"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.

Movie Recommendation: "Jack the Giant Slayer" - Starring Nicholas Hoult

Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum is not only a familiar phrase from the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk, but it also serves as the name of four giants in the recently released Jack the Giant Slayer, which is based on the aforementioned fairy tale, as well as Jack the Giant Killer. The film explores the life of poor, but friendly, Jack who goes to market to sell his horse to help his struggling uncle and ends up with a bag of seemingly worthless beans instead. Of course, those beans end up being significant, as one of them gets wet and sprouts an enormous beanstalk into the sky and to the land where giants dwell. I guess you could call it a "smart" bean since the beanstalk appears to know exactly when to stop growing. 

Unfortunately for Jack, his house and his potential love interest, Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson), are taken away by the giant beanstalk and since the damsel in distress also happens to be the daughter of King Brahmwell (Ian McShane), a search party is immediately dispatched to find her and bring her home safely. All the King's men (OK, some of the King's men), including the noble Elmont (Ewan McGregor) and the nefarious Lord Roderick (Stanley Tucci), accompany Jack as he climbs toward the heavens. Roderick decides to help thin the herd by cutting the rope of several men, who fall to their deaths because he understands how the beanstalk came to be, since it was his beans that were stolen that created the monstrosity. Roderick plans to secure a fabled magical crown that will place the giant population under his control, thus giving him great power, so he must mitigate interference from others and appears to have no problem with resorting to murder to accomplish his goals.

As the team reaches the land of the giants, they spot Jack's house, but the princess is nowhere to found. They split into two groups to find her, but Roderick is more intent on obtaining the power of the magical crown, which soon comes into his possession. Meanwhile, both Eleanor and Elmont are captured and it is up to Jack to rescue them from a chef who plans to dine on their carcasses. Jack shows much bravery when battling the giants, but he also looks like he is about to wet himself, which I am sure is not uncommon in that situation. Even after dealing with the giants, who are led by the two-headed Fallon (Bill Nighy and John Kassir), the battle is not over, as more beanstalks emerge that allow the giants to climb down to the Kingdom of Cloister and unleash hell. Jack and the survivors from the journey to the heavens join the King's army in an epic battle to save their homeland.

Thankfully, Jack the Giant Slayer does not solely rely on special effects. After watching the trailer, I was concerned that the film would focus too much on the giants at the expense of the story. To his credit, director Bryan Singer does not introduce the giants until well into the film and they are used somewhat sparingly until the final battle. In the interim, viewers get to know the characters who are portrayed by some of the finest contemporary actors, including Ewan McGregor, Bill Nighy and Stanley Tucci. Even the supporting roles are well considered and feature Eddie Marsan as Crawe, Elmont's second in command, and Warwick Davis as Old Hamm. In addition, Eleanor Tomlinson is perfectly serviceable as the young princess and Nicholas Hoult is up for the challenge of playing Jack. However, there did not appear to be much chemistry between the would be lovers.

The screenplay, by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney, adds clever touches to the well known tale, while also allowing the story to build slowly before the action commences. In addition, just when viewers may think the film is winding down, an unexpected development leads to another exciting and pulse pounding confrontation. I also appreciated the fact that the screenwriters do not play it safe with the characters and, as a result, some of the ones you might expect to make it to the conclusion meet untimely deaths. Frankly, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Jack the Giant Slayer. My expectations were only moderate going into the screening, but the film managed to hold my attention and, overall, is a solid and enjoyable effort that deserves to be seen.

As I was watching Nicholas Hoult, as Jack, climb the beanstalk in Jack the Giant Slayer, it seemed to serve as a metaphor for the young actor's career. Indeed, Hoult is climbing his way into leading man territory,  having captured the starring role in this year's Warm Bodies and now with Jack the Giant Slayer. The former About A Boy and Skins star continues to build an impressive resume and I expect great things from him in the future. To read what I had to say about Nicholas Hoult in 2009, go here.

Movie Recommendation: "Warm Bodies" Starring Nicholas Hoult

Photo Credit: Summit Entertainment

Rrrrrrrrrrrrr
.....................Rrrrrrrrrr
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
.................Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

That is how some zombies communicate in the upcoming film Warm Bodies. I suppose the only other people who might know what they are talking about are pirates. The film is, surprisingly, a zombie romantic comedy and showcases the power of love like never before. After a so-called zombie apocalypse of unknown origin, the undead are sealed off from their human counterparts. However, intermingling of the species still sometimes occurs and usually ends badly for the humans, as the shuffling zombies are tough to kill and enjoy feasting on human flesh and organs. During one such encounter, a zombie known as "R" (who also serves as narrator and cannot remember his name, but he knows it starts with an R), kills and then devours the brain of a young man, Perry (Dave Franco), and then proceeds to fall in love with Perry's girlfriend, Julie. Perry's brain allows R (Nicholas Hoult) to possess his memories and feelings, which initially sparks the attraction to Julie (Teresa Palmer).

Even more important is the fact that R's heart begins beating again, thanks to Julie's presence. As a result, he saves her from being killed by the other zombies and takes her to a safe location, inside an airplane, where they become acquainted. Julie is, of course, scared to death, but she is able to overcome her fear by helping R speak more clearly and getting to know him better. She is literally helping him change from zombie to human again. R also relies on music, including the songs "Patience" by Guns N' Roses and "Hungry Heart" by Bruce Springsteen, to deal with his feelings for Julie. He is falling in love, while Julie is not sure what to make of the recent bizarre series of events. R and Julie face a difficult journey that is filled with threats from other zombies, as well as her own father, General Grigio (John Malkovich), who leads the crusade to eliminate the undead. However, R's transformation leads other zombies to begin to heal as well, prompting hope for a cure and the possibility for R and Julie to have a future together.

Writer/director Jonathan Levine has crafted a romantic, well acted and surprising film in Warm Bodies. My interest in the film was sparked by Nicholas Hoult, who has been delivering consistently good work since his role as Tony Stonem in the British television series Skins, and the commanding John Malkovich, who never disappoints. Hoult humanizes R as the film moves along and captures the hearts of viewers along the way. The sacrifices that he makes for Julie are truly romantic and viewers will root for the couple to overcome their problems and differences and find a way to be together. Of course, Teresa Palmer is the other half of that coin and she infuses Julie with warmth, patience and understanding, as she finds herself falling for someone quite different from her previous boyfriends. That is called the power of love and it is expressed honestly through Levine's pitch perfect screenplay.

Warm Bodies opens on February 1.