Review: Deadpool 2

The movie starts with Deadpool (Wade Wilson) in his apartment, flooding the room with gas from his stove, smoking a cigarette, lying on barrels of fuel, igniting the fuel with his cigarette and blowing himself up.  He made a reference to Logan dying in his movie, and he wanted to to do the same thing.  We then go back six-weeks his new life as a mercenary, the flow of scenes showing some epic kills were excellent.  There was a moment when he could not get a final kill due to his target hiding in a panic room.  He went home to Vanessa, and they talked about having a baby.  Vanessa ends up getting killed by the man that eluded Deadpool in the panic room.

VanessabrowThis takes us full circle to Deadpool killing himself and floating to the afterlife.  He see’s Vanessa but cannot reach her.  Wade’s journey began when Vanessa said to him, “Your heart isn’t in the right place.”  He needed to change, if for no other reason than to be with his love in the afterlife.  So, Wade decided to save Russell from Cable, which led to the revelation that Wade needed to save Russell from his desire to kill.  Russell’s appetite for killing is the reason Cable came back to past.  Russell is the one who killed Cable’s wife and daughter (named Hope).

deadpool-2-peter-skydivingDeadpool became an X-Men “Trainee”, he went to prison, nearly dying from his cancer, and created a super-team called X-Force.   At first, Deadpool felt “family” was just an “F” word but changed to feeling that family was more than an “F” word.  The movie ended with Deadpool sacrificing himself to save Russell and changed the outcome for both Russell and Cable.

The end credits took Deadpool back through time to correct some horrible mistakes, such as keeping his girlfriend from getting killed, killing that atrocious version of himself in the movie “Wolverine,” and keeping Ryan Reynolds from playing Green Lantern by shooting him while he was reading a copy of the screenplay.

I loved this movie.  What I thought was better than the first Deadpool movie.

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My favorite character of the film, besides Deadpool, is Domino (Zazie Beetz).  My favorite moment was X-Force jumping from the plane towards the prison convoy, which ended completely opposite from the trailer; everyone died except Deadpool and Domino.  The way they died was hilarious and unexpected.   There were multiple references to DC Comics, the scene inside Xavier’s mansion with Deadpool wearing Cerebro.  There is one character called “The Vanisher”  who ends up being Brad Pitt.  Dopinder wanting his life to emulate Deadpool.  Wade walking with his “baby-boy” legs like a Pooh Bear.  Classic Deadpool moments that evolved from the first film.

It is very likely that I will see this movie again.   Well done Mr. Reynolds.

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Review: The Exorcist – Season Two

Lamb mutations, Kamikaze birds, Vatican assassin’s, a priest mind-melding with a demon, and psychosomatic delusions are the context of The Exorcist so far.  The show appears to have three connecting story arcs.

The “Lion” and the “Cub”

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Marcus and Tomas, are on the run from the Catholic Church. Marcus is still teaching Tomas the ways of the Exorcist.  Marcus Keane has lost his connection with God. Tomas has developed a unique ability to go into the mind of a demon-possessed person that he deems a gift from God.  Marcus warns Tomas about the dangers of opening his mind to demons.  Both have differing opinions about God.  Marcus seems a bit jealous of Tomas’ abilities.  They save a demon-possessed woman in Montana and rescue a girl in Washington.  Tomas has visions that Marcus believes are demonic attacks.

The Foster Home

60987880Andy Kim’s foster home on this island is a supposed safe place for children yet contains an overwhelming malevolence. Andy’s wife, Nicole, died months earlier. Rose, the social worker, is connected with Andy and is assigned to monitor his foster home. Andy’s foster kids are Verity, Shelby, Caleb, Truck, and Grace. Shelby witnesses the birth of a mutated lamb and believes it is an omen. Grace is the focus of Andy’s attention; she has a fear of people and being outdoors. Marcus and Tomas save a teenage girl named Harper. Tomas thought it was a possession, but he and Marcus learned that Harper’s deranged mother, Lorraine, fabricated Harper’s demonic symptoms. An exorcism of someone not possessed by a demon can kill the victim. Harper’s recovery from the actions of her demented mother appears treacherous; Rose recommends Harper’s placement in Andy’s foster home. The ending of episode 4 reveals that Grace does not exist.

The End of The Exorcists

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A woman named Mouse is responsible for killing demon possessed Vatican priests including Cardinal Guillot.  She comes into contact with Father Bennett who is working to expose the sinister dealings of the Church.  Mouse reveals that Sister Dolores is the source of her information and is demon-possessed through “Integration.”  Bennett is learning through Sister Dolores the plans to bring an end to all Exorcists through “Integration.”  Father Bennett nearly dies at the hands of Sister Dolores but is rescued by Mouse.  There is more to Mouse than what is on the surface.

I look forward to seeing where season two takes this series.  The battles between the Island Malevolence and the Integration appear to make up the first and second halves of the season.  Father Marcus and Father Tomas seeking their connections with God could be the premise of them connecting with what they have inside themselves.

Review: Logan

On March 4th, we saw the film “Logan”.  The story takes place in the year 2029 and the demise of mutants on the earth.  Hugh Jackman did a great job reprising his role as Logan.  c2moujwuaaa8ysw-jpg-large-1The once indestructible Wolverine having to cope with mortality.  Patrick Stewart also reprised his role as a much older Charles Xavier who is dealing with an illness and regret.  Laura, also known as X-23 played by Dafne Keen is the future.

Everyone is running from something.  Death and destruction is the constant threat and formidable reality.  Body and mind poisoned by the greed of humankind.  The film did an excellent job of showing how much things changed from the past and the clever integration of X-Men comics into the story.  The ending was both sad and expected as the torch is passed to the “new mutants” of the future.

Overall, this is a good film.

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Review: X-Men Apocalypse

On Friday, I watched the film “X-Men: Apocalypse”. tumblr_o5kqnbyFT11si52i0o1_1280The plot was very obvious, the worlds oldest and most powerful mutant awakens to destroy the world. It is 1983, about ten years after the events of “Days of Future Past”.  The arc for many of the characters in the film was coming out of hiding to take a stand.

Charles Xavier
After the events of “First Class” and “Days of Future Past”, he opened a school for the “gifted. He believes that both mutants and people can co-exist, one day, without fear and violence. His approach is much like Gandhi however, he learns that beneath the desire for peace is the need to prepare for war.

tumblr_o4chsifAep1unxdtmo8_r1_500Mystique
Once ashamed of her appearance, she is now the image of hope for all mutants. She knows that peace is a delusion and that war is a reality; she comes out of hiding to stop mutant persecution. Mystique believes in the X-Men.

Magneto
The most wanted man in the world hiding among those he greatly despise. He has a wife and young daughter; he has found happiness. One day, his act of heroism saves the life of a human from death and leads to the discovery of his true identity. Law enforcement kills his wife and daughter. Magneto comes out of hiding to give them deadly retribution.

tumblr_o7u8wmtO1B1s0773no3_r1_500Jean Grey
One of the most powerful mutants living in fear of her true potential.

Apocalypse is the great antagonist. He presents himself as a god. Those who serve him, do so of their own accord. His goal is to destroy the world and rebuild it, leaving only the strong survivors. His presence is not as foreboding as portrayed in the comics however, he provides enough depth to evoke fear. He selects Storm, Psylocke, Angel, and Magneto as his horsemen because of their strength and their need to fill a great void in their lives.

tumblr_o76q6ookUd1qmoz1zo1_r1_500Quicksilver provides the light-heartedness needed in such a dark film. The scene where he saves the Xavier School’s students from certain  death was impressive and hilarious. He knows Magneto is his father and when he finally meets him, he keeps their relationship a secret.

tumblr_o67psqqwqd1si52i0o1_500Scott Summers (Cyclops), Hank McCoy (Beast), and Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) did well within their respective roles. Nightcrawler‘s actions definitely gives you “the feels” as you watch the film. Hugh Jackman made his appearance as Wolverine aka Weapon-X, which was very cool to see.

I could tell that there were challenges connecting the various characters’ motivations to the overall plot, probably due to so many characters incorporated into the film. You must stay past the closing credits to find out the villain of the next film.

I liked the movie and recommend it to all X-Men fans.

Review: Deadpool Movie

It's sort of a relief to report that Ryan Reynolds is finally coming into his own, superhero-wise, in Deadpool.

Today, I watched the Deadpool movie and it was great.  The opening credits were brilliant; no proper names just descriptions and images such as a Starbucks coffee cup with the name “Rob L” written on it and the picture of Green Lantern falling out of someone’s wallet.

tumblr_nsmcsbrSn71qa4esho1_500The opening credits also displayed images familiar to the first trailer, the highway fight and devastation scene.  Deadpool riding in the cab and giving Dopinder the cabbie advise on getting his girl back from his handsome and treacherous cousin; Deadpool paying the cab fare with a crisp high-five.   Looking for “Francis”, forgetting his bag of weapons and taking down a mob of hench men with only twelve bullets and two samurai swords.

1371926616777306000Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson, gets into a relationship, gets cancer, gets horribly mutated and he gets a healing factor.  Deadpool wants his face back and when his girl gets kidnapped, he wants her back too.  This is supposed to be a love story and a horror story.  There is a lot of graphic violence, gratuitous sex, and full frontal nudity, which is fitting for this R-rated film.  Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool pretending to be Ryan Reynolds.  The telling of his origin via flashbacks is a great way to get those unfamiliar with is character up to speed.  tumblr_nsla3yxqO71twgs7qo1_500There is a moment when Deadpool is breaking the fourth wall within breaking the fourth wall.  Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead (…what the sh*t…that’s a cool name), Weasel, and Blind Al are great supporting cast and plucky comic relief.  Stan Lee does a cameo appearance in the most unexpected way.

643652f0-ace2-0133-b34c-0e438b3b98d1The pace, action, and character development across the story arc was great.  The plot was clear and the scenes connected well.  Given the nature of the film’s adult content, I was uncomfortable for the parents who took their pre-teens to see this movie.  I liked this film a lot and I look forward to the second Deadpool movie featuring Cable.

P.S. it is wise to stay until the end of the closing credits for a little Deadpool bonus…just saying.