"X-Men: Days of Future Past" (Excuse Me While I Geek Out)

Deep breath......I must have been living under a rock for the past few weeks. Thankfully, the teaser at the end of The Wolverine brought me up to speed on the upcoming X-Men film that is scheduled to open next summer. I knew that a sequel to X-Men: First Class was coming, but I did not know that the film would feature characters from the previous X-Men franchise as well as those from First Class. X-Men: Days of Future Past is based on an X-Men comic book story from the early 1980s by the phenomenal Chris Claremont and John Byrne and will serve as a sequel to both X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: First Class. The film will be directed by Bryan Singer, who has not helmed an X-Men movie since X2 in 2003.

I consider the upcoming film to be the best of both worlds because it features many of my favorite actors who will be reprising their roles from previous films. For instance:

James McAvoy (as the young Professor X)- The underrated and underemployed actor has built a stunning resume that includes outstanding performances in the award winning films The Last King of Scotland and Atonement.

Ian McKellen (as the older Magneto) - Fanboys love him for his work in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as the previous X-Men films. I appreciate his work is all of those projects, but his finest performance was his turn as the late director James Whale (Frankenstein) in Gods and Monsters, which is one of my all-time favorite films that I watch at least a couple of times each year.

Nicholas Hoult (as Hank McCoy/Beast) - One of the best young actors in the movie industry today, Hoult initially won me over as Tony Stonem in the British television series Skins and then went on to deliver strong work in the films A Single Man and Warm Bodies.

Patrick Stewart (as the older Professor X) - Stewart is probably best remembered for his work as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but he showed considerable range in the 1995 comedy Jeffrey as a gay man who was a member of the "Pink Panthers." Of course, Stewart was born to play Professor X  - his resemblance to the character is striking.

Jennifer Lawrence - The superbly talented young Oscar winner continues to amaze and delight. From her turn in Winter's Bone to Katniss in The Hunger Games to her incredible work in Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence has already cemented herself in movie history and seems to get better with each performance.

Shawn Ashmore (Bobby Drake/Iceman) - The Following actor gets another well deserved movie role, which will hopefully translate to more projects in the future.

Evan Peters (Quicksilver) - Peters has delivered impressive work in the first two seasons of American Horror Story and has earned the chance to showcase his talents on the big screen.

In addition, X-Men: Days of Future Past will feature Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Halle Berry (Storm), Anna Paquin (Rogue) and Michael Fassbender (young Magneto), as well as Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Peter Dinklage (Bolivar Trask) and Adam Canto (Sunspot), who appeared with Shawn Ashmore in The Following.

Needless to say, I cannot wait to see X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Recap: PopCultureGuy's 2012 Entertainers of the Year

Number 1 - Heart

Number 2 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Number 3 - Ryan Murphy

Number 4 - Jennifer Lawrence

Number 5 - Chris Hemsworth

PopCultureGuy's 2012 Entertainers of the Year: Number 4 - Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence is, perhaps, the finest young actress of her generation. The 22 year-old has delivered consistently solid performances since her Oscar nominated turn in the 2010 film Winter's Bone. In 2011, Lawrence assumed supporting roles in The Beaver, Like Crazy and the very successful X-Men: First Class. However, the best was yet to come for Lawrence, who won the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in this year's mega-hit, The Hunger Games, and she assumed the lead role in a convincing and physically impressive way. Her star will, no doubt, continue to rise in the two upcoming Hunger Games sequels. Of all of her performances, I think Lawrence has done her best work to date in the recently released Silver Linings Playbook. Lawrence portrays Tiffany, a troubled young woman who is still grieving for her recently deceased husband and is dealing with emotional problems which led to her making several very bad decisions. The depth of her performance and the strength of character that she exhibited is extraordinary for any actor of a similar age. Jennifer Lawrence is already a cinematic treasure and I suspect her career will last as long as she wants it to.

Movie Recommendation: "Silver Linings Playbook" Starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence

Photo Credit: The Weinstein Company

Dealing with mental illness can be a real bitch. Just ask Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), who is faced with completely rebuilding his life after almost killing a man who was having an affair with his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), in the recently released film Silver Linings Playbook. Pat, who is bipolar, has spent the better part of a year in a psychiatric hospital and is now prepared to move back home with his parents, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver), but is under strict supervision and even has a police officer assigned to keep an eye on him. Pat also appears to be suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder, which causes him to fixate on Nikki, who he is forbidden from seeing, courtesy of a restraining order. Regardless, Pat is determined to reconnect with Nikki, who was "the one" for him, or at least he thought she was.

Pat's move home is not an easy one and before long it becomes clear that his obsessive compulsive disorder may have been inherited from his father, who has little rituals planned for each Philadelphia Eagles football game and relies on similar talisman to hedge lofty bets with a family "friend." While mental illness is not funny, the absurdity displayed by both Pat and Pat Sr. provides several laugh out loud moments throughout the film. Despite his problems, Pat is determined to find a silver lining in any situation, but his obsession with Nikki initially hampers his progress. However, after meeting Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a recently widowed young woman, Pat's life begins to change. After a rough start, they become running partners and develop a tentative friendship. Things really start to click for them when they make a deal - Tiffany will help Pat reconnect with Nikki if he will enter a dance competition with her.

Tiffany, like Pat, is also trying to rebuild her life after making several very bad decisions which resulted from the grief over losing her husband. She is sullen and brooding, but withholds judgement of others and does not fear confrontation. In fact, when confronted with false accusations, Tiffany stands up for herself and typically wins people over through the use of her logic and considerable intelligence. She is very likable and a good match for Pat. They are both outcasts who need each other to spark their much needed return to normalcy.

Pat gradually changes throughout the film, thanks mainly to Tiffany's support and friendship. Bradley Cooper transforms Pat from a disturbed young man to a relatively stable one in memorable, believable and completely effective performance. Viewers will root for Pat to get past his fixation on the woman who broke his heart and see Tiffany for the wonderful, if troubled, young woman that she has grown into. Jennifer Lawrence's strong-willed and sometimes heartbreaking performance is equally effective and she makes viewers care about Tiffany in a way they may not expect. Tiffany is still in recovery mode and she is reaching out for something that Pat may be able to give to her, if only he would stop thinking about Nikki. The performances from Cooper and Lawrence are award-worthy.

Director David O. Russell, who also wrote the screenplay, which is based on the novel, of the same name, by Matthew Quick, has crafted an emotional, amusing and extremely well acted film that will make viewers laugh and cry. While Tiffany and Pat drive the story, Pat Sr. takes a similar journey with them, but in his own way. They are all trying to become better people and the first step is understanding what problems they are facing and then take steps to deal with them. In Pat Sr.'s case, he does not seem to realize that he has a problem and appears baffled that his son is so troubled. They may not be one and the same, but they are darn close. Robert De Niro delivers some of his finest work as the loving, concerned and somewhat oblivious Pat Sr. The supporting cast includes strong turns from the aforementioned Jacki Weaver, as well as Chris Tucker, as Pat's friend Danny, who keeps finding ways to escape from the institution, and Anupam Kher, as Pat's psychiatrist, Dr. Patel, who fully embodies the role of therapist in their sessions together.

Silver Linings Playbook drew me in quickly to the quirky and troubled lives of Tiffany and Pat. I was not uncomfortable watching them, but I marveled at how nervous they made the other characters, who looked at them like they were from another planet. Of course, those who are not familiar with mental illness or have not suffered from disorders themselves, simply do not fully comprehend that Pat and Tiffany are just like everyone else, they just have different battles to face and problems to overcome. The performances by Cooper and Lawrence are so heartfelt that I felt inclined to jump onscreen and tell them that everyone would be OK. I can think of no greater compliment to pay either one of them.

Jennifer Lawrence Stars in "House at the End of the Street" (2012)

House at the End of the Street attempts to create a new slasher film franchise and hopes to capitalize on the upcoming Halloween season in order to make that happen. Time will tell if that comes to pass, but I am not sure if the initial installment will be successful enough to sustain a series. The film centers around Sarah (Elizabeth Shue) and Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) Cassidy, a mother and daughter who are looking for a fresh start. However, the house they are renting is located near a home where two people were murdered years earlier. While Sarah was told the house was vacant, she soon learns that it is, in fact, occupied by Ryan Jacobson (Max Thieriot), whose parents were murdered by his younger sister, Carrie-Ann, after he had been "sent away."

Elissa comes to meet Ryan after leaving a party early and is intent on walking home, until it begins to rain. He offers her a ride and she reluctantly agrees. The two teens grow close and a relationship, of sorts, is formed, much to the dismay of Sarah, who wants to protect her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. Indeed, there is friction between mother and daughter that causes Elissa to rebel. After a series of missteps, Ryan and Elissa try to patch things up and have some success until Elissa learns that Ryan is keeping someone locked away in the basement of his home. Initially, Elissa believes that it could be Carrie-Ann, who was presumed dead years earlier, but not everything is as it appears to be. As a result, Elissa soon finds herself fighting for her life.

Jennifer Lawrence is a terrific young actress and she is able to elevate the material here with her believable performance as a teenage girl who is determined to do things her way, but does not yet have the life experience to make the best decisions. Despite a yawn inducing first half with few genuine scares, when Elissa's life hangs in the balance, I cared enough about her to want to see her survive. Elissa's predicament helps to build the suspense and, with a few surprise twists, the second half of the film is superior to the first half. However, the performances in general are weak and many of the characters are stereotypical. As a result, I did not shed any tears when several of them met untimely fates.

The technical aspects of the film, including the cinematography, lighting and overall atmosphere help to set the appropriate foreboding tone, but something else is missing, perhaps with the screenplay or the direction, or both. Even if House at the End of the Street becomes a commercial success, will Jennifer Lawrence be willing to return for future installments? With The Hunger Games trilogy off and running, I doubt it, and without her, this effort could have been truly horrific.