Deadpool Review

Synopsis
When Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) gets diagnosed with terminal cancer, he agrees to undergo experimentation that would grant him super powers.

Review
I have been waiting to see Deadpool on screen for some time. It looked like we were going to get a good Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but think we all know how that turned out. We got a good Wade Wilson but their Deadpool was an abomination. He is one of my favorite comic characters and it hurt to see him treated in that way. But now, he finally has a proper movie. Does Deadpool deliver everything the character’s fans were hoping for? You bet your chimi-fucking-changas it does!

Much like Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he perfectly brings the character to life here again. He never shuts up, always cracking jokes, being a vulgar smart-ass, and constantly talks to the audience. Even his appearance, from his skin post-transformation and his costume are pulled straight from the comic book. Everything about Deadpool was on point. This was the truest adaptations of a comic character in a long time.

This is not your typical comic book movie. Some comic book movies will tone down the action and language to get a PG-13 rating. If Deadpool had tried that, this movie would have failed miserably. Deadpool is a character that deserves the R-rating. He is very foul-mouthed, over-the-top violent, and unrefined. To do anything less would have been a disservice to the character. If you are expecting a movie along the lines of Iron Man, go look elsewhere. When you watch Deadpool, expect a lot of blood, guts, exploding heads, dismemberment, and f-bombs.

As I’ve mentioned before, Reynolds did a fantastic job the first time as the character. He is even better the second time around, especially since he spends more than five minutes as Wade Wilson. I believe Deadpool would not have worked as well if anyone besides Reynolds was in the red spandex. Reynolds has both the comedic timing and action skills to pull off all aspects of the character.

It seems each new comic book movie is longer than the last. Deadpool clocks in at 108 minutes. As a result, it moves pretty fast. The studio knows what the audience wants to see, so there is no extra fluff. It starts off with a big action scene, then the back story is slowly sprinkled in. The number of characters is fairly small so there is nothing more than what is necessary. I almost wanted the movie to be longer! I was having so much fun that I didn’t want it to end.

I think my only gripe is that between the several trailers, much of the great moments from the bridge fight scene in the were spoiled. This scene on the bridge takes a good chunk of the movie so it was disappointing when the scene kept going and I felt like I had seen it already.

I thought Deadpool was GREAT :-D. Ryan Reynolds perfectly captures Deadpool, who is true to his comic book counterpart. The action is comically over-the-top and a quick run time keeps the movie focused. I knew I was in for a treat when the opening credits, before anyone even speaks, made me laugh.

Favorite Quote
It’s a big house. It’s weird that I only ever see two of you. Almost like the studio couldn’t afford another X-Man. -Deadpool

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Tim Miller – Director
Rhett Reese – Writer
Paul Wernick – Writer
Tom Holkenbog – Composer

Ryan Reynolds – Wade Wilson / Deadpool
Ed Skrein – Ajax
TJ Miller – Weasel
Morena Baccarin – Vanessa
Stefan Kapicic – Colossus (voice)
Brianna Hildebrand – Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Gina Carano – Angel Dust
Karen Soni – Dopinder
Leslie Uggams – Blind Al

Big Hero 6 Review

Synopsis
Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) is a boy genius who is convinced by his brother, Tadashi (Daniel Henney), to put his gift towards building something to help mankind. When his invention is stolen by a super villain, he uses his intellect to outfit his robot, Baymax (Scot Adsit), and his friends, Fred (TJ Miller), Go Go (Jamie Chung), Wasabi (Damon Wayans, Jr.), and Lemon Honey (Genesis Rodriguez), with high tech gear to stop the mysterious figure.

Review
I was so ecstatic when Disney announced Big Hero 6 because it meant they were beginning to take full advantage of their purchase of Marvel. Although I know a lot about the Marvel comic universe, I know very little about Big Hero 6, other than who they are. But that didn’t matter, I was still excited for the chance to see them on the big screen. On top of creating an animated superhero movie, it was created by the same team that made Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen. Only one thought came into my mind: Uh, yes please!

Both Wreck-It Ralph and Frozen had great looking animation, and Big Hero 6 is just as impressive, if not more. The fictional city of Sanfransokyo is a sprawling cityscape, that is a cool mix of Japanese and American architecture. It has vivid colors that rival that of Sugar Rush. The characters’ costumes were bright and contrasted with their more subdued city environments. The animation was most impressive when the camera followed Hiro and Baymax into the sky and it had a breathtaking bird’s-eye-view of the entire city.

Each of the characters have a fun and unique look. When the movie first ended, one of the notes I made was that the characters were less charactatured than Disney’s last several films. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that wasn’t true. Regardless, it gave a one-of-a-kind feel to the film and to the characters. I like how varied and bright the heroes’ costumes are. They fit in perfectly with the environment of Sanfransokyo.

Baymax, the huggable robot friend of Hiro, easily stole the film. Scott Adsit brought the character to life wonderfully. Baymax was the emotional core of the film and was a big part of connecting Hiro to his older brother. Much of the film’s best moments involved Baymax in one way or another. Since the relationship between Baymax and Hiro was such a focus of Big Hero 6, their relationship is the only one that gets any real development as a result.

Disney has proven that they can write movies that appeal to several demographics at the same time, and Big Hero 6 is no exception. There were some jokes that appealed to either the adults or the children, but often I heard kids and grownups laughing together. TJ Miller is the same TJ Miller he is in his other movies, like How to Train Your Dragon, and gives many great one-liners. Damon Wayans, Jr.’s panicked Wasabi and Jamie Chung’s tough-exteriored Go-Go have their moments, too. However, they are nothing compared to Baymax. As mentioned before, most of the funniest lines come from him.

Big Hero 6 continues Disney’s strong animation resurgence. The animation is positively gorgeous and there is a little something for everyone of every age. I think it is safe to say that Disney has achieved a second renaissance and I could not be more excited.

Rating
4.5/5

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Don Hall – Director
Chris Williams – Director
Jordan Roberts – Screenplay
Daniel Gerson – Screenplay
Robert L. Baird – Screenplay
Paul Briggs – Story
Joseph Mateo – Story
Henry Jackman – Composer

Ryan Potter – Hiro (voice)
Scott Adsit – Baymax (voice)
Daniel Henney – Tadashi (voice)
TJ Miller– Fred (voice)
Jamie Chung – Go Go (voice)
Damon Wayans, Jr. – Wasabi (voice)
Genesis Rodriguez – Honey Lemon (voice)
James Cromwell – Robert Callaghan (voice)
Alan Tudky – Alistair Krei
Maya Rudolph – Cass (voice)

Big Hero 6 Trailer #1

Official Synopsis: With all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Big Hero 6” is an action-packed comedy-adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action, “Big Hero 6” is directed by Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”), and produced by Roy Conli (“Tangled”).

Big Hero 6 is a Japanese super hero team from the Marvel comics.  I’m not that familiar with the characters but from this trailer, I’m a fan of Big Hero 6.  The majority of this trailer focuses on Hiro (Ryan Potter) and his robot Baymax (Scot Adsit) with some of the other main characters seen towards the end.  Hopefully the next trailer will showcase the entire team.  The computer animation looks great, although it doesn’t seem to be much different from Disney’s last few films, Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph.  I mentioned when the teaser was released that it would be cool to find some way to incorporate this movie into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe (I don’t think it will happen but is cool to think about nonetheless).  If nothing else, it seems like it will be humorous.

Big Hero 6 hits theaters November 7, 2014 and is directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, and stars the voices of Jamie Chung, TJ Miller, Alan Tadyk, Genesis Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, James Cromwell, Damon Wayans Jr., Daniel Henney, Scott Adsit, and Ryan Potter.

Transformers 4 title and poster revealed

The next Transformers movie will be titled Transformers: Age of Extinction.  The title reveal also comes with the release of the first official poster (courtesy of Yahoo! Movies):

The Dinobots have been confirmed, though not through an official press release, to make an appearance in the film.  Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura told Tformers.com, “I can not disclose the specifics, but you can be sure that the arrival of the Dinobots will give the audience a lot to be excited about.”  Not much else is known about the plot of the movie.

In the Generation I Transformers cartoon, the Dinobots consisted of Grimlock (Tyrannosaurus Rex), Sludge (Brontosaurus), Slag (Triceratops), Snarl (Stegosaurus), and Swoop (Pterodactyl).

Dinobots Roar by *KevingRaganit

The Dinobots are a great addition to Transformers 4.  They were some of the best characters from the origianl 1980s cartoon and is a logical next step for the franchise.  Revenge of the Fallen saw the constructicons and their combining into Devistator, as well as Optimus Prime using parts from another Autobot.  And in Dark of the Moon we got a glimpse into the more Cybertronian looking characters.  Now we get a wider variety of characters besides vehicles.

I’m looking forward to this movie.  A lot.  I really enjoyed the other movies (yes, even Revenge of the Fallen despite its shortcomings).  But with a fresh cast and no overarching story to abide to, Transformers: Age of Extinction should be a great addition to the franchise, and will hopefully kick off another set of films.

Transformers: Age of Extinction stars Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Sophia Myles, and TJ Miller.  Michael Bay returns to directing duties.  The film is slated for a June 27, 2014 release.

How to Train Your Dragon Review

Synopsis
Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) aspires to be a dragon hunter like his dad, Stoick (Gerard Butler), and his fellow vikings. But when he discovers an injured dragon, the two become unlikely friends and discovers that there is much more to dragons than he expected.

Review
When my friend told me How to Train Your Dragon was probably the best animated movie ever made, my reply was, “That’s a bold statement.” I mean, how can you beat the heart of Toy Story or the cleverness of Shrek? But he insisted. After finally watching it, I must say he isn’t far off. It’s not the best animated movie in my opinion, but it is definitely up there as one of my favorites.

First off, the film starts with a bang. The opening scene does well to both set up the conflict between the vikings and the dragons, as well as introduce all the main characters. It’s a giant set piece that would give most action movie openings a run for their money. There are explosions. Lots and lots of explosions.

The producers could not have picked a better voice cast for Dragon. Baruchel’s dry tone and sarcasm fit with his character perfectly. Butler was born to play a viking. He does fantastic as both the tough dragon slayer and the loving father. Other voices include Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller, and Kristen Wiig.

Mintz-Plasse’s character, Fishlegs, is large and round, the complete opposite of what you would expect from his voice. Fishlegs is the dragon guru, and rambles off stats Dungeons and Dragons style. Miller and Wiig play the twins Tuffnut and Ruffnut, respectively, who attempt to out-annoy each other. Ferrera voices Astrid, a girl trying to prove she is just as tough as the boys. And Snotlout, played by Hill, spends the entire movie to to impress Astrid. My favorite, though, is Fergurson’s Gobber, the one-armed, one-legged teacher who believes that trolls “steal your socks, but only the left one.”

With an ensemble of great comedic actors, it’s only natural that the dialog would be funny, too. The best stuff happens when this group is all together and they can riff off each other. They come of with some pretty clever banter. But what is even more impressive is the movie’s use of visual gags. When one of your two main characters is a mute dragon, it can be difficult to crack jokes. But Dragon proves that you don’t need words to be funny.

Animation technology is continually progressing, and it is important for animation studios to adapt and improve along with it. With that said, this film is one of the best looking animated features I have seen. What sets it apart from previous animated movies is the attention to detail and the use of lighting. Contrasts are utilized very effectively, really giving a sense of depth.

On a quick note, the score, composed by John Powell, is amazing. It adds that extra touch to an already awesome film.

If I were to have one gripe with the film, it would be the father-son dynamic between Stoick and Hiccup has been used over and over in film. Stoick is the tough dad who has a soft spot for his son; Hiccup is the physically weak kid who tries to follow in his father’s footsteps but fails to keep up with the high expectations from being his son. This is the driving force for countless movies and their success has been varied. Dragons, however, utilized this cliché to great effect, so I can’t knock it too hard.

Anyone who enjoys animated movies should check out How to Train Your Dragon. A great cast, amazing animation, and funny dialog and visual gags makes this film one of the best animated films of the last few years.

Rating
5/5