The Forgotten DEADPOOL 2 Write-Up

Whoa.

Been even longer than the usual "man, it's been awhile" postings I usually do.

Wouldn't have been quite as long if I'd remembered to post this thing back when I initially wrote it.

It's a small thing, but at least it's actually still playing, at least in my little rinky-dink one-theater town. I guess people are still going to see it.

Anyways, here goes...

DEADPOOL 2 (2018)

Directed by David Leitch

Screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Ryan Reynolds

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

 

Deadpool is back, and even more Deadpoolier, which is great for people who like that sort of thing. Since I enjoyed the first one, I was happy to plunk down and watch this one.

To really talk about how I feel about it, tho, I'm going to have to throw in some pretty

BIG

SPOILERS

so I'll hide them behind a cut and some pretty pictures...

SOLO - A STAR WARS STORY

SOLO - A STAR WARS STORY (2018)

Directed by Ron Howard

Screenplay by Johnathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan

Starring Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clark, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany

Possibly some very minor spoilers ahead, so I'll toss a break in here:

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt and more but seriously I'm tired already....

No spoilers here, by the way.

Wow.

Remember THE AVENGERS? (And yes, I'm talking the 2012 Marvel movie, not the 1960s British spy series. If you're unfamiliar with that one I'd suggest fixing that problem as soon as possible.)

Remember wondering if they could bring a movie together that featured all three(!) of the main franchise leads, along with the other characters introduced along the way, into an entertaining film? Those were much more innocent times, weren't they?

Ten years and nineteen films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought us here - Thanos is finally "doing it himself" and going after the Infinity Stones that have been weaving their way thru most every MCU movie to date. Doing so will make him quite simply the most powerful being in existence and so it will take every other powerful being banding together to stop him.

Somehow, the original AVENGERS managed to give all the characters time to shine. Somehow, the Russo Brothers upped the ante with the massive CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and it turns out that movie was just a warm-up. Nearly every named character in the MCU comes out for this one.

At this point, they're not even trying to make a movie that 'first-timers' can walk in to and follow with no issue. Maybe one line is given to *who* these people are and their relationship (if any) to the other characters they're on screen with because from the opening frame, this juggernaut of a film starts moving and only takes a breath during the final credits.

It is, basically, one long fight scene, spread across the universe as the disparate characters each have their own encounter with Thanos or his minions and find their way to each other before the final battle. Even so, they manage to pack some surprising emotional beats into the proceedings, grounding at least some of the conflicts on a more personal note than "saving the universe."

And more than maybe any other film in whole MCU series - because that's what it is, each film a chapter in a longer story - it will leave you wanting to see the next one and sooner rather than later.

Avoid spoilers and just go see it.

(and like I said, you can take a breath and maybe a bathroom break once the credits start because the only end-credits scene is allllll the way at the very end)

READY PLAYER ONE

READY PLAYER ONE (2018)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline

Based on the novel by Ernest Cline
Starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, T.J. Miller, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki


I was going to recuse myself from writing about this one. The book it's based on was written by Ernest Cline, who I knew as BBI Rafterman years ago on the Buckaroo Banzai mailing list I maintain. Aside from having a nice Banzai site, he wrote a well-regarded fan script for the mythical BUCKAROO BANZAI: AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE. I think I still have some early drafts on 3.5" discs somewhere. Meanwhile, you can head to his site and read it here if you like.

But then I remembered that I'm not a pro and not getting paid to be objective and no one really cares if I might be inclined to say positive things about the movie even if it turns out I hated it just because I knew the author online years ago, so here we go...

TOMB RAIDER

TOMB RAIDER (2018)

Directed by Roar Uthaug

Screenplay by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons

Story by Evan Daugherty and Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Starring Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristen Scott Thomas


So, I had a chance to check out the new TOMB RAIDER film. This one is a reboot that goes back to the beginning, showing how Lara Croft picked up her tomb-raiding hobby. It's heavily influenced by the 2013 version of the game, itself a reboot of the game series. In it, we got a younger, inexperienced Lara who had not yet faced the challenges that turned her into the kick-ass character we've known for the past twenty-two years. (Good grief! Twenty-two? Yep, the first game came out back in 1996.)

Both the 2013 game and the 2018 movie take young Lara to the lost island of Yamatai, believed to be the final resting place of the 3rd century Japanese Queen Himiko. Movie and game pit Lara against an assortment of enemies after Himiko, who was believed to have supernatural powers.

The movie also mixes in a bit of the 2015 Rise of the Tomb Raider, replacing the first game's bloodthirsty cultists with the second game's evil organization, Trinity, which hopes to find Himiko's tomb and harness her power for themselves.

Alicia Vikander, the second Academy Award winner to portray Croft, really throws herself into the role. She's maybe a little petite for Lara (she's apparently only 5'5") but she's solid muscle and once she has her 'trial by fire' moment in the film and really goes on the offensive you have to feel a bit sorry for the bad guys. She also nails the emotional side, grounding this Lara as a daughter who has refused to accept the loss of her father when she was a child and now has a chance to find out what happened to him.

Leading said bad guys is the always cool Walton Goggins as Mathias Vogel. Stuck on Yamatai until he and his men find Himiko's tomb Vogel has maybe gone a bit crazy, something Goggins excels at without a bunch of overblown posturing. Just looking in the guy's eyes can give you a chill up your spine.

Daniel Wu tags along as the captain of the ship that gets Lara to Yamatai, and whose father also disappeared on that last fateful journey of Lord Richard Croft, played by Dominic West.

While the more grounded, semi-realistic action is a welcome change from all the over-the-top cartoon stuff out there these days (there is some of that, of course, and some nice nods to action scenes from the game) and surprising in a film based on a video game, I can't help but think it would've benefited from being a bit more like the game in regards to the plot and some of the enemies. I also missed her supporting cast from the game, but this movie was all about Lara and that's okay, too.

Overall I thought it was a pretty good action movie, obviously in the Indiana Jones mold as it has evolved thru the years in both the Tomb Raider and Uncharted games.

G.I.JOE vs. THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO VS. THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN

Writer: Ryan Ferrier

Artist: SL Gallant

Inker: Brian Shearer

Colors: James Brown

Letters: Robbie Robbins

Publication Date: 2018

Published by Dynamite Entertainment and IDW

Just this past week, on the 7th of March, was the 45th anniversary of the premiere of THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN TV movie. Two more movies followed, then the weekly series that lasted five seasons and spawned a spin-off and three reunion movies. It also started my lifelong (so far) fandom of said show. I'll spare you more of the tiresome details of my love of the show because I've talked about that enough, particularly here and here. What I won't spare you is my comments about Dynamite's latest attempt at bringing 'my' show into the funny pages.

Much like their last run at Steve, FALL OF MAN, this title looks like it's going to be pretty much unconnected to their initial foray into continuing the TV series, the very cool SEASON SIX mini-series. This one looks to take place in late 1981 or early 1982 if the marquee seen near the end is on a first-run movie theater. That puts it three years after the series ended so Steve has some bionic upgrades now.

If you're like me (I pity you) you questioned the 'versus' in the title. I mean, Steve and the Joes are all good guys, right? Why would they be fussin' and fightin'?

Well, the issue starts out with Steve dropping into Siberia to rescue a rich tech dude in the clutches of the Russians. After a blast of bionic action we find out it's a trap. Steve is captured and 'introduced' to Dr. Mindbender and even tho I'm not an expert on the Joes or their enemies in Cobra I've got an idea where this is headed.

Then we cut to the assembled Joes getting ready to escort Air Force One, ferrying the presidents of the USA and Mexico as well as the Canadian Prime Minister, to an important peace accord which will unite the world against terrorist organizations like Cobra. All the favorites from your toy chest are here; Hawk, Roadblock, Rock 'n' Roll, Lady Jaye, and the two I actually owned, Scarlett and Snake Eyes, among others.

Whatever the Joes were prepared for, it ends up not being a single man with a flying wing strapped to his back. Especially one they recognize as an American intelligence agent. Under Mindbender's control, Steve and his bionics make short work of the Joe's aerial escort as well as Air Force One itself. At the end of the issue, the Joes have crash-landed in the middle of a Cobra-controlled island and are being charged by an army of the blue-clad goons, led by the Six Million Dollar Man himself.

Being the first issue, I can't really comment on the storyline as a whole. The issue does a good job of introducing all the players for anyone not completely familiar with them and putting everyone into place. We'll see how the series progresses.

Personally, I'm hoping they break Cobra's control over Steve sooner rather than later so he can spend his time working alongside the Joes to end Cobra's latest scheme instead of using him as a last-issue surprise attack, but we'll see.

BLACK PANTHER

BLACK PANTHER (2018)

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Written by Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Winston Duke

 

 

Particularly since it just came out this weekend, I'm not going to spoil anything here, beyond what's been shown in previews.

 

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has landed and it rocks. Black Panther, like most of the heroes getting their own MCU movies so far, was never one I read much of so I didn't have the burden of sitting there going "that's not like it is in the comics!" I mean, maybe it's exactly like it was in the comics - the point is I don't know either way.

 

What I do know is that I totally dug it. Much like GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and especially THOR: RAGNAROK, Ryan Coogler has made a movie that is definitely a "Marvel Movie" but with a spin that makes it stand out as its own thing.

 

Chadwick Boseman is T'Challa, the Black Panther, continuing from his appearance in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. In that film, T'Challa's father, King T'Chaka is killed and as this one begins T'Challa officially takes up the mantle of King of Wakanda. Adding to his uncertainty that he's actually ready to lead Wakanda, he has to deal with the return of Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis totally digging not being hidden behind a layer of CGI like most of his bigger roles) who has been one of Wakanda's Most Wanted after stealing from them years ago. Klaue, in turn, brings Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger into the mix, who has his own reasons for giving T'Challa a hard time.

 

The whole cast is great. Great enough that browsing reviews I keep seeing different actors being giving the 'stole the show' award. Michael B. Jordan? Sure, he stole the show. Danai Gurira? Sure, she stole it, too. My personal show-stealing accusation goes to Letitia Wright as Shuri, the younger, somewhat irreverent younger sister to Boseman's much more serious T'Challa. Oh, and she's also a genius whose technical achievements could give Tony Stark some serious feelings of inadequacy. She does a great routine as 'Q,' helping T'Challa out in a casino-based fight-turned-car-chase that wouldn't be too out of place in a James Bond film.

If there was a flaw at all that I noticed, it's that 3D, especially post-converted 3D (as opposed to being shot in 3D in the first place) has trouble with fast fight scenes, giving them a distracting blur or double-image effect. It's still a gorgeous film and I'm happy to have seen it in 3D since all my subsequent home viewing will be in good ol' 2D.

Ten years and what...eighteen(?) movies in I shouldn't have to mention the importance of staying all the way thru the end credits for a Marvel Movie, but since I still people who bail as soon as the credits start to roll, consider it mentioned.

 

At its core, it's still a Marvel superhero movie, with increasingly larger and flashier (and more CGI'ed) action scenes that will easily satisfy any fan of these movies, but there's a heart there with the characters and their relationships and motivations that keep an important element of humanity grounding the arcade action.

 

 

Prevues of Coming Attractions

Well, work and various other annoying 'real life' distractions have conspired to throw me off my schedule yet again.

So here are previews for some of the upcoming movies I hope to see this year....

Prevues after the cut....

BONEHILL ROAD

BONEHILL ROAD (2017)

Directed by Todd Sheets

Written by Todd Sheets

Starring Eli DeGeer, Ana Rojas-Plumberg, Douglas Epps, Gary Kent, Millie Milan, Dilynn Fawn Harvey, Linnea Quigley

From IMDb:

"Emily and Eden Stevens escape one violent situation only to dive headfirst into another. Terrified and alone they are stranded in the dark woods only to be chased into a horrific scene in a house of horrors. They must work together to get out alive. But what is worse? What is on the inside or out?" 

Seemed appropriate to hold this one off until Werewolf Wednesday because we have another low (okay, micro) budget, indie horror, crowdfunded werewolf film to check out with the new Todd Sheets flick, BONEHILL ROAD.

Naturally what got my attention, aside from werewolves, of course, was the plan to do it with all practical effects and not CGI so I managed to pony up a little cash for the cause myself.

As I've said before, when looking at movies made at this level, you have to use a different scale. Even the low-budget WOLFCOP was made for around a million dollars. BONEHILL ROAD was done for around fourteen thousand. My hat's off to anyone trying to make any full-length film for that kind of money, and when you add in the idea of full werewolf suits and practical effects...insane. But these guys did it.

Like the IMDb synopsis states, Emily and daughter Eden Stevens leave an abusive home with the intention of getting to Emily's dad's place and regroup from there to figure out their situation. Unfortunately, their route takes them down Bonehill Road. After a minor accident turns into a full-scale werewolf attack, they take refuge in a seemingly abandoned house and, well, the phrase "Out of the frying pan, into the fire" comes to mind.

What follows is a pretty harrowing situation for the two as they find themselves trapped by a psycho in the house while the werewolves toy with them outside, keeping them trapped.

It's a rough ride for the two, and the movie's success hinges as much on the performances of Eli DeGeer and Ana Rojas-Plumberg as Emily and Eden as it does on the werewolves. The two do a good job and work well together as mother and daughter and you want them to get away. That's something that comes as a relief to me because too many movies these days have characters that quite frankly I couldn't give two figs about. My favorite Scream Queen Linnea Quigley is also on hand in something of an extended cameo that's one of her better acting jobs. 

The werewolf and gore effects are also pretty good. The werewolves all have a distinct look, so it's not like they did one mold and made copies. You can recognize the different beasts. Some shots are easily the equal to (or better) than the stuff I've seen in more expensive films. They even take a stab at a full-on transformation which mostly works out pretty well.

Full-on, practical werewolves, blood-n-gore, even a bit of nudity. Basically everything one could want in a movie like this. If you're okay with the obvious limitations imposed by the budget, I'd say give this one a chance.

Bonus: I also really dig the haunting "Bad Moon Rising" cover used in the movie -

IT

IT (2017)

Directed by Andy Muschietti 

Written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, Gary Dauberman

Based on the novel by Stephen King

Starring Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hamilton

 

From IMDb:

"A group of bullied kids band together when a shapeshifting monster, taking the appearance of a clown, begins hunting children."

 

Okay, so I finally caught the recent big-screen adaption of Stephen King's IT. It's been quite awhile since I've read the book or seen the original TV version (all hail Tim Curry!) so I wasn't too stuck on stuff like "that's not what happened!" and all that.

 

First off - the cast did great. A movie like this, focusing on kids, really needs the right kids in the roles to pull it off and they put together a fine group for this one. Kind-of have to feel for Finn Wolfhard, tho. Between this and STRANGER THINGS, the poor guy seems to be stuck in the 80s no matter what he does.

 

Yep, it's another 'set in the 80s' thing. In this case, it's because the original story was told in two parts - the characters facing down It when they were kids, then being drawn together again as adults for another go 'round. This movie is simply the first half, with the kids realizing what is really happening in their sleepy little town of Derry and fighting back. Luckily, part two has already been announced so we'll see how that turns out in a year or so, I guess.

 

The original was written in the 80s, with the flashback section happening in the 50s. This version time-shifts events so the kids are dealing with It in the 80s and the next version can be set somewhat currently. 

 

For an 80s set piece, tho, it (or should that be, 'IT'?) really doesn't beat you over the head with 80s references. In fact, some of it still comes across like it could be the 50s. I'm not sure making paper boats to float down the street was still a huge thing by the 80s and Bill's bike, Silver' (and the fact that he still calls it Silver and recites the Lone Ranger's "Hi yo, Silver! Away!") seems like it came straight from the 50s.

The best parts of the movie were when it dealt with the kids just navigating their world - the initial 'Losers Club' of bullied nerds slowly expanding to include the others, including apparently the only black kid in town, and a girl that of course two of the boys end up pining for.

When they're apart and having their own experiences with the evil clown monster, Pennywise, things just kind-of happen and it seems almost at random. There's not a lot of actual tension, and of course way too much 'Look what we can do with CGI!' going on. The kids' encounters with the truly psychotic town bully are scarier and seems to be a bigger threat most of the time. He does seem to do more real damage to the kids than Pennywise ever does (well, except for little Georgie at the beginning - yikes).

It was pretty decent, helped largely by the cast. I liked it well enough that I didn't mind spending the time or money to watch it, but I didn't think IT was anything special. Did make me want to re-read the book or at least re-watch the original version if I can track down the time.

ATHENA VOLTAIRE: PULP TALES

New book in the ArcLight library:

I think I've rambled about liking pulp heroes at some point - growing up digging out every Doc Savage book I could find in the various used-book stores I've come across, spending weekends rewatching the Indiana Jones films (along with THE PHANTOM, THE SHADOW, THE ROCKETEER, etc.), that sort of thing.

Added to that mix of daring heroes of the 1930s and thereabouts is Athena Voltaire. Who is she? From a Westfield Comics interview with writer/artist Steve Bryant:

"Athena Voltaire is a 1930s pilot/adventurer. She’s the daughter of a stage magician, so growing up on tour with her family, and traveling with other magicians, circuses, and air shows helped her to develop her unique skill set. She’s the pilot who everyone calls when they want to get into—and out of—dangerous places."

Those dangerous places are often inhabited by gangsters, zombies, vampires, Nazis, and assorted other monsters. Also the occasional run-in with major historical figures of the times. Fun stuff.

Started as a webcomic (co-written with Paul Daly), Bryant has shepherded Athena from the web to print comics, including a new upcoming series from Action Lab Entertainment, and now to a prose volume also from Action Lab consisting of close to twenty tales of derring-do by a variety of writers, each story illustrated with a piece by Bryant.

I've only just started reading it so I can't get in to which stories I like best. I'll guess that Bryant's own tale will be up there, of course, and I expect good things from Ron Fortier's entry (among other things he's written stories for The Phantom and The Spider for Moonstone Books' recent anthologies of those characters and the Green Hornet revival from NOW comics in the early 90s *and* currently heads up Airship 27 Productions which puts out many cool pulp-inspired projects featuring heroes new and "classic," so yeah, I think he knows his stuff). Other authors in the Chris Murrin edited volume include Elizabeth Amber Love, Tom King, Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman, Genevieve Pearson, Dirk Manning and more.

Currently available from all the major online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target, if you've got the slightest interest in the likes of Indiana Jones, Lara 'Tomb Raider' Croft, the Uncharted games series, and naturally the pulps that started it all, I'd definitely reccommend you making the acquaintance of Athena Voltaire.