Tag: Michael Fassbender

  • The X-Men deserved a better ending than ‘Dark Phoenix’

    The X-Men deserved a better ending than ‘Dark Phoenix’

    Sophie Turner faces off against James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the X-Men in Dark Phoenix

    “Once you know the extent of your power, then you can learn to control it” – James McAvoy as “Charles Xavier” in X-Men: Apocalypse

    Is this really the end for the X-Men? This is the seventh and supposedly last film featuring the main X-Men characters, although we know that New Mutants is due out next year. You can wager the farm, the tractors and the animals that there will be another Deadpool movie after the success of the first and the sequel. Some of the characters in the main series movies may wind up appearing elsewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point. For now though, this is the end of the road for this iteration of these characters.

    The film opens in 1975 when a very young “Jean Grey” (Summer Fontana – Office Christmas Party) is riding in the backseat of a car. Her mother is driving and her father (Scott Sheperd – Jason Bourne) is in the front passenger seat. Jean loses control of her powers and the result is a horrific accident. Jean is uninjured and introduced to “Professor X” (James McAvoy – Atomic Blonde). He manages to make a connection with her and takes him away to his school.

    Now it is 1992. Nearly a decade has passed since the events of X-Men: Apocalypse. People regard the X-Men as heroes. The President of the United States calls on them to rescue a space mission gone wrong. What appears to be a solar flare destroys the Space Shuttle but only after the X-Men have rescued the astronauts. The adult “Jean Grey” (Sophie Turner – Josie) was aboard the shuttle when it explodes, but somehow survives. She is not hurt, and in fact feels better than ever.

    The “D’Bari” a nearly extinct race of beings with the ability to assume the appearance of any creature were watching what happened, as they want the power of that solar flare-like energy to rebuild their race. Their leader “Vuk” (Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty) is amazed at Jean’s ability to absorb the power of that cosmic energy.

    Jean’s ability to control her nearly unlimited power is reduced by the presence of that energy within her. As that control erodes, so does the ability of Professor X to enter her mind to help her maintain it. Bad things happen as a result. Very bad things. That fractures the X-Men as “Hank McCoy” (Nicholas Hoult – Warm Bodies) blames Professor X for the tragedy that unfolded.

    Jean flees to “Genosha” where “Magneto” (Michael Fassbender – The Light Between Oceans) leads the refugee mutants who have nowhere else to go. A U.S. Army unit seeking to take Jean into custody arrives shortly after she does and once again, things go awry. As a result, Magneto refuses her request for shelter. So she departs. After she does, Magneto learns the true nature of the aforementioned tragedy from Hank. They team up to seek out Jean to kill her. Professor X learns of this and he gathers the remaining adult mutants at his school to try to save Jean.

    I won’t call this the worst of the X-Men movies. It is not great. It is not very good. Sophie Turner shines in showing us the struggle inside of her in dealing with revelations and access to unlimited power. The story is not compelling nor engaging. The action scenes are done well but those in and of themselves are not enough to turn the movie around.

  • Katherine Waterston talks Ridley Scott and ‘Alien Covenant’

    Katherine Waterston talks Ridley Scott and ‘Alien Covenant’

  • ‘Assassin’s Creed’ should have been left on the video game console

    ‘Assassin’s Creed’ should have been left on the video game console

    Michael Fassbender in ‘Assassin’s Creed’

    “No good movie is too long and no bad movie is short enough.” – Roger Ebert

    If we apply Roger Ebert’s dictum to Assassin’s Creed, based very loosely on the video game of the same name, it would have had a running time of 11 minutes rather than the 115 that audiences will endure.

    Okay, that’s an extreme overstatement.  If you like action sequences there are lots of them and they move at lightning speed.  They are well choreographed and fun to experience.  But that’s the best that can be said about this movie.  While this isn’t one of the best video game movies of all time, it’s a cut above much of that genre.  Then again, saying that is truly damning with faint praise.

    Michael Fassbender is “Cal Lynch” and it turns out he is a direct descendant of “Aguilar” who was a member of the Assassins, a secret group pledged to fight for peace and free will against the Templars.  The Templars seek to control the world’s population by eliminating free will and believe that the Apple of Eden will enable them to achieve their aims.  The Assassins have been the guardians of the Apple of Eden for centuries.

    Marion Cotillard, Michael Fassbender and the infamous Animus in ‘Assassin’s Creed’

    Cal is set to be executed for murder but “Sofia Rikkin” (Marion Cotillard) and her father “Alan Rikkin” (Jeremy Irons) have arranged for Cal to survive his lethal injection.  He is whisked away to the massive headquarters of Abstergo Industries, which is a part of the modern Templar Order.  Sofia’s genius has made it so that by putting Cal into the Animus, a large machine, they can access the memories of Aguilar that are buried in Cal’s DNA.  Through this process they hope to locate the Apple of Eden and take it into their possession.  If they succeed, they will eradicate free will.

    Other descendants of members of the Assassins are being kept where Cal is.  One of them turns out to be his father, “Joseph Lynch” (Brendan Gleeson although his son Brian Gleeson plays the younger version of Joseph).  The Templars tell Cal things about Joseph designed to engineer conflict between them.

    Jeremy Irons in ‘Assassin’s Creed’

    The more time that Cal spends in the Animus experiencing the memories of Aguilar, his ancestor’s incredible combat abilities become a part of him in a unique merging.  When the Templars finally learn where the Apple is hidden, the other Assassins stage an escape.  The remainder of the film is a race against time as the Assassins must stop the Templars from using the Apple.

    Again, the action is the only good part of this film.  There are two Academy Award winners (Cotillard and Irons) and two Oscar nominees (Fassbender and Charlotte Rampling) in this movie and their acting abilities are never stretched to any significant degree.  The fact that Cal is not a part of the original video game universe doesn’t help matters.  If you want drama and story, this is not the movie for you.  But if all you want is to see a lot of action, go see Assassin’s Creed.

    Our look at the best and worst of video game movies can be found here.

  • ‘The Light Between Oceans’ shines a light on a difficult moral dilemma

    ‘The Light Between Oceans’ shines a light on a difficult moral dilemma

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    Michael Fassbender in ‘The Light Between Oceans’

    “You can’t patch a wounded soul with a Band-Aid.” – Michael Connelly

    During World War I, some of the most intense fighting took place in the Western Trenches.  After spending years in those trenches, Australian “Tom Sherbourne” (Michael Fassbender) comes home in search of quiet time to heal the wounds to his soul.  He lands the perfect job in the ideal place for this healing, on remote Janus Rock off the West Coast of Australia as the lighthouse keeper.  The only human contact the keeper has is with the occasional supply ship.

    Michael Fassbender stars and Alicia Vikander in 'The Light Between Oceans'
    Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander in ‘The Light Between Oceans’

    Things take an abrupt change of direction just prior to Tom’s departure for his new home.  He is introduced to “Isabel Graysmark” (Alicia Vikander) and she sees there is more to this man than just the world-weary look of him.  She senses a depth within that no one else has seen.  After a very brief time together he leaves for Janus Rock and she remains at home.  They exchange letters detailing their feelings via those supply ships and eventually he comes to town and proposes marriage.  Did they rush into their union because being the keeper’s wife was the only way for Isabel to come to Janus Rock?

    They are very much in love and as a result their existence becomes idyllic.  Soon Isabel is pregnant and the couple encounter their first tragedy.  They bury the child and try to move on, but when the second child they conceive also fails to survive childbirth, Isabel is crushed.

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    Michael Fassbender in ‘The Light Between Oceans’

    If a dinghy had not washed up on the shore of Janus soon after this there is no knowing what might have transpired.  But inside the dinghy was a dead adult and a live infant.  Tom wants to note this in the light house log but Isabel eventually convinces him that they can keep the girl and pass her off as their child.  Wanting so much to make Isabel smile again, Tom ignores his better judgment and agrees.

    The consequences of this choice come crashing down on Tom during a visit to town a few years later.   He learns that “Hannah Roennfeldt” (Rachel Weisz) is still haunted by the loss of her daughter and husband.  Tortured by guilt, Tom makes a decision that could ruin the life that he and Isabel have built.

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    Rachel Weisz in ‘The Light Between Oceans’

    The Light Between Oceans is a mixture of a love story with a tale of moral dilemmas.  Doing the right thing can come with a steep price if one made the wrong choices in the past.  The interweaving of the two is effective.  The stellar casting of Fassbender, Vikander and Weisz enhances what is a very visually enjoyable film.  The island, the ocean and even the town where Isabel and Tom met all make terrific backdrops against which we watch an engaging tale unwind.  All three of the leads are great but there is something about how Rachel Weisz goes from crushed to ecstatic to resigned that stands out among the performances.  The ending is unpredictable.

  • X-Men: Apocalypse is good. It’s fun to watch. But it isn’t brilliant.

    X-Men: Apocalypse is good. It’s fun to watch. But it isn’t brilliant.

    James McAvoy in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’

    “This is the way the world ends.  Not with a bang but a whimper.” – T.S. Eliot

    Let’s begin with this disclaimer.  It isn’t June yet and thus far in 2016 we’ve seen three other “superhero” blockbusters.  Deadpool, Batman versus Superman:  Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War all hit the multiplexes and did well.  So maybe we are suffering from superhero fatigue of a sort and not giving the latest X-Men film a fair shake.  Or maybe the expectations were too high.  It should also be noted that this is the 9th film in the mutant movie franchise since X-Men came out in the year 2000.

    Jennifer Lawrence and Oscar Isaac in 'X-Men: Apocalypse'
    Jennifer Lawrence and Oscar Isaac in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’

    The origin of “En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse” (Oscar Issac), the world’s first mutant is explored briefly at the film’s outset.  We learn that he has the ability to transfer his consciousness into the body of others.  Better still, he acquires whatever mutant powers that his victim possesses as the transference is complete.  But just as he moves into his latest body, he is trapped beneath tons of rubble for thousands of years.

    Fast forward to the year 1983.  Apocalypse awakens.  The U.S. remembers the tenth anniversary of how “Mystique” (Jennifer Lawrence) stopped “Magneto” (Michael Fassbender) from killing the president.  Magneto remains the world’s most wanted man but he is in hiding in Poland.  Apocalypse has always surrounded himself with four followers and Magneto comes to his attention.  As does “Angel” (Ben Hardy), “Storm” (Alexandra Shipp) and “Psylocke” (Olivia Munn).  Apocalypse enhances the powers of his followers and plans to lay waste to civilization and rule the world and the few who survive.

    Michael Fassbender as "Magneto" in 'X-Men: Apocalypse'
    Michael Fassbender as “Magneto” in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’

    When news of Magneto’s murder of the policemen who killed his wife and daughter reaches Mystique, she goes to “Professor Xavier” (James McAvoy) at his school for the gifted to enlist his help in finding Magneto to stop him.  But in using Cerebro to search for Magneto, Professor Xavier finds Apocalypse who is able to connect through Cerebro and the Professor with every mind on Earth.  To break the connection, “Havoc” (Lucas Till) has to destroy Cerebro.  This causes an explosion but the arrival of “Quicksilver” (Evan Peters) who uses his incredible speed to save almost everyone from the blast.  However Apocalypse and his four followers spirit Professor Xavier away with them.

    Just before all this happens, Havok’s brother “Scott” (Tye Sheridan) comes to the school and makes friends with “Jean Grey” (Sophie Turner) and “Kurt” (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and the trio is away from the campus when the explosion takes place.  As a result they aren’t captured like the rest of the staff and students are by “Major Stryker” (Josh Helman).   The Major orders his men to take Quicksilver, Mystique, “Beast” (Nicholas Hoult) and CIA Agent “Moira McTaggart” (Rose Byrne) to the military facility at Alkali Lake.  Jean’s powers enable her and her companions to stow away on the chopper with the captives.

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    Sophie Turner, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Tye Sheridan in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’

    Confused yet?  All that’s left for the “good” mutants to do is escape Alkali Lake and stop Magneto from causing cataclysmic destruction on a planetary scale; while Apocalypse intends to transfer his consciousness into Professor Xavier’s body in order to control every mutant on the planet.

    The story is complex and a bit convoluted but it works.  The effects, as they are anytime Bryan Singer sits in the director’s chair, are spectacular.  Buy a big tub of popcorn and enjoy the dazzling display and derring-do on the big screen.

  • ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ proves this franchise has a bright future

    ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ proves this franchise has a bright future

    Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Hugh Jackman in 'X-Men: Days of Future Past
    Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Hugh Jackman in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past

    The seventh film in the X-Men series, X-Men: Days of Future Past is set in a not too distant future where mutants and the humans who are helping them find themselves being hunted to the verge of extinction by “Sentinels.”  These are sentient robots created by “Bolivar Trask” (Peter Dinklage).  Thanks to the ability of “Kitty Pryde” (Ellen Page) to shift someone’s consciousness backward in time, one group of mutants is keeping one step ahead of the Sentinels.  This group hooks up with “Professor Xavier” (Patrick Stewart) and “Magneto” (Ian McKellan) who have come up with a plan.  Send the mind of “Wolverine” (Hugh Jackman) back in time to 1973 to prevent the murder of Trask by “Mystique” (Jennifer Lawrence).  His murder made him into the perfect martyr to serve as a reason to wipe out the mutants, and Mystique’s capture in the aftermath of his death gave them her mutated genetic structure; allowing the Sentinels to be engineered to deal with any mutant powers.

    Only Wolverine, with his incredible healing powers, can handle being sent that far back in time.  He awakens and must find the younger Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), who along with the young “Hank McCoy” (Nicholas Hoult), will try to stop Mystique from killing Trask.  First they have to break Magneto out of the prison cell where he’s being held, with the assistance of “Quicksilver” (Even Peters).  Meanwhile as this is going on in the past, the Sentinels are closing in on the mutants in the present, setting the stage for an epic battle sequence.

    Jennifer Lawrence is "Mystinque" in 'X-Man: Days of Future Past'
    Jennifer Lawrence is “Mystinque” in ‘X-Man: Days of Future Past’

    What makes the Marvel branded action films so successful is that the people behind the scenes really understand the product.  Here they have an ensemble cast film with an amazingly talented company of actors.  Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry and Anna Paquin are all Oscar winners.  Ian McKellan, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman, and Ellen Page are all Oscar nominees.  Great actors don’t always bring out the best in one another, particularly in action films.  Fortunately, in this film we watch how a great script, the right director and this excellent cast of performers combine to make a stellar film.  The acting, action and ambience are all perfect.

    Sadly there just isn’t time to develop the newest mutants to come to the film franchise, like “Blink” (Fan Bingbing), “Bishop” (Omar Sy) and “Sunspot” (Adam Canto).  Hopefully we will learn more about them in the present time in future sequels.  We do get humor in just the right places, with the perfectly deft touch of Bryan Singer.  The authenticity with which the year 1973 is recreated is spectacular, right down to the sound quality of Roberta Flack’s haunting song “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”   Homages to the earlier X-Men films can be found and yes, we get the obligatory post-credits scene which I will not spoil.

  • Don’t wait even 12 minutes before seeing ‘12 Years A Slave’

    Don’t wait even 12 minutes before seeing ‘12 Years A Slave’

    Chiwetel Ejiofor and Paul Giamatti in '12 Years A Slave'
    Chiwetel Ejiofor and Paul Giamatti in ’12 Years A Slave’

    In 1852, the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin (or Life Among the Lowly)” by Harriet Beecher Stowe was published for the first time.  It was like pouring gasoline over the already raging argument over slavery in the U.S.  11 years earlier, Solomon Northrup was a free man living a good life in Saratoga, NY.  He played the violin and worked at other skilled professions to earn a living.  He was married with two children.  Then he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South.  He would remain there until being freed a dozen years later.  Then he wrote his own book, “12 Years A Slave” which also became a bestseller.  However, while the novel is very well known in this era, the story of Solomon Northrup was virtually unknown.   Until his book was made into an outstanding film.

    Chiwetel Ejiofor gives an incredible performance as Solomon Northrup.  The film opens with his wife Anne (Kelsey Scott) going away for a couple of weeks with their two children.  As loose ends, Solomon is given an intriguing offer.  Join up with Brown (Scoot McNairy) and Hamilton (Taran Killiam).  They are entertainers and they propose to pay Solomon a princely sum for playing his violin.

    Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kelsey Scott in '12 Years A Slave'
    Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kelsey Scott in ’12 Years A Slave’

    But on their last night together they drug Solomon and he awakens in chains.  Held in a slave pen in Washington, D.C. he is beaten mercilessly until he agrees not to reveal his true identity.  From that point forward he is “Platt”, an escaped slave.  He is shocked and horrified by the degradation and mistreatment of other slaves, and has no idea what is yet to come.

    His first owner, William Ford (Bennedict ) recognizes that Solomon is a man of intelligence and skills and he shows favor to him; upsetting the carpenter he employs.  Tibeats (DPaul ano) resents the growing relationship between owner and slave and does everything he can to undermine it.  Eventually their conflict forces Ford to sell Solomon to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender).  Solomon’s life spirals downward as his new owner is at the extreme edge of cruel masters.  But he never stops trying to find a way home.

    Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor in '12 Years A Slave'
    Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o and Chiwetel Ejiofor in ’12 Years A Slave’

    For director Steve McQueen, clearly the third feature’s a charm.  He managed to obtain the best from every actor in his cast.  His deft touch at using a limited amount of music beneath his visual presentation results in the emotional impact being enhanced rather than injected.  Ejiofor stands out in a cast of standout performances.  It helped having talented actors like Cumberbatch, Dano, Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt in front of his camera.  Expect to see several of them as part of the awards season equation this year.

    Like Schindler’s List before it, 12 Years A Slave manages to capture as much of the horrific nature of what the lives of the victims endured as it can without becoming unwatchable.  The violence is there to show what that kind of life was like, rather that satisfy the salacious nature of those who enjoy such things.  While some of it is difficult to watch, it is definitely a must-see movie.

  • ‘Prometheus’ is an ‘Alien’ prequel trying to be something else

    Michael Fassbender in 'Prometheus'
    Michael Fassbender in ‘Prometheus’

    An alien being stands on what appears to be Earth as he watches his ship leave.  We then watch as he is consumed by something, that results in his DNA being seeded into the water, ostensibly leaving the genetic footprint that ultimately leads to the evolution of man.

    “Dr. Elizabeth Shaw” (Noomi Rapace) and “Charlie Holloway” (Logan Marshall-Green), in 2089, are exploring ancient cultures and find an oddity.  Maps of the exact same patterns in the stars, among completely disconnected peoples.  There’s no way this information could have passed from one group to another, and the last finding is really old, some 35,000 years old in fact.

    Four years later, we see a gigantic vessel travelling through outer space, its humanoid crew kept in stasis while they are monitored and cared for by the human-looking android, “David” (Michael Fassbender). Give director Ridley Scott and/or the screenwriters credit for using possibly the best film ever made as a learning tool for David.

    A mysterious Engineer in 'Prometheus'
    A mysterious Engineer in ‘Prometheus’

    When the ship nears its destination, the mission commander, “Meredith Vickers” (Charlize Theron) is first to be awakened.  Once she’s fully awake she instructs David to get the rest of the crew up.  After they are all awake, they are informed why they are there, and who hired them as they view a video from “Peter Weyland” (Guy Pearce), the aged leader of the Weyland Corporation.  Apparently this is one great big company he heads, as it spent $1 trillion to put this ship together and launch it toward its destination.  Weyland gives his speech and then turns over the mission explanation to Dr. Shaw and Mr. Holloway, who explain that their findings have been interpreted to be an invitation from the “engineers” to come and find them.  The “engineers” are credited with creating humans and Shaw and Holloway want to meet and question them.  But mission director Vickers orders them to avoid direct contact.

    They land near what is clearly an artificial structure and a small team goes to explore it.  But before they can complete their survey, a very bad storm hits and they have to rush back to the ship for safety.  Except that two of them had apparently headed back early, but gotten lost within the structure and those two have no safe way to get back.  Milburn and Fifield are trapped within the structure and have a confrontation with what awaits doesn’t go well for either of them.

    What happens from here I will leave to viewers to discover themselves.

    Noomi Rapace in 'Prometheus'
    Noomi Rapace in ‘Prometheus’

    When Prometheus was originally envisioned, it was to be a prequel to Alien, which Scott directed in 1979.  Somewhere along the way supposedly the plans changed and the script was rewritten.

    Folks, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and smells like a duck, then dammit, it is a duck.

    The same ship from Alien is shown.  The Weyland Corporation is in the Alien films. The appearance and characteristics of the aliens the humans come into contact with in this film are remarkably like the aliens from that film franchise.  If people want to delude themselves into thinking this isn’t a prequel, that’s their prerogative, but in my mind that is exactly what it is.

    But that doesn’t make it a bad film.

    It has strong special effects, more than adequate acting performances, particularly from Fassbender and Rapace.  The viewer will be on the edge of their seat most of the way and as far as sci-fi/fantasy/horror films go, it’s a more than just decent effort.

    If there is a criticism to be offered, it’s that the best parts of the film are the early parts, and rather than get better as it goes along, it tends to be a little less good later on in the story than when it begins.  But it is still very watchable and enjoyable.