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Random Thoughts on X-Men: Days of Future Past

As a huge fan of the X-Men: Days of Future Past comics, I was excited for and scared of the X-Men: Days of Future Past movie. Obviously the movie was going to change the source material — some of the changes were for Hollywood reasons, some of the changes worked, and some of them will make millions of fanboys cry out in terror. Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It certainly has problems, but it’s fun enough that I can see myself watching it dozens of times on cable. Here are some random thoughts on X-Men: Days of Future Past. (Turn on your spoiler shields, please.)

Ch-ch-ch-changes: Going into the movie, I knew that things were going to be rearranged to feature Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Lawrence. They’re the two biggest stars in the X-Men movie franchise, so naturally the plot was altered to give them as much screen time as possible. Some purists will be annoyed that Wolverine was sent back in time instead of Kitty Pryde. While I love me some Ellen Page, I knew that wasn’t going to happen in Days of Future Past. The kids (and ladies) love Hugh Jackman.

One major change that bothered me was Kitty Pryde’s newfound TiVo powers. For some reason, Days of Future Past Kitty has the incredibly convenient superpower to transfer someone’s consciousness to the past. The scene where the future X-Men’s TiVo tactics are explained is pretty bad, topped of by the even worse idea that Wolverine can survive a multi-decade rewind because of his ~~copout~~ vaunted healing factor.

The ’70s Ruled: The movie alternates between a Dystopian 2023 and a completely awesome 1973. It was fun seeing bell bottoms, afros, garish polyester patterns, waterbeds, analog meters, reel-to-reel audio, etc. I’m pretty sure that the making of Days of Future Past caused a temporary shortage of polyester. As someone that has always been fascinated by the ’70s (disco, drugs, casual sex!), I loved the past scenes of this movie.

The Future Sucks: All nerd movies portray the future as dark and awful. Days of Future Past carries on that fine tradition. The bad news is that the future sucks for the X-Men and humanity in general. The good news is that the fight scenes are pretty sweet. Bishop, Storm, Colossus, Warpath, Sunspot, Iceman, and Blink don’t have a lot to do as far as advancing the narrative, but they’re featured in some awesome action sequences.

On a side note, I was totally embarrassed that I immediately recognized the actor that played Warpath as one of the werewolves from the Twilight movies. Oh well, at least I can admit it.

Hot X-Chicks: I’m always down with watching Jennifer Lawrence in body paint. In fact, one of my dream jobs is to work as the guy that applies her body paint and prosthetics. She’s a beautiful woman, but you already knew that.

I was pleasantly surprised by how cool Fan Bingbing looked as Blink. I’ve always loved this character. I don’t recall if Bingbing had any lines, but she made for an adorable real-life Blink and Days of Future Past made fun use of her powers.

Anna Paquin is in the movie for like 32 seconds and I would have loved more Ellen Page, but I’m totally not going to complain about hot Jennifer Lawrence and sexy Fan Bingbing. Whether it’s the past or the future, the X-Men have some hot chicks.

Excellent Use of Music: This movie will definitely win Academy Awards for “Best Use of Roberta Flack,” “Best Use of Jim Croce,” and “Best Use of the Theme From Sanford & Son.” I’m not sure if these awards actually exist, but they should.

Quicksilver Didn’t Suck: Going into Days of Future past, lots of fanboys were hating on the movie’s version of Quicksilver. Based off of stills from the set, he looked like crap. While he reminded me more of DC Comics’ Impulse than Marvel’s Pietro Maximoff, Quicksilver had a great scene that will make many moviegoers happy. Yeah, I could have done without the flippant line about his parentage, but his fight scene was very, very cool.

Tyrion Hates Mutants: Although I loved Peter Dinklage in The Station Agent before Game of Thrones came out, it’s hard to see him as anyone else but Tyrion Lannister. In Days of Future Past, he plays Bolivar Trask, creator of the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots. While I kept waiting for him to bust out an overly affected British accent, I appreciated his performance. The writing he had to work with was poor; the character was written as a paper-thin antagonist (i.e. science dick), but Dinklage manages to give Trask some depth.

Magneto’s a Dick: In the comics, many writers have portrayed Professor X and Magneto as the mutant equivalents of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, respectively. In X-Men: First Class and Days of Future Past, I’m pretty sure that being the master of magnetism is Magneto’s secondary mutation. It seems like his answer to everything is, “I know, I’ll be a dick!” While it’s clear that he cares about his fellow mutants more than anything else, his actions lack thought and his plans generally suck. Then again, I’m happy that he did what he did to RFK Stadium. That place is a toilet.

About a Beast: Adult Nicholas Hoult weirds me out. He’ll always be the kid from About a Boy to me.

Bottom Line: I enjoyed X-Men: Days of Future Past, despite its problems. I wouldn’t say it’s a great superhero film, but it’s good fun. Compared to the comics, it’s a bit dumber and not quite as grim, though it certainly has some dark moments. As far as 2014 superhero movies go, it’s better than Spider-Man 2 and not as good as Captain America 2. It’s one of those flawed movies that I’ll happily watch several times when it’s in rotation on cable.

Having said that, I can see some comics purists hating this movie. Some of the flaws are dismissible, but there are some comics fans that won’t stand for the drastic changes to the source material. When you combine those changes with the movie’s other problems, the film won’t stand a chance with some hardcore comics fans. Those guys and gals can complain all they want and I get it, but I’ll happily watching Days of Future Past again and again in the hopefully-not-Sentinel-dominated future.

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer #2 (I Am Groot!!!)

The first trailer for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie delighted and disappointed me. I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining it was, but disappointed that Vin Diesel didn’t say, “I am Groot.” The second trailer for Marvel’s intergalactic summer spectacular is even better than the first. You learn more about the protagonists, see more action, and (finally) hear the first utterance of, “I am Groot.” On the negative side, ~~WWE Batista~~ Dave Bautista is seen “acting” in the trailer and, as most of you know, that guy pretty much sucks at everything.

Please check out Guardians of the Galaxy trailer #2 when you have a chance and let me know what you think!

Constantine Trailer is Shockingly Good (NBC)

John Constantine has always been one of the coolest and most interesting characters in the world of DC Comics. For those of you not familiar with the character, he’s a chain-smoking occult expert that specializes in dark sorcery and snarky comments. Constantine is probably the first guy in the DC Universe that you’d want to have a beer with. He’s just…frickin’ cool, but underneath his cynicism and sardonic wit lies a heart of gold. Despite all the crap he talks, his reputation as a conman, and his dark outlook on life, Constantine wants to make the world a better place. Like I said, cool and interesting.

Sadly, some people have a bad impression of the character due to the mediocre Constantine movie starring Keanu Reeves and ~~Shawn LeBeef~~ Shia LeBeouf. NBC aims to make television viewers realize how awesome the character is with the upcoming Constantine television series. I was curious about the show, but after watching the trailer (embedded below), I’m genuinely excited for it. Yes, it’s only a trailer, but NBC’s Constantine looks like a fun blend of drama, special effects, and snarky dialogue. Welshman Matt Ryan appears to have the Constantine character down perfectly (sorry Keanu, a Yank can’t adequately portray Constantine). The visuals flashed in the trailer looked creepy and surprisingly macabre for television. The tone of the show just feels right — a potentially great adaptation of the antihero people loved from the Swamp Thing and Hellblazer comics.

When you have a chance, please check out the trailer below and let me know what you think of it. Are you interested or excited for NBC’s Constantine? Or do you think that the character will burn in the pits of Hades, like so many other television adaptations of comics characters have? Leave a comment and let me know (please!).

Channing Tatum as Gambit is…

In a recent RPadTV Google+ chat, RPadholic Tokz mentioned that Channing Tatum will be playing Gambit in an X-Men spinoff movie. My initial reaction was horror. While he’s an established Hollywood draw and attracts lots of female moviegoers, Channing Tatum is not a good actor. After thinking about the casting choice for a bit (more than a bit, actually, because my crap web server was down), I’m feeling pretty good about the casting decision. There are a couple of reasons why Channing Tatum as Gambit should work. After careful (not really) examination, I’m looking forward to it (also not really).

First off, Gambit is a crap character. In the comics, he started off as a cool thief with a unique Cajun background. Eventually, his backstory became way too complex and convoluted (a classic comic book mistake) to the point that the character became a bit ridiculous. At the end of the day, Gambit is a mutant Pepe Le Pew that throws kinetically-charged cards. That’s lame. Since Gambit is a crap character, it makes perfect sense for a crap actor to portray him. Channing Tatum is the perfect man for the job! (I’m half-kidding in this paragraph. While I think Gambit is a mediocre character, I’m exaggerating his craptitude just to rib Tokz.)

More seriously, I’m rooting for Channing Tatum. I think he can be incredibly entertaining in a Paul Walker kind of way. The late, great star of the Fast & Furious movies dazzled millions of moviegoers with his mesmerizingly bad acting. Tatum isn’t quite there yet. He still tries too hard and has delusions of grandeur of being nominated for an Academy Award. If Tatum embraces his formidable and natural ability to act poorly, he’ll carry the torch for Walker as the preeminent crappy actor of his generation. If and when he chooses to do, Hollywood will have a “special” talent on its hands.

Also, dude was in Coach Carter, one of the most criminally underrated movies made in the last 20 years. At the very least, everyone in the Coach Carter cast deserves immensely successful acting careers. At best, they’ll all be playing superheroes.

Okay, it’s your turn. What do you think of Channing Tatum as the X-Men’s Gambit? Will it work? Or will he just make a lame character even lamer?

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Coffee Talk #623: Why I’m Looking Forward to Marvel’s Original Sin

I’m greatly looking forward to Marvel’s “Original Sin” event. Part of it is because the story is topical and reflects recent world events. Part of it is because for the last few years, Marvel’s events have generally been superior to DC’s events. The second part is a little painful to admit, because I’ve usually been (a bit) more of a DC guy than a Marvel guy (though first and foremost, I follow certain writers). Let’s use today’s Coffee Talk to discuss “Original Sin.”

For those of you not familiar with the premise of “Original Sin,” here’s a brief rundown…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Roy Hibbert suddenly forgetting how to play basketball, being shocked that a 7’2″ professional basketball player can’t get one frickin’ rebound, or Seth Rogen gloriously going off on Justin Bieber, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

For those of you not familiar with the premise of “Original Sin,” here’s a brief rundown. Uatu, the Watcher of Earth’s solar system, has been killed. As a powerful being that observes all kinds of happenings, dude has seen and heard a lot. The person responsible for Uatu’s death is wreaking havoc throughout the Marvel Universe by leaking some of the Watcher’s closely guarded secrets. From Captain America getting his mind wiped by the Illuminati to the mystery of Star Lord from the Guardians of the Galaxy surviving the Cancerverse, these secrets touch every corner of the Marvel Universe.

Going into “Original Sin,” there are two aspects of it that I love. First off, I adore that it’s a (nerdy) dramatization of the WikiLeaks situation. While Edward Snowden and Julian Assange are interesting characters, they’re dullsville compared to the heroes and villains that populate the Marvel Universe. It’s awesome that Marvel is having its own (nerdy) version of the WikiLeaks scandal.

The second aspect of “Original Sin” that I love is that it gives writers freedom without confusing the reader. Any Marvel book can work with a scandalous secret being revealed, but the individual secrets don’t necessarily have to tie into the main “Original Sin” plot. Writers can explore the characters that they’re responsible for and have fun with the leaked secrets, while readers can just follow the main plot and the characters they care about. It’s nice and neat…

…as opposed to what’s going on over at DC. The last two major DC events were a mess. “Trinity War” started out with a promising bang and ended with a swerve that left many readers with a sense of ennui. That event clumsily lead into “Forever Evil,” which has been a totally wreck. The main “Forever Evil” book didn’t stand on its own, requiring readers to check out other titles in order to make sense of it all. The event was plagued by delays, escalating “Forever Evil” from a wreck to a disaster. There are several DC titles that are in the “Forever Evil” epilogue stage and have moved on from the climactic ending…that hasn’t actually happened because the last issue has been delayed to May 21. It’s an excellent example of a major comic-book event being all over the place and running out of control.

Wow. I feel a little better after ranting about “Forever Evil.” Let’s change the record and return the focus to “Original Sin.” On paper, it should be an entertaining comic-book event that should feature tight storytelling. The way it’s set up, it shouldn’t spin out of control like “Forever Evil” did. Unlike that storyline, the leaked secrets from “Original Sin” can work well as self-contained plots in individual books, as opposed to some of the “Forever Evil” subplots that felt forced.

So yeah! I’m really looking forward to “Original Sin.” I have a feeling that it’ll be fun and the storytelling will mostly be tight. How about you? Any of you guys and dolls looking forward to Marvel’s latest universe-shattering event?

Coffee Talk #620: Dumbing Things Down For Movies and TV

Some purists of A Song of Ice and Fire had an issue with Oberyn Martell’s introduction in Game of Thrones s4e1. In the books, it’s implied that he’s bisexual. In the television show, he forcefully grabs a male prostitute’s junk. There’s a huge difference between subtle implication and ham-fisted delivery, but sometimes it’s necessary for the mainstream audience.

The debate over Oberyn Martell reminded me of another argument fans had about Game of Thrones Season 2. In the books, it’s implied that…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the glory of the Derek Jeter Retirement Tour, Katy Perry’s green hair, or getting amped for the NBA playoffs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The debate over Oberyn Martell reminded me of another argument fans had about Game of Thrones Season 2. In the books, it’s implied that Stannis Baratheon is sleeping with priestess of R’hllor Melisandre. In the show, he full-on bangs her on his war table. Again, the information is conveyed in drastically different ways, but it’s arguably necessary.

For some reason, the two instances in Game of Thrones didn’t bother me. I didn’t like that subtlety was eschewed for heavy-handed delivery, but I didn’t hate it either. I get that subtlety is lost on some people and understand that the show’s directors wanted these bits of information made clear.

Having said that, I recall one instance where a change bothered the hell out of me. In the Watchmen comics, there’s a great sequence where Silk Spectre figures out that the Comedian is her father. Various memories come back to her and she pieces it all together. In the Watchmen movie, the same thing happens, but it’s punctuated by Dr. Manhattan saying, “The Comedian…is your father.” For whatever reason, that little addition pissed me off. It seemed so unnecessary. Are moviegoers really that dumb?!?

While I understand that book and comics writers can rely on readers’ imaginations, is it necessary for movie and TV directors to be so obvious? I’m not really sure. That’s where you come in! I’d love to hear your opinion on the matter and read some of your examples in the comments section. Does print have to be dumbed down when it’s translated into a movie or television show?

Separated at Birth: Scarlet Witch and Aerith Gainsborough?

I was psyched to see that io9 posted photos of Elizabeth Olsen as the Scarlet Witch from the set of The Avengers 2. I have high hopes for Ms. Olsen, as she’s on her way to supplanting her evil sisters as the best Olsen sibling in Hollywood. The news that she was cast as the Scarlet Witch was especially exciting. While I didn’t expect her to wear the ridiculous medieval swimsuit from the ’70s and ’80s comics, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw.

Apparently the costume designer from The Avengers 2 dropped by Final Fantasy VII and jacked Aerith’s clothes. Look at the red top and ridiculous boots! I half-expect her to cast “Holy” during the movie’s climax in order to thwart Ultron. The Scarlet Witch costume looks like a mashup of (mostly) Aereith and (a sprinkle of) Tifa!

Elizabeth Olsen’s version of the Scarlet Witch looks just like Aerith Gainsborough…to me, anyway. When you have a chance, check out the pics and give it some thought. Do you see the resemblance between Avengers 2 Scarlet Witch and FFVII Aerith? Or did somebody slip me crazy pills?

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Coffee Talk #616: Heroes With Limited Vocabularies

The Guardians of the Galaxy trailer has me totally geeked out. One of the reasons I’m excited for the movie is Groot. He is the coolest talking tree in sci-fi and fantasy. Groot is way cooler than those lamers in The Lord of the Rings. As I mentioned in my story on the trailer, I was anxiously awaiting Groot to say his trademark phase, “I am Groot.” Since he didn’t, my anticipation for the next trailer has increased exponentially. The trailer also got me thinking about other heroes with limited vocabularies. There are so many great ones to choose from. I’m going to use today’s column to talk about some of my favorites and I’d love to hear about yours. Let’s start with…continued

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the 2014 Oscar winners (and losers), hosting vape shop openings with charming models, or the Oklahoma City Thunder getting bitten by the injury bug, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Timmy From South Park: Timmy Burch made his debut in South Park season 4 and the world has been a better place ever since. Wheelchair-bound and mentally disabled, Timmy’s vocabulary is limited to his name. He has shown, time and time again, a broad range of emotions simply by saying, “Timmy!” Hell, he even fronted a kick-ass band called Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld. One of my favorite Timmy clips was when he was being chased by a dinosaur in prehistoric times. The palpable sense of fear he conveyed while limited to saying, “Timmy!” stopped me in my tracks and made me think, “Acting.”

Pikachu: The most popular Pokemon in the world has spent years entertaining millions of television watchers, moviegoers, and gamers while limited to saying three syllables. Purists of heroes with limited vocabulary argue that Pikachu has an unfair advantage over his contemporaries since he uses numerous permutations of pi, ka, and chu. Personally, I give him a pass on that technicality since he has saved the world on multiple occasions.

Groot: Of course I need to spend some time talking about Groot. At a glance, it’s easy to dismiss him as a large talking tree that’s merely a heavy hitter on the Guardians of the Galaxy’s roster. Yes, he can deal some heavy damage, but he’s more than just a bruiser. He’s Rocket Raccoon’s confidant and anchor. When Gamora wants to lower her guard and shed the burden of being the most dangerous woman in the universe, Groot is there for when she wants to be a girly girl. (That has never been shown in the comics, but I know it in my heart to be true.) In Guardians of the Galaxy #17, he hatched a plan with Maximus of the Inhumans, showing a deep knowledge of “quasi-dimensional superpositional engineering.” While there are numerous heroes with limited vocabularies, Groot is arguably the smartest and most educated.

Your Picks: Now it’s your turn to talk about heroes with limited vocabularies. Kindly use the comments section to talk about heroes from comic books, television, and movies that are limited to a handful of words. Can you think of one more heroic and legendary than Groot?!?

Guardians of the Galaxy Trailer (I Am Groot!)

Even though it stars the talentless hack known as Batista (Drax the Destroyer), I’m rooting for Guardians of the Galaxy to succeed. I’m a fan of the Brian Michael Bendis comics and the movie has several enjoyable performers that compensate for Batista’s formidable sucktitude. The new trailer (embedded below), has me cautiously hopeful for the movie. Check out the clip and let me know what you think (please!). For now, I shall break down why I’m cautiously excited for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Gamora: Zoe Saldana is a sexy woman. Zoe Saldana in green body paint playing a universally feared assassin takes her sexiness to a new level. I want to see her slice, dice, and kick ass…while being an alluring shade of green.

Star Lord: I like Chris Pratt. I enjoyed his supporting roles in Moneyball and The Five-Year Engagement. Even though he’s the leading man in Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s surrounded by actors and actresses that are way more famous and accomplished. Since he’s liberated by being under the radar, I’m hoping that he’ll give a surprisingly strong performance as head honcho Peter Quill.

Groot: I kept waiting and waiting for an, “I am Groot!” utterance in the trailer. It never came. That just makes me want the second trailer more. Ha! A friend of mine was saying that Vin Diesel’s best roles are ones with a limited vocabulary. I’m hoping he can get as much mileage from “I am Groot!” as he did saying “Hogarth” in The Iron Giant.

Rocket: In a stroke of genius, Guardians of the Galaxy has one of the hottest leading men in Hollywood (Bradley Cooper) doing voiceover work…as a talking raccoon with a ton of attitude. That’s just funny. On a more serious note, this is the character that will probably make or break the movie for me. Rocket is a tough one to pull off. It would be really, really easy to get too comical with him. I’m anxious to see if the movie delivers the blend of attitude and heart that Bendis deftly portrayed in the comics.

Rhomann Dey: If you’re a comic-book purist then John C. Reilly doesn’t make any sense for this character. At all. That said, he’s frickin’ John C. Reilly! I am of the opinion that he should be in every movie.

While I’m excited for Guardians of the Galaxy, I don’t expect it to do as well as Marvel’s previous comic-book adaptations. These characters aren’t as well know as The Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor. People that are unfamiliar with the comics will see a talking tree and a talking raccoon, which will lead to many WTF moments. It also has Batista, a person that’s terrible enough to keep away millions of moviegoers. Still, the trailer was fun and the source material is excellent. I’m hoping that Guardians of the Galaxy will rock.

How about you? What do you thing of the trailer? Any moments stand out for you? Any predictions on how Guardians of the Galaxy will do at the box office? Shout it out in the comments section (please!).

Preacher Coming to AMC (Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg)

AMC has announced that it’s producing a television adaptation of the outstanding Preacher comic book. Written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Steve Dillon, Preacher tells the tale of Jessie Custer, a Texas preacher suddenly imbued with a spiritual force that’s a threat to God. Meanwhile, the Almighty has abandoned heaven, leaving the afterlife in disarray. Custer makes it his mission to find God (literally), while forces — both good and evil — are out to stop him. Along the way, he encounters numerous colorful characters that make his adventure bizarre, twisted, dramatic, and all kinds of entertaining.

The AMC adaptation of Preacher will be written and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The two are known for their side-splitting comedies, including Superbad, Pineapple Express, and This is the End. They’re also big-time fans of the source material. Here’s a quote from the duo via IndieWire:

This is amazing! We’ve tried for seven years to work on Preacher and we’re so psyched AMC is finally letting us. It is our favorite comic of all time, and we’re going to do everything we can to do it right. Humperdoo!

As many of you regular RPadholics know, Preacher is also one of my all-time favorite comics. Ennis’ writing is superb throughout the series. His story is a unique mix of drama, humor, violence, and flat-out wackiness. I’ve always been impressed by how he deftly incorporated drastically different elements and made sense of it all. I mean, how do you use a stone-cold serious character like the Saint of Killers and a completely ridiculous fellow like Arseface in the same comic? On paper, you can’t, but Ennis pulled it of marvelously for one of the greatest comics ever made.

So yeah, as a fan of the source material and the Rogen/Goldberg duo, I am completely psyched for AMC’s Preacher. How about you? Do you think it will play on television? Any casting ideas? I vote for Colin Farrell as Cassidy! Please, please share your thoughts on AMC’s Preacher in the comments section.

Source via Shooter McGarvey