and the story is so well done. Seriously I found everything about this movie to be so good. If you are a fan of X Men, movies based on comic books, or love a good story definite see X Men First Class.