X-Men: Apocalyptically Average

 X-men: Days of Future Past gave fans of the franchise hope that it was taking steps in the right direction. Fox has had control of this lucrative property for some time and have left comic fans angry at the way some of the characters have been portrayed. Brian Singer is once again in charge and after the last installment, things were looking up. I don't want to get off on the wrong foot. This is not a bad movie, but there are people who would like to see it fail. There are a group of fans that want to see Fox fail so that they do what Sony did with Spider-Man. Give control of the character back to Marvel.

 The X-men don't exist. They run a school for the gifted and after the events of 1973, are living a rather quiet existence. Mysitque (Jennifer Lawrence) is searching the world and saving mutants from persecution. When an old friend discovers the worlds first mutant and his extinction level plan unfolds, the mutants must stand against their greatest foe. Apocalypse.

    The titular villain is a comic fan favorite. He was the victim of several Power Ranger jokes, referenced by the photo above. He is a tough villain to do even with today's technology. He is not Ivan Ooze and Oscar Isaac does really well with him. He was very commanding and was fun to watch. I liked how his story began, but wasn't thrilled with the way it ended. He definitely looked better on screen than in the trailers.

  X-men: Apocalypse doesn't reset the table. It tries, but falls short on that front. It does a great job of connecting back to X-Men: First Class, but it is too much of the same thing. Let Magneto be the bad guy and stop trying to redeem him all of the time. Magneto is a great character, but they can't get beyond his bitterness and making him good in the end.

  The movie does change things up a bit. Sophie Turner is really good as a young Jean Grey, but it is tough to not see Sansa Stark from Game Of Thrones. The recast of Cyclops and Nightcrawler also works well. One has to assume that they have officially erased the events of X-Men and X2.  Andrea Shipp plays a good Storm, but her story is a bit too predictable. The problem with this whole movie is it's predictability. It suffers from, "been there done that." I will say for the people that groaned about the all black costumes, the work in the context of the film.

  The film does a great job of quietly erasing X-Men Origins: Wolverine. We see enough to figure out what happened after the end of the last movie when Stryker takes him. Hugh Jackman's cameo will be fun for comic fans. They got closer to Logan this time. The problem is that as much fun as it is to watch, it was just not needed. The whole segment was 30 minutes that could have been omitted. This movie's biggest flaw is waste.

  Civil War has a lot of characters and none of them are wasted. X-Men: Apocalypse wastes a lot of characters. Psylocke deserved better than she gets here. Jubilee was also a complete waste of time and I don't know what they were doing with Caliban. The biggest waste is unfortunately once again Angel. Warren Worthington is a great character. His origins are not touched on. He starts off looking cool, but gets left wasted as one of Apocalypse minions. This is another character that deserves so much better than he gets. Fox is notorious for dumping cool characters into these movies and under developing them. Days of Future Past being a little bit of an exception.

   Quicksilver again steals the show. He is the one character that Fox is doing better than Marvel. We get teased with the encounter we were hoping for, but it doesn't come to pass. The film doesn't need it. X-Men: Apocalypse is not bad. It is just not exceptional. It is entertaining enough, but it just doesn't get you fired up the way Days of Future Past did.  I feel like it tried to do too much. Singer seems to be trying to make up for too many of the franchise's mistakes in one film. It is visually cool and if you get a chance, see it in a theater with recliners and XD. It's a little too long and it certainly isn't something new, but it is far from a failure. I can even appreciate the shot it takes at X-Men: Last Stand. That one was so bad, it deserves all the negatives. In the end, it's no Civil War but is better than Batman V. Superman.

Captain America: Civil War ...How Comic Book Movies Should Be Made.

   Captain America: Civil War is the greatest comic book movie yet. It just simply is. It successfully ties in most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and makes Avengers: Age Of Ultron a better movie. These days, comic book movies come with a lot of hype. Batman V. Superman was fueled by it, but failed to live up to it. Civil War exceeds the hype. I am not here to bash DC/Warner Bros. Truth be told, Batman is my favorite comic character and fortunately the only DC seems to be able to get right. Part of the problem with the other superhero battle movie was that they still can't figure Superman out. Marvel doesn't make that mistake. They know exactly who Iron Man and Captain America are and how to present them on screen.

   The story is simple. Two men on the same side, but with different beliefs and the conflict because of them. Political pressure mounts to hold heroes accountable for their actions causing a rift between the Avengers. Loyalties are tested when a villain with a simple strategy divides the team from within.
It is a movie about Tony and Steve. They are both likable and both right from their own points of view. The reason they fight is easily understood and neither is really the bad guy, but it is fun to watch them go at it!

  This movie is filled with characters. They are weaved into the story in a way that makes sense to everyone. The Russo's have nailed the Falcon. He is ten times cooler here than in Winter Soldier. Speaking of Winter Soldier, his story is fleshed out more. We see what he was unwillingly involved in over his time being manipulated. You're left feeling for Steve and what he feels for his friend, but understanding the profound affect his actions have on Tony. Black Widow again shines and feels right at home with the boys. She is ready for a solo run. It was also good to see Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and War Machine given some time. We get to see signs of the comic romance between Vision and Wanda.

  Spider-Man is worth the wait! Seeing him fight with and against the Avengers is just awesome! The suit looks incredible and Tom Holland is going to be a solid Peter Parker. When will we learn to stop doubting Marvel and their casting choices? Spidey and Ant-man might be there for some comic relief , but they serve a purpose and really gel with the rest of the heroes. Their next solo outings are going to be fantastic! It was Black Panther that did it for me. This character is set up beautifully and Chadwick Bosman is amazing! His fights with Winter Soldier are some of the best in the film and I think people will want to see him again. 

   Make no mistake, there is a lot going on here. Lots of characters. Lots of set up. Lost of action. Lots of fun. The story is serious in tone, but the movie is still fun. The comic moments work well with in the tone of the film. The movie has heart. It has a sense of loss that you feel and an excitement for what is next. Marvel has their characters figured out. The pieces all fit together. The casting is beyond perfect. The Dark Knight Trilogy is good. The major  flaws of the third one keep it on this side of great. The Captain America Trilogy comes close to being the best comic book movie trilogy yet. When you see the movie, you will realize that this is fact and tough to dispute.
  The hype has been live up to. It has taken things to yet another level. Well done Chris Evans, Scarlet Johanson, RDJ, and the rest. Well done Marvel. Your move DC. Try and keep up.

Self-ish

   For a long time now I have been in a funk. It's hard to find yourself when you can't remember who you are. It's been three years and the moves I made didn't end up like I planned. I am not sure if any one's plan ever goes to the letter. One thing is for sure, I was at a point where I really started to like who I was becoming. I am not writing this as a sob story. I hope to some, it is a lesson. We seem to live in a world where we have to constantly cast blame. I begin by saying, it is all on me.

  Life is strange. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to do with mine. I had to leave home to figure that out. I did it with 27 dollars to my name. If you knew me in college, you might have a hard time believing that, but it is fact. I reinvented, created a persona, began a career that I still love, and accomplished some things. I broke hearts and had mine broken. I fell in love and thought that I was learning to be less selfish. I won't say becoming more likable because I am not for everyone.

  I was someone who always wanted more. When I was home in the 'Nati, all I wanted was to leave. When I was gone, I wanted more than anything to come back. I had plenty of good times, but I was always the outsider looking in. I started to hate that feeling. I was really good at being alone though. I had this secret rule about not letting people get too attached. The closer someone gets to you, the more they can hurt you. I hate being right about things 90% of the time.

  Life is good at throwing curves and you meet someone who you think is your kindred soul. Your life starts becoming less about you and more about the two of you. The decisions you make are for the both of you and not you alone. I can say that sometimes those decisions look pretty selfish and in my case they might have been. It's all on me.

  It was a hot August night. In an empty suite at a baseball stadium where 6000 people were watching a show that I (with some help) put together. I sat there alone and I just knew that it was time to close a chapter. It was time to move on, but to where?

 I walked from job security, wasted a lot of money, wasted the time of some people, and came home. In part for the challenge and in part to be myself again. The persona made me some money, but also made me be a person I was tired of being. I loved being home. I loved the new job. I loved the new challenges. I loved the kindred soul that I found and who followed me. Life had begun to paint a pretty nice picture.

Life is seldom the story we want. I haven't found the happy ending. I now find myself angry at the happiness of others. I don't get mad if they travel more. I don't get mad if they make more money. I get mad at the little things that I lost. I get mad that they have time with someone. I get mad when I see them shop together or plan things with their friends. I get angry because those are the things that mattered most to me. It's not there fault, it's all on me.

I used to be so good at being alone. I don't know how I did it. I used to LOVE silence and now it is always deafening. Pictures break my heart all over again. Songs make me cry and they were never meant to be sad. How did it all go so wrong? It's all on me.

My entire family is splintered. I never thought I would be jealous of simple family things that other people do, but I am. Green with envy in some cases. The best Christmas I had in years was in 2012. We were still rebuilding a bit financially, but it was just us. 2 people and 3 dogs. I have never felt more love than those moments. It probably didn't look like it, but it was all I really ever needed.

Now I am just tired of everything.

I am tired of hearing that I am not myself. I wish I knew who that was.
I am tired of working hard to get no where. I don't raise my hand and scream look at me, but I don't even know where my career is going anymore.
I am tired of eating healthy so I don't gain a pound.
I am tired of working out not gaining ground. My thighs and shoulders ache.
I am tired of not living the life I want to live.
I am tired of the world getting the better of me.
I am tired of being miserable so someone else could have a soft landing.
I am tired of hanging on, but refuse to let go.
I am tired of being the one on the outside looking in.
I am tired of the silence.
I am tired of being heart broken.
I am tired of being alone.

I didn't write this to for sympathy. I wrote it to try and figure out me. All of those things can change, but it's all on me. I used to look in the mirror and not like who I saw. I got to the point where he became OK. I don't know the guy who stares back at me now.

Life doesn't have a guidebook. If anyone has a glimpse of the future I can borrow, please let me know. I am happy to be home, but it doesn't feel like I wanted it to.  So here I am. Metaphorically sitting an empty suite. In a bigger stadium. I don't even know if anyone is listening to my show. There are days where I don't even feel like I created it. I don't know if they would pay to see it. I don't even know if it's time to figure out what's next?

It's all on me.

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Disapointment

  Two of the world's most iconic heroes are about to battle on the big screen. Batman vs Superman. The movie is finally here and it is billed as the film that will establish DC's place in the cinematic world. Rival Marvel has done things right. DC has taken a different approach and now we see if it's the right one. Let me just start by saying that this is not the right approach.

  Zack Snyder put Superman back on the map with Man of Steel and started what many call the, "Snyder-verse." Lot's of people, myself included, had issues with the re-telling of Superman. I am not going to rehash those, but the movie picks up where the destruction in Metropolis ends. Snyder does do a good job of establishing the tone of the world after the city is nearly destroyed.

Ben Affleck is possibly the best Batman we've seen yet. He looks the part and establishes Bruce Wayne's place in the world. The stuff with him and Jeremy Irons (Alfred) is top notch. This movie does a great job of making you want another solo Batman with Affleck in the cowl. Batman is good, but his conflict with Superman seems forced. It seems fueled by anger and Batman tends to be more reasonable.

 I think Henry Cavil looks like Superman, but his emotion just seems forced. The movie teases a more familiar Clark Kent, but there just seems to be something missing. The fight between the two heroes is nothing short of fantastic. It is certainly the highlight of the movie, but you wait too long for it to even happen. You wait way too long.

  I have said countless times that movies like this are only as good as their villains. Jesse Eisenberg was a horrible casting choice and destroys one of the greatest villains of all time. He makes no sense. He is anything but diabolical and is a waste of a great character. His tone is all wrong. He doesn't come close to being the greatest criminal mind of all time. He comes across as some bad crossbreeding attempt between the Joker and Riddler. He is, without a doubt, one of the worst things in the movie.

  The other worst thing in the movie is Doomsday Zod. I will not spoil the whole thing, but the moment I saw the manner in which they created this train wreck, I was immediately annoyed. I realize you need a powerful foe to take one super heroes, but this is just a waste. Metallo, Braniac, or even a kryptonite powered exo suit for Lex would have been a better choice. The fight between this thing and out heroes is a visual c.g.i. eyesore. Snyder loves his destruction and assaulting your senses. The saving grace to the fight is Wonder Woman.

 Gal Gadot steals the show. Like Affleck she makes you excited to see her character's first solo outing. The three heroes look incredible on the screen. It truly is a comic book come to life, but unfortunately it's just not enough to save this thing. It is dark and moody. The pace is horrible. It slowed even more by these ridiculous nightmare sequences that do more to confuse than anything else. The film offers a few glimpses of hope here and there, but it's hard to get excited about the "Snyder-verse." We get glimpses of other heroes, but I don't feel like anyone was overwhelmed with excitement.  They took half a Superman sequel and smashed it together with half a Batman movie.

  The movie combines a few famous comic book arcs that are not meant to be combined. The sad cliffhanger is nothing short of emotionless and disappointing. It's a good thing this movie is being released now. It was originally supposed to open against Captain America: Civil War.  Marvel is going to win that fight. Again.  The things that people complained the most about, Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman are hands down the best parts of this movie. Unfortunately, they are not enough to make this worth the hype.

Deadpool: The Merc With The Right Movie

   Comic book movies are rolling off the assembly line these days. They are hot, people love them, but when done wrong are torn apart by fan boys everywhere. Deadpool is one such character. He made his movie debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Fans loved Ryan Reynolds, but despised the Mortal Kombat looking version of Deadpool that came in the end of that debacle. Fast forward a few years. Some test footage is leaked, fans go crazy about it, and the, "Merc With a Mouth," gets another go at the big screen. 

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is former special ops soldier who works as mercenary and could be mentally unstable when we meet him. While in his best friend Weasel's merc bar he meets and falls in love with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). After discovering he has terminal cancer, he volunteers for a secret program that causes his mutant healing factor to manifest. He is cured of cancer, but horribly disfigured and mentally not all there. Add some guns, a cool costume, and the need for revenge and we have ourselves a movie. 

  Picture a combination of Spider-Man, The Punisher, and Wolverine and you get Deadpool. The comic often has him breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience and the movie does the same. Reynolds was born to play this character. After the dismal movie that was Green Lantern, it is great to see Ryan given something that fits him to a tee. The stop motion action is great and the storyline is simple enough to keep even first time watchers engaged. Fox is attempting a mutant based multi-film universe. Deadpool does a great job of tying in the X-Men. Negasonic Teenage Warhead isn't a household name character, but comic book fans will love how she is treated. The fact that her costume looks like an old school, New Mutants suit is a nice subtle throwback to the comic that launched Deadpool. Colossus has been in other movies, but we finally get the truest version of the Russian powerhouse. Spot on! 

       Deadpool was created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, who has stated before that he was the most directly responsible for the character. It is hard to find argument in his point. Rob was at the forefront of the comics boom in the 90's and this has been a long time coming. Deadpool came along as a villain, but has since evolved into an antihero and has garnered a 20 plus year cult following. Fox has a reputation of getting things VERY wrong when it comes to comic book movies. I can wholeheartedly say that they got this one right. Action, humor, and great attention paid to the source material. As comic book fans, we can't ask for much more than that. Accept for maybe the inevitable sequel. 

Go see it. 'Nuff said. 

  I am having a hard time with the situation in this country. I am probably, as a white male, not supposed to write about this. It feels like we have taken some giant steps in the wrong direction. The violence, the tension, and the fact that race is an issue in 2016 is embarrassing.

  MLK Day being last week has made me dwell on this more than usual. Maybe I am blind, but in the 90's after the riots in L.A., it seemed like these type of things were less of an issue. It was almost like we took a different approach. Maybe the social media is compounding issues. I don't know.

 I get yelled at when I say all lives matter and not just black or white. We live in a world where perspective is reality. Like it or not. I wonder now if people like Ted Nugent, Al Sharpton, and Jesse Jackson do more harm than good. Throw Macklemore in there too with the whole "White Priveledge." Hey Ben, shut up!

 We see violence against a young black male, regardless of their character, and there are violent protests in more cases than not. We see violence against white , the news reporters that were shot by a black male, and there are no violent protests. I guess I don't know what a black person goes through because I am not one. I have also never not been able to get along with people of any color. I see personality before skin color.

 Our country has a very violent history full of wrongs committed to people of all walks of life. Here's a news flash though, most of us were not alive to be apart of any side of it. Isn't it time to bury the past and learn from it's mistakes?

 The Oscars are the new hot button. Black actors were over looked so there is a call to boycott? How does that help? It sends a message of segregation. The example is to go. The example is be part of the, "we'll get them next time," mentality. We let Hollywood and celebrities influence our lives too much as it is. Hollywood has been kind to it's population. Those over looked celebrities are already living a fairy tale. Their salary might not be what they want, but I guarantee that the middle class would gladly trade incomes. The world doesn't owe anyone favors. I agree that old men with backwards thinking rule our world. We owe it to ourselves to not fuel their line of thinking.

 As white male, it's my job to not judge books by their covers and make assumptions. People of color need to work harder to not fit into ridiculous stereotypes. It can be done. Like a lot of things, it just takes some extra work. I don't have all the answers, but I do know that we should be ashamed that skin color is such an issue in 2016. It doesn't get better until we make it better. I understand that it is tough to love everyone, but it's really not all that hard to exercise some tolerance. At the end of the day we're not black, white, red, or yellow. We are all just human.

You Need Less Than 3 Hours to Enjoy 13

 It's a political year so why not a movie that makes us remember a big political issue. 13 Hours does just that. We shouldn't need a reminder of how dangerous the world is, but 13 Hours gives us a first hand account. In a nutshell the plot is straight forward and has been national news.

  Six members of the Annex Security Team defend the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, from an attack by Islamic militants. The team is made up of ex special ops guys who all have lives outside of the military now. When American lives are threatened, they become the only thing standing between them and a foreign threat. 

 Michael Bay is the director. He is best known for big explosions and and being very military- friendly. Those are two of the biggest reasons why this film works. Bay doesn't treat it like Transformers. It's a true story and he takes care to treat it with the respect it deserves. It will remind people of Lone Survivor and that is OK. 

   John Krasinski will make you forget he was on The Office. He looks the part and fits in well. He really handles the action and delivers a stand out performance. It's intense and straight forward and doesn't take sides in the political aftermath that follow these events. It doesn't need to. It tells the story of the brave men who saved and gave their lives. That is all it needed to do. If you liked American Sniper, go see 13 Hours.