Don Verdean

Some Spoilers.

From Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess comes another strange, off-kilter and satirical movie about a strange guy with a strange, memorable name. Don Verdean (Sam Rockwell) is a Biblical archeologist, who dug up his fame in the form of ancient pair of shears that may or may not have been the ones used to cut Sampson's hair. Ten years later he's still trying to ride that wave with a book tour, a motor home, a scheduling assistant (Amy Ryan) and a Jewish friend in the Holy Land (Jemaine Clement). But the pastor of a church (Danny McBride) and his wife (Leslie Bibb) who are fighting for "flock members" with a reformed Satanist across the street (Will Forte) decide to fund Don for more expeditions and digs -- as long as he brings back his finds to display at their church!

My man, Sam Rockwell.

So this is a movie that satires Christians. As you can imagine, it's a "thin ice" kind of thing. Even I, when the film was released in theaters wondered if it would be funny and all in good fun, or just annoying and purposefully degrading. Turns out it's neither. I can only speak for myself of course, but I found it funny, but also a little deeper than just "good fun." The Hess's know their Christian stereotypes, and makes caricatures out of them just enough to pull you out or reality and into the film's parallel world, and then it doesn't pull any punches. It pokes fun mostly at your typical "Bible Belt" types, and the funny and sometimes quite strange things Christians sometimes do or say.

And while the film has an overall light and casual tone, it also points out some other, more serious things. Like while the (probably not) reformed Satanist is an obvious villain, the other pastor, Tony Lazarus and his wife Joylinda are obviously more about the size of their congregation and the fame and the money than actually teaching and sharing their faith and encouraging others. They pressure Don into things, convincing him that if he illegally brings back Biblical relics, it will prove the Bible's truth to people, and they will be saved. His friend Boaz pushes and blackmails him even further -- all for personal gain. Don's crimes keep getting worse and worse, but it's always clear that his heart is in the right place and his faith is genuine. And so is his assistant Carol's -- she is the steady moral compass in the film.

I really enjoyed her character, and the drama between these two.

So people take quite a beating from the movie's ragging, but the Christian faith itself is treated quite respectfully, and by the end of the movie a Christian message has been deftly surprised on us all. Not the Gospel message, but one that is no less true and fits the film like a glove. Sam Rockwell doesn't get the opportunity to be his usual crazy and funny self here, but his more subtle and downtrodden character is still great. I loved Don's journey, trying to figure out how he can lead people to Christ, but failing so miserably until finally he finds himself at the end of the film in a place where he can actually do some good.

The end was pretty predicable actually, but the way they got there was a series of some of the craziest, most unexpected things to happen in a movie. Well, it's a Hess film, so it was pretty fairly par for the course. Besides a huge Indiana Jones reference, a lot of the humor will go over the heads of people who aren't knowledgeable in the culture that these characters hail from; and the really good jokes are few and far between. I spent more time staring at the screen in an amused and slightly confused silence than I did actually laughing out loud, but when the jokes did hit, they were whoppers, and the amount of laughter they caused made up for the duller, simply strange bits in between. Jemaine Clement was the cause of most of the moments worthy or roaring laughter. His put-on accent and persona made everything funnier with automatic effortlessness.

Nothing goes together like oddball characters and Hess films.

Don Verdean isn't by any means a perfect movie. It got off to such a slow start that after a little while I began to regret starting it, but it gradually and steadily became more and more worth it right up until the very end, and like that, managed to surprise and impress me. Obviously it's not the kind of film everyone would like, but at the same time it's nice that the filmmakers didn't tone anything down -- in any direction -- for the sake of not offending anyone, or including the uninitiated. It's niche film that only some people can appreciate, but it's certainly a film you won't be able to find anywhere else. It sets itself apart with wackiness and that distinct Hess tone, tapping into a plethora of unused jokes and making good use of them alongside a solid story with a sincere heart.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Seeing Civil War in the theater sparked another re-watch of Steve's first adventure The First Avenger, and I figured it was about time I gave it a review. My opinion of it has shifted slowly over the past 5 years, as with each viewing my perspective was slightly different because of the films that came after it, but it has always been essentially the same -- a really quite good movie.

The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan!

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is the biggest Boy Scout character maybe ever -- certainly in the MCU -- and as such it's difficult to give his character conflict. Because he knows what's right and does it, it's hard to find a tight spot to put him in that would create a compelling story. His origin story deals with that problem in a way no later movie could. Instead of it being about how he fights for truth and liberty and how he helps people, this movie focuses on his struggle to get to a place where he is actually capable of doing those "Captain America" things.

We know that his heart always is and always will be in the right place, and The First Avenger proves that. As a skinny sickly kid he determinedly stands up to bullies to the point where he seems almost insane to do it, and relentlessly tries to make it into the army. I guess he knows what his heart is capable of. And fortunately so does Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci) who sees his spirit and his goodness and gives him a chance. To the raised eyebrows of Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) and Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) he is chosen to be the first test subject for a serum that turns people into super-soldiers.

"There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them."

Stanley Tucci is always a lightening aspect in any movie, and here he's delightful. As soon as Steve gets a body with strength to match his heart and soul though, Erskine is killed and the serum stolen by Richard Armitage! (This movie has so many great "hey, it's that person!" bit-parts. It's fantastic.) I love the proceeding chase scene. Suddenly Steve is who he was always supposed to be, and he immediately uses his new-found physical strength to do good. The scene action-wise is sometimes quite silly and no one had figured out Cap's fighting style yet, so it's missing the visual "oomph" it could have had, but I still love it.

The whole movie's production is often distractingly cheap in fact. Obviously there wasn't enough confidence in it to warrant the kind of budget a Marvel movie gets today. Green screens are obvious, fighting and stunts are cheesy and fake, and I remember the 3D as the worst I've seen. But, like Cap, this movie has its heart in the right place. It dwindles on the action and visuals side, but focuses admirably on character.

Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.

I didn't fall in love with Chris Evans' Cap until The Winter Soldier, but he's always done the part nearly flawlessly, and he hit on it so well with this first try. He's so convincingly kind and endearing and you can't help but feel so sad for him at times (when he's stuck selling bonds and drawing himself as a dancing monkey springs to mind) but he still exudes strength and bravery and is the kind of person you'd be afraid of if you were a bad guy. Hugo Weaving as the bad guy hams it up more than he should have, by the way. The movie has a strong comic book tone to it, but it's halfway in a way that fits with the later films, and halfway not.

Bucky, (Sebastian Stan) I didn't fall in love with until Civil War. When I first saw this movie I barely noticed him. He was a sounding board for Steve's early conflict, then he blended into the Howling Commandos, and his "death" completely convinced me. How things have changed. Now, the sounding board is the beginning of a very complex character. The two have a great friendship, and it's interesting to watch how it changes from Bucky trying to protect Steve from himself and from war, to becoming the one who needs to be protected, yet he doesn't hesitate to follow Steve, and never resents him. Stan has the "strong silent type" down pat but is also light and charming at the proper times. The bit where he tries to hit on Peggy and she doesn't even look at him is hilarious.

"I thought you were dead." "I thought you were smaller."

And even after Peggy got her own TV show, her character doesn't get any better than it is here. Strong and confident, and warm and lovely this Peggy knows her worth and doesn't care one bit if no one else does. I always liked Dominic Cooper's Howard Stark too -- one hundred percent rogue swagger and charm. Tommy Lee Jones is often the funniest bits of the movie while he helps the plot move along. And even though they're small parts, all the Howling Commandos are good, and I especially like that Neal McDonough and JJ Feild are a part of the group.

The one thing that has always bothered me the most about his film is how contrived and ambiguous the plane crash at the end was. I've tried to figure it out, but it seems like they just couldn't think of a hole-proof way of forcing Cap to make that choice and crash the plane, so they tried to cover it up by not explaining exactly why it was necessary to crash. It had to happen so it had to happen, but that always dampened the impact of that emotional moment for me.

Interestingly, the sweeter part of their romance is when they are apart.

The First Avenger is far from being a flawless movie, and most of its flaws are right on the surface for all to see, but with each viewing the characters become more and more endearing and deep, and show no sign of becoming obsolete as Marvel films continue to grow on the solid foundation they helped set. This early, light-and-breezy Marvel flick is a sincere and fitting origin for the most noble and patriotic of superheroes.

Captain America: Civil War

Spoilers!

Divided, they fall.

After an undeserved guilt trip, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) worries that the Avengers need to be put in check. He is surprised to find that if, say, an alien army attacks New York, or a robot AI army tries to lift an entire city into the sky and drop it again, people die in the wake. So, he signs a document called the Sokovia Accords, putting himself under the command of General Ross (William Hurt) and forces the other Avengers to either sign as well, or retire from their crime-fighting ways; or become outlaws. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), however, is Captain America, and as such sees no wisdom in allowing himself to be controlled by someone who may someday order him to do something wrong, or deny him permission to do something right. He and about half the Avengers refuse to sign.

Rising tension between the two sides explodes when Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) appears on the grid and everyone wants a piece of him; Steve, the ever-loyal friend to help him, new addition T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) for revenge, Ross (and thus Tony) because he's dangerous, and also the villain Zemo (Daniel Brühl) who framed him for the UN bombing in the first place. Zemo plans to destroy the Avengers by leading them to destroy each other.

Anthony and Joe Russo return for another Captain America movie featuring the cast of an Avenger movie.

It's the year of the "hero vs. hero" story line, and Civil War set out to make it realistic. It is -- a little bit too much. Superheroes, practically by definition, are people who can act outside the law and remain good, but this movie challenges that, putting our heroes under the harsh judgment of our reality. The result is that the plot is not fundamentally conducive to the genre. It's like if Pirates of the Caribbean 5 were a courtroom drama where Jack stands trail for all his misdeeds. The film struggles to find footing at the beginning, forced to scrounge around for some contrived situations to justify the plot; some that sacrifice character and sense in the effort.

At first Iron Man is only antagonistic and it works alright. He was pressured and emotionally coerced into believing he needed someone to put him in check, and imposed his beliefs on everyone else. But no matter what that self-righteous, cruel, finger-pointing woman by the elevator wrongly says, Tony is not a murderer, and I hate that they made him buy into that lie. He created Ultron, yes, but ultimately, Ultron was an intelligent being that made decisions for himself. What he chose to do isn't on Tony. And that's something Tony would know if the movie didn't require otherwise. Most of the characters have the drama work for them -- as it should -- but someone had to be made the villain, and Tony got the short straw in a lot that shouldn't have existed.

After five films, Tony is no stranger to putting himself in check, but suddenly now he needs someone else to do it for him?

Eventually it reaches a point where if they'd have just stopped and talked about things for a few seconds everything would have been cleared up. Cap has evidence that Bucky was framed and they attempt to go off after Zemo. But Tony and co. (Rhodey (Don Cheadle), Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and Vision (Paul Bettany) with the help of T'Challa, aka Black Panther, and some kid named Peter (Tom Holland)) are under orders to arrest Cap and co. (Bucky, Sam (Anthony Mackie), Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen), Barton (Jeremy Renner), and newly recruited Scott Lang (Paul Rudd)), and they battle it out instead. This was one of the most fun sequences in the movie though, so of course they couldn't just bypass it with a simple exchange of information. Still I reserve the right to be annoyed that that's all it would have taken.

After that Tony discovers the truth for himself and goes off to help Cap and Bucky. Great, right? They team up and prevail against the villain, right? It's a glorious reuniting of friends almost torn apart joining together and putting aside their differences to fight evil, right? Nope -- instead, the villain reveals his plan to them, and shows video footage of Bucky as the Winter Soldier, under the influence of mind control, killing Tony's parents. Tony flips back over in his rage and actually becomes a villain. Not just a misguided and uninformed antagonist -- as irking as that was -- but a villain, uncharacteristically intent on causing harm to the innocent. There are so many things wrong with this; I hardly know where to begin.

It did endear Bucky to me a lot more, so it's arguably worth it. I wasn't ever a huge Iron Man fan anyway. And I'm sure he'll be back to hero status in no time...

Tony knows that Bucky killed his parents because of mind control. And this is not a new issue; Barton killed several people under mind control in The Avengers, but once he came back, no one batted an eyelash. They said it wasn't him, and they were right. Here Cap says the same, and Tony doesn't care, trying to kill Bucky in revenge. (Yet he didn't even blame anyone for Rhodey's injury?) They pick and choose what pushes Tony's buttons based on where the plot wanted to go, instead of the other way around as it should be. He knows he's innocent and he doesn't care -- but not killing innocents was exactly his whole agenda in the first place!

In the end Cap defeats Iron Man physically, but it's really Zemo who wins the day. He didn't succeed in making them kill each other, but he divided them, and the results of Steve's attempts to heal the breach are left ambiguous. Also, it's sad that Zemo's family dies, but it doesn't justify his villainy; it makes it a double standard. He murders in order to orchestrate murder, and his revenge is directed at the people who stopped the one really responsible. These plot lines are the foundation of the movie, and are almost nothing but nonsensical hogwash, and I couldn't buy it. This whole movie was contrived into existence, and characters were bent and broken to its whims all for a nice, swift kick of maddeningly lazy drama that moved nowhere before being resolved by nothing.

I guess one thing this movie portrays well is the folly of revenge.

Remember that heartbreaking moment in the trailer, where Cap seems to have abandoned his friendship with Tony? "He's my friend" he says of Bucky. And Tony replies sadly, "So was I." I don't know if the same take was used in the trailer and the finished film, but the difference the context made was incredible. Once we see that Cap is at that moment keeping Tony from committing emotionally driven unjustified murderous revenge on his friend, that "So was I" comes across in the exact opposite way. Suddenly Cap is the one we feel for, ever the man who will stand up for what he knows is right, and has his friends turn on him for it. That's noble.

And Bucky -- the movie's main focus in on Bucky, and he was the main redeeming factor that kept the film afloat. Bucky regrets the things he was forced to do, and even though he doesn't blame himself, he takes himself out of the equation, giving up on living a life he deserves until he knows he can live it without inadvertently putting others in danger. Like Iron Man, he recognizes that his existence is dangerous, but he takes it upon himself to prevent that danger. That is noble. That is what superheroes do. Iron Man's only spark of nobility here is only perhaps in his motivations of wanting to keep people safe. His actions do a poor job of reflecting that desire if it's true though, and I wonder if really he was only interested in dulling his misguided guilt. In past movies he's been the noble character, but not here, and that doesn't sit right.

So -- that concludes the main point of what is wrong with this movie. On to what is good. Here's to my ability to express it in a more condensed fashion!

Next, I need to devote a whole section to Spider-Man, (Forget condensed!) because his part in this film felt like a whole different film. He didn't really fit, but I was glad he was there. The scenes he has with Iron Man were the only times in the movie that I actually liked Iron Man, and the fight sequence at the airport was fun (uncharacteristically so) because of him -- and Ant-Man. I knew Tom Holland was going to be my favorite Spider-Man, but he didn't let me down even one bit in his short amount of screen time. He tell his origins with a mere "It's a long story," and explains his version of "with great power comes great responsibility" earnestly and simply, like a teenager would. His place in the movie was obviously contrived, but that didn't dampen the exciting appeal of his presence at all.

But even when Spidey is absent the fights are still the most effective distractions from the occasionally insulting drama the movie gives. The choreography is just as great as The Winter Soldier, and though there isn't exactly an equivalent of the elevator scene, Civil War makes up for it by having lots more fights, and lots of fights featuring Bucky. Bucky was great wherever he went. The stairwell fight and the sequence when Zemo activates Bucky stand out as the best and most memorable. I did miss Cap though. It was his movie in name, but he was slightly overshadowed by the long list of a-list co-stars whose characters had bigger issues than Cap did. Cap's problems didn't carry as much weight as they should because all he had to do was the right thing, and that's the one thing he always does. It's why we love him.

Cap trying to hold the movie together...

Acting all around was as good as ever, and not hindered by the plot's often confused and illogical nature. Even Robert Downey Jr. pushed a very impressive performance through his character's sludge. Everyone I've previously mentioned had a solid moment to display their chops, and so did Martin Freeman, Emily VanCamp, and even Frank Grillo in a disappointingly short-lived stint as post-Winter Soldier Crossbones. Vision and Wanda's dynamic was quite strange and oddly cute. Not much was new with Hawkeye when he wasn't given much to do but left a mark anyway. Chadwick Boseman makes a great first impression as Black Panther. And Bucky is steadily and ever-increasing in my affections. This movie's moments of organic drama were almost exclusively his. (Any chance he'll make an appearance in Black Panther, you think?

Marvel films at this point have become well-oiled machines, and it's beginning to show in less-than-appealing ways. They know how to cater to an audience, and know what kind of moments will serve fans the most and stoke their fandom fires. In the moment, it's a blast, but it's not a good thing at heart. The stories are becoming less and less personal as a result; and more and more familiar. Civil War goes through the motions of what made The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron successful, doling out high-caliber, production-line thrills, but slacking off when it came to the stamp of originality, confident that the heroes turning on each other would be enough. I prefer a handcrafted story that respects character foremost, even if it has flaws in the execution.

This movie didn't seem personal to anyone besides its characters.

Civil War is a hand-book movie; a collection of high-energy action scenes, fan-favorite characters, amusing stock jokes, and heavy-handed drama that occasionally bends characters to suit it, but only really works when it happens to suit the characters. It has a lot of good -- even great -- elements to it, but when they're compiled together, the puzzle is not only missing a few pieces, but it is also several different pictures altogether. Half what I was afraid it was going to be, and half what I hoped it would be; but, slowly, the things that were done wrong or lazily are offending my sensibilities less and less, as I remember the good fondly.

I doubt I will ever not notice the plot holes and contrivances that allowed for this film's existence, but I know that I will sit through them again for the parts that catered to my action-loving side and appealed to my love of character. This film is not the ground-breaking, tide-turning event it wanted to be and thinks it is, but, as a Marvel film, and as a Captain America film, and as a preview of what a Russo Brothers Avenger film might be like -- not to mention an introduction film for Black Panther and Spider-Man, and a continuation of the Winter Soldier's story -- it's got something of everything. Civil War is so packed with so much that it could hardly have done anything that would've neutralized its addictive fun, or seriously dampened the effect of the chaotically, colorfully intense and exciting blockbuster that it is.

Liebster Award!

I was nominated for the Liebster award by KG at KG's Movie Rants! Thanks a bunch!

Rules:
1. Answer the 11 questions given by the person who nominated you
2. Nominate other bloggers (up to 11) and give them 11 questions to answer.

KG's questions:

1. Snack of choice when you go watch a movie?
Popcorn is always a winner. Or chocolate -- but that can get dangerous.

2. What movie title best describes your love life?
I'm torn between Mission: Impossible and Minority Report.

3. What movie do you think should never have been made?
The 2014 Annie. Such a terrible and totally unnecessary movie. But really I should have just not watched it. 

4. What movie from your childhood would you love to see remade?
So many of my childhood movies are being remade -- or have been already. It wouldn't exactly be a remake, but The Silver Chair. I liked the BBC version as a kid, and was really excited at the possibility of a new one led by Will Poulter as Eustace, was let down. 

5. Do you prefer to see movies alone or with a partner and why?
If a movie is extremely melodramatic or overly serious or a tear-jerker, I find that I can enjoy them better and less self-consciously alone. And I absolutely must watch comedies and silly movies with people because it's much more fun to laugh at things with people. Most of the time I would choose to watch with people.

6. If you could have dinner with any two movie stars (dead or alive) who would they be and why?
Oh boy. Sam Rockwell sprang to mind almost immediately. He's been a favorite actor of mine for a long time, and I'm sure would be a great dinner companion. And I'll say J.J. Abrams for the second, because I dreamed I met him a few nights ago, and afterward realized that if I really met him I'd want to thank him for Super 8 and 10 Cloverfield Lane, and pick his brain about storytelling.

7. Do you put ketchup on your fries or do you pour the ketchup on the side and dip your fries? Pour and dip for maximum control of ketchup quantity.

8. What song is currently on repeat on your playlist?
This:





9. If you could be any movie character, who would you be and why?
Mark Watney, because to (hypothetically) experience what he (fictionally) did would be incredible and life-changing. Hypothetically. And as long as I couldn't mess anything up, because if I could I would die so fast. 

10. If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Can I pick The Lord of the Rings and pretend they're one film? If not I'd probably die of indecision and then go with The Princess Bride. Or... or... arg.

11. What movie did you expect to hate but ended up loving?
Well, I didn't end up loving it by any stretch of the imagination, but if you were to look at anything I wrote about it before it came out you would see how incredibly much I expected to hate Batman v Superman. I was right in most of my assumptions, but they didn't cause me to hate the movie. And while I didn't come close to loving it I do think that it's an alright movie that's worthwhile. I can see why people like it, and I saw in it things you can't find in other movies. A movie that I expected to hate when I first saw the trailer but changed my mind about way before it released was The Martian, and I definitely ended up loving that one. But I can't remember ever changing my mind from hate to love during the run of a film.

I'd like to nominate these great blogs: Oh So Geeky, Miss Daydreamer's Place, Dreaming Under the Same Moon, Through Two Blue Eyes, Revealed in Time, J and J Productions, Hamlette's Soliloquy, and A Free Mind.

Here are my questions:

1. Favorite movie genre, and why?
2. Favorite movie that's an adaptation of a book you've read?
3. An actor or actress you're enjoying who you've only recently noticed?
4. A favorite "unexpected surprise" movie?
5. A movie that has a cast catered to you?
6. An obscure movie that you think is great and you wish more people knew about?
7. A movie that has a great soundtrack?
8. A movie that reminds you of summer?
9. A movie you loved as a kid and still love (not because of nostalgia)?
10. Plot device pet peeve?
11. Ending preference for movies, and why?

If you're not interested in doing a post on your own blog to answer them, feel free to answer them in the comments, because now that I've gone through the effort of thinking up the questions, I'm curious to see some answers! Even if I didn't tag you, I'd love to see your answers!

Upcoming Movie Roundup - May

So I got a big surprise in April when I went to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice because I was curious and my brother wanted to see it, and it turned out to be not the most terrible movie ever. I didn't actually hate it but managed to mostly enjoy it and that quite impressed me. But predictably no April movies were able to tempt me to see them. I did think about how much I wanted to see 10 Cloverfield Lane again quite a lot. And I looked for Midnight Special, but it isn't playing in my theater. So now we have come upon it; it's May, and it's time for War. Civil War.

What releases are you looking forward to this month? And are you Team Cap or Team Iron Man?


Captain America: Civil War
May 6th; PG-13
Obviously Captain America is the most hype movie this month... and possibly even this year, but we'll see. I'm not super anxious and excited to see it at this moment because based on what I've heard over the past few months, it's going to be an intense and hard-hitting movie. I feel like it's going to take a lot, and hoping that it gives enough to balance it out. Also, having seen Batman v Superman and Daredevil season 2, I've already had enough of the heroes fighting. So I'm hoping this movie can handle it better, but I'm also pretty confident that it will. Cap is basically the best ever, so I'm excited to see him lead another movie, and hoping the supporting cast won't crowd him too much, but at the same time the supporting cast and all the new characters we'll get to see is a huge part of the appeal. (I have one hyphenated word for you: Spider-Man.) Opening night tickets are already in my possession. All that's left now is to find time for a Winter Soldier re-watch. Go Team Cap!




High-Rise
May 13th (limited); R
This one's rating means that I won't watch it until I can watch it cut, but everything else about it makes me excited for when ever that day will be. This looks like my kind of movie. It's a sci-fi, and looks like an original, cerebral, and dark one too. And that would be good enough for me, but it also has a cast I'm quite partial to, with Tom Hiddleston and Luke Evans, plus Jeremy Irons and Sienna Miller. It currently holds a medium high score on RT... and has my attention fully.




Last Days in the Desert
May 13th (limited); PG-13
I don't really have much to say about this one but I thought it was worth mentioning. I like Ewan McGregor a lot, and Tye Sheridan also has a role, and it's got some good reviews, but it also looks like the kind of movie that could go very weird and theologically wonky. So I'm more curious to see what other people think than I am so see it for myself.




Love & Friendship
May 13th (limited); PG
The new Jane Austen adaptation! A guaranteed success, right? Well, there is a tiny catch: the book, Lady Susan, isn't an average Austen novel. It was one of Austen's earliest works, short, and written in the form of letters. This probably poses a few adaptation challenges to get around, but at least since it's so short they probably won't have to cut much out! I've never read it, but from the trailer it looks like a bright, witty satirical and fun period drama, and it's current %100 on RT backs that up. So -- perhaps it is a guaranteed success!




The Curse of Sleeping Beauty
May 13th (limited); NR
This one caught my attention because I was just thinking the other day how neat it would be if someone did a Sleeping Beauty story with a twist, and that twist should be that she sleeps right into the modern day and is woken up there. This movie has that general idea, but also takes it to plenty more, stranger places... it looks like a bit of a horror flick. It doesn't really look like a very good movie either, like it may not be executed very well. But I thought it's existence was a fun coincidence, and I'd like to keep an eye on how it does.




X-Men: Apocalypse
May 27th; NR
I got tired of X-Men after the last film, but this one has still kindled a surprisingly strong interest in me. Maybe because of how many new characters are coming and looking very promising -- or rather, old characters coming back as kids and therefore being re-cast and revitalized. Maybe because of Oscar Isaac being Apocalypse. Or maybe because the title actually justifies the stakes and scope the movie has to have as an X-Men movie. All X-Men movies seem to deal with the end of the world, but this one deserves to. So maybe that why. Ha, who am I kidding -- it's definitely Oscar Isaac. And the other things as a secondary. I definitely want to see this one, but I don't know when I'll be able to -- it's coming out at an inconvenient time. So I'll see it when I can and until then try not to get my hopes up that it'll be any better than the last one. Equal will do.