So - the choice the other day was between 'The Avengers' and something a little more horror-ish. So I chose to watch 'Cabin In The Woods' - a film I've been sort of following for quite some time now! Apparently a lot of interesting things went on with this project delaying it time after time. It was shot in 2009 and opened a month ago. Well, better late than never I guess and reading about it, watching the trailers etc did intrigue me.
Anyway - I wish more films did what this one does! NOT give away everything in the trailer. Actually from the very beginning you are intrigued by the way things happen and how they happen and why they happen.
Without giving away any more of the plot I think there are some interesting similarities between this film and 'The Hunger Games'. But judge for yourself when and if you get to see both.
I like how this film starts much like so many other youth slasher films. A group of stereotype young people are going out into the woods to spend a weekend in some deserted cabin. Have we heard this one before? But then we start getting little hints about the real story that develops throughout the film and culminates in a finale that, whether you 'buy' it or not, certainly is original and very entertaining.
It was so nice and refreshing to get to see one of these 'here we go again' films with a giant twist. Almost as if the makers knew that this is how we would think.
Exactly why they waited so long to release it I'm not sure. It is interesting though. Maybe they were waiting for Chris Hemsworth to become enough of a star to sell some tickets though I think the story itself sells it. None of the actors are particularly memorable - well there is one cameo towards the end that blew my socks off. Very interesting choice! However, the actors don't have to be great in this film, everything else that goes on is what you need to pay attention to. I still cannot quite wrap my head around what exactly I think of the actual story but I was entertained and intrigued like I haven't been for a very long time by this type of film.
Drew Goddard co-wrote and directed. He wrote 'Cloverfield' and was a writer on 'Lost' so I think that should give away that there are a few surprises along the way. The other writer, Joss Whedon, is the man behind 'The Avengers' and 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' so the simple fact that these two guys write the script should be enough to attract some serious attention. I kind of want them to collaborate again. It's very interesting!
Now it's time to talk about the 'X-Men' films. All 3 of them! Yes, I know there technically are more than the 3 But to avoid any confusion I'm talking about 'X-Men', 'X-Men 2' and 'X-Men, The Last Stand' !
We will save the others, 'First Class' and 'Wolverine' for later. I think it makes sense to leave them out of this for now.
I remember all the way back in what must have been 1999 or early 2000 when I first saw the trailer for 'X-Men'. I was ecstatic! A movie with cutting edge special effects, super heroes and, for the first time, two of my absolute favorite guys, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in the same film. Joy!! What more could you ask for!
I don't think I ever before had been this excited about a film! I probably went on opening night by myself as I often did when I was younger because everyone I knew thought sci-fi was 'stupid'. I actually don't remember exactly when I went and who I went with.
It was definitely one of the best super hero films I had ever seen. I thought plot, story and everything was so much more believable than all the other super hero movies that had been out around that time. I also actually think that the success of the X-Men films led to many of the other super hero films we saw in the early 2000's, and now for that matter. It has gone a little out of control in my opinion but judge for yourself.
Anyway, back to the first film. I enjoyed just about everything about this film. The effects were absolutely astonishing, the acting was pretty cool and characters actually had some depth too. This was where I first really discovered Famke Janssen, and I've been madly in live with her ever since. There's just something about her. I cannot get over it.
Another thing, the only really negative thing I remember, I cannot get over was how bad Halle Berry was. Yes she's hot and all that but ironically, as far as I know, she is the only one in the cast ever to win an Oscar and yet she was definitely,in all 3 films, the weakest link. I don't know if the role just never was right for her or what but I have been annoyed through all 3 films watching her boring version of Storm. Angela Bassett or Viveca Fox had been so much more fierce in that role in my opinion but unfortunately nobody ever bothered to ask me to cast the films.
Anyway, it was a great great film and I am pretty sure I saw it at the movie theatre at least 3 times and have since seen it several times per year.
It's a clever theme isn't it. You can apply these 'special' people to just about anyone who has ever felt different, been treated differently or who are not like everyone else. It's perfect, timeless and ever relevant. That's probably the thing I loved most about the films. I've always been one of these people who could blend in anywhere and yet belonged nowhere so I think I was very drawn to the themes in these films among all the other things I mentioned.
I've never been the biggest fan of Anna Paquin - oh wait, another Oscar winner, though she was very young so does that count?. She is not terribly memorable but doing a decent job in the role. Naturally it's Ian McKellen who stands out the most. How he must have loved that role. I. About 50 years younger than him but would kill for just about any role I've seen him in. As a sci-fi and fantasy fan, could anything be more amazing than to play Magneto AND Gandalf? Not to mention, as a giant Stephen King fan, his chilling performance in 'Apt Pupil'. A performance I think was overlooked at just about every award show on the planet. Something I'll never understand along with the overlooking of Kathy Bates in 'Dolores Claiborne'.
But I was in my way into Stephen King land there! You'll notice how I can manage to make just about any conversation or film chat end up in that world. That's how cool I think the man and his work is.
Anyway, back to 'X-Men'. Something that obviously did start in the first film but kept going throughout was the fantastic score by Michael Kamen, John Ottman and John Powell! Yeah I bet you thought it was the same person scoring all 3 films didn't you? So did I for a long time and naturally I'm sure John Ottman and John Powell has had a certain eye, or ear, on the original music from the first film but they managed to blend it all together very very nicely along with a few surprises of their own.
Bryan Singer directed! He also directed 'Apt Pupil' by the way and thank heavens for what must have been a good collaboration with McKellen, leading to this film and the following one. I've never forgiven him for not directing 'X-Men, The Last Stand' but I can understand why he wanted to try new things, though I was not terribly impressed by his 'Superman Returns'.
Patrick Stewart and I go way back. As long as I can remember I was glued to the TV throughout the 90's watching 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. This was my whole world when I was a kid. I loved that show and I still do! I'm not ashamed to say that. And the biggest impact was definitely Stewart. Strangely I had no problem transitioning when I saw him as Charles Xavier in 'X-Men'. No problem there so either well done him or well done me!
He is also an actor who I admire. Though he is, and has always been, much more of a theatre actor he does very well in films and on TV and dares to be in sci-fi. Something I'm sure is frowned upon by many people who have seen him in various Shakespeare roles. But I like it when actors dare to do something different and break out of the box they've been put in. And I'm sure his success in 'Star Trek' had a lot to say in his decision to play Xavier.
I'm not going to go through every actor in the film. I just wanted to mention my favorites. I do think just about everyone does a pretty good job, apart from ms. Berry, but naturally certain people stand out in my opinion.
On to 'X-men 2' or 'X2' as I think is the accurate title. Enter the ever fabulous Brian Cox, someone I didn't know much about until this film but certainly has discovered him and his fabulous way of playing characters who always seem to have something up their sleeve.
In this film, Bryan Singer also really got to play with characters and story and what a delight that was. After the giant success of the first film he probably had a lot more to say, a lot bigger budget and in general just all the tools to make some artistic (hopefully) decisions. Unfortunately Halle Berry had now just won an Oscar and one of the more annoying decisions was to expand her role a little more than I would like but so be it. It's understandable!
What I love most about the second film is the clever plot, where the 'good' mutants and the 'bad' ones are forced to work together against a common enemy who wants to destroy them. By now you already know the characters and they get to flourish and have great little moments. I also feel the sharp humor coming out a little more in this film allowing especially Mystique and Magneto to have much more fun. Obviously Mystique (Rebecca Romijn) was also a favorite character in the first film leading her to be more present I. The second one. This being one of the better decisions I think.
The also ever interesting Bruce Davison gets to play around here as well, having to play not only his original role as senator Kelly but also Mystique in the shape of Senator Kelly. Such an interesting challenge that must have been. I missed him in the third film. But I missed a lot of things in the third film.
And speaking of the third film, let's get it over with. My love for the third film, 'X-Men, The Last Stand' is colored a lot by my love for the first two, the actors and the whole universe. If I try to look away from those things this is a weak, weak film. The plot could have been interesting, but it isn't. The dialogue is suddenly not as good and seems to be written by someone who didn't know anything about the previous 2 films. There are holes in plot everywhere and multiple things just doesn't make sense. For instance, Dr. Jean Gray ( Famke Janssen) returns without any explanation. One of the most lame returns on film simply explained with the dialogue: 'Jean? How?' . 'I don't know!' and then we are supposed to just accept that.
It seems like there are several characters in the third film the writers/director just didn't really know what to do with. All new actors introduced in this film are weak, and even the not weak ones, like the always wonderful Shoreh Agdashloo, are given little to work with.
Brett Ratner took over here! Why? I will ask myself that forever! My biggest problem with this film is that every time I see it I wish I could have known what Bryan Singer would have done with it.
The classical mistake of covering everything in elaborate effects to try and hide the weak story is made. And granted, the effects are pretty spectacular! But there's just too much going on too fast and everyone seems changed in a way that doesn't really respect the first films. I guess I can say I really want to hate this film but my love for the first two and my admiration for certain actors make that impossible.
I'm a sucker for sequels but I also think bad sequels are one of the most disrespectful things because it makes you look at the original film(s) with different eyes as well and can no longer see them the way you did before you learned what happened in the sequel(s). The worst examples I can remember are 'The Exorcist II' and 'Poltergeist III'. Movies that completely ruined my view of the fantastic originals but of course I couldn't NOT see them. And this is pretty much up there as well. The movie is no where near as awful as those sequels but still leaves much to be desired.
I remember shortly after they announced 'Wolverine' there was also a 'Magneto' in the works. Somehow that was abandoned though. I would love to see that film, preferably with Bryan Singer and McKellen at the front line, maybe with Mr. Fassbender as the young version. He did a good job in the 'X-Men: First Class' film but I simply missed the original cast too much in that film. There's a class, charm, irony and spark in McKellen I don't think anyone can or ever will match. He and Stewart are two of my favorite actors and I have been fortunate enough to see both of them on stage as well in performances I'll never forget.
