Time: 11:10am
Party: 2 (my mom and I)
Duration: 127 minutes (plus 26 minutes of trailers)
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?”
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:
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.
1 comment:
Great job Jackie. Very thorough
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