by Indy Datta

Pictured are just a few of the wild horses that would be required to drag me into a screening of X-Men: First Class this weekend. But the reviews have generally been positive, and even some of the negative ones have been kind to the purported talents of Matthew Vaughn.

While there’s little that’s more boring than people who don’t know anything about films being given space in the papers to whine about the number of sequels that Hollywood makes, I was a little taken aback to go to the multiplex a couple of days ago to find that 6 of the 8 films playing were sequels, and one of the other two was Thor, which is part of the whole Marvel Avengers thing Matthew Turner blogged about on this site a few weeks ago (er, so it’s kind of a sequel, right?). I ended up seeing The Hangover Part 2 (“a Todd Phillips Movie”!), which seems to be this month’s designated recipient of disproportionate critical scorn for a mediocre comedy (with some exceptions), and Kung Fu Panda 2, a sequel to a movie which never needed one, but which Dreamworks are going to give us anyway, we’re welcome. The reported plan was to do six Kung-Fu Panda movies. That’s six. Slightly underwhelming box office may put the kibosh on that, and has also meant a bout of soul searching about whether the 3D trend has peaked.

Of the weekend’s other releases, I’m most tempted by Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine’s Mammuth, which gets a release hot on the heels of their gleefully scabrous Louise-Michel, which I saw at the London Film Festival a couple of years ago, along with one the most anarchic post-film director Q&A sessions I’ve ever experienced…

And if I was in America, my choice would definitely be Mike Mills’ Beginners. OK, it looks a bit indie-schmindie twee, but I loved Thumbsucker, so I’m cutting this one a bit of slack at the moment.

In so-called “other stuff”:

David Mamet – I’m a crazy right-winger now!

Paul Feig talks about, among other things, how test screening audiences shaped the upcoming Bridesmaids.

Smooth transition to the original ending test screening audiences hated for Alexander Payne’s Election.

The MUBI Daily Notebook commemorates what might have been Marilyn’s 85th birthday.

Mmm… sandwiches

(Spanglish is my favourite)

Next week is a themed week on Mostly Film – all about great television shows you haven’t seen, unless you’re bigger square-eyed freaks than we are, even. First up, Spank the Monkey on “Limmy’s Show”.