X-Men: Apocalypse Review

X-Men: Apocalypse

Apocalypse: "Everything they've built will fall! And from the ashes of their world, we'll build a better one!"

      X-Men: Apocalypse is directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Usual Suspects) and stars James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, Oscar Isaac as En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique, Rose Byrne as Moira Mactaggert, Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy/Beast, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Even Peters as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver, Alexandra Shipp as Ororo Munroe/Storm, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Olivia Munn as Psylocke, Lucas Till as Alex Summers/Havok, Ben Hardy as Angel, Lana Condor as Jubilee, and Josh Helman as Col. William Stryker.

A cast so big, only a god could assemble it...see what I did there?

      In X-Men: Apocalypse, the first mutant, also a praised god during the building blocks of the pyramids in Egypt, wakes up from his long sleep to find that the world has changed and, in his eyes, for the worse. Humans become weak and do not have a structure. The mutant named En Sabah Nur, or Apocalypse, has to finds his four horsemen, made up of also mutant abilities, so that he can rule the world. The only people or mutants who can stop the god-like and unlimited power of Apocalypse from destroying the world are the X-Men. This time instead of just Professor X and the old gang teaming up, there are more heroes and more villains to fight each other. Apocalypse and his four horsemen are up against a new generation of mutants and it's one that will be tough to predict the outcome.

Apocalypse has the ability to turn peoples' eyes completely black like and alien? Can't special contacts do that now?

      According to Simon Kinberg, who co-wrote the script for Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, this third installment will be the last in the First Class series. I can see how and why the crew wanted to go all in for this movie and it really does show. McAvoy, from a glance at the first trailer, shaved his head, which he wanted to do in the previous films anyways, Jennifer Lawrence is once again painted blue, and Michael Fassbender, as always, does an amazing job pouring the most emotional moments in his character of Magneto. I truly appreciated all of the work involved in Apocalypse, from the continuation of old character and the introductions of new ones, but one of the major flaws that Apocalypse produces is the character with his name in the title: Apocalypse. The almighty villain is a very difficult character to portray on screen, I'll give them that. However, his motivation from the start was pretty vague and cliché. All he wanted to do was cleanse the world of the weak and put the strong (meaning himself) on top as ruler. There is no other reason that Apocalypse has for total domination besides that and there lies the problem: While Apocalypse has almost every mutant power imaginable, and it is very cool to see what he can do, it seems like he just is a boring character in terms of personality. I think that's why Magneto is quite possibly the best Villain in the X-Men universe we've seen thus far. What Fassbender brings to the character is humanity. Even though Magneto is one of the most powerful mutants on Earth, he still has a troubled past and characteristics that we, as an audience, can empathize with. Unfortunately, Magneto isn't the main villain in this film, instead it's Apocalypse, the clichéd I-want-to-rule-the-world super villain.

OK, we get it. You're clearly the evil guy and you just want to destroy human civilization. Some people in this world already want to do that. Get in line!

 

      I do want to point out that X-Men: Apocalypse is a bit too long at almost two and a half hours. Knowing that this is the third and last installment in the First Class franchise, it should go out with a bang, but when a person can feel those two and a half hours, it doesn't really make it worth it. It was entertaining throughout, but that's like seeing a *insert your favorite sport here* game or match knowing who's going to win. It's still an entertaining game or match to watch, but it's going on too long and you already know the outcome from the beginning. There is a scene during the film (which I won't spoil), from one of the recent trailers, that is awesome and violent, but I kept thinking, "what was the point of that?". I loved it, but I don't understand what that contributed to the Apocalypse story. My point, again, is that it could have been shorter for sure.

James McAvoy waited so long for the movie to end, his hair receded.

 

      Going back to the characters of Apocalypse, the new team (technically old) with Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler were introduced very well in the movie. I enjoyed seeing Scott Summers/Cyclops as a teen because, in the early 2000's X-Men franchise, he didn't have a concrete role in that series. Kodi Smit-McPhee's Nightcrawler's mutant ability has always fascinated me as a kid: teleportation. Seeing him teleport from place to place brought me back to my childhood thinking that one day I'll be able to have the power of teleportation (I'm not giving up on that dream!). The standout, though, is Sophie Turner's Jean Grey. As a comic book enthusiast, the glimpse of her future satisfied the nerd side of my brain in spades. Besides that, she has quite possibly one of the most emotional roles in Apocalypse, alongside Michael Fassbender's. Also, if you have seen Days of Future Past, you might remember Quicksilver's appearance in the kitchen. A similar scene is in Apocalypse and it is just as good, if not better than the previous. Holy crap, does Evan Peters' Quicksilver shine on screen. I can't wait to see what these characters, and more, will do with the X-Men universe (rumor has it that the next X-Men film will be set in the 90's).

Seeing Quicksilver do his thing again is such a treat!

      If you're an X-Men fanatic or enjoyed the previous X-Men films (the 2000's franchise and the First Class franchise), then I can safely say that X-Men: Apocalypse is a good fit to the universe. I enjoyed it enough to where I had fun and was entertained. I come to see a superhero movie for the superheroes. If the villain isn't up to par with the emotional tendencies that the superheroes have shown in their previous films, that is a major fault, especially when someone as powerful and as evil as Apocalypse is the villain. However, the fights are cool, most of the CGI is well done, and new mutant abilities are used. What else do you need from an X-Men movie? Sir Patrick Stewart would actually increase the likability of this movie tenfold. He jokingly told Bryan Singer that he would gladly step in as Mystique if Jennifer Lawrence wasn't doing it: "I am so ready to be naked, painted blue, and the world is ready for it too."

3.7/5

PRO

• Heroes are emotionally invested (especially Magneto and Jean Grey)
• Introductions of new mutants like Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler  
• Quicksilver scene

CON

• Apocalypse is an underwhelming villain; no satisfying motivation to his goal
• Long running time at a little under 2 and a half hours

X-Men: Apocalypse is rated PG-13 for sequences of action, violence and destruction, brief strong language, and some suggestive images

Click here to watch the trailer

X-Men: Apocalypse is in theaters everywhere now

      Thank you for reading my review, everybody! I really appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen X-Men: Apocalypse, comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

The Nice Guys Review

The Nice Guys

Holly: "You're the world's worst detective."

      The Nice Guys is directed by Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3, Lethal Weapon 2) and stars Ryan Gosling as Holland March, Russell Crowe as Jackson Healy, Angourie Rice as Holly March, Margaret Qualley as Amelia Kuttner, Matt Bomer as John Boy, and Kim Basinger as Judith Kuttner.

Two men with their last names resembling birds. It has nothing to do with the movie, but they have something in common there, meaning they should work well together!

      In The Nice Guys, Holland March, a bumbling and broken detective, and Jackson Healy, a more stern and physical detective, unexpectedly are brought together by a case surrounding the death of a porn star. As the two delve deeper into the case, weirder and weirder events start occurring which eventually lead to something more than just solving the original crime.

Ryan's face is more of what I was doing during the twists and turns this movie took...and then laughter.

 

      The Nice Guys is one of the most original films I have seen in a while. It really is a breath of fresh air seeing a film noir that incorporates comedy, action, drama, and overall, weirdness. Much of that, if not all of it, is due to Shane Black, who directed and co-wrote The Nice Guys. In retrospect, the script was the highlight of the entire film. The chemistry between Gosling and Crowe is phenomenal and I don't think it could have been done without those two at the helm of the acting ensemble. I would love to see these two in another film that is something completely different from a film noir, just to see what else they can blow me away with. When the physical comedy hits, it HITS. I mean, Ryan Gosling's Holland March is an irresponsible detective who really can't die from all the punches or cars that bash him. Russell Crowe's Jackson Healy is more of a serious getting-the-job-done guy, but his comedic timing with dialogue is spot on. It's sort of the opposite of what one may think to see out of these two characters, but it blends so well together. The script brought Crowe and Gosling so that this beauty of a film could be made. Thank you, Shane!

 

Shane Black tried to stop Ryan Gosling from doing a bunch of his own stunts because of liability and him being one of the stars, but Gosling did them anyways.

            While most of everything about The Nice Guys is refreshing and a fun film to see in this era of cinema, I didn't feel as though the tone was all that cohesive. The same thing I liked about the film is the same thing I sort of disliked because there was just maybe a bit too many genres scrunched up: comedy, film noir, mystery, and action. Yes, it does sound like it's amazing and it is, but there was more confusion for me when I saw it because of the trailer. I think the best comedic parts of the movie are in the trailer. Don't get me wrong, the comedy is still hilarious, it's just that there isn't enough to even out the ratio of action and comedy.

The Nice Guys was inspired by a TV show in the mid to late 1970's called The Rockford Files (a mystery crime drama)

      The originality that made The Nice Guys comes from the plot and all the turns it takes. I will definitely not go into what the twists are, but all I'll say is that there are sort of fantastical elements to the story that just don't make sense. I love that though. This is primarily a film noir above comedy, action, or mystery. There just aren't that many film noirs nowadays that modernize the genre to new heights. At times, The Nice Guys feels like a parody of the film noir genre all while being a film noir itself. The fourth wall breaking, the damsel in distress, and the detective trying to help the woman or other person. These classic film noir tropes are present on the movie, making it, once again, a breath of fresh air.

Uh oh. They're looking at you. Put your phone away or Russell Crowe will put you in a headlock!

      The Nice Guys is a film that is more of an artistic film that should be watched by everyone because it's so original. Hopefully the big names like Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe bring in viewers. It looks like the cast and the crew had fun making it and it shows on screen how much fun the film is. Please do yourself a favor and go watch this movie, just don't watch the trailer; go in semi-blind.

4.5/5

PRO

• Shane Black in charge
• Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe's chemistry
• Original film noir

CON

• Uneven amount of comedy to action because of the trailer

The Nice Guys is rated R for violence, sexuality, nudity, language, and brief drug use

Click here to watch the trailer

The Nice Guys is in theaters everywhere now

      Thank you for reading my review, everybody! I really appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen The Nice Guys, comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!

!!!UPDATE!!!

Hey everybody!

      Sorry for doing this, but the bad internet connection I am currently having isn't really allowing me to write my review or format it well. I am going to have to postpone the review for tomorrow. Again, I'm really sorry. Expect to see it posted on here sometime tomorrow. Thanks for understanding!

- C Lo

Here is a funny picture to make up for my mistake though:

Money Monster Review

Money Monster

Kyle Budwell: "I might be the one with the gun here but I'm not the real criminal. It's people like these guys. I'm telling you, it's rigged, the whole damn thing. They're stealing everything from us and they're getting away with it too. They literally own the airwaves. They literally control the information, but not today."

      Money Monster is directed by Jodie Foster (The Beaver) and stars George Clooney as Lee Gates, Julia Roberts as Patty Fenn, Jack O'Connell as Kyle Budwell, Dominic West as Walt Camby, Lenny Venito as Lenny the cameraman, Caitriona Balfe as Diane Lester, and Giancarlo Esposito as Captain Powell.

Damn it! Why does this keep happening to me?!?!

      Money Monster is set in a newsroom type of background with an energetic and pompous Lee Gates hosting a show called Money Monster. He advises the public as to what stocks they should buy and sell. A real life Mad Money with Jim Cramer, if you will. During a taping of one of the shows, a stranger with a gun, Kyle Budwell, terrorizes the newsroom and keeps the staff held hostage. Kyle straps a bomb onto Lee because he is the one he's after. Kyle wants answers to the question of why he lost a significant amount of money from a stock market drop that Lee advised to invest in. All the while this is happening, Patty Fenn, working behind the scenes as the producer of the show, does everything she can to extract all the information she needs from the company that had the stock market crash: IBIS. As the film goes on Kyle and Lee learn a lot from each other, but not without major consequences getting in the way of each other's goals.

How can someone be so calm when their co-worker, let alone a friend, is being held hostage at gunpoint and they are standing just 80 or so feet away? Patty's nerves of steel really could work for me during final exams.

      Money Monster contains a somewhat original idea that I was honestly curious about, but the script is all over the place and not cohesive enough to hold the story together completely. The tone of the film, from the looks of the trailer, is supposed to be thriller based, which it was for the most part. However, there are various moments in which the narrative that deviates that thriller line and goes to unnecessary exposition heavy scenes and not very well timed comedic moments. In fairness, the bulk of the movie did portray an interesting dilemma and, for that, I was attached to it, but barely. George Clooney and Julia Roberts, as always, do a fantastic job with their performances. Julia Roberts' Patty Fenn is probably the most interesting character, in terms of characterization. Her growth as a person and a friend throughout the film is the clearest and really has the ability for audiences to empathize with her. Yeah, she seems to be abnormally calm during the bulk of the film, considering it is a film about domestic terrorism in Wall Street, but her job as a producer is to stay calm and keep everything in order behind the scenes of a TV show. Don't get me wrong, you can still see the fear in her eyes, but it's mostly internal which is what is supposed to be done in a situation like this and not freak out. George was fine and did the best he could with this role. There really wasn't much to like about his character since he was a total jerk to begin with. There are moments of humanity in his character, but watching it didn't pull me in because of his foolish personality. Jack O'Connell is an up and coming actor with acting chops for sure and it shows in his confused and disgruntled character: Kyle Budwell. All he wants is one simple, yet delicate, answer, but he gets frustrated every time someone either stalls or gives him the wrong answer. It's a great portrayal of a normal Joe who lost everything, so props to Jack O'Connell for doing another good performance.

These two stars always have great chemistry, but believe it or not, they did not film together during the majority of the film because of scheduling conflicts. That's just the power of great acting...and green screens.

      Money Monster has a couple of good things going for it as exemplified by the acting and the interesting premise, but the negatives do outweigh the positives. The script is just messy. I'm not exactly sure if the way it was shown was the work of Jodie Foster as the director or of the screenwriters, although I choose not to believe it's Jodie Foster because she knows acting and the acting is well done here, so it seems like she was following how the script was written. Anyways, the script has too many cuts to unnecessary or poorly executed scenes. The comedic moments there are in during the film, and there are more than I expected there to be, are mostly squeezed in so there isn't an overpopulation of the dark thriller elements that were actually the most enjoyable to watch. There was one scene, no spoilers, that reminded me of a Quentin Tarantino moment of on-the-edge-of-your-seat dialogue, then the camera cuts straight to something outrageous and unnecessary. The thing is that it works in Tarantino films because you know what you're getting into from his previous films and because of the already weird tone of the movie. I was personally taken back by it, but I can see how other people will enjoy those comedic scenes.

The day I see George Clooney dance like this in real life, is the day I will be content with my life.

      It would be too easy (and much better) to make a thriller set only in a contained environment. That's why there is a behind the scenes plot line of the behind the scenes action that Patty Fenn is taking care of. While Lee is trying to stall and calm Kyle, Patty is trying to collect the answers that Kyle, long with many other people tuning in to the dramatic hostage situation, deserve. Diane Lester, CCO of IBIS is clueless on the situation and she is also looking for answers. I totally understand why the screenwriters would write this in the movie, but it just wasn't as interesting as the terrorism that Kyle was engaging in. Every time that plot line with Kyle cut to Diane Lester and the IBIS employees, I was just begging to see the next gripping conversation that Kyle and Lee would have next. These cutaways also happened way more times than I feel like it needed. Once again, I understand why the plot line with IBIS was necessary, but it wasn't as appealing as the action in the newsroom.

IBIS? More like I Missed HAHAHA!...No? OK then.

       Money Monster had the potential to be a solid thriller, but it comes off as kind of desperate to please viewers, thus the film consequently turned out to be sloppy. I'm not bagging it completely because I did enjoy most of the performances in Money Monster. Everyone performed well and some did the best they could, but they still don't save the movie. Sadly, the script was mostly messy with many of the cuts going to different comedic scenes or a slight deviation to a more boring than interesting plot line. Again, it's not a bad movie by any means. I'll just let you make up your mind as to whether this will be a movie for you...or if you would like to catch up on a movie you missed in previous weeks, that would be cool too.

2.6/5

PRO

• Performance of three main leads
• Thriller aspect of the film was entertaining

CON

• Script is messy and it shows with the cuts throughout the film
• Timing with comedic moments
• The other plot line with IBIS is uninteresting as compared to the plot line with Lee and Kyle

Money Monster is rated R for language throughout, some sexuality and brief violence

Click here to watch the trailer

Money Monster is in theaters everywhere now

      Thanks for reading my review, everybody! I really appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen Money Monster, comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!