Deadpool 2, like its predecessor, is going to make a ton of money. (Let’s see if it retains the number one slot this week, going against Solo, the new Star Wars movie.) Unlike the original, Deadpool 2 was released with a lot of expectations - it had a higher production budget, owing to the fact that Deadpool was a surprise success - a hard-R-rated superhero movie that was as much a vulgar comedy as it was an action flick.
I can tell you that Deadpool 2 pretty much met all my expectations, mostly because it retains star/writer Ryan Reynolds’ profane and irreverent take on both the character and the entire genre. As the title character, he manages to both propel the movie forward and comment on its absurdities without losing any credibility or empathy; in fact, it may be that he takes almost nothing seriously that gives Deadpool 2 its charm. (The word “almost” is important here - there are things he does take seriously, and they actually give the film some emotional heft.) The supporting cast is terrific - especially Morena Baccarin, Josh Brolin, newcomer Zazie Beetz (who steals every scene she’s in), and some surprises that you have to watch for.
If you like this kind of stuff, I recommend Deadpool 2. If you don’t, I have no idea what you’d make of it.
Netflix is featuring a four-part documentary, Bobby Kennedy for President that retraces the short but impactful presidential campaign run by Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, as well as providing some background context and a coda that looks at its aftermath. While it acknowledges Kennedy’s character flaws, the documentary largely is a positive look at Bobby Kennedy through the eyes of people who worked with him and for him, as well as covered him.
What comes through in the piece is that Kennedy, for all his faults, was a man capable of personal growth, better in the end at listening than talking; he was someone for whom the presidential campaign was an educational experience, as he absorbed the realities of a fractured and fractious America and worked out, on the run, how he would be able to address the compelling issues of the time.
I’m old enough to remember not just the day of JFK’s assassination, but the aftermath of the murders of both RFK and Martin Luther King Jr.; I even remember exactly where I was, watching television when LBJ said he wouldn’t run in 1968, and when Nixon executed the Saturday Night Massacre. And still, I found the events of June 5-6, 1968, in Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel, to be utterly heartbreaking all over again.
Bobby Kennedy for President isn’t a perfect documentary, but I found it captivating. And sad. And a reminder of when I was young.
If you haven’t watched “Barry,” on HBO, yet, I cannot urge you strongly enough to get to it.
It isn’t a major commitment. Eight episodes, each one about 30 minutes long.
But these eight episodes are about as close to perfect as I can imagine. Created by and starring Bill Hader, “Barry” is the story of a hitman who unexpectedly find himself yearning for an acting career and some normalcy in his life. (Except, of course, there is nothing normal about being an actor, which is part of the joke.) Hader is joined by Henry Winkler, who is amazing as his acting teacher, and a supporting cast that is a revelation.
Watch “Barry.” Please. You can thank me later.
I have another wine to recommend that was poured for me by Morgan of Etta’s fame - the 2016 Cedergreen Cellars Chenin Blanc, which was delicious and refreshing when served with Etta’s pacific scallops, accompanied by black fideo, salsa roja, chorizo, and spring onion. Yum.
Doesn’t get any better than that.
I can tell you that Deadpool 2 pretty much met all my expectations, mostly because it retains star/writer Ryan Reynolds’ profane and irreverent take on both the character and the entire genre. As the title character, he manages to both propel the movie forward and comment on its absurdities without losing any credibility or empathy; in fact, it may be that he takes almost nothing seriously that gives Deadpool 2 its charm. (The word “almost” is important here - there are things he does take seriously, and they actually give the film some emotional heft.) The supporting cast is terrific - especially Morena Baccarin, Josh Brolin, newcomer Zazie Beetz (who steals every scene she’s in), and some surprises that you have to watch for.
If you like this kind of stuff, I recommend Deadpool 2. If you don’t, I have no idea what you’d make of it.
Netflix is featuring a four-part documentary, Bobby Kennedy for President that retraces the short but impactful presidential campaign run by Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, as well as providing some background context and a coda that looks at its aftermath. While it acknowledges Kennedy’s character flaws, the documentary largely is a positive look at Bobby Kennedy through the eyes of people who worked with him and for him, as well as covered him.
What comes through in the piece is that Kennedy, for all his faults, was a man capable of personal growth, better in the end at listening than talking; he was someone for whom the presidential campaign was an educational experience, as he absorbed the realities of a fractured and fractious America and worked out, on the run, how he would be able to address the compelling issues of the time.
I’m old enough to remember not just the day of JFK’s assassination, but the aftermath of the murders of both RFK and Martin Luther King Jr.; I even remember exactly where I was, watching television when LBJ said he wouldn’t run in 1968, and when Nixon executed the Saturday Night Massacre. And still, I found the events of June 5-6, 1968, in Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel, to be utterly heartbreaking all over again.
Bobby Kennedy for President isn’t a perfect documentary, but I found it captivating. And sad. And a reminder of when I was young.
If you haven’t watched “Barry,” on HBO, yet, I cannot urge you strongly enough to get to it.
It isn’t a major commitment. Eight episodes, each one about 30 minutes long.
But these eight episodes are about as close to perfect as I can imagine. Created by and starring Bill Hader, “Barry” is the story of a hitman who unexpectedly find himself yearning for an acting career and some normalcy in his life. (Except, of course, there is nothing normal about being an actor, which is part of the joke.) Hader is joined by Henry Winkler, who is amazing as his acting teacher, and a supporting cast that is a revelation.
Watch “Barry.” Please. You can thank me later.
I have another wine to recommend that was poured for me by Morgan of Etta’s fame - the 2016 Cedergreen Cellars Chenin Blanc, which was delicious and refreshing when served with Etta’s pacific scallops, accompanied by black fideo, salsa roja, chorizo, and spring onion. Yum.
Doesn’t get any better than that.
- KC's View:
