Release: February 12th, 2016
Director: Tim Miller
Genre: Action/Comedy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrien, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand
The cult-favorite comic antihero Deadpool finally hits the big screen! The so-called Merc with a Mouth is one of my personal favorite Marvel characters, who was horrendously butchered in 2009's maligned X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Unsatisfied with the portrayal, Reynolds set out to make things right. After test footage was leaked from the VFX studio behind the film, it gained enough popularity to convince Fox to greenlight the film, which Reynolds had been trying to get done himself. Despite the comparatively tiny budget to other big superhero releases, Deadpool manages to be one of the best in recent years.
Known for his wicked sense of humor and ability to "break the fourth wall" (That is, acknowledge there's an audience and know that he's in a comic book or film) Reynolds and crew knew that this had to be a hard-R rated film to do the character justice. Problem is, Hollywood execs don't like that letter, because it means less money.
That didn't stop them though, because this film is brutally violent, offensive, vulgar, and hysterically funny.
When former spec-ops operative Wade WIlson discovers he has late-stage cancer, he is contacted by a mysterious secret organization that claims they can cure him and give him amazing superpowers. Under their custody, they experiment and torture him until he develops a powerful ability to heal from any wound, at the cost of his skin. He escapes their evil clutches, and becomes the mutant vigilante Deadpool, tracking down the men who did it to him. Along the way, he's interrupted by the X-Man Colossus, and his trainee Negasonic Teenage Warhead, who attempt to recruit him for the mutant team.
They set out to do this character justice, and the result is perhaps one of the most accurate portrayals of a comic character ever. Reynolds is hilarious as Deadpool, every joke manages to land, and his antics are a treat to watch.
The story is told partially through flashbacks, which are significantly darker and more serious and provide a perfect contrast to Deadpool's vulgar quips. The pacing is great too, the film never drags and probably could have used an extra 10 or 20 minutes to flesh out the story even more.
The metal-skinned Mutant Colossus is a hilarious opposite of Deadpool, and his inclusion is another welcome contrast. The two characters play wonderfully off of each other.
The film's self-aware nature provides plenty of laughs, but still manages to get you to take it seriously. You begin to really feel and connect with Deadpool, because he's a flawed, broken character with nothing to lose.
The other standout of the film is the direction. There's a few sequences of crazy action, but it's all filmed beautifully, each bullet wound feels solid, each punch resonates with you, and its incredibly satisfying. There's no distracting shakycam.
The effects are impressive for the budget but still pretty spotty. CGI blood is noticeable, and as impressive as it is that we finally got a comic book-accurate Colossus on the big screen, he isn't the best looking CGI character I've ever seen. Hopefully with a bigger budget next time around we can see them do wonders with the CGI.
If you're a superhero fan, or a dirty comedy fan, there's something for you here. Even if you don't like the X-Men movies, you'll probably have a blast at Deadpool. This isn't a kid-friendly movie, though, so sensitive people who are easily offended might want to look elsewhere.
Verdict: 4/5
Release: February 5th, 2016
Director: Joel & Ethan Coen
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum
I have had a really hard time thinking about what to write about the latest quirky comedy from the Coen Brothers. Between work, getting sick, and problems with my car I've been putting off reviewing for a bit, but I'm back, and this is a film that I really needed that time to think about.
Much like the beloved The Big Lebowski, while there is a narrator for the film, you still have to figure out the characters and their motivations by watching them. The Coen's are masters of the rule "show, don't tell" and somehow the way they make their films you really have to pay attention to everything to follow the plot.
The film follows real-life Hollywood producer and "fixer" Eddy Mannix (Josh Brolin) in the 1950s. As a fixer, he helps cover-up any scandalous behavior of his stars, to keep their image clean for the press. He his overseeing production of a number of films, the biggest being the biblical tale Hail. Caesar! starring the womanizing Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) When Whitlock disappears, Mannix must keep away the nosy gossip columnist twins Thora and Thessaly Thacker, and deal with the other actor's issues, as well as figure out where Baird has gone off to.
There are some decent laughs to be had between all of the oddball characters, only helped by the huge cast of talented actors. However, the film as a whole feels very disjointed.
It feels more like a collection of scenes as opposed to a coherent, solid movie. Each scene is great, with eye-popping colors and hilarious, quick-witted dialogue, but the plot doesn't quite come together as a whole. In fact, it seems almost as if the plot itself takes a backseat to the other sub-plots of the film, and it's wrapped up very fast.
Much like Tarantino's The Hateful Eight earlier this year, this film feels like Coen-Brothers lite. It has all of their signature elements, but doesn't amount to very much substance.
Unlike Hateful though, each element works individually, and the scenes are quite funny. If you're a Coen fan, you'll find some entertainment here. Otherwise, wait for DVD.
Verdict: 3/5
Release: January 29th, 2016
Director: Craig Gillespie
Genre: Drama
Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Eric Bana, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz
When you go to a chain restaurant, you don't expect much. Sure, the food might be cheap, passably tasty, and presented well, but at the end of the day it's not quite as filling or memorable as finding a local, hole-in-the-wall burger joint where they hand-form each patty and cook it to order. Because at chain restaurants, everything is pre-packaged, pre-portioned, and frozen for quick and easy serving.
Movies are like restaurants, in that regard. A lot of movies that come out, particularly from Disney, are chain restaurants. Formulaic, mass-produced, and not particularly unique; but you couldn't quite say it's bad either.
Of course, some movies fall in the middle. Let's say the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are Texas Road House: still a chain, but everything there is done a little more personally, a little more carefully, and it ends up being a memorable meal.
While The FInest Hours, Disney's latest mass-produced, "chain" film, isn't a Subway or Applebees, its not quite a Texas Road House either. There's nothing particularly bad about it, but it's also not the best movie I've ever seen.
The film tells the true story of Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) a crewman stationed at the Chatham Coast Guard station in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Days before a massive winter storm, he and his girlfriend Miriam (Holliday Grainger) plan to get married. First though, as per coast guard regulation in 1952, he believes he must ask the permission of his commanding officer Cluff (Eric Bana) But when the storm hits, a tanker 10 miles off of the coast is split in half. Webber takes four of his fellow crew members and makes a daring and dangerous rescue attempt.
The first thing I noticed about the actors not on the sinking ship, Pine, Affleck, and company, are all very...quiet, for lack of better word. For Pine, it's his character: he's quiet, timid, but brave and respectful. Still, I felt a lot more energy could have come from the actors, it seemed as if they were all about to fall asleep, and it made my eyes a little heavy as well. The first half of the movie is held up purely by the exciting scenes set on the ship, and I think more time could have been dedicated to those to keep the momentum going a bit.
Also on the subject of acting, the performers attempt a Boston accent, with mixed success. As someone who lives in New England who's very familiar with the dialect, I could tell they were just putting on an accent, because it sounded more like a bad Brooklyn accent, which is a mistake a lot of people make when attempting to replicate it.
Like I said, the film follows a formula, successfully I might add, but it's a formula nonetheless. You always know where the film is going based on the previous scenes. Not bad, but it makes for little suspense. The only parts I felt were truly nail-biting were the scenes in the beginning on the ship, and the climactic rescue scene when Webber and his crew are attempting to get all the survivors on board of his rescue vehicle.
There was a lot of good camerawork throughout the film. The standout shot being a long, unbroken take in which the camera winds through the entirety of the ship as the crew relays a command from the top of the vessel to the bottom. This must have been a fun scene to see in 3D, however, I don't think anything else warranted a 3D viewing, as the CGI was very hit-or-miss.
Some VFX shots, especially involving the water, looks great. However, a lot of green-screen shots were very noticeable, something pretty unacceptable for a big-budget Disney movie in 2016.
One thing I think the movie lacked was a bit of humor. Disney movies always include this in their films, and it was surprising not to see it. I can't remember even one attempt at it in the film, which was a bit disappointing.
Overall, if you're looking for a family-friendly disaster drama with a bit of inspiration, look no further. If you like a bit of meat on your ribs, something to savor and think about, you're better off skipping this one.
Verdict: 3/5
Release: February 12th, 2016
