Part of the joy of the first Deadpool was how shocking it was to hear all those different iterations of the word “fuck” coming from a costumed superhero. It was the surprise and delight filthy version. While the sequel maintains the more jokes per second than Moulin Rouge had edits, there’s a pretty big narrative hole the movie spends two hours trying to dig itself out of (I won’t spoil it here). It’s certainly entertaining throughout, I’ve seen it multiple times and caught jokes on the third round I missed the first two times.
Monthly Archives: May 2018
Tully
The combination of director Jason Reitman, screenwriter Diablo Cody, and can-do-anything actress Charlize Theron is a potent one. Their last effort, Young Adult, was a favorite of mine the year it came out, and the equally adept Tully is also a solid achievement (Reitman and Cody’s first hit Juno remains their best). Tully moves quick with sharp dialogue, decent pacing, and great performances.
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Life of the Party
Much like the equally frustrating I Feel Pretty, Life of the Party is built around a strong central performance, capable ensemble, and interesting enough premise, but fails to deliver more than an SNL sketch’s worth of story in nearly two hours of tedium. Melissa McCarthy, a fine actress when she wants to be (and a co-writer here it should be noted), plays Deanna, a mom blindsided by her husband’s request for a divorce who decides to go back to college with her daughter and finally get her degree. Hilarity, one would think, would ensue, but it’s more like a couple laughs and a lot of eye rolls.
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Life and Death and Farts
My seventh-grade teacher was murdered. It was a random mugging, less than a mile from my house the summer before eighth grade. I don’t remember how I found out. This was before the internet let tragedy spread like a brush fire. What I remember most is her funeral. I had a hand-me-down suit from my brother because mine no longer fit me. It was itchy and tight. I sat in the third or fourth pew with my friend, Quentin.
Avengers: Infinity War
As a Marvel movie, the latest installment of the Avengers, Infinity War, is an exciting, non-stop action, thrill ride. And it’s a lot of fun. As a film in and of itself, it doesn’t really work. Taking for granted you have intimate knowledge of the characters and plot points of the previous movies (which I do), the movie doesn’t do anything to establish characters or even give any of them time to breath. It’s essentially one big action sequence divided amongst five different set pieces. Continue reading
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I Feel Pretty
There’s a good movie somewhere in the depths of “I Feel Pretty” but the version that flits about on screen isn’t it. Sure, Amy Schumer gives it her best effort, and she’s a solid presence and game for anything, but the film doesn’t even stay true to the logic it establishes. Schumer is Renee, a low-level employee at a makeup company who suffers from esteem issues surrounding her appearance, until a freak SoulCycle accident instills her with an overblown sense of vanity.
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