Last summer's X-Men: First Class ended with a snap, crackle, and pop, as erstwhile BFFs Professor Xavier and Magneto ended up on opposite ends of the spectrum agitating for mutant rights.  While Xavier set about establishing his school for gifted youngsters, Magneto adopted his codename and helmet to bring the fight to the Man.  That doesn't mean, however, that Erik Lensherr will be twirling his mustache as an arch villain in the planned sequel, though.  According to screenwriter Simon Kinberg, Magneto will remain a conflicted character in the continuation.

2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine was commercially successful, but critics and audiences didn't exactly fall in love with the film and there was a general sense that the X-Men franchise might be running out of steam.  Then last summer, X-Men: First Class pulled a Batman Begins, basically rebooting the series and setting it in a promising new direction.  20th Century Fox has indicated it would continue with a sequel to the prequel and even hired a writer to do some work, but its been an open question whether or not Matthew Vaughn would return for another round. 

Over the summer, the prequel X-Men: First Class pulled a Batman Begins, performing well, but not phenomenally, and establishing a new direction for a franchise that was probably running out of creative momentum.  It was something of a palate cleanser, a well-reviewed adventure with solid word of mouth to hook wayward fans back into the world of Marvel's mutants.  It also ended with a promise of continued adventures for Michael Fassbender's Magneto and James McAvoy's Professor Xavier, we've seen precious little indication that 20th Century Fox would continue the series.  An as-yet unconfirmed rumor suggests that a continuation of X-Men: First Class is in the works, with a writer familiar to the Merry Mutants at work on a sequel to the prequel.

Last year, Derek Cianfrance earned a whole lot of accolades for Blue Valentine, a drama that devastatingly juxtaposed the sweet beginnings of a relationship with its inevitable deterioration.  It's the sort of film that does exactly what it wants to, providing a cinematic approximation of the emotional clusterfuck that accompanies the cessation of a formerly loving relationship.  The leads were perfectly played by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, and for his follow-up,The Place Beyond the Pines, Cianfrance is reteaming with former Mouseketeer Gosling.  The first images from the film have made their way online, and they provide the first look at Gosling rocking bleached blond hair, and fellow lead Bradley Cooper getting his run on in a police uniform.

When Bridesmaids became an unexpected but undeniable hit over the summer, one of, if not the single most praised element of the film was Melissa McCarthy's performance as Megan, a willfully inappropriate character that posters declared to be "The Wild Card."  On Saturday Night Live last weekend, McCarthy again earned rave notices as host, with her obvious enthusiasm and commitment to each bit creating something unique and alive.  As Bridesmaids tears it up on Blu-ray and DVD, an extended version of the sex tape shown very briefly in the film's end credits has made its way online.  Like all Judd Apatow productions, this Paul Feig-directed comedy was culled from a huge amount of funny stuff that couldn't make the final cut, and this video of McCarthy and Ben Falcone as Air Marshall John is just one such nugget of funny stuff.

Before Bridesmaids opened back in May, there was a lot of talk about how a thoroughly dirty R rated comedy starring women and aimed at a predominantly female audience was doomed to abject failure both critically and, more prominently, commercially.  First, the Paul Feig-directed, Judd Apatow-produced comedy starring and co-written by Kristen Wiig kicked all kinds of ass with critics, earning praise from all corners of the critical sphere, then it went on to become a huge hit, earning no less than $169 million domestically.  Not only that, but an impressive international haul bagged Bridesmaids a global total of just under $285 million.  Now, predictably, the ensemble comedy is tearing it up in the realm of home entertainment.

Opening in theaters on June 3rd is the highly-anticipated prequel to the extremely successful X-Men film series entitled X-Men: First Class. The movie works as a starting-off point for the entire series and focuses on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto, while explaining the origin of the X-Men team and several of the previous movies most popular characters. X-Men: First Class is based on a story by producer Bryan Singer, who directed the first two films in the series, X-Men, and X2. The movie was directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass), who was originally set to helm X-Men: The Last Stand when Singer left the franchise to make Superman Returns, a job that eventually went to Brett Ratner (Rush Hour).

The film features an all-star cast of exciting young actors and seasoned veterans including James McAvoy (Wanted), Michael Fassbender (Jonah Hex), Kevin Bacon (Frost/Nixon), January Jones (TV's Mad Men), Rose Byrne (Bridesmaids), Nicholas Hoult (Clash of the Titans), Oliver Platt (2012), Ray Wise (Good Night, and Good Luck), Zoe Kravitz (The Brave One), Caleb Landry Jones  (The Last Exorcism), Lucas Till (Hanna Montana: The Movie), Edi Gathegi (Twilight), Jason Flemyng (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), and recent Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone).

IAR's very own Heather Newgen recently had the opportunity to sit down exclusively and speak with several members of the cast including James McAvoy (Professor Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto), Kevin Bacon (Sebastian Shaw), January Jones (Emma Frost/White Queen), Rose Byrne (Moira MacTaggert), Zoe Kravitz (Angel Salvadore), and Lucas Till (Alex Summers/Havok). The actors spoke candidly about the new film, their characters, how they approached playing their roles, and working with director Matthew Vaughn.

Do you remain unenthusiastic about X-Men: First Class despite mounting evidence that the mutant prequel direct by Matthew Vaughn could breathe new life into the franchise?  All the excellent trailers and ecstatic early word provide ample reason to be psyched to see James McAvoy's Professor X and Michael Fassbender's Magneto getting mixed up in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, but if you need more, then check out this clip of a young Xavier meeting an equally young Mystique.  More importantly, give this minute-and-a-half sneak peek trailer, which runs through the whole ensemble and sports lots of brand new footage.

Romantic scenes don't usually include a character saying, "Go ahead, take the blood."  This new clip from X-Men: First Class shows a scene in which Mystique, played by Jennifer Lawrence, says just that to Nicholas Hoult's Hank McCoy, and does so while they sit on a barely-subliminal sexual set.  The clip is a follow-up to yesterday's excerpt introducing McCoy to the gang, with Mystique immediately intrigued by the scientist well before he grows blue fur and sharp fangs. It's the third clip released from the film so far, and Mystique has appeared in all three.

The first official clip from X-Men: First Class showed James McAvoy's Charles Xavier chilling at the Pentagon and convincing some CIA and military brass the mutants do, in fact, exist.  A brand spanking new clip from the prequel again features McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, and G-Man Oliver Platt.  This time, they're being introduced to scientist Hank McCoy, well in advance of his transformation into the furry blue Beast. Check out the clip to see Xavier flexing his mind-reading abilities, Mystique swooning, and McCoy's pre-blueness mutation.