Monthly Archives: February 2016

Deadpool (2016) Review: Stupid Good. This movie shouldn't exist. It just shouldn't. It's based off a character whose cinematic debut was in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, one of the worst reviewed comic book movies of all time. Typically not a good resume, but when you couple that with the fact that the director's previous directing is a pair of short films and some visual effects work, this film does not have the parts that make up a typical success. Then there's of course the lead, Ryan Reynolds, who hasn't really owned a character since Wilder, and who seems to be superhero movie poison, as his last few attempts at the genre have resulted in rounding out that list of worst reviewed comic book movies. Still though, it's not uncommon for studios to take a chance on a name character, especially if there's an audience for it, but it's not a surprise that this movie got made, it's a surprise that it's really this good. So what is 'Deadpool'?  Well, actually, the movie is more about who Deadpool is as a character. Whereas most superhero films feature stories about characters who wear bright costumes as symbol of truth, justice and the American way,  Deadpool is simply put, a different type of superhero. I hesitate to tell you more about the character, or about the plot of the movie itself, because I truly believe that it's something that's best experienced blindly. All you need to know is that this is a superhero movie, but not one like something you've…

The Big Short (2015) Review: Honest Con When it comes to Biopics, the underlying conceit is, because it’s a true story, that makes it matter more. There’s a genuine atmosphere that comes with them that makes audiences all the more invested in the narrative. All the work that a piece of fiction has to do to sell itself to an audience is pretty much cut in half with a biopic, since the world we’re seeing is the world we’re in. However, this automatic authenticity might be good for creating tension, but sometimes, it’s a bit disconcerting to know that the things that are happening on screen that seem larger than life, actually happened.That perfectly describes the discomfort I had watching ‘The Big Short’. Based on the true story of the financial crisis of 2008, ‘The Big Short’ chronicles not just what happened, but follows the lives of a few good men who had the fortune to realize what was happening when it was already too late to stop it. So what did these men do when they were gifted with the knowledge of the oncoming economic turmoil? They took everything they had and made a bet against the then undefeated housing market, and thus “shorted” the US economy. You might think it’s impossible to root for anyone who would seek to profit off of the misery of millions, and usually you’d be right, but not this time. Instead, ‘The Big Short’ does the brilliant thing of not trying to rationalize the…

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) Review: Third Time's A-Charming When it comes to trilogies, the third film is usually the worst one. It's touted as the satisfying finale to the epic saga of the films before it, but it never lives up to those resolutory expectations. Instead what you get is a film that buckles under the weight of the stories that came before it, and a franchise that regardless of its stellar beginning and middle chapters, is remembered half heartedly because of a botched finale. There are those trilogies that are more episodic, with each iteration serving as more of development for characters rather than stories, but for those, the third film is the one where the well seems to run dry in the idea departmentKung Fu Panda 3 however joins that little list of franchises that not only has a satisfying third film but in my book, maintained its quality in each movie. This time around Po and the Furious Five are back to fight the evildoer known as Kai, a spirit warrior going around collecting the chi of the Kung Fu masters of China. Kung Fu Masters need Chi to do Kung Fu so that's understandably bad. Po must defeat the new villain, while balancing his new role of Dojo Master, and working on those deep seeded daddy issues from the 1st and 2nd movie. To do so Po must go on a journey of self discovery and find…