Western Wednesdays: Abilene Town (1946)

     Abilene Town was released on January 11th, 1946. It is directed by Edwin L. Marin and written by Harold Shumate from a novel by Ernest Haycox (whose short story "Stage to Lordsburg" was the basis for John Ford's Stagecoach). In it Dan Mitchell (Randolph Scott), the Marshal of  Abilene, Kansas, becomes embroiled in a conflict between the cattlemen who run the town and the newly arrived homesteaders.

     The plot of Abilene Town not exactly a novel one. The conflict between the homesteader and the cowboy is almost as old as the genre itself. The classic example is, of course Shane but countless earlier westerns (including the silent classic Hell's Hinges which I reviewed a number of weeks ago) utilized this scenario. As is often the case with the genre, the real trick is not to have a groundbreaking story but to put a fresh spin on a familiar tale or at least to present it with real panache.

     I can't really say Abilene Town provides a fresh spin on this story. It is, in most respects, an incredibly predictable western. The story unfolds more or less as you would expect but the acting, direction and dialogue are all really solid. In many ways it is like a really expensive series western, and an entertaining one at that. There's enough action, song and dance numbers and romance to please most genre enthusiasts. Scott is a fine lead and the romantic triangle between him, the showgirl Rita (Ann Dvorak) and the shopkeepers daughter Sherry (Rhonda Fleming) is concluded in a way I didn't expect (the film is not completely without surprises)!

     Marin's direction is assured. He keeps the, at times, episodic plot moving at a good pace. The action and the dance numbers are appropriately energetic and the drama is handled with suitable gravitas. The supporting players all do an excellent job especially Edgar Buchanan as the cowardly Sheriff Bravo Trimble, who provides most of the film's comic relief. Dvorak and Fleming are both well cast as the sultry dancehall girl and the pious shopkeepers daughter respectively. Jack Lambert provides a menacing presence as the cattlemen's strongman Ed Balder. Lloyd Bridges (another familiar face for western fans) is also solid as Henry Dreiser, the homesteaders leader and a rival for Sherry's affection.

     Abilene Town is not a particularly remarkable western but it is a well made and entertaining one nonetheless!

Score: 7/10

X-Men: First Class (2011) Review

We now get to the first attempt to reboot the X-Men franchise. I have intentionally skipped over X-Men Origins: Wolverine as I only plan to cover the core six films, which means no Deadpool or Wolverine solo films, at least for now...

     X-Men: First Class was released on June 1st, 2011. It is directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Vaughn, Ashley Edward Miller, Zack Stentz and Jane Goldman from a story by Sheldon Turner and Brian Singer. A prequel to the previous X-Men films, it tells the story of Charles Xavier's first meeting with Erik Lehnsherr and their forming of the X-Men set against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

     The idea for a prequel X-Men film had been floated around since before the release of X2. The script went through many revisions and the film's production was put on hold as the studio hoped to pursue a Magneto origin picture instead. When this idea was scrapped, Fox went ahead with First Class and, initially, Brian Singer was set to direct it. When Singer backed out due to his commitments with Jack the Giant Slayer the studio went to Matthew Vaughn, who had at one point been considered as a director for The Last Stand. Vaughn, who had also wanted to direct a 60's spy thriller and an X-Men movie, jumped at the chance to combine both ideas into one.

     X-Men: First Class is a really great prequel. It succeeds where so many other films have failed in telling a really compelling backstory for it's main characters. It is easy to believe that Charles and Erik become the men we know from the earlier installments after the events of this film. There's a lot of good character work here and the friendship between Xavier and Erik is well developed considering how little screen-time is actually devoted to it. Xavier guides Erik and helps him become a better person. Erik, at the beginning of the film, is driven only by personal revenge. Charles helps him to see a bigger cause and helps him to hone his powers, which he struggles to control because of his anger.

     As in X2 Xavier and Erik's worldviews are contrasted with that of the villain, in this case Kevin Bacon's Sebastian Shaw. Here, Erik has a much less extreme worldview then he does in X2. There, he is in favor of wiping out all of humankind but here that position is represented by Shaw, who believes that mutants should rule over humans and he, as the most powerful mutant, should rule over everyone. Though Magneto chooses, in the end, to violently oppose the humans who oppress mutant-kind he is not a genocidal maniac but he has a more cynical viewpoint then Xavier, who believes that mutants can show humans a better way. Raven is trapped between these two viewpoints and she ultimately sides with Erik. Her relationship with Hank mirrors that between Charles and Erik, and each person chooses a different side in the end. Mystique position is not as extreme as Erik's (something that will be further explored in the sequel) while Hank actually goes further then Charles and tries to suppress his mutant powers so he can blend in with humanity.

     It's definitely not a perfect film. There's some retconning (which seems almost impossible to avoid in prequel films). In the first movie, we learn that Professor X and Magneto built Cerebro together but here it is built by the Hank McCoy working for the U.S. Government without either man's knowledge. Magneto's helmet was built by the Russian Government rather then by Magneto himself. Finally, Mystique's childhood friendship with Xavier doesn't really seem to mesh with original three films, where the two characters don't seem to share any connection.

     Vaughn's direction is a little so-so, it lacks the energy of Singer's films and is a little bland visually, especially considering the colorful sixties setting (though the costume designer's do a great job especially compared to the ugly and uncomfortable looking black leather of Singer's films). The supporting characters are also given a bit of short shrift. Outside of Mystique and maybe Beast, I don't really understand why some of them choose to go with Erik and some with Xavier at the end.

     X-Men: First Class is a fine prequel, one that deepens the mythology and relationships of the characters while telling it's own, compelling story. It is not perfectly consistent with the earlier films and lacks some of their energy and flair but it's still a worthy entry in the series overall.

Score: 8/10

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) Review

     X-Men: The Last Stand, was released on May 26th, 2006. Directed by Brett Ratner and written by Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn it continues where X2 left off. Jean Grey's death has shaken the X-Men to the core, particularly Scott Summers (James Marsden) who has fallen into a state of depression. Meanwhile a group of scientists lead by Warren Worthington II (Michael Murphy) has developed what they believe to be a "cure" for mutants suppressing the x-gene so as to make the subject a "normal" person.

     With X2's production wrapping in  November of 2002, Brian Singer fully intended to return for the third X-Men film. This was not to be. Instead, he was offered the director's chair for Superman Returns from Warner Brothers. Singer could not turn down the offer to direct a film with such a high profile character but Fox did not want to delay X-Men 3 so they went ahead without him. Along with Singer left screenwriters Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty. Fox offered a variety of different directors the job, including Joss Whedon and Darren Arronofsky but eventually Matthew Vaughn got the job. Unfortunately Vaughn ended up leaving the project as he felt he didn't have enough time to make the film he wanted to make. In desperation the studio went to Brett Ratner, who had been in line to direct the first film. Zak Penn would be the only writer to return joined by newcomer Simon Kinberg who had worked on early drafts of Fantastic Four and Elektra (and who is the sole writer/director of the upcoming Dark Phoenix film).

     All of this would result in a rushed script, one that was continually interfered with by the studio. James Mardsen was busy filming Superman Returns so Cyclops is killed early in the film. This was fine with the studio because, "Wolverine’s the most popular character" and "With Cyclops, you can’t see his eyes. It’s a harder character to relate to for the audience (from a Zak Penn 2008 interview)." At one point, they even considered killing him off-screen. The Fox executives felt Dark Phoenix story was too dark, so the focus shifts away form Jean's story in the second half of the film.

     Almost everything that happens in The Last Stand feels like an anticlimax. After a brief flashback of Jean Grey's first meeting with Charles and Eric (who are working together despite seemingly having completely different visions of how to deal with young mutants) we are introduced to Warren Worthington III (Ben Foster) and given an incredibly rushed backstory for Angel. Then we learn about the cure and see Mystique (who has evidently been captured since the events of X2) being broken out of prison by Magneto, who is infuriated by the very idea of a mutant cure and begins forming a resistance.

     Then Cyclops is killed after a brief reuniting with Jean, who is found by Wolverine and Storm. After this we see Angel run away from Worthington industries, he will not appear again until the third act. Back at the X-Mansion, Xavier explains to Wolverine that Jean survived with the help of a power he calls "the Phoenix" which he had repressed up to this point. Shortly after, Jean runs away. Of course Magneto wants to use the Phoenix power for his own ends so both he and Charles go to her old home, where she is hiding. There she kills Xavier in front of a horrified Logan and Eric. She then leaves with Magneto. This is roughly the end of the first act.

     By the end of the film Mystique, Magneto and Rogue have all lost their powers (Rogue willingly takes the cure) and Jean has been killed by Wolverine. The cure is still in use, its controversial  existence unresolved (though the final shot suggests that it might be faulty). Nothing has really been resolved, or even learned by anyone and the characters whose stories have come to an end have not had their arcs resolved satisfactorily. Why  the studio thought it would be a good idea to introduce a bunch of new characters (Angel, Kitty Pryde, Beast, and Juggernaut, just to name a few) while killing off or shunting aside pre-established ones is anyone's guess (though it probably has something to do with merchandising).

     The direction is mostly unremarkable and there is a shift in the visual style from the first two films, with the colors being much more saturated. There are some fun action scenes, though they are handled with far less sense of geography and clarity then those of X2. The score, by John Powell, is much more bombastic and densely orchestrated then either Kamen or Ottman's music, which works for the more over-the-top tone of this film. Powell, like Ottman, makes good use of lietmotif though he abandons Ottman's melodies completely. It's a fine score, one too good for such a mediocre film.

     In the end, X-Men: The Last Stand, is a huge step down from it predecessors. Many previous superhero threequels had been disappointing, but none of them had quite as much riding on them as The Last Stand. This trend would continue (with less disastrous results) with the following year's Spider-Man 3.

Score: 5/10

Western Wednesdays: Jesse James (1939)

     Jesse James was released on January 27th, 1939. Directed by Henry King from a script by Nunnally Johnson it stars Tyrone Power as the titular outlaw and chronicles his career from the early days robbing trains to his death at the hands of Robert Ford (John Carradine).

     Jesse James is an important film for the genre. Along with Stagecoach, Dodge City, and Union Pacific (all released the same year) it helped to revitalize the western, which had been regulated mostly to B-movies and serials since the end of the silent era. It was a smash at the box office and one of the highest grossing films of 1939. Its success would lead to a slew of other "outlaw" westerns including When the Daltons Rode, Belle Starr, Billy the Kid, and The Return of Frank James (a sequel to this film). 

     Henry King's direction is assured especially during the action scenes. The Northfield Bank Robbery (itself the subject of many a later western) is a particularly impressive set piece. Cornered by the law, Jesse and Frank (Henry Fonda) leap through a window with their horses and, after a tense pursuit, dive off a a cliff into a river! The alleged death of the horses notwithstanding (producer Daryl F. Zanuck claims they were not hurt) it is one of the most impressive stunts I've seen in a film. George Barnes and W. Howard Greene's technicolor cinematography is absolutely stunning.

     The drama is not quite on par with the action. The central dramatic conflict is between Jesse and his girl (later wife) Zee (played by Nancy Kelly). Throughout the film she hopes that he will reform and give up his life of crime but he only becomes more elusive. When he is absent for the birth of their first child, she finally has enough and leaves him. This pushes Jesse over the edge, and he becomes increasingly misanthropic and even suicidal with his attempted robberies. The problem I have is that too much of this is dealt with in heavy handed dialogue. People keep saying that Jesse is losing it but we rarely get to see this. Only when he is at the end of his rope and nearly pushes the rest of his gang (including Frank) away, do we really see how much he's changed.

     Tyrone Power is quite good as Jesse. Though, as I said, I wish more time was dedicated to exploring his moral decline, he's great in the scenes where it is explored. Henry Fonda steals the show as Frank, getting his younger brother out of one scrape after another. The scene where he confronts a despairing Jesse after he has chewed out the rest of the gang is the film's dramatic highlight. Nancy Kelly comes across a little smugly as Zee, though she is good in the scenes where she reunites with him after the failed Northfield raid. Henry Hull provides the film with some morbid comic relief as the newspaper man Major Rufus Cobb. The running gag of his opening every editorial in the same manner ("If we are ever to have law and order in the West,the first thing we got to do is take out all the (insert offending party) and shoot 'em down like dogs") overstays its welcome by the end of the film. Randolph Scott is wasted as Sheriff Will Wright, whose main purpose in the film seems to be to enable the outlaw. John Carradine is superb as the cowardly, two-faced Bob Ford, as is Donald Meek as the unscrupulous railway tycoon McCoy. Jane Darwell also puts in a brief but memorable performance as Jesse's mother, whose murder sets Jesse off on his criminal path.

     Solid performances, gorgeous cinematography and some truly magnificent set pieces make up for an uneven script, making Jesse James a solid western, if not quite an all-time classic.

Score: 8/10

My Favorite Films: X2 (2003)

     When discussing the greatest superhero movie of all time a few films will come to mind: Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Richard Donner's Superman, Brad Bird's The Incredibles, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (which I would probably argue for), The Avengers (which I probably wouldn't). The more enthusiastic might be quick to crown Black Panther, Logan, or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as the pinnacle of the genre. But one film that isn't really talked about, at least not nearly enough, is X2.

     X2 explores social issues like prejudice, civil rights, race relations, and even disabilities and it tackled these weighty issues in a serious and reflective manner before Christopher Nolan (who is usually credited with the maturation of the genre) did it with his Batman Trilogy. A lot of credit has to go to writer/director Brian Singer, who had a very clear vision of what his X-Men movies should be about. Singer, despite his personal vices, is a talented director and he brought a lot of passion and energy to these movies.

     Singer does not deserve all the credit  however. A host of others, including Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, David Hayter and Zak Penn, worked on the script. Hayter, in particular, knew the comics really well and mined them for more obscure characters and stories, including "God Loves, Man Kills", the story that introduced William Stryker. In a story focusing on the human/mutant conflict Stryker is a perfect antagonist. Reworking him as Wolverine's creator allowed the filmmakers to continue to explore Logan's backstory in an organic way without taking time away from the central plot. It was Dougherty and Harris who decided to include Lady Deathstrike in the film, a character who serves as an interesting foil for Wolverine and also provides an opportunity for one of the film's most memorable action set-pieces, the fight between her and Logan in the very chamber where Stryker gave him claws.

     More then anything else, it is the script that makes this movie hold up so well. The first film explored Professor X and Magneto's opposing worldviews with the former believing, optimistically, that mutants can peacefully coexist alongside humans and the latter, more pessimistically, thinking that Mutant's need to assert their dominance or live under oppression. Here a third worldview, mirroring that of Magneto's, is presented through Stryker. Both he and Erik Lehnsherr have been powerfully shaped by their pasts. Magneto suffered at the hands if the Nazis during the holocaust while Stryker was tormented by his telepathic mutant son, Jason, whose horrific psychic illusions led his wife to commit suicide. Both men are motivated by fear and hatred of the other race but while Magneto was content, in the first film, to change all of the humans into mutants, Stryker wants to eradicate all of the mutants. After his treatment at Stryker's hands, Magneto becomes even more extreme, adapting Stryker's plan for his own ends, to kill all of the humans instead. As he tells a brainwashed Xavier,  "From here, it doesn't look like they're playing by your rules. Maybe it's time to play by theirs."

     In contrasting these three different viewpoints, X2 achieves a more nuanced exploration of the series' core themes then the first film. While X-Men toyed with the idea that some mutants were so powerful that they might pose a legitimate threat to others and that there powers was more of a gift then a curse this film goes farther, portraying a mutant (Jason Stryker) who is truly a monster. The writers also weave Wolverine's backstory into the narrative in a way that, far from distracting from the main plot, actually contributes to the central theme. Throughout the film Logan is hoping to learn more about his past from his creator, Stryker. When he begins to suspect that Xavier might know more then he's letting on, he goes off on his own. Ultimately, however, he let's Stryker die in favor of helping his new family. Unlike Stryker and Magneto, Wolverine is able, partly because of his memory loss, to let go of his past and he doesn't let it define him. Consequently, X2 is a better adaptation then of "Weapon X" storyline X-Men Origins: Wolverine turned out to be.

     In addition to exploring Wolverine, Eric, Xavier and Striker it also develops Bobby Drake's relationship with Rogue and with his family, who don't know that he's a mutant. He and Rogue, as they continue to develop their powers and come closer to becoming full-fledged X-Men, begin to figure out their relationship. The film does a good job exploring their emotional connection and shared sexual frustration. It is especially helpful that we get to meet Bobby's family and learn where he came from. This is contrasted with Pyro, who has no family, though he clearly wants one. After witnessing Bobby's family reject him after he reveals that he is a mutant (admittedly not the most subtle scene) Pyro becomes increasingly convinced that, perhaps, Magneto has a point, and, in the end, he leaves the X-Men to join with Eric and Raven. Indeed, the film does a good job juggling all the characters, with the exception, alas, of Cyclops (scenes detailing his brainwashing at the hands of Stryker were cut by the studio despite David Hayter's protests). Though there are at least some nice emotional moments between him and Jean, he still ends up as the third wheel in her romantic triangle with him and Logan.

     Newcomers Alan Cumming, Brian Cox, and Aaron Stanford all do a great job here. Cumming really captures Nightcrawler's sense of optimism and reluctant heroism. He's not the swashbuckler from the comics but he does provide a fresher, and less world weary, outlook. As a Catholic myself, I greatly appreciate the positive portrayal of Kurt's Catholicism. Brian Cox is perfectly cast as William Stryker. Though despicable and monstrous in his actions, he is not an altogether unsympathetic character and Cox manages to make him feel more human. Aaron Stanford is appropriately jerky as Pyro and convincingly pulls off the character's turn to "the dark side." Kelly Hu and Michael Reid McKay also acquit themselves admirably in there rather limited roles as Deathstrike and Jason Stryker respectively.

     The returning cast members, taking advantage of the more character driven script, all put in some of their best performances here. Patrick Stewart is able to stretch his muscles a little more this time around, especially in the scenes where he is psychologically manipulated by Jason. Ian McKellen too displays greater range as a Magneto who is both more sympathetic and more evil then he was in the first film. Famke Janssen continues to show that she was a great pick to play Jean Grey, as the character struggles with her own doubts and fears while continuing to support her fellow X-Men. James Marsden's best scenes come early in the film, as he offers Jean moral support. Halle Berry gets more to do as Storm and has some great exchanges with Alan Cumming's Nightcrawler. Rebecca Romijn once again has a blast as Mystique and, for once, gets to do a scene without her elaborate make-up. Anna Paquin doesn't get as much screen-time as the first film but her character does experience character growth and Paquin's performance conveys Rogue's increased sense of confidence. Shawn Ashmore has a much more involved role this time around, and has good chemistry with Paquin, Stanford and Jackman. Finally, Hugh Jackman comes closer to truly embodying Wolverine here then almost anywhere else as we finally get to see him really let loose with animalistic fury during the the X-Mansion attack sequence. This film really focuses in on Wolverine's psychology and his relation to the team and Jackman rises to the occasion.

     Even outside of the character and thematic exploration, X2 is wonderfully nuanced and filled with subtle, humorous little character moments. Wolverine putting out his cigar on his own hand when asked to by Xavier not to smoke in the Cerebro chamber, Bobby chilling Logan's soda with his ice powers, Pyro playing with his lighter during Ice Man's "coming out" scene, little details like this make the characters come alive. The sets too, designed by Guy Dyas, are beautifully detailed, from the replica of the White House, to the (re-constructed) X-Mansion, to Stryker's gloomy, cavernous military base at Alkali Lake. Newton Thomas Sigel, a frequent collaborator of Singer's, does a great job with the cinematography as well. A lot of incorporative lighting was built into the sets, giving the film a really unique, naturalistic look.

     X2 has some of the most consistently well directed action set pieces of any superhero movie, from the amazing opening attack on the White House by Nightcrawler (though they kind of used their best trick too early) to the attack on the X-Mansion, to the fight between Wolverine and Lady Deathstrike. The White House attack, in particular, is a triumph of camerawork and visual effects, one that Singer would try to top in his later entries in the series. The fight between Wolverine and Deathstrike is also shot and edited really dynamically. Especially impressive is a shot where the camera pans downward toward the two combatants only to bounce back when Deathstrike is stabbed in the gut.

     John Ottman, another Singer collaborator, provides a fine score for X2, one which is much more motificly driven then Micheal Kamen's score for the first film. Ottman has worked, not only as a composer, but as a director and editor as well. He has an acute sense of using score to help tell the story. The main theme for the film has deservedly become the signature theme for the series despite other talented composers (Micheal Kamen, John Powell, Henry Jackman) coming up with there own take. In addition to the X-Men theme various characters, including Magneto, Jean and Pyro, are given there own musical motifs and most of them are pretty memorable. The composer uses a variety of timbre, mainly traditionally orchestration with a little choral work and some interesting percussive effects thrown in, but the score is left a little flat because of what sounds like a rather dampened recording. It's not quite up there with William's Superman score or Elfman's work on Batman, but it's a strong score nonetheless.

     Along with it's predecessor X2 builds its own universe and continuity which is distinct from the comics: Stryker creating Wolverine at Alkali Lake, Magneto helping Professor X to build Cerebro, the Father/daughter relationship between Wolverine and Rogue, all of these things, though not from the comics, now feel like a natural part of X-Men continuity. That fact that it strays so far from the comics, while still staying true to the original, allegorical vision for the X-Men and the soap opera nature of the stories, is a credit to the versatility of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's creation.

     This film somehow succeeds as a swashbuckling adventure, a topical science fiction story, and as an ensemble character piece. Few superhero films made before it feel quite as confident or slick in their execution (the original Superman probably being the only exception). Few films since have been able to balance tone with as much finesse or to handle an ensemble cast so effortlessly. X2 remains a true classic of the genre.