X-Men: Apocalypse

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Bryan Singer/Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Olivia Munn, Tye Sheridan, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Kodi-Smit McPhee and Ally Sheedy

Professor X's gang is back for another CGI carnival; X-Men: Apocalypse; director Bryan Singer's latest franchise installment. The cast for this franchise seems to be growing at an exponential rate. This time we have the ferociously talented Oscar Isaac joining the magnificently-talented Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy for a movie that is fairly entertaining but hardly distinguished. The film's propulsion operates on casting and acting power rather than solid storytelling and a riveting plot. For me, any movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Fassbender, McAvoy and Isaac is reason enough to pay the admission price. The four actors are solid anchors for a comic book movie that resembles not only the series predecessors but The Avengers. I'm starting to confuse the respective franchises.

In the latest story, we see ancient Egypt, or an idealized, comic book version thereof. Under an enormous pyramid, a ritual is in process which will transfer the soul and power from a god-like being known as En Sabah Nur to another, thus ensuring life everlasting. But saboteurs ensure the transference fails, which destroys the pyramid; leaving Nur buried under rubble; dormant for centuries thereafter.

In present day Egypt, CIA operative Moira Mactaggert (Rose Byrne) trails a group of men who unearth an underground passage to En Sabah Nur's burial site. Mactaggert watches in dismay as the all-powerful entity is resurrected.

In another part of the world, we see Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), otherwise known as Magneto, working anonymously in a Polish foundry; his identity concealed from his co-workers. In hiding from the world, Magneto has managed to start a family and maintain a low profile. But when he uses his powers to save a fellow co-worker, the authorities become aware of his true identity. Not long after, Lehnsherr, his wife and child are confronted in the woods by a posse of law enforcement officers with non-metallic bows and arrows. One projectile is accidentally discharged, killing Magneto's daughter and wife. Though powerless to manipulate any weapon lacking metallic properties, a chain with a medallion is used to dispatch all the officers in an efficient, lethal manner.

Meanwhile, in Westchester County, NY; Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) seeks out Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) to alert him to Magneto's whereabouts. Though a mutant, Mystique's reluctance to connected to the organization or to even be referred to as her crime-fighting appellation is acute, which contrasts sharply with Xavier's commitment to helping and guiding all mutants.

While Mystique and Xavier concern themselves with Magneto, Nur wanders Egyptian streets, observing all that has become of the world he once knew. Feeling nothing but contempt for what he sees, he initiates an agenda to cleanse the world. He enlists others with mutant powers: Storm (Ororo Munroe); a waif who sees Nur use his powers to dispatch a group of men who accost him on the city streets; Angel (Ben Hardy); another mutant whose powerful wings serve as offensive and defensive weapons and Psylocke (Olivia Munn), whose weapons of choice are dual lethal swords. Utilizing his god-like powers, Nur augments his follower's abilities; rendering them more dangerous. But the most dangerous recruit is Magneto himself, who sees Nur's plan for global destruction a goal worthy of his own.

Xavier and the X-Men become aware of Nur when he and his newly formed group infiltrate their headquarters for the express purpose of kidnapping Professor X, whose ability to detect and communicate with mutants worldwide becomes highly coveted. When Nur and his team succeed in kidnapping Xaver, Mystique becomes the reluctant leader of a rescue team which consists of Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Beast/Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult; sporting cool-looking blue hair and beard), Jane Grey (Sophie Turner), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), and Nightcrawler (Kodi-Smit McPhee), whose ability to transport himself instantaneously through space becomes highly useful. But their efforts go awry when a mutant-hating Colonel named Stryker captures the team and imprisons them in a cell in a secret facility. This subplot is kind of fun. The group discovers another famous mutant being held in the facility. Nightcrawler and Jane Grey manage to help the group escape, which leads them on a collision course with Nur and his followers, who have already begun the process of transferring Xavier's mighty powers of mind to the Egyptian God. But the group must also stop Magneto, whose augmented powers have been harnessed to destroy cities and bridges worldwide.
The latter half of the film is the inevitable battle between the X-Men and Nur's super-mutant team.

Director Bryan Singer is an old hat with Marvel movies, having directed several through his career. He coaxes a reasonably interesting story from his co-written script and gives the X-Men a formidable foe to test their powers against. Nur is an interesting villain with unbelievable power but somehow he becomes a bit bumbling during the climactic fight. What looked like an unbeatable villain early on proves to be less dangerous later in the film. What little suspense the story held was established early on but it spilled away in the second half.

It's tough blogging about superhero films because the normal critical foci; direction, cinematography, acting, etc., play second fiddle to the almighty visuals. With superhero flicks, it's CGI-uber-alles.

But in spite of the towering visual effects, some humanity manages to sprout. It seems Professor X and Mystique will forever try to convince Magneto that a spark of goodness still exists in him. The indication is that they may have succeeded, which is too bad, considering the X-Men movies are always more fun when Magneto is disgruntled and on a rampage. The series has certainly undergone a youthful makeover; younger actors have now assumed the roles of principal characters.

I think I've come to expect a McDonald's experience with the Marvel movies. One knows a Big Mac's taste will never vary, nor will anything else on a Golden Arches menu. In spite of that fact, we still return; satisfied that some things remain the same, year in, year out. To me, the analogy seems very apt. I get what I expect with superhero movies, so I'm never dissatisfied. But there is hope. Deadpool and Antman offer the genre more humorous possibilities.

Please forgive my afore-expressed editorial but I have little more to say about X-Men: Apocalypse other than it wasn't dull. If you'd rather not cough up a dozen dollars to reach the same conclusion, then might I suggest you see...uh...Captain America: Civil War?

Spy

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Paul Feig/Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Jude Law, Rose Byrne, Allison Janney and Bobby Cannavale

Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids, adds to his comedy credentials with his new flick Spy, which stars Melissa McCarthy; his muse and leading lady. The film is Feig and McCarthy's third collaboration and it's safe to assume their working relationship will continue into the future.

Spy is a James Bond-spoof but rather than casting a glamorous 007, we have McCarthy, who exploits her unglamorousness for laughs. But Feig understands the value of ensemble comedy and he has recruited a supporting cast who are often funny on their own. Allison Janney, Jason Statham, British comedienne Miranda Hart, Jude Law and Bobby Cannavale lend their various talents to the movie and serve as effective comedic support.

Spy-spoofs always work best if the story or plot takes a back seat to the lampoonery. Feig's film mostly succeeds in that respect. The plot imperatives are fairly undemanding, which leaves more room for McCarthy and company to do their funny things.

McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a desk-bound CIA agent who dreams of being assigned dangerous and glamorous fieldwork rather than providing intel for agency operatives. One such operative is the James Bondish Bradley Fine (Jude Law), whose exotic and dangerous missions leave the sedentary Susan feeling envious. After Susan guides the tux-clad Fine through an operation via her computer, he vanishes mysteriously. Her boss, the humorless and no-nonsense Elaine Crocker (amusingly played by the ever-welcome Allison Janney) receives a video transmission from a Rayna Boyanov (the always fun Rose Byrne); a criminal on the international scene. Boyanov informs Crocker, in her haughty manner, that the identities of several CIA agents have been compromised.
We also learn Boyanov is also involved in the sale of nuclear weapons to terrorists.

As Crocker devises a plan to surveil Boyanov, she meets with one of the CIA's top agents; Rick Ford (a very funny Jason Statham). Though Ford is eager to go after Boyanov, he is reminded that his identity is no longer secret. When Crocker suggests they send an agent unknown to the international criminal community, Susan offers her services as a field-ready operative. Her suggestion draws mocking scorn from Ford, who refers to her as a "lunch lady." Though Crocker expresses her own reservations, she decides to give Susan a try. She makes it clear to Susan that she is only to observe and report and not engage the target.

It's a pity Jason Statham isn't offered more comedic roles because he is often very funny in his scenes. He is especially amusing when Ford details to Susan the injuries he's sustained while performing dangerous spy-work. Among the many physical traumas he mentions is an arm torn from its socket, which he claims to have reattached himself.

As Ford defies Crocker's orders not to pursue Boyanov, Susan dons her disguises for her surveillance. Hoping for glamor, she is disappointed to find her disguise is that of a dowdy middle-age woman who is humorously asexual.

Showing initiative and her willingness to also defy orders, Susan comes into contact with Boyanov at a formal gathering. Seeing her drink has been lethally-spiked, she stops her from ingesting it. Her cover almost blown, Susan explains to the prickly Boyanov that she has been hired to be her bodyguard by the she-criminal's father. Because of quick-thinking, Susan is able to stay close to Boyanov and report on her activities. In the meantime, Susan and Boyanov exchange some amusing insults and before long, a bond begins to form between the two.

As Susan's undercover spy-work begins to empower and embolden her, she also begins to earn Ford's respect. She also begins to shed her timid, mild-mannered personality for a more assertive, confidant one.

Susan realizes in time that Boyanov is merely a pawn in a larger plan to acquire weapons of mass destruction, which involves another criminal named Sergio De Luca (an under-utilized Bobby Cannavale). A kind of showdown makes up the last half-hour of the film, which is really the obligatory plot wrap-up we see in every action comedy.

Having worked with McCarthy on several films, Feig understands her comic appeal and wrings every laugh and giggle he can from it. McCarthy manages to be funny in spite of the fact that her character settles into what is fast becoming her trademark: the foul-mouthed tough with a hostile streak. I'm not really complaining, mind you; she does it well but she may want to be careful the character doesn't become shopworn. Nevertheless, she is a fun and funny heroine and can play off her co-stars without overpowering them with her presence. Rose Byrne has already proven to be a gifted, comedic actress and she is no less here. The real surprise is Jason Statham, who almost steals the show with his macho action character send-up. The film's energy always bumps up a notch whenever Statham shows up.

Is Spy worth the time? I think so but only if your expectations are modest. It is entertaining and good for some chuckles. You'd be crazy to expect more.

This is Where I Leave You

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Shawn Levy/Starring: Justin Bateman, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Tina Fey, Kathryn Hahn, Adam Driver, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant and Corey Stoll

I wonder if Hollywood will ever tire of comedy/dramas centered around families gathering at a funerals. I've seen three such films this year: the awful August: Osage County, the awfuler Lullaby (which employs a dying father as motivation for a family to gather) and now This is Where I Leave You, which is not the awfulest of the tribe but pretty damn close. All the films use the done-to-death funeral plot contrivance as a way for characters to air out grievances, address past wrongs and renew old familial feuds.

Shawn Levy's film, based on a novel by Jonathan Tropper, employs all the familiar aforementioned narrative traits. And like other movies of this breed, it becomes unbearably monotonous...and fast. That Levy assembled such a talented cast for this nonsense is quite impressive but it becomes less so when it becomes clear they have nothing to say, though they say it compulsively. Whenever anyone feels the need to verbalize, which is frequently, they spew stagy dialogue where everyone has a pithy rejoinder to a smart-ass or self-consciously inappropriate comment.

The story centers on Justin Bateman's character Judd Altman; a producer of a popular shock-jock radio show whose star Wade Beaufort (Dax Shepard) is the Platonic ideal of jerkitude. When Judd arrives home early one day with a birthday cake for his wife, he finds Wade in bed with his wife. If that isn't enough of a cross to bear, he also receives a phone call from his sister Wendy (Tina Fey), informing him of their father's death.

As Judd's family gathers for the funeral, we meet each member and become acquainted with their quirks, personal issues and internecine, sibling strife.

Hilary Altman (Jane Fonda), the family matriarch, has just lost her husband and though bereaved, wears mourning attire that highlights her newly augmented breasts. This becomes joke-fodder for the family, which left me feeling queasy. I don't know if it's a cultural norm with those of the Jewish persuasion, but we hear the Altman family make many explicit comments about sex, particularly when it involves siblings or the mother. I'm no prude, but I would think most families would find sharing comments about their mother's breasts and their brother's masturbatory habits taboo subjects. As Judd and his mother lay out a basement bed for his stay, Hilary's breasts dangle from her bathrobe. After urging his mother to cover up, she gently chides him for finding the sight of her breasts objectionable.

Judd's family and extended family arrive at Hilary's home with their respective life-baggage. Wendy's husband is emotionally unavailable and overly devoted to his career, brother Phillip (Adam Driver) is unemployed, unemployable and in therapy, and another brother Paul (Corey Stoll) is having trouble impregnating his wife while also struggling to maintain control of the family sporting goods business, of which the siblings all share part-ownership.

Phillip also has his therapist/girlfriend in tow; Tracy (Connie Britton), an older woman whose attraction to the younger man conflicts with her misgivings about his immaturity and penchant for seeing other women.

What one is wont to find in films of this variety are former classmates, crushes or friends the characters encounter. Judd runs into Penny (Rose Byrne), a former schoolmate for whom he develops a romantic interest. His volatile relationship with his wife of course complicates the attraction.
Wendy also has her romantic furnace stoked by family friend and sporting goods employee Horry Callen (Timothy Olyphant). Horry is afflicted with a mild mental impairment which stems from a head injury he received while in Wendy's company during an accident in the past. Like Judd's affection for Penny, Wendy's attraction to Horry fills an emotional void in her marriage and represents some unfinished, romantic business. Upon the first meetings between Judd and Penny and Wendy and Horry, we know intuitively--as if it were written in sky--where these sub-plot developments will lead.

It seems impossible to square Phillip's ability to charm women with his personality. How any woman could find such an a-hole supernova like Phillip attractive sorely tests our ability to suspend disbelief. Adam Driver seems to have no difficulty playing such obnoxious lunkheads, for only recently he played another in What If. I sincerely hope he strays from this pigeon-holing in the future otherwise he may not be able to play anything else convincingly.

It seems Jane Fonda can only appear in a film (these days, anyway) to show us how great she looks. Of course she can hardly be blamed for her character limitations when Hollywood has no idea how woman older than 40 behave and think. And they don't want to know. It is mind-blowing to consider Fonda is now 77 though her figure is that of someone less than half her age. If only someone could and would write her a character with some depth and dimension to challenge her beauty.

As the family occupies Hilary's house, animosities arise and secrets are unearthed. Most character's secrets seem to be revealed like clockwork; every 15 minutes or so, which are followed by blather like "why didn't you tell us/me?," and glib jokes and comments. When Hilary divulges her big secret near the end, it comes off more as a plot accessory rather than something plausibly organic. And what is typical of this genre is behavior that screams "though we're dysfunctional, aren't we so quirky and lovable?"

I saw the film with a capacity crowd, one that laughed uproariously at what I found to be somewhat clever but unfunny jokes or gags. Some aren't so clever. Paul's son's potty-training tendencies, which involve his hauling his potty around, are played for laughs but are just painfully cutesy.

A crowd's reaction is never a reliable gauge of a film's comedic or dramatic value. Though it is fun to watch a film with a large audience, collective laughter or applause can distort one's perception of the film. Over the din of laughter, I somehow managed to see through the formulae and the stock characterizations. I'm sure critics and other filmgoers will too.

I really wished I could have told the characters to shut up for five minutes. The noise generated by the family's incessant chatter made my head hurt. When smart-alecky jokes and jibes weren't being sprayed like buckshot, dime-store platitudes made reliable surrogates.

I may have to avoid films like This is Where I Leave You forever hereafter. But given my inability to ever learn a lesson, I could very well grouse next time too.

Neighbors

**Spoiler Alert*

Director: Nicholas Stoller, Starring; Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, and Lisa Kudrow

Nicholas Stoller, director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek, now has the comedy Neighbors under his directorial belt.

Seth Rogen plays Mac Radner, a thirty-something father of a new baby who lives in a quiet neighborhood with his wife Kelly (Rose Byrne). Settling down but with collegiate frolics not far behind them, the Radners find themselves parents with adult priorities thrust upon them. Kelly's friend begs her to step out for an evening at a club concert, which involves marital negotiations with Mac. Not wanting to be homebound himself, Mac and Kelly decide to bring the baby along for their evening out. Mac and Kelly can't completely embrace the demands of adulthood; sometimes stumbling with their responsibilities as parents.

One day, while standing in their front yard, they become intrigued with the prospective home buyers next door. Anxious about possible noise, their fears are allayed when they see the buyers are gay. Days later, their hopes for a quiet neighborhood are dashed when they see a legion of young college students moving in next door rather than the hoped-for gay couple. In the clutches of one student' arms are greek letters to adorn the facade of a frathouse, which realizes the Radner's worst fears.

Summoning their diplomatic instincts, the Radners approach the frat's leader in their home in hopes of securing low-noise living. Mac and Kelly have an amusing discussion about how they will approach the frat leader, which of course doesn't go exactly as confidently planned. Frat president Teddy Sanders (Zac Efron) is every married man's nightmare; a sexually-threatening stud with an obscenely-defined torso and a young man's love for living in cacophanous chaos. The movie plays up the amusing contrast between the shlubby Rogen and Efron's renaissance, marble physique.

Not wanting to appear too grown-up and square, the Radner's offer Teddy some rolled joints in a gesture of good-will. Teddy and the frat vice-president Pete (Dave Franco; brother to James) welcome the couple and subsequently the Radners end up partying with the frat. In acceding to the Radner's noise-reduction request, Teddy makes an ominous, counter-request that the couple never call the police but instead approach him, to which they agree.

Of course it is absurd to ask a frat to "keep it down," which subsequent nights at the frat bear out. Mac and Kelly find their infant daughter can't sleep with the mayhem and racket next door, which prompts them to reluctantly call the police. They ask that the complaint remain anonymous but when they watch the officer confront Teddy and Pete on the lawn, the cop points specifically to their home. In a funny scene at their doorstep moments later, the officer, Teddy and Pete stand on the Radner's doorstep, inquiring about the complaint which the Radner's deny but the cop confirms when he mentions Mac's caller ID. Needless to say the neighborly detente quickly deteriorates, which leads to war between the frat and the Radner home.

The frat resorts to humiliation as a retaliatory tactic; trimming the Radner's hedge to resemble a sexually suggestive person bent over. In another scene, the Radner's ill-advisedly leave their curtains open to allow their love-making a frat audience. The Radner's don't remain passive. They damage the frat's water-pipe, which floods their basement--an act intended to tax the frat's budget and stimulate a shut-down, which is effective but ultimately fails.

The Radner's are forced to appeal to the unsympathetic, University Dean Carol Gladstone (a funny Lisa Kudrow) who refuses to penalize the organization for what she feels isn't a headline-grabbing infraction. The frat is eventually placed on probation, which paves the way for the Radner's elaborate plan to get the frat to resume its partying--an act that will get it shut-down--by faking a school letter with a bogus, probation-lifting message.

The film has its funny moments but they prove to be too few to really make Neighbors an enjoyable romp. Nevertheless, it manages to be very watchable. It certainly is a nice change of pace for Efron; on leave from seemingly endless teen-crush flicks. Here he plays the not-very bright leader whose sole objective is to earn a place of honor in frat lore by throwing a seismic party rather than plan for his post-college future. Though his dumbness is alarming, Efron is able to also make it funny. Rogen is an old pro at comedy but it's Byrne who distinguishes herself; having shown in Bridesmaids that being funny comes natural to her.

The theme of shedding one's youthful, carefree past and embracing the adult world not only applies to the Radner's but to Teddy and Pete. While Pete interviews with companies visiting the university, planning for the transition to the real world, Teddy is stuck in a college party holding pattern. When he approaches a representative from a company at a job fair, his mediocre grades fail to impress, thereby earning him an insulting, curt dismissal. The Radner's eventually realize that parenting and the grown-up world is where they want to be.

Neighbors has so much that I wanted to like more but its humor is infrequent and not always inspired. Another promising comedy threatens to spring to life then limps, then springs to life again...but mostly limps.