Adamantium claws, endless f*** bombs, tornadoes galore and Nicolas Cage in his most chilling role to date. Spoilers ahead for What We’ve Watched in theatres this month.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Years after FOX was bought by the media juggernaut that is Disney, we finally get the long-awaited third Deadpool film that marks a grand return to the big screen for Wolverine and makes his MCU debut alongside the infamous Merc With A Mouth. When his universe is threatened to go extinct after “anchor being” Wolverine was killed in Logan, Deadpool travels the multiverse to find the ‘perfect’ Wolverine to help save his universe and gets help from a few forgotten but familiar heroes along the way. There are about a dozen cameos from heroes of the FOX era of Marvel movies, including past X-Men films, The Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Blade.
A raunchy, action-packed, and ridiculously entertaining thrill ride from beginning to end, Deadpool & Wolverine has already smashed box office records and become one of the most talked about films of the year. Reynolds never fails to deliver Deadpool’s self-referential meta humor and Jackman returns to form with a tragic, guilt-ridden Wolverine in one of his best performances of the iconic character. Emma Corrin and Matthew McFayden are scene-stealers in their antagonistic roles of Cassandra Nova and Mr. Paradox, respectively, and the many cameos of FOX films past are just terrific.
Director Shawn Levy continues to show he can seamessly blend action and comedy, following recent successes with Free Guy, The Adam Project and the Night At The Museum franchise. Deadpool & Wolverine is a definite must-see for the summer, though given the box office numbers, it’s likely most of you have already seen it!
TWISTERS
This standalone sequel to the 90s disaster film Twister doesn’t quite live up to the original but is still a fun summer watch. Following the loss of her team in a live tornado experiment gone wrong, meteorologist Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) has left storm-chasing behind and opted for a quiet job at the NOAA in New York City, but is recruited by her former colleague Javi (Anthony Ramos) to help track tornadoes and be able to save lives during one of the worst tornado seasons in years. Kate eventually joins forces with Storm Chaser and vlogger Tyler Owens (Glenn Powell).
While there are many great aspects of the film, like standout performances from Glenn Powell and Brandon Perea, special effects, and sound design, Twisters suffers from a lack of chemistry between its two stars (rather a lack of chemistry on Edgar-Jones’ part with a charming Powell) and a traumatic inciting incident that doesn’t have as much of an impact on the audience because the characters we meet in the opening scene are gone just as quickly as they arrive. The movie isn’t trying to be groundbreaking or life-changing in any way, so when you just sit back and enjoy a nostalgia-inducing disaster movie, it’s a fun watch.
LONGLEGS
Helmed by many as a modern Silence of the Lambs, the 1990s-set horror film follows FBI agent Lee Harker who seems to have some level of clairvoyance and is assigned a case of multiple murder-suicides somehow connected to someone who calls himself Longlegs, leaving cryptic letters behind at the scene of each crime. As layers are unraveled in the case, like Satan worship, possession, making a deal with the devil, and someone in Lee’s personal life is involved, Longlegs goes from a somewhat standard detective thriller to an all-out supernatural horror film with fantastic direction from Osgood Perkins (who I just learned today is the son of horror icon Anthony Perkins of Psycho).
Maika Monroe is a driving force throughout the movie, giving an understated yet impactful performance, with an always-great Blair Underwood as her superior Agent William Carter, a chilling Alicia Witt as Ruth Harker, and an over-the-top, terrifying Nicolas Cage as the titular character.
Special shout-out to Carmel Amit who we had on the show earlier this year! Watch that interview here.