X-Men: Days of Future Past is the Best X-Men Film Yet

It's been awhile since we've seen the X-Men. No, I don't mean the X-Men we've seen in the tepid, unnecessary Wolverine films these last few years, nor the ones we saw in the inspired reboot/prequel, "X-Men First Class" (directed by "Kick Ass'" Matthew Vaughn). The series' veteran director Bryan Singer (who directed the first 2 films in the series) returns at the helm to inject the series with a shot of adrenaline it hasn't had since his masterful "X-2". Singer blends the very best elements from the old films, and the newer ones with an artful, dark twist that recalls Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. 

Cannes Jury Announces Prizes for Main Competition

Awards listed below in the order they were announced.

Sils Maria Trailer

After premiering this morning to rave reviews, the Juliette Binoche & Kristen Stewart film entitled "Clouds of Sils Maria" (directed by Olivier Assayas) has a trailer.

The film focuses on an aging actress (Binoche) who is set to star in a remake of the film that launched her career... with a slight twist. Instead of the ingénue role, she plays the role of a "has been". She is is horrified to learn that the role that made her a star, is being re-done by an up and coming actress (Moretz). Plagued by visions of her past, she sets off with her assistant (Stewart) to the Swiss town of Sils Maria.

Can Emma Stone Re-Capture "Easy A" Acclaim With Magic in the Moonlight?

A trailer for Woody Allen's follow-up to the wildly successful "Blue Jasmine" has landed! "Magic in the Moonlight" stars Collin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden and Jacki Weaver.

Interstellar Trailer

I had the privilege of not only seeing "Godzilla" last night, but the new trailer for Christopher Nolan's upcoming Sci-Fi film, "Interstellar" starring Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway.

A Few Words On Godzilla

I have to say, summer blockbusters don't get much better than they do with "Godzilla", the most recent adaptation in the famous monster's film canon. Not since 1998's disastrous adaptation (the one starring Matthew Broderick of "Ferris Bueller" fame) have we had an American Godzilla film, and the last Godzilla film at all was released in 2004 ("Godzilla: Final Wars").

I don't really have a whole lot to say on the film other than the fact that I really did like it, so a "formal" review wouldn't exactly be all that exciting. I will, however, run through the things I liked and the things I disliked with the film.

Cannes Film Festival Opens, but Not With A Bang

The reviews are in, and it seems like Nicole Kidman's buzzy (and troubled) Grace Kelly biopic is a lot like real life bff Naomi Watts' Princess Diana biopic, in the sense that it's not very good. Directed by Olivier Dehan (La Vie En Rose), the film kick started the Cannes as the festival's opener (out of competition; the film will not be competing for the Palm d'Or nor the Best Actress award).

Funny or Die Does Sofia Coppola's "The Little Mermaid"

The rumors have been swirling that Sofia Coppola is going to be the director that helms the live action "Little Mermaid" adaptation. Though no official statement has been released, it's looking pretty good for the director of "Lost in Translation", who will be busy in the coming weeks judging on the Cannes Film Festival Jury.

What would a Coppola headed production of the classic tale look like? Funny or Die thinks they have the answer, and the results are hilarious (especially if you're an avid fan of Sofia's work like myself). Anna Sophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries, Bridge to Terabithia) and Evan Peters (American Horror Story) star in the video as Ariel and Prince Eric respectively. Take a look here to watch the full video

A Spring Breakers Sequel is on the Way

Guy Lodge of inconention.com reports that a sequel to the polarizing indie hit will have a sequel.

Under the Skin is Unlike Anything You Will Ever See; A Modern Masterpiece in Every Way

It’s been 10 years since Jonathan Glazer’s last film, “Birth” starring Nicole Kidman, opened to maddeningly polarized reviews. “Under the Skin”, his third feature, marks his return to the film world. Glazer had planned to direct the film after the release of his debut feature, “Sexy Beast” back in 2000, and originally co-wrote the film to star Brad Pitt as one of two aliens disguised as farmers. However, he ended up choosing to instead tell the story from an alien’s perspective of society, and decided to make that alien a female, scrapping the Brad Pitt character. 

Scarlett Johansson, dressed in a shaggy yet short, brunette wig complete with a fur coat, skinny jeans and cute heels, portrays the mysterious female alien (her name is never given). She drives around various towns and areas in Scotland in her white van, stopping every so often to talk to lonely men walking the streets. Her story for stopping is different with every man she stops for. Sometimes she tells them she’s running an errand, sometimes she’s lost, but no matter what she tells them she’s doing, her intent is to get them into her van, and home with her. Though it’s never explicitly stated, reading between the lines will tell you that there is a promise of sex, which excites her potential suitors. Once their inside, however, it’s clear that sex is not what’s going on. 

"I'm Here... I'm really here"

I caught up with Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler" the other day, a film criminally underrated during its run in the 2008 awards season. I had forgotten what a tour-de-force this film was for everyone involved. It was unlike anything Darren Aronofsky had done in his career thus far, proving he was capable of much more than the "triply drug movie director" people took him to be after Requiem For A Dream. The Wrestler is a much subtler piece of art; it's simply a character study about a past his prime wrestler played by Mickey Rourke.

Rourke's character, Randy "The Ram" Robinson isn't too far off from Rourke's own Hollywood persona. Before the film came out, many had Rourke pinned as a has-been, and a washed up actor who had his 15 minutes. In the film, just about everyone is ready to give up on The Ram. To say Rourke was simply "inspired casting" is underplaying the magic of The Wrestler, as the art truly reflected Rourke's life on the screen.