Good, Clean, Family Fun..."Deadpool 2"

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz, Julian Dennison, T.J. Miller

Directed by David Leitch

The Story:

Wade Wilson (Reynolds), for reasons unknown to even him, is trying to save a kid (Dennison) from being killed by a time traveling mutant named Cable (Brolin). However, to tackle this latest obstacle, Wade's going to need a little help, so he decides to make his own team of X-People...

X-Force!

Now playing in theaters, so I'll be cryptically vague to the point of being totally nondescript about anything in the movie so as to not sway your opinion one way or another as to whether you should bother to even see it or not.

Because apparently, that's my mutant power!

:)

IF you enjoyed the first Deadpool film...

then the odds are already in you favor that you've already seen the sequel.

The odds are also considerably high that you enjoyed this second coming of Deadpool as much, or possibly more than the original.

Hey, it happens.

Josh Brolin isn't the first actor to play double duty in comic book movies, but he's a welcome addition to the film and plays the perfect Cable.

There is even... gasp... some character development for Mr. Wilson between the start of the film and the end credits.

You'll laugh... you'll cry... you'll laugh some more.

Not sure if we'll get a Deadpool 3 first, or an X-Force movie, but either way, I'm in!

Final Grade: A-

Tis The Season..."Office Christmas Party"

Office Christmas Party (2016)

Rated R

Starring Jason Bateman, T.J. Miller, Olivia Munn, Jennifer Aniston, Kate McKinnon, Rob Corddry, Courtney B. Vance

Directed by Josh Gordon & Will Speck

The Story:

Carol Vanstone (Aniston) is going to shut down her brother's (Miller) branch of Zenotek to save the company money. Hoping to land a big client (Vance) and save his branch and the jobs of all of his employees, he grabs his right hand man (Bateman) and decides to throw an epic Christmas party like his dad used to do in order to have a Christmas miracle.

What could possibly go wrong?

There were a few surprises in store for me when I watched this movie.

The trailers, and the title, suggested some R-rated debauchery stupid comedy... and there are moments the film lives up...or down...to that stereotype.

Plus, it wasn't laugh out loud funny throughout, though there were several moments it hit the mark.

Instead, it stayed amusing and interesting throughout.

I was expecting Bateman to play the businessman who might lose the business because of an employee who goes too far in Miller.

With the roles reversed, and it's Miller in charge, and he's just a big goofball, and I mean that with all sincerity. I will watch T.J. Miller in just about anything he does, because he plays his parts so well and they are almost always the roles that steal the show.

As he leads the charge, it's Bateman who has to try and reign him in, while also realizing he's got to loosen up a bit if they have any chance of landing the client.

While the movie unfolds and the party gets a little crazier, you get sucked into the proceedings hoping that the movie ends well for the characters.

Yes, it is a bit of a Christmas miracle, because this is one of those "stupid comedies with a heart".

It's a great cast, and they're all making the most of their characters and situations.

I can't say I'd add it to the list of annual Christmas movies, it's a little too crude for that, but I'm glad I saw it, and I wouldn't be opposed to watching it again sometime down the road.

 Final Grade: B-

With Friends Like These..."Search Party"

Search Party (2014)

Rated R

Starring Adam Pally, T.J. Miller, Thomas Middleditch, Shannon Woodward, Alison Brie, J.B. Smoove, Krysten Ritter, Jason Mantzoukas,

Directed by Scot Armstrong

The Story:

Nardo (Middleditch) is set to marry Tracy (Woodward) but his best friends Evan and Jason (Pally & Miller) try to talk him out of it at the bachelor party. When the ceremony begins, Jason puts his foot down, and Tracy leaves to Mexico to enjoy the honeymoon without him. Distraught, Nardo pursues her, and winds up spending much of the rest of the film naked and covered in cocaine as his friends attempt to rescue him before Berk (Smoove) can catch him and kill him.

Yep, it's one of those movies.

Old School. Road Trip. The Hangover. 

So you know the type, and you know if you'll enjoy this one or not, already.

Much like this variety of movie, they throw nearly every joke at the wall and see what sticks.

Some do, some don't.

What helps these films is the actors that are asked to do the crazy things or say the wacky dialogue.

This movie is elevated on the performances of Miller, who can do the wacky best friend possibly better than anyone in film right now, and Middleditch.

His earnestness and sincerity shine through all the situations he's placed in.

Like spending the majority of the film naked and smothered in cocaine.

Okay, clearly (hopefully) it wasn't actually cocaine, but dipped in a powder of some sort, he's still giving a bravado performance.

Plus, they keep running into various wackos (Ryter, Mantzoukas (!!!) and Smoove) who make the most of their character and keep the laughs coming.

It's not a film for everyone, but there's enough there to make it worthwhile for those that choose to go on this journey!

:)

Final Grade: C+

The Merc With The Movie..."Deadpool"

Deadpool (2016)

Rated R

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano, Leslie Uggams, Ed Skrein, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapicic

Directed by Tim Miller

The Story:

Wade Wilson (Reynolds) is a mercenary who winds up finding the girl of his dreams, Vanessa (Baccarin). When Wade is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he turns to a place that promises to cure his cancer, and give him amazing powers and abilities to go with his already formidable skills. It is here that Wade becomes the guinea pig for Ajax (Skrein) who manipulates him until Wade's latent mutant abilities are revealed. What kicks in is a healing power that pretty much makes immortal, he will heal from any injury, but the side effect is that his skin is not very easy on the eyes. With vengeance on his mind and Vanessa on his heart, Wade becomes the merc with a mouth that comic fans have loved for the past 25 years, and now the rest of the world is sharing in our joyous rapture...

Deadpool!

Yep, I finally got around to seeing the film.

I figured I would give the rest of a world a couple week head start, and that would also remove the amount of obnoxious fans chattering in the theater.

Worked like a charm.

So, obviously those that know me well enough know that Deadpool is easily my favorite character from the last 25 years, and rivals the likes of Cap, Spidey and Hawkeye as one of my favorites of all time.

Why? He's fun. He's funny. And oh so much more.

He is what you will see on the movie screen, brought to life straight from the comic page.

Reynolds was born to play the role, and it wasn't just by luck that he was cast. The writers of the comic even alluded to Reynolds being the face of Deadpool way back when, long before anyone ever dreamed of Mr. Wilson becoming a movie, let alone the most successful R rated movie, superhero or not, in the history of forever.

All while being done with the smallest superhero budget since Superman or Batman, 2 films that were both made in the 70s/80s.

Yes, an entire century ago!

They made it work with a great script, perfectly cast actors that believed in what they were doing, and believed in the concept of creating the perfect Deadpool movie.

This is easily Fox's best release of any superhero franchise they have the rights to.

Plus, if you saw my Facebook feed, or went on the internet at any point from December until the movie was released, you also bore witness to the genius of the Deadpool marketing team who made the best viral promotion of any movie, ever made.

Genius.

I salute you all!

However, is it the best superhero movie I've ever seen?

Yes...

And no.

IF you're going to make an R rated Deadpool movie, then this is what you're going to get.

COULD they have made this film into a PG-13 movie without watering it down too much?

Absolutely.

Tweak a few scenes slightly, then dial the language back a bit. Have Deadpool utter some nonsensical "Fluffy pink unicorns!" type profanity and that would allow the kids that have grown up seeing Deadpool in the comics and on all the animated Marvel cartoons (as well as all of the superhero toys) a chance to see Wade in action.

But they didn't, and that was their choice.

Will most kids see it anyway?

Absolutely.

My Facebook news feed was filled with stories from everyone who saw it during the opening week seeing lots of 8-10 year olds in the theaters with their parents.

Which tells me they didn't get the memo from Deadpool and Fox that sit this one out and wait until Civil War to take the kids to the movies.

Or, they really don't understand that an R rating should probably be viewed without kids at first, and then decide if you think your child can handle it.

So the knock on Deadpool is it will be a movie that I can't sit back and enjoy with my whole family, like Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, or Guardians of the Galaxy.

Fair enough.

They didn't set out to make a family friendly film, so I can't honestly knock them too hard for it.

I'll just take their + away.
;)

However, anyone that was able to convince their date that it would be a fun romantic comedy, I hope they succeeded because the love story shines through as the entire reason for the movie.

I hope the majority of the cast returns for the sequel(s).

Here's hoping that Deadpool is # 1 again this weekend after 3 straight weeks at the top of the Box Office.

Looks like that ban from China isn't as worrisome as originally feared.

:)

Final Grade: A

The Best Movie of 2015...So Far. "Big Hero 6"

Big Hero 6 (2014)

PG

Starring Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, James Cromwell, Alan Tudyk

Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams

The Story:

Hiro (Potter) is a engineering prodigy who isn't utilizing his talents the way his big brother (Henney) would like. So a chance meeting at the university opens Hiro's eyes to the cool things that his brother and his best friends make, including the healthcare robot, Baymax (Adsit). Sadly, tragedy strikes, and it sets Hiro on a course for vengeance, and he's bringing some friends along for the ride. Will Hiro cross the line, or will his true heroics shine through?

Based on a true... nah, just kidding.

It is based on a Marvel Comic, though one you've likely never heard of.

So that being said, make sure you stick around through the credits for the usual Marvel teaser at the end.

The great thing about this one, it feels like a great comic book movie and harkens back to The Incredibles as seeing superheroes on the screen and it works.

This one could overtake that film as the best animated superhero movie ever made as well.

Time will tell.

There are also the usual bits and pieces of "been there done that" in the film, but that's okay, because just like in a live action film, if you're going to borrow scenes/ideas, borrow from some great films.

Like Iron Giant.

:)

The other nifty aspect of these heroes, they don't have powers. They have abilities that they created in a lab which is far more realistic than you might think.

It's a great voice cast, and unlike most films, there really aren't any "stars" to overpower anything. Just some great voices bringing life to their characters.

Which brings us to Baymax.

Much like Leonard Nimoy brought life to an emotionless Vulcan and helped make him human, Adsit brings the robotic Baymax to life and makes him the heart and soul of the film.

Just go watch the film already, you'll be glad you did.

Tissues are optional, depending on your heartlessness level.

:)

Final Grade: A