(L-R, top row) BLACKBERRY (Elevation Pictures); MILK & SERIAL (that’s a bad idea); THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (Universal Pictures). (L-R, bottom row) YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA (Disney); VAN HELSING (Universal Pictures); Englemageren (SF Film).
I’ve been itching to get some of my thoughts on a wide variety of films out there here towards the end of the year. So, while there will still be both solo new release reviews and review compilations about TV-Shows, I’ve planned two or three film-related review compilations that’ll be released in the next few weeks. Today, I’m going to share my thoughts on a super popular YouTube film, two films from Norwegian film directors, and much more. Let’s get to it.
Deadpool looking up at the Wolverine in Shawn Levy’s DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE — PHOTO: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Directed by Shawn Levy (Free Guy; The Adam Project) — Screenplay by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells, and Shawn Levy.
Later this year, it’ll have been 7 years since Disney’s acquisition of Fox was announced. Included in the Fox acquisition were its assets including ‘their’ portion of Marvel characters, which had long been unable to be a part of Disney’s immensely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe of stories. I think a lot of fans out there will have, at that time, thought that years later they would have all been integrated into the Disney-Marvel-connected universe of live-action films, but, in actuality, it’s been quite slow. Certain characters have popped up in relatively insignificant ways, the classic X-Men theme song has played once or twice, and, sure, Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) did have some non-committal fun with the characters that Marvel fans have been desperate to have alongside the Avengers. Now, though, a significant part of that wait is over. Shawn Levy’s Deadpool and Wolverine is the first Marvel Studios film to be explicitly about a Marvel-Fox character and his integration into Marvel Studios. And, as if that wasn’t enough, it’s the one character that is the least audience-safe Disney character of them all: Deadpool, who is known for his R-rated violence and crude humor. Going into this film the big question for many fans was whether or not Disney, through Marvel Studios, would allow Deadpool to actually be the character that fans have come to know and love. The answer, which I can now give after having seen the much-anticipated film, is a resounding ‘yes.’
Anthony Ramos as ‘Usnavi’ and Melissa Barrera as ‘Vanessa’ in Jon M. Chu’s IN THE HEIGHTS. — PHOTO: Warner Bros. Pictures.
In this edition of my monthly movie and television catch-up article series titled ‘Additional Bite-Sized Reviews,’ I mostly run you through my thoughts on several different films that I’ve missed throughout the year. That means that I have finally seen films like Jon M. Chu’s In the Heights, Rebecca Hall’s Passing, the latest entry in the Fast and Furious franchise (F9), and much, much more including a Best Picture winner that I missed during the previous Oscar season.
The following is a review of Bad Education — Directed by Cory Finley.
Bad Education is the second film from director Cory Finley (Thoroughbreds), and the HBO Films drama is based on a New York Magazine article written by Robert Kolker about a public school embezzlement scandal that happened back in the 2000s. The film follows Dr. Frank Tassone (played by Hugh Jackman), the superintendent of the Roslyn Union Free School district, and Pam Gluckin (played by Allison Janney), the assistant superintendent. Gluckin and Tassone have achieved great success as a team as is evident by the fact that their district’s public high school is ranked fourth in the nation at the beginning of the film. But, as one student is about to uncover, their successful partnership is built on illegal activities. Continue reading “REVIEW: Bad Education (2020)”→
HBO and PlayStation recently announced that Chernobyl-creator Craig Mazin will develop a series adaptation of the hit PlayStation game THE LAST OF US with Neil Druckmann, who was the writer and co-creative director on the original game. Druckmann is also one of the chief creatives working on the game’s highly anticipated sequel, THE LAST OF US: PART II. As I’ve definitely written before, THE LAST OF US is my favorite game ever made. It is a masterpiece. So, today, I want to give my updated opinions about who should play the game’s main characters in the upcoming HBO adaptation. Continue reading “Casting the HBO adaptation of THE LAST OF US – Special Features #65”→
It’s beginning to look a lot like, well, awards season. Some critics groups have already announced their winners, while other groups are still waiting for their brief moment in the spotlight. As the wait for the BAFTAs and Oscars goes on, the first major televised awards show is about to announce the films, shows, and performers who they have nominated for their coveted awards. So, today, I am going to try to predict the nominees for each and every film category for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards. Continue reading “Golden Globes Predictions: Film Nominations – Special Features #35”→
It is that time of the year once again. It is time to reveal what superhero films, video games, songs, and television shows I enjoyed the most in 2017. Now, do note, this year the announcement of the awards is a bit different. This is only the first half of the awards — the more in-depth film nominations won’t be announced until late February. But we do have a lot to get to today. To see the full list of nominees for this first part of the 2017 I’m Jeffrey Rex Awardsgo here. Continue reading “5th I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards, Part One – 2017”→
The following is a review of The Greatest Showman — Directed by Michael Gracey.
It’s the end of the year, so let’s give it a go with a Christmas analogy. Imagine you’re about to open this great, big present covered with gorgeous wrapping paper. But as you rip off the wrapping paper, and open the box that contains your gift, you start to sense the disappointment as the great, big gift is much smaller than the box and the wrapping paper made it seem.
What did you get? Oh, it’s this neat little plaque with some inspirational quote on it. It’s about as generic as possible. That’s The Greatest Showman. A good-hearted hoodwink so disappointing that you question why you ever got excited at all. Continue reading “REVIEW: The Greatest Showman (2017)”→
I don’t believe in the idea that general audiences have superhero fatigue. Each and every year it is the superhero films that comprise most of the spots on the list of the ten most successful films of the year. They make a lot of money, and a lot of them are pretty great. But some of these heroes are iconic, and even some of the performances are iconic. Today I want to honor the ten best superhero performances given by actors and actresses portraying these iconic characters. Continue reading “Best Superhero Performances – Special Features #12”→
I'm Jeffrey Rex 