X-Men: First Class Review

To call X-Men: First Class a disappointment is not being fair. It is leaps and bounds ahead of the last two X-Men movies: The Last Stand and Wolverine. It is tightly directed, reasonably well-acted, and decently exciting. By any normal metric, a 'disappointment' is not the correct term for this movie.

However, I have insider information. I know some backstory to the various permutations of the X-Men intellectual property. And this background makes First Class almost unbearable to watch. It is a Frankenstein of a movie with stitches so indelicately sewing it together that I am shocked there aren't more reviewers crying foul.

The Tyler Cowen

1. Hilarious article on the strategic mistakes made by Hollywood's alien invaders. Via Marginal Revolution. 
2. NYTimes does great infographics again. How are we spending our money this year? Look no further. (Now we just need a simple infographic to summarize our oversight abilities.)
3. The impact of Wikileaks on North / South Korean politics and diplomacy.