Tag Archives: Deadpool

Ten Movies to Watch this Summer Besides Infinity War

Summer came early this year with Marvel unleashing their biggest film ever. This one was 10 years and 18 films in the making. Infinity War was great, but was that the best thing that we’re gonna see this summer? I’ll bet you anything, we won’t see any blockbuster come close to doing what Infinity War did at the box office, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t see some great movies released between now and August.

I could waste a lot of time giving you a list of every movie coming out between now and then, but you could just head over to IMDb if you wanted that. Instead, I want to let you know about 10 movies that have me excited this summer other than Infinity War. That doesn’t count because it was on the top of my list and it met and exceeded my expectations.

Deadpool 2 – May 18

Come on… Do I have to explain this one? It’s Ryan Reynolds back in the role that he was designed by our good Lord to play. I hope it can live up to the hype despite some production woes. It will be weird seeing Josh Brolin play another villain so soon after he tore my heart out as Thanos.

Solo: A Star Wars Movie – May 25

I’m not nearly as excited about this one. It looks pretty entertaining and from the brief bits of dialogue in the trailer it seems like Alden Ehrenreich is doing a passable job imitating Harrison Ford. I know all the fanboys will turn out in droves, but I think that the average moviegoer isn’t going to rush out to watch this scruffy looking nerf-herder.

Hereditary – June 8

Excuse me while I go change my pants. This trailer gives me nightmares. I’m not sure what the movie is going to do. I don’t know much about the first time director Ari Aster, except that he looks like he’s 14 and just learned that he can grow hair on his face. This doesn’t look like your normal style of horror movie, I’m hoping it follows in the footsteps of The Witch and The Babadook and does something different.

Oceans 8 – June 8

All female heist film by Steven Soderbergh. I don’t think it needed to be tied to the Ocean’s franchise, but I guess that makes it more bankable. I hope it’s good. The cast looks great. But it could end up being like the Ghostbusters remake if they aren’t careful.

Incredibles 2 – June 15

Finally! A sequel to my favorite Pixar movie. Forget Toy Story 4 and all that garbage. This thing has been cooking for 14 years and finally Brad Bird is delivering what looks like an impressive follow-up. I’ve already heard complaints that no one has aged, that he’s not bringing us to the present or at least giving us teenage Jack-Jack but at this point, I trust Pixar as a whole and Brad Bird specifically and I will be at the front of the line for this one.

Sicario: Day of the Soldado – June 29

Continuing the year of Josh Brolin, we get the follow-up to 2015’s Breakout hit Sicario. The first was directed by Denis Villeneuve who has now launched into the stratosphere with movies like Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival under his belt. At first I was worried, but then I saw that Taylor Sheridan is back in the writer’s chair and he was hesitant to even call it a sequel. Hopes are tentatively high that this can be added to the flawless list on Sheridan’s resume.

Uncle Drew – June 29

I will be completely transparent. This movie is not made for me. I’m whiter than Nick Kroll (oh wait…), but even with that handicap, I still think this looks funny. Tiffany Haddish and the pure joy of watching some basketball superstars donning white hair and beards. This is going to make more money than Tyler Perry dressing in drag, and you can take that to the hoop.

Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6

We pick up with Ant-Man after the events of Captain America: Civil War and apparently he is on some type of house arrest. Hank Pym outfits a partner for him and we get lots of stuff getting smaller than normal and other things getting comically large. This should be a nice exhale after Marvel has been punching us in the gut with Black Panther and Infinity War, and who knows maybe we’ll get another piece of the Avengers 4 puzzle.

Mission Impossible: Fallout – July 27

Unpopular opinion: The Mission: Impossible franchise is more entertaining than James Bond or Jason Bourne. I can’t wait to watch Tom Cruise break his ankle in that scene from the trailer where he jumps from one building to another and shorts it. They take it to the next level and the touches of humor from Simon Pegg are great. Christopher McQuarrie has directed Tom Cruise excellently in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation as well as the original Jack Reacher film. I have no reason to doubt that this will not be a kick-ass ride.

The Darkest Minds – August 3

It’s not the New Mutants X-Men movie that I’ve been hoping for, but close enough. In essence, these teenagers are held captive by the government because they begin to develop powers. Some of them break out to form a resistance group to fight their oppressors. It is based on a YA novel by the same name written by Alexandra Bracken and directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson who previously directed The two Kung Fu Panda sequels.

What about you? Are you surprised by any of these? Do you have one that you are just dying to see? Did I leave something off? Let me know if the comments below or hit me up on social media.

 

The Nice Guys (2016) Review

The Nice Guys is to LA crime stories what Deadpool is to superhero flicks: at once a celebration and a send-up. That’s just the kind of storytelling moviegoers have come to expect from Shane Black, who directed the film and co-wrote it. Black has a history of blending irreverence and violence going all the way back to his legendary script for Lethal Weapon (1987). However, Black didn’t become a name until the release of Iron Man 3, which saw a lukewarm reaction from fans.

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Several years before that Marvel film, Black made his directorial debut, with the black comedy/noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is great. In many ways, The Nice Guys feels like a spiritual successor to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. With twisty detective plots, style to spare, comedy as black as night, and a plethora of interesting characters, the films would make for a great double feature, and they showcase exactly where Black’s directorial strengths lie. Is this a family film? No way. Does it include scenes that some may find painful to watch? You bet. Will you be entertained? Thoroughly.

Continue reading The Nice Guys (2016) Review

Deadpool (2016)

It’s hard to believe that it has been two years since we saw some exciting leaked footage, and who can forget (although I wish I could) his first big screen appearance seven years ago in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Deadpool is the first R-rated mainstream comic book film adaptation. Had the aforementioned footage not been leaked (and subsequently gone completely viral) many believe that the studios would have never had the courage to make the Deadpool movie that fans really wanted. Lots of vocal and devoted fans stepped forward to pine for this movie’s creation, the most notable being its leading man. There is now a good case to be made that this will not be the last Deadpool film, much less the last adult themed comic book adaptation: This movie is legitimately good.

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Without giving too much away, you need a simple primer on the Merc with a Mouth. According to Marvel’s info sheet, Deadpool possesses a superhuman healing factor, similar to but even greater than that of the mutant Wolverine, which allows him to regenerate damaged or destroyed areas of his cellular structure at a rate far greater than that of an ordinary human. As such, he can regrow severed limbs or vital organs. This healing factor also affords Deadpool an enhanced resistance to diseases and an extended life span. Due to the presence of this superhuman healing ability, many of Deadpool’s natural physical attributes have been enhanced, granting him superhuman levels of stamina, and his natural strength, agility and reflexes have been increased to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body. As if that weren’t enough, Deadpool is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant and is skilled in multiple unarmed combat techniques. He is a master of assassination techniques, is an excellent marksman, and is highly skilled with bladed weapons.

Say what you will about this sword-wielding, gun-toting, foul-mouthed, chimichanga-loving, fourth wall-breaking anti-hero, but Tim Miller and company absolutely nailed the character in his self-titled movie. Reynolds was always the prefect actor to play Wade Wilson as is evidenced by the brief introduction we have to his character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine before that awful transformation, but Deadpool also gave Ryan Reynolds a chance to spring back from the comic book purgatory which he landed in after his Green Lantern disappointment.

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Deadpool did so much well. I was genuinely surprised by the way that it addressed my hopes and fears and still exceeded my expectations as a fanboy. In other words, I went in hoping for something appeasing and walked away having watched a genuinely good super hero movie. Here’s what the movie did particularly well:

  • The humor was almost perfect.  I use the qualifier “almost” because there were more than a couple instances when I felt like jokes were being thrown at me simply because one had not been uttered in the last few seconds. And, while some of the pop culture references hit me as a thirtysomething, I’m sure they missed the mark of an 18-year-old who may have never heard of Wham!, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, or Faulty Towers. Criticism aside, the overwhelming majority of the jokes landed well and made sense in context. They didn’t overplay the fourth wall breaking and they managed a solid mix of witty (or obscene) one liners and hilarious physical comedy. You’ll laugh a lot, and you’ll probably feel guilty about some of the laughs, unless you’re a sociopath. But a lot of them are just good fun!
  • Origin story was told well.  The movie flip-flops between past and present with obvious transitions that did not jar the narrative flow. In fact, I think choosing to tell the story non-linearly was a great move especially given that Deadpool himself is our narrator and his mind moves as quickly as his swords. We get the great origin story and get to see the suit immediately.
  • The supporting characters are handled well.  Weasel holds his own as a character with T.J. Miller’s signature brand of comedy and gives us the origin of the Deadpool moniker. Deadpool 3Blind Al and her relationship with Wilson makes sense and makes me want to see more (no pun intended). I think more could have been done to the connection between Colossus (who feels like a big jab at Green Lantern showing that a CGI character can work) and Deadpool than the implication that they’d discussed Wade’s joining the X-Men before, but the dynamic amongst that trio including Negasonic Teenage Warhead (who they completely revamped for this movie in a good way) is fantastic and it was fun watching the two X-Men go from policing Deadpool to having his back.
  • Deadpool is an anti-hero.  You see him make selfish decisions. You see him make selfless decisions. You see him play nice with the good guys. You see him do things that the good guys definitely frown upon. In no moment is his antihero quality on display more perfectly than when he’s got his nemesis, Ajax, in his hands and Colossus intervenes. Perfect depiction, perfect ending.
  • They have fun with Deadpool’s powers.  From the obvious consequences of punching Colossus bare-fisted to exploring the speed and process of his regeneration when it comes to lost limbs, the movie uses his powers as a medium for more of Deadpool’s trademark comedy. But they also do a great job of showcasing how hard it is to slow down, significantly harm, or even kill the guy. At one point he’s got a combat knife wedged into his skull and is hardly any worse for the wear.
  • The violence, while significant, is not too much.  Deadpool definitely comes by its R rating honestly. It is not a movie for minors. Nudity and language aside, the violence element was actually well managed. It was never in your face and gratuitous; instead you saw what you would expect to see when an accomplished combatant utilizes guns and swords in the melee and Deadpool kills a lot of people in this movie.

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So here’s my final verdict. Assuming you’re at least of the legal age to watch this R-rated offering, and have an open mind about murders of revenge, hired hitmen, torture, and strippers, watch it. If you are like me, you will watch it multiple times then add it to your Blu-ray collection that stays out of the reach of your children’s fingers. All in all, as a stand-alone, origin story of a controversial but extremely popular character, they knocked this out of the park and it should be counted as one of the best of an ever growing list of great Marvel movies. I for one can’t wait to see Deadpool’s next adventure.