Movie thoughts and fiction updates.
#5 in my ranking of the theatrically released Superman films. Batman Begins came and went to great fanfare, and Warner Brothers needed someone to help them reboot the long-neglected Superman franchise. Who better than Bryan Singer, the man who made the well-received first two X-Men movies? It helped that he was a big fan of… Continue reading Superman Returns
#6 in my ranking of the X-Men franchise. I have a soft spot for this movie. If it weren't for one extended sequence that seems horrendously out of place and pointless, I'd even go so far as to call this good. It's not, but I'm almost there. This is such a big hearted movie with… Continue reading X-Men: Apocalypse
#1 in my ranking of the X-Men franchise. This is probably the best the X-Men franchise is going to get, especially considering the ensemble approach most of the films take. I think there's some unfocused storytelling going on that keeps it a hair's breadth away from greatness, but overall this is the best balancing act… Continue reading X-Men: Days of Future Past
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDk0NjYxMzIzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTc1MjU3.V1.jpg #4 in my ranking of the X-Men franchise. Actually finding a way to anchor this sequel's story in a single main character's journey was a smart move. The first film was weighed down by a certain directionlessness that made it feel like a random series of events before pulling most of it together for… Continue reading X2: X-Men United
#8 in my ranking of the X-Men franchise. The very beginning of the modern comic book boom in movies was an awkward time. There was this great wealth of material begging to be tapped, but after the ludicrous direction the Batman films had taken under Joel Schumaker, studios were unsure of how to actually handle… Continue reading X-Men
David Vining, Author 
