#Patrick Stewart was great as Professor X too | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

legion1227 · 1 month

Text

X2: A Movie Review

This has been a good year for everybody's favorite mutants so far.

So far, we are halfway through X-Men 97, a sensational return for the original X-Men cartoon, picking up where it left off and blowing away expectations. Meanwhile, we are still three months away from the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, which will feature the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and possibly other surprises from the X-Men films released back in the 2000s, among other Marvel films from then.

With the success of X-Men 97 and the upcoming release of Deadpool & Wolverine, it makes sense to look back and celebrate the X-Men films to come beforehand. At the time of this writing, I have rewatched the X-Men (2000) and X2 only. X-Men: The Last Stand has not been reviewed yet, and X-Men (2000) was good, but X2 is the topic of discussion here, as it's not only better than its predecessor but one of the great comic book films to grace screens.

The last time I watched either X-Men film may have been as a kid during the 2000s. The rewatch all these years later proved how stellar X2 was, buried under the wave of Marvel films to follow throughout the 00s, 10s, and today. If you don't know or have forgotten, X2 introduces its main antagonist, Stryker, played by the brilliant Brian Cox; a man who threatens the existence of mutants with the proposed mutant registration act. After launching a full-front assault on Professor Xavier's school and after Magneto breaks out of prison, the X-Men, Xavier, and Magneto must band together to face a common enemy that threatens their very existence.

From the opening scene of Nightcrawler fighting his way through the White House to make it to the president, the film establishes more clearly than its first one how it has the sauce. Nightcrawler poofing his way throughout the halls and dispatching the guards one by one with opera music in the background is one of the best openings to a CBM. Overall, the action scenes here are a vast improvement over the first one, whether it's the opening scene, the raid on Xavier's school, or Wolverine vs Lady Deathstrike. While the first film's fight scenes were decent, the choreography harbors more dynamic action that contributes to an overall more enjoyable time.

The character work here varies across characters and performances. Ian McKellen has one of the best performances once again. While his role as the antagonist in the previous film was great, his partnership with Xavier, Wolverine, and others forces a compelling dynamic. Magnus breaking out of prison using the iron in a guard's blood was badass. Then, to see him forced to work with his enemies provided entertainment beyond belief. From there, unfortunately, it's a bit of a mixed bag from the other actors and actresses and their characters.

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine is iconic for good reason. He brought gravitas and an aura of savagery that was always entertaining to witness, whether here or in virtually any other film the character appeared in, especially in Logan. Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier is a tour de force in his own right as well, but it's the other members of the X-Men that bring apprehension. While I enjoy James Marsden as an actor, he brought nothing to the table as Cyclops, and reminded me why others for years have hated the Scott Summers character; Coinciding with his performance, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey isn't given many intriguing things to do. It's a bit infuriating when juxtaposed with the performances and stories told in X-Men 97. The X-Men and X2 spend too much time on a love triangle where only one-third of the people involved are engaging to watch on-screen. (Although if X-Men 97 focuses more on the love triangle after the time of this writing, this may age poorly, lmao.)

I liked Shawn Ashmore as Iceman and the scene of him coming out as a mutant to his parents. A decent allegory for a teen coming out as gay to their parents, and I think the scene, as well as Iceman/Bobby Drake in general, work well for the movie. Aaron Stanford's Pyro was also a fun slow-burn, watching him turn heel towards the end of the film. I'm really excited to see him return in Deadpool & Wolverine. Others like Rogue, Beast, Mystique, and Lady Deathstrike, to name a few, I would've liked to have more screen time to grasp these performances and their character moments better. Overall, X2 could've utilized some characters better, but some of the characters get so right and attributed to one of the quintessential 2000s CBM movies out there. There are a handful of iconic scenes to witness or reacquaint with in the first two acts. The third act may waver a little bit, but this is still a great film that warrants a rewatch to appreciate the X-Men further. 4/5.

#review #movie review #movies #xmen #x men 97 #x2 #marvel #wolverine #magneto

7 notes · View notes

distort-opia · 2 years

Note

Hi :) I feel, as a big Bat-comic fan, you probably watched a lot of DC shows and cartoons (or at least Batman related). Do you watch superhero productions not DC related? If I remember correctly, you once mentioned Loki.

Currently? Not... really. I didn't even finish Loki, only got to episode 2 or 3, because it went entirely downhill from there, characterization-wise. For me, both Thor and Loki as characters are not the same ever since Ragnarok. Which I am bitter about, because I used to love Loki a lot.

But this makes it obvious I have watched Marvel stuff, besides DC :)) I haven't kept up with all their TV series, but from the more recent ones, I did like WandaVision (minus the finale, I am still pissed off about it) and Moon Knight. God, really loved Moon Knight, fully recommend it. I liked Jessica Jones too, and the first season of Daredevil. But, in general, I've gotten just as disillusioned with Marvel as everyone else on this webbed site, so I've long stopped actively following their stuff. That being said... I have seen (checks letterboxd list) 82% of all existing Marvel movies, apparently. Sigh. I even watched Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, which had the sole redeeming qualities of camp horror and seeing Wanda go feral (because ohoho, that cameo from Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier made me so mad; it was utilized in the dumbest, most OOC way). But I'm certainly not planning on going to watch any other Marvel movie very soon. Maybe pirating one, but not paying for it.

X-Men though! I've watched both the original and the newer movies, plus the X-Men animated series from the 90's and X-Men: Evolution (which is great). If I haven't been insane about it enough on this blog, I must say I love Michael Fassbender as Magneto and James McAvoy as Professor X. X-Men: First Class is pretty much a friends-to-lovers-to-enemies fever dream with extra found family on the side. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Then, Days of Future Past I also stand by, but Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix are horrid.

#I have also tried out The Umbrella Academy which technically. is superhero stuff #but it didn't pull me in. thinking of revisiting later #and now I am of course considering starting The Boys #it's all over my dash because... Jensen Ackles looking like THAT. obviously #we shall see #thanks for the ask!#don't know if you've adventured into the Marvel world too much but #but if you do now... stick to pre-2016 stuff at least :))#asks #marvel negativity #marvel stuff

7 notes · View notes

reachingforthevoid · 1 year

Text

Dr Who: The Web of Fear

I watched the blu-ray version with the reconstructed episode 3 on 13 January 2023. I had watched the surviving material previously as research for my first novel, Lethbridge-Stewart: The Daughters of Earth (Candy Jar Books, 2017). I read the novelisation of the Web of Fear when I was a kid.

This serial begins directly after the previous ended, with our heroes desperately trying to close the TARDIS doors while they are in flight (for want of a better term). Once that’s sorted, the Doctor is keen for more adventure. Jamie and Victoria do go on about the TARDIS being uncontrollable.

We are back in London, in what looks to be a time roughly contemporary to the audience. How thrilling it must have been back in 1968 watching those references to events watched a few months earlier in the Abominable Snowmen, the serial set in Tibet, 1935 with Professor Travers as a young explorer and anthropologist. Only Professor Travers is an old man now, and his daughter, Anne, is working with the British Army to deal with the Yeti robots and a fungus in the tunnels below London… There is a distinct Quatermass vibe to the Travers x 2 and soldiers in the underground scenes.

Also to emerge from the underground is Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart of the Scots Guard. He immediately warms to the Doctor and believes him about the TARDIS, deals with the incidents in a straightforward manner, even if he’s not wholly successful. It’s not really surprising that we’ll get to see more of him shortly…

Writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln evidently didn’t like the news media much. Edward Travers spits about them in Tibet when he mistakes our heroes for trying to scoop his discoveries, and Chorley in the Web of Fear is a truly vile character.

All up, it’s a great tale that sustains interest over six episodes. I like how it continues what we saw three serials earlier, without repeating much, and yet also didn’t reinvent the adversary beyond recognition.

(I haven’t wanted to discuss the animated reconstructions too much because animations aren’t really my thing. I am immensely grateful for the teams to have spent the effort to make them because I find them easier to watch than the telesnap reconstructions — they, too, are fantastic to have, and I admire the work put into creating them — but episode 3 of this serial didn’t really work for me. The people weaving about like drunk Sims disconcerted my autistic brain, and the Doctor was more Matt Smith than Patrick Troughton in facial expression and body language.)

#doctor who #the web of fear #yeti in the underground #colonel alistair gordon lethbridge stewart #the daughters of earth #professor edward travers #anne travers #Mervyn Haisman #Henry Lincoln #patrick troughton #matt smith #the abominable snowmen #candy jar books

4 notes · View notes

danwhobrowses · 2 years

Text

Dr Strange: Multiverse of Madness - Quick Review

So I'm out of the Cinema, the credits have rolled and Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness is in the books. Reviews so far have been on both sides of the spectrum, but what did I think of Sam Raimi's return to Marvel?

Spoilers for the Movie, you have been warned

So I liked it, I can understand why some people don't think it's great, Raimi's direction was a bit odd at times too.

There is a lot of stuff which doesn't quite match up, the title seems a bit of a false promise because we only visit like 3 or 4 universes long enough to see a variant, Loki showed more variants. I also feel like the plot went the 'difficult route' with Wanda deciding to not pursue this magic book that gives you 'exactly what you want' and instead tries to steal her variant's children, I mean I get that the Darkhold is corruptive - I watched Agents of SHIELD so Stephen coming out with a third eye relieved me because for a moment I feared Stephen would have zero consequences from using it...until it was treated as no big deal in the mid-credits scene, the electric guitar riff was distracting too - and it was supposed to show Wanda's descent but surely she would also want that power? These magical books are also very fragile. I also don't see how all these universes have Wanda's kids but no Vision, he could've played a key part in establishing conflict with Wanda.

I admittedly take issue with how they did the Illuminati, Marvel had to do the typical MCU thing of making anticipated and things comic fans were looking forward to look like clowns. I don't really get their logic either, like Strange is trying to get out of their universe and they're stopping him and America, also this 'Dr. Strange is the bigger threat to the Multiverse' seems like a dumbass conclusion from them; their Strange was corrupted by the Darkhold, Wanda is coming for them having been corrupted by the Darkhold, and their conclusion is Strange is the problem? Not the evil magic book that corrupts whoever reads it? Also pretty fresh coming from Reed 'Council of Reeds/The Beyonder/Intentionally Gave the Four the Zombie Virus' Richards... Also they got clowned in the fight, I mean I get we were selling just how powerful Wanda was but I laughed in disbelief that the MCU had a chance to fix the atrocious Inhumans series and instead decided to bitch out poor Anson Mount's Black Bolt again by killing him like that. It should've more ripped a hole where his mouth should be than popped his brain but it was a truly idiot move from Reed 'Smartest Man in the World' Richards to tell Wanda his powers - we could've just had Wanda seal the mouth and have Wanda kill him another way. Maria's Captain Marvel didn't do it for me, she was at least a match for Wanda but she seemed to have adopted Carol's bitchiness towards Strange. It was nice to see Captain Carter but she shouldn't have lasted as long as she did against Wanda if Reed was ripped up like a cheesestring in seconds, and it did hurt that Marvel brought back Patrick Stewart's Professor X just to kill him a THIRD TIME...Maybe I mean Xavier does have ways of coming back, Mordo felt quite underused too.

On the plus side though this is perhaps the best exploration we've had with Stephen in terms of his personal happiness, and his tragic connection with Christine. Tragic is definitely the optimal word we use for Wanda as well, while her method was a bit long-winded her motivation was clear and believable - helped greatly by Olsen's great acting and time on Wandavision.

America Chavez's character and growth was really nice, she interacted well in the movie and at a good time so we could explore the multiverse at a greater scale, Phase 4 has done really well so far in establishing a Young Avengers group. And thankfully Wong didn't die, I was worried they'd have Wanda off him so Strange would be Sorcerer Supreme again but he lives to kick Abomination ass and Karaoke with Shang Chi and Katy (who I did wonder whether they'd show here or in a post-credit scene) another day.

Aside from that electric guitar, the music was great, especially the old X-Men theme riff with Xavier's appearance. And there were a lot of great visuals from the film and the multiverses we did visit, zombified Strange - while as Wanda pointed out super hypocritical - did make for an interesting magic battle at the conclusion, as did Wanda seeing how much of a monster she had become. While I didn't like the mid-credits scene I did get a kick out of the post-credits one, Sam and Bruce at it again, Sam did get some jumpscares out of me too.

As for implications, as well as seeing the likes of Xavier and Reed we look to be setting up the Incursion, which is smart of Marvel as well. For those unaware the Incursion was an event in comics which had two universes about to collide, the Illuminati were used to try and find a preventative measure for this too. Usually Incursions would involve Molecule Man, but since he doesn't exist in the MCU yet the use of the Incursion would play as a Phase-level threat for the MCU, and could be the opening to blend heroes from another universe together via Battleworld, most importantly the Four, Mutants and Doctor Doom (regular or a more exciting prospect, God Emperor Doom). Battleworld as a concept also makes sense given how Kang the Conqueror is related to Reed, so even if they didn't want to bring in the Beyonder just yet they could use Kang in his place.

So overall, it was worth the ticket, but I wasn't too blown away with the story, not the worst MCU film I've seen though I guess it just didn't quite exceed expectations like No Way Home did when they used the Multiverse.

#dr strange #dr strange multiverse of madness #multiverse of madness #dr stephen strange #stephen strange #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #wong mcu #mcu #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #america chavez #illuminati marvel #mcu multiverse

8 notes · View notes

gpsoftun · 3 years

Text

X-Men actors of the original and First Class generations have gone into detail about the complicated but long-time friendship between elder mutants, Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. Fandom, particularly the slash obsessed crowd, has eaten up this dynamic for years.

One problem. There is NO relationship between these two, let alone friendship, least of all romance!

In fact, the horrendous way their interactions have been portrayed on the big screen is criminal. We're talking about an epic dynamic that began in comics and was featured brilliantly in animation.

In the first three X-Men films, Erik is a terrible piece of garbage. He constantly regurgitates his hypocritical 'goal' of safeguarding and ushering in mutant superiority as the next logical stage of human evolution. Every word he ever utters is a sugar-coated lie he repeats over and over, likely in an effort to convince himself of his own twisted philosophy. In every McKellen movie, he uses and throws away mutants at his convenience, shows no remorse for all the harm he's done to his 'own kind', commits acts of terror that place innocent mutants in the line of fire of government officials, and whenever things go south, he runs off into the shadows like the complete coward he is.

I stand by my firm stance that while a good actor, Ian McKellen made for a bad Magneto. However, Patrick Stewart's greatness salvaged the believability of their dynamic. With so much unknown about their past, it's clear they have been through a great deal together. One could easily infer that one tragic event too many turned Geriatrics Erik into the heartless fiend he was in the original trilogy.

My oh my, did the First Class films sic a firing squad on that theory.

Michael Fassbender- I can never say enough about how every producer after Matthew Vaughn royally wrecked every bit of depth and care he brought to his character. Even James McAvoy is dismayed by how they forged a relationship in FC that drew in so many people, only for their screentime together to be drastically diminished. Ah, the irony of how their trying to appeal to slash fans led to this undoing.

After Charles and Erik worked together for less time than I spent at my first summer job, resulting in Erik paralyzing Charles, abandoning him after encouraging the Professor's sister to do likewise, and joining up with mutant terrorists, how did the following films rectify all of this? By pouring a mixture of salt and chlorine into the gaping wounds.

By dofp, Erik failed his first vital mission of rescuing (the allegedly mutant) jfk and wound up in prison for ten years. For ten years, he sat in a hole and rotted. Charles, rightfully, left the depraved idiot there until saving the world became necessary. As soon as they meet again, Erik shows no remorse and only hurls shame and unfair accusations at the emotionally volatile, borderline suicidal younger man. He further mentally abuses Charles by making it out to be entirely his fault Raven abandoned him and implying they still had a chance to make things right. Then tried to kill Charles' sister not ten seconds after they found her. Erik somehow tops himself with another terrorist attack on live TV. When he's stopped, he doesn't offer a single word of apology as Charles shows him mercy. Erik only flies off, leaving his 'old friend' to clean up after him.

Ten years later in xma, Erik no longer gives a flying flip about mutants. He finds a second homo sapien woman to impregnate. It seems he is capable of making friendships- with his homo sapien co-workers and neighbors. How kind of him to dwell among this lesser species he spent years looking down upon with irrational contempt. Meanwhile, in New York, Charles is in a genuinely happy place running his school. There's not a single indication given that either man remembers the other, let alone misses. In fact, at Raven merely sounding like Erik, Charles becomes, correctly, outraged.

Erik has established longer, stronger friendships with the men of his village- who he proceeds to slaughter the moment they do the right thing and report him for his criminal activities. After helping Apocalypse kidnap and torture Charles, the audience is supposed to believe a couple of flashbacks of some guy Erik worked with for a brief period in the 60s is enough for him to cease his current wave of global destruction. Funny, all of this could have been prevented if Erik sent his daughter to Charles for training since Erik himself is completely inept at instructing one little child. Maybe since she was such a pretty little girl, the ego stroking bit he used with Raven was fruitless. Anyway, as soon as Charles clears his name and Erik is back on his feet, the Moron of Magnetism promptly ditches the X-Men.

By the stupid phoenix movie, for most of it, no one seems to be aware that Erik exists, least of all Charles. He apparently has no contact with him, even when the insufferable shrew known as Raven dies. Jean and Hank go whining to him on Genosha but Charles doesn't bother with him except to talk him down from his latest emotionally driven, nonsensical plans for public homicide. Homicide he wants to commit over a woman he himself already tried to intentionally kill.

When a disregarded, depressed Charles tries to find some semblance of peace in Paris, the steel-bending stalker somehow tracks him down. After thirty years of viciously tormenting the telepath in-between lengthy spells of radio silence, Erik remembers that Charles is an angel among us and offers him residence in a miserable shack on an isolated chunk of land under Erik's dictatorship. And the slash fans just eat up the kind but unappreciated abuse victim going to live with his tormentor.

This does translate to a happy ending in Erik's demented world. Let's not forget that Erik was all for teaming up with Sebastian Shaw, he who conducted painful experiments on him, if not for that tiny detail of Shaw shooting Erik's mom. But he still manages to emulate his beloved nazi mentor by sprouting his philosophy, taking on his minions, and committing ruthless cruelty against mutants and regular humans alike.

Cast, crew, and fandom talk about Charles and Erik as if they are the iconic mutant elders from the comics and 90s series. There are no layers, depth, and certainly no real relationship between them as depicted on film since 2000.

In fact, the First Class films retroactively destroy anything positive gleaned from the original trilogy. I can't enjoy a single moment between McKellen and Stewart, knowing every tragedy to befall Charles is all Erik's fault. Loss of legs? Erik. Loss of hair? Erik. Charles withdrawing into himself and never really letting anyone in? EVERYBODY but especially Erik!

For those believing I have it out for poor, unfortunate Erik, the films brought about this clear conclusion.

Never once is Erik a friend to Charles. He never does anything for him or give him so much as a kind word. In FC, Charles plunged into ice water to save Erik before he even knew him, gave the vigilante killer a home and purpose, supported him at every turn, and constantly built up his self-esteem. Erik only ever talked down to and hurled accusations at Charles. Oh but he totally saved Charles by pinning him down on the plane, right?! Yeah, no, Erik still needed Charles' powers to carry out his plan to kill Shaw. A dead or brain-damaged Charles would have been a useless Charles. Oh but Erik cradled Charles after he was shot. A shooting that Erik's foolishness caused and immediately afterward, he discards Charles and *specifically* coaxed the wounded man's sister into abandoning him as well.

In dofp, Erik is as verbally cruel as he can be towards Charles. Then, he uses emotional manipulation to get Charles to trust him long enough to kill Raven. In the end, Erik ran off and never looked back.

In xma, Erik eventually helped stop Apocalypse to rescue Charles. A rescue that would NOT have been necessary if Erik did not help abduct and torture a man he paralyzed in the first place. In all honesty, he probably saw things not panning out with Apocalypse and hid among the X-Men long enough to regain their favor. Aww, he helped rebuild the house he helped destroy. He needed somewhere to live while he mooched, didn't he?

In the stupid phoenix movie, Erik believes Jean's killed someone he 'cares' about. Does he ever go check on the X-Men? Nope. When he did show up, he spat all over Charles until the very end. Charles was almost as vulnerable as he was during dofp, another opportunity for Erik to swoop in with his emotional manipulation. Charles had no one left and he knew how much the Professor only wanted love, peace, and acceptance. Erik found himself in the position to have the most powerful telepath among his island dwellers. With all outside communication forbidden, he would have years to trap Charles in a snug cocoon of stockholm syndrome.

Am I making Erik sound like a deranged monster with no moral compass? Once again, so did the films! In his youth, he considered the Jews his people and hunted down nazis on 'their' behalf. However, with that mission coming to a close, he luckily found out he was part of a breed of super humans. This gave the hunter an even bigger swell of self-righteousness and a whole new prey to hunt. Every human being on Earth- Jew and gentile alike- lacking a weird, completely random gene he himself just found out existed!

Erik NEVER stands by any of the nonsense he claims to believe in. Everything he does is in service to the ego fandom thinks Charles has and his own pleasure. What was done in those camps to him and his family was unforgivable. But EVERYthing bad that happens to him after his nazi crusade is entirely his fault. He was so incompetent at saving jfk, he made himself look like the assassin and got locked up for it. Those dead mutants he screamed at Charles about? His failure as a leader brought about their destruction. His wife and daughter getting killed? All because he got busted as the mutant terrorist he is.

There was no real relationship between these two beyond absolute toxicity. Fandom has a right to its head canons as much as I have the right to consider them absolutely stupid.

If you accept the canon depictions as a true beautiful relationship, PLEASE make your own new friend in Jesus before you wind up locked in the basement of a madman's shack.

41 notes · View notes

nerfherdingteleporter · 2 years

Text

Multiverse of Madness spoilers ahead, and if you don't want to read the equivalent of me having a screaming breakup with a franchise, just scroll past. Do not engage. I don't want notes for this, I'm just yelling into a void.

Xochitl Gomez: you're doing amazing. You were the best part of that, keep shining, this message isn't for you.

The people who costumed that hot mess: fantastic job. You made the hot mess look cool. This message isn't for you.

All the other actors, particularly Benedict Wong and Patrick Stewart, and also Elizabeth Olsen because none of that garbage was your actual fault and apparently Elizabeth had input on the costume: you did great. This message isn't for you.

The special effects people, which (because I'm not sure how broad that term is and I want to get to my point) includes the props people, the construction people, the demolition people, the designers, and the people who deserve more pay for CGI: epic. I was too busy being so mad I cried to notice much but what I saw was really well done and my partner says you did amazing. This message isn't for you.

Marvel.

Hey, Marvel.

I was a fucking fan, and you handed me that plate of fancy garbage and called it a multiverse.

Fuck you. May you be rightfully slammed for your failing plot lines and your regurgitation of the rotting corpse of the comics that inspired you. May you hemorrhage paid viewers to piracy at best and to other companies that actually care about diversity at the worst. Worst for you, that is; the fans will be better off.

Fuck you for character derailment. Fuck you for your sad, pitiful need to cling to the narrative of a woman too powerful and unstable to be a good person who survives, even as you claim Captain Marvel is a subversion of that. Don't think we haven't noticed that Captain Marvel is already being replaced. Fuck you for setting up an entire tv show about how sympathetic Wanda is and then making her go evil """""for love""""".

Fuck you for trying to tell the story of Disassembled without the Avengers, without Quicksilver, without a demon, without the amnesia that was her entire damn motivation if I remember correctly.

Fuck you for bringing in every damn member of the Illuminati, characters I cared about instantly, and killing them off for...what, exactly?

A special fuck you for Professor X's death because you bought Fox and killed the X-Men and I'm only realizing that the franchise will die the second you touch it. Also since when are her powers telepathic?

Fuck you for saying that America Chavez is unique in the multiverse, because there are literally hundreds of comics saying otherwise.

And finally. Finally, because I love the multiverse, I love reading about it and I love comics where it gets explored. One final multiverse's worth of fuck-yous from every. Single. Version. Of. Me. Who had to watch Marvel look us right in the eye and feed us the disgusting LIE that is "the MCU, which the wiki calls Earth-199999, is actually Earth-616, which is the name we gave to the main comics universe". Fuck you. The fans will believe you, did you know that? The fans will believe you, and they will look for Earth-616. They will find the comics. Congratulations, you've achieved nothing but confusing everybody, making people treat the separate fucking universes like the same one, and making the multiversal organization system I once held up as the gold standard into something that will try to be as bad as the Distinguished Competition.

I don't hope you're happy. I hope you get fired, and blacklisted, and that Wanda Maximoff haunts your dreams every fucking night until she breaks through to this universe, to Earth-1218.

I'm never giving money to Disney ever the fuck again. Good fucking night.

#marvel spoilers #multiverse of madness spoilers #doctor strange and the multiverse of madness spoilers #doctor strange spoilers

5 notes · View notes

pla-teau · 3 years

Text

WANDAVISION SERIES FINALE THOUGHTS

WHOEVER’S CUTTING ONIONS NEEDS TO S T O P.

hayward | i was one of the many few who really wished death on the man cause he’s just the worst. this man emptied his clip at two children. i’m glad jimmy was able to pull a fast one on this dick and that darcy hit him with the ice cream truck and very happy to see the man being taken away in cuffs.

vision vs. vision | while i would’ve enjoyed seeing them fight it out until one completely lost, it wouldn’t be vision without some philosophic conversation. it’s true vision fashion. he doesn’t fight unless it’s a last resort. he’s logical and can assess other means in which to deter a foe. truly enjoyed the scene and now i’m just curious as to where tf white vision yeeted off to after regaining the memories from hex!vision? some have speculated possibly wakanda since that is the place where he died. twice. i would love to see him possibly interact with shuri since she would’ve appeared in the memory montage that hex!vision provided him with alongside other events from infinity war.

agatha (aka not mephisto) | overall, i loved agatha as a character and i’m glad she wasn’t killed off by the end of the series. i know she was more villainous in the show but i’m glad they somewhat neutralized her even if it was by cruel punishment brought upon by wanda to keep her trapped in westview as a nosy neighbor. it keeps the door open for us to see more interactions between her and wanda. i’m also glad that she was the foe wanda had to go against. i know many (like myself) speculated mephisto would appear and be revealed but i’m happy i was wrong about that. this is the first entry into phase four and to spill out a big bad right away? probably not the best move. i know ant-man 3 is planning on introducing kang the conqueror so i wouldn’t be shocked if mephisto is used as a red herring to distract us from the actual big bad of the phase, kang the conqueror (while still keeping mephisto around obviously for future battles and possibly use him as a big bad down the road).

family is forever | i was sobbing when seeing the hex start shrinking down in the distance outside the boys’ window. i love that wanda and vision made the move to put them to bed as a way of saying goodbye so they wouldn’t have to see them disappear. i hope to see these same boys come back cause i think no matter what your theory was on them, viewers fell in love with them. if planning for young avengers, i cannot wait to see them be a part of it. given that these boys weren’t real and not actually wanda’s children, i think they’ll go the route that they’ll find each other even if not as a blood related family but reincarnations that know that wanda was their mother in one instance and see her as a mother figure (alongside their actual mothers, of course). i just love them and i really wish they stuck around but i know this won’t be the last time we see them!

wanda’s outfit | i love it and i think pays homage to her comic book costume while still fitting the aesthetic of wanda and the mcu. love the attention to detail and the pattern on her headpiece. someone on here also pointed out in a post how it resembles magneto’s suit and it makes me love it more because of that. in conclusion, this is the scarlet witch and she’s hot.

wanda and vision’s farewell | if i was sobbing at billy and tommy’s fate, i was wailing by the time these two started saying goodbye. we learn that the main reason vision was able to be created the way he was by wanda was because of the mind stone. while she is the scarlet witch, she was exposed to and enhanced by the mind stone that ended up becoming vision. like she said, it’s a part of her. he lives on in her and overall, this scene just cemented that these two are meant to be together. they are going to be that power couple in the mcu moving forward, together or apart. we know these two are meant for each other and have so much love for each other and will find their way back always. while they may change, the one thing you can bet your ass on is that they fucking love each other.

ralph bohner | the twist that no one saw coming - peter is ralph. it’s clear that he was being controlled by agatha because the moment monica took off the necklace, he woke up from her spell. a lot of people are swirling around to say that he’s probably woo’s missing person. we don’t know that and it’s something that’s left unconfirmed. while i would’ve enjoyed the reveal to be peter actually being peter from the x-men universe, i’m also happy he isn’t. yes there was a lot of fanfare and hope for this series to introduce the multiverse but in retrospect, it would’ve been too much to throw at us at the beginning of phase four. throwing in the multiverse right away would’ve taken away from the series being about wanda (separate point i’ll get to at the end). do hope to see evan peters in a future mcu project, though!

wanda’s story moving forward | i hope wanda becomes a sort of anti-hero for the future. this does set up her appearance in doctor strange 2 and i can’t wait to see what she does. while agatha said she’s destined to destroy the world and her power exceeds the sorcerer supreme’s, i hope the writers don’t make wanda into this villain that loses her logic because of extreme power. wanda has proven agatha wrong already by acknowledging the error in her ways. when she realized she was hurting the people of westview, she let them go and stopped hurting them. she learned that yes, she is hurting them without knowing so what she has to do is let them go. wanda has learned throughout her years with the avengers the consequences her powers can have on people. we know she’s never been trained by a witch and yes, that makes her dangerous with her chaos magic. the second post credit scene shows us that she’s determined to teach herself even if it’s through the darkhold. in seeing what she’s done and the power she holds, i think wanda will be this gray moral character. she holds a great deal of power, the most powerful being on the planet at the moment, and that can cloud her judgement at times. despite being an avenger, this show has really shown us that wanda is alone. while she was with the avengers, what have they really done? they kept her in check and helped her utilize her powers for good but then when civil war happened, she was detained and treated like a weapon of mass destruction. the avengers are clearly nonexistent and those that are around, haven’t bothered with her. i also hope that this new phase of marvel kinda tears down the original avengers and their actions because while intentions were good, not everything or everyone was perfect and there’s consequences. and i hope those consequences are shown through the main characters of this phase like wanda.

the complaints | while i loved this show so so much, i did have some issues. while i enjoyed that this show fleshed out more of wanda’s past, i’m sad that they didn’t confirm or at least try to make wanda jewish since they completely erased her romani roots from the comics. this goes back to my whole thing with representation which i’ve mentioned before in response to an article. while i love elizabeth olsen’s portrayal and care she has for wanda, a romani actress still should’ve been cast from the beginning. the least they could’ve done was at least make her jewish even if ever so subtly because that is the other half of wanda’s identity, even if it’s been retconned often. if they are never going to confirm her as magneto’s daughter in the mcu, at least honor that aspect of her identity if you’ve erased one major one already. representation matters and i wish they tried to do right by the character since they clearly paid close attention to other aspects of her comic book history and took a deep dive into her mental health. come at me for these thoughts but i’ll stand by them. another is just directed at the press for the show (i’m looking at you paul bettany). while fans went ham on the theories and marvel will do anything to misdirect you, i think there should’ve been a clear up from marvel about bettany’s claims of a big cameo coming in the series when it was about himself. i get you don’t want to spoil the show and the big surprises it may hold for the audience but still. i think there should’ve been someone behind the scenes or bettany’s publicist could’ve kinda told him to stop hinting at a super duper big cameo. yes, fans got carried away but i think when you’re doing press for marvel, it should be somewhat common knowledge that fans are going to analyze and try to figure out wtf is gonna happen. it’s fun theorizing, don’t get me wrong but when it’s gone the way it has for this show, i think it leaves a lot of people unsatisfied. i’ll admit i was being a clown thinking i’d see patrick stewart as professor x again since he’s an actor paul’s never worked with before and would be a huge fan service for the audience like in the mandalorian season finale. tldr; crazy fan theories comes with the territory. my final grievance actually has to do with the set up for monica’s engineer. i was also hoping we’d someone big or someone that could be big in the future, possibly it was a skrull at the end but the tone and way monica talked about it, i think it was underwhelming to see a character that we came not to care too much about.

final thoughts | overall, i loved this show and it was refreshing to see marvel embrace the magical side of their universe as it continues to expand. the cast was amazing. everyone in the cast and crew deserve awards because this really gave us a show about wanda. i think a lot of people lost that (including myself) with all the theorizing; goes back to my complaint about press for the show. it gave us a show that dealt with trauma and grief in a way we haven’t seen before in marvel’s cinematic universe. i’ll admit i didn’t care much for wanda as i did with the others but this show made me care for her a lot more and made me a bigger fan of her and vision’s story. it grounded itself in dealing with wanda’s grief and trauma in a new way while also exploring her character more. so i’m happy that we didn’t get a super big cameo or that the multiverse wasn’t confirmed because then the tone and attention would’ve shifted away from this story being about her. i hope marvel can give us shows like this that make us care about a character’s emotions and feelings rather than just how cool and badass they look in a suit. it was clear that the cast and crew made this with such love and care that had good storytelling and kept us on edge every week. i hope that marvel can show us these types of stories and ranges from characters in future movies as well.

#scar’s thoughts and rants #scar’s theories #wandavision #wandavision spoilers #marvel #mcu #peter maximoff #monica rambeau #darcy lewis #jimmy woo #agatha harkness #vision #billy kaplan #tommy shepard

47 notes · View notes

pepsicup · 3 years

Text

Chaotic Commentary: We Have Always Lived In The Castle

Welcome to my thought process when I watch movies!

The arrival of a cousin with ulterior motives threatens the claustrophobic and isolated world of two sisters and their uncle. (Oooof, bitch. I already know Sebastian is gonna look damn fine in this movie.)

Watched: April 22nd, 2021

Opening

Alrighty, right off the bat, the opening music giving me very much throwing it back at summer solstice 1531. Might fuck around and show some ankle, who knows

Um miss girl, first off all, i know damn well you aren't wearing a stark white shirt and capris shorts after labour day. And secondly, you gotta work on your self care babygirl, you are looking rough

Okay, so noted; there is clearly something off about this girl because i know when i personally rummage through family keepsakes, i don't have a hannibal look on my face

I don't know if you guys know this but your house...it needs a little 5 minute crafts, diy, extreme makeover: home edition treatment

Ohhhh baddie alert, baddie alert, baddie alert. That chick’s silhouette already got me acting up. Yes sink low to the ground girl, drop it down for me

Short monologue before being cut in half by that creepy ass stare, gotcha. I literally needed more nightmare fuel, thanks bestie

‘A change is coming, and nobody knows it’ how much more change can you get, your house is literally in shambles girl one battle at a time

First Act

Ah, here we are, title screen. Very cottagecore.

Timeskip: What did happen last tuesday, I must know...the suspense is suffocating

I’m not one to judge, but that record doesn’t sound like a life-coaching audio.

Oh heyyy there's a kitty!

Yes hun, that is a working tap, your telekinesis is redundant. Eleven from stranger things eat your heart out.

Alexandra! Babyyy Daddario! Step on my face or domesticate me into a housewife, i beg of you. The uncle tho, he isn't it.

Chill out Mary, you’re just running errands. Why is she walking in a slow-mo naruto run like that. She is giving me a schizophrenic Napoleon Dynamite vibes.

Wait...is her name Meerkat?

Oh, its Merricat...nah i like mine better lmaooo.

Her inner monologue is making cackle because it sounds like a Gabbie Hanna original piece 💀

Okay what i got from the coffee shop scene was Stella is also a grade A baddie, I want to commit double homicide on those two douches, and i want to invite miss meerkat to my lunch table because awwww. She's just different leave her alone.

Wow, the village folk really know how to talk shit huh? Well, I can eat rats like all of them for every meal of the day, plus snackie snacks. Go fuck yourselves, thoroughly.

God that family needs to smoke some weed or something. Why do I feel like the sisters are about to kiss...and the uncle sounds like he means risky business. Very bad vibes here, back to you in the studio.

Ooooh, miss daddy really knows how to roll her tongue huh? Again, very much cottagecore ‘history says they were just really good friends’ aesthetic. And so many bops in this movie, kinda feel the need to throw it back or do the renegade.

Why do I feel like this next scene is just a posh episode of gossip gorl. Sipping tea and spewing nonsense. Rum cake? No thanks, babygirl. Oh but here comes uncle wanky, whisking away Lucille with his talk of arsenic.

Yes. Speak 8 course meal to me daddy...fuck, now I’m hungry. Okay the uncle isn’t so bad I guess, very poetic and philosophical. Yes, very nice. Sucks that he was roofied and turned to a professor X cosplay for solace, though.

Timeskip: Last Thursday huh? We are in for a rollercoaster folks.

*she glares in rhubarb pie and possibly shelved jam*

OH MY GOD ITS HAPPENING, I SAW THE SIDE/BACK OF HIS HEAD AND MY HEART STOPPED. He has a very nice shaped head, yes, pleasing to the eye.

Hi sirrrr, I have a pocket full of horses, trojan and some of them used. Pls let me ride you in the little red corvette. Pick me, Charles, choose me, love me.

Real talk, I feel so bad for Mary Katherine (I literally almost typed Gallagher at the end lmaooo thanks molly shannon) she is obviously struggling with something and Constance looks like she is very traumatized.

But I still think there’s something not right about Mary. Miss girl no one walks like that (thats a lie, it would probably be me after a night with Bucky barnes) and I love me a little witchy goodness. But not enough to start locking up my bedroom like it’s Area 51 and having secret rituals at my super exclusive, diy bohemian temple in the middle of the woods.

OH MY FUCKING GOD PLEASE SPARE ME FROM THE FEELING I JUST FELT IN THIS ROOM ON THIS VERY DAY IN APRIL, MAMA FUCKING MIA

when he stood up—bitch I’m gone, I’m his whore now. Sorry, I am owned by this man. Bye I was literally launched off earth for a moment there, kinda chillin’ in dead space, standby.

Okay I took a break for a moment. I’m cool, I’m collected, play button is a go. NOPE, GIRL MY MOUTH IS FOREVER OPEN, AND I DUNNO IF I WAS MY BODY TELLING ME TO KNEEL IN FRONT OF HIM OR WHAT—SOMEONE HOLD ME

Current state: I am hugging my knees and wasting away under my blankets. I paused and played and paused and played because I cant go more than 2 seconds of looking at him.

Okay, I’m all good.

All I keep saying is no...no ...NO, louder and louder every time he opens his mouth, ‘got a hug for your cousin?’ um not a cousin but yes, right bitch for that job present for attendance. Here ✋🏻

Girl I’d run like the wind, too, this kitty isn’t gonna dry itself, nyuuuooom, double time! Fall in, Rogers. Gotta keep up. 🏃🏻‍♀️

Timeskip: Last Friday night, yeah we dance on table tops and we took too many shots, I think I gave Charles a blo-oh-job, whoops—

Ah, see I knew there was something fruity about Charles, hopefully he kisses a boy in this. Would love to see that.

Uh oh, the way he just pops that fruit into his mouth...I fine, I’m totally fine. Mentally I am... the way he chews if making my oral fixation quake

‘now that’s a handsome cat’ sir if you don’t—he wonders why he is such a fucking meme, this is why Sebastian.

‘Jonassss’ which one of the brothers, tho?

Ah yes, the best of friends; Meerkat, Frankie Jonas and a middle-aged Carter Baizen. Ugh mega sad that this is the closest I will get to see Charles pet a puthycat though.

Why don’t you slap my ass like a flapjack pancake, Charles. You won’t.

OMG so quirky 🤪when you steal his shirts 🥺🤪🥰

Who the is venice, Charles? Who, who, what are you, a fucking owl? WHO’S VENICE AND WHY IS SHE YOUR FAVOURITE?! sorry i had to get that out of my system, iconic cinema shall not be overlooked.

all this commentary is fresh from my chicken breast brain by the way

All i heard out of that little inspirational, facebook-esque speech at the dinner table was was shoes. Also peep Frédéric Chopin banging in the background noise, a little Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 to keep party goin’

Charles...that is your cousin.

It isn't a PHASE, Charles. Let him be emo over his dead brother and great tragedy of losing his legs then gaining the likeness of sir patrick stewart. Therefore, he will not forget.

Oh...i’ll sit down i guess.

I COULD LITERALLY—...I could literally watch him eat for the rest of my life pls sir have murthy

Grocery boy...hmmm reminds me of a yee ole jingle i heard in my youth. What can i say, I’m a connoisseur of the classics my friends.

Sidenote: I’m getting vietnam flashbacks to singing ‘carol of the bells’ at the elementary christmas concert. I am overstimulated. And not in a good way.

Charles...do not add that newspaper clipping of your cousin to your personal spank bank, pls.

Timeskip: Last weekend, alright. What did we do; brewski’s with the boys? Hockey night in canada? one legged race? I’m dying to know...

Very nice form charles, you’ve almost dug right through the wood. A real mans-man here if we are being honest. I’ve never in whole life seen a construction crew do better than Charles Blackwood.

I could watch him do this all day.

Pearl necklace huh? Me too, girl.

‘I’m beginning to think, that my spells no longer work’ 8-year-old me, sitting in a bath full of salt and a charm bracelet of rock candy dissolving in the water after my fifth attempt to transform into a mermaid

Aw, but i would sit out there and eat a sandwich with Meerkat. Hell yeah, we can go halfsies on a BLT no problem 😢

oh...

oh no...Charles.

Here is my first sexual grievance, the way he carried that sack over his shoulder, mmm yes i have been fed most wonderful nutrients. BUT NEXT?! THE TWO FINGERS LINE AND THE FUCKING MOTION HE DID AND SAYING SHE WASN’T GOING DEEP ENOUGH PLS

what is with this man and gold...alright debutante Lance Tucker simmer down.

And the ‘hot’ thing, ‘needing a bath’? miss daddy is working it in for her cousin real hard, sweet home alabama all summer long

HEY LET'S ALL GO SWIMMING IN MY POOOL, AND BY POOL I MEAN BATHTUB, AND BY SWIMMING I MEAN SEXXXX--

Oh, so there’s this ominous whistling, nice, a blade kink, cool, and Charles serving body audi audi audi audi all the damn day. Hi sirrrrr. God i just love his chest, man. Its just so buff. He looks this good for what? And in front of his cousin...ew? um child, anyways so

the way my stomach clenched in the most uncomfortable way just shows that my body doesn't care about my comfort when it comes to thirsting and simping. He didnt have to look at her like that or fucking back her out

oh to be a chair...

esteemed audience member sac is a little tired of hearing cousin charles and cousin mary call each other cousin charles and cousin mary

Charles, eat your fruit and shut the fuck up. But also, hi sirrr.

I see you, Constance, I see you...tig ol’ bitties 👀

Timeskip: It’s Monday without the benefit of a sebastian stan, full frontal nude scene...smh

baby, just give up on the step and go fondle some plants please, i’m begging, stop at once. or, i spoke too soon?

If i have to hear sebastian say constance one more time i am going suck down all the arsenic i can find...he just says it so weird lmaoooo i hate it

Climax (make it happen, Charles 🙄)

Aw i love fruity, coffee shop, car men AU’s

that shot of him looking over his shoulder single handedly sent to into a spiral...what the fuck are you doing to me, Charles.

uh oh...one of the car men is madddd

OH OKAY WELL, WELL, FUCK ME, WELL

why dont you just come up behind her and literally growl in her ear what the fuck, Charles. I swear sebastian plays his characters just to make women go feral sometimes.

Sir! Sir! This IS A WENDY’S, SIR, THAT’S YOUR COUSIN--

NOT THE MILK CARTON

PLEASE I’M LITERALLY KILLING MYSELF LAUGHING, WHY IS HE DRINKING IT LIKE THATTTTT

that little ‘aahh’ at the end when he drank it all got me, oh my fucking jesus. Hold on i need a minute, my stomach hurts from laughing my guts out.

Oooof but the eye-contact and the expressions are computing mega well to my chicken breast brain so fanfics will be written and sin will be committed so help me lord jesus on the cross almighty, amen (sorry i’m ex-catholic, its just my go-to)

pfffft that is so iconic, Mary is literally gathering sticks in the pitch black woods while Charles basically puts down his own wood for her sister to pick up on fjgrebgnuierijiojfd, i’m dying

why does he have to pull that poetic, sensitive stud act...just give us the goods charles, slap someone i’m begging you

This is like star wars all over again, they served head-on into on-coming incest traffic

*holds up finger guns* sir, ma’am i’m gonna need you to put your hands behind your heads and get down on your knees exactly 8.92 feet apart, this is a citizen’s arrest

but, i too would like to slow dance and make plans with him. Maybe we’ll go deep in the garden with two fingers on top of the rhubarb, maybe we will commit arson, who knows...

Meerkat continues to be my every mood, she really said:

Timeskip: Oh shit, its tuesday ya’ll, grab your party hats it’s about to get funky

Charles, if you don’t shut the fuck up and stop yelling out her name i will suffocate you between my thighs, electrocute your arm until it falls limp and shoot you with a grenade launcher, don’t make me do it

And yes, am i currently squirming in my seat because of the way he is smoking the pipe and hollowing his cheeks, what about it?

Second Act

Yes baby girl! you trash that room like ozzy osbourne and tommy lee did to that motel on tour in 1982. Go, Meerkat, go!

Charles holding those sticks in both hands is the equivalent to a 1-year-old holding those little cocktail weenies, it has the same energy and i’m dying over it

Try to tell me it's not the same picture:

You can't.

Oh shit, its getting heated now. Mary’s in trouble.

Everything isn’t making sense at the same time its all coming together, i am confused, frightened, a little bit horny, but mostly just entirly overwhelmed. Mom...can you come pick me up, i’m scared.

Oh my god! knew it! i knew i knew the actor that plays the uncle, he's the creepy thin man from charlie's angels! Wowza, what a world.

Oh no...i’m flashing back to vietnam again, the fucking bells dude i’m tellin’ ya. There is so much going on, i feel everything but nothing at the same time, help...

NOOOO HER ARTSY BOHEMIAN WITCH COTTAGECORE JARS! THE OUTRAGE! SHE CANT CAST SPELLS ANYMORE, HER POWERS ARE LOST!

a CURSH! NOT A CURSH!

What in the criss angel mindfreak is going on in here on this day? Who are they? And why is the broad such a bitch...oh is she the mom? My bad. Pops seems nice though. Yes, indeed.

Awh, hiii frankie jonasss. 🥰

Oh here we go with the eating again. If i have to see him flex his jaw one more time i’m gonna go feral. And on the usual, loud and obnoxious noises like the ones he is making when he takes a bite, or chew or swallow food/a drink like the who fucking milk debacle. But he just makes it okay? Maybe its just my eating disorder bias coming into play but how can someone be sexy while eating, or smug? Like huh???

‘Why dont you like me?’ WHY DO YOU CARE CHARLES, GODDAMN IT

Is he playing the sad boi card reallyyy? You want someone to say thank you? Put yourself to good use then. I can think of a lot of ways you can use that mouth better than going on these strange mini-monolgues like some tortured writer with a kink for control...and breatheee

And she’s back with the Eleven telekinesis, sweet kat that is a meer you have running water! Pfft she is actually dressed like eleven too, like what. Oh wait did i just uncover the plot?

Breaking News: Eleven holds a whole town hostage.

Jesus with Charles eating, Mary getting the sudden urge commit arson, miss daddy looking so fucking fine that i would literally throw myself in front of a bus just to get her attention, and uncle X with his weird theatre act: my blood pressure must be through the roof

Wow hes got a temper, but poor connie, shes a hot mess lmaooo

Oh god...oh god okay this is happening, oh wow, you didn't even get through dinner first charles jesus. Listen, i never give choking up on the first date but if i had the chance...i don't want any sausages other than his, i said what i said

and it keeps going?? ummmmmm i ummmmmm, i don’t have words. I was not warned of this savagery and i don’t know if i’m going to be able to write for anyone other than Charles for a whillllleeee, hun, apologies

Good to know he also uses his super soldier senses in another universe to sense a fire deep in his loins like the dramatic king he is

Now he is driving away and laying on the horn, nice

Oh ho ho, yessssss my coffee shop baddie, my black coffee queeeeeennn Stelllaaaaa. She said, Superhero mode real quick.

ummmm uncle x with the sick mustache...thats certain death? I mean if you are into that sort of thing, have at it.

Okay still driving, people are crying over the bed burning into dust, the heavily disable man is still smoking the good stuff...got it.

Big red truck go Honk, Honk.

Oh here come all the old, white men. Lovely.

‘oh-hooo yeah, thats a fireeeee’ as far as old white men go, that was pretty fucking funny to me

Yeah its gonna be in the arms of the angels real soon if you girls dont get the fuck out????

‘We’re firemen’ and i’m a homo, you want a gingerbread cookie or something? put out the damn fire PLEASE 💀

Ummm you’re too late, i was already wet before you got that camera spray shot, dawg, oh but that poor camera guy lol

AND WEI’RE GOONA LETIT BÜRN BÜRN BÜRN BÜRN, everybody its a singalong

hi, yeah...fuck off, jim

NO YOU DUMB ASSHOLES YOU KNOCKED OVER STELLA MY COFFEE MAMA

charles, you greedy bastard i dont know if should be ashamed when i say that i would still let him top me quite violently even still

Wow this rave got out of hand really fast, i blame marilyn manson

another day, another professor X 😪🔫💀☠️🔥🔪 𝚛𝚒𝚙, 𝕗𝕝𝕪 𝕙𝕚𝕘𝕙, 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔩 𝔟𝔢 𝔪𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔡

i swear to go if anything happens to either my coffee mama or baby miss daddy i will reign hellfire.

Oh so it takes a gunshot for Charles to do a 360 running man but not a jay gatsby meets canadian, hockey riot, emo rave. Gotcha. Hes a man with a code.

That’s what you get for hoeing after your cousin, constance. This is all your fault!

Ending

Timeskip: Ooohhh, yesturrrrdayyyy all my troubles seems so far away--

hunny that ain’t the moon, thats your super secret boho alter

Noooo the kitchennnn, that was my favourite room, other than the bathroom for obvious reasons, I hope the milk cartons are okay...👀

I guess meerkat isn't getting her num-nums, and charles is just going to have to live with charred fruit if he decides to come back

FRANKIE JONAS! THANK GOD!

Oohhere'ss the tea, it's about damn time! I called it! I knew ms variant mongoose was the one who did the fucky things! But i was shocked to find out that Mary was the favourite child over connie, hmm very much bad parenting

ooooh, knock knock, is it charlie-boy? oh, thats disappointing, its just that gossip chick and her husband, boooooo

Never again...never. We get it baby daddy.

oh? another knock? HAHAHAHAHA ITS THE FIRE GUY LMAOOO, what a king. He reminds me of stan lee!

What aare these people doing, they aren't goddess you give offerings to so that your crops will be plentiful, fuck off man. ANOTHER KNOCK..

and i opp-- herreeeees charlie!

‘friends’ sir you were halfway in her pantaloons, stop trying to act all innocent, the fuck. Wow hes really going for it huh?

did he just rip the chain off? Oh charles relax, its door, you don't need to moan like that.

Uhm, i love connie, so fuck you charles you twisted, manipulative burnt cornstalk of a human being. Oh yeah throw a hissy fit, that's real attractive, keep going, she’ll totally say yes.

Oh wait NO DON'T DO THAT, NO THAT'S A DOOR. And another door? NO GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BABY DADDY ALEXANDRA, SHES MINE.

YOU LITTLE BITCH BOY, GET OFF! WTF!

*standing ovation* give it up for meer-to-the-kat, bravo kid! OH NO HES DEAd, YOU CAN STOP NOW

hahahaha guess whos deep in the garden now, Charles.

Ooh and we are back to start, nice. Children, she's a seasoned murder, might wanna chill on the whole bit you got going on.

Good, smile andddd scene!

Final Thoughts

Okie Dokie, I actually liked this movie a lot.

The acting was absolutely phenomenal, especially on Alexandra’s Daddario and Taissa Farmiga’s part, the characters were so well played. They focused in on so different points of view in this story that it captured the chaos that they were living individually and as a group under one roof. It constantly kept you on edge with the strange nuances in their dialogue, unnerving pauses and the progression of the condition of each character.

It was great. The aesthetic was there, the small but necessary breaks with dark humour really kept the story flowing and most of all, the fervour. It was everywhere, in their emotions or outbursts like Charles at the dinner table and on the stairs, or the way the townspeople kept adding fuel to their own personal hell. And I must admit, it's hard to make characters like Jim the firefighter relevant, but every person that this story involves has a distinct purpose and significance to the plot.

The only negative thing I could think of was I just wish there was more, I wanted it to be longer so that the small gaps in the movie could have been powerful. Okay, what else. Yes, Charles Blackwood, despite all of...that, will make a great character for me to touch on and has a lot of interesting qualities that I will be sure to tap into. Oh! And the only reason why no one else is getting the stan award was that my coffee mama was the only character who wasn't off the rails or just a terrible waste of human life! We stan!

Hoped you enjoyed this and my questionable thought process, I’m gonna go now...bye lol

Overall Score: 8.5/10

🏆 Honorary Stan Award: Stella Ella Ola, Clap Clap Clap. Periodt.

#we have always lived in the castle #castle daddy #sac reviews

20 notes · View notes

feyariel · 3 years

Text

Kay, some thoughts on another X-Men reboot:

The anime was pretty much correct: you cannot do a post-first class X-story without Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, Wolverine, Storm, and maybe Emma Frost (Emma basically replaces Jean after Jean dies/goes into the White Hot Room). However, the anime was terrible, particularly in how it treated Storm.

Rebooting the X universe a third time will have to make do without Patrick Stewart, who has at last begun showing his age (81 this year).

My favorite take thus far on Jean was Evolution's, which made her a Cool Big Sis type who was competent, but had weaknesses. That said, there is no avoiding her terrible taste in men.

There is no good way to do Cyclops.

I really wish Kelsey Grammar had gotten more lines as Beast: Frasier is fairly close to how to do him.

STORM HAS TO DO HER SPEECHES AND GET DISCUSSED AS A GODDESS.

I really don't care for Emma as anything but a villain. She'll also get compared to Elsa constantly. (Elsa is better.)

Your basic extended cast is Colossus, Gambit, Kitty Pryde, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and maybe one other. (Arch)angel, Banshee, Bishop, Cannonball, Dazzler, Havok, Iceman, Jubilee, Maggot, Marrow, Pixie, Polaris, Psylocke, Sunfire, Thunderbird/Warpath, and a few others make up the next tier of extended cast (but some, like Dazzler, are only honorary in this tier because they were major characters for a short while). Beyond that, you're getting a little esoteric. That said, there are lots of really cool X-Men. The anime focused on Armor because she's Japanese (they could have done Sunfire, but he's a dick).

If Iceman is present, you have a retconned token gay. Otherwise, there's Northstar (always gay) and Colossus (gay in the Ultimate universe). Storm is basically bi, but there were issues there. There are probably some other LGBTQ X-people, I just can't think of any off the top of my head.

Dr. Cecilia Reyes or Dani Moonstar would be cool to have.

Blink's my absolute favorite, but wouldn't fit with an ordinary X-team, particularly if either Nightcrawler or Pixie (or even Magik) are present.

Psylocke is a terrible idea. The best they could do would be to retcon her as not having mind-swapped (instead of being Betsy Braddock in Kwannon's body, make her Kwannon with the psychic butterfly thing and the codename), which isn't great given the history. It's rather sad, given how cool she is (very).

There are two Rogues: the Rogue of TAS, who has issues but is approachable, and the Rogue of the first X-Men movie and Evolution, who is stand-offish. The former only works because she's already absorbed some of Ms. Captain Marvel's powers, so has more to do than worry about touching people. However, this would not be the time in the MCU for her.

(And honestly, I would have cast Anna Paquin [in roughly the same performance] as Kitty Pryde. I had this thought before the first X-Men movie came out.)

(Casting Eliot Page as someone would be a good nod, though.)

The Phoenix Saga is both X-Men's most famous arc and the one that needs to be avoided at all costs: the stakes are too high, the retcons are too many, the canon is snarled, and it's been done to death.

The Brotherhood wouldn't work given how the MCU has treated Wanda and how Peter in the X-Men movies (perhaps the best character of the reboots) is. You just can't do much with Magneto working through Mystique to lead Avalanche, The Blob, Pyro, and Toad. Plus, three of those have been done to death.

Mr. Sinister hasn't been touched upon since like season two of TAS, so would be neat to have.

In all honesty, I'd start with the Sentinels: TAS dealt with them first thing, which worked, whereas the lead up in the movies didn't really make sense (probably because they would make more sense in a TV season than in like a movie).

There is no reason to deal with Mojo.

Umm...

I'm betting Monk and Stormcaller have opinions.

20 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

5 underrated Richard Donner movies you need to see

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Richard Donner will forever be remembered as the filmmaker who created the blueprint for the modern superhero blockbuster with 1978’s Superman starring Christopher Reeve.

Yet that doesn’t tell even half the story of the Bronx-born filmmaker’s brilliant filmography.

Donner was in his late 40s by the time Superman came along, having made a name for himself in Hollywood two years earlier, with 1976’s suitably terrifying The Omen.

Prior to that, he was a budding director making the transition from the small screen to the world of cinema. Donner worked on everything from Gilligan’s Island to The Twilight Zone. Even then, it was clear he was destined for bigger things though, as anyone who saw “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, the iconic episode of The Twilight Zone he directed, starring William Shatner, can attest.

While a disagreement with producers ultimately saw him walk away from Superman II, the 1980s saw Donner establish himself as an incredibly versatile big budget director capable of handling everything from the epic family adventure fun of The Goonies to the balancing act of action and comedy found within the buddy cop antics of Lethal Weapon.

It was a skillset that drew admiration from the very best in the movie industry, including Steven Spielberg who was among the first to pay tribute to Donner after learning he had passed away, aged 91.

“Dick had such a powerful command of his movies, and was so gifted across so many genres,” Spielberg, who worked with Donner on The Goonies, said.

“Being in his circle was akin to hanging out with your favourite coach, smartest professor, fiercest motivator, most endearing friend, staunchest ally, and – of course – the greatest Goonie of all.”

Donner may not have had the same impact in the 1990s and early 2000s but he still enjoyed major success with the Lethal Weapon franchise and as a producer with movies like Free Willy and X-Men.

More importantly, the other films he made during that period and in the years between some of his biggest hits remain well worth revisiting or seeking out for the first time – starting with these five.

Ladyhawke

Coming hot on the heels of The Goonies and two years prior to Lethal Weapon, Ladyhawke represented another major departure for Donner. A dark medieval fantasy, it centred on Rutger Hauer’s mysterious Captain Etienne Navarre and his female companion Lady Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer), a pair of star-crossed lovers on the run from a vengeful bishop who has placed a demonic curse on their heads. While Navarre transforms into a wolf by night, Isabeau exists as a Hawk by day. Teaming up with petty thief Philippe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) they embark on a quest to overthrow the evil bishop and break the spell.

Something of a passion project, Donner had attempted to get Ladyhawke off the ground several times before finally getting the green light from Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox in the mid ’80s. The film then suffered another setback when Kurt Russell, originally cast as Navarre, dropped out during rehearsals.

That ultimately proved a blessing in disguise with Hauer going on to deliver arguably his best performance since Blade Runner. Not everything about Ladyhawke works – Broderick’s character feels a little too close to Ferris Bueller while the runtime could be trimmed down – but it remains a beautifully realised fantasy epic, full of memorable action set pieces, stunning cinematography and a spellbinding turn from Pfeiffer.

A box office bomb upon release, Ladyhawke has stood the test of time too, garnering a cult following as an authentic and fresh take on the sword and sorcery formula.

Maverick

Maverick is the film Will Smith must have hoped Wild Wild West would be; a funny, clever action comedy based on a classic TV show. Coming in an era when most westerns were deadly serious, Donner’s film also felt like a breath of fresh air and benefited hugely from a masterful William Goldman script that was both witty and unpredictable.

The latest in a series of films featuring Donner’s muse-of-sorts, Mel Gibson, this time out Mel plays Bret Maverick, a brilliant card player and equally impressive con artist trying to collect enough money to earn a seat at a high-stakes poker game. Along the way he is forced to contend with a fellow scammer in the form of Jodie Foster’s Annabelle Bransford as well as lawman Marshal Zane Cooper, played by James Garner, who starred in the original TV series.

While the glut of cameos from country music stars and the likes of Danny Glover can be a little distracting, there’s something wonderfully charming about Maverick with Gibson, Foster and Garner all on top form and boasting an undeniable chemistry that helps keep things entertaining.

The climactic poker game which sees Maverick face off against Alfred Molina’s psychopathic Angel is also expertly handled by Donner, who cranks up the tension as Maverick reveals his final, decisive, hand with a slow-motion toss of the final card towards the camera. A critical and financial success, Maverick has been largely lost in the shuffle since its release but should be sought out.

Conspiracy Theory

There’s something strangely prescient about Conspiracy Theory given the current predilection for such thinking on the internet at large. One of Donner’s most inventive and intelligent outings alongside Gibson, this time out Mel plays Jerry Fletcher, a New York City cab driver with a penchant for paranoid conspiracy theories.

Jerry’s life takes a turn for the strange when he finds himself being targeted by a set of shady government goons led by Patrick Stewart’s Dr Jonas. He quickly realises one of the conspiracies he has been promoting in his weekly newsletter (this was the ‘90s) is based more in reality than he thought. The question is: which one?

An engrossing thriller featuring Donner’s trademark dashes of witty humour, Conspiracy Theory is bolstered significantly by the presence of the ever-reliable Julia Roberts as a government lawyer with a soft spot for Jerry. Despite a lengthy run time, Donner also keeps the action moving along at an engaging pace while Gibson’s performance is just the right side of manic to keep you rooting for him.

A first foray into the kind of deep state conspiracy thrillers that were commonplace in Hollywood at the time, the film also boasts some genuinely striking moments, not least the sequence where Jerry undergoes “psychotic testing” at the hands of Dr Jonas, which wouldn’t have looked out of place in A Clockwork Orange.

Though it was a hit with audiences, Conspiracy Theory earned mixed reviews but appears increasingly worthy of reappraisal.

Timeline

Some movies are big, dumb but lots of fun. Timeline sits firmly in that category despite what many naysayers would have you believe. It’s a brash, simplistic sci-fi flick to rival the likes of The Core and Geostorm and thoroughly entertaining to boot.

The fact that it features Gerard Butler, as well as the late, great, Paul Walker only adds to that sentiment.

Walker plays Chris Johnston who, along with Butler’s Andre Marek and a team of fellow archaeologists travel back in time through a wormhole to 14th century France to rescue their professor, Dr Edward Johnston (Billy Connolly), who just happens to be Walker’s character’s dad too.

Based on a book by Michael Crichton, Donner had been in the running to direct Jurassic Park a decade earlier and jumped at the chance to adapt Timeline for the big screen. While filming went off without a hitch, Donner repeatedly clashed with Paramount Pictures in post-production and was forced to re-cut the film three times in a development that saw the release date pushed by nearly a year. The resulting edit did not sit well with Crichton either, who disliked it so intensely he stopped licensing his work for a few years after.

Whether Donner’s original cut would have earned better reviews or Crichton’s approval remains to be seen but what remains of Timeline is still a well shot, enjoyable sci-fi yarn with some neat medieval action flourishes.

16 Blocks

Donner’s final film also ranks among his most unappreciated. On the surface, 16 Blocks sounds like the perfect fodder for a game of buddy cop movie bingo.

It stars Bruce Willis as Jack Mosley, a worn-out NYPD Detective with a drinking problem tasked with transporting Mos Def’s trial witness Eddie Bunker to court. Problems arise when some of Jack’s fellow officers arrive to kill Eddie and prevent him from testifying. Eager for redemption, Jack decides to take the would-be assassins on and get Eddie to court on time.

A formulaic enough premise, 16 Blocks is emboldened by the fact it plays out in real-time with Eddie required at the courthouse by no later than 10am. In this sense, Donner found himself in new territory with an action thriller that thrives on a unique sense of urgency.

While the filmmaker is no stranger to the action formula, this setup sees him imbue events with a renewed sense of chaos, as Jack and Eddie fight their way through armed adversaries, busy crowds and bustling traffic, all against a cacophony of shouts, car horns and gun blasts.

Ostensibly a chase movie on foot rather than four wheels, the action traverses 16 blocks in 118 minutes and rarely lets up for a second with Donner proving a dab hand at balancing the action with the engaging back-and-forth between Willis and Def who are both understated yet effective throughout.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Throw in the ever-watchable David Morse as the leader of the shady cops baying for Eddie’s blood and you have arguably one of the most underrated action thrillers of the early 2000s

The post 5 underrated Richard Donner movies you need to see appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3AA61tK

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

2 notes · View notes

gillian-ybabez · 4 years

Text

My X-Men Movies Watch Order

I recently watched Dark Phoenix, The Wolverine, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Afterwards, I realized I have now watched all the released movies in the Fox X-Men franchise. (New Mutants is set to be released at some point in the future(maybe?) and will be the last movie in the franchise.)

The first X-Men movie came out in 2000 near the beginning of the current era of comic book movies. After three mainline movies and one spinoff, the franchise was soft rebooted with X-Men: First Class. It was set in the ’60s as a prequel to the first movie but it also contradicted some events of the preceding movies causing most to simply declare it a full reboot. The next movie X-Men: Days of Future Past confused things further by strengthening ties to the Original Trilogy era movies but also creating an alternate timeline for future Retro Series movies whose future was portrayed by actors from the Original Trilogy movies. And then you have the DeadPool movies doing their own thing.

All in all, it can be confusing knowing where to start. You could watch them in release order but the movies weren’t planned to tell an overarching story like the MCU movies. Imagine if Endgame was released after Civil War and then followed by Ant-Man.

Watching in continuity order creates its problems. “Early” movies while technically a new continuity can not help referencing “later” movies. Also in this order, the second movie in continuity draws entire characters and actors from “future” movies. The already muddled meta-story is thrown in complete disarray.

The answer is a custom watch order. I’m not going to claim this is the only way to watch the X-Men movies but I’ve done my best to reorder the movies to support the overall X-Men story and make the overall experience enjoyable.

X-Men – This is the movie that started the franchise. It isn’t the best of the Original Trilogy but it does have Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. In my opinion, they elevate a mediocre script into pretty good(they’re just two men they can’t carry the entire movie (but they nearly do) by themselves). They breathe life into the flimsy cardboard roles they were given.

X-Men: First Class – The first of the Retro Series Movies. While it was produced several years after the Original Trilogy was ended, it adds some context to Charles’ and Erik’s relationship by showing the beginnings of their friendship and the end of it. An added benefit of moving this up in the watch order is we get a short reprieve from Wolverine as a main character. He is a central character in every Original Trilogy era movie and one Retro Series movie. We’re going to see a lot of him so a small break is warranted.

X2: X-Men United – Back to the Original Trilogy. This movie is the best of the three. It features more mutants than the first but not so many that they become faceless mobs like in the third. The X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants join forces to fight an enemy with a connection to Wolverine’s past. I know I was just complaining about Wolverine getting too much attention in these early movies but it’s done right in this movie. We get just enough hints and teases to let us fill in some of the blanks but we also don’t get the full picture. This is the sweet spot of Wolverine stories.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine – And this is how not to do a Wolverine story. All those delicious hints and teases about Wolverine’s past are buried in the avalanche of showing us his entire history. I’m including it because it is part of the franchise but I wouldn’t blame you for skipping it and you won’t miss anything.

Deadpool – The miracle movie. After being written in and out of the X-Men movies, in a character killing manner, after ‘leaked’ test footage affirmed the character had a following, seven years later, Ryan Reynolds reprised the role of Wade Wilson aka Deadpool. If you didn’t skip the previous movie, this movie is a good chaser to cleanse the bad Deadpool from your mind.

X-Men: The Last Stand – The final movie in the Original Trilogy but not the last time we will see these versions of these characters. This is another largely skippable movie. The ending does have some bearing on the next movie and is referenced in the one after next. It is the worst adaptation of the Dark Phoenix story mashed up with a ‘mutant cure’ story neither of which gets their due.

The Wolverine – In this movie, we catch up with Wolverine post “The Last Stand” mourning Jean Grey and getting into trouble in small-town Canada. A young woman shows up and whisks him away to Japan for an action crime thriller. The last act goes a little over the top but on the whole, it’s an extreme improvement over X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Another reason to move First Class up in the watch order is this movie ends with a mid-credits scene that teases the next movie in the order.

X-Men: Days of Future Past – I struggled with where to place this movie in the watch order. On one hand, it is a final send-off for the Original Trilogy movies and caps off the entire franchise with an epilogue scene showing the future of the Retro Series. But there are two more movies in the Retro Series set after it so it can’t be the last in the watch order. Ultimately, I placed it at the turning point from Original movies to Retro Series. I recommend the Rogue Cut version.

X-Men: Apocalypse – Movie three in the Retro Series and the worst of the bunch. The Quicksilver speed sequence is the highlight of the movie. The short side trip to Striker’s base and meeting Weapon X is better done than all of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. However, the rest of the movie involving Apocalypse’s plan to take over the world isn’t as compelling.

Dark Phoenix – This is likely to be the last movie Retro series due to Disney’s acquisition of Fox. It’s a step up from X-Men: Apocalypse but isn’t without flaws.

Deadpool 2 – This movie like the first isn’t as tied into the continuity of the other movies but unlike the first, it isn’t a response to another movie in the franchise. So it gets slotted here; after both series are complete but before the grand finale.

Logan – The final Wolverine movie(and the final X-Men movie timeline-wise). Patrick Stewart returns ratcheting up the gravitas of the film. Set in the far future of 2029 it shows us a future with no mutants, Professor X’s dream shattered, and time is beginning to take its toll on Logan. A beautiful movie with a great story and a good end for the X-Men Franchise.

"My X-Men Movies Watch Order" was also posted on my website, Gillian's Notebook, home of my writing. Help support my writing by becoming a patron. Reblogs help to spread my writing to new readers.

#Gillian's blog #movies #review #X-Men movies

2 notes · View notes

coolthataverageguyposts-blog · 4 years

Text

X-1 Review

Important Mutants:

Hugh Jackman: Wolverine (Logan) (Has really crazy claws, almost indestructible, has a really helpful healing factor, has a metal skeleton)

Anna Paquin : Rogue (Marie) (can absorb life force and mutant powers through skin contact)

Patrick Stewart: Professor Xavier (Telepathic)

Ian McKellen: Magneto (Eric) (Can manipulate metal)

Rebecca Romijn: Mystique/Raven (Can Manipulate appearance and body to human/mutant)

Famke Janssen: Jean Grey (Telekinetic and Telepathic

Halle Berry: Storm (Can manipulate weather)

James Marsden: Cyclops (Scott Summers) (Laser Eyes)

Tyler Mane: Sabretooth (Beefy Wolverine without the healing factor and without metal skeleton)

Ray Park: Toad (Has the body of a human combined with a toad)

Shawn Ashmore: Bobby (Ice Man) (Can manipulate ice)

Starts with a fantastic narration done by Professor X (Patrick Stuart) that explains the issues at hand. It also starts with the origin of one of the most powerful mutants, Magneto. It starts with him in the Holocaust being pulled away from his mother. Mutant powers first reveal themselves in times of great stress, and his first time was being torn apart from his mother. He discovers that he has the ability to control metal as he is seen bending the iron fences in the scene.

It actually starts with this one mutant (Rogue) who accidently kisses her boyfriend. I say accidentally because her mutant power was already discovered and it is “stealing others life force through skin contact.” She accidentally does that and she runs off because she gets sad and everything.

She goes to this fight club where Wolverine is. He has had his memory wiped so we don’t get anything with him. He promises to drive Rogue to wherever she’s going. I don’t exactly remember but that doesn’t matter because their truck crashes and they run into Sabretooth. But Wolverine and Rogue are joined by Jean Grey, Storm, and Cyclops. They are also saved by them.

They go to this building called “Xavier’s School for the Gifted.” It’s a school for mutants, mutants being the gifted, where they learn in an environment that is less stressful for them, to learn to control their powers. Rogue is quick to make friends with a student named Bobby, who can control ice. Wolverine quickly falls for Jean Grey, who is telekinetic (can move things with her mind) and is training to enhance her telepathic powers (read and manipulate anyone else’s mind.)

Mystique (who can transform into anyone she desires, mutant or not) has transformed into Bobby to tell Rogue that no one wants her and to run away. Rogue of course does, and Wolverine intends to track her down because she can be used by dangerous mutants by herself. Professor X has this machine called Cerebro to enhance his mind powers so he can see every mutant in the world. He uses it to track Rogue. Once he finds her location, he sends Scott and Storm to go get her because he is looking for Wolverine too. Wolverine doesn’t listen and finds her first, on a train.

To let you know why it was a bad idea for Wolverine to go alone: Wolverine is made of metal. Magneto is the big leader of the group and knew that Wolverine would do anything to protect Rogue, Magneto is also a super powerful mutant that controls metal. Yeah, you can see that this was a bad idea. Magneto gets Rogue, basically turns Wolverine into a shish-kabob for the time being.

All this time, Mystique/Raven is still in the school, disguised as Bobby. While she’s in the school, she puts poison in Cerebro so Professor X can’t stop them. Jean Grey uses it instead and takes the fall but finding where Rogue is. On top of the Statue of Liberty. In New York. Because where else would you go?

So Magneto was planning on creating super massive blackouts in New York then transferring his powers to Rogue so she could do that while he died. The X-men found him and try to stop him. They almost lose too due to Wolverine having his skeleton made of metal and Magneto being able to control metal.

The day is saved, Magneto is thwarted for now, Professor X made Wolverine a promise in the beginning of the movie that he would try and help Wolverine uncover his past because he has his memory wiped.

It’s quite clear that the X-men movies, comics, etc., follow the civil war movement. With both Magneto and Professor X wanting the same goals, but are going about it different ways. Magneto is more like Malcolm X, more violent and aggressive, believes that the future is mutants and there is no room for humans while Professor Xavier is more like Martin Luther King Jr. He’s more non-violent, he believes that mutants can co-exist with humans.

They’re not enemies, Magneto and Professor X. In fact, they’re great friends. They just can’t be on the same side. Xavier and Magneto regularly play Chess together and have conversations together.

#x-men #hugh jackman #wolverine #professor xavier #Patrick stewart #Ian McKellen #Magneto #Raven #Movie #Review #Blog #Marvel #Halle Berry

2 notes · View notes

spaceorphan18 · 4 years

Text

Marvel Movie Night: X2 X-Men United

For some reason, I have the full screen version of this. Not sure what I was thinking when I made that decision. Anyway....

What exactly are you a professor of? Art

There was a time when X2 was considered the best comic book movie ever. And judging from everything I’ve watched up to this point -- I can understand why it got the reputation. The film is much more philosophical, the story more intellectually stimulating than a bunch of good guys beat up a bunch of bad guys. There’s humor to it, and good action, and it makes for a (mostly) good popcorn flick. But a lot like the first film, it doesn’t hold up nearly twenty years later.

The story mixes the famous X-Men graphic novel God Love, Man Kills with Wolverine’s backstory. And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the X-Men’s subtext has always been about the ostracization, fear, and discrimination of minorities, a more intimate and philosophical story may not balance well in an action film filled with characters who mostly don’t get to do things until their one or two scenes happen.

Watching it over again, I still think it works overall. The story is relatively tight, weaving the two stories together pretty well -- and Wolverine continues to be the main protagonist. I think it does a decent job telling the story it’s interested in telling. But this is where I lament that X-Men isn’t a TV series. Each of these characters (besides Wolverine) deserve their own stories to be told -- and a two hour film is very limiting when it comes to the character’s own arcs. X2 is wise not to go crazy chasing every tangent, and stick close to the story, but at the same time, the potential of all these characters often seems wasted.

The special effects are much better in this film, and the film does take the time to showcase everyone’s powers. My one big issue with the action, however, is that it’s limited to one person at a time. What makes X-Men so special is that they’re a team -- and we don’t get to see team dynamics at all in the film, which is a shame, since there are so many good players on the board. On top of that -- this kind of turn based action kind of makes the film feel sluggish in parts. (Though - I’m sure it’s just me being a modern action film watcher watching something of a different time.)

So, let’s talk about the characters, shall we?

Wolverine - Of course, since Wolverine is the most popular X-Men is going to be focused on. We get development of his backstory, and I think the bits and pieces we’re given work well. If you know his backstory, it’s a fun little tease, if you don’t, I’m sure they give enough to piece it together. The unfortunate thing, however, is that this film is so plot driven, the only character development stuff (besides his backstory) ends up being with Jean and.... ug, I hate this love triangle stuff (but I’ll whine about this later).

That said - I think my favorite aspect of Wolverine’s story in this film is when he gets to play babysitter. His actions with the kids make an interesting dynamic, and I could just watch a whole move with Wolverine trying to run a school.

Professor X and Magneto - Of course, the heart of the philosophical story comes here again, much like it will in every X-Men film. I very much enjoy any time Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen get to be together on screen. The unfortunate thing is that there’s so much plot to cover, and so many characters to service, they don’t get a whole lot to do in the film. But what we do is a delight.

Jean Grey and Cyclops - I keep laughing every time they say Dr. Grey. What??

Anyway, Famke Jansson continues to be a delight as Jean. Other than Xavier and Magneto, she seems to be the closest to her comic counter part (mostly). And she does really well with all the hints they lay about the Phoenix force. It’s a shame the third film is going to truly do a great story a disservice.

Meanwhile, though, we have Cyclops. And, geez, I just feel so bad for James Marsden, because he gets such an iconic character to play, and literally has nothing to do with him. He even overacts in his emotional scenes with Jean, and it’s almost as if he’s like he’s trying make up for not having anything to do. It’s a real shame because Cyclops, believe it or not, is a fascinating and complex character, who really deserves so much more than the one-note character this trilogy portrays him as.

As for the love triangle... I hate love triangles in general, but this one is just even worse than usual. It’s barely a triangle, because the film doesn’t even bother with one third of it. I could go on a whole diatribe, but I’ll spare you. If you’d really like to know - send me a message! Otherwise, I’ll leave it at - I hate love triangles.

Storm - You can tell Halle Berry asked for more to do. And, like, most of the rest of the characters, she gets more lines, but not much more character development. I still feel she’s incredibly miscast here. Where’s the woman who did her voice for the cartoon? That was a Storm. But, Berry’s acting aside, Storm is another character who is complex and varied, and it’s a shame so little of her comes through in these films.

Nightcrawler -- We get a new character! It’s kinda weird that they steal some of the unpopular traits he has in the comics (the religious leanings) and tone down some of his more notable characteristics -- like his goofing around and swordplay. I get why they did this, somewhat for plot, somewhat to make philosophical points. But I do miss the charming, Errol Flynn wanna be of the comics. That said -- I think Alan Cummings did a great job with his role, and the action sequences with NIghtcrawler look great!

Rogue and Bobby -- **sigh** I won’t bore you too long with my feelings about Rogue. Anna Paquin is fine. The character makes sense for what this universe has made her out to be. I just... I miss my girl from the comics. I hope some day we do get to see a closer to comics version of her -- sassy, brassy, and yet very vulnerable. But -- since the plot doesn’t need her (or her powers) she’s relegated to second string.

Bobby gets more to do, and having read a ton of comics since this first came out, I have a much bigger appreciation for Iceman. I love the actor who plays him here - he’s great! I do enjoy the little bit that he gets to do. And the scene where he ‘comes out’ to his parents is perfect on a lot of levels. (Even funnier, now that comic book Iceman is gay.)

I still don’t think, overall, Rogue and Bobby make much sense as a couple, but for the purposes of this universe, it works fine enough.

The Brotherhood -- Okay, so this is primarily this is Mystique and Pyro. Where are the others? Well, this film is a little stuffed already. Mystique is fine - this film has no interest going into her psyche, and while she is a character who deserves development, the next trilogy is going to kill any interest in a film version, so I’m fine here. I’m still confused as to why she’s naked, though. I miss her white, flowy dress of the comics.

Meanwhile, in the comics, Pyro is a third rate villain. They bring him in here to offset Iceman. I get it. He’s fine. Whatever.

I get why they bring the villains over to side with the X-Men, but not going to lie when they’re not fighting each other, and just humans, I don’t think it’s as exciting, but that’s just me.

Oh, and before someone gets upset that I don’t mention her -- Lady Deathstrike. Is in the film. It’s an extended cameo. It’s fine, I don’t really care all that much about Lady Deathstrike, so I’m fine with it.

William Stryker - The main villain of the whole thing. I think he works on paper, and he’s fine. I’m not going to lie - I find scenes with him pretty boring, but plot revolves around him, and that’s fine. Interestingly, I think his son, Jason, was a nod to Jason Wyngarde - Mastermind, who can project different realities around you. I feel like that’s a nice little nugget there. But other than that, I don’t have a whole lot to say about the main villain of the film.

Cameos and Easter Eggs -- there are a lot of little nuggets in here, and I’m not going to go through them all, but it’s nice to see a lot of other mutants scattered around, as well as nods to the comics. It does add a fun layer onto the film.

Final Thoughts: I think the ending sequence works to great effect - but I still say this film’s thinner, and more philosophical plot leaves most of the characters by the wayside. It was a great step forward for comic book films, it was lighter than the first one, had more humor, had some great talking points, and some good action sequences. It’s still, unfortunately, wastes the potential of nearly all of its characters.

Next Up: Oh, god, there’s a Hulk movie worse than Incredibly Hulk....

#marvel movie nights #xmen

4 notes · View notes

harry-lloyd · 5 years

Link

While Season 3 was still shooting, Collider got the opportunity to tour the incredible sets at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood and participate in a series of interviews to talk about all things Legion. Here are the highlights from what actor Harry Lloyd, who’s playing iconic X-Men character Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, said during a group interview on set where he talked about not fully realizing who he would be playing when he was offered the role, what it’s like to take on such a well-known comics character, the homework that he did, how this version is different from what we’ve seen previously, how Charles reacts to meeting his adult son, time travel, the Shadow King, what’s still to come in Episodes 307 and 308, and whether we might see him in the famous wheelchair.

Question: How does it feel to play Professor X?

HARRY LLOYD: It’s great. So, I got this call in December saying, “You’ve been offered a part in Legion.” And I was like, “Amazing!” And the breakdown was, “His name is Charles. He’s a war veteran, but believes in the good of humanity.” And I was like, “Sounds interesting.” I didn’t realize. And then, they said, “You’ve gotta Skype with Noah [Hawley] on Monday.” So I spent the weekend watching the first season of Legion, and realized, which I hadn’t done before because I hadn’t seen it, that the X in the title was the big link back to the Marvel Universe. So then, I was talking Noah that Monday and asking him questions, and he was told me about Episode 3, and then about Episodes 7 and 8. He was chatting and saying, “Of course, Charles does this. Charles Xavier . . .” And I was like, “Wait, what?! Oh!” I pretended that I knew, but I hadn’t pieced it together. But then, obviously, that made it even more exciting. I’m not really in the business of being offered parts, out of the blue, so it’s been a wonderful adventure. And then, I had to sort out moving to L.A. for three months. Luckily, my wife and dog and baby all followed me, and it’s been great. It’s such a fun show to work on. Even just doing a few episodes, there’s a crazy creative crew who are always doing really interesting stuff in the camera. They’ll say to you, “This is how it’s written, but we’re gonna do something a bit different.” It’s just really collaborative and playful, and it’s a really close knit, little family. It’s been absolutely brilliant.

Did you look at any previous performances?

LLOYD: I did my homework. I watched all of Legion, I watched all of the X-Men films, and I’d seen a couple of them, back in the day, and I went to this great comic store, called Mega City Comics in Camden, in London, and I found a really good geek there who found me a lot of different source material. One of my favorite things about Legion is that, having watched the X-Men films, and seeing [James] McAvoy and [Patrick] Stewart in these live-action portrayals of him, and the comics, and the different things that they had in common, but then you look at Legion and it gives you permission to throw that all away, to a certain extent. I’m glad that I saw it, so that I knew what I was getting into. It’s such an irreverent, ridiculous, surreal show, that I didn’t feel that I had to do the straight-laced Charles that we know. The story that we’re telling doesn’t really allow for him to always be in control and very pope-like. He’s a young man, and he’s been thrown into his own story before he’s ready because of what’s happening in the future with David. He’s actually quite lost for most of it. So, to play someone who’s normally quite grounded, thoughtful and deliberate in his actions, and to see him before he gets there, as a young man who’s confused and doubtful and exploring his own powers, and it’s his first time ever on the astral plane, that’s been really fun.

How is your version of the character different from the past live-action versions?

LLOYD: We started off doing Episode 3, which is entirely in flashback, and that’s the story of how Charles came out of the war and ends up in this sanatorium, or mental institution, and falls in love with Gabrielle. The way he uses his powers, at that point, is to get into the heads of men with PTSD and help them, but he hasn’t really unleashed them, or thought of them, in terms of doing a wider good. He’s still keeping a lid on it, and keeping it very secret and private, and living in hiding himself. And then, he goes and moves to suburbia and has this child, and he stats this new life with this woman. He makes this prototype of a cerebral type contraption. That’s when he sees Farouk, for the first time, in his basement. It’s this man in Morocco, who has the same power as him, and then, this big change happens. When he realizes that he’s not alone, he becomes very serious and quite fraught, and actually abandons his wife and child. He’s quite perturbed by it, but he also cannot avoid it. I felt that he realized that he’d been in denial, for a long time, about what he had, and he has to explore this. Charles, suddenly, is now in the realm of someone else with seemingly even greater powers than he. He’s constantly waking up in a different place, and he feels like he’s in a dream. You realize, watching Dan Stevens’ performance, from the first two seasons, there are so many times when he seems to be reacting to something that’s not there, and it’s very staccato and confused, and it’s almost like he’s in a dream. I found this Charles, who was quite composed in Episode 3, suddenly becoming more like his son, in terms of how he’s reacting to baffling situations.

Since he hasn’t met other mutants yet, how does he react to meeting his adult son?

LLOYD: Before I read the script, I was thinking, “How’s that scene gonna go?” I, myself, have a baby daughter who’s about the same age as baby David is to Charles, and I was imagining that, if I met her when she’s in her 30s, my first reaction would be, “I’m so glad you’re okay. This is great. I’m so excited. I have so much to ask.” But then, very quickly, Charles learns about the reality of the life his son has had, ever since he was given up for adoption, and the miserable life that he’s had, in mental institutions and causing death and dealing with his powers. We haven’t really started filming the aftermath stuff yet, which we’re doing in the next few days, but after then, he’s just massively guilty. It’s very emotional for him, and he’s still just dealing with the joy of having a baby. He doesn’t actually know yet how to be a father, or to take responsibility for his son. For Episode 7, his journey is to take responsibility for this mistake that he made. Trying to save him actually exposed him to this danger, so he wants to help him, and then going into the final episode, they’re now a team.

So, time travel is not a problem for Charles Xavier?

LLOYD: Time travel is not a problem for Switch, piggybacked by David. So much happens that, suddenly he’s in Morocco, and Charles is a smart guy. We don’t have to telegraph it, but when he’s out of his depth, he’ll also be using his own powers. When he’s looking at someone who he doesn’t understand, he’ll also be reading their mind, so he’s not gonna be quite as lost as someone else. And I feel that he’s someone who after awhile goes, “Maybe I am in a dream, but I’m gonna go with it.” He’s just very perceptive and very thoughtful, and he’s watching. Sometimes things still come out of nowhere, but as you get into the episodes, he embraces the weirdness. And then, when this man turns up, he doesn’t just say, “I’m your son.” He says, “Open your mind.” So, he knows it’s his son. It’s not that he doesn’t believe him because he sees inside. And then, he’s introduced to the astral plane. He’s introduced to so many different facets of the series, quite quickly. It would be too much for some people, but I feel that Charles just about can handle it.

Who was Amahl Farouk, before he was the Shadow King?

LLOYD: From what I can see, based on the Farouk I’ve seen in the last seasons, and the Amahl that I’ve met in Episode 3, the one simple difference is that Amahl is excited and naughty and playful and mischievous, whereas Farouk is more cynical.

Does this show make you think more about the effect of a parent’s actions on a child’s life?

LLOYD: Yeah, I think so. When you get to the end Episode 7 and into Episode 8, you’ll really see how that feels, in these scenes that I do with David, in a room that’s in his own mind. He creates a safe place so that we can actually talk and catch up, and that’s when I learn this barrage of information that’s air-dropped into my brain. I think about any parent taking responsibility for aspects of your child that you don’t want to. You can’t disassociate yourself, as you would with anyone else, and be like, “Well, I didn’t do that.” For Charles, parenthood is accepting the whole package.

What do you think is the most important aspect of having Charles in this part of David’s story?

LLOYD: I think because this is the third and final season, you can’t really wrap it up without at least talking about him. It’s great that you actually get to explore him, and it’s great that you have an episode almost without David, setting him up, in time for this finale. One of my favorite scenes, in Season 1 of Legion, was that scene when he finds himself in a blackboard room, in that university classroom, and he’s piecing it together, through all of the madness. He knows that he must’ve had a father, and he pieces it together. I didn’t know much about it originally, but when I saw that scene, I was like, “Okay, so when are we going to meet him?” It became a big question. Through all of the wackiness and weirdness, that’s something that kept you going. You do want to go back to the beginning and find out when the Shadow King entered his mind. Season 1 played with getting Farouk out, and how slippery is. So, it was very clever to introduce the time travel because we really get to see the heart of the matter, and relive it and change it, rather than talk about it, at a distance. I feel that it’s essential for a cathartic resolution, which hopefully, we’ll be able to provide

Do you get to sit in the wheelchair, at all?

LLOYD: I haven’t seen it, but we still have some left to shoot. There’s been a little bit of rubbing at the temples, which I feel he just does when he’s turning it up to like 11. If I close my eyes, it’s at level two, but if I touch my temples, it’s an 11. That’s when he’s really focused.

#harry lloyd #interview #legion

8 notes · View notes