Theatrical Releases: Deadpool, How To Be Single, & Zoolander 2

DEADPOOL || February 12th, 2016

	CABIN FEVER || The original “Cabin Fever,” directed by Eli Roth, was actually quite good on the horror front. It was somewhat original, delivered some decent performances, and was memorable to beat, with Roth taking several chances on some strange supporting characters. Unfortunately, even though this is endorsed with a production credit for Roth, Travis Zariwny’s version of the film looks like a beat for beat remake. And seeing as the original was released in 2002 there was no need to remake this already.	PASS
	DEADPOOL || Easily the funniest and darkest of the Marvel series, 2oth Century Fox finally found a winning combination in making an R-rated superhero film that is probably the most honest representation of its comic book counterpart, which is exactly what the fans had been asking for, even discrediting themselves (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and the bastardization of the Deadpool character). With such a great, funny, tongue-in-cheek film with Ryan Reynolds pulling off the role he was born to play, the other studios will unfortunately interpret this entirely wrong by thinking they need to create R-rated superheroes instead of simply honoring the source material and giving it the support and space it needs (i.e. an R-rating) to be what it is.
	HOW TO BE SINGLE || Rebel Wilson has been actively acting since 2002, but “How To Be Single” is the first thing she’s ever been in that she actually sold for me. It’s about four women making it in New York City single. Getting guys to buy them drinks, trying to stay away from “moments” and connections, and living it up the best they can. Dakota Johnson takes a step away from her all to serious “Fifty Shades” series, with Leslie Mann and the gorgeous Alison Brie to back her up.	RENT
	ZOOLANDER 2 || Fifteen year after the original, Paramount and Ben Stiller stepped in with the sequel that no one was asking for, “Zoolander 2.” Stiller, however, has outgrown his Derek Zoolander character and hardly pulls it off, with the fashion world around him giving way to Interpol and the spy game, along with the return of Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell, and introducing Penelope Cruz and an all-too-strange Kristen Wiig to the mix.	RENT

	ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG || The more romantic comedies they make, the less impressive they seem to get as well. “Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong” sees a man and a woman meeting in Hong Kong when one of them is leaving. When they meet years later and they both now live in the same city, the man tries to convince the woman that it’s the best city they could be in by showing her all the hidden gems of the city. Bryan Greenberg, who only seems to show up for these types of films, and Jamie Chung, who really just needs a breakthrough role to get her out of the Indie rut, star as the pair that is falling for each other.	PASS
	BAD HURT || Beginning his post-“Sons Of Anarchy” career, Theo Rossi takes his first starring role in the Indie “Bad Hurt,” as part of a family that is dealing with one family members who has special needs and another with PTSD. Theo looks great and is the only real reason to check this out, although he still deserves better. Ashley Williams (“How I Met Your Mother”) also stars as his love interest, a single mom who thinks she has the stranger situation until she meets Theo and his unstable family.	STREAM
	GLASSLAND || Caught up in her addiction, Toni Collette plays a mother that is set up to need saving by her son, played by Jack Reynor (“Transformers: Age Of Extinction”). Will Poulter also stars. The YouTube description also includes some tidbit about human trafficking being involved somehow as well. Holding “Glassland” back are the actors playing a little too serious, with every moment feeling overwhelming. It may have some wins from Sundance, but it still feels a bit off.	PASS
	MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART || Watching the trailer for Chinese film “Mountains May Depart,” I thought I might just simply be confused by the relationships being presented, but then reading the synopsis, I became even more confused, with no real grasp on who is who and why certain people know each other and others don’t. Regardless, the film is all built on growing up and the relationships that come and go with certain family members.	PASS
	NINA FOREVER || What happens when your friend dies and leaves behind a grieving boyfriend? What happens when you decide to sleep with said friend’s boyfriend? What happens if while having sex with your dead friend’s boyfriend she comes back from the dead? “Nina Forever” attempts to answer some of those incredibly strange questions, with a horror comedy that delves into the sexual side. Just look at the poster and you’ll know exactly what you’re in for.	RENT
	REMEMBER || Academy Award® Winner Christopher Plummer takes on the role of an Auschwitz survivor who, upon request of his close friends and fellow Auschwitz survivor Max (Academy Award® Winner Martin Landau), goes on a killing spree looking for the Nazi man that killed both their families and escaped after the war ended to the United States. Not that these men can’t pull off incredible roles anymore, but “Remember” feels a little too geriatric for its own good.	PASS
	STANDOFF || Laurence Fishburne plays a hitman sent to take out everyone at a particular funeral. But when a young girl snaps a picture of him and escapes to a nearby farmhouse inhabited by Thomas Jane, it sets off guns versus guns with neither side wanting to give in, hence the title, “Standoff.” What could easily be a quite laughable plot is actually somewhat helped by Fishburne and Jane being involved, but it’s still a bit too small to feel worth watching.	PASS
	A STAND UP GUY || After entering the Witness Protection Program, a low-level mobster (Danny A. Abeckaser) takes a stab at stand-up comedy only to become an internet sensation and to have the mob coming after him again for going viral. Michael Rapaport and Bob Saget also star, with Abeckaser almost making this watchable and making me look forward to a film that might give him a little bit more to chew on.	PASS
	TOUCHED WITH FIRE || Katie Holmes plays an artist with bipolar disorder meeting a man with the same disorder in a mental health clinic. As they fall for one another, they delve into a mania that pushes them even further and begs the question whether they are good for each other or not. Luke Kirby plays her fellow asylum partner. Inspired by the filmmaker’s own struggles overcoming bipolar disorder, Paul Dalio wrote, directed, edited and scored this feature film debut.	STREAM
	A WAR || Trying a little hard to be the next “The Hurt Locker,” Academy Award nominated foreign language film “A War” sees Company commander Claus M. Pedersen (Pilou Asbæk) and his men getting cornered in a fire fight in Afghanistan and ordering a strike to get one of their wounded to safety. In that strike, however, innocent Afghans are killed and Pedersen is sent home pending investigation, with prison being an entirely real possibility. It does bring into question the rules of war and how our court systems handle them, as well as what it means to have obligations as a father, a husband, and as part of the military.
	WHERE TO INVADE NEXT || Sadly, Michael Moore’s time in the documentary spotlight has passed. Films like “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine” were exceptional but after that, Moore became more of a joke upon himself rather than a moving documentary maker. “Where To Invade Next” really doesn’t push the needle anywhere that it hasn’t been pushed before, as he travels to different countries, finding that the answers to the United States’ problems already exist elsewhere and just need to be implemented.	PASS

THEATER

• “Deadpool”
• “A War”

RENT

• “How To Be Single”
• “Nina Forever”
• “Zoolander 2”

STREAM

• “Bad Hurt”
• “Touched With Fire”

PASS

• “Already Tomorrow In Hong Kong”
• “Cabin Fever”
• “Glassland”
• “Mountains May Depart”
• “Remember”
• “Standoff”
• “A Stand Up Guy”
• “Where To Invade Next”