Deadpool (2016)

Review:

Rude, riotous and refreshing – Deadpool rewrites the superhero rules.

Ryan Reynolds excels in a film that is brimming with dark laughs, weird love and gory graphics; it is most definitely not your average Marvel movie. First time director Tim Miller gives us 148-minutes with a punch and a kick (and an unexpected wedgie) of the kind that the Marvel Universe has needed for a while, knowingly poking fun at almost everything along the way. Deadpool, AKA Wade Wilson, starts off using his prior knowledge of combat fighting as a means for petty cash by working as an underground mercenary for hire. It’s only when disaster strikes that he decides to secretly turn to the solace of an off-the-radar project, which promises to give him superhero powers. During gruelling experimentations, Wade is in fact imbued with the ability of healing any part of his body, but with the noticeable downside of being left disfigured and in fear of losing the love of his life due his appearance. Thus begins his vigilante style mission in his full body suit to get access to the man who did this to him, and whom he also believes can fix his nasty looks for good.

We’re thrown in at the deep end; a disorientating start soon develops into a cleverly woven, non-linear narrative that has us rooting for the cheeky protagonist before the first fight scene is even completed. On the outset, the film can appear to be a rather simple and crude comedy, but every foul-mouthed joke somehow makes the touching moments more charming and poignant. This is in part down to Reynolds’s ability to switch from portraying a sardonic asshole, joking directly to the audience about the fun he’s having brutally killing the people on his list, to demonstrating his evident desperation to ensure his partner Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) doesn’t suffer any hurt. The lengths he would go to protect her is what leads him into the hands of villain Ajax (Ed Skrein) and his tests, which leaves disturbing echoes of Dr. Mengele in WW2. Even these, however, are spun into some form of a joke; the reason for Deadpool’s very existence and his popularity with fans is that he partakes in the superhero genre whilst simultaneously taking the piss out of it, and his blatant self-awareness when doing so – hence his frequently breaking the fourth wall. Wade isn’t going to suddenly turn into a mean and moody withdrawn sort of hero, or become the goody two-shoes whose only purpose is to save the world – these are superhero stereotypes to which we’ve all been going growing too accustomed. Even his relationship with Vanessa is built on their being daft and dirty with each other, whipping and mocking each other before and after sex, as opposed to some epic and heroic battle that leads inevitably to a glamorous, windswept kiss. The result is witty and wickedly satirical, and I applaud the writers (Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) in particular for how they’ve translated this character from the comic to our screens.

Whilst there is quite a lot of nudity in the film (unsurprising, really, with a rather salacious lead character), it doesn’t feel gratuitous. Well… apart from one scene that does feel unnecessary due to some lingering shots on topless female dancers – you will not be shocked to learn that they added absolutely nothing to the story. Otherwise, there is a pretty fair balance of bare male and female flesh on show, including an item of a man’s anatomy that is never really given much screen time, and which makes up most of Deadpool’s jokes! Deadpool is also shown to be pansexual, which is most definitely a big step in this type of movie – especially as he is depicted as the invincible one, whilst the macho, massive, gun-toting men frequently have their fragility displayed by being walloped in the balls. The film also illustrates how women can be in charge of their own sexuality too, being painted as strong (both physically and mentally) in a variety of ways… until Vanessa is turned slightly into the (albeit feisty) damsel in distress during the final act.

Regarding Deadpool’s visual elements, there are some extremely well crafted and delightfully squelchy graphics during the fight scenes, but this is nothing particularly groundbreaking. Then again, this film isn’t about the slick and super glossy elements – it’s entertaining chaos. The soundtrack choices often feel wonderfully sarcastic, which would certainly make this character proud, and might have feasibly inspired a knowing wink through the screen.

Deadpool isn’t flawless a film, but its eponymous character’s flaws make him, surprisingly, one of the most relatable superheroes out there in the moviesphere right now. Cock jokes ’n’ all.

Spotlight (2016)

Review:

A stellar cast shines in a story that sucks you in from the start.

Tom McCarthy directs Spotlight; a depiction of the Boston Globe investigative journalists who manage to reveal publicly the molestation of children by priests in the Catholic Church, which later throws light upon the scandals happening all over the world and the true extent of their cover-ups.

At the core of this film is belief; and I believe that everything about this film is daring. Let’s begin with Spotlight’s main risk: it is telling a true story which affects a disconcertingly large section of society in what can reasonably be suggested as an “earth-shattering” way - and it does so ostensibly without fearing the inevitable backlash of an institution that still retains the power to hide or quash allegations thrown its way. McCarthy also clearly understands how important the step-by-step processes of real life chronological events are to the story, to any story, really – there are no obvious, cinematically flashy reveals, and he understands the necessity of holding back because nothing about this atrocious tale is glamorous. We are given windows looking into the scenes of real life in the struggle for revelations of the plain truth. When much of the story is the actors simply listening to victims, rummaging through books in basements and photocopying, many directors could be forgiven for ramping things up a notch, but McCarthy’s choice to keep things as “normal” as possible reminds us of the film’s humanity. Offices are mundane with insipid surroundings, messages are taped onto refrigerators, workers file in to their empty offices on a cold Sunday morning; mirrored in this is a sequentially told story, a muted colour palette, regular everyday clothing, no dramatic or overly emotive score, and a cast that truly has a grasp on the fact that this was a real team that worked together to put things right in their own community. Whilst this sounds dry as hell, it was far from it. Instead, you are drawn into the film; you feel as if you are there with the journalists uncovering these horrific details, and this makes for a more-often-than-not uncomfortable watch, just as a film with such a story as unsettling as this should. Herein lies its brilliance.

There are no grandstanding performances either, and the whole cast demonstrates a genuine respect for the original ‘Spotlight’ team. Looking back at the press Q&A I attended, it was apparent that all cast members worked extremely closely with the original journalists, trailing them during their working and domestic lives, and this dedication shows in the connections between the characters on screen – in every scene, in all the sentences, in each second. When speaking of Mike Rezendes at the Q&A, Mark Ruffalo explained about how all his initial perceptions of the stereotypical “dogged” investigative journalist changed, and the cast exhibit what they have learnt with committed expertise on screen: the drama is slow, building to a calm fever pitch, and so the little nuances become each characters’ own colour, their own life story. Whether it was how a pen was tapped against a ratty, rarely ignored notepad, or the facial expressions when one of these pioneering journalists remembers something mid-conversation and has to make that call, all these subtle moments begin to speak a thousand words. The cast work in perfect harmony with each other and their surroundings, skilfully providing the audience with plenty of thrills and chills with the bombast cut right out.

Spotlight also doesn’t shy away from depicting the downfalls of the newspaper and the town in general, continuously asking how could such horrendous activities continue under the noses of such a respected city for so long. The film also doesn’t attempt to glorify any of the journalists at The Boston Globe. We are given insights into the conflicting emotions they all suffered, and how the scandal affected their lives personally – including the guilt that it took an unmarried, Jewish “outsider” as the new editor (performed exquisitely by Liev Schreiber) to push the paper to investigate the child molestation allegations further when a town steeped in religious moralisers did worse than nothing. When I asked at the Q&A whether any of the cast had any personal religious conflicts throughout the filming of Spotlight, Michael Keaton became visually emotional when discussing with me how his own mother was a devout Catholic who went to Mass everyday and that he used to be an altar boy. This rawness seeps into his character Walter ‘Robby’ Robinson, and, in fact, there is a sense of this running through each of the main characters – thanks to the extremely adept actors and the dedication they had to their roles.

Ultimately, Spotlight couldn’t pay any greater tribute to the original newspaper team and their incredible investigative work; a masterclass in gripping storytelling and a reminder of the power journalism can have when done right.

Me waiting at Claridge's for the press Q&A

Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Tom McCarthy

With the original Mike Rezendes and Walter 'Robby' Robinson