The sea will rise and the sun will die

This is a X-Men: First Class appreciation blog. Possibly spoilery, depending on your strict adherence to that. So maybe if you don't want to know anything, it's best not to read this. I'll try not to, but you never know. Really, you should go watch it.

Lookit, I'm not blogging about myself, isn't it a nice change? I do try to limit my angst and self-pity. My angst bucket is just filled after a weekend of Winchester-goodness and the movie mentioned above.

The more I think about it – and frankly, I can’t stop thinking about it, it's been running on a loop in my head all week – the more I just appreciate the subtleties in the characters. Not across the board, when it comes to characters like Emma Frost there’s still a lot left to work with, but definitely with Charles and Erik. And really, at the end of the day, this film is all about them. And they have broken my heart, goddammit! Magneto is just amazing. And I know he’s “the bad guy” in the end, but it’s so ambiguous. You can understand why he’s doing it, where he’s coming from, and while that’s not justification, it does allow for a certain amount of compassion. (Though every time there was any mention of revenge, R and I did call him Sam with disapproving tuts.) I think Charles understands that as well, which is why he doesn’t have it in him to stop him.

Ugh. That scene where Erik finally confronts Shaw and Charles just stands there, holding it in – angst angst angst. Not to even mention the beach scene. Just…ugh. I definitely overdosed on angst. But, being a sucker for all things impossible and ill-fated, I’m off to see it again tomorrow night. And I'll see it again too, so you know, if anyone is looking for company, I'm your girl.

This is why I can't have nice things.

There's some really great promo and behind-the-scenes stuff for First Class. This photo cracks me up for some reason. I don't know why, but it's like James is just lying there going 'Okay, I'm going to have a little nap, you sit there and point.' The costume designer took that pic, she's got quite a few cool ones up on her blog (spoilers) if you're into that kind of thing. Really though, the BTS and promo stuff for this film is just gold. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are the greatest thing since those silly Supernatural boys at a con. So many ridiculous interviews to watch. It’s killing me with adorability (not a word, but it should be!)

From Tumblr, where else? Click through for original.

Not mine, click through for original yadda yadda get with it.

“What powers would you want for dating?”
Michael: I don’t know, the power to make somebody feel comfortable?

Oh! I nearly forgot about this -

I don't actually know here this one came from. If you do, before you get spittingly furious at me for re-appropriating it, just let me know and I'll credit (ah, joys of the internet)

GPOY. Also, I love you Wolverine. Also also, Hugh Jackman is a king amongst men. I don’t care what anyone says, I love the guy. If you disagree, please let me direct your attention to his bit with Neil Patrick Harris at the Tonys.



How can you not love that? There simply isn’t a way.

Wait. I've gone off topic.

The thing I love about Marvel is they aren’t afraid to deviate from the comics. While that (understandably) upsets fans, it also opens it up to so many other people – people like me who have always been intimidated by the sheer scope of the comic-verse. So yes, they might fuck around with the canon a bit to get things like Iron Man and Thor and X-Men off the ground, but they’re good solid movies. Movies I absolutely adore with every fibre of my miserable misfit being. Whereas movies that are too faithful to the original text, for example Watchmen, are a bit much for n00bs. And I understand why that would upset purists, I really do. I know how it feels when they fuck up the things you love to make it into movies – but I'm beginning to think rather than worrying about the adaptation, it may be better to just look at it as new texts, in their own right, rather than placing them in the same frame as what you love so much. Just a thought. (That said, if they screw up 'The Princes' Tale' in the last Harry Potter movie, there will be blood.)

Anyway, I'm slowly getting into the graphic novel thing. In a splashing-about-drowning sort of way. Well, ok, not really. I'm reading The Sandman and Scott Pilgrim at the moment, and I have V For Vendetta, Watchmen, Wanted and a random Superman arc on my TBR pile. I've already read the first volumes of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Fables, which I really enjoyed (intertextuality FTW) and someone has lent me X-Men: Magneto Testament and recommended Human Target. But I'm such a crazy perfectionist, it kind of goes against my natural instinct to just read them. I feel like I need to go back to the very first one ever and start from there...but of course then I'd be dead before I ever got anywhere with it.

The point is - I had one when I started this, I'm not sure it's really worked out. Still, I really, really loved this movie.

And this song is apt.

When the lightning strikes you'll find me there
With my head in my hands to evade your stare
Cause a shive speaks to my bones so well
No I'll never speak, no I'll never tell

Music: Apocalyptic Renegade - Twin Atlantic