MUST WATCH: First Trailer For X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

Usually I'm restrained in my early comments about X-men movies as I've been let down, but also thrilled with past releases. This time though with X-MEN: APOCALYSE - wow. Director Bryan Singer has seemingly stepped up his game here and improved upon what was already a great movie in DAYS OF FUTURE PAST.

Note the character development especially in the trailer. I love the correlations they assert and while I'm growing very tired of superhero movies that present the end of the world, this looks like a very entertaining shot at it.

APOCALYSE stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Lucas Till, Josh Helman, Lana Condor and Ben Hardy.

Here's the synopsis for the movie:
Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. 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.

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE is slated for release on May 18, 2016. More when I get it - and I'm really looking forward to see what's next for marketing.

Frank (2014)

Genre

Comedy | Drama | Music

Director

Lenny Abrahamson

Country

United Kingdom | Ireland | United States

Cast

Domhnall Gleeson, Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Carla Azar, François Civil

Plot

Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender).

Opinion

Oscar Wilde once said, "Every man lies, but give him a mask and he will be sincere". This film is an example of that. Frank is a funny, clever, moving, surreal and unusual film.

The autobiographical experience of screenwriter Jon Ronson, upon which the film is based, certainly helps, but Lenny Abrahamson's film is something more than a man in the papier-mâché head. The film shows the thin line between artistic talent and insanity, and also the difference between going viral and being popular.

Michael Fassbender's performance as Frank is stunning. Despite the covered face, he manages to show the depth of the soul of such a complex character through gestures and voice modulation. In the spectacular closing scene, when Michael/Frank finally takes the mask off, all we see is a man in tears embarrassed by the awareness of being different.

Quotes

Frank: I say, tell everyone everything. Why cover anything up, right?

Rating

9.0/10

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | War

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Country

United States | Germany

Cast

Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfus, Sylvester Groth, Jacky Ido, Denis Ménochet, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, Martin Wuttke, Gedeon Burkhard, B.J. Novak, Omar Doom, Léa Seydoux, Richard Sammel, Alexander Fehling, Christian Berkel, Söhke Möhring, Samm Levine, Paul Rust, Michael Bacall, Rainer Bock, Bo Svenson, Enzo G. Castellari, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel

Plot

In Nazi-occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.

Opinion

The tagline says it all: you haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds is a brilliant, brave, exuberant, comic, dark, violent and glorious film.

Quentin Tarantino's pleasure to tell stories leads him to rewrite history, by telling the - fictional - assassination of Adolf Hitler, set in the only possible venue: a cinema.

The dialogue, the continuous tension, and the use of several languages - English, German, French and German -, on which irony is mostly based, make of this film a jewel of cinema. Also, the film is smooth and there is no heaviness resulting from its long running time.

The Spaghetti-Western score is magnificent, and the opening scene's song, The Verdict (Dopo la condanna), written by Ennio Morricone, is absolutely stunning.

The acting is pretty much great. Christoph Waltz is spectacular: he built a deep, detailed and realistic character, the kind of Nazi everyone would be afraid of. Brad Pitt's performance is not very good, and his Italian is pretty painful to be heard. August Diehl well plays the other sadistic German, very important in the final plot twist. Michael Fassbender is great as Lieutenant Archie Hicox, he has the chance to show off his almost perfect German, and he gets extra points for delivering the line, "There's a special rung in hell for people who waste good Scotch". 

Quotes

Lt. Aldo Raine: You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'.

Bridget von Hammersmark: I know this is a silly question before I ask it, but can you Americans speak any other language besides English?

Rating

9.0/10

Michael Fassbender Taking Up Villainy In SPIDER-MAN 3D?

I don't usually like to post on casting rumors as my thing is mainly the creativity behind projects. However (and this is a big however), this is SPIDER-MAN.

SPIDER-MAN has been and always will be my favorite of all the super heroes. It has resonated with me since the early cartoons on TV - you know the ones that actually shared content with ROCKET ROBIN HOOD (which I think would make a darn good 3D live action adaptation!). So ANY decision made about the project and I am instantly tuned in. Even rumors.

Here is one such rumor (Showbiz 411): Michael Fassbender (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS) is apparently in the midst of a delicious dilemma. It seems Marvel is after him for two different roles - Young Magneto in X MEN: FIRST CLASS -or- playing a villain in the upcoming SPIDER-MAN reboot (in 3D). As these projects are with different studios (Fox and Columbia respectively) it seems he cannot do both.

I am hoping he bites into the villain role because I love his acting chops and SPIDER-MAN would benefit immensely. I have heard many different opinions on what villain he should play, but as for me I still want The Lizard in this movie. My vote is for Dr. Curt Connors. Who do you think he should play if he indeed does sign on?