Monster bummed after watching X2: X-Men United. Why? Becuz next to eat cookies, nothing me like better dan to complain. But X2: X-Men United not give monster much to complain about. It an even better movie dan original X-Men movie. For true!
Movie kick off wit awesum aktion sekwence in which furry blue mutant (not to be confused wit furry blue muppet) use teleport power to ALMOST kill President. Dis attack give bad guy Colonel William Stryker excuse to move against Xavier’s School for Mutant.
BUT Wolverine happen to be at de school and he be VERY cranky. So cranky, in fakt, dat he go all shish kebab on Stryker’s strike team. Most kids escape. Meanwhile, Professor X and Cyclops captured!
Wolverine, Iceman, Rogue, and FireBoyLad escape and hideout at home of Bobby Drake (Iceman). Bobby’s family come home and Bobby come out to dem. Everyone very understanding, except mutaphobic little brother who call cops. Wolverine shot in head and dis make FireBoyLad very angry. He torch some cop cars (didn’t Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver teach him anyting?) and dey eskape again – wit Wolverine who bounce back pretty well from head shot.
Meanwhile, Magneto eskape prison wit help of Mystique – and prison guard’s high iron content. No doubt, guard deeply regret decision to go wit spinach salad lunch! Magneto and Mystique team up wit Wolverine, Rogue, Iceman, FireBoyLad, Jean Grey, Storm, and furry-blue-almost-president-killer Nightcrawler (who was mind-control viktim after all) to stop Stryker. Dey track him down to old dam facility. Dis always de way. For once, monster want to see supervillain set up HQ in nice Viktorian brownstone or food truck speshulizing in Korean fusion quizine. Everybody suspekt abandoned missile silo but nobody suspekt Bill’s Bulgogi Buggy.
Anyway, X-Men infiltrate facility while Stryker use his own mutant son to control Professor X to control Cerebro to locate all mutants and kill dem! Jean fights Cyclops and smack some sense into him.
Wolverine face off against Lady Deathstrike who have adamantium clawz, just like him. Dey fight and he kill her but monster feel very sorry for Lady Deathstrike becuz she under Stryker’s control and not herself. Me imagine dat when not under mind control, Lady Deathstrike very pleasant gal who like to laugh, romantik walks on de beach, and perforating eyeballs.
Magneto turn tables on Stryker AND Professor X, controlling him to control Cerebro to locate all humans and kill dem! Magneto and Mystique eskape in helicopter – along wit FireBoyLad who join up becuz dey promise to help him come up wit cool nickname (monster’s suggestions inklude: Flamer de Flaming Man, Burny, and Hot Pantz).
Wit Nightcrawler’s help, Storm reach Professor X in nick of time and stop him from wiping out humanity.
Monster like original X-Men movie a lot and dis one even better. De skript be clever and fun, all de charakters get enuf screen time, and Cyclops slightly less annoying dis time out.
Verdikt: Dis movie be de equivalent of de double-stuffed Oreo platter at Sesame Street’s fanciest French restaurant, La Vieille Chaussette = Exquizit!
Rating: 9 out of 10 chocolate chippee cookies.
Sneak preview of next week’s videogame superhero movie of de week:
Hey Cookie! I just got home from NH so I haven’t had a chance to watch this week’s movie yet. I’m going to try to watch it tonight or in the morning and post my comments then. Great review! I’m looking forward to watching it (again).
Yessss! A movie I loved and own and had the chance to watch!!!!!!!
You worried me for a minute there, Cookie. I was wondering what kind of objections you could possibly have for this movie. I agree that it was excellent and I loved the ending scene with the president. Made me wonder what exactly he said when he resumed his speech! I also felt sorry for Lady Deathstrike. And I love Nightcrawler – he’s just so darn sweet!
Just one slight quibble: if Jean was strong enough to hold back all that water and the collapsing dam, why didn’t she just stay in the helicopter and nuse that amazing strength to telekinese them high enough above the ground for them to be above the water while they worked out the engine problem, aside from dramatic tension and the need to set up the Phoenix character? Or am I missing something? Or just overthinking things…
@anneteldy, JeffW, Janet &Tam Dixon: thanks for all the audiobook suggestions! Now I should have enough entertainment to keep me alert on those long, dull drives.
The memory’s fuzzy, so I remember mostly emotion, this movie left a happy hum in my heart. And Magneto was fun to watch.
I’ve watched Hulk very recently, but with way too many interruptions to give it a fair shake.
The X-Men movies were great!
I really enjoyed the last 2 most off all. They hold a place in my childhood like Stargate and Star Wars will hold… but they were such solid superhero movies.
Good to see you reviewing some movies that I recognize from my generation, though the older ones were still very entertaining to read about!
Thanks so much,
Major D.
I happened to watch X2 yesterday. It’s probably the best of the X-Men movies so far (although First Class was quite good as well). Sadly X3 comes next… and yeah… worth it for the end fight, but the rest is not so good.
I agree with your review but didnt think much of the third movie. Just isn’t as good as the rest,
i wish they stopped making these things after x-men 2. i’ve been trying to forget #3 since i saw it.
Have you seen those Stargate Lego like sets? http://www.sears.ca/product/best-lock8482-stargate-sg-18482-earth-900-piece-building-set/616-000680199-01120S
Hmm. My post never appeared. Must’ve been those cyberdogs eating my homework again. 🙂 Second attempt. Mr. M., if this ends up a duplicate just toss it.
I remember liking X2 very much when I saw it.
The State inspectors are here. It’s amazing how fast things are getting done. People from the office are helping to answer call lights. (State times how long it takes a call light to be answered.) And meals are being delivered earlier. Nurses who never get off their duffs are helping pass the trays. (State times that, too.)
One of the inspectors came and talked with me today. She had a pre-set list of questions. She was there about 15 minutes. I tried to be as honest as I could even if it did feel like I was bashing the facility. She never really gave me a chance to bring up issues I might have, so maybe it wasn’t such a bad bashing. The questions were yes/no and she had space to explain negative answers. I really felt that was unfair. I needed a “sometimes” answer and a “once in a while” answer instead of a flat yes/no. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.
The last thing she did was look at my room. It hadn’t been cleaned in three days (not for the first time) and the floors are horrorific. When she left, I called the administrator to tell him about the room. (I’d planned to do that anyway and was just waiting for the best time to reach him.) He said he’d send someone immediately to clean my room and he’d find out what was going on. Three hours later, a half-hour before the cleaners leave, my nurse told the administrator that my room still wasn’t done.
Not only did the housekeeper show up, so did his boss and the District Manager for housekeeping. I apologized to the head of housekeeping for not going directly to him and said, in front of the DM, “I know you can’t fix things you don’t know about.” The DM gave me a sidelong glance and sort of under his voice said “He’d have known about if he had been checking rooms like he should.” Oh, great. More people in trouble because of me.
All in all, not a good day.
Anne Teldy
:T:E:N: Cookies…*smiles* Hugh Jackman makes everything look good.
Once again, not much to dislike about this movie.
I really liked the initial Nightcrawler sequence in the White House. I think Nightcrawler would give Wolverine a run for his money. I’m not quite sure how Jean Grey’s telekinesis managed to hold him in place, though.
Wolverine kicking ass in the school was, as always, excellent. Those poor soldiers! Nobody ever thinks of their families!
And what’s the deal with Rogue? Is she the most useless mutant ever? Apart from briefly grabbing Fire Boy’s ankle so she could suck up the fire from the burning police she pretty much had nothing to do. Oh, except for fly and nearly crash an advanced VTOL jet plane.
And why did the plane then refuse to work after it had been flying only moments before? Did Rogue break it? Was it a result of it being hit by a missile earlier? How did Cyclops and Storm randomly flicking switches fix it?
How come Professor X succumbed to the mental powers of Stryker’s son so easily? Surely Professor X is stronger than that!
OK, I’ll stop picking holes in the plot. It’s actually a very enjoyable movie. Lots of action, lots of kick assery and Cyclops only had a few lines. It’s all downhill for the franchise from here, though.
I’ve managed to avoid seeing any of the Hulk movies. I just don’t find The Hulk very interesting. Not even the TV series that was on while I was growing up. So I’m kinda curious to see what I’ve been missing.
@anneteldy: I’m sorry you had such a bad day. I work in a hospital so I’m very familiar with inspections, but never really thought about what they looked like from a patient’s perspective.
What a miserable position to be in; but if people are not honest about problems, they never get fixed! You did what needed to be done and hopefully steps will be taken (or reinforced) to make sure patients are taken care of properly and have a clean environment in which to get healthy again.
I hope today is better for you.
@Sylvia: I was checking Red Velvet Cake recipes on-line and all of them contain cocoa powder! So if you’re looking for a whoopie pie for Jeff, you may need to try to find one that uses yellow cake.
Cookie — Finally you’ve had good movies to watch! I enjoy the X-Men movies, too, especially since it gives Patrick Stewart a good role.
Anne Teldy — Sorry you had a bad time! At least they know that you didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Did you ever get the results from your blood tests on Saturday?
Sparrowhawk — Another option is borrowing audio books from your library by downloading them. The possibilities are infinite! 🙂
Joe — Have enjoyed the cos-play photos! That would be cool if you and Akemi dressed up, if not at a convention, than as your fave anime characters for Halloween. If you decorate the yard, bet more kids will know to come ring your door bell.
Speaking of those, I had one of those “you-know-you’re-totally-a-grown-up-when” moments. 😳 Had just watered the flowers (jungle) on the front porch and sat for a minute to enjoy them. The angel trumpets were in bloom and it was a peaceful night. Two minutes later, a late-model mustang parks in front of a neighbor’s house. “Cool car,” I thought, till the driver leaned on the horn! Without thinking, I yelled, “IT’S NOT A DOOR BELL!”
Luckily, I was hidden behind a cover of shrubs! And surprisingly, the driver didn’t lean on the horn again. But sheesh, can’t believe I did that. Am I officially what kids call an “old person?” ❓
I do actually like this movie, but for me, it wasn’t as entertaining as the first one. That may just be my expectation levels, but I though each X-Men film deteriorated in quality as the series went along.
Oh, btw, why no X3 review up next? Just thought it would be numerical sense to do the three films three weeks in a row.
Sorry, ignore my last comment. I forgot that the films are done in theatrical release order.
Sparrowhawk: If you like mystery AND Sci-fi…have you read the Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels? http://www.amazon.com/Caves-Steel-Daneel-Olivaw-Book/dp/0553293400/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346181841&sr=1-1&keywords=isaac+asimov+robot+series I’ve only listened to the first three but they were very good.
AnneTeldy: I’m so sorry. However, it sounds like you are improving every day. It sounds like you’ve been there long enough for them to know you aren’t a trouble maker. I finished the 7th Dresden book today. Wow!
Cookie: Rating: 9 out of 10 chocolate chippee cookies. That’s the best one so far right? I enjoyed this movie too.
@anneteldy: You did not get those people into trouble, THEY did it to themselves by not doing their job. Don’t worry about it.
The movie was great. As Cookie said, there’s a lot to like in it. It says something that I got so involved in the movie that I kept forgetting to make notes of my comments. The movie is greatly helped by it’s casting – Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen automatically class up anything that they’re in.
I will pick a few nits:
The initial fight scene had a lot of people falling in ways that defied the laws of physics. That always bugs me a little because it takes you out of the moment and reminds you that it’s a movie. It makes it all too apparent that it’s a choreographed dance rather than an actual fight.
A couple of other questions that did occur to me – where did Stryker get all the money to build a small army along with a secret under dam lair? And I agree Cookie, why is the Evil Lair always in some kind of dark, techno-industrial, subterranean labyrinth? In some movie, I would love to see an evil lair in some white picket fenced suburban split level with a two car garage. Just for the cognitive dissonance it would create.
Also, who engineered and built the enormous X Plane? Aircraft design and construction ain’t cheap! But, I guess those are the kind of details that you just have to take for granted in superhero movies.
Overall a good movie! Now, I’m looking forward to the third movie! Er, wait, I just remembered. Maybe not.
@for the love of Beckett: I had a CBC Friday and it came back fine. I finally got back my B12 test results: normal range is 200 – 1000. I’m at 273. Nurse practitioner ordered monthly shots the first of which I just got this morning.
My Vitamin D test came in this morning. Their reference range is 15 – 75 as normal. I’m at 20. The n.p. ordered 1000 IUs daily. My Vitamin D test was called Vit D, 1, 25-DIHYD. It said on the results page that a Vitamin D 25-hydroxy is the recommended test for diagnosing Vitamin D deficiency. I’m assuming the test they did is cheaper and quicker.
Thanks for suggesting the tests.
@Sparrow_hawk: Thank you for your support. I know things need to be reported to be fixed but I just felt awful I was getting people in trouble. The DM of housekeeping just came in and told me they had to give one of the housekeepers “a kick in the pants” because he hadn’t cleaned my room. A good source tells me he got written up formally. Ugh!
Anne Teldy
@for the love of Beckett: Yep, I plan to check out my library for audiobook loans. Now I have some good suggestions as to some entertaining titles, whether I buy or borrow them.
And, yes, I think you are in the “hey, you kids, get off my lawn” demographic now.
While I loved X-2, I still prefer the first movie, probably because it’s the one that introduced me to Wolverine (btw, I really should have named the kitten Wolverine, or Taz, or Baron Destructo!!!). Still, this is a great movie, and I just LOVE the scene at Bobby’s house…good stuff!
And that’s all I have time for. Insanely busy!
das
@Sparrow_Hawk:
Velvet cake has cocoa?!?
I did not know that! It explains my weekend though…I had a red velvet doughnut and had a reaction. I was trying to figure out what caused it. I’ve only had velvet cake a few times (ever), so I never correlated the two…something else to avoid.
@Anne Teldy:
You shouldn’t worry about potentially getting someone in trouble, if it’s part of their job. Even if they are short-staffed, it should be their responsibility to report staff shortages to management and get additional personnel, if that is the need.
When I managed a design team, it was my responsibility to track their projects and report the overall status in weekly reports to management. If a design fell behind, it was my responsibility to put in place corrective actions. It would not have been acceptable for me to not check the progress of the engineers who worked under me and then simply say “no one told me” when a project missed its deadline.
It sounds like the head of housekeeping in this case was not following the actions of their team, so hopefully that’ll change for the better now. I’m hoping things improve for you moving forward.
@JeffW: Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The recipes vary from 1 teaspoon to 4 tablespoons of cocoa, but every recipe I saw had some chocolate.
@Tam Dixon: I read a ton of Asimov a very long time ago. I’ll add that to my list. Along with Bujold’s Vorkosigan stories.
@JeffW and Sparrow
I thought I posted…maybe not.
The whoopie pies from The Fresh Market – ingredient label mentions cocoa but not a specific amount. Could not tell if the label was generic for all varieties or just the Red Velvet.
So, now the hunt is on for non chocolate/cocoa ones.
Sparrowhawk: Bujold’s Vorkosigan? Thanks, I’ll look him up!
JeffW: The history of Red Velvet: Red velvet cake, the creamy red decadent cake, has traditionally been a Southern specialty. The main ingredient most Southerners will not do without in their homemade recipes is cocoa. Many believe the additional ingredients of vinegar and buttermilk will turn the cocoa into a deeper red color. During World War II, some bakers who refused to forgo the cake’s signature color despite food rations, used boiled red beets instead of food coloring for their secret recipes. There is another theory that red velvet cake originated in Canada.
Anne Teldy — Glad you got the tests done! The nurse practitioner reacted quickly. Vitamins B12 and D3 aren’t cures in themselves, but they are very important to base-level health. B12 strengthens metabolism, forms red blood cells, and helps maintain your central nervous system. Vitamin D3 is the barometer of your immune system. The stronger your immune system, the better prepared your body is to fight off infections and other opportunistic things, like viruses, etc.
Looks like they did give you the right test for D3. For anyone thinking about taking D3, it’s better to check the level first, so you don’t take too much. It’s a cheap test, though. And the disclaimer: let your your doctor interpret the test results. Also, apologies for sounding like miss encyclopedia again. 🙂 I was getting colds, bronchitis in the heat of summer, etc., and no one knew why. The culprit? My D3 level was almost zero, the doc said. No wonder! Thanks to a friend’s suggestion, I feel much, much better. 🙂
One other thing… 😀 The immune system’s foot soldiers, the white blood cells, are paralyzed by Sugar. Sadness, I know! If there’s an active cold, flu, or other infection, temporarily give up sweet stuff, drinks, desserts, and other sources of sugar. I was surprised how much faster I got better. Wait till till it feels like you’ve turned a corner and are getting better before going back to dessert. It truly works!
Das — When I read your kitten’s AU names during dinner time, Baron Destructo read as “Bacon” Destructo. LOL.
Sparrow_hawk — Oh, boy, I do sound like my parents! They’re good people, though. I wouldn’t trade ’em. On the books, let us know which become your favorites.
JeffW — I know, sad thing. I can’t do chocolate, or red velvet cake, either. I found out the hard way, too!
@ JeffW & ftloB – Wot? You can’t eat chocolate? How terrible! 🙁 Can you handle carob? Sometimes that can be used as a substitute for chocolate.
@ ftloB – Bacon Destructo? LOL! THAT would be ME! 😀
das