Hobbs & Shaw is a weak entry within the franchise for sure and although I do like both Johnson and Statham and their respective characters, but having them bickering at one another reminded me that perhaps less is more.
Deadpool 2 for me actually was slightly better than the first film even when this sequel didn’t technically have a central villain. Ryan Reynolds continues to be in his element and the addition of Josh Brolin as Cable was great, though Zazie Beetz, while fun, was underdeveloped.
Van Wilder is not some modern comedy classic by any stretch but I did manage to laugh a few times at the juvenile humor and Ryan Reynolds’s style of humor was great.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is a bit uneven in terms of both the action and comedy, but with the dynamic between Reynolds and Jackson, it’s hard not to have a good time with the excessive violence and language, though the film hardly breaks new ground for the mixed-genre.
Life was one of the bigger disappointments for me this year with a respectable cast and interesting, if not familiar, story that clearly took cues from Ridley Scott’s Alien. But while the execution was okay, though I didn’t find anything all that’s suspenseful, the script was a mess and perhaps a good re-write could’ve made a difference.
Criminal is your run-of-the-mill action/thriller that succeeds mostly with a strong ensemble cast led way by Kevin Costner who gives a nice performance while Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Ryan Reynolds are more background noise. This is the perfect movie as a rental, but not much more.
Criminal is your run-of-the-mill action/thriller that succeeds mostly with a strong ensemble cast led way by Kevin Costner who gives a nice performance while Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones and Ryan Reynolds are more background noise. This is the perfect movie as a rental, but not much more.
Deadpool takes a conventional plot and turns it into one of the more unconventional superhero, yet anti-superhero, movies to come out, going so far to make fun of the genre. That said, the villain is bland and forgettable and my second viewing wasn’t as good as the first, though at the end of the day, it’s still a vastly entertaining film.
Mississippi Grind is a well meaning and generally finely acted drama but the screenplay probably could’ve used a little more work in fleshing out the friendship between its two main characters, though to be fair, the acting by both Mendelsohn and Reynolds does at least make this watchable.
Woman in Gold may not be as powerful of a drama as I’m sure the Weinstein’s wanted or expected considering the subject and starring Helen Mirren, but even so, it’s still well done with solid performances all around. The Blu-ray released by Anchor Bay has an OK selection of bonus material while the video/audio transfers are both great.
The Voices is certainly not a movie for everybody. The film is as dark of a comedy that has come down the pike in some time yet it further shows that Ryan Reynolds is actually a fairly versatile actor it’s just that the choice of certain projects hasn’t been the best. If you were a fan of “Dexter”, at least its early years, then this might be worth checking out if only as a Red Box rental.
Perhaps R.I.P.D. had potential but between the casting and screenplay, it never really came together. I don’t know nor do I care how it compares to the graphic novel (heard there are major differences), but as a film while some of the action is decent as were the visual effects and the casting Jeff Bridges and Kevin Bacon, the only two who seemed to be having a good time, was great, everything else fell flat.
Safe House may not offer anything new in the spy-thriller genre but it’s at least entertaining primarily because of Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds, both of whom turn in respectable performances. The Blu-ray offers up solid audio and video transfers a nice selection of bonus features to keep you busy for a few hours. I can’t quite make a recommendation for purchase, but if you like the two leads and you like the genre, then maybe it’d be worth picking up in the $15-20 range.