Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Strong pagan, slightly mixed, irreverent, often lawless worldview, but the movie’s premise has a solid redemptive, moral aspect to it where the main character wants to make a difference, save his friends, be a hero, and defeat two power-mad villains, and sacrifice ultimately solves the movie’s plot problem, and this is overtly referred to in the dialogue, plus the movie takes place in a humanist multiverse, though the movie appears to acknowledge the monotheistic idea that there are ultimate values that transcend the individual multiverses (thus, for example, Deadpool truly does want to be the kind of hero that his girlfriend wants him to be);

Foul Language:

At least 139 obscenities (including many “f” and “s” words), one possible Jesus profanity, seven GD profanities, and 13 light profanities;

Violence:

Lots of extreme and even bloody and well as strong violence includes Wolverine gets really mad at Deadpool two or three times, and they fight and try to kill each other even though the bodies of both men have regenerative power, lots of stabbing from Wolverine’s claws and Deadpool’s swords against each other and against bad guys, Deadpool decimates a bunch of Time Variance Authority soldiers with bones from a skeleton that have been infused with unbreakable adamantine steel, some explosions, a villain is able to infiltrate and control the minds of other people (this is depicted as if one of the villain’s hands is poking through the person’s head – there’s no blood, the action seems to be more metaphorical or taking place on a non-physical plane), explosions, gunfights, people are shot multiple times (for example, both Deadpool and another character shoot Wolverine multiple times in two plot twists), and-to-hand combat, villain with telekinetic powers kills one character by ripping his skin away, and people go flying during the movie’s many fight scenes;

Sex:

No sex scenes but the dialogue has a smattering of crude sex jokes, including a joke about a Boy Scout leader exposing himself;

Nudity:

Brief upper male nudity;

Alcohol Use:

Some alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking, but an older side character enjoys cocaine, and there are jokes about her cocaine use, though it’s never depicted; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Deadpool lies to Wolverine about an important matter, but Wolverine eventually forgives him and accepts Deadpool’s perspective on why his lie wasn’t really a lie.

In DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE, Deadpool wants to make a positive difference in the universe to regain the love of Vanessa and teams up with a reluctant Wolverine to stop a power-mad bureaucrat from the Time Variance Authority who’s trying to destroy Deadpool’s universe. DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE takes the crude language and extreme violence in the first two Deadpool movies to new depths of degradation, which ultimately overwhelms the movie’s redemptive heroic premise and dilutes the movie’s enjoyment level.

In the story, Wade Wilson aka wants to regain the love of his girlfriend, Vanessa, to become a true hero. However, The Avengers turn him down, so he stops using his Deadpool identity altogether and just enjoys being with his friends, including Vanessa. He still wants to get back with her though, but she nixes the idea.

Two years later or so, a power-mad bureaucrat from the Time Variance Authority (TVA), calling himself Mr. Paradox, picks up Wade. Paradox thinks Wade has matured enough to be a hero. He wants Wade’s help for a special assignment. Wade is gung ho and gets Paradox to build him a new Deadpool suit. However, he rebels against Paradox when he discovers that Paradox is trying to destroy Wade’s universe, including Vanessa and his friends. Apparently, the death of Logan, aka Wolverine of the X-Men, in Wade’s universe has set off a chain of events that will lead to the universe’s destruction sometime in the future anyway. So, Paradox decides why wait for all that pain and misery to develop? Why not just destroy Wade’s universe now?

A fight occurs Paradox’s offices. Wearing his Deadpool suit, Wade manages to escape in one of the TVA’s multiverse time travel portals. Deadpool travels back to Wolverine’s burial place to revive him. Things don’t go according to plan, and Deadpool finds a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. He eventually figures a way around it, but only to find another obstacle. Wolverine is not interested in stopping Mr. Paradox, and certainly not to work with Deadpool, whom he loathes.

Even when Wolverine finally reluctantly agrees to help, he and Deadpool encounter the biggest obstacle of all, a new, even more powerful villain. This villain wants to destroy the whole multiverse except for one area.

Can Deadpool and Wolverine stop this new villain and Mr. Paradox too? Can Deadpool save his own universe? Will Deadpool stop his incessant talking?

Except for some exposition, the jokes and action in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE don’t stop. The movie also has some surprising, funny cameos. However, the movie takes the crude language and extreme violence in the first two Deadpool movies to new levels, or depths.

For example, Wolverine gets really mad at Deadpool at least twice. They fight and try to kill each other, with Wolverine stabbing Deadpool repeatedly with his claws, and Deadpool stabbing Wolverine repeatedly with his samurai swords. As fans of the two characters know, the bodies of both men have regenerative powers, so these scenes seem to go on forever with no resolution. In another long scene, Deadpool slices and dices multiple TVA policemen. Also, in a third long scene, Deadpool and Wolverine wade through a horde of assailants together. The brutality of the violence is clearly too extreme.

The number of obscenities in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE has also sunk to new “heights,” going well over 100 to about 140 or more. There’s also some strong lewd dialogue, including a joke about a Boy Scout leader exposing himself. Unlike the first DEADPOOL movie, however, this third movie has no explicit sex scenes or nudity.

Ultimately, the brutality of the violence and the amount of obscene language in DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE dilutes the enjoyment of the story. It also overwhelms the movie’s redemptive ending. Shock for shock’s sake is a flawed concept that ultimately turns off more people than it attracts.

A tribute to a late special effects modeler leads to fiction and reality intertwining.

Following a prolonged absence, tokusatsu veteran Keizo Murase returned to film as a sculptor for Daisuke Sato’s wonderful short film “Howl from Beyond the Fog.” Recently, he’s made his directorial debut with the independent feature “Brush of the God.” Originally conceived as a story written by the director, it has now been adapted, with a screenplay by Takeshi Nakazawa, and Sato producing and directing the special effects. With a small budget, the project would receive additional funding through donations on Motion Gallery and Kickstarter. The final product is a movie with a promising setup but underwhelming payoff.

Renowned special effects model artist Kenzo Tokimiya passes away, and a memorial service is held for him to honor his legacy. His work is on display, and his daughter is organizing the event. One of the attendees is Kenzo’s grandaughter, Akari Tokimiya, who feels torn about the event because she doesn’t have the fondest memories of her late grandfather. While there, she runs into her classmate, Takuya Kido, a big tokusatsu fan, and they discuss the artist’s legacy and what will become of his work. Then, they meet a man named Hozumi, a proclaimed acquaintance of the old master, who shows the two teens an outline for a film Tokimiya had planned but never got around to making called “Brush of the God.” He then pulls out a brush and requests that they find it and save the world from vanishing. The duo is then transferred into a fantasy world that turns out to be the fictional reality of the unfinished movie, with the script being their only major resource available. They come across numerous creatures, including a friendly winged bunny creature called Mugumugurus, yet realize that the stakes are high when they encounter the legendary monster Yamata no Orochi, an eight-headed serpent capable of devastating catastrophe.

The premise for “Brush of the God” is very promising and, on the surface, endearing. It is a passionate tribute to the special effects art form of tokusatsu while channeling the filmmaking mode of meta-cinema. There is prominent self-insertion, with Kenzo Tokimiya meant to represent Keizo Murase and reflect on his career. The work of the deceased artist within the movie humorously references Murase’s real-life contributions to the medium, including films like “Matango,” the “Daimajin” sequels, and “The Mighty Peking Man,” yet the fictional movies showcased still feel like they could exist. There’s even referencing real independent productions, prominently “Howl From Beyond the Fog.” Additionally, there are themes of family reconciliation, with Akari reflecting on who her grandfather was as a person beyond his craftsmanship, material that can make for compelling drama.

There’s undoubtedly passion behind this feature, yet “Brush of the God” fails to deliver a compelling story, largely due to lackluster direction and writing, further dampened by awkward staging. The plot is incredibly rushed with how it progresses, reliant on continuous convenient contrivances that stretch subversion. It never feels like things happen naturally, which becomes a glaring detriment when the film attempts to insert drama, primarily with Akari reflecting on her relationship with her grandfather. All the characters are forgettable, with the only attempts at development being with Akari Tokimiya, but even she feels underdeveloped, and the intended resolutions to her conflicts don’t feel earned by the end, due to the lackluster screenplay. These narrative faults are not helped by almost all the dialogue being blatant exposition, frequently spelling things out for the audience, which becomes irritating.

In addition to dull characters, the acting is generally poor here. Rio Suzuki and Takeru Narahara are distractingly subpar in their roles as Akari Tokimiya and Takuya Kido, with some especially clunky line delivery and emotional conveying. While intended to be mysterious, Takumi Saitoh looks more lost than engaged in playing Hozumi. There’s also a handful of cameos from recognizable faces in tokusatsu media, like Yumiko Shaku, Shinji Higuchi, and Shiro Sano, yet they are sadly just as wooden as the film’s leads, which can also apply to the rest of the cast here.

Another frustrating aspect of “Brush of the God” is the inconsistent production values, particularly the special effects. While this movie aims to stay true to classic tokusatsu techniques, the quality is all over the place. Granted, even with crowdfunding from Motion Gallery and Kickstarter, finances are more limited here than in a big studio production, and it’s admirable how determined Sato and the team remained. Yet, for every great visual effects moment, such as Orochi’s rampage on a city, there are numerous bad ones, with some very shoddy digital effects and green screen work. This issue also applies to the cinematography by Yoshihito Takahashi and Yoichi Sunahara, sometimes looking good while other times not so much. However, the music score by Shota Kowashi adds a nice mystical flare to the movie, and the ending theme song, “Kaiju,” performed by the pop band Dreams Come True, is an endearing tune.

Keizo Murase’s “Brush of the God” is a disappointing film, especially considering the talent the filmmakers have. There are elements to admire, yet a lot to criticize. Its heart is in the right place as an intended loving tribute to the special effects art form of tokusatsu, yet its narrative execution fumbles. For every visually stunning moment, numerous sections look incredibly poor. Keizo Murase and Daisuke Sato don’t quite capture the immersive magic here that they did with their previous and vastly superior creative collaboration, “Howl from Beyond the Fog.”

Maggie Steffens is the greatest women’s water polo player of all time. And it’s really not close.

If she had been born in Hungary or Greece, countries where the sport is popular, her face might be plastered on magazine covers, billboards and cereal boxes. Instead she was born in California, where she and her Olympic teammates gave up any hope of fame or fortune the first time they jumped in the pool.

“Water polo is such a hard sport, you’re definitely not doing it for money. You’re definitely not doing it for being on a Wheaties box,” Steffens said. “You’re doing it for your dream. You’re doing it for your passion.”

Sure. But when you’ve won three gold medals, five world championships and are the leading scorer in Olympic history, it would be nice if people knew your name.

So ahead of the Paris Games, where the U.S. opens group play Saturday and chases a record fourth straight Olympic title, Steffens has enlisted the help of two diverse musical artists in Flavor Flav, the clock-wearing co-founder of the groundbreaking rap group Public Enemy, and Taylor Swift, perhaps the most popular entertainer on the planet, to raise the team’s profile.

The unlikely pairings surfaced in May after Steffens, the team captain, lauded her teammates’ talent and dedication in a heartfelt 388-word Instagram post that ended in a plea for support.

One of the first to respond was Flav, the Hall of Fame rapper. Earlier this month, he signed an unprecedented five-year deal to become the official “hype man” for the men’s and women’s national water polo teams. As part of the agreement, Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, will make an undisclosed financial contribution to the women’s team, appear at USA Water Polo events and leverage his massive social media presence to publicize the sport.

“I’m going to be the biggest hype man that they ever had in their life,” he told the Associated Press. “I’m going to be bigger than any cheerleader that they had in their life. I’m going to cheer this team into winning a gold medal.”

Maggie Steffens and Flavor Flav are seen on July 11 in Los Angeles.

(jfizzy / Star Max / GC Images)

Swift’s support for a self-described group of “talented and driven women” is totally on brand.

For Flav, a 65-year-old Black rap pioneer from Long Island, however, joining a team of blond-haired, blue-eyed “twenty-somethings” from California would appear to mix as well as oil and water polo.

That’s exactly the point, Steffens said.

Some players on the Olympic team have had to work multiple jobs to support their athletic careers. Introducing the game to people outside the sport’s narrow fan base could help increase support and make that unnecessary.

“If we just stay in that water polo community, how do we grow?” Steffens said. “What Flavor Flav has helped do is open up the door to the rest of the world and say, ‘Hey, check this sport out, check these women out.’

“That’s the chance that we need. Now our job is to be the women that we are and showcase what we can do.”

What they’ve done so far — three consecutive Olympic titles — had never been done before so a fourth gold in Paris would simply add to the record. For Steffens, every score in France will add to her Games record of 56 goals.

However, this competition could prove the most challenging for a team that has relied on age and experience. Seven of the 13 women on the Paris roster are first-time Olympians. With the Tokyo Games having been delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic, four years of preparation has been squeezed into three.

“There’s a lot of talk that we’re not as good as we’ve been in the past. I say it to the team all the time. And I mean it,” said coach Adam Krikorian, whose team was fifth in last year’s world championships, equaling its worst finish in a dozen years.

“I’m not trying to create motivation, it’s the reality. If you look at our roster and look at the horses that we lost, it was a big hit.”

It’s difficult to play polo without horses and among those who are no longer in Krikorian’s stable are three-time gold medalist Melissa Seideman; sisters Aria and Makenzie Fischer, who have four gold medals between them; four-time world and Olympic champion Alys Williams, and Stephania Haralabidis, who was third on the Tokyo team in scoring with 13 goals.

Among the replacements are defender Jordan Raney, the last player cut from the Tokyo roster, and defender Emily Ausmus, at 18 the youngest women’s water polo Olympian since Aria Fischer in 2016.

For Steffens, the journey from Tokyo to Paris has been the most difficult, mentally and physically, of her career. She underwent shoulder surgery after the last Olympics and, at 31, had to work her way back onto the roster for these Games.

If she had done that in search of a fourth straight gold medal in soccer or basketball, she’d be a household name. Instead she still has to flash her driver’s license to get into the team’s Los Alamitos training facility.

If she has any regrets, she keeps them well-hidden.

“Water polo has been my choice. Water polo has been my gift,” said Steffens, whose father played water polo in three Pan American Games for Puerto Rico and was a three-time All-American at California. “It’s my whole life so I would never trade that for the world.“

U.S. water polo player Maggie Steffens competes during the Tokyo Olympics.

(Getty Images)

Plus there are some fringe benefits, apart from the opportunity to collect more gold. That’s where Taylor Swift comes in.

Two months ago the team flew to Paris for an Olympic test event at the 5,000-seat Paris Aquatic Centre, where the group-stage matches will be played. What the players really wanted to do, however, was get a look at La Défense Arena, the spacious rugby stadium where water polo’s medal rounds will be held.

“The purpose was [to] see the venue and feel it and visualize ourselves there in a quarterfinal,” Steffens said.

Swift already had booked the stadium for her Eras Tour, so team manager Ally Beck reached out to the singer’s camp and asked if it would be OK to have a look around.

Swift did better than that, inviting the players and coaches backstage before a concert, then gifting them tickets in a special VIP area and outfitting them in tour jackets and T-shirts.

“They went beyond our wildest expectations,” Beck said.

The 3½-hour concert, Krikorian said, was more than entertaining. It was inspiring for a group of women who soon hope to be performing in that same building.

“I thought to myself, ‘This is exactly what we want to bring to the pool,’” the coach said. “What better way to get in the right mindset and to experience that energy and that joy and that love. Because those are the values that we want to play with.”

If they get the chance to show off those values in the Aug. 10 gold-medal final, Swift, who will be two hours away in Vienna, has an open invitation to come back and cheer the team.

“I’ll be on the record,” Krikorian said. “Taylor, you have a front-row seat.”

Right next to Flavor Flav.