Deadpool & Wolverine: Those who read me, and know me, know that I am not a big superhero movie guy, and especially I have not been well engaged in the Marvel world. From Iron Man to Avengers to Fantastic 4 , X-Men and lesser lights like Ant Man. I am not even certain that I have watched all of the Wolverine movies. Be that as it may, with an open mind I ventured out to see Deadpool & Wolverine. I have seen the two prior Deadpool movies, enjoying the first and the in-your-face profanity and humour and less so the sequel. I think that Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool has found the proper role for him. As opposed to The Green Lantern. He just embodies it and the earlier moments of this movie has a recap where he calls out the odd premise in terms of dealing with Wolverine, who in his last movie (spoiler alert) managed to save a young lady but sacrificed himself. In short, he’s dead and buried.
So Deadpool is saddled with a task of ressurecting Wolverine. The strange aspect is the whole time travel thing and ,in this instance, another plain of reality which is like a dead zone wasteland. Things end up here that aren’t wanted back in the real world. For the Torontonian it is very funny to see the CN Tower looking like it was dropped from the original Planet of the Apes, half buried in sand. Deadpool is asked to bring back Wolverine, and the rest of the plot doesn’t really need to be further explained. But the real question was whether this was fun and was it necessary? I genuinely laughed out loud a number of times. That itself was saying something, because I don’t necessarily get all the inside jokes. Some of these jokes were from interactions with other characters, like Electra (yes, Jennifer Garner) or Gambit (played by Channing Tatum) that were very funny. I still cannot understand how a playing card can become such a deadly weapon but never mind – hardy the most taxing aspect of reality that affects one’s thougts for this movie. The level of gratuitous violence with blood spurting with endless people falling is a little overwhelming at times. The story of the leader of this void, and how she got here, is an interesting side light. The cameos are fun. Stay in the theatre past the ending credits to catch one last joke. It was funny. I have to admit that seeing Chris Evans not being Captain America, but rather the Human Torch in this Fantastic 4 role is different. In the end, does it all makes sense? Not really. It is a good laugh at times. Yes. Was there an ending where you roll your eyes? Oh yes. So….take this for what it is. It didn’t suck. I could follow it. I had some really good laughs.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: This was released in 2018, starring Lily James, the now ever-present Glen Powell, along with Matthew Goode and Penelope Wilton from Downton Abbey fame. It is set during WWII, and the aftermath. It is a wartime romantic film, focusing on the James character who is a writer and had exchanged some letters with a person in Guernsey. Guernsey is a small island of 24 square miles off the coast of France, closer to France than England. It is self-governing and not part of the UK although the British government has some financial responsiblity on the island. Guernsey was invaded by the Germans in WWII and occupied. The story focuses on a group of friends who one night during the occupation are stopped by a Nazi patrol and told about what they were doing. They use a made up literary society to try and avoid the Nazis and have an excuse for being out of doors beyond curfew. Although the film is fiction, there are a number of aspects as shown which reflect what happened on the island during the war. The story of this evening is recounted to James.
James as a writer is intriged by the story she is told and travels to the island to meet up with the people involved. Those residents involved that she meets and talks to have their own views and impacts from the war. Before her trip to the island, she is proposed to her by her American boyfriend (Powell) who likes to shower her with flowers. He heads back to the US. James’ character is British. The story unfolds. I won’t get into the details, but ultimately James needs to make some decisions about the story, her life, piecing together the details of what had actually happened and how she should want to have her life continue after the story is finished. Someone will get hurt, they always do. Someone else will find what it is to feel love and others will find new ways in which to direct their lives. Is it believable? Do I care about the people involved? Yes I think so. Despite that it isn’t all that compelling, nor anything worth seeking out. I wish that I had learned more about the occupation and the importance of Guernsey during the War. One would think that it would be very strategic. This is more personal than that involving specific individuals. I can’t recommend this.
Mondays With Robbie 