Movies to look forward to

Beat me to the post John! I liked First Class more than Days of Future Past to be honest, latter left me underwhelmed for many reasons and the former felt fresh. Looking forward to seeing this one.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
IncantatioN said:
Beat me to the post John! I liked First Class more than Days of Future Past to be honest, latter left me underwhelmed for many reasons and the former felt fresh. Looking forward to seeing this one.

Sounds like I liked DoFP more than you, but I know what you mean.

Aazealh said:
Hmm. My expectations for this are great, meaning I will be easily disappointed.

All of the X-Movies seem only about half right somehow. Some capture specific aspects of X-Men very well on film and others not so much, but it's never all been put together into one essential movie. I still think 1 and especially 2 come the closest, First Class's strength was in being different, and DoFP certainly tried to be that best of all worlds X-Men movie, but this looks like a step backward to me. Sophie Turner sucks (here I thought it was Sansa =), Apocalypse is unimpressive looking/sounding, and overall it looks pretty thin and cheesy (effects too). Also, what's with the uniforms again (can Marvel Studios loan these guys a costume designer already?) and Mystique being the hero now? It's like X-Men: The Hunger Games. Anyway, I'm obviously underwhelmed.


My ongoing X-Movie Rankings:

1. X2: Probably the most well-rounded in terms of being the iconic "X-Men" put into a good movie. Though DoFP is arguably better.
2. X-Men: Hasn't all aged well, but a pretty faithful adaptation for its time, and with some heart; basically a 2 hour live action X-Men TAS episode.
3. First Class: Probably the best pure movie in the series, but it's more like a reinterpretation than adaptation. Also feels too long.
4. DoFP: Tries to be the "best of" all the above, but something's still missing. Has a lot of great parts, but feels less than the sum of them.

BTW, as you might have noticed from some of my ambivalent or seemingly contradictory comments to the ranks, one could make a case for all 4 of the above being the best of the bunch or occupying any of the other four positions for various reasons, but that just goes to show none stand out as the essential iconic X-Movie. Now for the dregs.

5. The Wolverine: Well, it's adapting a classic Wolvie story and it's not as bad as the one's below until the climax, I guess. Faint praise.
6. Last Stand: This might be better than Wolverine just for being less boring. Shakes up/shits on everything. We thought it couldn't get worse.
7. Origins: We were wrong. Now this just shits on everything (even Deadpool). Liev Schreiber is a better Sabertooth than expected, but that's about it.

Anyway, I'm guessing Apocalypse will take over and elevate the 5th place spot, mainly based on Singer's track record, but there's dangerous potential for it to be his "last stand."
 
Griffith,

100% agree with your analysis of every ranking. Bravo. As a huge X-men fan I think this film has the potential to piss me off into a rage of butthurt fanboy. Apocalypse looks ridiculous. His voice sounds too basic as well. Also, he appears to be controlling people with his mind.....Are we making up powers like superman 4: the quest for peace?

All of the films appear to have that straight to dvd look. All of them barely get it half right. Funny how much I enjoy marvels films, when the ones I thought I'd love are being downplayed by fox and sony. I'm very excited for someone to change the formula, as Apocalypse is in my top 5 villains in fiction.

I'm thinking Deadpool will nail it. I'm thinking civil war will be convoluted, but good (not so in AOU) and I'm very impartial to this and B v S. Suicide Squad will be a disaster. The end.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
All of the X-Movies seem only about half right somehow. Some capture specific aspects of X-Men very well on film and others not so much, but it's never all been put together into one essential movie. I still think 1 and especially 2 come the closest, First Class's strength was in being different, and DoFP certainly tried to be that best of all worlds X-Men movie, but this looks like a step backward to me. Sophie Turner sucks (here I thought it was Sansa =), Apocalypse is unimpressive looking/sounding, and overall it looks pretty thin and cheesy (effects too). Also, what's with the uniforms again (can Marvel Studios loan these guys a costume designer already?) and Mystique being the hero now? It's like X-Men: The Hunger Games. Anyway, I'm obviously underwhelmed.

Yeah. :sad:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Johnstantine said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COvnHv42T-A

X-Men: Apocalypse trailer. I really dug First Class and Days of Future Past, so I'm looking forward to this.

Not impressed. I knew they were going the Age of Apocalypse direction, but having two AFTER THE WORLD ENDED scenarios back-to-back makes things feel a bit thin, to me. In the comics, Age of Apocalypse was always a kind of tagalong to Days of Future Past, and this movie looks no different so far.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
I'm actually still quite optimistic about this one. Sure some of the new cast members are weak, and the mega scale end of the world scenario is worn out but I remember not being impressed by Days of Future Past trailer either, and for the most part I really enjoyed that in the theater. Plus I'm so turned off by trailers at this point and this one felt like whoever made it was going by the books. The typical tried and true formula for movie-trailer making 101 that works for the average teenager, but obviously it's not going to impress any of us. So i can understand being put off for now, but I'm sure if Singer personally put the effort into making the best damn trailer he could for his movie we would get something a little better than the most generic thing ever.

I don't mind Apocalypse either. But again, I'm reserving my judgment (Bane from Dark Knight Rises anyone?). Although I will say I really hate the whole "he can control all of us" shit that's sure to be a big deal in the movie. I've always hated it when characters are controlled by others and fight each other. It seems like a lazy excuse just to get see certain powers fight against others, and when the character motivations won't allow it ... THEY"RE BEING CONTROLLED! Plus, haven't we already seen this before several times by now? Sure feels like it. And I utterly despise how Jennifer Lawrence is being shoved down our throat for no other reason than she's Jennifer Lawrence. And why is she not in her mutant form? It reeks of some contractual obligation bullshit because she doesn't like being in make-up.

So yea, even though the trailer doesn't really work, let's not forget that the trailer itself is probably unreliable and garbage. Let's just hope the movie itself isn't. And if history is any indication, DOFP wasn't all that promising at first either. I don't have to post those godawful teaser posters do I? You know which ones. The marketing for these movies have been terrible all along. I think if you enjoyed First Class or DOFP (which I did), you're in for more of the same.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
I remember not being impressed by Days of Future Past trailer either, and for the most part I really enjoyed that in the theater

Agreed. I think that was a result of those trailers focusing on those single-set future scenes, which were in retrospect pretty terrible and not what made that movie fun. Also, these movies' trailers have been sloppily assembled... The last movie's trailers felt low-budget, and this one certainly does.

I really hate the whole "he can control all of us" shit that's sure to be a big deal in the movie. I've always hated it when characters are controlled by others and fight each other. It seems like a lazy excuse just to get see certain powers fight against others, and when the character motivations won't allow it ... THEY"RE BEING CONTROLLED!

If it's any consolation, Apocalypse's power range has never made any sense in the comics, either. What are his powers? They are whatever the writers thought would make things interesting in a fight.

Plus, haven't we already seen this before several times by now? Sure feels like it. And I utterly despise how Jennifer Lawrence is being shoved down our throat for no other reason than she's Jennifer Lawrence. And why is she not in her mutant form? It reeks of some contractual obligation bullshit because she doesn't like being in make-up.

If you've got a problem with J-Law, you've got a problem with me! :rickert:

Seriously though, her placement in the trailer is smart. She's supremely marketable in an otherwise boy-dominated demographic like X-Men fans.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Walter said:
Seriously though, her placement in the trailer is smart. She's supremely marketable in an otherwise boy-dominated demographic like X-Men fans.

True. It's the only reason I've been able to drag my girlfriend with me to these movies.

Thank god The Hateful Eight has Channing Tatum in it, even if it's a small role. As far as she knows, he's top billing! :guts:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Oburi said:
I'm actually still quite optimistic about this one. Sure some of the new cast members are weak, and the mega scale end of the world scenario is worn out but I remember not being impressed by Days of Future Past trailer either, and for the most part I really enjoyed that in the theater. Plus I'm so turned off by trailers at this point and this one felt like whoever made it was going by the books. The typical tried and true formula for movie-trailer making 101 that works for the average teenager, but obviously it's not going to impress any of us. So i can understand being put off for now, but I'm sure if Singer personally put the effort into making the best damn trailer he could for his movie we would get something a little better than the most generic thing ever.

I don't mind Apocalypse either. But again, I'm reserving my judgment (Bane from Dark Knight Rises anyone?).

Yeah, but none of that, previous things not looking good turning out OK, has any bearing on if this is bad, and it indeed doesn't look good. There's nothing here to suggest otherwise, and I hate the whole, "Look at Bane or Heath Ledger" point to stifle justifiable skepticism, "Hey, don't forget that one exception in a sea of horrible disappointments!" Bane was ultimately disappointing for one thing, compelling as Hardy was, and perception of Ledger's performance is forever colored by his untimely death. Anyway, when something looks bad, most of the time it's just bad. Hell, it often turns out to be bad even when something looks good. That's Mr. Sunshine's take for you anyway. =)

Oburi said:
Although I will say I really hate the whole "he can control all of us" shit that's sure to be a big deal in the movie. I've always hated it when characters are controlled by others and fight each other. It seems like a lazy excuse just to get see certain powers fight against others, and when the character motivations won't allow it ... THEY"RE BEING CONTROLLED! Plus, haven't we already seen this before several times by now? Sure feels like it. And I utterly despise how Jennifer Lawrence is being shoved down our throat for no other reason than she's Jennifer Lawrence. And why is she not in her mutant form? It reeks of some contractual obligation bullshit because she doesn't like being in make-up.

That basically sums up our preview of the movie thus far; not much to be optimistic about, especially since none of these films have yet to walk on water. This certainly doesn't' look like The One.

Oburi said:
So yea, even though the trailer doesn't really work, let's not forget that the trailer itself is probably unreliable and garbage. Let's just hope the movie itself isn't. And if history is any indication, DOFP wasn't all that promising at first either. I don't have to post those godawful teaser posters do I? You know which ones. The marketing for these movies have been terrible all along.

You're thinking of those awful First Class posters. :ganishka: This wasn't half bad:

http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/x-men-days-future-past-teaser-poster-magneto.jpg

Oburi said:
I think if you enjoyed First Class or DOFP (which I did), you're in for more of the same.

Well, First Class is unique and has an energy Singer likely can't reach without Matthew Vaughn at the helm, though I'm inclined to agree that he has a steady hand. Maybe too steady though. My frustration is that he seemingly hasn't grown with these movies at all. Not only does he not take it to another level, he doesn't even fix things (at least his own things) or learn from his mistakes (costuming, characterization, presence; all of the above with the villains). It's the same fucking problems as 16 years ago and the guy just doesn't get it or care. I mean, the template is out there, but instead it's the same bloody movie where the world supposedly hangs in the balance but nothing actually happens and has no relevance to the next thing (only 2 out of 3 of those things are true of the MCU =). Last Stand at least tried some shit, careless and clumsy and as otherwise shitty as it was; Singer's response, tellingly, was to go back and undo it for the Mega Happy Ending; regression to the mean, perfect stasis achieved! These stories might as well not exist for all the impact they have on each other or even themselves. They just reset every time. What's going to happen in X-Men Apocalypse? Well, nothing that will have any bearing on X-Men (2000) except that Jubilee is apparently going to age extremely well.

Walter said:
Agreed. I think that was a result of those trailers focusing on those single-set future scenes, which were in retrospect pretty terrible and not what made that movie fun. Also, these movies' trailers have been sloppily assembled... The last movie's trailers felt low-budget, and this one certainly does.

Yeah, but you could still get a sense of depth from them, particularly the one with Xavier pleading with himself (and just the high concept premise and bridging the casts/movies). This looks like a Power Rangers episode crossed with The Mummy. To be perfectly humble, my trailer extrapolater/BS alarm is impeccably accurate, and it's blaring and flashing red here. As I've said, only Singer's consistent mediocrity with this franchise has me thinking it can't be as outright bad as it looks (like the others it'll be a 6 out of 10 at worst, 7 at best =). Though, maybe this will be the time he finally takes enough risks to truly make a bad one, and he doesn't have Stewart, McKellen, and (as much) Jackman to lean on either.

Walter said:
If you've got a problem with J-Law, you've got a problem with me! :rickert:

Seriously though, her placement in the trailer is smart. She's supremely marketable in an otherwise boy-dominated demographic like X-Men fans.

Even a good thing can be too much, and she's definitely overexposed (unless she's truly the only talented, interesting young woman in Hollywood, as purported =). While she's arguably been underused in this franchise given her current status, it now looks like that's gone the other way and is driving creative decisions and the movie's focus, and that's not good. As Oburi pointed out, previously the whole arc of her character was to be blue and proud, now suddenly Mystique has morphed into blonde-Katniss full time and is a savior. I mean, look at this from the official synopsis:

As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

Professor X is helping Mystique lead the X-Men?
gutsbarf.gif
The tail is truly wagging the dog now. And why are they dressed like they're going to ride dirt bikes again? Oh well, that's another story, and reason enough the movie should fail. Here's another one: give X-Men back to Marvel already so they can at least entertain me and this isn't just a DVD Easter egg.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Professor X is helping Mystique lead the X-Men?
gutsbarf.gif
The tail is truly wagging the dog now. And why are they dressed like they're going to ride dirt bikes again? Oh well, that's another story, and reason enough the movie should fail. Here's another one: give X-Men back to Marvel already so they can at least entertain me and this isn't just a DVD Easter egg.

Let me bring hope to this discussion by pointing out it's still miles above Dawn of Justice. :schnoz:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Let me bring hope to this discussion by pointing out it's still miles above Dawn of Justice. :schnoz:

Yeah, at least it's not some gonzo Zack Snyder fever dream. For all my bitching, this is still the longest running and arguably second most successful ongoing comic movie franchise. It could still be a decent movie, perhaps it's strength will be in it's storytelling and subtler moments; I sure hope that's what they're going for with Apocalypse (and that the one scene of him looming large indicates he will become more imposing when called for).

Oh, and, Never Forget:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbduDRH2m2M
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Aazealh said:
Oh boy, this is on the level of Species II.

There's something about them bringing back a bearded, shell-shocked President Bill Pullman that has me thinking they know exactly what they're doing. :ganishka: I'm more mad at Will Smith for not being in it when he's proven willing to be in every shitty sequel this side of Wild Wild West, especially when they even brought Judd Hirsch back. C'mon Will!
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Oh, and, Never Forget:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbduDRH2m2M

Christ! I'd say they're destroying my childhood here, but ... well ... could it possibly be any worse than the original? (I.E. The Best Movie Of All Time To A 13-Year-Old)

Griffith said:
There's something about them bring back a bearded, shell-shocked President Bill Pullman that has me thinking they know exactly what they're doing. :ganishka:

Are you kidding? That was the best/worst/best part of this whole embarrassing thing! Would have been more inspiring if they cast Bill Paxton for that character instead though.
No, that "joke" will NOT ever get old for me...

I'm more mad at Will Smith for not being in it when he's proven willing to be in every shitty sequel this side of Wild Wild West, especially when they even brought Judd Hirsch back. C'mon Will!

"Even I'm better than this."

Seriously, guys. Can someone save me here? Is there... anything worth watching in 2016, so far?
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Christ! I'd say they're destroying my childhood here, but ... well ... could it possibly be any worse than the original (Read: The Best Movie Of All Time To A 13-Year-Old?)

That's what bums me out about Will Smith not coming back. He's missing out on our generation's middle school reunion.

Walter said:
Are you kidding? That was the best part of that whole, embarrassing thing!

Would have been more inspiring if they cast Bill Paxton for that character instead though.

No, that "joke" will NOT ever get old for me...

I wasn't kidding (well, sort of, like I don't actually think they know what they're doing =), and you'll be happy to know I considered calling him President Paxton myself, so I'm with ya.


BTW, food for thought, was this trailer, for what it was, actually objectively better than BvS or Apocalypse? I was certainly more satisfied.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
BTW, food for thought, was this trailer, for what it was, actually objectively better than BvS or Apocalypse? I was certainly more satisfied.

I'm withholding my vote on that depressing matchup for the impending Prometheus 2 trailer. :beast:
 
Walter said:
Seriously, guys. Can someone save me here? Is there... anything worth watching in 2016, so far?

Speaking of big blockbuster stuff, I guess Civil War so far. The new Star Trek movie's supposed to release sometime in July and Rogue One releasing about a year from now. Fassbender's currently filming Assassins Creed, curious about that one. BvS I'm going to see purely for the action scenes.
 
I am really looking forward to Bone tomahawk, the new Kurt Russell movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZbwtHi-KSE Also Hateful 8. I just saw the trailer for indepnance day 2 and it was about what I expected.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
IncantatioN said:
The new Star Trek movie's supposed to release sometime in July

You might want to scratch that one...

https://youtu.be/XRVD32rnzOw

:isidro:


It's like nobody's even bothering anymore after Star Wars, or Disney is so powerful they've conspired to make it look like the only blockbuster worth seeing for years. :ganishka:
 
GiantSword Mufasa said:
I am really looking forward to Bone tomahawk, the new Kurt Russell movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZbwtHi-KSE
I've watched Bone Tomahawk twice now and it's really good. The script and acting are top notch. I know everyone's been talking of Russell's performance but it's Jenkins for me.

Griffith said:
You might want to scratch thst one...

https://youtu.be/XRVD32rnzOw

:isidro:
What the ... wow. Didn't expect it to be that different or unappealing. For some reason I thought of the old Mad Max movies and how this feels like Star Trek's BTT moment.

It's like nobody's even bothering anymore after Star Wars, or Disney is so powerful they've conspired to make it look like the only blockbuster worth seeing for years. :ganishka:
:ganishka: ... true!
 
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