NEIGHBORS and X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST - Double Feature Review

Neighbors

Comedy, 2014
1 hour, 36 minutes
Written by Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O'Brien
Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Rated R for "pervasive language, strong crude and sexual content, graphic nudity, and drug use throughout"

Starring
Seth Rogen
Rose Byrne
Zac Efron
Dave Franco
Ike Barinholtz
Carla Gallo
Hannibal Buress
Lisa Kudrow
Craig Roberts

"Do NOT call your mother! Jesus! You Jews and your fucking mothers!"

Finding a good studio comedy seems to be a challenge nowadays. I'm not talking about anything produced by Adam Sandler, but comedies with relatively big names that look funny bust on impact. Neighbors could easily have been one of these films, but thankfully is saved by an excellent premise and cast.

Neighbors centers around first-time parents Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly (Rose Byrne). They live in a lovely suburban neighborhood when a fraternity moves into the house next door. Led by Teddy (Zac Efron), the frat is just as rowdy and obnoxious as any movie fraternity might be. Mac and Kelly are first accepted by the frat, but peacetime quickly turns into wartime once the frat gets just a little too loud. Mac and Kelly conspire together to bring the fraternity to its knees so that they can peacefully raise their child.

I'm just gonna say this outright: Rose Byrne is the hero in this movie. While many raunchy adult comedies revolve around adult men acting like immature five-year olds, Byrne's character Kelly is just as bad, if not worse, than her husband. She has no problem doing insane shit to take down the fraternity, from making out with another woman to blasting fireworks onto a crowded street. Kelly and Mac make a surprisingly convincing couple, seeing as they are more alike each other than we're used to seeing in movies.

There are a few jokes that don't quite hold up and some of the plot is a little predictable, but Neighbors is nonetheless hilarious. Definitely a must-see for those who participate in Greek life.

9/10

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X-Men: Days of Future Past

Comic Book/Action Adventure, 2014
2 hours, 21 minutes
Written by Simon Kinberg
Directed by Bryan Singer
Rated PG-13 for "sequences of intense sci-fi violence and action, some suggestive material, nudity, and language"

Starring
Hugh Jackman
James McAvoy
Michael Fassbender
Patrick Stewart
Ian McKellen
Jennifer Lawrence
Nicholas Hoult
Peter Dinklage
Ellen Page
Evan Peters

"I didn't kill the President."

I've never really understood the X-Men franchise. I don't love or hate the movies -- I just don't really give a shit. The only one I really like is First Class. I have nothing but neutral feelings about the original trilogy and I can't say much about the standalone Wolverine movies. Unlike most movies I see, I went into Days of Future Past with neutral expectations. I was hoping to enjoy it, but wouldn't be upset if I hated it. Turns out, my thoughts on the movie are neutral as well.

The film starts in a bleak future. Robotic beasts called Sentinels roam the desolate landscapes, hunting down any mutants they can find. Among these remaining mutants is the one that can walk through walls (Ellen Page). Apparently she can send people back in time. She sends Wolverine back to the 70s to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing Bolivar Trask aka Tyrion Lannnister in disguise (Peter Dinklage), the scientist who created the Sentinels. Wolverine joins forces with a young Professor X (James McAvoy) and a young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to track down and stop Mystique.

While I wasn't super crazy about the movie, I must admit that it is very well constructed. The time travel mechanic works pretty well and the visual effects are just as good as one would expect. What is most interesting is how Days of Future Past seamlessly connects First Class and the original X-Men trilogy in such an original way.

However, my biggest complaint is that it's just not that entertaining. A bunch of shit happens at the very tail-end that doesn't make a lot of sense to those not versed in X-Men lore. I just didn't care. Hell, I stopped caring once Quicksilver disappeared. Quicksilver was badass! Easily stole the entire show, but he's only there for 10 minutes tops.

I think my thoughts on Days of Future Past are so neutral that it's kind of difficult to write about. I firmly believe the most important element of a film is that it is entertaining -- especially a summer superhero blockbuster. But I was not entertained as much as I hoped I would be. I had no expectations for this movie to live up to, and that minimal expectation was not exceeded. I suppose that on the surface, Days of Future Past is actually pretty solid. The movie didn't majorly fuck up like some of the past movies apparently did, so I guess it has that going for it... I just don't care enough about the movie or the franchise to really get into the thick of it.

7/10