Before Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe took over all things comic book, there was 20th Century Fox and X-Men. If someone wants to see what the comic book film landscape looked like, just take a look at 1989’s Punisher and 1994’s Phantom. But then came Blade (which we’ll cover eventually), a movie that came out in 1998 and proved that cinematic movies based on comic books could indeed be financially successful. And after a lot of false pretenses and multiple script changes, Marvel’s X-Men was finally ready to roll before cameras with little known director Bryan Singer behind the camera. Little did we know that not only would this franchise have a lot of peaks and valleys, but the Mouse House would eventually swallow its rights up whole. Will Garrett, Matt, and Batch enjoy the ride up to and through this year’s Dark Phoenix?
By the time 2011 rolled around, X-Men was no longer the only successful comic book property on the block. The Marvel Cinematic Universe were al most finished with their first Phase, and DC was not only one year away from concluding their Nolan trilogy of Batman films, they were also entering the fray with the Ryan Reynolds starring Green Lantern. Enter director Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men First Class, a movie whose advertising campaign left a lot to be desired. A movie that looks this bad couldn’t possibly be good, could it?
Join myself, Matt, and Batch as we mosey along toward our review of the just released Dark Phoenix, this time taking a look at Vaughn’s lone X-Men entry. Did we like it as much as its legacy has told us to?
In interviews and various other press materials leading up to the release of Alien Covenant, Ridley Scott was adamant in proclaiming that the film would be more a return to its horror roots than the introspective look at the origin of man which was known as Prometheus. So knowing that -and that only- I went into Alien Covenant with a complete open mind. And the mixture of emotions towards the previous film felt by all three hosts of this very podcast -I loved Prometheus, Moreno kind of liked Prometheus, and Valley couldn’t stand Prometheus– really made this film and ensuing podcast an interesting way to end this already past my expectations retrospective.
Join Moreno, Valley, and myself, as we dissect the hell out of the film, and proclaim whether we love it, or if Ridley Scott has in fact lost it. If you listened a couple BingeCasts ago, you know how Valley feels. But how do I, a die hard fan of the series, and Moreno, a relative newcomer to the series, feel about it? What could possibly be next for the Alien series? And what’s next for the Aftertaste?
All these questions and more are answered below. So what are you waiting for, a personal invitation from a xenomorph? Download below!
This column will introduce you to the most popular movies that are coming out in theaters this weekend.
What movie will you see?
Alien: Covenant
This is an Alien movie. Space, crew, spaceships, running down corridors, jump scares, fire, an eating scene, guns, sweating, and aliens will all make an appearance in this flick. The cast includes, Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, and Demián Bichir (The Hateful Eight). Ridley Scott re-enters space to direct this prequel/sequel (whichever way you look at it). If you love this franchise, then definitely check this out this weekend.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
During the Heffley’s road trip to attend their grandmothers 90th, Greg(wimpy kid), is messing up everyone’s plans by scheming to get himself to a video game convention. Starring in this family film franchise are Alicia Silverstone and Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do). Writing and directing this wimpy kid is David Bowers. Bowers has directed 2 other Wimpy Kid movies, Flushed Away, and Astro Boy. Don’t be a wimp. Go see this flick.
Everything, Everything
This tweeny drama romance flick is about a girl who is sheltered due to her allergies toward everything. She then falls in love with the boy who moves next door. This cast includes Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games), Nick Robinson (Jurassic World), Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls), and Ana de la Reguera (Nacho Libre). Stella Meghie is the director of this movie. I hope I told you everything you need to know about Everything, Everything. Hopefully this is everything you want in a movie.
Five years after Fox cashed in on the appeal of Aliens clashing with Predators, director Ridley Scott made it clear that he was ready to return to the science fiction world which put him on the map. He had a meeting with writer Jon Spaihts, and together they mapped out a prequel of sorts to one of the most highly regarded movies of all time.
But a more contemporary approach was not what Scott was looking for. And, in a controversial move, Fox brought in Lost‘s Damon Lindelof to add an extra outside dimension to the answers fans were looking for. The resulting film Prometheus is still debated by film goers -and the hosts of this very podcast- for what exactly it adds to the universe it was claiming to be a part of.
Join me, Jack Valley, and Johnny Moreno as we engage in what is probably the most debate heavy podcast that’s been had since I started sprinkling in the retrospective format. And then gear up, as we get ready to ride the Alien wave straight into Alien Covenant, to be reviewed the week following its release.
This column will introduce you to the most popular movies that are coming out in theaters this weekend and why you should go see them.
What movie will you see this weekend?
Beauty and the Beast
Reasons to see this:
Inspired by Disney’s 1991 animated film, this live-action adaptation tells the story of a young woman and a cursed prince who fall in love. Starring in this magical fantasy musical are Emma Watson, Dan Stevens (The Guest), Luke Evans (Dracula Untold), Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, and more. Bill Condon is the director of this film. Condon has directed The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 & 2, The Fifth Estate, and Mr. Holmes. Now, go be a guest at a theater this weekend.
The Belko Experiment
Reasons to see this:
80 Americans are locked in their high-rise office and are forced by an unknown (unknown cawwwllllaaa) voice to participate in a deadly game. Starring in this horror thriller are John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane), Tony Goldwyn (Ghost), Adria Arjona (Emerald City), John C. McGinley (Scrubs), Melonie Diaz (Fruitvale Station), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), and more. Greg McLean directs this hellish office space. Mclean has directed Wolf Creek 1 & 2 and The Darkness. James Gunn penned the script for this flick. Now Belko to the theater this weekend.
Song To Song
Reasons to see this:
Song To Song is about two intersecting love triangles, set within the music scene in Austin, Texas. Starring in this dramatic romance film are Ryan Gosling, Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Val KIlmer (whoa, where has he been?), Benicio Del Toro, Holly Hunter, and more. Terrence Malick is the writer and director of this flick. Malick has written and directed The Thin Red Line ,The New World, and The Tree of Life. Need more Gos set in a music setting? Then check out Song To Song this weekend.
T2 Trainspotting
Reason to see this:
Trainspotting 2. After 20 years, Mark Renton reunites with his friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie. Ewan McGregor, Roger Carlyle, Johnny Lee Miller, and Ewen Bremmer all return for the sequel. Even Danny Boyle is back in the director’s chair. John Hodge who penned the first script is also back to write this one. Catch a train to the theater this weekend.
This column will introduce you to the most popular movies that are coming out in theaters this weekend and why you should go see them. Which one will you see?
The Light Between Oceans
Reasons to see this:
Based on the best selling novel, this dramatic film is about a couple that live off the coast of Australia who raise a baby they found adrift in a boat. However, they soon realize that this baby may belong to someone they have crossed paths with. The three major leads in this film are, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Rachel Weisz. Derek Cianfrance penned the screenplay as well as directed the film. Cianfrance has directed Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines. In the mood for a heavy drama this weekend, well this one is for you.
Morgan
Reasons to see this:
Morgan is an artificially created humanoid being, who is on the verge of termination based on a corporate risk-management consultant. Morgan is played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who is most famous for her role in The VVitch. Also starring in this sci-fi thriller is Kate Mara, Toby Jones, Brian Cox, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Paul Giamatti. The director of Morgan is Luke Scott. This is Scotts’ first directorial full length movie. Ridley Scott is one of the six producers on board(if you care). Go check out Morgan this weekend.
Skiptrace
Reasons to see this:
Did you know that Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville are in a movie together? Neither did I. Well, Skiptrace is about an American gambler who teams up with a Hong Kong detective that go toe to toe with a Chinese criminal. The rest of the cast are not very notable. No offense if one of you are reading this. Renny Harlin is the director of this action packed comedy. Harlins’ known directorial work are as follows: Die Hard 2, Cutthroat Island, The Long Kiss Goodnight(this weeks movie homework) and Deep Blue Sea. Go skip to the theater and see Skiptrace this weekend.
Yoga Hosers
Reasons to see this:
This movie has been in my drafts since Binge has let me write these articles. The release date for this movie has changed multiple times and I don’t care if it does again. I am not editing nor adding it to a write up down the road. Anyway, Yoga Hosers is about the 2 female clerks from Tusk, that go to battle with an evil ancient being. Lily-Rose Depp and Harley Quinn Smith play the clerks in this fantasy comedy. The rest of the cast include, Haley Joel Osment, Justin Long(No, they are not playing their roles from Tusk), Jason Mewes(duh), Adam Brody, Natasha Lyonne, Johnny Depp(Yes, he is playing his role from Tusk) and many more. Kevin Smith wrote and directed this movie. We all know his filmography. Go check out Yoga Hosers, if its out this weekend.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogan, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlberg, Katherine Waterston, and Sarah Snook.
Time for some honesty Binge readers: Despite the talent behind this surrogate biopic about a man who was a genius to some, madman to others, I had close to zero interest in Steve Jobs. A 2013 half hearted attempt at one starring Ashton Kutcher didn’t help matters, and even hearing that Danny Boyle was behind the camera and Aaron Sorkin being the scripter, the film could have come and gone without a whimper and I would not have cared. So imagine my surprise as the first few frames of Steve Jobs flourished across the screen and like a trout on an early morning fishing trip, I was hooked line & sinker for its entire 122 minute running time. The stylistic flourishes behind the camera Boyle is known for are not here in abundance, but show their touches when called for, and Boyle seems more reigned in here than ever. It is all for the best, as Steve Jobs is by far the most involving film of the year, and when it was over, I could not help but think my pessimism was more than a little miscalculated judgment. It was an unintended commentary on the life of the film’s subject.
Steve Jobs is broken up into three acts, with well placed concentrated flashbacks scattered throughout. In its first act, a 29 year old Jobs is set to unveil the first ever Macintosh computer. With a well hyped Super Bowl ad and massive amounts of anticipation at his back, Jobs (Fassbender) is a dragon breathing fire, even going so far as insisting to software developer Andy Hertzfeld (Stuhlberg) that the computer needs to say hi to the audience. This is also where we are introduced to his ex girlfriend (an excellent Waterston), who insists that Jobs pay for the welfare of her daughter, of which Jobs denies being the father. On top of all this, his partner in crime and constant source of moral support Joanna Hoffman (Winslet) insists to Jobs he needs to get his act together and establish some form of balance. A balance which includes Steve Wozniak (Rogan), who is struggling to get some form of recognition from Jobs as that of Apple co-founder.
This is all in the first act, folks. In lesser hands, this would all feel muddled and self serving. But armed with Sorkin’s script, Boyle keeps things grounded, and we get to know all of those around Jobs without the befuddlement of technical jargon and business speak. Sorkin certainly brings the same sort of rapid fire dialogue and character flashes he brought to David Fincher’s 2010 film The Social Network, and it is all to the benefit of the story. Purists will argue that even with the back and forth with Jobs and those around him, the film’s colors, while not sunshine and rainbows, are maybe a little too bright a representation of the man whose story Sorkin is trying to tell. But adapting works has always been a huge strength of Sorkin’s, and the way he adapts Walter Isaacson’s book is commendable in that no one ever gets backed into too far a corner they cannot get out of.
Act two starts off in 1988. The aftermath of the Macintosh computer’s tanking makes things hard on Jobs, as he is let go by the company and he is forced into a comeback with his brand new company NeXT. Here is where I need to commend the performance of one Michael Fassbender. The man looks nothing like the person whom he is portraying (the attempts to make him look 29 are hilarious.) Yet my eyes never lose track of him, as Fassbender turns in such a commanding performance that I not once thought of how he looked, and concentrated instead on who he played. The actor makes good use of a special kind of cathartic acting ability, and the film’s tendency to concentrate on the sometimes aloof relationships Jobs had throughout his entire life serve Fassbender well. It is telling that until he learns of his daughter’s brilliance, Jobs casts her off like one of his employees. However, her blooming brilliance now makes her one of him, and the way Fassbender plays this entire relationship speaks wonders to not one, but two different forms of Jobs the man and Fassbender the actor. Pretty impressive.
Act three takes place from 1998 on, without a doubt the most revolutionary period of time for technology. Which makes it less than coincidental that this period was put at film’s end. The internet’s legs keep growing and Jobs is close to unveiling the very first ipod. Naysayers to how Job treated his daughter as opposed to his work will have a field day with this portion of the film. Yet tales about moguls who concentrate more on their work than their flesh and blood have been told a million times before. But very rarely is it done with as much care and as steady a hand as those that belong to Boyle and Sorkin. Fassbender’s portrayal of aloofness lends itself to brilliance here, and Boyle’s direction is just stylish enough to get inside the emotions of those around him.
Comparisons to much the same situations as those portrayed in The Social Network are inevitable. But Sorkin is not dumb. He writes Steve Jobs like he knows those comparisons are coming, and uses the camera of Boyle to point out the differences between the two works. Love him or hate him, Steve Jobs was a man whose story serves filmmaking to a T. Steve Jobs the film is a powerful, if sometimes fictionalized context of a man who was not only a concentrated and tortured genius. He was a visionary that did what he did so that his unclouded vision was a foretold conclusion to changing the world. In many ways, the men and women behind the scenes of this powerfully brilliant film can claim the same fits of parallelism.