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Weekend Movie Guide 06/03: X-Men: First Class, First Loves & First Kills
X-Men: First Class continues a Marvel-ous movie summer. The film serves as a prequel to Fox's X-Men series, and introduces a young Professor X (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) & a pre-blue Beast (Nicholas Hoult).
The motley mutant crew joins new-to-the-franchise characters Havok (Lucas Till; energy-blast abilities), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones; super-sonic sound waves enabling flight), Darwin (Edi Gathegi of the Twilight franchise) & Riptide (Álex González; another whirlwind mutant) against the Cuban Missile Crisis. Director/co-writer Matthew Vaughn comes fresh off last year's irreverent Kick-Ass. X-Men: First Class won't be anywhere near as vulgar or violent as that film, but it looks to share the same creative spark.
Other studios must still be hungover from Memorial Day, as X-Men: First Class is the only major release this weekend. In limited release, the Laemmles have Beautiful Boy. The drama stars Michael Sheen & Maria Bello as parents who struggle to come to terms with their son's murder-suicide shooting rampage. The indie dramedy Beginners flips the script: instead of parents discovering their son's horrific nature, it's a man (Ewan McGregor) rediscovering his recently-outed father (Christopher Plummer) while trying to juggle his own new love (Mélanie Laurent of Inglourious Basterds).
Submarine delves deep into an even quirkier romantic triangle, as a British teen attempts to salvage his parents' sex life while kindling his own with a classmate. The film's American co-producers are Ben Stiller & The Weinstens, which makes perfect sense considering how self-referential, awkward, absurd & enjoyable the film looks. Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys provides original music for the Submarine soundtrack.
Looking for something more festive? Check out our weekly guide to the best of LA's repertory theaters, midnight movies & special coverage of the Dances With Film & Mosaic LA Film Festivals. See you at the movies!
Wide Release
X-Men: First Class (Reviews) (Showtimes)
Limited Release
Beautiful Boy (Reviews) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Royal Theatre)
Beginners (Reviews) (The Landmark)
Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today (w/ filmmaker Sandra Schulber) (Nuart Theatre)
Submarine (Reviews) (The Landmark)
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Trailers
X-Men: First Class
Submarine
Beginners
Beautiful Boy
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