james mcavoy (17 posts)
Movie Reviews: Arthur Christmas a Fun and Seriously Fast-Paced Zip Through the Holiday Season
Review in a Hurry: Aardman animation, best known for the stop-motion clay adventures of Wallace & Gromit, presents a snazzy 3-D, computer-generated tale that explores how one Santa can deliver all those presents in one night. The answer, in 2011, is that Santa's son Steve has redesigned the North Pole as some kind of Mac Store complete with a Genius Bar of elves. While the system is nearly perfect at deploying thousands of elves to deliver gift-wrapped goodies all at the stroke of midnight they miss one little girl. So it's time for low tech to beat hi tech by way of Santa's other son...Arthur!
The story moves so fast that you might not notice that there's really only enough of it for half the film's running time. But with fun 3-D, witty dialogue and a truly heartwarming finale, you'll believe in Team Claus.
Morning Bitch-Back! Could Blake Lively Be Too Talented for Leonardo DiCaprio?
Dear Ted:
Though I am a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio's acting ability, I've noticed so many people are a bit quick to write off Blake Lively's talent, which does exist and was proven in her small but noteworthy role in The Town (she really owned it). How long do you think this pairing will last? Because if Leo's last gal (Bar) is any indication, he seems to like his women as pretty arm candy without too much talent—might be competition for him. Am I being too harsh here or is there some validity in this suspicion?
—Sonja
Dear Rising Star:
Beg to differ, babe. I think when Blake takes herself too seriously—à la her not-quite-Bostonian accent in that par-tick Ben Affleck flick—her acting is not noteworthy in a good way. Not to say she isn't talented, though. She's just taking the wrong roles. Her best work to date is playing the role of a B-list actress that doesn't absolutely love the attention she's getting from dating the hottie from Titanic. But enough of this wannabe incognito crap already, B!
Dear Ted:
Can we have more hints on the identity of Greta Gatsby and Taller Baller? I think it is Shakira and Gerard Pique. Am I right/hot/cold? If it is not this couple, can you at least heal my ego and tell me if they have been a Blind Vice?
—D0li
X-Men: First Class—Meet the Mutants!
[Editor's note: This story originally ran on Monday, but with the movie opening today, we thought it was worth revisiting.]
OK. You've seen the trailers, read the fawning reviews and are totally and completely psyched to "witness the beginning" when X-Men: First Class hits theaters on Friday. (Of course, if you're not, well, no need to read any further.)
Still there?
Great. Then let's all take a moment to acquaint ourselves with some of the marvelous mutants that we'll be spending a little time with this weekend, shall we?
Five Things You Need to Know Before Seeing X-Men: First Class
When Stan Lee originally came up with the X-men, he made them mutants specifically so he wouldn't have to come up with individual origin stories beyond "They were born that way." Hollywood, which never takes for granted that audiences will just accept such things, has given us a prequel anyway, set during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This is all despite Bryan Singer's first X-Men feature being pretty clear on most of the basics.
And like so many superhero movies these days, it's loaded with enough characters, backstory and plot that you may need some notes at first. So here are a couple of pointers before you head into theaters this weekend to see the biggest mutant-starring movie of the summer:
Movie Review: X-Men: First Class a Surprisingly Swingin' Good Time
Review in a Hurry: The prequel none of us thought we wanted turns out to be more of a fun time than anybody expected. A return to form for the X-flicks, this semi-prequel/reboot remembers above all else to be fun, without any gross bastardizations to the source (like the portrayal of Deadpool in the Wolverine movie).
It also allows Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy and January Jones (among many others) to increase their degree of proximity to Kevin Bacon, who plays the villain.
Pollapalooza! Who Got Ditched and Who Got Hitched?
We hope you've enjoyed playing our delicious little games of Ditch, Do or Marry as much as we've loved making ‘em for you!
And while we thought there were some very tough decisions to be made in each round, you persistent voters were very clear about which sexy celebs you'd love to kick to the curb, which you'd love to hit the sheets with and which you'd just love to...love.
Here are the results when it comes to single starlets, sexy imports and hottie judges:
Play Ditch, Do or Marry: Hot Euro Dude Edition!
It's time to take a break from baby-daddy drama and manskanks galore for some good, semi-clean fun!
Yep, that's right—another round of our fave new game: Ditch, Do or Marry! And since there have been so many foreign fellows hitting the big screen lately, we decided it's time to play with some seriously sexy imports.
So which dude and his delicious accent turn you on and which are you ready to turn off?
New X-Men: First Class Trailer Flaunts Oscar-Worthy Pedigree
What a difference an Oscar nomination makes. Not to mention nabbing the lead in The Hunger Games.
When the first trailer for X-Men: First Class popped up back in February, Jennifer Lawrence wasn't exactly a recognizable face, so it's somewhat understandable that the folks who put it together opted not to showcase her turn as Mystique.
Well, fast forward to today and the Winter's Bone star who will be Katniss Everdeen is clearly being viewed as one of the flick's most valuable players. Sure, James McAvoy (Charles/Professor X) and Michael Fassbender (Erik/Magneto) remain front and center here, but Lawrence still gets plenty of screen time. Not that we're complaining.
Oh yeah, the movie looks pretty cool, too.
Movie Review: Gnomeo & Juliet, Wherefore Art Thou Original Ideas?
Review in a Hurry: Realistic, C.G.-animated ceramic garden gnomes would seem like promising characters for a novel animated adventure. But aside from the easy and terrible title pun, why did that adventure have to be Romeo and Juliet?
X-Men: First Class: Witness the Transformation
The wait is over!
The official trailer for X-Men: First Class, starring James McAvoy, January Jones, Rose Byrne and a handful of others, is finally here, and it's our first glimpse at how the mutants we know and love came to be.






