Glorious Basterd.#SuperheroSeason
"Well, if this is it, old boy, I hope you don't mind if I go out speaking the King's"! It looked like Michael Fassbenders first greatest moment in movies was going to be his last. The Londoner from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany with Irish routes was in the crossroads of the cross hairs in the middle of a world war with his own bar-room one. Faced down by a Nazi officer's pistol-a same mark he tried to make-it was time for one last cigarette. They warn you that those things will kill you but at this moment it didn't matter. It was all fun and laughter games, with 20 questions before but now the inquisition had become a whole new showdown. Fear not however, these aren't the most humble beginnings but the classic cameo of Fassbender who took the acting world by storm in just a few minutes and depth dialogue of Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds' starring Brad Pitt and Oscar winning support Christophe Waltz. If this good German walked into an Academy of unchained success after this than it must have been contagious like 'Centurion' success for Q.T.'s characters, as Fassbender showed he was head and scalps above everyone else. Going from roles in 'Eden Lake' and 'Blood Creek' to arm up with a blink and you'll think 'is that him' part in '300' to mega stardom in what seemed like 3.00 minutes.
Now to be frank there's few better than one of the go to leading men and a ladies one in todays modern, mainstream movie world that extends further than the Hollywoodland hills. Donning the paper-machie head of Frank Sidebottom for 'Frank', Fassbender shows more colours of his chameleon characterisation and behind that voice and massive dome Fassbender doesn't let up or take it off once. You'd almost think it wasn't him! Another mega moviestar would probably hire a "stunt" double. Still it is THE Hollywood star running round the North West in their iconic characters look that to anyone else would look like someone whose eaten that "death on a leash" fish that Will Smith had to Benydryl in 'Hitch'. What a trip, even through all the dark depths and black comedy of this cult classic Fassbender shows he really is Frank, all whilst still being Michael at the same time. This guy can just mutate into anything he wants, chooses or so desires. Following his World War redux with Tarantino, Fassbender grew to the star he is right now heading to the 'Apocalypse' of Marvel sequels. The German translation crossed over to one of Stan Lee's most classic comic creations even in this age of The Avengers of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk and of course right now, 'The Amazing Spider-Man' too. In what looks to be Marvel's year which has just seen super successful sequels from the aforementioned Peter Parker and 'The Winter Soldier', this comic coral has a couple more cells for the hottest Summer blockbuster season before the 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' takeover and hold things down.
Those would be the ultimate academy and class of X-Men. The register and roll-call of classic characters and actors that make up Marvel's longest and most successful running film series and one of their most popular comic creations. Even without the popular Cyclops and Jean Grey, we have an Oscar winner in Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry's Storm and of course THE X-Men and maybe Avenger and Marvel character in Wolverine. To go with the man who was born like he had the adamantium under his skin to play him in the hugely popular, all 'Les Mis' singing and Academy 'Prisoner' dancing Hugh Jackman who is clawing away at the best years of his career life coming off a wonderful Wolverine sequel as bold and bright as the Tokyo neons it was set it, with dark undertones as dank as the hard rain that falls between them. Still even with all that and Gandalf and Captain Picard in Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewarts Magneto and Professor X characters-almost legendary as themselves-its the new class that's graduating in this outstanding origins series. With 'First Class' performances James McAvoy and Fassbender are the new X and Magneto respectively in order of credit and all that's due to the actors that came before them. No wonder they're all getting mixed together for these 'Days Of Future Past' before the 'Apocalypse' because as much as the new series is loved you can't beat the classics, especially in hallmark Marvel nostalgia.
McAvoy and Fassbender in 'First Class' showed the beginnings of the two mutant leaders friendship and rivalry perfect. The Marvel way of using their own history in comics to mirror the real worlds history with their cautionary tales and omen predictions was played out perfectly. If you think Captain America punching out Hitler is too on the nose then did you know that Stan Lee based parts of Professor Xavier and Magneto on Martin Luther King Jnr and Malcom X and their non-violent/violent sides of protest in a time where people of colour where treated inhuman? From sitting next to the fireplace in debate tempered by scotch, to the risky business of firing nuclear weapons at either side, McAvoy and Fassbender capture this classically and sometimes some of the most thrilling moments in this tension taught tale come from a seated position...and that's not a tasteless Xavier gag. This is no joke. From the seventies style to the terrifying times tied-up texture 'First Class' was truly true to its name and despite the pair being as perfect as the old friends of McKellen and Patrick it was Fassbender who had both our minds and everything else in his force manipulating reach. Now 'Days Of Future Past' is the movie mash-up sequel everyone wants to see and suited and booted with even more style and stress ball, skull smashing swagger, Magneto is about to marvel us once again with some magnificent madness that give further Loki, Joker, Khan and Bane reason to the fact that its not just fangirls that like bad guys. He even brings stadiums to their knees like a Guns and Roses slash back to the eighties. This guy even sends people flying with casual, dismissive, hand-up disregard without even looking. I mean how cool is that? One of Marvel's greatest actors seemed born to play its characters has more substance behind the style than just what he brings behind the special powers. Fassbender has already fast tracked his career into classic, first on the A-list categorical ranks.
From some 'Haywire' action flicks to being 'The Counsellor' to another classic Cormac McCarthy novel idea amongst the legendary like of ultimate Cormac 'No Country For Old Men' and 'Skyfall' villain Javier Bardem to the Hollywood work of fame that is their most famous face in Brad Pitt. Then of course there was the 'Alien' android dreaming of eclectic, eclectic success in 'Prometheus' between the 'Jane Eyre's and 'Jonah Hex's' and between Terrence Malik projects, 'Assassin Creed' video game awesome adaptations and of course the 'bard Shakespeare, where Fassbender will play 'Macbeth' it looks to only get bolder and better for this modern day marvel who can play anyone whilst still remaining himself like nobody else and nobodies business. They'll be polishing Oscar's for him soon enough and you know he deserved one for his latest Academy nomination, even though Jared Leto was the worthy winner in drag for 'Dallas Buyers Club'. Following appearing in all of the new Steve McQueen legends films from the 'Hunger' beginnings to the sexual 'Shame' with Carey Mulligan, Fassbender just showed how dark and deep he could take it in the Oscar winning '12 Years A Slave'. Possibly one of the best and most harrowing films made in all-time on a 'Schindlers List' scale. Callous, cruel, abhorrent, awful, horrible, horrendous, pure evil, the devil even. There is not a verb or description that does justice to the injustice of how bad Fassbender's slave-owner character is (especially next to Benedict Cumberbatch's amazingly "nice" owner) and that's just the truest testament to how great this actors performance is.
Shouting racist, hateful words through that awful cider beard and doing acts unfathomable to humanity you know an actors done a good job when you hate his character so much that you almost hate him. This is what the chameleon capturing Fassbender did in all his raw rapture and this is the man of the moment that everyone loves that we're talking about here. Still in the wake of all this hard-hitting, historical movie making and the Academy appreciation that followed its still all love for this complex character actor of legendary proportions. So much you can bank on his legion of fans being there for 'Slow West' and all those new films that 'Trespass Against Us' after he delivered himself from evil. This guys is a true 'Genius' in all his career mutations and who knows what he'll have years from now because in the half decade or so that's proceeded his moment with the 'Basterds' God loves this great talent and all he's done for the Hollywood landscape. From a 'Band Of Brothers' to 'A Dangerous Method' this actors mild-storm mannerisms and inspired subtle intensity have broke through to a world take over that now has everyone in his Magneto air-filled grasp. He's just that magnetic. One minute he's got superpowers and an evil streak and then the next in a Mystique, co-star blink of an eye he's posing as a Nazi soldier while shouldering the King of Britain's honour as he switches and changes before your eyes like a creature of character. This is just how complexly convincing and classically courageous this amazing actor is and has become even more. Now he's not just sounding like he's speaking the kings, he's looking and acting like one.
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