XD I Got "Monitored" AND "Mugged" by X-Men Movies India! :p

Okay, so from this post all you X-readers of mine (I'm starting to veer towards the term X-rays lol- how you'll like that?! haha) found out that I won not one but two contests that were held by the X-Men Movies India FB group...And I did promise all of you, pics of the merchandise once I picked it up right? Well this is that post & below are the pics! Just picked 'em up this afternoon! :D

This was the mug that I was talking about...Looks plain at first sight, but then check out the third & fourth pics below! :D

The mug's all worth it just for this awesome red logo that all we Marvel fans know & love! :)

Turn the mug on the right & you get the Fox studios logo!

Alright now imo Fox India has committed a grave sin by palming off X3 VCDs as one of the prizes LOL! What about the X1 & X2 VCDs? haha Anyways it's all good. Love the cover itself! lol

Now the mother of all prizes that I may have EVER won in any competition in my life! A 15" AOC LCD monitor!

Ahh! I can stare at this pretty pic for hours! LOL A hell lotta thanks goes out to the guys running the X-Men Movies India FB group! You guys ROCK!


And congrats to the two winners who won mugs & VCDs for the poster competition I wrote about here !

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Xstatic! X-Men First Class enjoys a No. 6 spot at the US BO!

Another weekend, another $6 mil for X-Men First Class! Yup X-fans, although X-Men First Class was at No. 4 last week in the US Box Office, it falls just 2 spots below in it's fourth week to enjoy it's No. 6 position with an additional $6 mil+ added to it's kitty! :D

It managed this despite the number of theaters screening the movie being reduced by 742! A total of 2,633 cinemas screened the film. And now the total (domestic) gross for XFC is...(drum roll please)...$132,895,408! As of June 27 that number has gone to $133,754,373! To check out how it's faired in the weeks past in the US read these articles now!

Here's where X-Men First Class stands at the current US Box Office:
1. Cars 2 $66,135,507
2. Bad Teacher $31,603,106
3. Green Lantern $18,028,056
4. Super 8 $12,028,092
5. Mr. Popper's Penguins $10,145,662
6. X-Men: First Class $6,680,480
And just FYI, The Hangover II rests just below XFC at No. 7 with $5,574,179 while Pirates 4 & Kung Fu Panda 2 are at No. 9 ($4,928,925) & No. 10 ($4,173,144) respectively.

Overseas, XFC has made $186,658,643 (upto June 27)! So as of June 27 XFC has netted a total gross of $320,413,016!! And with an (effective) budget of $140 mil this is a great profit for the franchise! Here's to more X-sequels!

Once again, Box Office Mojo helped me get all this info to you. Will update this post once more details appear on the weekend overseas numbers...


Wanna watch XFC in HD anytime you want at home?? Pre-order your Blu-ray &/or DVD today!

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XD I Got "Mugged" on my Birthday! :p

Okay, okay...So I know a post has been long time coming from me but I have a REAL valid reason X-fans: Monday (27th June) was my birthday. And having a party on Monday for pals ensured my weekend would be busy & hectic! But it was great, so thanks for asking! lol

Now how did I get "mugged" on my birthday. Well one of my best friends, Sheetal, gifted me this awesome surprise! She knows what a HUGE X-fanatic I really am- she's aware about the blog & how much I loved X-Men First Class & all that...So her gift was only fitting: a totally RAD X-Men First Class mug! It's so cool! Check out the pics below!

Do notice the nice touch of my cybername "njferns" in the bottom corners of the mug's picture!

Now you wouldn't know this but I won 2 out of 3 competitions held by the X-Men Movies India FB group. In fact I had got the call on Monday itself to go & collect the prizes! But being my birthday & all I obviously haven't done it yet.

The first contest was for the best profile pic that was posted on their Wall, having the custom-made XFC badge they had created for us X-fans in the group. You can see the profile pic I had created out here. For this I'm getting an X-Men First Class mug (yup another one for me! lol) & a X-Men VCD. The funny thing was that when I was unwrapping Sheetal's gift I was just telling her about getting an XFC mug for this contest & when I completely opened the gift & was getting her mug out I was stunned (I dunno for how long I had my mouth open! lol) & then we both had a hearty laugh!

For the second contest I won a 15" LCD monitor(!) for my answer to the question they posted:
Do you think humans need supernatural or mutant abilities to help bring crime to justice or can it be achieved without it?
My Answer: "As we have already seen, whether you have superpowers or not a mutant is very much capable for using them for good & evil. Just like we are capable of using our intelligence & talents for good & bad purposes...So it doesn't matter if you have superpowers, justice can still be achieved.
"Superpowers can make a Professor X but they can also make a Magneto. So powers never matter, its the heart, conscience & personality of a person that matters & their will to do & see good things happen in this world.Superpowers can never be the answer to fighting crime in a real world. For all you know it may cause more problems & complications."
What say X-fans? Agree with my answer? Or do you have another point of view? Would love to hear 'em!

Once I do collect these prizes, I'll definitely be updating this post posting about it! And don't worry guys, more regular posts from now on once again! :D

UPDATE (30/6/11): Check out all the pics of the prizes I won out here! yup, finally collected them this afternoon! :D

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Factoring X: X-Men First Class Worst Gaffes (Spoilers) Pt. I

In Factoring X, I'll be discussing various issues with regards to the X-Men be it in movies, TV or comics. Today I'm discussing about what changes have been made to the original comics stories to make it suitable for the X-Men First Class movie. AND I'm gonna pass my verdict if the changes worked for the movie or not...

We have all seen the movie been praised to the skies, but we all know it isn't perfect (at least for comic book fans) & there are many out there still cussing Fox studios despite the high critical acclaim the film has received. And perhaps, to call them the "worst" gaffes is pretty harsh, but I wanted a rhyming title alright?! lol So let's just get down to it. I'll be starting my "Gaffe List" in the order in which they appear in the movie.

I Magneto's powers didn't manifest until much later in his life, not when he was in the Auschwitz death camp. During this time, he went by his name- Max Eisenhardt. After surviving the Holocaust, he married Magda, a girl he met at Auschwitz. It was when Magda & Anya (their daughter) were trapped in a burning house that Max first used his powers consciously.
Did it work? Hell ya! The scene where little Erik first truly unleashes his powers was the first scene (amongst others) in the movie that gave me the chills. A scene like that could have come across as comical or silly but Vaughn brought out the absolute frustration & yes, anger & pain of the character in that one scene!

II Sebastian Shaw. He was never a Klaus Schmidt at Auschwitz. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania & his power first manifested shortly after he joined engineering school. By 30, he became a millionaire through his company Shaw Industries. By 40, he was a billionaire! The movie becomes more accurate to the comics Shaw once it goes to the 60s. He does become the Black King- leader of the Hellfire Club, helped by Emma Frost.
Did it work? Here I'd say no. Here's why- Shaw's character in the flashback (Schmidt)- seems a lot like Dr. Nathaniel Essex, more popular by the name of Mister Sinister. This guy did actually work with the Nazis during WWII doing genetic research. He's also known to be responsible for many monstrous creations. And if this Shaw character in XFC means we may not get a Sinister in a future movie (or worse- a changed Sinister character) then I say they should've rather gone with Sinister himself! Especially considering his history involving the Summers' (Cyclops') family & Apocalypse!



III The mansion may be the same, but what went down in the Westchester House in 1962 is a completely different story! Mystique never figured into Charles' early years AT ALL- let alone be his adopted sister!
Did it work? Hmm, well yes & no. It was cool to see little Mystique do a transformation of someone much larger in size than her, but seeing her shake hands with Xavier & become his foster sister? Meh, not so much.

IV Charles went through hair loss much earlier in life than in the movie. It happened as soon as his powers began to manifest. Also in the comics, Charles lost the use of his legs not because of Magneto. It happened after his encounter with an alien- the alien, called Lucifer, threw a stone block on Charles, subsequently shattering his spine & crippling him.
Did it work? Yes to both! The many changes in Charles' character simply made him more likeable & interesting. So that was a change for the better. And the comic book reason for Xavier being confined to the wheelchair? Are you kidding me? The movie version is way cooler & makes more sense to the average moviegoer! And I'm sure that'd be Xavier's pickup line in the sequel- "Yeah got in the chair after getting shot by a bullet in my back..." lol



(Continued here)

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Factoring X: X-Men First Class Worst Gaffes (Spoilers) Pt. II

(Continued from here)

V Now though we are sure of Charles' childhood story, we know next to nothing about Mystique when she was a little un. All we do know about her early years is that her real name is Raven Darkholme & that she learned to use her powers at a particularly early age (which WAS shown in the movie). So who knows? She may have had some history with some of the X-Men characters as a kid but it most certainly wasn't Professor X.
Did it work? Seeing that we know nothing about here past, it is cool that this movie did somewhat flesh out her childhood & adolescence, however different it might've been from the comics Mystique. But now I guess the comics may put in elements of her movie past into the comic stories, just like how full black leather costumes were incorporated from the original trilogy & how the X-23 character that was essentially created for the X-Men Evolution cartoon series (that I love btw) came into comic existence too, as a clone of Wolverine's.



VI As I said before, Moira MacTaggert was not at all a CIA agent! This Scottish geneticist first met Xavier in college as Moira Kinross & they fell in love. However she ended up getting married to a Royal Marine Commando Joseph MacTaggert (thus becoming Moia MacTaggert). That marriage didn't last & she got engaged to Xavier. But after his draft into military service, that broke off too...
Did it work? Well considering their reasoning behind this change I think yes. The filmmakers wanted her to feel that same isolation in her surroundings (woman in a man's world) as the mutant's feel in their lives, so that she can relate to them. And if they made her a geneticist in the movie much of the drama wouldn't have taken place (her infiltration into the Hellfire Club, for one) & her character would have probably been relegated to the importance of the Dr. Kavita Rao role in X3! Ugggh...



VII Angel & Darwin were not at all even thought of in the 60's- forget existing! Angel first appeared on the X-scene in 2001 in New X-Men Vol.1 #118 & Darwin in 2006's X-Men: Deadly Genesis #2! And Angel was never a go-go dancer lol.
Did it work? I think yes. Angel's stripper character fits well with the whole swinging 60s vibe they were looking for in the movie. Also the effect of her wings popping out of her tattoos is REAL cool! Darwin was a great character too. My only complaint is that both characters seem under-used especially Darwin! And why do I get the feeling that Angel may be the next one to die in the First Class sequel...? But one particular scene that irritates me is the dramatic way in which Darwin lifts his hand gesturing Angel to return back to the fold! It's like the director told him to act like he was in a LOTR movie- LAME!

VIII Alex Summers (Havok) is actually Cyclops' younger brother. However the good thing here is that they have left the family relation ambiguous (to be explained in the sequel perhaps?). Also his costume was given to him by Larry Trask, son of Bolivar Trask (the Sentinels' inventor) & not Beast. In fact, Havok joined the X-Men much later in his life than shown in the movie.
Did it work? Yes, again. Havok's a great character & many were looking forward to seeing him. They've changed the color of his plasma waves from blue (in the comics) to red, most probably to foreshadow his link to Cyke. So that's definitely a nice touch. And they have maintained his cocky, headstrong nature from the comics.



IX Banshee was also another character who joined the X-Men late. This Irishman whose real name was Sean Cassidy (somehow I don't remember that name being used in the movie- correct me if I'm wrong), has always been a decade older than the other X-Men members & he hasn't remained on the team for long.
Did it work? Yes. Another character that fans have been eagerly waiting for. And this guy had quite a chunky role (taking into consideration that it IS an X-Men film lol). The scene where he first gets his groove on in flying is pretty cool.

X And lastly- the origins of Magneto's helmet. Well, obviously you must've guessed that Shaw has nothing to do with him procuring a helmet, after reading about Shaw not being a part of Mags' comics evolution as in the movie. After surviving the destruction of his mutant nation Genosha, Erik fled to China & took up the alias Xorn- a mutant healer having an deformed head that needed to be concealed in a metal "mask" which happens to be his telepathy-proof helmet.
Did it work? Yes. Shaw's use of the helmet ties in nicely with the movie ("Well, at least I can take this silly thing off!" & that whole sequence of him asking Emma to read his mind while he wears his helmet is nice with a funny ending). AND I specifically give a resounding YES to Magneto's reinvention of the helmet in it's red & purple glory will make any fanboy jump with joy! Can't wait to see Erik in a cooler costume for he next installment (at the end of the movie. his helmet is rad! But his costume? Meh...)



So wotchya think? Agree? Or do we only agree to disagree? :P Can you think of more gaffes? Then do sound off in the comments!

Wanna watch XFC in HD anytime you want at home?? Pre-order your Blu-ray &/or DVD today!

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Xtreme: Marvel Wallpaper releases for June!

Marvel's given their fans another slew of their incredible wallpapers! Official Marvel wallpapers are always of the covers of comic books they release in that particular month & this June, we get loads of amazing cover art in all their high res glory!

You got Red Hulk, (green) Hulk, quite a few Spider-man ones (the Spider-man #666 cover is particularly awesome!), Captain America (another rad one!), Thor, Black Panther & Spider-Girl amongst others.

So where do the X-Men figure into all of this? Well fear not X-fans! We got some new X-wallpapers too! Magneto, Deadpool & a couple of Wolverine ones thrown in for good measure! Plus a new wallpaper from the ongoing X-Men Legacy storyline...I've put the previews for all the X-Men ones below & download all the wallpapers out here! Enjoy!


Now you know where the idea for that red helmet & attire for Magneto came from in X-Men First Class dontchya? It's Mags' costume colors in the comics!

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Xpose! Official X-Men First Class wallpapers!

Are you as pissed as I am at Fox that their official X-Men First Class site boasts of just 2 wallpapers?!? (I won't get into how mindeffing-ly late their site took to actually show SOME content!)

But we are all angry at 'em no more, cos the movie is a success. And I don't just mean a financial success (like X3 or X-Men Origins: Wolverine, *snigger snigger*) but also a HUGE critical success! I think only The Dark Knight was the last superhero/comic book movie to ever enjoy such critical acclaim!

Well, Marvel has decided to soothe our pain about the lack of sufficient content on the XFC site by releasing 14 images of XFC high res goodness! :D

I had already created a wallpaper for myself (before these 14 were released) of 1280x1024 resolution using the Mystique pic I posted out here looong ago when this blog just started! Do lemme know if you guys want MORE & I'd also like to know what resolutions you'll would like 'em in. I'm posting a sneak peak of my wallpaper-creation so you can judge if you'd like more of them. Find it at the end of these 12 official sneak preview wallpapers below.

And this is the sneak peek of the Mystique wallpaper I made for my own desktop. It's simple yes, but definitely served it's purpose before I got my hands on the ones released by Marvel. Tell me if y'all need it in high res & want more!


Wanna watch XFC in HD anytime you want at home?? Pre-order your Blu-ray &/or DVD today!

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Xtreme: X-Men Evolutions Variant Covers' Artwork

Okay so I have to admit- for hardcore X-fans, this will be old news. And I hadn't actually thought of putting this as my first post for comic book artwork...But I've seen quite a few people on this Facebook X-Men group talk about & gawk at these (nothing but awesome) variant covers that have been done just in time for the X-Men: First To Last (May) storyline. Christopher Yost returns to the X-Men with artists Paco Medina and Dalibor Talijic.

According to Marvel, the series will make you "discover the staggering consequences when Xavier’s first class arrives in the future to tackle their greatest foe yet! The next shocking X-Men arc starts right here and, when it’s all over, a major new figure will tower over the team’s past and their undecided future."

That's right! It goes right back to the First Class...Convenient huh? With the First Class movie out et all? The following "X-Men Evolutions" variant covers were released in mid-May & are brilliant pieces of artwork (very wallpaper-worthy). So I am posting all 13 pics that were released, out here...Each as been done by a different artist but all are equally EPIC! As always, click to enlarge the pics!

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