Reblog if you have met someone online that you would love to hang with but they live far away.
I Review X-Men First Class
This is something that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time: A REVIEW FOR X-MEN: FIRST CLASS!!! *applause*
Now I loved this movie. In comparison to the other X-Movies, it was brilliant. Origins Wolverine was terrible, not just from the viewpoint of being someone who read the comics and knows how royally the plot was screwed, and how they messed up on Deadpool and Silverfox and Stryker…. But as someone who hated the plot because it was a bad story. I didn’t actually *see* X-3, well not all of it but I’ve seen bits and pieces, so I’m going to go with the public and say that this was also bad. The writers and directors and actors knew that this was their saving grace and they treated it as such. Casting was amazing, effects were awesome, acting was spectacular, and it deserves all the accolades it gets. Not so say that it didn’t have its quirks and little slip ups but I’ll get to each component individually.
Magneto: Best Casting Ever!! He was intense, you could see him going through his own internal struggle when the story allowed, great relationships with every character, especially Charles and he was pretty hot. In all seriousness this was the best developed character in the whole movie. They knew who their bad boy was. Just when you thought he was going to do one thing, BAM he kills the antagonist, and the ending shot was *muah* perfect!
Shaw: I’ll level with you, I wasn’t excited about Kevin Bacon given as I haven’t knowingly seen any of his movies and I only know of his reputation via Footloose. So he really really surprised me. I didn’t really expect the Hellfire Club to be obsessed with what it was obsessed with in the comics (the phoenix) but it tied in really nicely. At some point I’ll make a post about my problem with superhero villains but I loved the way Bacon and the writers took this character. He was personable, funny, reminds me of some people I know, but he’s also a extra strength crazy! He truly believes in everything he’s saying to the point where you almost believe it. Best villain I’ve seen in a long time! And he can do accents flawlessly!
Emma: I cut the studio a little credit here because most of Emma’s traits and mannerisms wouldn’t be allowed in a movie rating itself PG-13. But she seemed to be a bit of a cardboard cutout. Like she was brought in for the hormonal teenage boys and to be a foil for Charles’s telepathy. And But she was pretty and since Emma isn’t allowed to come out and say she’s sleeping around I’ll take what I can get. Although I have to give credit for that scene with the Russian general.
Riptide: Nothing of note to say because he DID NOTHING OF NOTE!!! But the actor sure could look stoic in a suit, so that counts.
Azezeal: I really don’t know what to say about him. The stunts were amazing, and the accent was nice too but he screamed hired muscle. I’m pretty sure that he’s coming back in the sequel so he can get Mystique pregnant so Nightcrawler can be in X-2. And I applaud the way the writers started the relationship between them: A few shots of Raven crying and staring in part fascination as Azazeal slaughters people. Good makeup too.
Charles: Very good casting here too! He looks like a cherub!! And I laughed so hard when he drank and tried to pick up women. It’s really funny if you remember Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier. He was the eternal optimist and pacifist. You believed him and liked him. And somehow, deep down you knew he was going to grow up to be Patrick Stewart, the training montage and that look he gave the kids when he was scolding them prove that. He has a ton of potential that I would love to see develop.
Moira: I take a little bit of an issue with Moira. Not only because she isn’t a scientist working on Muir Island but because she seemed to be Charles’s beard. It’s like the writers said “wait it looks like the relationship between Charles and Erik could be romantic! There are people we could offend! Wait, didn’t Xavier have a girlfriend in the comics at one point? Yeah…Moira something” The kiss seems a little out of nowhere and there is hardly any interaction when they’re in a group let alone when they’re alone. If you’re going to have her justify please. But Rose Byrne fit so well as Moira that I was able to forget about it for a while.
Raven/Mystique: Now I don’t like this character in general, due to the comics and earlier movies but this character got the biggest screwing over. A part of this belongs in complaint about the storyline but I have to start this now, there was only a tiny bit of motivation for her to go with Magneto. Charles took her in off the street, gave her a place in his home as his sister, took care of her, and apart for a few arguments on behalf of her powers and appearance, she was perfectly happy. All of that can’t be brewing under the surface without some indication!! She dedicated her life to killing for a person who showed her a little bit of affection but she’s known him for like two weeks! Not even a teenager makes that dumb of a decision. I had to watch this movie 3 times before I saw even a tiny hint that she was even thinking Shaw was right! If this does connect to the first few movies like everyone is saying it will some pretty traumatic events are going to have to happen before she becomes this lean naked killing machine who tries to kill the entire human race, does kill a senator and his aide and tries to kill HER OWN BROTHER! There is no justification for anything! I can understand not liking the way you look and wanting to get cured but there was no reason for anything else!
Hank: Anyone who knows I love X-Men, knows that Beast is pretty much my favorite X-Men, Storm is a close second but she wasn’t really in the movie. So therefore I paid extra attention to him. Firstly, WONDERFUL CASTING. Nicholas Hoult, you are adorkable and I think is the second most apt casting ever! (The first being Magneto) but his storyline seemed also a bit rushed. I can get the whole Harvard at 15, and his awkwardness, it’s endearing. But he never stopped whining! You have feet that look like really veiny hands. WEAR SHOES. And even I got mad at him when he had that scene with Raven over the cure, that was cruel and unusual. You could also see his character development here but again it took a huge leap when he injected himself. I’ll go into a bit more detail about that. So in summary the casting was good, development was visible (for a change) the acting was topnotch and his makeup was great, everything changed (he honest to god growled and roared) his voice got deeper, they kept the glasses, and has fangs and claws. Yay!
The Hank/Mystique relationship: Why did this happen? Is it because they’ll both eventually become blue? Or because they both have the most physical mutations? Or because there was a rumor that the actors were dating at the time? (Not sure of that one) but this was a ticking time bomb of bad. The only basis in the comics and other movies I’ve seen was a piece of fanfic and even there she replaced Hank’s girlfriend at the time. Maybe the reason they had it was because it was doomed to fail but it seemed like a waste of time. I don’t see a rhyme or reason for it and I didn’t really like it.
Alex: He was hot. That is the only redeeming factor here. First of all WRONG SUMMERS BROTHER FOX!! If you want to stay true to the original x-men (and you obviously didn’t because Beast is the only original one besides Charles) get Cyclops. But that long and pointless rant aside the only reason he was there was to show that he had a power that was dangerous and that he was a “bad boy” and maybe to keep Beast doubtful by calling him bigfoot and bozo. I would have liked him to be a little more vocal. And also there is a lot of fanfic for Beast/Havok but I’m not going to get into that. Maybe later.
Sean: Comic relief cardboard. That’s Sean Cassidy in a nutshell in this movie. He had some great scenes when he was learning to fly, but aside from that and some well placed fight scenes and lines he was window dressing.
Wolverine: You can’t have an X-Movie without Hugh Jackman. It’s almost expected. That was a nice little joke, and I loved it, but sadly you don’t get it if you haven’t seen the other four movies.
Darwin: is the only reason they brought in a very very VERY minor comics character to die? I mean he was only in there long enough to be part of the recruitment montage, explain what he could do, be heroic for about a minute then get blown up.
Angel: Another symbolic character. They needed someone to turn to the dark side so they chose another minor character (who will get depowered in the comics) to do it. At least there was some actual justification for it. She worked as a stripper and was objectified so therefore she’s ready to believe that she is superior and try and take revenge. It was nice but not exactly the full cigar.
Story: Once you get past the fact that there was an X-Movie that was actually good for a change and begin to look at the story a little more objectively one word comes to mind: Rushed. This whole thing seemed a little bit like a race to get to the beach scene. If they had slowed it down characters like Sean, Angel, Azazeal, Riptide and Alex would have been able to say more than a few words and we would have been able to get a decent idea of these characters instead of figuring it out through guesswork, fangirl/boyish wishful thinking and fanfic. Mystique would have had actual reasons to believe what Magneto was preaching and go with him, Darwin would have been around for more than ten minutes, and we would have the tiniest inkling of what’s going to happen next. I would have been happy with postponing the beach scene until the second movie if it meant things in the middle got more fleshed out.
What Comes Next: What does come next? I’m going to reference a review the Nostalgia Chick and Nella did (which will kind of say what I’ve been saying, only with a lot more clarity) and say I’ve got no clue, except get the X-Men that are there in X-1 and maybe get Mystique pregnant. But don’t misunderstand I really can’t wait for the sequel to this movie but I’m going in with a grain of salt.
Little Issues: One of the biggest themes of the X-Men comics, and essentially what made it popular was the fact that every single one of these mutants was an outcast. And eventually they would accept themselves for who they are. That didn’t happen in this movie. Charles could have said “We’re all freaks so I’m going to hide us in my mansion and we’ll only go out to save the world once in a while. Because we need to hide from the world like there’s something wrong with us.” And that would have been more straight forward than the ending. There was no acceptance, I fully expected Beast to go back to his lab and try to kill himself, or maybe kill himself after he mutated again. Or maybe the studio could have made the prejudice a little more obvious than that slap in the face at the CIA and the use of the word freak every now and then. It’s relatable and they didn’t use it, so the movie suffered a little.
I could go in and critique the SFX, but I don’t know about it and honestly don’t care. So go check out these other reviews and maybe they’ll talk about it. Also they’re just that good.
Doug Walker Reviews X-Men First Class
Nostalgia Chick’s Review
The Bum Reviews: X-Men First Class
All of these are part of That Guy With The Glasses and Channel Awesome
In conclusion, this movie had its drawbacks but what movie doesn’t? I really did love this movie and encourage everyone and anyone to watch it. And I wait with baited breath for the next X-Movie. Thanks for tolerating my ramblings!
Till’ next we meet!
Claire
I honestly didn’t know this was going on and I really wish I did. People with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks are going through more than those of you who don’t have them will ever know. I know what it’s like to be on the edge and you will get better, if I can do it so can you. Starting to heal may take a lot of work but it’s worth it to wake up and actually look forward to the day ahead.
Sorry to get so personal, this photo just spoke to me.
Claire
I’m pretty sure this is a friend of mine. And if it is I’m so proud of you!This is from the slut walk. One of the arguments is that girls ask for rape because they wear slutty clothes, short skirts, tight, low-cut tops. This girl is an example of the fact that rape victims can look like anyone, you, me, this girl. Rapists. Dont. Discriminate.
Forever reblog.I promised a long time ago that I’d reblog this whenever I saw it on my dash. No regrets, it breaks my heart every single time.
an incredibly important message, rape is rape. no one is ever asking for it. a woman has the right to dress how ever they want - it is society that identifies risque dressing as ‘asking for it’, and in my opinion, that way of thinking needs to be diminished.
always reblog
That way of thinking shouldn’t be diminished: it should be destroyed.
always always always reblog.
very powerful.
Forever I will reblog.
this must have taken so much courage.
reblog this every time I see it
Depression is humiliating. It turns intelligent, kind people into zombies who can’t wash a dish or change their socks. It affects the ability to think clearly, to feel anything, to ascribe value to your children, your lifelong passions, your relative good fortune. It scoops out your normal healthy ability to cope with bad days and bad news, and replaces it with an unrecognizable sludge that finds no pleasure, no delight, no point in anything outside of bed. You alienate your friends because you can’t comport yourself socially, you risk your job because you can’t concentrate, you live in moderate squalor because you have no energy to stand up, let alone take out the garbage. You become pathetic and you know it. And you have no capacity to stop the downward plunge. You have no perspective, no emotional reserves, no faith that it will get better. So you feel guilty and ashamed of your inability to deal with life like a regular human, which exacerbates the depression and the isolation. If you’ve never been depressed, thank your lucky stars and back off the folks who take a pill so they can make eye contact with the grocery store cashier. No one on earth would choose the nightmare of depression over an averagely turbulent normal life.
It’s not an incapacity to cope with day to day living in the modern world. It’s an incapacity to function. At all. If you and your loved ones have been spared, every blessing to you. If depression has taken root in you or your loved ones, every blessing to you, too. No one chooses it. No one deserves it. It runs in families, it ruins families. You cannot imagine what it takes to feign normalcy, to show up to work, to make a dentist appointment, to pay bills, to walk your dog, to return library books on time, to keep enough toilet paper on hand, when you are exerting most of your capacity on trying not to kill yourself. Depression is real. Just because you’ve never had it doesn’t make it imaginary. Compassion is also real. And a depressed person may cling desperately to it until they are out of the woods and they may remember your compassion for the rest of their lives as a force greater than their depression. Have a heart. Judge not lest ye be judged.
It’s not an incapacity to cope with day to day living in the modern world. It’s an incapacity to function. At all. If you and your loved ones have been spared, every blessing to you. If depression has taken root in you or your loved ones, every blessing to you, too. No one chooses it. No one deserves it. It runs in families, it ruins families. You cannot imagine what it takes to feign normalcy, to show up to work, to make a dentist appointment, to pay bills, to walk your dog, to return library books on time, to keep enough toilet paper on hand, when you are exerting most of your capacity on trying not to kill yourself. Depression is real. Just because you’ve never had it doesn’t make it imaginary. Compassion is also real. And a depressed person may cling desperately to it until they are out of the woods and they may remember your compassion for the rest of their lives as a force greater than their depression. Have a heart. Judge not lest ye be judged.
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| — | (via porygons) |
Where is My Money Going?
Okay I’m typing this on a school computer at my college in New Jersey. I’ve had some internet troubles from my school laptop and so now I’ve kind of forced myself into the library. I have to say, these computers suck! I can hardly see any pictures, Window’s Media Player doesnt relevant content to play a DVD that was created 10 years ago, and as I’m typing this I have to constantly minimize and maximize the page just so I can see what I’ve typed.
Like many students I am being charged quite a lot of money for a college education. And I believe that a quality education should cost something, I’m not disputing that, but for the love of God give us equipment that works. This computer, while not exactly Stone Age it could be worlds better. I should be able to work without feeling the need to curse what little resources I have been given. Which means get air conditioning in all the dorms, have a better dialogue with your students when they have problems (i.e. stuff is continually stolen, the food is making them sick, and more effective public safety), fix the roof in the library, and get us the quality food that we HAVE PROOF you are overpaying for! Let’s try and make this school a little more student oriented instead of a way to see which university is more impressive. If you say there isnt enough money in the budget take away some of that increase in salary you gave our president (who doesnt do squat from what I’ve seen) and put it to use! We as students, at least in my class, are willing to do our part to help make this a great four years. I would like to see that I’m getting more out of this than the basic reading writing ‘rithmatic.
Actually this turned into a rant. Sorry.
The Sims 1 Intro HD (by exra82)
Wow looking back on this trailer I can’t believe its been 12 years since the Sims came out.
I feel old now haha.
SO MUCH NOSTALGIA. I CANT
