TAGGED AS: Certified Fresh
This week at the movies, we’ve only got one wide release: the hotly-anticipated origin story of everyone’s favorite mutants (X-Men: First Class, starring James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender). What do the critics have to say?
Sometimes, when a franchise starts drifting toward mediocrity, it’s best to start again from the top. That certainly seems to be the case with X-Men: First Class; critics call this origin story a visually stunning, action-packed popcorn flick with excellent performances and a smarter-than-average script. A prequel to Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000), First Class takes us back to the Cold War-era beginnings of the organization; the CIA turns to Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) for help in recruiting a band of mutants to help defend the United States against the Soviets. In the process, he befriends Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), who is haunted by unspeakable events in his past. The pundits say the Certified Fresh X-men: First Class liberally borrows from the 1960s aesthetic of the early James Bond pictures, and also shares that franchise’s sense of pop-movie fun with its electrifying action set-pieces, handsome production values, and full-bodied characters. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we count down McAvoy’s best movies, as well as Marvel Movie Madness, our continuing look at every movie based on Marvel characters.)
Submarine, a coming-of-age dramedy about a young man trying to save his parents’ marriage and find love for himself is Certified Fresh at 90 percent (check out director Richard Ayoade’s Five Favorite Films here).
!Women Art Revolution, a documentary about the Feminist Art Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, is at 83 percent.
Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer in a dramedy about a man who starts a new relationship in the aftermath of his father’s death, is at 78 percent
Beautiful Boy, starring Michael Sheen and Maria Bello in a drama about two parents coming to grips with the horrific actions of their son, is at 76 percent.
The Last Mountain, a doc about the environmental damage cause by coal mining on communities in West Virginia, is at 75 percent.
Rejoice & Shout, a doc about the history of gospel music featuring footage of such luminaries as Mahalia Jackson and the Rev. James Cleveland, is at 64 percent.
Small Town Murder Songs, starring Peter Stormare and Jill Hennessy in a drama about a police officer whose violent past catches up with him, is at 63 percent.
Mr. Nice, starring Rhys Ifans and Chloë Sevigny in a dramedic biopic about an Oxford student who became one of Europe’s biggest dope dealers, is at 54 percent.
The legendary Jean-Luc Godard‘s Film socialisme, a dramatic meditation on the decline of European civilization, is at 50 percent.
Yellowbrickroad, an indie horror flick about the investigation into the disappearance of an entire New Hampshire town, is at 45 percent.
Empire of Silver, a period drama about a powerful banking family in China, is at 33 percent.
Love Wedding Marriage, starring Mandy Moore in a romantic comedy about a marriage counselor trying to save both her marriage and that of her parents, is at zero percent.
