Deadpool 2.

Review #1087: Deadpool 2.

Cast: 
Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson / Deadpool), Josh Brolin (Cable), Morena Baccarin (Vanessa), Julian Dennison (Russell Collins / Firefist), Zazie Beetz (Domino), T.J. Miller (Weasel), Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Jack Kesy (Black Tom Cassidy), Stefan Kapičić (Colossus), Leslie Uggams (Blind Al), Karan Soni (Dopinder), Terry Crews (Bedlam), Lewis Tan (Shatterstar), Bill Skarsgård (Zeitgeist), Rob Delaney (Peter) and Brad Pitt (Vanisher) Directed by David Leitch (#905 - John Wick and #978 - Atomic Blonde)

Review: 
Deadpool (#779) was certainly an interesting experience, particularly in its pace and its jokes, with Reynolds being a key highlight that certainly proved to be amusing enough to make a sequel easily possible. As described by Reynolds himself, "The first movie is a love story masquerading as a comic-book movie, and this one is kind of a family film masquerading as a comic-book film again." The best thing I can say about this movie is that it succeeds at being good entertainment, particularly by being a fine follow-up to the previous one without just being a "greatest hits" type of film. At 119 minutes, it is slightly longer in length than the first movie (which was 108), but it thankfully doesn't feel bloated, in part because of how fun it is with its cast and action.

Reynolds sells the part just as well (if not better) as he did in the original, having a charm to him that still manages to feel fresh and involving, which generates a good deal of the laughs. Brolin does a fine job, selling this steely role with competency and a fair sense of timing to elevate material that could've been generic in lesser hands. Dennison does a fine job, showing a fair deal of vulnerability and angst that works for his plot thread, selling it well when paired with Reynolds. Beetz does a pretty good job, being fairly charming and good with timing in a movie filled with quick zingers and nearly as quick action sequences. The returning cast-mates from the original (Baccarin, Miller, Hildebrand, Kapičić, Uggams, Soni) aren't as prominent this time around, although they do contribute to a few amusing moments. With the numerous meta gags and things that the film likes to throw at the viewer, one could be tempted to wonder if Deadpool 2 nearly goes off the deep end with trying to be fun. While I find that there are times that the movie doesn't quite sell itself too handily (applying in some part to the first half), there are an abundant amount of moments that click to pull it off. While the film doesn't really have much of a villain, there is enough in its story pursuit that makes it click decently. The movie has an adequate emotional core to where you can be reasonably be invested in what it's selling, especially because the cast looks like they're having fun while doing so while feeling believable enough to seem useful. The action sequences are pulled off pretty well, having an execution to them that maneuvers itself with good motion that you'd expect. It isn't as good as the first film, but there is enough fun and amusement along with some structure to make for a relatively satisfying sequel, and I can't wait to see what will happen next with these characters.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Ready Player One.

Review #1068: Ready Player One.

Cast: 
Tye Sheridan (Wade Watts / Parzival), Olivia Cooke ( Samantha Cook / Art3mis), Ben Mendelsohn (Nolan Sorrento), Lena Waithe (Helen Harris / Aech), T.J. Miller (i-R0k), Simon Pegg (Ogden Morrow), Mark Rylance (James Halliday / Anorak), Philip Zhao (Akihide Karatsu / Sho), Win Morisaki (Toshiro Yoshiaki / Daito), and Hannah John-Kamen (F'Nale Zandor) Directed by Steven Spielberg (#126 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind, #168 - Raiders of the Lost Ark, #169 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, #170 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, #302 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, #351 - Schindler's List, #480 - Jaws, #563 - The Sugarland Express, #573 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, #642 - Jurassic Park, and #958 - Always)

Review: 
Hello fellow readers. I did not intend for this review to go a bit over 800 words, so forgive the increase in length for once. I hope you enjoy this review.

What can be said of a movie that basks itself in nostalgia and pop culture so deliberately? Can one really criticize said movie for pandering, particularly a blockbuster like this? The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline, who contributed to the screenplay for the movie alongside Zak Penn. It may serve overwhelming (or obnoxious) for some, but I can't really blame someone for getting some sort of enjoyment out of a popcorn movie, much like I can't really blame someone for liking a Transformers movie or even something terrible like The Room (#185). I will state that this is a better film than either of those examples, but being a thrill ride can't excuse the movie entirely. There is a considerable amount of thrills and action that can shine through most of its shortcomings. One particular shortcoming proves to be its narrative, a collection of cliches and contrivances that comes to the surprise of no one, whether involving its main character or even his chemistry with "Art3mis", and so on. To get angry at the movie for being exactly what it seems like seems fruitless to me.

With its approach to the OASIS, I found that there were times that felt mesmerizing, but there were also moments that felt ridiculous and nearly amusing to see, and having some of the references get explained didn't exactly help. I did find parts of the film that were pretty fun, such as the dance sequence and one particular sequence involving a homage to a certain horror film that is fairly clever, along with a few other references, such as one to The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (#776). The film certainly has a fine look to it, and the CGI doesn't come off as too particularly distracting, for what it's worth. I never myself hating the film, but I also found myself laughing at parts I probably shouldn't have, such as some of the moments in the OASIS or the ending in particular. The climax isn't too bad, for an action film I suppose. If you find VR headsets cool, I'm sure you'll enjoy it in the film; if you find it to be a bit ridiculous, you might get a laugh, like I kind of did when seeing a scene in which people were using and acting out with the headsets in public. I was surprised to see that the film runs at 140 minutes long, so take your pick on if that is time worth using.

Although it can be said that the characters aren't too particularly developed, I will state that the acting is at the very least fine enough to carry the movie. I find that Sheridan does an okay job, in part because he has a role that doesn't really have much in terms of motivation besides a basic hero type (this can be signified by the speech given during the climax), but he isn't painfully annoying. Cooke does the best with what she is given for a role that also isn't too particularly developed, but she is slightly interesting to watch. I can't really say the chemistry between the two of them is particularly good, mostly going through the motions as if clicking boxes on the checklist. Mendelsohn does a fine job in making a character as generically evil as "corporate businessman" can be and turning it into something that is at the very least entertaining. There's is just something about him and the way that he interacts this environment, reminding me of Paul Gleason, particularly his role in The Breakfast Club (#046). Waike proves to be fairly endearing, providing a few laughs that help the film gain a bit of levity. Miller is also pretty amusing in his henchman role, for the most part. Pegg is fine for the time he is on screen. Rylance proves to be worthy to play this strange character that reminds me of Willy Wonka, albeit with random riddles. The other members of the cast don't have much time on screen, but they serve their parts well.

The film is never particularly moving, but it is at the very least a ride that won't make you too sick to your stomach. I can't give this movie much of an endorsement, but I also won't stand in the way of people who want to enjoy some sort of escapism. It isn't as good as some (or most) of the things that it references, but it is at the very least someone's version of a good time. Will it be some sort of cinema touchstone for pop culture or science fiction? I would say no, but I will conclude that it will just be a movie that comes and goes without leaving something obnoxious behind.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Cloverfield.

Review #1038: Cloverfield.

Cast: 
Michael Stahl-David (Robert "Rob" Hawkins), T.J. Miller (Hudson "Hud" Platt), Jessica Lucas (Lily Ford), Odette Yustman (Elizabeth "Beth" McIntyre), Lizzy Caplan (Marlena Diamond), Mike Vogel (Jason Hawkins), Ben Feldman (Travis), Billy Brown (Staff Sergeant Pryce), and Chris Mulkey (Lieutenant General Graff) Directed by Matt Reeves.

Review: 
I suppose it makes sense to review this film today on January 18, since it is the 10th anniversary of the film's release in theaters, so it is a perfect time to get to it along with giving you fellow readers a new review after a week since the last one. 

When asked about the film prior to its release, J. J. Abrams (who served as producer for the film) stated that he was inspired to make an American monster after seeing Godzilla toys in stores in Japan with his son, one that would be "insane and intense", which is certainly interesting. I was eleven years old when the film came out, but I don't particularly remember the marketing for the film, although I imagine that it must've been interesting for people on the Internet to focus a bit of time on (take that statement as you may). In any case, how is the movie itself? I find the movie to be fairly decent, although I can't say I really thought it was that scary or all too special. It is an interesting idea to make a monster movie that doesn't intend to go for only big entertainment spectacle destruction and instead goes for something that plays on fears and anxiety that people would have if a situation like this actually did arise; one scene in particular stands out, involving people taking out their phones after seeing the head of the Statue of Liberty fall right near them. I wish I could say the plot or the characters are as intriguing as the concept for the film, but that it is not the case here. The performances aren't terrible, but they aren't too particularly interesting. I will state that Miller does a pretty decent job, however. I found him to be more interesting to follow than the plot around the other characters, even if most of the time he is just the guy filming the things happening. Caplan also comes off a bit interesting when she is on screen.

The film has a look intended to resemble hand-held camera filming, including jump cuts that make it feel a bit like a home movie, although I will admit that the effect can feel a bit disorientating at times. Apparently, some viewers of the film during its release experienced motion sickness due to the film's cinematography, to the point that some theaters posted warnings about the film that stated it may "experience side effects associated with motion sickness similar to riding a rollercoaster". Sometimes the shots (and the shakes) worked in my view, but other times it felt a bit tedious. I imagine seeing this in a theater would be a significantly different experience than seeing it on a normal TV set. The visual effects were incorporated after filming, so the cast had to react to an unseen creature during their scenes, which I suppose is an achievement on their part in imagination. The monster (of what we see, anyway) is not too terrible, and it generally is one that feels pretty creepy and menacing. It doesn't have much of an origin, but that doesn't really feel too surprising. The film runs at 84 minutes, which feels alright considering the plot matter and the shaky-cam stuff. Ultimately, Cloverfield has an interesting premise that it plays around with a bit to fine effect, but on the whole it is a fairly decent monster/horror flick that stands alone as a curiosity if one has the patience for it.

Oh yeah, I probably should refer 10 Cloverfield Lane (#784), released eight years after this film. That film, while not a direct sequel, was a fairly interesting thriller that certainly played itself as a thriller neatly enough. Cloverfield doesn't exactly pale too badly in comparison with 10 Cloverfield Lane, but I felt that this needed to be mentioned in any case.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Big Hero 6.

Review #811: Big Hero 6.

Cast
Scott Adsit (Baymax), Ryan Potter (Hiro Hamada), Daniel Henney (Tadashi Hamada), T.J. Miller (Fred), Jamie Chung (GoGo), Damon Wayans, Jr. (Wasabi), Génesis Rodríguez (Honey Lemon), James Cromwell (Professor Robert Callaghan), Alan Tudyk (Alistair Krei), and Maya Rudolph (Aunt Cass) Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams.

Review
Big Hero 6 is a welcome addition to the Disney films, while also being a highly entertaining movie due to its cast, animation, and its charm. Based off the comic book series of the same name, Big Hero 6 sets up its world and characters with near relative ease, from the wonderful visuals of San Fransokyo to the chemistry of the characters, there certainly is a great deal of care towards making this a fun ride, which works. Baymax (an inflatable robot made out of vinyl) is a wonderful character, even being charming when wearing armor, and Adsit makes the character fun to watch. Potter makes for a good lead as a full-fledged character, never coming off as unrealistic or offbeat (a 14 year old prodigy? I'll roll with it, because it is handled well, and there have been far weirder things to buy in films prior to and after this). The scenes with him and Henney that begin the movie help the movie gain footing, with fine character development...and Baymax as well. The movie has a nice enough story, not devolving into too typical territory, sticking out well. The animation is wonderful, having a great deal of flair and sharp colors, with the six heroes standing out nicely. Speaking of which, the rest of the cast is also enjoyable, from the comic relief of T. J. Miller (who does it quite well) to the rest of the group (such as Wayans Jr, the most normal and fittingly the most neurotic of the group - doing a fun job), with Cromwell being a decent enough villain. The movie flows nicely enough, complete with enough fun and funny moments to be easy to recommend for anyone.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Deadpool.

Review #779: Deadpool.

Cast
Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson / Deadpool), Morena Baccarin (Vanessa Carlysle), Ed Skrein (Francis Freeman / Ajax), T.J. Miller (Weasel), Gina Carano (Angel Dust), Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead), Stefan Kapičić (Peter Rasputin / Colossus), Leslie Uggams (Blind Al), and Karan Soni (Dopinder) Directed by Tim Miller.

Review
I didn't know what to expect with Deadpool, but I decided to go with it not only because it had been nearly two months since the last time I went to the theater to watch a new movie, but because I wanted to see how an R-rated Marvel movie (the first one of those in quite some time) would pan out. Yes, a movie doesn't need to be R to be good, but restricting yourself to PG-13 (like some certain movies) doesn't help either, and this movie certainly pulls all the punches needed to make for a really entertaining movie. For all of the years that it took to get Deadpool onto the screen (and an appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine that I (and probably you) have no recollection of), it seems that it certainly was worth it with the end result, with the biggest reason for the movie's success being the script + Ryan Reynolds, both working a great pace to make a really funny, really offbeat lead character, who truly is the "Merc with a mouth".

The movie works at such a rapid pace (even when focusing on the origin part of Deadpool), and the cast works really together, especially Reynolds-Baccarin, and even Skrein (our villain) gets a few good barbs here and there. The movie is certainly not family-friendly (good!), but it isn't just flat out profanity, especially with the spectacular (if not gruesome) action. From the opening credits, the movie establishes itself as one with no real rules, and it goes on from there, completely going off-the-wall into a territory on a completely different level from other comic book films made by 20th Century Fox (or Marvel), especially when Kapicic and Hildebrand (according to Deadpool, the only two X-Men the studio could afford to put on screen) are in the picture. To spoil the movie is no fun, you need to see the movie in order to at least see if this...unique kind of bizarre movie is for you. And as it should be, stay for the end credits.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: How to Train Your Dragon.

Review #294: How to Train Your Dragon.

Cast
Jay Baruchel (Hiccup Haddock), Gerard Butler (Stoick the Vast), America Ferrera (Astrid), Craig Ferguson (Gobber the Belch), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs), Jonah Hill (Snotlout), T.J. Miller (Tuffnut), Kristen Wiig (Ruffnut), and David Tennant (Spitelout) Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois.

Review
This is the 14th Dreamworks Animation film (which I will not list as that will probably be too annoying to do for the people who want to just read the review) that I've reviewed, and they have ranged from fun stuff to...near unsatisfying (okay one reference: Shark Tale). But is this any good? Not to spoil anything, but...Yea. The story at times is imaginative (based off a novel of the same name by Cressida Cowell), which gives this film a edge that some of the Dreamworks films don't have. The acting's good, especially by Butler and Ferguson (though largely due to how much fun he has with the role). But what I find the most fun is the dragons and how they visually look, especially Toothless. The characters are decent, even having some funny dialogue at times. The action is entertaining, and combined with exceptional directing make for an excellent film. Countdown to 300 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.