Get Your First Look at James McAvoy as Charles Xavier from 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

Another Bryan Singer Twitter exclusive. The X-Men mastermind tweeted this pic from the set of Days of Future Past. Feast your eyes on the '70s era Charles Xavier as played again by James McAvoy, who at the conclusion of X-Men: First Class, was paralyzed by a bullet wound and confined to the familiar wheelchair used by the elder version of the character played by Sir Patrick Stewart.

#Serpico twitter.com/BryanSinger/st…
— Bryan Singer (@BryanSinger) May 9, 2013

SOURCE: Twitter

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FIlm Review - THE GREAT GATSBY ★★½☆☆☆

Adapting The Great Gatsby for the big screen is by no means a task to be taken lightly. Aussie director Baz Luhrmann, whose notable previous efforts include Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet, proves to be an interesting and wild card choice to take on F. Scott Fitzgerald's iconic 1925 novel. This version will probably split the opinions of many moviegoers rather than win over the masses.

Luhrmann delivers a lively 3D spectacle that indeed, he has not take lightly by any stretch of the imagination and features a solid cast led by Leonardo DiCaprio as the enigmatic Jay Gatsby. The film is heavily armed with the expected kinetic extravagance and visual flair that should come from a fitting adaptation of the novel. The numerous lavish sweeping shots, vibrant grand party scenes and rich retro production design certainly pay proper homage to this tragic tale set in the Roaring Twenties.

Narrated from the perspective of Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), the film is a faithful version of the novel, chronicling the tragic relationship of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who throws massive parties on his Long Island estate, and his former sweetheart Daisy Buchanan, Carraway's cousin who lives across the bay that separates the East and West Eggs of the affluent area.

For all its glitz and glamour though, in this case the love story comes off as all the more downtrodden and tragic since for many of us, how it all ultimately ends up is of little surprise. As governed by the book, Gatsby tells a complicated tale that is not a straightforward sweeping romance, and the title character has a healthy case of obvious creepy obsession over an opportunistic socialite who happens to be willing to tough it out in a sham marriage to an affluent cheating bastard. While there is much joy to behold in the constant barrage of big screen eye candy, the core nature of the story allows little joy for any of the characters who inevitably get far from what could be called a happily ever after ending.

DiCaprio is without question inspired casting for Gatsby. He looks the part, provides the perfect presence and certainly exudes all the qualities we expect when bringing the character to life. What goes against him is simply his own superstar power presence that at times had me struggling to separate seeing Leo up there over Gatsby, and calling to question if a lesser know actor may have allowed us to accept more Gatsby than DiCaprio. It's for this very reason DiCaprio is hesitant to take on roles like this, certainly one with the inherent weight that goes along with anchoring this film. Regardless, the DiCaprio contingent will be pleased by his performance.

Joel Edgerton on the other hand, easily slips into the sleaze and hot temper that is Tom Buchanan. Carey Mulligan makes a fine Daisy, but isn't allowed to play it with much depth, and seeing the character here on the big screen, it's apparent what little was brought over in the translation. Maguire I admit, successfully brings his best Toby Maguire to Nick Carraway, who at the opening of the film is telling the tale of the summer of 1922 to his therapist in an alcohol rehabilitation hospital. He plays a great second fiddle and the only true friend to Gatsby, plus Maguire's wide eyed awkwardness is perfect and necessary for not going toe-to-toe opposite DiCaprio.

The 3D in an interesting choice here, as these days I tend to more frequently dissect the motivations for utilizing the technology in so many tentpole studio releases (other than inflating ticket prices). Luhrmann displays a keen eye and knows the proper place has 3D in this film. Whether it's the sweeping crane shots that successfully sell the lavish decadent atmosphere of Gatsby's parties, the speeding car scenes over the Queensboro Bridge, or even the many picture perfect establishing shots that would not be possible without a lot of help from expensive computer imagery, Luhrmann thankfully knows how to paint his cinematic canvas correctly with the additional dimension. Sometimes though, the simplest image of a single character framed in a shot with shallow depth of field is actually what works the best. But a lot of the film's expansive exterior shots rely heavily on CGI, which despite the best intentions of recreating the past, still look unabashedly CGI.

What surprised me was the much talked about Jay-Z-produced soundtrack, which sees fit to juxtaposition the sounds from the Jazz Age with contemporary artists tunes from Jay-Z himself, Florence + The Machine, Beyonce and Andre 3000. Frankly this overt musical stunt did little for my enjoyment of Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, so I expected to abhor a similar attempt in Gatsby. But I was wrong on this count. The music is surprisingly not overdone or does it ever overstay its welcome in any of the scenes its utilized in. Don't get me wrong, you are well aware you are not hearing music historically accurate to the period, but with the Luhrmann's music video style of direction, the songs add another layer without becoming over the top distractions.

There is little subtlety or an attempt to re-invent the story itself, which will relieve literary purists (one of my junior year high school teachers particularly comes to mind), and The Great Gatsby certainly does not fall short in both the visual and musical departments. You may however grow weary of Gatsby's familiar penchant for calling folks "Old Sport," which he uses with drinking game frequency. It's a case of what works on the page quickly grows tiresome as movie dialogue. There are definitely many moments that are spot on, mainly the party scenes and rich retro costumes and decor, but you unfortunately don't get big pulses often enough throughout the near two and a half hour running time to really capture all the magic you have envisioned from the novel.

But for what could be considered the thankless task of bringing an iconic literary work to the big screen, what we get is an overall mixed bag blessed with lot of extravagant flash but in the end has far less soul. Though that almost seems fitting where Jay Gatsby is concerned.

The Great Gatsby opens in RealD 3D on May 10th.

REVIEW RATING: ★★½☆☆☆
Directed By: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher 
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 142 minutes

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New 'Man of Steel' Toys Hit NYC's Time To Play 2013 Showcase

Last week in NewYork City I had the opportunity to stop by the Time To Play 2013 Spring Showcase,  which offered sneak peeks for the exciting toys we can look forward to seeing in the second half of the year. It goes without saying the upcoming Man of Steel had a major presence, with various tie-in's on the way from Lego, Mattel and JAKKS Pacific. 

To start off the tour, JAKKS Pacific had on display an impressive and massive Superman action figure that stands 31" tall based on Henry Cavill's likeness with the updated costume design seen in the movie. The figure also features seven points of articulation and a fabric cape.

Lego has Man of Steel figures and play sets on the way, including the Black Zero Escape set featuring Superman, General Zod in his full Kryptonian battle armor and Lois Lane.

Mattel's sinister black Kryptonian tripod ship from the Battle For Metropolis play set suggests that General Zod has heavy artillery at his disposal for the invasion of Earth.

Figures from the Mattel's Quick Shot line.

Superman's Strike Ship from the Mattel's Flight Speeders line.

From Mattel's Movie Master line are action figures based on Henry Cavill's Superman, Russell Crowe's Jor-El and Michael Shannon's General Zod. These 6' figures also made Time To Play's 2013 Summer Playlist.

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The Two Spocks Face Off In A Funny And Fascinating Audi Commercial

This fantastic commercial for Audi called The Challenge stars old and young Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto. Besides the Warp Ten geek factor of seeing them play opposite one another again, the ad is just damned witty and full of clever quips and nerd nods to both Trekkers and Hobbit fans.

SOURCE: Audi

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Film Review - IRON MAN 3 ★★★½☆☆

Third time's a charm is the case here. 2008's Iron Man was a fantastic game changer for the big screen Marvel Universe that was not directly under the Marvel Studios and Paramount banner (i.e. Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Blade, and Daredevil). Robert Downey Jr.'s inspired casting and his heroic, charismatic and spot-on execution in his portrayal of billionaire Tony Stark became the rock solid backbone of the subsequent series of superhero films that would seamlessly lead us to Marvel's The Avengers.

After the disappointing sophomore slump misstep with 2010's Iron Man 2 (good for business, disappointing as a bloated sequel rushed out to meet a pre-determined release date), the third film hits a home run by injecting new life into the series with a back to basics character driven action film that successfully  plays off why Tony Stark is at heart, a true hero.

Downey reunites with director / screenwriter Shane Black, who brought us 2005's incredibly under appreciated Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Though for all us '80s action film aficionados, Black was the screenwriter of Die Hard, Lethal Weapon 2, The Last Kiss Goodnight and The Last Boy Scout. Thankfully the Downey/Black magic is back and showcased with the duo's re-teaming in the first Marvel movie set after the shattering events of The Avengers.

In a post-Avengers world, also now known as Marvel's Phase Two (which along with the upcoming sequels Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, will lead up to Avengers 2), Tony Stark is a changed man. Having both fought along side and against gods, monsters and aliens, after the battle of New York Tony Stark now looks over his shoulder suffering from panic attacks. When reminded of the possibility of future threats to Earth and how minuscule he relatively fits into it all, "I'm just a man in a can," he admits to girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Moving forward on very little sleep, Stark has built up an immense arsenal of Iron Man suits while testing radical new technology that allows his to physically bond with his armor.

A new threat to the world arises however, not on a scale necessary for the Avengers, but nonetheless a mighty fright for the good ol' U.S. of A fit for Stark and Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), whose War Machine has been repainted and rebranded by the government as the star spangled Iron Patriot. A relentless bin Laden-esque terrorist know as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) has his sights set on American targets and when Stark's pal Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is seriously wounded during a target attack at Hollywood Boulevard's historic Chinese Theater, the matter becomes damn personal. Stark adresses the Mandarin during a press op and literally broadcasts his own address, offering the madman an invitation to a one-on-one confrontation.

The Mandarin wastes no time in putting Stark in his place by proceeding to obliterate his lavish Malibu abode and weapons lab that overlooks the Pacific, nearly killing both the billionaire and Pepper. Following a narrow escape, he finds himself in a snowy part of Tennessee (a white Christmas setting is a staple of Shane Black films) after his untested Mark 42 armor flies and strands him there for safety.

It's at this point that Iron Man is literally and figuratively stripped back to the basics when trapped in the boondocks. A huge plus for the film sees us re-acquainted with the Tony Stark who was held prisoner in an Afghanistan cave and relied on his tech genius to construct from metal scraps the first bulky armor to escape his terrorist captors. Tony also enlists the help a local boy Harley Keener (Ty Simpkins) to track down the location of the Mandarin and his co-horts Aldrich Killian and Savin (Guy Pearce and James Badge Dale). 

The middle act reels it in and is where the true soul of the film is uncovered. The witty rapport between Tony and Harley brilliantly steers the film into unexpected buddy film territory that worked so well for Riggs and Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon series. It's almost alarming how much screen time Downey spends not wearing an Iron Man costume, but the character is at his best here and the action packed left turn taken into the third act effectively wipes clean the slate of the time spent in witty low key conversations.

There are plenty of noteworthy twists that I won't detail here, that would be just spoiling the fun of it all. Some are more obvious than others, with a few turns that are just brilliant in their execution. But by the time we reach the uber expensive and explosive finale, we are jettisoned right back into the out of this world Marvel Universe we have come to expect from these summer blockbusters. 

Its not giving anything away in saying that Stark has his Iron army of suits to fight along side him, that much has been revealed over and over on the one-sheets and in all the trailers. Granted there are toys to sell and money shots to exploit that make for good advertising for movies of this magnitude, but I can't help but feel somewhat robbed of the great moment in revealing Stark's massive enforcements had it been kept under lock and key. It easily would have been the stand out shot where the audience would be in full right to start cheering. It's a minor point, nothing to hold against the film itself, more of a circumstance regarding the sometimes too much that's put out there before a film is released nowadays.

In her fourth portrayal of Potts, Paltrow is given a big promotion in screen time as a vital part of the plot, some parts work better than others depending how you feel about Pepper's overall active role in Stark's business being a superhero. You'll know what I mean when you see the movie. Cheadle as well gets to amp it up both in and out of his Iron Patriot armor, which allows for some superb on screen team work from him and Downey. 

It's another strength of the solid screenplay, which allows most of the cast moments to shine on many levels. Kingsley brings an amazing life to the Mandarin, which is a brilliantly written multi-layered villain that benefits equally with the inspired casting that brings it all home on the big screen. Pearce and Dale have a good time twisting their evil mustaches as heavies who intertwine themselves with the Mandarin via a bio-tech subplot involving the Extremis technology (based on a celebrated storyline from the comics lore).

The 3D is on target. Black is a director who is not out to induce seizures with a barrage of quick edits and insane camera movement, which works great here. The 3D adds depth to the right places and is never obtrusive or does it suffer from the dreaded motion blur and ghosting that in lesser conversions tend to nag and remind you of the hit and miss over utilized technology. The 3D is most effective when the film is not beating its chest with FX driven spectacle, and concentrating on the human aspect of the story. Even as true tech stickler, the RPX presentation I saw gloriously lacked the muddied dark picture that is typically associated with guilty theaters projecting 3D films below the ideal light levels for optimal viewing.   

  

As the first Phase Two Marvel film, Iron Man 3 is a huge step in the right direction for the series and also a huge creative leap forward overall. It wisely pulls back the stakes to humanize Tony Stark with an Avengers-less Iron Man level adventure. RDJ brings his A-game charm and wit to the role we have come to expect and is allowed a lot of time to explore the troubled character a lot further, which pays off big time. It also wisely doesn't pander to the rest of the Marvel Universe beyond a few lines of dialogue. By focusing squarely on the Iron Man family, thankfully the film avoids the trap and temptation of throwing in gratuitous distracting cameos. The sharp highly entertaining film finds the perfect balance of action, humor and well written scenes that work well for the cast of characters. If the summer season is officially underway, it does not disappoint and starts off with a bang with Iron Man 3.

Iron Man 3 opens in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D on May 3rd.

REVIEW RATING: ★★★½☆☆
Directed By: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ty Simpkins
Studio: Marvel Studios / Disney
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 130 minutes

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