Deadpool

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/

Stars: 3

Rated: R

Studios: Marvel Entertainment, TSG
and Twentieth Century Fox

Director: Tim Miller

               Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin

                       TJ Miller and  Ed Skerin              

Length: 108 Min

I am, and always have been, a complete and utter comic book nerd. I grew up reading primarily Marvel; but, every American can say that they likewise have a deep rooted homegrown love of DC as well. Anyone from my generation, and even some from earlier or later, grew up watching the Justice League characters in both film and television. So, given my predisposition to love films based on comic books; it is a good assumption, that I went to see Deadpool opening night.

If you guessed in the affirmative on that question; then, you were absolutely DEAD right. I tried to resist, I really did. I even handcuffed myself to my toilet after I took my kids back home to their moms Friday night. Before long, however, I began to sweat and go crazy. I started referring to myself in the third person and, after about two minutes, I started trying to gnaw my arm off. Since I am not completely insane like Wade Wilson; I realized I had the key, and unlocked the cuffs and headed out to the Carmike Spring Hill. I arrived at the theater two minutes after the film was supposed to start; and, to my great joy, the movie was not sold out. Forgoing the concessions stand, since I had already taken out a second mortgage on my house to buy popcorn last time I was at the theater, I headed in and plopped myself down in my seat.

Now, as much as I wanted to see this film; I was however, apprehensive about the content of the film. Deadpool had been given an “R” rating; and from what I had seen and already read, I was worried that the content would be a little too much for me. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. For all of the hype about the film being a very “hard” R: it was in fact, not quite as bad as I expected it to be. In fact, I had seen plenty of other “R” rated films whose content were much worse. All in all, most of the nudity in the film was contextual to the scenes and not portrayed in a sexual manor. Of course, there is a sex montage between Wade (Ryan Reynolds) and His love interest in the film Copycat (Morena Baccarin). During this montage there is, however, only about a 15 second scene where any nudity is shown; and, both actors are positioned so the audience is unable to see any complete nudity. Other than the sex montage, most of the other nudity is that of Reynolds during his time being experimented on and is not sexual in nature.

There is, however, a scene that takes place in a strip club; and, in this scene there is quite a lot of gratuitous nudity. The scene does not last long; but, it is completely unnecessary to the story and the scene could have been cut so as to minimize any nudity. This one scene, in my opinion, was the one mistake the director made in his final cut of the movie; because, it was only put in for shock factor, and to be offensive. For me personally, if he had chosen to edit this scene differently, I would have enjoyed the movie more. The rest of the content was pretty standard fair for an “R” rated action film, with there being lots of cursing and violence. I did find, however, that pretty much every Quentin Terentino film I’ve had the misfortune of viewing has had more foul language and much more graphic and disturbing violence then this movie did.

Now the story, in all actuality, is nothing really new. Where it is the funniest superhero film I have ever seen; the plot, is nothing new under the sun. In fact, it is pretty basic. Ex-special forces operative becomes mercenary and primarily does jobs that help people; even though, he constantly protests that he is not a good guy or a hero. He meets a girl who is just as screwed up as he is, and he falls in love and then is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is offered a chance to live by willingly enrolling in a program that will cure him and make him into a superhero. He does; only to find out, that the people experimenting on him are evil and are making him into a super soldier for hire. He escapes, they kidnap his girl and he goes after the bad guys to get revenge. Lots of raunchy jokes and dismemberment ensues and it all works out in the end.

The one element that makes Deadpool different from other superhero films; is that he is completely insane, psychopathic and knows he is only a character in a movie. This fourth wall breaking is nothing new; however, with such films as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off using it long before Deadpool did. Likewise, Guardians of The Galaxy is also a film that takes pseudo heroes and turns them into heroes in a hilarious way; so, even that plot element is not revolutionary. Ryan Reynolds is the perfect cast for Wade Wilson and he fought hard for years to get this film made, and it shows in his acting. In my opinion, I have never before seen a more perfect adaption of a comic book character to the big screen then Reynolds depiction of Deadpool. It was as if he was actually born to play the Merc With a Mouth. There are two Xmen in the film Colossus amazingly voiced by Yevgeniy Kartashov  and Negasonic Teenage Warhead brilliantly played by Brianna Hildebrand. All in all, every member of the cast looks like they are having a rip roaring time making this film; and that shows through in the final project.

Deadpool may not be the best superhero film ever made; but, it could very well be the most enjoyable one. It is a movie that is not for everyone, especially kids; but, it is a very funny film that will make you laugh out loud often, and the fourteen year old in you jump for joy if you let him out. It is raunchy and filled with stupid jokes, over the top and at times ridiculous violence and a plot that could have possibly been written by the strange love child of Nicolas Sparks and a Kevin Smith.  Aside from its few flaws, Deadpool is by far the best superhero adaption Twentieth Century Fox has ever given us. As always, there is a scene after the credits; so, make sure you stay till the very end, it’s worth it. So folks, get yourself some red spandex, but not your kids, and head to your local Cineplex to see Deadpool. I promise you, you will only have to seek out minor psychiatric help after you see it.

This film is rated R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and nudity

Pride Prejudice and Zombies

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374989/

Stars: 3

Rated: PG-13

Studios: Screen Gems, Lionsgate 

Director: Burr Steers

               Starring: Lily James, Sam Riley, 

                       Jack Huston  and Matt Smith                

Length: 108 Min

“Dear Sir, my daughters are trained in the arts of war and not in the domestic arts of the kitchen.” Lets be honest here guys, how many of us have longed to hear a potential father in law say this to us. I know I have. In fact, nothing gets me going more than a woman who can decapitate a zombie in high heels and flowing Regency period attire. Well, if that kind of woman is for you, then Pride Prejudice and Zombies will thrill you in more ways than you can count. In all seriousness though, this film based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith is actually quite good. I know right! Who would have thunk it? I mean, honestly we all have to admit to ourselves that when we first were exposed to the title of the film, we all thought the same thing: this film is going to be stupid. Whereas, I did find myself uttering those very words often throughout my viewing experience; they were spoken more out of joy then distain. Right from the opening scene to the very end of the film, Pride Prejudice and Zombies is utterly unbelievably ridiculous. Of course, how can it not be? It is, however, ridiculous in a good way and not in the “Scary Movie” kind of way. To my great joy, what should have been a “B” horror/comedy ended up being a very good spoof on Jane Austin’s novel Pride and Prejudice.

I will be honest, other than the riches and good looks, I always identified with Mr. Darcy as character. He kind of reminded me of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. In this portrayal of the story, he is played by actor Sam Riley; who portrays him, as gloriously detached, unemotional and as a man who has absolutely no clue how to act around Elizabeth, the woman who he has fallen hopelessly in love with. In fact, I loved his overly honest exchanges with her that invariably shoved him more and more into the dog house as the film went on. Yes, this is a romance at its core, even though there are more elements at work in the story than just romantic ones; so if the central romance is not believable, then the film as a whole is not going to work. Thankfully, I found that the romance captured my attention from the first time Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth locked eyes.

To take a bit of a side trail here, I think that Mr. Darcy is a completely relatable character for the average male man. Unlike most other male creations in the romance genre, he has no idea what to say and do to win Elizabeth’s heart. In fact, everything he does or says seems to be the wrong thing. I know I can relate to that, as I am sure most real guys can. (My brother Josh and best friend Doug excluded from that last statement.) Elizabeth as well, is supposed to be relatively average in her appearance and a person who constantly finds herself in the shadow of her prettier older sister. Of course, Lilly James who plays Elizabeth Bennet is a beautiful movie star; but hey, that’s to be expected. Beauty aside, she manages to capture Elizabeth’s insecurity as well as her strength as a warrior.

The rest of the cast does a fantastic job of drawing us in and making us believe that Zombies could have existed in Jane Austin’s England and the budget is big and very professional; which, adds to the films believability. The only performance that I would say stood out too me other then the two main leads, was Matt Smith’s portrayal of Parson Collins. I am of course biased since he is one of my favorite Doctors; but he is truly over the top and hysterical in this role.

I do, however, have one major problem with the film. The film is supposed to be a comical take on Jane Austin’s novel, which is a comedic commentary on Regency society as a whole; but, I never really laughed out loud at the film. In fact, for a comedy, it was not all that funny. The film has serious identity issues never being sure of what type of film it wants to be. It is neither funny enough to be a comedy, nor disturbing enough to be a horror film and it is not romantic enough to be a romance. Of course, it is a spoof at its heart; but, it would have been more enjoyable if the film had been funnier or more violent. The film does have moments where I genuinely felt a sense of horror; but, those instances were not disturbing enough to make me cringe and I wish they were. I will say, however, that the film is trying to walk a fine line between comedy, romance and horror; which, is a hard road to tread and it does not fail completely in its endeavor. As I said before, it is just ridiculous enough to be enjoyable. 

I do surmise that one good thing will come from this film however; and that is, that a lot of people will have the desire to pick up a copy of Jane Austin’s novel to see just how true the film was to the original story. Who would have thought that a ridiculous Zombie film could promote classic literature, am I right? So, in conclusion, put aside your preconceived notions and your prejudices and take yourself, your girl or guy (But not your kids, since this is a movie about Zombies eating people) and go see Pride Prejudice and Zombies. I promise, if you let yourself, you will have a ridiculously good time.

This film is rated PG-13 for zombie violence and action, and brief suggestive material.

The Fifth Wave

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/ 

Stars: 2 1/2

Rated: PG-13

Studios: Columbia Pictures,

GK FIlms, LStar Capital     

Director: J Blakeson

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Matthew Zuk,

Gabriela Lopez  and Liev Schrieber       

Length: 112 Min

So, since I have no self control when it comes to movies, I found myself once again at the local Cineplex. For me it is the brand new Carmike 12 in Spring Hill Tennessee; which is, thankfully, directly across the street from my apartment. Well, not directly across the street; but, about two minutes from my apartment down the road and across the street. Just ask Dora I’m sure she can direct you too it with no problems. All you need to do is get your talking back pack out, and sing for the talking map. This actually works, I have tried it, trust me. Of course, I was using black magic and had to exercise a demon from out of my kids school backpack; but, I digress. Moving on. Since I am completely addicted to going to the movies and have as much control over myself as Bruce banner has when he is overcome by rage and transforms into the hulk, I found myself at the local Cineplex. I would be lying if I said that there were a plethora of films I wanted to see; but, there just simply wasn’t. Of course, since I had come all this way on the advice of a talking backpack, I was determined to spend my hard earned nickel on something. So, after about a minute of heartfelt soul searching, I decided to go see The Fifth Wave.  I know, I am not a fifteen year old girl, at least not last time I checked, but it was the only thing that truly interested me in the lineup of films that were playing at 9:55 on a Monday night.  Just to be clear, small town theaters only play films after 9:30 on weekends; so, my choices were very limited. Sure, I could have gone with Jane’s Got a Gun; but, I was genuinely curious about this film. So I got my usual from the snack bar for a million dollars and a pint of blood and headed into the theater.

As I stepped through the doors and into the sparsely lit theater my greatest fears were realized, when I saw that I was the only male in the theater who was over the age of seventeen. Well, since hiding my face in a bag was not an option, I stood up strait and owned it. Yes folks I was a single forty-one year old man who had come to see a tween movie without his children and without a date, and there is nothing odd or strange about that. I sat down and soon the four hours of previews began and before long the movie started. Now, before I get too far into my review, I want to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I came expecting twilight with aliens; but, what I received was so much more. Most of the criticism I had read about the film centered on the fact that they never showed the aliens. Well, in my opinion, this minimalistic approach to the subject matter is what gave the film impact and drew me into the world that the film makers had crafted. Even the score from the always amazing Henry Jackman, was at times hauntingly minimalistic; with, the composer choosing to use simple piano progressions in order to convey the emotions of the scenes that were unfolding. There were times when the film was loud and action packed; but, mostly the story was about survival and holding on to ones humanity in the face of a hopeless situation. I liken the stylistic choices of the director to that of the AMC’s The Walking Dead. No, there weren’t any aliens ripping apart humans and eating them; but, anyone who has seen the Walking Dead knows, it’s more about survival and how much of our humanity we are willing to give up in order to do so. In some small way, this film coveys these ideas through the experiences of the main character who is a high school age girl.

Of course, since the main hero of the story is a high school age girl there is, sadly, a teenage romance in the story. Over all, the romance was not bad, even if it was a little bit farfetched; and, it did take everything in me to not hurl up the M & Ms I had recently eaten. I think we older people forget just how strong the hormones of teenage young adults can be. All of us can agree, that we can remember a time when we fell insanely in love with someone at the drop of a hat or at a wayward glance; so, I won’t judge the realism of the romance in the Fifth Wave to harshly. All in all, it is a pretty shallow romance; but hey, aren’t all teenage romances in the end anyway? This film, however, is just the first part of a greater series; so I am sure, the romance will find its depth in time. Of course, given the poor showing the Fifth Wave has produced so far, I am not entirely sure the studio will choose to make the rest of the series. The romance aside, the rest of the film was surprisingly refreshing and a completely different take on a familiar idea that, quite frankly, Hollywood has done to death as of late. There are a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and the actual fifth wave was not what I expected; but, I will not ruin the surprise in the Cracker Jack box for those of you who decide to see this film. Chloe Grace Moretz does a valiant job fleshing out the character with the script she has been given, and I only rolled my eyes a few times at her acting. To be serious, I don’t think I have ever seen a movie she acted in where I was not impressed with her performance; and the Fifth Way was no different. I will just forget the romantic scenes and then she will retain her perfect record for me. Liev Schreiber, as always, gives a magnificent and memorable performance as the colonel; even though, the character is very stereotypical and a bit shallow. Both of the young male leads Nick Robinson (Zombie) and Alex Roe (Evan Walker) are not only forgettable; but, robotic in their performances of the very shallow and uninteresting characters. Again, this is just the first chapter in a greater story; so, if the current wave of tween novels being made into movies holds up, than hopefully both characters will become more interesting in the next two installments of the franchise. I personally won’t be holding my breath in anticipation, because I don’t want to pass out from lack of oxygen to my brain.

Overall, the Fifth Wave is not a great movie, but nor is it a bad movie. It is clever at times and it reminded me a bit of a film that might have been directed by a teenage Alfred Hitchcock with its minimalistic style choices, while simultaneously managing to maintain the cheese of a tween Nickelodeon romance drama; that, let’s be honest here, we all love but are afraid to admit out loud. No matter your interests, or unacknowledged guilty pleasure, the fifth wave has something for everyone; and, both parents and kids of all ages can view this film and find something that will entertain them. I will say one thing, however, there are scenes where children are used as soldiers and they are violent and disturbing at times; so, younger children and parents may find them a bit much. If this is the case for you; then, you might want to skip this film in favor of a PG or G rated film. Whereas the Fifth Wave is not the pinnacle of film noir or art; it is however, a very satisfying weekend blockbuster of a movie that can, and should be, enjoyed with some candy and a large popcorn by the whole family no matter what that looks like. (When I was a teenager I once took my entire group of imaginary friends to the movies. Seriously it cost me fifteen dollars! I would have taken my stuffed animal collection, but none of them wanted to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.) So folks, get off of your couch this week and go to the theater and catch a showing of the Fifth Wave, I promise you will only be moderately disappointed.

This film is rated PG-13 for violence and destruction, some sci-fi thematic elements, language and brief teen partying.