This week on “Tim & Bob’s Excellent Movie Adventures,” Tim Lammers and Bob Sansevere talk about the biggest movie spots revealed during the Big Game. Also, Tim pulls from his interview vault a 2014 conversation with Hugh Jackman for his superhero adventure “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”
Tim reviews movies weekly for the “Adam and Jordana” with Adam Carter and Jordana Green on WCCO Radio, “It Matters with Kelly Cordes” on WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere, and reviews streaming programming on WCCO Radio’s “Adam and Jordana” as well. On TV, Tim has made hundreds of guest appearances on NBC affiliate KARE on the news program “KARE 11 News at 11.” On radio, Tim made hundreds of appearances on “The KQ Morning Show” with Tom Barnard on KQRS-FM.
Note: In celebration of the release of the final movie of the “X-Men” saga, “Dark Phoenix,” this week, here’s an interview with the star of the franchise since the beginning, Hugh Jackman, for the 2014 blockbuster “Days of Future Past.”
Originally published May 22, 2014
Whether he’s sporting adamantium or bone claws, Hugh Jackman is no doubt as sharp as ever as the Logan/Wolverine in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” But perhaps no performance of the legendary character prior to this new chapter in the “X-Men” and “Wolverine” film series stands out more than his three-word cameo in 2011’s “X-Men: First Class.”
It’s a brief, but memorable scene, where the young Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) walk into a bar to recruit the grizzled mutant for a new initiative. After briefly introducing themselves, Logan, sitting at the bar and chomping a cigar, says unflinchingly, “Go f–k yourself.”
“I remember (director) Matthew Vaughn pitching the idea to me, and I asked, ‘Is anyone else swearing in the movie?’ and he said, ‘No.’ So I said, ‘I’m in,'” Jackman told me, laughing, in an interview for the theatrical release of the film. “I literally went in for a half a day, and when I left, I hoped that I’d get a chance to work with these guys again. They were awesome. Michael was in the makeup chair, telling jokes the whole time. We got on really well. Both guys are phenomenal actors.”
Of course, at the time, Jackman had no idea at the time that he’d get his wish to work with Fassbender and McAvoy again, much less in an “X-Men” movie — until the director of the first two films in the “X-Men” franchise, Bryan Singer, approached him about the unique idea of playing the central character in a film that showcased mutants in their past and future incarnations for “Days of Future Past.”
“When he sent me a one-pager of the idea, I got about halfway through it, knowing I’d say, ‘Yes’ to the movie. It was such of an awesome idea,” Jackman recalled. “It was such an organic way to bring everyone together.”
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” begins in a dystopian future where Wolverine, Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Magneto (Ian McKellen), Storm (Halle Berry) and a host of other mutants are clinging to survival. The world has become overrun by Sentinels — giant robots infused with mutant DNA — which have not only decimated the mutant population, but targeted any humans sympathetic to the mutant cause.
As it turns out, there was a key event involving a mutant 50 years earlier which led to the creation of the Sentinels. In the hope of changing the course of events, Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) uses her powers to enable Wolverine’s mind to travel back to 1973, where his consciousness would be implanted in a younger version of himself to find the young Professor X, Magneto and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) in a desperate attempt to avert disaster.
While Jackman has been heavily involved in the X-Men universe since the film franchise kicked off in 2000, the actor admits that he was only vaguely familiar with the fan-heralded “Days of Future Past” storyline from Marvel Comics’ X-Men canon.
“I had heard about it, but had never read the comic book. So the idea of doing it on film never even crossed my mind until I read the one pager, actually,” Jackman explained. “It was really great for all of us. Everyone really loved getting back together again, because we’re all like family now.”
As Jackman found, however, the storyline turned out to be a double-blessing in a sense for the filmmakers: With a narrative that examines the idea of altering the course of history, it gave them the opportunity to right some wrongs in previous “X-Men” movies that raised the ire of the fan base.
“The fact that it came from a part of the X-Men lexicon only helped give this new movie some credibility,” Jackman said. “It’s a brilliant device to clear up some of the inaccuracies we had before, and to make it feel like a fresh beginning. It’s very, very clever and Wolverine feels more complete now. It was great playing him and doing something a little more out of the box for my character. It’s also sort of a wonderful throwback to the first movie, but now it’s a complete reverse of what Professor Xavier was doing for my character. Now I’m doing it for his.”
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Secret weapon
There’s no doubt an immeasurable amount of brutal training and commitment for Jackman that went into the creating the incredible physique of Logan/Wolverine for seventh time with “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” But the vital element that’s often overlooked in Jackman’s physical transformation into the character is an unseen weapon that doesn’t necessarily happen while he’s preparing to play the character for a film, but what transpires in the theater.
The actor’s Weapon X, if you will, is called stamina, and it’s all thanks to Jackman’s three turns on Broadway, and he’s soon heading back for a fourth with “The River” (after hosting the Tony Awards for the fourth time, no less) to stay with the flow.
“I often feel after being on stage and going to fill that I feel sharper. It’s a great discipline,” Jackman enthused. “You have to do eight performances a week and hit it 100 percent. You have to be there at the top of your game. Nothing’s harder than eight shows a week. There’s performing, dancing, singing. I think the hardest I ever worked was doing ‘The Boy from Oz’ (which earned him a Best Actor Tony in 2004). I can still tell you the finish date of the production, which was the 16th of September, because it was kind of like crossing a marathon finish line.”
Giving it his all, after all, isn’t a choice for the Tony winner and Oscar nominee – it’s a way of life, and he’s committed to being all there all the time. He’s keenly aware of the fact that people spend their hard-earned money to see him, and he never, ever, wants to disappoint.
“For any member of the audience, it could only be the once-a-year thing for them. The theater could be a special outing for somebody, as is the movies. Hey, I know. I have two young kids, so getting to the movies is not so easy,” Jackman added.
With any luck, Jackman will continue his trek as Wolverine and entertain audiences for years to come. Of course, in the age of franchise reboots, the fact that role will go to another actor someday is inevitable. At age 45, Jackman admits the idea is definitely weighing on his mind, but he’s not going to preoccupy himself with it.
“There’s got to be an end date, but I think I can do 21 or 22 more movies, something like that,” Jackman told me, laughing. “I just want see the party finishing before someone pushes me out the door. You need to help me out there. Just call me up and say, ‘Buddy, this should be our last interview for this character.'”
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
The “X-Men” saga – at least in this iteration – is finally coming to an end with “X-Men: Dark Phoenix,” an exciting and satisfying conclusion to the Marvel movie mutant series that began in 2000 with Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Halle Berry, and introduced the world to the talents of an Australian actor named Hugh Jackman.
Since that time, the “X-Men” have assembled for six movies (not including three featuring Wolverine/Logan and two for Deadpool), the last being pitiful “X-Men: Apocalypse” in 2016. Thankfully the deck has been reshuffled for the finale to feature the comic book’s acclaimed “Dark Phoenix” saga, which benefits by the rising popularity by “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner in the title role.
“Dark Phoenix” begins in 1975, where after a tragedy involving her family, a young Jean Grey (Summer Fontana) is taken into Dr. Charles Xavier’s (James McAvoy) School for the Gifted, where he teaches the telepathic mutant to harness her powers. Fast-forwarding to 1992, the adult Jean (Turner), along with fellow mutants Beast (Nicolas Hoult), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Quicksilver (Evan Peters), are recruited by the U.S. government to save the astronauts of a NASA space shuttle, which is in distress, spinning in space and ready to explode any minute.
AUDIO: Tim reviews “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show” on KQRS-FM.
The dangerous mission works, but in an attempt of rescuing the shuttle captain, Grey absorbs what seems to be a solar flare, which gives her powers far beyond what she can control. Tragically, the instability in her mutation leads to a tragic death that fractures the X-Men: some of which including Magneto want to kill her, while Professor X and Jean’s boyfriend, Cyclops, want to save and possibly cure her. Standing in everybody’s way, though, is an alien race lead by the malevolent Vuk (Jessica Chastain), who seek the Dark Phoenix’s powers to impose rule over the planet.
“Dark Phoenix” is a reboot within a reboot story of sorts for the “X-Men” movie universe, following the critical and fan lambasting of the plot in “X-Men: The Last Stand,” where Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) was resurrected after sacrificing herself to save her fellow X-Men in “X2: X-Men United.” The plot misfire was rectified somewhat, though, with the time-traveling plot of 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which allowed for director and writer Simon Kinberg (replacing excommunicated “X-Men” helmer Bryan Singer) an opportunity to bring justice to the comic book fan-favorite storyline.
To that end, fans should be satisfied with “Dark Phoenix,” even though a few parts – especially at the beginning and the end of the film — echo too closely the beginning and the ending of “The Last Stand.” Of course, the big benefit now is the right use of the always evolving world of visual effects, which is done in ways familiar in some instances, and refreshing and new in others.
What makes the film worthwhile is the cast, including Turner, McAvoy, Fassbender, Holt and Chastain in the key roles. While she receives top-billing, Lawrence’s appearance is reduced to a supporting turn here, while Sheridan, Shipp and McPhee appear in more functional roles. Underused again – like he has been from the very beginning – is Peters’ always entertaining Quicksilver, who essentially disappears after two large action showcases. But while the leads have a lot of presence, the film still needed someone with the charisma of Jackman to anchor it, an attribute the actor instantly brought to franchise as a relative newcomer in 2000.
“X-Men: Dark Phoenix” is a vast improvement over 2016’s “X-Men: Apocalypse,” a dreadful disappointment coming off of the blistering success of “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which is arguably one of the best in the “X-Men” film series involving nearly all of the major X-Men characters past and present. “Days of Future Past” served as a solid, passing-of-the-torch film from the legacy cast to the prequel cast established in 2011’s “X-Men: First Class” (McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence and Hoult), and was the last to feature Jackman, Stewart and McKellen in meaningful roles (apart from Jackman’s powerful “Logan.”). The bloated and tedious “Apocalypse,” quite simply, couldn’t live up to hype and left a promising revival hanging in the balance.
“Dark Phoenix” thankfully restores the “X-Men” saga to its former glory, recapturing the tone of the previous, great “X-Men” films, which traditionally have been far more serious than their Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts. While the MCU films have largely been about publicly-accepted superheroes saving the world, the “X-Men” films have keyed in on how the mutants with superpowers have been societal outcasts, a theme that is examined once again after the “X-Men” fall out of the public’s good graces after the space shuttle crew rescue.
While the film is being billed as “the shocking end to the X-Men saga,” fans shouldn’t fret too much over not seeing their favorite film mutants again. Essentially what this means is that “Dark Phoenix” is the last film that was produced wholly under the 20th Century Fox banner, which finally was absorbed by Disney in the spring. What it surely does mean is that either there will be new “X-Men” films cast by Disney and the MCU (good luck recasting Jackman’s Wolverine!), or at the very least, the introduction of select X-Men characters (who will likely be recast) to the new “Avengers” tales post-“Endgame.”
AUDIO: Tim reviews “X-Men: Dark Phoenix” and more with Jordana Green and guest host Joe Anderson on “Paul and Jordana” on WCCO-AM.
No matter what the case may be, at least “Dark Phoenix” did right by the franchise by completing its sprawling, 19-year-long tale in a meaningful sort of way. Sure, the franchise, never earned the gazillions of dollars the MCU did, but it rarely lost sight of good storytelling and created plenty of characters fans cared about. If anything, the first “X-Men” in 2000 kicked off a new wave of superhero films that burgeoned into the genre juggernaut that it is today. And talk about mutating … without “X-Men” and the clear appetite fans had for superhero fare, who knows were the genre would have gone had Fox didn’t take the initiative and risk to produce the film nearly 20 years ago. Dark as the themes in the series may be, they brought a whole new cinematic light to comic book movies.
Lammometer: 7.5 (out of 10)
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
It seems that Hugh Jackman has saved his best performance as Wolverine for last.
Jackman, of course, defined the role of the adamantium-clawed mutant in 2000’s “X-Men” — and reprised the role eight more times (including the new film) in the ensuing years — is brilliant in “Logan,” which the actor previously announced would be his last turn in the movie saga.
Expertly directed by “The Wolverine” helmer James Mangold, “Logan” strips the “X-Men” mythos to the bare essentials, and in the process, results in a raw and compelling superhero adventure. Concentrating mainly on three mutants, the film easily sets itself apart from the previous “X-Men” films in story, character development and action.
Audio slideshow: James Mangold talks “Logan”
Based on the “Old Man Logan” storyline from the Marvel Comics, “Logan” is set in 2029, in a society where mutants have all but been eradicated, and Logan/Wolverine, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Caliban (Stephen Merchant) take shelter in a run-down hideout on the Mexican border.
Old, cranky and sick, Logan and Charles are living a shadow of an existence, until a desperate woman tracks down Logan and pleads with him to transport a 10-year-old girl named Laura (a spectacular Dafne Keen) to a safe haven in northern part of the United States. Logan’s reluctant to do it, until a militaristic government organization shows up, seeking her capture. It turns out that the girl is a mutant as well, and her ties to Logan may be closer than he thinks.
Twentieth Century Fox definitely made the right move by allowing Jackman and Mangold to make “Logan” a R-rated film, the same sort of strategy that propelled “Deadpool” to worldwide blockbuster status last year. “Logan,” however, doesn’t have a wiseass tone like “Deadpool,” and is much more serious. It’s ultra-violent and bloody (what else would you expect from a guy with steely claws?), and without question earns the distinction of being the “John Wick” of superhero movies.
That’s not to say it doesn’t have its share of comedic moments, particularly between Logan and Charles, who bicker at each other like a pair of grumpy old men (or is it grumpy old mutants?). It’s a real hoot to hear Charles – the majestic professor in the previous films – drop the F-bombs like there’s no tomorrow.
The sad part of “Logan” is, it appears to be the end of the road for Stewart as Charles, too. You can’t help but feel a sense of sadness as “Logan” wraps up, knowing that Jackman and the always-great Stewart are hanging it up.
But as we’ve learned in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” there’s nothing ever final in the “X-Men” universe.
Lammometer: 9 (out of 10)
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