Dark Phoenix makes for a satisfying conclusion to the X-Men series while we wait for the proper return of the mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “What you choose to do with your gift is entirely up to you,” Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) tells eight-year-old Jean Grey in 1975. While Simon Kinberg now moves into the director’s chair, he also makes up for the single worst X-Men film. It’s no easy task. For one, the…
"Dark Phoenix closes out X-Men saga with a bang"Category: Movie Reviews
Ron Howard’s newest documentary, Pavarotti, goes back into the past to celebrate the life of The People’s Tenor himself, Luciano Pavarotti. It’s very well possible that the singer might be the only person to give opera a form of entertainment value. I’ll be the first to admit that opera isn’t my cup of tea but there’s entertainment to be had here. A bulk of the video comes by way of home video. It just so…
"Pavarotti: Ron Howard profiles Opera legend"
First to the Moon offers up a mix of archival footage, interviews, and CGI in revisiting the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered a joint address to Congress. In this speech, the late president made it an American goal to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. The history-making goal would take place in 1969. Sadly, John F. Kennedy would not…
"First to the Moon lets us relive history"
X-Men: Apocalypse may not be the satisfying third film in the series that one would like but it certainly does the job here. After being teased during a post-credits scene, we meet En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac) aka Apocalypse just before the transference. The next thing we know, it’s 1983 and Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) awakens the sleeping mutant. This also launches an earthquake felt across the globe. At the same time, Mystique frees Kurt…
"X-Men: Apocalypse – The Road to Dark Phoenix"
X-Men: Days of Future Past is certainly one of the best films in the entire X-Men series and unites both the new and old casts with stakes on the line. After being set up in The Wolverine, the action starts in 2023. By this point, the elder Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lehnsherr (Ian McKellan) have gotten over their differences. The two of them are working together in order to save both mutants and…
"X-Men: Days of Future Past – Road to Dark Phoenix"
X-Men: First Class does a solid job in taking things back to where it all begin when both Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr meet for the first time. A brief prologue lays the beginning foundations for Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), and Raven Darkhölme (Jennifer Lawrence). I like that director Matthew Vaughn opts for a shot-for-shot recreation of the X-Men opening. It’s a brilliant way to tie the new series into the…
"X-Men: First Class – The Road to Dark Phoenix"
X-Men: The Last Stand is practically non-existent and we owe our thanks to the ret-con provided in X-Men: Days of Future Past. It’s a shame that Scott Summers/Cyclops (James Marsden) gets the shaft. Is this because Marsden decided to join Superman Returns? Maybe. Nobody could blame him for doing so with Bryan Singer helming the other film. With Cyclops gone, both Storm (Halle Berry) and Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) take on an increase in leadership. Wolverine…
"X-Men: The Last Stand- The Road to Dark Phoenix"
X2: X-Men United is the comic book adaptation that set the benchmark for all comic book films until The Dark Knight came calling five years later. After Alkali Lake was teased at the end of X-Men, the setting plays a larger focus in the sequel. It’s the base for Col. William Stryker (Brian Cox), who happens to take on a more villainous role than Magneto (Ian McKelllan). Stryker is no fan of mutants and lets…
"X2: X-Men United – The Road to Dark Phoenix"
X-Men is one of the earliest Marvel Comics adaptations to take to the big screen in the newer age of cinema in recent years. After being on his own with no memory of who he was, Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) finds himself thrown into the middle of a war between Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lehnsherr (Ian McKellan). Charles, known as the Professor, believes that mutants can co-exist with humanity. Lehnsherr, known as Magneto, doesn’t…
"X-Men – The Road to Dark Phoenix"
Mouthpiece makes some rather interesting storytelling decisions starting with the choice to have two people play the same character. The film is based on a play written by stars Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava. Both of them star as a thirty-year-old writer Cassandra Haywood. When her mother, Elaine (Maev Beaty), dies suddenly, she dives into a tailspin. Elaine had given up her career because of having children. This was supposed to be temporary but it’s…
"Mouthpiece makes strong choices"