Marvel’s Unconventional Hero Returns with a Little Too Much Convention

Ryan Reynolds in "Deadpool 2"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In 2016, the “X-Men” film series gave itself a jolt of craziness with director Tim Miller’s “Deadpool.”  After the titular character was botched in Gavin Hood’s 2009 film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” in which Ryan Reynolds played the role, the actor came back with a vengeance to do the role justice in all of his foulmouthed glory.  Despite the formulaic plot, the film still managed to be a subversion (mostly) of the superhero genre.

Now, the character is back  in David Leitch’s “Deadpool 2.”  While the movie displays a bit of fun here and there, you’ll be left wondering what you just watched because there’s not much that’s worth remembering.

After the events of the first film, Wade Wilson has continued to live his life as the mercenary, Deadpool, a mutant with regenerative powers.  When a time-traveling cybernetic soldier named Cable (Josh Brolin) makes his way back to the present day to kill a young mutant named Russell Collins/Firefist (Julian Dennison) to prevent him from killing his family in the future, Deadpool puts together a team of other mutants to save him.

It’s a shame that the movie is rather forgettable because you can’t deny that Reynolds gives a performance that deserves a story that’s better and more outrageous.  This is one of those roles where an actor was born to play the part, and despite many other of the film’s other aspects not being anything special, you can’t help but occasionally grin at how much fun Reynolds seems to be having with this movie.  

The rest of the supporting cast, however, doesn’t live up to the enjoyable derangement of their leading man.  None of the returning characters, outside of Deadpool, are expanded upon in any meaningful way, and as far as the new characters go, none of them make much of an impression.  There are a lot of new players in this film, and I realize that they can’t all be given equal amounts of screen time, but at least give them a little something that makes them worth remembering.  While Brolin’s fine in his role, he doesn’t get to do much outside of battling Deadpool.  The only new character who makes somewhat of an impact is Domino (Zazie Beetz), a mutant who can manipulate luck.  Just like Cable, most of what we see with Domino is in the fight sequences, which is a shame because Beetz exhibits a natural charisma whenever she’s on screen, so I hope that her character’s expanded upon in the potential sequel and has more development outside of the action scenes.

The screenplay by Reynolds, Rhett Reese, and Paul Wernick (the latter two of whom wrote the first film), which is based on the character created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld, emphasizes the importance of family to the point where I expected Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto character from the “Fast and Furious” movies to come in and provide his input.  The writers replaced the clichéd superhero-must-save-his-girlfriend narrative from the original and replace it with another type of clichéd story.  Deadpool is a superhero who should be in a film that works hard to throw away our expectations, not fall back on narratives that we’ve seen numerous times.  

Despite there being a couple of clever jokes, many of the others are chuckle-worthy at best, and the cultural references can only go so far until they begin to look like a screenwriting crutch.  Also, the fourth-wall-breaking and meta-humor have lost a lot of their novelty.  Given the thin story, the writers can’t keep piling on the jokes and thinking that they can use them to replace a compelling narrative.

Given how “Deadpool 2” is from the filmmaker who directed “Atomic Blonde” and co-directed the original “John Wick,” I was expecting more from the action sequences, none of which standout in any particular way.  In those two films, I enjoyed the practical fight sequences, instead of the over-edited, CGI-laden mediocrity (the CGI of which could have been much better in certain scenes of this film) that we see here and in other modern blockbusters.  This is the kind of movie that should revel in kinetic, over-the-top action, but the action that we see here feels rather workman-like and doesn’t seem as though it’s from the same filmmaker who has staged several great action sequences in the past, like he did just last summer with that one-take stairway fight in “Atomic Blonde.”

Reynolds has proven that he’s what makes these movies work because of his commitment to the role.  And, if a third film’s green-lit, let’s hope it offers a story as unorthodox as its hero.

Final grade: C

Prone to Violence, Two People Become Lovers

Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn in "Beast"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

“We all go a little mad sometimes.  Haven’t you?”  Who can forget these words said by Norman Bates to Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, “Psycho”?  In this film, Hitchcock encapsulated his characters’ desires to commit acts that were out of the ordinary, even sinister in some cases.  Whether it be Marion stealing $40,000 from her job or Norman murdering her in the shower, Hitchcock explored his characters’ darkest impulses.

However, “a little mad” might be an understatement when it comes to the two main characters in Michael Pearce’s psychological-thriller, “Beast.”  With vigorous performance from Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn, Pearce takes a hard look at people’s inherent, animalistic instincts and the consequences that can arise when they’re unleashed.

Moll (Buckley) is a young woman living with her family on a small island community off the coast of England.  Upon meeting a peculiar man named Pascal (Flynn), he encourages her to leave her family and seek a more fulfilling life.  After he’s seen as a suspect in a string of murders occurring across the island, Moll will do whatever it takes to defend him.

Buckley delivers shattering work as Moll, showing her character’s desire to escape her demanding family for something less stifling.  It’s a performance where Buckley exhibits Moll coming into who she is as a person, displaying shifts between quiet ferocity and occasional bursts of intensity, all of which add to her character’s unpredictability.  Throughout the film, you see the steady progression of Moll as she goes from being a sheltered young woman to someone who’s more risky, and Buckley does terrific work in selling Moll’s break from her normal life.

Flynn manages to be as disarming as he is enigmatic.  We know there’s more to Pascal than he’s letting on, and even if he’s the murderer (I’m not saying he is or isn’t), Flynn does well in not telegraphing his intentions to you and keeps his mannerisms in check so that he still seems like a calm individual.  However, as the film goes on, we learn some things about him that have us change our perception of him, and the way that Flynn portrays the character keeps us hooked into trying to figure out what his intentions are, as he’s not an easy person to figure out.

Pearce’s screenplay doesn’t just focus on trying to solve who’s been committing the murders, but also hones in on the outsider nature of his two main characters and plays with our expectations as to the kind of people that these characters are.  We have Moll, who had a violent episode years ago, but holds an aura that suggests she’s not a violent person, encouraging us to figure out her true self; and then, we have Pascal, who we’re not sure if he’s the culprit behind the murders, but he’s not without a questionable and somewhat violent history himself.  We know that there’s something more to both of them, as they’re individuals who could have violent tendencies, but we’re not sure how far they can take them.

As a director, Pearce uses the isolated areas of the island to great effect, having the characters spend some time near the sea and in the woods to emphasize their animal-like relishing of the outdoors.  He creates scenes that get your blood pumping without having the film go into your typical psychological-thriller territory, achieving this with the atmosphere and tense dialogues between the characters.  At a few points, however, Pearce gives us a scene that’s a bit more harrowing, such as a couple of dream sequences of Moll’s that hint at her possible fondness for violence.  These scenes are placed in the story in such a way that make you believe at first that what you’re seeing is real, and this is all thanks to the work from editor Maya Maffioli. 

Between its terrific performances, suspenseful story, and a stunning feature-film directorial debut from Pearce, “Beast” is an animal that keeps you locked in its teeth. 

Final grade: A

In a Secluded Community, a Past Love is Rekindled

Rachel McAdams (left) and Rachel Weisz in "Disobedience"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

One of the most-fascinating aspects of the world is all of the cultures that are present.  Whether they be big or small, one can’t help but be curious about what occurs within them.  If you don’t know much about a groups’s way of life, cinema has the capability of opening a door to help us understand a culture about which we didn’t know much before.

That’s the case with Sebastián Lelio’s romantic-drama, “Disobedience,” which dives into a culture of solitude and how the people within that society go about their day-to-day lives.  With a trio of strong lead performances and a captivating story, Lelio offers an intimate look at a forbidden relationship.

Ronit (Rachel Weisz) is a photographer who has lived in New York City since leaving her Orthodox Jewish community in England years ago after being shunned for an attraction she had towards her childhood friend, Esti (Rachel McAdams).  When she receives word that her father has passed away, she travels back to her community to attend the services.  While there, she and Esti revisit the feelings they had for each other in the past.

Weisz’s performance brings to vivid life the feeling of isolation that her character feels when she’s back home.  Between being rejected from her people and feeling guilty over not being there for her father’s passing, it’s an emotional arc for her character to experience, and Weisz does a superb job at displaying the anger and sadness of being questioned about her life’s decisions and what she plans to do.  Weisz displays an expert approach to her character, presenting Ronit as detached because of how long she’s been away from her community, only coming alive when she’s with Esti.  It’s during these scenes where Weisz exhibits the happiness of her character reconnecting with a part of her life that’s been missing for all of these years, making a performance that’s as joyous as it is heartbreaking.

McAdams proves once again to be one of today’s most versatile actresses, giving us performances in hit comedies like “Mean Girls,” “Midnight in Paris,” and “Game Night” to thrillers like “Red Eye” and “State of Play” to an Oscar-nominated turn in the newspaper drama “Spotlight.”  She’s able to convey Esti’s inner turmoil of deciding to either follow her heart and be with Ronit, or remain with her husband (Alessandro Nivola).  McAdams’ work in this film establishes a new level of the dramatic depths into which she’s able to venture, especially in her powerful “I have always been this way” scene.  Throughout the film, you can see on McAdams’ face how her character’s trying to fight between expressing her sense of longing for Ronit and hiding it from others, which is a back-and-forth that’s one of the many accomplishments in how McAdams portrays Esti.

Nivola offers a wonderful performance as Esti’s husband, who’s studying to be the community’s next rabbi, intending to fill the position left by Ronit’s father.  Nivola presents a character who’s dedicated to his family and neighborhood, and you can’t help but admire the tenderness that he provides Esti, despite her having a difficult time reciprocating it.  What’s great about his character is that he’s more than just an unsuspecting husband, but instead has his own distinguished arc where he’s trying to live up to the expectations of his community and its faith.  Just as Ronit and Esti struggle with keeping up appearances of what their community thinks is appropriate, so to does Nivola’s character as he works hard to live up to Ronit’s father.  While Nivola’s been a character actor for most of his career, I’m hoping that this performance leads him to more-notable roles. 

The screenplay by Lelio and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, which is based on Naomi Alderman’s 2006 novel, takes its time with establishing Ronit and Esti’s relationship.  Rather than go right into their romance, the narrative first explores Ronit’s disconnection from her community and how she tries to assimilate back into her old way of life during her time back home.  We’re given an idea of how her community functions and how the people within it go about their lives.  Because of this, once the story begins to focus more on Ronit and Esti’s relationship, the possible consequences from their community feel more real because we now have a better idea of the lifestyles of its inhabitants and the strict rules by which they abide, causing the audience to worry about what the future will be for the central relationship.

Through well-framed closeups, thanks to cinematography by Danny Cohen, and soft, intimate music from Matthew Herbert, Lelio provides an earnest feeling of love between Ronit and Esti. He doesn’t allow for it to get bogged down by excessive, Oscar-baiting sentimentality, but instead gives everything in the movie a feeling of genuineness.  With “Disobedience,” he invites us into a community that’s closed off from everything else and brings us a story that doesn’t know any cultural bounds.

Final grade: A  

A Preacher’s Faith Arrives at a Crossroads

Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried in "First Reformed"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Through difficult times, most might look to a higher power to request help and have their questions answered.  We’re not sure what everything means, and we search for some clarity to provide us with a better understanding of where we fit in this world and what our purpose is.  Sometimes we find what we seek, and sometimes we don’t.  The lives we live don’t offer any easy answers to their overall meanings, but we can’t help but look for that meaning from time to time.

This is something that’s explored with a haunting examination in writer-director Paul Schrader’s drama-thriller, “First Reformed,” an incendiary film with a magnificent performance from Ethan Hawke and a story that takes you deep into his character’s psyche.

Reverend Toller (Hawke) is the head of the First Reformed Church in upstate New York.  One day, after a sermon, a young woman, Mary (Amanda Seyfried), requests his help in counseling her husband, Michael (Philip Ettinger), a radical environmentalist whom she believes may be a danger to himself and others.  In addition to this, Reverend Toller also deals with health problems, preparations for his church’s 250th anniversary, a decreasing congregation, and a new mega-church that threatens to make his obsolete.  With these troubles, Toller will begin to question his beliefs and whether or not the life he’s been living has been the right one. 

Hawke delivers a next-level performance as the conflicted reverend.  The way that Hawke carries himself makes his character seem like he’s the shell of a former, better self who hasn’t found anything to live for outside of his church.  You can hear the heartbreak in Toller’s voice, as if he always has something else going on in the back of his mind.  Hawke’s character keeps a journal throughout the film, and the scenes in which Toller writes in it seem like the only times where we hear his true self and what he feels about everything that’s occurring around him.  It’s through these journalistic musings where we receive an idea about his fractured beliefs, and whenever we see Hawke on screening, you’re heartbroken by how unsure Tooler is of his faith, such is the power of Hawke’s portrayal of his character’s doubtfulness.

Although this is Hawke’s movie through and through, the supporting performances from Seyfried, Ettinger, and Cedric Kyles (Cedric the Entertainer), who plays the mega-church’s pastor, they still leave enough of an impact to make their performances stand out.  This is particularly the case with Ettinger and Kyles, as Hawke’s character has deep discussions with both of their characters about their world views, which soon have an impact on his own.

Schrader’s screenplay provides a compelling examination of his main character’s beliefs.  Given how small the cast is, we have many scenes where Reverend Toller is by himself, and this allows the narrative to provide us with a look at his loneliness and the slow unraveling of his life.  Because Schrader wrote the screenplays for “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull” (the latter of which he co-wrote with Mardik Martin), you can see that he has a talent for crafting lead characters who deal with isolation in some form or another and what effects it has on their lives.  The scenes where Toller’s alone and we hear his narration as he writes in his journal provide us with a heart-to-heart as Schrader maps out the inner thoughts of his main character.  His journal is his own confessional, and by Schrader using narration like this, it’s as if Toller is a churchgoer confessing to a clergyman, all of which goes back to a line said by Cedric Kyle’s character, Pastor Jeffers: “Even a pastor needs a pastor.”

In regard to the focus on environmentalism, it’s remarkable how well it fits into the movie without feeling unsubtle or out of place, and the impact that Michael’s environmental views have on Reverend Toller is what brings the latter’s arc into unexpected directions.

The way in which Schrader captures the conversations between his characters provides the film with a lot of its strength.  And, with the help of Alexander Dynan’s cinematography, which uses a 1.37:1 aspect ratio that results in a frame that’s almost square-like, the limited space within that frame allows for a feeling of intimacy with the characters. 

Although the atmosphere is pretty subdued throughout the first two thirds of the film, it’s in the final third where Schrader begins to make your expectations run wild as you start to think what Reverend Toller’s next actions will be, and it gets to the point where you’re almost sweating by the time that the last 10 minutes come around.

We’re only in May, but I can say that “First Reformed” is one of the best films that 2018 has offered so far.  It’s a movie whose mood engulfs, whose dialogue immerses, and whose story astonishes.  Your moviegoing won’t be complete this year until you see it.

Final grade: A

A Stressed-Out Mom Receives Help from an Unconventional Nanny

Charlize Theron in "Tully"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com 

Jason Reitman’s a filmmaker who excels in finding the comedy and drama in the topics on which he focuses, offering realistic looks at these subjects.  He did this with teen pregnancy in “Juno,” the Great Recession in “Up in the Air,” and arrested development in “Young Adult.” 

He accomplishes this once again for his new film, “Tully,” where he re-teams with his “Young Adult” star, Charlize Theron, and his “Young Adult” and “Juno” scribe, Diablo Cody, to bring audiences a story about modern motherhood.  And, with the help of endearing performances from Theron and Mackenzie Davis and a wonderful screenplay, Reitman’s latest film is a detailed look at the challenges and rewards of being a parent.

Marlo (Theron) lives in the suburbs with her husband (Ron Livingston) and two children, and has another on the way.  Once her third child is born, Marlo reaches her limit of restlessness.  At the suggestion of her brother (Mark Duplass), Marlo decides to hire a night nanny so she can get some sleep and time to herself.  When Marlo’s nanny, Tully (Davis), comes into her life, she won’t only help with the childcare and housework, but also will develop a friendship with Marlo that will provide the latter with a new perspective on life and what it means to be a mother.

Theron does superb work in showing the exhaustion and anxiety that her character is facing, which give you a sense of the mental fragility that has been caused by years of parenting.  But, once Tully arrives on Marlo’s doorstep, we see her slowly turn into a whole new person, and Theron’s transition from tired to rejuvenated brings to life another side of her character where Theron glows with a sense of happiness in Marlo that’s been begging to come out.  While Theron is terrific throughout the film, some of her best moments come in the delivery of her comedic dialogue, offering plenty of laughs that, from time to time, help loosen the tension that her character experiences every day.

Davis offers an enchanting performance as Tully, a character who’s something of a modern, bohemian Mary Poppins.  As soon as Davis’ makes her first appearance, with her kind eyes, warm smile, and soothing voice, you know that her work in this film is going to be special.  With all of those factors combined, you’re almost tempted to breathe a sigh of relief because of how well her persona exhibits the tremendous help that she’ll be to Marlo.  Davis’ character strikes a balance between being a free spirit and a responsible guardian, never letting one overshadow the other, but being able to display traces of both of these at the same time.

Cody’s screenplay can almost be seen as a companion piece to both “Young Adult” and “Juno” because “Tully” shares thematic qualities with both films.  However, it still tells its own story without being repetitive of those other two films.  Just as Cody did in her previous collaborations with Reitman, her work does well in providing dialogue that can make you laugh, even if the scene that’s unfolding has a bit of tension.  What has made her a great pairing with Reitman all of these years is how well she’s able to balance both humor and drama, which is what we see in Reitman’s filmmaking talents.  While the dialogue for “Juno” was a little too quirky for its own good at times, Cody was able to tone it down for “Young Adult” and does the same for “Tully,” while still being able to offer witty dialogue for her characters without having them sound like hipsters.

Cody offers an examination of Marlo’s psyche and details of her past to provide us with an idea of who Marlo was before motherhood, and who she is during it.  And Tully, besides being an engaging character, also serves as an outlet for Marlo as she explains to Tully (and the audience) who she is, while Tully helps her become the mom, wife, and woman whom she wishes to be.

Although the ending is something that we’ve seen many times before, the way it’s handled to emphasize the themes of the film makes up for that.  It all enhances Marlo and Tully’s characters and makes you look at them in a different way once the movie concludes.

Reitman has a talent for working with small casts for some of his films, usually with no more than seven or eight notable main/supporting roles, and this helps to develop greater intimacy between the characters.  With this intimacy, he allows us to see how the characters are impacted by the real-world problems on which his films focus, offering viewers a look at what’s occurring in modern America.  He’s one of our most-efficient directors to do so, and “Tully” is another piece of evidence as to why.

Final grade: A-