For a long time, I stopped going to the movies. It was too expensive, I didn’t live close to any sort of theatre that played something besides giant blockbusters, I had a small child, my home theatre system was good enough, and the average movie crowd is really obnoxious.
Over the last couple of years, that has changed. I still don’t go to a ton of movies but I hit the theaters probably twice a month. Turns out, I like the experience. There is something really nice about the big screen, the comfy chairs, and the surround speakers. With Movie Pass (and the occasional press pass), prices aren’t too bad (though concessions still kill my wallet). I now live close to theaters that play smaller, independent films. My kid is old enough to enjoy the theater and to stay at her grandmother’s when the movie isn’t appropriate for her.
The obnoxious people are still there though. I caught Deadpool 2 this afternoon and sat next to the most obnoxious couple ever. Remember that scene in Scorsese’s remake of Cape Fear where Robert De Niro sits watching a movie with his feet up, smoking a cigar, and laughing really loudly? It was like that, but so much worse. The boy had a horse laugh. The talked through the entire thing. They repeated nearly every one-liner as if it was the most brilliant piece of dialogue ever. They had a habit of shouting out the most obvious revelations like they were God’s own prophecy.
I dreamed of being Deadpool and stabbing them multiple times while saying something obvious and funny.
The movie was good, but it was nearly ruined by those jerks.
Anyways, that’s my rant. Here’s five cool things I caught this week.
When this came out I skipped right over it due to its title. It looked like a dumb action movie/Tarantino rip off. I only realized it was a Martin McDonagh after watching (and loving) Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri. Knowing he was behind it I gave it a shot. Its not as heartfelt as Three Billboards, nor as gloriously nuts as In Bruges, but it still a lot of fun. It stars Colin Farrell as a script writer who gets tangled up in a violent mess when his friends (a terrific Sam Rockwell, and a wonderful Christopher Walden) kidnap a gangster’s dog. Its a little too self-referential at times and the drama doesn’t always work, but its still well worth watching.
Sunset Boulevard
TCM and Fathom Events did a big screen showing of this brilliant look at the dark side of Hollywood. Read my full review.
Wind River
Taylor Sheridan, who wrote but did not direct Sicario and Hell or High Water, finally took the directorial reins in this murder mystery. It stars Jeremy Renner as a wild-life tracker assisting Elizabeth Olsen’s FBI agent catch the killer of a young Native American woman. It’s set in the unforgiving wilderness of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The story is pretty basic murder mystery set in desolate area stuff, but there are some terrific action packed set pieces and the scenery is gorgeous. Read David Wangberg’s review.
Rain
Rain is a Danish web series that was recently picked up by Netflix. A deadly rain has killed almost everybody in Scandinavia, and possibly the world. The series follows a woman and her young brother, children of the man who might be responsible for the rain, and their various companions as they race across the country trying to find their father or just an escape from the rain.
Bohemian Rhapsody
Rami Malick stars as Freddie Mercury in this Queen biopic. I’m not generally a fan of artist biopics and the trailer doesn’t change my feelings, but darn if the music isn’t gonna be great.
Deadpool 2
Delivers everything you expect from a Deadpool movie and nothing more. It’s got some big action set pieces, lots of R-rated humor, and loads of self-referential humor. It’s quite funny and the big sequence in the middle on the bus is a real stunner, but whenever it tries for more dramatic/touching beats, it falters quite a lot. I’ll need to rewatch it sometime when I’m not sitting next to the most obnoxious couple ever, but for now I’d say it delivers exactly what fans want, but is not entirely satisfying as an actual film.
