Review: X-Men First Class

I wanted to like this movie. I really did. In preparation for it I watched all 3 of the previous films (excluding the Wolverine Movie), which was probably a mistake. There was such a lack of realism in First Class that the first two (X-Men and X2) had in rich abundance. Also, I found Magneto's 'out-of-nowhere' change of heart at the end to be completely unbelievable and disingenuous. So, I give it a 2.5/5 stars. It could have been great, but it just didn't deliver.

Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

Best movie of the year so far! Much darker than the first, but twice as heartfelt and funny. In a ridiculously mediocre summer of movies, this one stands out as a diamond in the rough. 5/5 stars. Highly recommended.

Review: Green Lantern

So, it's pretty well known that I am a Green Lantern fanatic. So, combine that with some early footage and you get some pretty high expectations. It didn't deliver with those high expectations, but it was a fun movie. The acting was great and the special effects were fantastic. I loved the overall theme of the movie: Overcoming Great Fear. There was some awful writing, and the pacing was just disdainful.

Overall, I enjoyed it to the tune of 4/5. But if you look at the overall cinematic quality, it probably deserves about a 2.5 or 3.

Movie of the Week...Changeling

True Story + period piece + Clint Eastwood = what's not to love. Well, the moral content of this film is very disturbing. It's about the Wineville chicken coup murders back in 1928-29, and supposedly J. Michael Strazinski (the screenwriter) can provide citations for 95% of the script. It's beautifully shot, amazingly acted, and one of the more disturbing films I've ever seen. There is a scene where you see a silhouette of a man brutally murdering a child; this was too much for me probably because I'm a parent and have grown extremely sensitive. Overall 4/5 stars.