Movie Review – Deadpool (2016)

Director: Tim Miller

Stars: Ryan Reynold, Ed Skrein, Morena Baccarin, T. J. Miller, Gina Carano, Stefan Kapicic, Brianna Hildebrand

Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is a mercenary who is diagnosed with cancer. To try and protect his girlfriend Vanessa (Baccarin) from losing him, he undergoes a dangerous operation to be activate latent mutant genes, only to discover that the procedure is not what he thought. Taking on the moniker Deadpool, and wearing a mask to hide his disfigured face, he tries to track down the man who did this to him.

Deadpool has been subject to much anticipation since the test footage leaked, and after a long marketing campaign that stretched back prior to Christmas the first superhero film of the year is upon us, and although it has garnered a lot of attention it is still a risk since it is far more violent and adult-oriented than other popular comic book properties, and it’s also buried in between all the awards-nominated films. But I think this will actually be to its benefit because, aside from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, there’s not really anything out like it at the moment and the word of mouth for this film is going to be huge because Deadpool is supremely fun and I don’t think there was anyone that left the cinema unsatisfied.

I’ve already heard chatter online claiming that this is the best comic book movie ever (the typical exuberance of a recently released film). I do not agree with that at all, but it is a superhero movie that feels fresh compared with its brethren. There’s a lot of talk of the superhero bubble and how comic books are taking over Hollywood (which I don’t believe for a second, but that’s a discussion for another time) yet many of the films have followed similar plot beats and a lot of the climaxes to the movies have felt similar (a criticism that has been leveled at Marvel in particular. But from the opening credits it’s clear that Deadpool is not going to be like any other recent comic book film, and that is all down to the humour. It’s a mixture of witty, juvenile, broad, and slapstick. Reynolds completely owns the role and the passion he showed in the build-up to release comes through in the final product. There are so many little touches that bring out howls of laughter and there’s such a sense of fun about it that is infectious.

Colossus plays the straight man, and Negasonic Teenage Warhead makes up the other X-Men contingent (having only two of them is made fun of in the film itself). Breaking the fourth wall works naturally and I loved all the references to the other movies and how Deadpool pokes fun at them. The action is good too, quite bloody and violent in comparison with the Marvel movies.

The main criticism I have is that the actual origin part of the movie takes a little too long and slows the pace down, but other than that it is supremely fun and I can say for sure that it lives up to the hype. There are a couple of end-credits scenes buried at the end of the film, so wait for those if you’re interested. I think that this film is going to be more popular than people initially predicted and I hope that Fox actually learns from its own lessons. The way to make a successful adaptation is to stay true to the spirit of the character, SO DO THE SAME WITH FANTASTIC FOUR!

Movie Review – Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Director: Dan Mazer

Stars: Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Mantzoukas, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Hough

After his grandmother died, Jason (Efron) is asked by his grandpa (De Niro) to drive down to Boca for some golf, a week before his wedding. Little does Jason know that his grandpa actually wants to party, but along the way the two of them grow closer together and Jason gains a new perspective on life.

I have to be honest here and say that I really wasn’t looking forward to Dirty Grandpa. I actually only saw it because it was the only film that fit in between the other films I was seeing in my triple bill. It seemed like a stupid, lowbrow comedy that dedicated itself to gross humour and nothing. But faithful readers, I am happy to admit when my preconceptions are wrong. There is gross humour in here, but it’s married to a heartfelt plot that gives the film something more than simple dirtiness.

The main theme of the film is to think for yourself and do what makes you happy rather than let other people decide the course of your life for you. Jason has lost his dreams and is now getting married to a woman who is controlling anything, and it is clear that Jason is basically sleeping through life. Enter his grandpa, who wants to seize his newfound singledom after being married for forty years. It’s not the most original plot ever and the beats of the story are predictable, but Efron and De Niro are quality actors and they elevate the material. Their dynamic is excellent and Efron plays the straight man well, while De Niro seems to revel in letting loose in front of the camera.

And on that point, I have heard some consternation that De Niro is basically tarnishing his legacy by doing films like these, which pale in comparison to some of the stuff he did in his younger days like Raging Bull etc, but I think because of the work he put into those films he’s earned the right to have fun in his later years. I find it difficult to begrudge him this.

There’s eye candy for both sexes here, and Efron gets a chance to bust out his singing voice (which I’m not sure he’s done in a movie since the High School Musical films, although I’m happy to be corrected on that point). And yeah, the humour is pretty broad but that’s something to be expected going in. This isn’t going to be for everyone and I know a lot of people are going to dislike the film greatly, but it was better than I expected and while it’s certainly not original the two main actors make it fun to watch.

Movie Review – Zoolander 2 (2016)

Director: Ben Stiller

Stars: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Penelope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, many celebrity cameos

After a catastrophic acciden, Derek Zoolander (Stiller) became a hermit crab and went into hiding, while Hansel (Wilson) also disappeared from the world after his face was horrible scarred. The world moved on and mostly forgot about them, but after they receive a mysterious message they decide to reclaim their titles as the hottest models in the world. Meanwhile, there’s a nefarious scheme that sees various pop stars being murdered, one that sees them taking selfies as they die with a certain look on their faces, a look that reminds people of Blue Steel.

Zoolander 2 begins with highlights of the intervening years between this movie and the last, with some funny commentary about how people are quick to move on. It does do one thing that I usually dislike in sequels, in that it undercuts the conclusion of the previous film straight away, largely making the ending of that one pointless. But to be honest it’s been years since I’ve seen the first film so I didn’t mind too much. The overall plot is pretty ridiculous, and I think those involved knew it because at the climax there’s basically a scene where characters question some of the developments. It’s fairly by-the-numbers.

But it’s fun to be with the characters again. Most of the scenes I found funny are just when Zoolander is being stupid and getting phrases wrong,  but overall I liked it and while I don’t think there’s enough mileage for another film it was fun to see them on screen again. The other thing I liked is that an antagonist, like Mugatu in the previous film, is named after a character from Star Trek. The celebrity cameos are sometimes entertaining, but also a lot of them are kind of obscure and often the characters need to call the celebrities by name because otherwise we wouldn’t know who they are. So yeah, like a lot of films of this ilk if you enjoyed the first one you’ll enjoy seeing the characters again. I thought it was alright.

Movie Review – The Big Short (2016)

Director: Adam McKay

Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Rafe Spall, Hamish Linklater, Jeremy Strong, Marisa Tomei, John Magaro, Finn Wittrock

The Big Short tells three separate stories of people who saw the housing crisis coming, and bet against the housing markets and the bank. When the economy crashed these men made money, but at what cost to the conscious?

It must have been a little tricky to market this film. After all, while it condemns the people who drove the economy down and basically wrecked people’s lives, many of whom have yet to recover, it does focus on people who came out of the crisis as winners, who bet against the housing market. It must be raw for some people who were directly for it, and I would find it hard to believe that they’d be able to root for the protagonists in the film. That being said, the acting is great, especially from Carell, and I think there’s enough heart shown that it just about manages to stay on the side of the people. There is one exchange which highlights this perfectly, where Brad Pitt’s character turns to two others and basically tells them not to celebrate because it just means that people are going to lose jobs, lose homes, and lose lives.

It’s still a recent crises but despite this the film maintains a sense of dark humor and pokes fun at itself. It acknowledges that all the financial jargon can be bamboozling, but don’t worry, Margot Robbie is on hand to explain things while she’s sitting in a bath tub! (I’ll be honest here, had the whole film been Margot Robbie explaining how the economy crashed while sitting in a bubble bath I would still be giving this a positive review). I’m not someone who finds it easy to understand financial terms so I appreciated that they held the audience’s hand through it. The three stories don’t really come together but each of them are entertaining in their own right, and the film has an energy about it that almost serves to distract from the dark plight, then drops an emotional bomb at just the right moment. It also doesn’t shy away from showing the effect it had on the average person, but it doesn’t make it the focus of the film.

It ends on a sorely depressing note as well and it makes you wonder about the state of the world because people are making the same mistakes as before, and the fact that everything that happened basically got ignored and the people responsible didn’t see any consequences from it is sickening. There is some irony in the fact that a Hollywood movie has been made criticizing the corrupt financial world, because Hollywood isn’t exactly a land of virtue itself, but I think The Big Short is able to raise people’s hackles by reminding them about what happened, and then direct the ire at Wall Street rather than at itself.

The casting was spot on, even the supporting roles, and I really liked the energy and humour it had about it, aside from the bleak ending that really just serves to show how short-sighted we can be.

Movie Review – Creed (2016)

Director: Ryan Coogler

Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson,  Tony Bellew, Andre Ward, Phylicia Rashad

After a troubled childhood, the son of Apollo Creed, Adonis (Jordan) tries to forge his own path under his own name. When he decides to become a fighter he turns to his father’s legendary opponent and best friend, Rocky Balboa (Stallone).  As Jordan struggles to create his own legacy and step out of his father’s shadow, the two men form an unlikely bond and teach each other some valuable lessons.

I know this came out in America last year but it’s going to be released next week in  the UK, and I saw a preview screening of it at Cineworld last night. If you haven’t yet, go and check out my Top Ten Anticipated Movies of the year, although spoiler alert, this one  was high on the list. And now that I’ve seen it I’m verrrrry confident that this will be on my top ten of the year list.

I’m a huge fan of the Rocky series and this seems like the perfect direction in which to take it. The idea that Apollo had a son who is trying to come to terms with never knowing his father, and then turning to Rocky for training seems so natural that it wouldn’t surprise me had it been planned  since Rocky IV. Both actors are great in their roles, I mean, Stallone has obviously inhabited Rocky for a number of years, and I know people love Rambo and see him as an action star but I think Rocky is the role that’s synonymous with him. Jordan is admittedly a better actor than Stallone, and this is very much his story.

I enjoyed the way the emotional layers of his character were peeled back, and the way he struggled with how other people perceived him. I thought he did a good job of echoing some of the swagger of Apollo, but also the determination of Rocky, and although they were not biologically related I found their relationship touching, especially with the difficulties that Rocky has had with his own son. And for Rocky it’s a chance to feel needed again. Adrian has been dead for a number of years, and by the time of Creed Paulie has passed away as well. The famed boxer looks and feels tired, but comes alive again.

The film doesn’t trade too much on nostalgia (which I think was a failing of some of the blockbusters of last year) but there are nice callbacks to the other films that fans will appreciate, and I like the fact that Creed very much creates its own characters and its own world without feeling like it’s just remaking Rocky or retreading old ground. The love story is good and I feel Thompson and Jordan have good chemistry, and although their relationship  was a bit of a rollercoaster I felt invested in it.

The direction was astounding. The fight scenes were brutal, and the camera was so intimate that it felt like I was in the ring with the fighters, and there were more than a few times where I was wincing and cheering, willing Adonis on. But there are some other nice touches as well, like how a card comes up to introduce each fighter and their record when they first appear, and the entrance of Adonis’ opponent at the end is fearsome and very much a spectacle.

And the music. Obviously everyone is going to be waiting for Gonna Fly Now and it is evoked a number of times before it comes in full, as are some other familiar cues from the other films, but they’re mixed in with some fresh songs that again help the give the film  its own identity.

I think this film is phenomenal. It had me pumped up, it had me invested in the characters and it’s able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best films in the franchise. I can see a couple of directions for the sequel and I am already getting excited for that. This year is going to be a big one for movies and with Creed it’s off to a damn fine start.

Movie Review – Batman vs Robin (2015)

Director: Jay Olivia

Stars: Jason O’Mara, Stuart Allen, Kevin Conroy, Robin Atkin Downes, Grey Griffin, Sean Maher, David McCallum, Jeremy Sisto

Next year is Batman vs Superman but this year the battle is close to home. Batman has been caring after his son, Damian Wayne, but is still trying to instil in him the same sense of morality. Damian is struggling with Batman’s insistence not to kill, and this causes tension between them. When the Court of Owls try to woo Robin in order to take out Batman, Bruce is haunted by his past, and fears that he is losing his son.

The film begins with a raid on an old toy shop in which the Dollmaker is holding children. It’s very creepy to see the Dollmaker and some of the children wearing masks made out of dolls, but it ties in thematically with the film, and how trapped Damian feels. Given that he’s so reckless Batman decides to try and put a leash on him, but this only makes Damian more frustrated and he eventually is seduced by the Court of Owls and their vigilante – Talon.

I’ve always enjoyed discussions about morality when it comes to heroes, and this film carries over some of that discussion from the previous film that introduced Damian. I liked how it ties in with Bruce’s past as well. He lost his family and the struggle he has with his own son takes its toll. I also enjoy how Damian is contrasted with Nightwing. Batman tried to build himself a family and Dick was like a son/brother, but now he actually has a son but Damian is much harder to control. The film even delves into Bruce’s subconscious in a compelling sequence that gets to the route of his fears. It’s a similar thing to what we’ve seen when he’s under the influence of Scarecrow, but it is effective.

The Court of Owls are made up masked individuals and their foot soldiers, who are kind of like zombies but it’s not really gone into any great detail. They’re basically cannon fodder, although there are some fairly intense action scenes. The ones I have to comment on are the fights between Damian and Batman/Nightwing. I know it’s a comic book film but Damian is only ten years old, so it’s a little unsettling to see two grown men fight him. I know he’s been trained by the League of Assassins and in some ways he’s not a child at all, but it’s still weird to see Batman fighting him.

I enjoyed the character of Talon as well, showing Damian what a version of Batman could be like if he didn’t have the strong moral code. There was a revelation at the end that could have been done away with as I didn’t think it added much to the story, and it happened so late in the game that it wasn’t able to be explored, but Talon was a cool character. Alfred had some good moments too, and it was a nice touch to have Kevin Conroy voice Thomas Wayne in flashbacks (yes, we get to see Thomas and Martha get shot down again).

Batman vs Robin is a story with a lot of substance. I like how it deals with the issue of Batman trying to be a good father, but the lines are blurred between father and son, protege and mentor, hero and sidekick. The Court of Owls provide an interesting adversary, although that’s mainly due to the development given to Talon.

Movie Review – Not Another Happy Ending (2013)

Director: John McKay

Stars: Karen Gillan, Stanley Weber, Ian De Caestecker, Amy Manson, Henry Ian Cusick

Jane (Gillan) is an unhappy writer who finally gets a break with a small publishing house run by Tom (Weber). After her book receives much critical acclaim she’s all set for the follow-up, but there’s a problem. When she’s happy she doesn’t write, so Tom has to try and make her miserable without her knowing.

Not Another Happy Ending is an abysmal movie that I feel insulted by. It’s flawed on so many levels that it’s difficult to know where to begin, and I honestly felt dumber after watching it.

Firstly the whole romance between Jane and Tom is based on a montage at the beginning of the film, and after this we’re supposed to believe that they had some deep feelings for each other. Then, when he changes the title of her book without telling her there’s a big argument and the two swear that once their contract is done they’re not going to have anything to do with each other. But the whole film relies on the conceit that they have this strong romantic bond, and I never felt convinced of this, which made the whole thing a pointless exercise.

Jane ends up with another man played by Henry Ian Cusick who is working on the screenplay to the movie adaptation of her book. But again, they’re only together because the script calls for it. They have no chemistry and there’s barely any interaction between the two of them, so this love triangle collapses before it even begins. There’s no tension and no drama.

Gillan actually manages to salvage some grace, especially in the scenes with her father, but overall it’s all so lacklustre. The attempts by Tom to generate a state of melancholic bliss come off as mean and cruel, and it seems unnecessary since she wrote the bulk of the book without those methods. Oh yeah, and one of her protagonists comes to life and starts talking to her, but since I had no idea what the book was actually about this had zero impact as well.

There’s just no charm to this movie at all. It really frustrates me as well because why are movies like this being made? The characters are flat, the dialogue is bland, the plot beats are hackneyed (ooohhh a film about a writer struggling with writer’s block how f**king original).

This movie is a complete waste of time and space. It feels like less than a first draft. I’ve put more effort into writing this review than the people that wrote the film. Hang your head in shame people behind the scenes for Not Another Happy Ending is going in the pile of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. At this point I’ve seen almost 3100 and this is definitely in the bottom five at least. Another thing I hate as well is that the title makes you think it’s going to subvert expectations but in fact it’s clichéd and predictable.

Do yourself a favour and do not waste your time on this sorry excuse for a movie. Shame on Netflix as well for even having it available to view!

Movie Review – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Director: Francis Lawrence

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson, Natalie Dormer, Elizabeth Banks, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin and a surprising amount of other people.

In this final part of the third film, Katniss (Lawrence) is ready to assassinate President Snow (Sutherland) for everything he has put the districts through. The rebel forces are also preparing for a final assault on the capital, but while the fate of Panem will be decided on the battlefield, Katniss is still torn between Peeta (Hutcherson) and Gale (Hemsworth).

Okay, so The Hunger Games has been a big phenomenon and through it we also saw the rise of Jennifer Lawrence as a huge Hollywood star, and this film is the culmination of the journey and yet while Lawrence’s star continues to rise Mockingjay Part 2 peters out in an uneven, most dull and drab conclusion, and it seems that Lawrence has outgrown the role that made her the star.

The film picks up from where it left off with Peeta having undergone torture. The film quickly moves on to the task of uniting the final districts, and then the assault on the capital. But Katniss is still kept away from the front lines, used more as a weapon of propaganda than as a soldier. This is a concept and an angle that I really enjoyed, and it was interesting to see Katniss’ struggle between her personal desires to be fighting alongside her brothers and sisters of the district, and her awareness that she’s more than a simple soldier.

But one major problem of the story is that it pays a lot of lip service to the rebel armies and the attack on the capital, yet the camera rarely leaves Katniss. Even in action sequences its often focused on her face, and I get it because Lawrence is that big of a star, but it’s to the detriment of the overall world. In the same vein, the franchise has been blessed with a wide cast of great actors, yet in this final film most of them are sidelined to cameo roles. Even Sutherland, who is the main antagonist,  doesn’t get much to do aside from make some sinister remarks.

Of course Hutcherson and Hemsworth get a fair amount to work with, and I feel that Hutcherson actually outshone Lawrence in the film. The love triangle has simmered throughout the films and it’s finally resolved here, but in a way that feels unsatisfying and I’m still not entirely sure why Katniss made the choice that she did.

On a technical level the film is often dark and there were many times when I could barely tell what was going on. The pace is uneven too. Much of it felt slow, and then the action was rushed through. There are a couple of notable set-pieces, one underground and the other in a courtyard, but other than that Mockingjay Part 2 consists of Katniss talking, walking, resting, thinking, sleeping. It doesn’t make for compulsive viewing, no matter how magnetic Lawrence is.

Not helping the pacing problem is the ending, or I should say endings. It just keeps going and going and going, until eventually it just got painful. Even then it doesn’t feel like a triumphant resolution and the dark tone of the franchise leaves little room for joy.

The focus on Katniss also means that the conflict isn’t as well-realized as it should be. We see the side of the districts but the people of the Capital are not developed or fleshed out, meaning that the war feels empty, and that’s the big problem with the film as a whole, it just feels empty, like everyone just wants it to be over. Perhaps that’s a symptom of splitting the last book into two parts, but it left me rolling my eyes and with a foul taste in my mouth.

I suppose if you’ve seen the other films in the franchise you might as well finish it off, but I can’t recommend it as a good film in its own right. Telling was the fact that before the film there was a trailer for Joy, Lawrence’s next film directed by David O. Russell. She’ll go onto bigger and better things, while The Hunger Games may just be a footnote in her career thanks to a lacklustre conclusion.

Movie Review – If I Had Wings (2013)

Director: Allan Harmon

Stars: Richard Harmon, Jaren Brandt Bartlett, Craig Bierko, Jill Hennessy, Lorne Cardinal, Genevieve Buechner, Jessica Harmon, Dylan Playfair

Alex Taylor (Harmon) dreams of running for the school’s cross-country team but he’s blind, which poses a problem. He trains with his father, but the older man soon finds that he can’t keep up with his son so in order to help Alex achieve his dreams, they find him a running partner, troubled student Brad (Bartlett). The two boys have to overcome their own stubbornness and pride, as well as the attitudes of their competition to form an unlikely friendship.

If I Had Wings is just one of those films that’s good. The performances are good, there’s some dramatic moments that amp up the tension, the leads are great at making you empathise with their characters. Alex has been blind since two and you want him to be able to run because everyone should be able to achieve their dream, and Brad has made some mistakes but is a good kid really, he’s just hot-headed. I liked how they showed their different backgrounds and how both of them reacted to it. The actual running became more of a plot device to show how these two kids can come together and become friends. I thought the parents were cast well too, and the fathers both showed nurturing sides to their sons.

There was only one bit of false tension towards the end of the film, which I felt was manufactured and made me roll my eyes, but other than that it’s a fine film that will have you cheering along as you see the two of them approach the finish line.

Movie Review – Hunter Prey (2010)

Director: Sandy Collora

Stars: Clark Bartram, Damion Poitier, Sandy Collora, Isaac C. Singleton Jr., Erin Grey, Simon Cotton

When the Prometheus crashes on a barren planet, a dangerous prisoner escapes. With extraction not for another 90 hours the three survivors play a deadly cat and mouse game.

Hunter Prey has a low rating on IMDB and Netflix but don’t let this dissuade you, I found it to be a hidden gem that harkens back to classic episodes of sci-fi series. There’s a twist early on which impressed me, and the film continually kept me engaged. Despite the small cast it manages to develop a whole galaxy, and as the film moves along I got a sense of the political stance of these alien races. There are only a few characters but this is good as it gives them time to show their own personalities and fears. They’re not simple monsters. They have their own agendas and their own fears and doubts.

The environment is a stark desert with the harsh sun blazing down on them all. Think of films like Enemy Mine or the Star Trek episode Arena and you have a sense of where this film is coming from. It does a lot with very little, and while there are a few actions that might seem ambiguous or out of character (especially one towards the end of the film that could have been made much clearer) overall I found it to be a solid piece of work. Really interesting presentation of the galaxy and I would actually love to see more stories set in this world. Definitely give this one a chance.