Theatrical Review: Deadpool and Wolverine

Date: Sunday, August 4 2024
Time: 11:10am 

Party: 2 (my mom and I)
Duration: 127 minutes (plus 26 minutes of trailers)

Review:

Straight up, this might not be the best written movie ever but it was really fun and entertaining. And for me, that’s what a Deadpool movie should be. Not like the previous one where people died or he almost died a bunch of times…
But for a movie experience, this is definitely a good one to see in theaters. Especially with a good audience. The laughs that came out of the back of the room were infectious.
Another funny tidbit- we saw the same employee in three different capacities while we were there. He sold us our tickets, directed us to the right theater (at the little booth where they used to take our ticket stubs- I wonder why they don’t do that anymore), and he was waiting by the janitor’s cart as the end credits rolled. He had a fun personality that also kinda made me wonder “this dude doesn’t get out much, huh?” Reminded me a bit of our Hawaiian tour guide Leroy that we had on two separate tours (two sides of the same island over 2 days). Maybe “Leroy” will be our namesake for anyone we see more than once working at the same establishment, lol

Out of respect, this will be a spoiler free review. All I will say about the cameos is that there were half a dozen I recognized as a causal fan and probably dozens more I didn’t. The only conceivable one that was missing was Green Lantern but that’s DC and I don’t think the universe could handle that cinematic crossover even if they got the rights to it.
Two of them I will mention were members of the Reynolds family.
When I saw Inez Reynolds in the credits, the Swiftie in me couldn’t help getting excited, just because she was a namesake from Taylor’s Folklore love triangle alongside James and Betty. There’s also a point where Deadpool whispers to Wolverine “til your dying day” that may or may not be a reference to a lyric from “my tears ricochet”. His wife Blake Lively also has a movie coming out where a different version of that song is played in the trailer.

The movie begins with Wade Wilson having hung up his costume and having a normal job. Because apparently something happened between him and Vanessa and he’s searching for new meaning in his life.
One of his ill advised attempts to find one is interviewing to be an Avenger… the only problem is he didn’t get the memo about what that means. It’s not a club you can just join because YOU need it, you join because the world needs you.

The plot of the movie, essentially, is him being recruited by Mr. Paradox to work for his organization. Apparently due to his time traveling escapades in the previous movie, he might be of use to them. However his reality is decaying because it lost its anchor being… Wolverine (referring to the movie Logan where he dies at the end). And he needs to get another Wolverine from somewhere in the multiverse to set everything right.
One montage later, he not only brings back the worst incarnation of Wolverine but Paradox says his reality is doomed anyway and he can’t fix anything. Then when the two of them refuse to go along with the organization, they get sent to the garbage heap where they’re destined to die.

Yeah- it’s pretty damn confusing and hard to follow. So the big attraction is the characters and the jokes. Half of which are various vulgarities (more on this later) and half are self-aware zingers.
I’ve commented the last few years how too many movies are doing this so-called Meta humor. Deadpool gets away with this because that’s their thing. Where I have a problem is with movies like Frozen 2 where these self aware references spat in the face of what made the first movie so good. The movie had a lot of problems but Elsa being embarrassed of a “let it go” reference- the best part of that movie- that ruined the whole movie for me. The whole 3rd act was a big letdown.


Back to Deadpool-
This movie is a mix of multiverse madness (I never did see that Doctor Strange movie…) and Mad Max. With maybe a dash of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Cuz Deadpool and Wolverine do not get along and spend a chunk of the movie trying to kill each other- a tricky feat considering their super powers both involve regeneration so neither can die. And their main vehicle is a Honda Odyssey- which is hilarious cuz Wade was working for a CarMax knockoff and pretty much called the Honda a crap car. Considering the brutal landscape, it handles it pretty well.

We also get the plot twist of Paradox being a member of the organization that’s gone rouge. I know some other movie did this but I couldn’t remember what. Later i remembered it was Die Hard. You know someone’s bad when even their organization thinks they’re too extreme.
Matthew McFayden plays the character and I spent so much time trying to figure out where I’d seen him cuz he looked so familiar… none of the roles I saw him in left a big impression. But he also looks a lot like a bunch of other people- like a combo of the butler from trading places and Richard armitage from the hobbit movies.
We find out much later that this movie has a far greater villain than him and we meet them in the Mad Max inspired void. And let's just say she has an interesting connection to the X-Men. 

The few headlines I’d read about this movie prior to seeing it alluded to its F-bomb count (116) and how it’s definitely not a family movie. In addition to that, there were countless tirades laden with explicit language. It sorta reminded me of Chevy Chase in Christmas vacation, but this was multiple times and you get to a point you go cross eyed trying to keep up until you can’t. Is it necessary? No, not really. There’s a joke where Deadpool says to Wolverine “this movie is already long enough”… if they cut out all the obscene tirades you could almost knock this movie down to 2 hours flat.

In an odd way this was a similar movie to the latest Kung Fu panda from a few months ago. We spend very little time with the rest of the franchise’s main cast and the story arc involves new people in a vastly different location.
We only see the Deadpool cast at the beginning and end and I kinda missed having them. But I guess if they wanted to make Deadpool feel more like a part of the marvel universe, sacrifices had to be made. Vanessa and Wade breaking just felt so random, though. The whole time traveling thing he did was for her after all. What was the point of all that if they weren’t going to stay together?

In one fell swoop, pretty much every part of the Marvel universe gets a spotlight. One or two jokes alludes to Fox having the rights to X-men and the fight to get them back. Also one reference I caught alluding to a planned reboot for a certain character that’s been in limbo for so long it might never happen.

And as can be expected, the soundtrack is great. Something for everyone. We get a call back to “angel of the morning” (as heard in the opening credits of the first movie) and probably the most hilarious opening credits sequence and the most nostalgic ending credits sequence ever.
Speaking of, it is worth sticking around to the end. That marvel tradition is still very much in play.

A few more random comments-

The latest Thor movie had screaming goats. Deadpool and Wolverine have the world’s “so ugly it’s cute” dog, Mary Puppins. Aka the biggest scene stealer of the movie.

While at Paradox’s TVA location, Deadpool sees this big machine and utters “What in the name of macguffin is that?”

Probably too fast for most people to catch because a lot of this movie’s dialogue is “blink and you’ll miss it” fast. But I caught this and went “wait, I’ve heard this mentioned on TCM.” So of course I had to look it up.

It’s classically defined as a noun (person, object, event) that triggers the plot that the main characters care about but the audience typically doesn’t. “North by northwest” was the tcm movie that mentioned this in the intro/outro section and the item in question is the contents of the microfilm. The audience doesn’t care what’s on the film (and we never find out anyway) but Cary Grant (mistaken as a federal agent) is being pursued by a bad group that wants to smuggle this microfilm of supposed political secrets out of the country.
The article I read also mentions how the definition for macguffin got muddled thanks to George Lucas, who thinks it’s something the audience should care about. Like the Death Star plans or the one ring from lord of the rings.
Considering all this I’m not sure if Deadpool’s comment is accurate. The timeline splitter machine is critical in the climax of the film. So I think his comment was merely foreshadowing and he only said it to make himself sound intelligent. I gotta say that it was a pretty cool reference, incorrect usage or not.


Grade:
B, if I were grading this as a movie, but for entertainment value, a solid A.

Trailers:

Just before the actual trailers started, we got two extras.

Mufasa

Not sure what to expect from an origin story about the most famous king of pride rock. It’s just a little strange how they’re saying he has no royal blood at all yet he has this great destiny. Like whatever he accomplished as king made all that immaterial so everyone forgot his humble beginnings.


A complete unknown

I’m not a Bob Dylan fan by any means but the look of this movie is kinda intriguing. With Timothy chalmet in the lead role, it has potential. But I think I was drawn in cuz it showed a glimpse of the Chelsea hotel. Ever since Taylor mentioned it in her new tortured poets album, I feel like I’m seeing it everywhere now

Now for the actual trailers:

Speak no evil

They started showing the trailer on tv the same afternoon we saw it in theaters. It’s about two families bonding in an Italian villa, one local and one on vacation. The locals invite the vacationers to stay with them and things start to get… weird. Something is clearly off with this family (James McAvoy plays the patriarch) and of course by the time they figure this out, their tires are slashed and getting away seems impossible.
Yeah, skipping this one.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

I saw the first few seconds and thought it was a trailer for the next season of Wednesday… despite the fact I’d never seen any of the show cuz we don’t stream. But I saw Jenna Ortega alongside other girls in school uniforms and that was my first thought. I completely forgot she was in this movie- and apparently Lydia is her mom (first time I think I’d seen Winona Ryder since black swan, so a while) and her mom is the local crazy lady.
And Beetlejuice comes back, shenanigans and all. It’ll be out a little early for Halloween but with all the right pieces in place, it looks like it’ll be a good sequel. Will it outdo the original? We’ll see


Borderlands

This is coming out this week… I wonder with the Mad Max backdrop of this movie made them want to capitalize on it?
I’m not sure if it’s based on a graphic novel or it’s a parody of the mad max genre. I only know I have no interest in seeing it.
It is kinda cool Jamie Lee Curtis is in it, though. Now that she’s won that Oscar (which had been for a sci-fi movie), she’s fully embracing the genre and having fun with it. Not that working on all those Halloween movies weren’t fun for her but this one looks like she’s more likely to get through alive.


Gladiator 2

At the time, the effects of this movie were groundbreaking. That still seems to be the case but they’re using a lot more computers.
I have nothing more to add. I saw the original when we rented it from blockbuster forever ago and I don’t remember a thing except that it was long and Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix were in it


Wicked

This looks like it’s going to be AMAZING. They really leaned into the scale of it with all these effects. I’ve yet to see a single scene with a song in it but of course Defying Gravity backs the trailers.
Michelle Yeoh plays, I’m assuming, the headmistress of the university Glinda and Elphaba are attending. Another cool role I’m sure her Oscar win got for her- I swear she’s been all over the place since then and I’m all for it.
And just on the surface, it looks like they make Elphaba the wicked witch because she learns the wizard has no magic and they don’t want her revealing that secret to the world.
It’s a good twist on the story but I’m struggling to connect that back to the original movie… is Wicked going to destroy everything I thought about the 1939 film so I’ll never be able to watch it with the same perspective I had as a kid?
Oz, the great and powerful from over a decade ago did their own ridiculous origin story about the wicked witch but I thought so little of that movie (as did a lot of other people) that it didn’t matter. Wicked at least looks like it could be canon. The one deciding factor will probably be the slippers. Getting them back was the witch’s motivation to kill Dorothy (along with dropping a house on her sister) so I’m curious to see how they fit into this story. Also, they’re silver like in the original book. Most movie fans know the story how they made the shoes Ruby slippers to take advantage of the technicolor cinematography of the Oz scenes.


Captain America: Brave New World

I’d been hearing rumors for ages that Sam (aka Falcon) will be taking over as captain America from Steve Rodgers. Now it’s finally arrived. All I’ve got from the trailer is that he’s a bodyguard for Harrison Ford, who plays a politician and at some point his inner circle gets compromised.
My mom loves Harrison ford so we might just see this movie next year for him.

With Marvel in general, my enthusiasm cooled off significantly after Endgame. If I go to theaters at all anymore, it’s for characters alone, not for the MCU as a whole. Maybe one day I’ll do a post to encompass “life after endgame”.
With RDJr coming back as doctor doom, of course I’ll be seeing a couple movies just for him. Now that he has an Oscar, he can do whatever he wants- I just wish he’d done Sherlock 3 instead because that’s been on hold for 13 years and his marvel contract was a large part of thot.


Alien: Romulus

I’m guessing the name is a play on Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.
Anyway a warning come up saying this trailer is rated R for gory violence… they weren’t kidding. I had no interest in this anyway but now I’m definitely not. As unsettling as this trailer was, the actual movie is bound to be even worse.

Theatrical Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Date: Sunday May 7 2023
Time: 11: 25am
Party: 3 (my mom, aunt and myself)

Review

Considering the surprise success this series had been, there was naturally a lot of hype for this latest installment.
The rumors on the street were a) it was going to be a dramatic departure for the series and b) it was going to be the best marvel movie since “endgame”.
My first thought- oh shoot, how many people are gonna die? I’m pleased to say that any concerns I had going on— they were ultimately unfounded.

In all honesty, while the guardians series are geared more towards fun action with a kick ass soundtrack, it still has a lot of drama. I’m still not over the plot twist about what Peter Quill’s dad did to his mom… but ultimately I feel that this series has done the best job, maybe of any series I’d followed (marvel or not), of balancing comedy and drama. This movie had probably the darkest storyline and easily the highest body count but like life in general, you learn to take the bad with the good and chances are the good is what will stay with you the most.

The first movie threw this ragtag group of characters together and made them a family.
The second movie was more insight into Peter’s tragic backstory and introduced us to Mantis.
The third (and possibly final) installment was all about Rocket Raccoon.

All we’ve heard about his origin up to this point were a couple of outbursts in the first movie. Rocket getting bent out of shape because someone called him “vermin” and how he “didn’t ask to be made.” It was something he never talked about and with all we learn, it’s not surprising.

The main plot of the movie is launched when Rocket is left gravely injured, fighting for his life, and the guardians have to retrieve some sort of code to save him. Because whoever made him installed a kill switch preventing them from operating on him- essentially a catch-22 situation.

Through a series of flashbacks through Rocket’s delirium, we discover he wasn’t the only animal involved in outrageous science experiments. His three companions, Lylla, Floor and Teefs are more machine than animal but despite their eerie appearances, we can’t help falling in love with them. (My mom compared them to Sid’s toys in Toy Story… a cuter version of that but it also depends on what one might consider “cute”).

For some reason, the guardians series (and possibly marvel in general) has a strange obsession with villains with god complexes.

Thanos took it upon himself to “snap” half of the world’s population out of existence as a solution to diminishing resources.
Ego, Peter’s dad, procreated on nearly every planet so he could take over the galaxy.
This villain… he has a bizarre hang up about perfection. Where he creates new and better species but on a whim, he can just as easily destroy them and start over, hoping the next iteration will be free of previous mistakes. Naturally there’s some problems with that. No matter how much time, energy and resources you have, perfection just isn’t obtainable. And it’s always pretty messed up when creators throw away their creations like they’re meaningless to them. Like they don't have lives, hopes and dreams of their own.

Beyond that, we have the anticipated reintroduction of Gamora.
The short version is that she’s back, hanging around with the Ravagers and she has no memory of her time with the Guardians.

The long version, for me, is a bit more annoying. In general, Chris Pratt plays a lot of likable characters and I still think Peter Quill likable. But there are moments where I just REALLY don’t like him. Mostly where Gamora is concerned. I haven’t forgotten that his obsession with her was ultimately the reason why we had an endgame film…
But he’s still holding onto this illusion that he and Gamora are soulmates. Even when she tells him that the version of her that he knew doesn’t exist anymore, he won’t let it go. He even goes on about how they were boyfriend girlfriend when I’m positive that they never even kissed or hooked up or whatever. He’s literally the epitome of a guy who can’t take no for an answer and I HATE that about him.
On top of all that, he was depressed about not being able to find Gamora that the movie starts with him in a drunken stupor… one of many based on how Rocket and Nebula dealt with him.

With Groot, he's still great, but he's more or less the residential Swiss Army Knife of the group. He can sprout wings to glide or a dozen arms, each with its own gun. You kinda reach a point where you throw up your arms and just go with it cuz what other choice do you have?

For me, the highlight of the film were the interactions between Nebula, Drax and Mantis. Nebula is unconventional at best as a hero but she’s still cool. She and Rocket have a lot of similarities because they were manufactured beings that their creators considered expendable.
Drax is still the same- like a neurodivergent insult comic that’s not always aware that his comments are insulting or offensive.
Mantis was always an interesting character but she REALLY gets to shine in this movie. She shows off her unique abilities in battle but she loses her temper on occasion with these other two characters. Some people might find her annoying but I felt like she was one of the few characters that make sense in the insane asylum that is this team. She also reaches an epiphany that maybe she needs to figure out what she wants out of life, opposed to serving the interests of other people.

Another highlight a lot of people will also be talking about- Cosmo the dog. She’s kinda like the dog from “Up” where her space suit does the talking for her, but she contributes more to the story than just “SQUIRREL!!”
There’s an ongoing feud between her and Kraglin all because he called her “bad dog” but when it matters most, she becomes a very valuable asset.

The movie caps off with an epic showdown… the best way I could describe it comes from another movie- “some twisted Pinocchio-Geppetto stuff”
(It occurred to me while watching and took me a few seconds to remember where I heard it from- “Pixels” when PAC-Man attacks his creator, Mr. Iwatani)

The reason why Rocket was attacked was because his creator wanted to take him back— something about needing his brain to fix a problem he was having with his latest attempts at perfection… and finally Rocket gets to give him what’s coming.

I’d say that was the climax of the movie but there were so many climaxes and so much action it is over the top.
One too many perilous scenes where everyone survives against all odds, misdirection where some characters leave their posts to save others and wind up needing to be rescued themselves…
As enjoyable as the character interactions during these moments were… I’d describe this movie as an over large Dagwood Bumstead sandwich. This comic book character is notorious for making massive sandwich with hundreds of layers of bread and ingredients where he’d have to unhinge his jaw to consume the whole thing. Now imagine that times infinity. Some of the layers could have been left off and the sandwich still would’ve tasted really good. (Or you could substitute Shaggy and Scooby Doo- either way, a little too much stuffing)

And before this review gets too overstuffed, I gotta talk about the music…

As always, the soundtrack is as much of a character as the actors. And it seems like it’s gotten a few modern upgrades over the last few years. We still have some oldies and goodies, “badlands” by Springsteen, “crazy on you” by heart. But we also get an acoustic version of “Creep” by Radiohead for the opening credits sequence and “the dog days are over” by Florence + the machine for the big celebratory scene at the end. These are from 1993 and 2008 respectively so it kinda shows times are changing. Both were used very well.

Another thing that’s also kinda neat… Rocket wasn’t into Peter’s music obsession at first but now it seems like he’s just as into it. Plus there’s a cool mid-credits scene where various characters talk about their favorite songs and artists. Killing time before another battle.
As a music fan, I love those discussions and I hope they become more frequent in pop culture… but not too much where it becomes another overdone cliché.

There’s also a quick post credits scene. Nothing previewing another movie. But there’s an interesting Kevin Bacon “cameo” if you pay attention.
Makes me recollect that funny quote from Peter about Kevin bacon being a great hero who taught a town full of people “with sticks up their butts” how to dance.

Grade: A

(It would seriously be an A+ if it wasn’t so overstuffed… if it’s the final movie we get in the series, it went out on a big high)



Trailers


Once again, movie time was 11:25. It didn’t start until 11:51.


Fast and Furious X

Jason Momoa is the bad guy and there’s a scene where a car races down the side of the hover dam… do we REALLY need another of these movies?!

Gran Turismo

Kinda interesting- they’re trying to capitalize on this new trend of making movies from video games. Except this is about recruiting people that are good at this racing game series to drive actual race cars

Hunger Games- Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I never read the book because I don’t want to see President Snow being portrayed as a good guy when he was younger… but I gotta admit this trailer makes me want to revisit Panam. It looks really good…

Oppenheimer

Decent length trailer as one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Also I FINALLY found where RDJ is in the movie. It’s for a brief second at the end where it’s in a court room in black and white… not sure how big his role will be but he appears to be some sort of lawyer. And before anyone says “just google it!”, I’m not researching it because I wanna be surprised. Even if I don’t see this movie until it comes to HBO

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

They showed a teaser trailer during Mario. This is a full one and it looks impressive… just not something I’m personally interested in seeing

Little Mermaid

Little by little, we get to see more of this movie with each trailer and I can see more potential for it to be a really good live adaptation of a Disney movie I’m very attached to… not spending money on a ticket but when it comes to cable, I’ll definitely see it. And I’ll probably still be a hot mess by the end like I am with the original. It’s very bizarre mix of happy and sad I have zero control over, even in my 30s. Pretty pathetic, right?
I’m just hoping Disney will continue pursuing new characters from different backgrounds instead of redoing old movies with the characters being different races.

A Haunting in Venice

A creepy looking movie that begins with a seance. I wanna say it looks like they’re going outside the typical scary movie formula with this one but it’s hard to be sure. I’ll probably never see it

The Marvels

They did a tv series (or streaming…either way I never saw it) involving a teenager with the same powers as Carol Danvers. Now the worlds are colliding… kinda looks like a small-scale version of what the Spiderverse series is doing. I’m not sure whether I’ll see this one or not. But I tend to enjoy movies that are propelled by a massive estrogen rush (SuckerPunch and the birds of prey Harley Quinn movie in particular) so I might enjoy this one too, even if she’s not among my top favorite avengers

Theatrical Review: Thor- Love and Thunder

Date: Saturday, July 9 2022
Time: 1:45pm (movie began after 20 minutes of trailers)
Party: 3 (my mom, aunt and myself)

Director: Taika Waititi
Writers: Taika Waititi and Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Composer: Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad

Cast:
Thor- Chris Hemsworth
Dr. Jane Foster- Natalie Portman
Valkyrie- Tessa Thompson
Gorr the God Butcher- Christian Bale
Narrator/Korg- Taika Waititi
Zeus- Russell Crowe
Plus some cameos from the Guardians of the Galaxy and other former Thor franchise cast members

Review:

Note- some mild spoilers for all Thor films

Overall, the Thor franchise has been an interesting one. It started like a period piece that suddenly crossed paths with the modern world. The second film was a little more of the same plus “meeting” an infinity stone.

Then with the third one, things got a little strange. Someone at marvel had an epiphany that Thor didn’t have a distinct identity or personality and something needs to be done to fix that.

Personally I didn’t have a problem with the previous installments and really don’t know why anything needed to be “fixed.”

But Ragnarok gave Thor a self deprecating sense of humor, added Valkyrie as a cool badass female character and… not only destroyed Thor’s hammer but also his home. (For anyone who knows Norse mythology, that’s not a huge spoiler- ragnarok translates to destruction)

"Thor: Love and Thunder" builds on the previous film but also took a page from the guardians of the galaxy playbook— they added a killer soundtrack.

Fair warning, though- There’s at least 3 Guns N’ Roses songs so if that’s not your thing, hunker down.

Considering how often they’ve played the “sweet child o mine” trailers, I kept thinking how that better have been in the movie somewhere. It may be my favorite song of theirs, but with all the trailers, I was getting kinda sick of it flying in and out of my brain. (And yes, it was featured in the movie as well as the end credits)

Hopefully Axl rose, slash and the rest of the band received proper compensation for their work.

The only other song that sticks out in my memory was “our last summer” by abba. It was during a over-cheesy montage and I’ll never think of that mamma Mia track the same way again, haha

(And of course just thinking about this scene makes the song wanna run laps through my head for the next several minutes)

In case anyone’s curious, the guardians of the galaxy only have maybe 10 minutes of screen time in the entire movie… we appreciate the thought but a lot of us, including my aunt, were left wanting a lot more.

And their movie isn’t due for release until next may. Mega tease!

There’s a bunch of other cameos of characters from previous Thor films… very short lived cameos, but I appreciated their inclusion all the same

An interesting new approach they took for the movie- adding narration and flashbacks courtesy of Taki wait (also the film’s director and co-writer)

The movie also starts with the villain’s origin story and inspires some thought-provoking discussion on how the gods relate to their followers… his experience is so harrowing that you really can’t blame him for taking on the mission of destroying the gods. Possibly one of the most sympathetic villains in the history of cinema, except for maybe one thing…

His powers introduce a horror element into the marvel franchise… a little too creepy for me in some places but plenty of kudos to the visual effects people for bringing that to life.

We finally catch up with Dr. Jane Foster after years of absence… my memory of the previous sequels are so bad, I don’t remember the two of them even breaking up. The flashbacks explain them well enough but I’m also not sure if they rewrote that part of the story just so it fit into the odd humor this movie has.

We also learn that she’s very sick but doesn’t want to tell people. This is another good conversation this movie brings up. As soon as you tell anyone you’re dealing with whatever, they treat you differently. Either they feel sorry for you or trip over themselves to compensate for you… either way, the interactions you have with them aren’t what they used to be. Another regular topic of discussion- perseverance is an important quality to have but when does it get to a point when it’s better to rest? Because if we don’t allow ourselves a break every now and then, our bodies will make that decision for us and the timing won’t be convenient.

How Jane and Thor ultimately reunite- she read up on his hammer and supposedly it has medicinal properties. So she goes to New Asgard (part seafolk village, part tourist attraction- complete with its own reenactment cast… some great cameos here) to find the hammer. It’s now in shards on display in the village but something insane happens. It comes back together and bestows the power of Thor to her.

However, as Valkyrie later explains, Jane may have the powers but some of the other hero stuff needs a little work. Notably- her slight obsession with figuring the perfect heroic catchphrase.

The two of them plus Valkyrie and Taki from the 3rd film run into the villain at new Asgard and put up good resistance. But when he leaves, he takes the children of the village with him and it’s up to the trio to get them back.

At one point they meet Zeus and try to recruit him to help take down the villain. It goes about as well as you’d expect.

What wasn’t expected- how over the top Russell Crowe portrays him. All I’ll say- hang back and enjoy the show.

Despite the seriousness of the situation at hand, there’s plenty of laughs to be had along the way. In addition to the tension between Thor and Jane, there’s also the “love triangle” between Thor and his weapons. The hammer still works really well and the fact it’s in pieces actually becomes an advantage in battle. But every now and then, when Thor longs for the good old days with the hammer, the camera zooms in on his axe and he tries to dispel any jealousy.

Also- there’s the little matter of the screaming goats… if there’s any gag people are going to take away from this movie, that’s the most likely candidate.

Another topic of curiosity I had to draw some attention to…. not to sound like an old codger or anything but “back in my day,” shit used to be a bad word. Granted, there are far worse 4 letter words out there that should never be used in civilized conversation and this movie was getting a PG13 rating anyway. But I couldn’t help but notice the liberal use of that word in this movie in particular. I wasn’t counting but it was at least a dozen times. If memory serves, one of those instances was from a kid. On the one hand, I’m like “what’s the world coming to?” But on the other, the recurring line (first introduced by Chris Pratt) about how it’s better to “feel shitty” about someone than nothing at all… that rhetoric is too perfect to argue with.

Outside the theater there was a sign alerting people with light sensitivity about some trigger points in this movie… I’m not sure exactly what they’re talking about unless it was referring to the rainbow bridge Thor’s vessel used to travel.

This movie was made to see on the big screen- but I think maybe we were just a little too close. Huge kudos to the cashiers for suggesting seating arrangements that allowed the three of us could sit together. However I wound up with a little bit of a headache after seeing the movie and I think the visual effects plus the fact we were in the back row of the first section of seats might have contributed to that.

So maybe choose seats a bit further away from the screen if you have that option.

Whether this is the best Thor movie ever… I can’t say for sure. I’d probably have to binge all of them to know for sure. But considering I haven’t seen a marvel movie in theaters since endgame, this particular movie was worth coming out to see.

We have Shang-Chi and the ten rings and Black Widow on dvd so I haven’t been completely out of the loop… there’s just been this weird void in my chest since “I am Iron-Man” was last spoken. Seeing his image briefly in the marvel logo at the start of this movie- not gonna lie- I almost choked up.

This particular section of the marvel universe has been the perfect cross section of eye candy, mythology and sci-fi… I don’t think I realized how much I needed it to get back into the swing of things, especially with how the last 2 years have been.

Grade: A

Trailers (a lot of repeat offenders...):

• Nope- Jordan peele movie
• Paws of fury- this trailer actually showed who did what voice
• Super pets
• Strange world
• Avatar

New trailers

• Bullet train- some movie with Brad Pitt being an agent and someone involved in one of his previous jobs comes back for revenge
• Amsterdam- the new David O Russell movie starring Margot Robbie and Christian Bale... looked really interesting

A Marvel Tribute

I revisited my Endgame review to see just how much detail I went into before I go into more... 

I'd been meaning to do this post for a long time, but now feels like the right time.

Before going any further, this goes into #EndgameSpoilers... so if you hadn't seen the movie yet or don't want to hear how it ends, I'd suggest leaving this page immediately...

...also I go into a LOT of other topics and I meander quite a bit, so just be warned... and I apologize in advance if a lot of it is trivial and about things not relevant to this topic... in the end, they're all relevant to me and I'm the one writing this. 

...Ok, for those still here... this is where the post really starts... 

Man, these words are difficult to say and I'd had 5 months to think about them... 

The entire Marvel franchise that started with Iron-Man ended with him making the sacrificial move and dying in the end... 
It's been hard just holding onto this without talking about it so I don't spoil the movie for people... but it's almost like losing someone, but you can't talk about it because their death was part of a conspiracy. Or your vampire boyfriend left, but you can't talk about why you're sad about him leaving without revealing he's a vampire.

This sounds really silly, but I'm still having a really hard time with it. It's ironic that I'd spent the last couple of years almost wanting this scenario to play out because I want Robert Downey Jr. to start doing other things. Being part of Marvel kinda limits his options to do other projects. Plus, the dude needs to win an Oscar. He's not going to earn one playing Tony Stark. Wouldn't it be hilarious if he (and Stan Lee- posthumously of course) actually got an Honorary Oscar for launching this franchise that revolutionized the movie industry? Although they might need to give an Honorary Oscar to George Lucas first because he launched Star Wars and that was a game-changer too. 

Point is he needs to win an Oscar because he's an amazing actor that has been passed over a lot because of his past difficulties. He lost to Al Pacino, who got the Oscar for "Scent of a Woman" to make up for past snubs. And he lost to Heath Ledger because... well, Heath Ledger died... I mean, that role in Tropic Thunder can't be gotten away with in today's politically correct world (kinda funny that I'm writing this now after Justin Trudeau got in trouble for photos in blackface from 20 years ago...) but I'm still bitter as heck that Heath Ledger only got the Oscar buzz because he died making The Dark Knight. Granted, he was the only good part about that movie... yeah, I hated The Dark Knight, sue me... it's too long and adding Two-Face felt like an afterthought because they didn't know how to end the movie otherwise. 

Back to the topic at hand... Watchmojo (a YouTube channel I enjoy a little too much) posted a new video titled top 10 most heroic deaths in movies. Tony Stark from his final "I am Iron-Man" moment was the thumbnail... I haven't watched it yet because I don't know if I'm ready for it yet. There was also a video about "heroes who created the villain"... #10 was from the new Spider-Man and I immediately freaked out and skipped ahead...

I haven't seen the new Spider-Man movie. I thought I'd be in a hurry to do so, but I'm not. It came out 2 months ago and they actually used it as a cross-promotion with United for the safety lecture. (It's really cool). But judging from the trailers, this movie is about Peter Parker struggling with the loss of his mentor and maybe wanting to give up the superhero gig entirely. I'm not ready for that yet... 

This is where the difficult part comes in... I'd seen a couple of Watchmojo lists relating to Marvel, one with 10 awesome things RDJ did outside of Marvel, and watched Doctor Strange as I said I would at the end of my Endgame post... 

but I haven't been able to see any of his movies since this one.

Leading up to Endgame, I rewatched Iron-Man, Avengers, Avengers 2, Civil War, and EndGame... I spent so much time with Tony that I was kinda getting sick of him, but it might be my own fault for binging movies the months leading up to it...

But it almost feels like a part of me died when he did in the movie because it felt like he really did. That death scene was hard to watch- especially because movies always fake you out when someone dies. Heck, they did that in the first Avengers movie, but I was more freaked out that Loki was going to control him with his scepter than him not making it back from space. But part of me was kinda thinking he'd make it back... he went through SO MUCH through these movies, it's amazing he made it this far. 

But as much as I get it in the grand scheme of things, I'm still kinda upset about it. I'm mad at Steve Rogers because he decided he had to fix everything when Tony got his happy ending. He just couldn't let things go... he never can... that's part of his character. He and Tony seem to have that in common, not being able to leave things alone. 

Maybe the weirdest part about all this... I think about RDJ and almost feel like he died when his character did and it's hard to remind myself he's still alive- cuz that pain is still there.

Meanwhile, Prince died in real life and I'd spent the last 3 years trying to think about him as if he's still here... because it's hard to reconcile the fact he isn't anymore. The moment I got the news, I let myself be shocked and sad for 2 minutes. Then "1999" starts playing and I told myself I wouldn't waste my time mourning and instead celebrating him. 

In other words, I have things completely screwed up and backwards in my mind... 

And I don't know if I'll be cured of this weird state of mind until his next movie comes out... that Doctor Dolittle remake (which is most likely not going to be very good because it's a REMAKE and the month it's being released is usually when the box office bombs come out) won't be out until January. 

The Voyage of Dr. Dolittle will be out January 17 2020... I immediately looked him up after this movie to see when his next movie was so I could get out of this weird funk, but it hasn't happened. I still have 4 months left, although I have my suspicions the rest of this year is going to be fly by in a blink. I can't believe it's September already and my mind is already looking forward to things in October. Like pumpkin spice season... 

I just feel like if I see him doing something in present tense, I'll snap back to normal. 

Also, they're doing a Black Widow movie FINALLY... and he's rumored to be in the cast... that could really screw things up, as much as I'd like it to be true. Meanwhile, Jeremy Renner isn't listed at all, which he SHOULD BE... I mean, hello, the two of them have history together. He's shooting, meanwhile, a Hawkeye TV series that I think will be Netflix exclusive... 

I don't have Netflix cuz we're not cool enough to have Netflix, but even then... I don't want to be part of that binge-watching culture because I barely have time for all the shows I do want to watch. I tried to keep up with all of them for a couple years until I just burnt out. 

Hopefully it'll give a DVD release of the individual seasons. They did put out John Krasinski's Jack Ryan series on DVD (which I've wanted to see for ages cuz I swear a weird dream I had was inspired by seeing trailers of it). 

...looked it up. It's Disney+... I just don't want to pay a subscription for streaming just to watch one show... I don't even stream my music. I buy CD's so I only have to pay for them once... 

This post is just all over the place, isn't it?

Another funny thing... my first glimpse of RDJ was trailers for Tropic Thunder and I felt like I had to see the movie to figure out what the hell his character was ("I'm a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude")... that one line was so hilarious and nonsensical I had to find out what was going on. I loved his performance, thought it should have won an Oscar (seriously... I'm never letting that go). So from an acting perspective, I wanted to start keeping tabs on him. Next was Sherlock Holmes and that was a fun watch too. And he won a Golden Globe for that. I never saw that show before, but I gave it a shot on a whim and I saw THAT. Awesome... but why no Oscar nomination? 

The nominations were George Clooney, Jeremy Renner, Jeff Bridges (who won the drama cat. at the Globes), Colin Firth and Morgan Freeman... granted, that's a lot of star power, but STILL... in 2010, I went to the movies to see him three times... Iron-Man 2, Due Date and Sherlock Holmes was actually January... I saw 23 movies that year... 

Then 2011... it kinda became the year that RDJ owned... and it all started with Less Than Zero. I love 80's pop culture so much and my knowledge of music and movies from that time is pretty vast, although I don't know everything... but it's funny how some things from that decade returned to my conscience years after they first caught my attention... my first encounters with Prince were 20 years ago when we watched the 1999 video and I saw bits of Purple Rain a couple years after that... he returns in 2006-7, makes multiple appearances I saw through multiple circumstances... I became a hardcore fan who had to know everything about him in 2007 and the rest is history. He became a huge part of my life and still is. 

With Less Than Zero, I'd wanted to see it since seeing the music video by The Bangles. It was on a VHS tape full of old MTV videos (1999 was on there as well) and I liked it so much I fast-forwarded to it multiple times. I liked all three of those Bangles videos (Walk like an Egyptian and Manic Monday-- didn't know at the time Prince wrote that one-- were the other two). One time, I watched this video twice in a row. It was very spooky and haunting and because it was from an 80's movie, I wanted to see this movie. 

I had no idea he was going to be in it... I didn't know anything about him except Sherlock Holmes and that Golden Globe and him being Iron-Man... 

February became a defining month for me over the past several years. Whatever defined that year for me, I saw that month. Prince at the SuperBowl (I started my fandom officially the next day- 2/5/2007), RDJ in Less than Zero (2/4/2011), Evgeni Plushenko at the Sochi Olympics (2/13/2014- his previous performance 4 days earlier wanted me to see what he'd do next... that injury that led to him withdrawing was the 13th... doesn't have to be a Friday to be unlucky)

Admittedly, Less than Zero wasn't a great movie. I found it uncomfortable to watch for a number of reasons. A couple had to do with sex scenes. One might ask- you like Prince and that bothers you?... when it's done from an artistic perspective, it's easier for me to digest. But when it's more intense and in your face, it's more difficult. But over time, I became more comfortable in this realm as well... provided the sex scene works in the scheme of the story... 

I also had my issues with the storyline because it's just a bit out there. My mom, whenever movies come up that have to do with either drugs or prostitution- American Gigolo is another, but I hadn't seen that one. Not sure if I ever will, beyond the opening scene where "Call Me" plays... she says that these movies are strange or bizarre or something along those lines. As if they're not normal. 

Less Than Zero shows a dark side of the youth culture in LA in the 80's... when you're addicted to drugs and your drug dealer keeps you hooked because you owe them money. 

I'd watched the movie twice... but only once all the way through. The second time, I watched up until the father-son reconciliation scene. And I couldn't continue after that. 

Also, this movie is why I hate James Spader, or at least I used to. (I don't love the guy, but I don't hold this crazy grudge against him anymore... not since seeing Ultron, funny enough... I hated the casting, but he was really good in the role and Tony almost deserved retribution for creating him). Because he played a really bad bad guy and I still blame him for the fact Julian dies at the end. There's a lot of talk about addicts and how they create their own hell and they should take the blame for their own actions. Sure, Julian owed him money, but he didn't have to be so sadistic about keeping him hooked, forcing him into prostitution to resolve his debts. 

Crazy thing is in the book, Julian doesn't die at the end. And a sequel was written, Imperial Bedrooms, where the characters actually see Less than Zero the movie and Julian is dumbstruck that they killed him off... I think he does eventually get killed off in that book as well. I don't plan on reading it. 

I just remember seeing the movie, being up past midnight to watch the whole thing. The movie ended with Roy Orbison "Fade Away" playing through the credits. I stayed for the credits cuz I couldn't move. I was so numb afterwards about what happened. 

The next day, I did my research, went DEEP into RDJ's past, found out about the drug issues and the fact doing this movie might have made matters worse instead of being a cautionary tale (I know all those drug education classes in school made me want to steer clear of anything addicting... I consume alcohol, but not to any detriment). Ultimately what I wanted to accomplish was learn everything I could so his past being revisited wouldn't hurt me or deter me. I also researched all of his movies- a) to see if they were any good or had something of interest and b) if he dies in the end.

So all of this fangirling really started with being messed up about his character dying in a movie... and again, I'm messed up because his character died in a movie. A death I was prepared to experience, but it's still hard. 

Just to knock myself back to reality for a second- I do follow him on Twitter, but he hasn't posted in a couple weeks. Sadly, his last post was him saying his Instagram got hacked... seriously, is nothing sacred anymore? The guy does a lot of great charity work and that's interfering with that.

Also, I will add, I got approached twice by spoofed accounts on Facebook via Messenger. One of them, I talked to for a while, but when he started saying how pretty I was or maybe asking why I was single... I started to get suspicious and blocked him. Last I checked, he's happily married with Susan (their 14th anniversary is coming up soon) and they have two children together. I'd have heard something if there was trouble in paradise. Also, she said she'd kill him if he ever stepped out of line. I have a fear of being eternally single, but I'm not that desperate to change that. Especially if it involves someone stealing someone else's good name to boost their own chances... the dude might have been a serial killer for all I know... 

He also tweeted an article about John Lithgow joining the Perry Mason limited series cast... still no release date on that... I'm still pissed that RDJ isn't playing the title role. (I started watching the series and even got a boxset so I'd know what to expect... it's a really cool series). When interviewed about it before Sherlock 2, he said he'd play him. And playing Tony Stark made it impossible for him to do that, so he had to step down to just producing.

Yeah, I will miss this character, but being stuck playing him for so long pisses me off because he missed out on a lot of opportunities. Opportunities he wouldn't have gotten without this role. 

Following his biography, from what I remember... Ally McBeal was his latest great gig where he really had everything together... except he didn't and his character was written out of the show. That still kills me... I own the boxset from Season 4, but I never watched that last episode again. That was 2001. 

After rehab, his first role was The Singing Detective where Mel Gibson paid the insurance to cast him. That's why RDJ wanted to pay it forward and get Mel Gibson back into the industry after a few incidents of his own. How much he succeeded... well, the guy is getting work, but nothing as impressive as the days of Lethal Weapon. (He was supposed to be in the 2nd Hangover movie, but was fired because Zack Galifianakis didn't like him... makes me wonder if RDJ still talks to Zack after that incident-- the two of them hit it off while doing "Due Date"). Then he did Gothika where he got to play the straight character for once and that's where he met Susan and fell head over heels. 

Meeting her turned his life around and it's been going well ever since. 

The fact he got cast as Tony Stark put him back into the spotlight in a good way. He probably wouldn't have gotten cast as Sherlock Holmes if that didn't happen, although I think Guy Ritchie had been a fan previous to that anyway. I mean, the guy played Charlie Chaplin for crying out loud AND almost won an Oscar for it. Probably the only good thing about that movie-- it wasn't terrible, but James Woods' scene kinda ruined it for me. He played a lawyer that got Charlie in trouble, saying that a DNA test that proved he didn't father a child was insufficient evidence and he was forced to pay child support the rest of his life. Plus, it focused a little too much on his relationships and less about his artistic process.

The addiction part of his past has been in the rearview mirror for so long, I don't recall it all the time. And that's the way it should be. You can only hold someone accountable for their past mistakes for so long. But when they really turn their lives around, let them live that and leave the rest alone. (If I really had time to think about this, I'm sure I'll find some instance or some person that'll make me a complete hypocrite... everyone is human, but if it involves someone I care about, I always aim to stay positive).

It's also strange that we lost Prince to something drug-related when that really wasn't on anyone's radar. Some people have come out after the fact, saying that there were flickers of things that could feed that narrative and maybe they should have acted sooner. Probably wouldn't have changed anything, though. He was a very private person and didn't want to do anything that would compromise his reputation. I think the only thing that could have changed things is if he had proper hip surgery that rid him of the pain permanently. Instead, due to religious restrictions, he didn't undergo the full process and had to stay medicated to go about whatever normal life was for him.

The same situation applies: I don't let that color my view of him. Is he partially responsible? He's only human. But I refuse to be one of those people who hate on addicts, saying that their deaths are their own fault. And while that may be true, I don't equate "drug addict" with him because that paints a very negative picture. And he's so much more than that and I'll remember him for the other 99% of what he is. (Well, maybe 98%- accounting for things that came out in Mayte's book and how he chose his newfound religious beliefs over their marriage... I spent at least a week mad at him over how all of that played out and I generally don't get mad at him all that much)

But it'll be one of those crazy things... losing at Prince at 57... meanwhile, so many other people with past drug issues are still around. Keith Richards, one of the most infamous drug addicts in the history of music, is over 70. 

And Robert Downey Jr. - with more second chances under his belt than most normal people get... he went to rehab at least three times before getting everything together. 

I'm not super experienced in this area, but to me, he had more of a conscience than most drug addicts do. He sincerely struggled it. He knew he had problems, but it was almost like he couldn't help himself. There's a courtroom scene that makes all of the biographies with a line that goes something like "It's like having a gun in my mouth and I like the taste of the metal"

He used to laugh it off and even think about it from a philosophical point of view. He did an interview with Charlie Rose (sadly someone whose career got ruined by harassment claims- not dismissing that these things happened- but he was a GREAT interviewer) where he talked about The Singing Detective and how he'd been able to stay clean and books he'd been reading that inspired him. Namedropping Campbell and Moyers. Charlie Rose threw in Tuesday's with Morrie (I read that one... interesting read, but I don't remember anything about it now). I wrote down a few quotes from that interview:

"It serves a part of your soul to blow it all up, because if you survive it, you realize there are outside forces you may never understand, that have your back... and they're fairly forgiving"

and he likes this one about optimism vs. pessimism because it came up in a few interviews.

"The optimist believes the future is uncertain, but the pessimist is always right and doesn't care. I think it's my duty to be the optimist, but the pessimist clearly has more information"

Man... this takes me back... 

2011 was a difficult year for me personally and having Robert as a distraction helped me get through it. But the distraction only helped for so long. The fact was I was unemployed and couldn't get hired after losing my last job due to being a poor communicator. 

Actually, today is the 9th anniversary of being fired from that job. I was thinking about another anniversary that had to do with today, but that was an album release from a year ago... I'd been at my current job since 2014, a temp position that became full time in 2016... anyone who's been paying attention could piece together some other things that coincided with those years... something bad happened involving people I care about, but in my own life, something really good happened. 

And for anyone curious, I've gotten a lot better at communicating and asking for help at work. Funny thing (so many funny ironic things in this post) is that one of my responsibilities has been including receptionist coverage. Talking to people makes me nervous, that's always been true, but as terrifying as it is, being thrown into that role made me better at it. The responsibility is heavy, so I don't like doing it all the time, but I'll step up to the plate when needed to do so. I said at one time or another, but as scary as it is to do, it's one of the most rewarding things I've done in my life. 

It's strange to look back on the 2011 version of myself that felt useless and hopeless... I still get down on myself about a lot of things, almost like I'm waiting for everything to come crashing down because it did once in spectacular fashion. Strange that I find salvation or at least relief from the negativity in my head from someone who dealt with more difficulty in their life than I'd ever understand. 

I wrote a lot of fiction at the time to sort through my feelings, but no resolution was ever reached that helped me get back on my feet. 

In 2014, this job (which I applied for years ago, but didn't get) came back to me like a boomerang when I needed it most... and it's given me a lot of great things. Not just health insurance or a steady paycheck, but I really do enjoy what I do. Not all of my coworkers are nearly this optimistic about it, but I pour myself into it to make up for everything else. And I am good at what I do. Being an almost A student in college was great, but nothing compared to make an impact in the real world. Even if it's a small impact. 

Yikes... God forbid I have to write a tribute post for Robert Downey Jr. in the next 10 years because he passed away for real... but when that times comes, I left myself so little material left to work with without repeating myself. I'd said everything about what he'd meant to me.

I guess I could just go into his best movie roles and why... 

I'll for sure tag him on Twitter when I share this post, but I highly doubt he'd read it... but it'd be crazy if he did and actually appreciated it, rather than thinking I was an overzealous fanatic. 

To me, he is so much more than Tony Stark... it's sad not to have that part of him anymore. But it's sadder that I have all these movies that I'm not sure if I'll be able to watch them... maybe not ever again... but it'd be like giving up "Little Red Corvette" because that song was on the radio when I found out the news about Prince... I'd worked through that and enough time has passed where I hear that song and it doesn't make me sad anymore. 

Maybe I will rewatch that first SpiderMan movie again... I'd meant to do it with subtitles so I could understand what is going on during those first 10 minutes... 

but first, I should watch that Watchmojo video about heroic movie deaths... just to see if I'm ready for it... 

I really hope I said everything I meant to in this post. And that my points came across with the best of intentions... instead of me being taken to task over any of the random opinions I spouted... 

I guess this is just something I've wanted to say for a while and this was my chance to get it all out so I can move forward. 

Also, if you made to the end, congratulations. I hope you enjoyed my musings, opposed to demanding for that hour of your life back that you spent reading this novel of a post.