Cindy Prascik's Review of Last Looks

 

My dear reader(s), last weekend I was blessed with one of my favorite film happenings: a new Charlie Hunnam picture. On the docket, Last Looks...not just any Charlie Hunnam picture, but one where he's the STAR.

Spoiler level here will be mild, presumably nothing you wouldn't know from a trailer if you saw one, which I didn't.

An ex-LAPD detective is called to investigate when a drunken actor is accused of murdering his wife.

Last Looks is a solid mystery that still feels like it might have gone straight to video even pre-Covid. While Charlie earns top billing, the biggest name in the cast is definitely Mel Gibson. Putting aside the baggage that now carries, Gibson is teriffic and manages to garner sympathy for a character who is pretty unsympathetic. Practice makes perfect, I guess. For Hunnam, this is a great role and he's great in it. A Charlie Connoisseur, I've endured some lemons on his behalf, so this was a very happy surprise. The rest of the cast is as good as it needs to be, if unspectacular. The story takes some interesting turns, and maintains a dry sense of humor that keeps it from being too grim. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if a streaming service decided to spin this off into a series; both cast and characters seem ideally suited.

Last Looks clocks in at 110 minutes and is rated R for pervasive language.

Last Looks spins an enjoyable yarn, with some laughs thrown in for good measure. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Last Looks gets seven.

Last Looks is now available to rent or buy on Amazon or your cable/dish provider.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: DEADPOOL 2

Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool joins forces with three mutants -- Bedlam, Shatterstar and Domino -- to protect a boy from the all-powerful Cable.

Director: David Leitch

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

Release Date: May 18, 2018

Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy 

R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual references and brief drug material

Runtime: 1h 59min 

Review:

Deadpool 2 is the type of sequel that improves on the original while never losing the spirit of the first film.  The meta humor is bad and stronger than the first go around even if a handful of jokes fall flat, particularly in the first act.  Once it gets going though, the film has an undeniable energy and pace.  David Leitch does fine work, picking up seamlessly from Tim Miller works in the first film, directing the sequel.  It’s never a particularly showy film but some of the set pieces are incredibly impressive and funny at the same time.  Ryan Reynolds, of course, makes the whole thing go without him and his charisma this ship wouldn’t sail.  Reynolds and Deadpool are so intertwined it hard to tell where one starts and one ends.  He’s clearly having the time of his life in these films and we get to enjoy the fruits of his labors.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: DEADPOOL

In this irreverent spin on the superhero genre, mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) agrees to participate in a top-secret experiment after learning that he has terminal cancer. When the procedure leaves him with advanced healing powers and a disfigured face, he reinvents himself as a wisecracking, spandex-clad antihero known as Deadpool, and seeks revenge on those responsible. Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, and Gina Carano co-star. Directed by Tim Miller. ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Director: Tim Miller

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano

Release Date: Feb 12, 2016

Rated R for language Throughout, Graphic Nudity, Sexual Content and Strong Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 48 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Deadpool is a fun send up of the superhero genre, one that Ryan Reynolds has been talking about since 2002.  Its story is a pretty basic origin story which would been fairly forgettable if it’d played it straight but since Deadpool is a comic book character who knows he’s a comic book character, it rarely does so.  The first half of the film is the strongest with a hefty serving of super hero jokes and 4^th wall breaking madness.  Ryan Reynolds is totally in his element as the wisecracking merc.  His comedic timing is tailormade for the character, which is probably why he’s been such a huge fan.  The film works best when it’s poking fun at the genre, Reynolds and Huge Jackman.  It’s got an anarchic spirit when it’s rolling along at brisk pace.  First time director keeps the film moving at a steady pace with the main potholes occurring when the film has to take care of the rudimentary parts of the superhero plot particularly defeating the baddie and saving the girl.  Still, it’s different enough to give the genre a nice pinch of variety to keep the genre fresh.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Deadpool

Dearest Blog: Yesterday I took my Valentine (me!) to Marquee Cinemas for the first of 2016's bucket of superhero offerings, Deadpool. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, a mercenary undergoes a series of experiments that leaves him with some unique powers. 

 

Ryan Reynolds has long been ridiculed as box-office poison, fronting flop after flop, but I've always said he's great, he just needed the right vehicle. 

 

In Deadpool, he's finally found the right vehicle. Deadpool is all about the attitude. Frequently breaking the fourth wall to address the audience directly, he's snarky, rude, and foul. 

 

The movie contains some nudity, a boatload of in-jokes, maximum carnage, and pretty much nothing but bad language, so it's definitely not for the kiddies; however, the incessant puerile humor may wear thin with many adults, too. 

 

Certainly not *this* adult (#driveby!), but...well...some folks may find it a bit much. Deadpool takes its time with a solid story, spelled by well-crafted action and fight sequences, and, though it's Reynolds' movie to carry, he's lucky to be backed by a great supporting cast, particularly the hilarious TJ Miller. 

 

Neither as light as most other Marvel product, nor dark in the same way as DC, Deadpool may be exactly the superhero movie die-hards have been waiting for. 

Deadpool clocks in at 108 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity." 

Deadpool's explicit content will take it off the table for some viewers, but, if you're not among the easily offended, you can't go wrong with this funny and thrilling costumed-hero outing. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Deadpool gets eight. 

 

Until next time...