The ensemble whodunnit has seen a resurgence in recent years with movies like Knives Out and Kenneth Branagh’s takes on some of Agatha Christie novels. Dead Dead Full Dead is a Fantasia Film Festival World Premiere that puts a surreal spin on the premise. Two police officers are called to investigate a murder. It seems like an open and shut case, but the more they look into the suspects, the less sure they are of what has really happened.

Dead Dead Full Dead goes beyond the realm of mystery into something much more cosmic. A shocking incident involving a baby goat early on is just the beginning of a number of strange events. An eclipse, dead bodies that can die again, and purgatory are just part of the zaniness the film has to offer. It is a fun mix that can be a little too overwhelming at times.

This is most apparent in the investigative flashbacks that are employed. The moments are neat ideas that see the investigators place themselves in the alibis of the people being interrogated. These scenes give insight into all of the characters while also providing motive for what has transpired.

They are also very confusing. Reality is distorted and it can be hard to follow exactly what is happening. It is especially confusing when the people in the real world have strong feelings for what has happened in their dream scenarios. While it does make sense they would feel powerful guilt over what has happened, it is also never addressed that it is not real. It would make more sense if the characters questions what had just happened.

This may be the point of Dead Dead Full Dead. Time and regret are recurring themes with references to and memories of the past sprinkled throughout. Whether these are big events like a first time meeting or smaller things like emojis, there is the constant idea of how things could have been better. Everyone is in a state of reflection.

The deeper parts of the film are offset by a zany humor that pairs perfectly. While many of the jokes are over the top, some are delivered with a surprising amount of subtlety. There are even some sight gags that will keep the audience guessing what is going to happen next. Overall, Dead Dead Full Dead is a unique mix of heavy ideas, silly comedy, and murder. There are a lot of moving pieces and it can all be a lot to take in. Still, it is a consistently entertaining watch. 

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes places from July 18 – August 4. Check out the latest news HERE

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“I don’t know anything about saving worlds, but you do.”

                                                                                          -Deadpool addressing Wolverine

The meta has overtaken the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). After a six-year period marked by a wealth of change–studio ownership, story concepts, characters and directors–the antihero Deadpool has returned, as talkative, subversive and funny as ever. If you like your protagonists to save the metaverse with verbal barbs as well as weaponry, you’ve found the ideal superhero for this summer.

Ryan Reynolds, the creative force behind the Deadpool series, takes no prisoners in this third outing, which follows Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018). The screenplay, for which he and four other writers get credit, skewers the studio (with a clever visual RIP for Twentieth Century Fox), the MCU franchises, the characters and the actors themselves. One’s recent divorce even becomes the subject of a snarky aside. The fourth wall has disintegrated.

Disney, which now includes Deadpool in its portfolio, has carved out a special niche for it–an R-rated niche. It earns it here, with a steady stream of decidedly adult dialogue and violent action. Mind you, the violence often plays out in reduced motion and for humorous effect, but the death toll grows steadily and graphically throughout the movie.

In bringing Deadpool back to the screen, the collaborators have teamed him here with Wolverine (James Howlett, alias Logan), the mutant with the retractable claws often associated with the X-Men. Yes, Hugh Jackman has been “resurrected,” after publicly announcing his retirement from the role. (He memorably impersonated the character for two decades through 2017’s Logan, in which he died.) The pairing in Deadpool & Wolverine generally works well, with Reynolds’ irrepressible, smart-alecky style balanced by Jackman’s often angry, angst-ridden persona. 

Visually, the movie pops with color–exactly the vivid palette associated with the original comics. In fact, the producers have gone retro and authentic in dressing Wolverine in his classic canary yellow-and-blue outfit–the L.A. Rams’ look, as Deadpool describes it. 

Cinematographer George Richmond (Rocketman) and editors Shane Reid and Dean Zimmerman (Stranger Things) have crafted well-framed and intelligently paced action scenes, and the special effects team have endowed the picture with fresh, eye-catching visuals. The array of pop songs on the soundtrack, while not subtly introduced, enhance the tongue-in-cheek nature of the enterprise. Madonna gives her blessing.

If you’re wondering about the story, there’s a reason it gets demoted here. Call it serviceable, a basic narrative designed to sustain the bells and whistles, the one-liners, the gags and–yes, you’ve heard correctly–a parade of cameos, many of which will resonate with MCU acolytes. Suffice it to say that Wade Wilson (aka Deadpool) has withdrawn from his mercenary days and become a used car salesman, only to have the Time Variance Authority (TVA) inform him that his timeline, with his small circle of loved ones, is deteriorating. To restore it, he seeks out an appropriate variant of Logan, its “anchor being.”

Emma Corrin (Diana, Princess of Wales in The Crown} emerges as the lead villain. She portrays Cassandra Nova, the parasitic twin sister of Professor X, a character making her live-action debut here. Corrin brings a palpable sense of malice to her scenes, appropriately declaring that “boys are so silly.” 

You could make a strong case that the MCU itself has deteriorated since the Russo Brothers’ epic Avengers: Endgame (2019). A pre-COVID box office blockbuster, it had the scope and poignancy of a cinematic saga. It also served as a fitting homage to the late, iconic impresario Stan Lee. By comparison, the subsequent entries in the franchise have been mostly uninspired, even unnecessary (unless, like Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, you have to keep close watch on the bottom line). 

With Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have realized a dream more than a decade in the making. Throughout the previous two Deadpool films, the title character relentlessly cracked jokes at Wolverine’s expense. Here they demonstrate admirable chemistry. This melding of the X-Men and MCU franchises ultimately succeeds by deconstructing the entire superhero genre. At their origins, these are comics, after all, and a heady dose of humor, both verbal and visual, can sometimes triumph over thinness of plot. But, please, don’t view this as the end, either. As the Man in Red tells a group of earthly civilians, shocked at the sight of the prodigal Man in Yellow-and-Blue, “Disney brought him back! They’re gonna make him do this until he’s 90!”     

Wiz Khalifa and Aimee Aguilar, his girlfriend of five years, welcomed their new baby girl, Kaydence, on July 17, and Aguilar has posted a one-week postpartum update sharing the details of her childbirth.

The 30-year-old model talked Wednesday on TikTok about her desire to get back in the gym and get that “flat stomach” back. She also revealed she experienced a tear while in labor, which resulted in her getting stitches and delayed her workout plans.

Aguilar also offered some words of encouragement to anyone struggling with body-image issues after pregnancy.

“To all my other mom girlies, you’ll get through this,” she said. “Your body will do its thing in its time. Don’t ever compare your postpartum body to anybody else.”

Khalifa expressed his excitement about being a girl dad in an Instagram post with the text “POV thinking about all the outfits I’m about to pick out for my daughter” laid over a video of him quite obviously thinking. “I got so many ideas,” he wrote in the caption.

The “See You Again” rapper has an 11-year-old son, Sebastian Taylor, with his ex-wife, Amber Rose.

Khalifa and Aguilar announced on Father’s Day, in June, that they were expecting a baby girl.

That same month, they posted a video from their baby shower that included moments of Khalifa and Aguilar celebrating with family and friends — and a surprise name reveal. The name “Kaydence” was displayed on a baby-pink sign.

The baby bliss has come with a less-than-blissful event overseas: The 36-year-old rapper recently was arrested and charged in Romania after allegedly smoking pot during his performance at a music festival.

“Last nights show was amazing. I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage,” Khalifa said on X in July. “They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big a— joint next time.”

And later that day, Khalifa posted an Instagram video of himself smoking a joint in front of the Eiffel Tower. “I’m French now,” he wrote.