Movie Reviews

Reeder's Movie Reviews: Deadpool & Wolverine – Northwest Public Broadcasting

Published

2 years ago

July 28, 2024

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Reeder's Movie Reviews: Deadpool & Wolverine – Northwest Public Broadcasting

“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!”

Related Topics:Deadpool 2 Movies Music Reeder's Review uncategorized Wolverines

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Movie Reviews

Jeremy Schuetze’s ‘ANACORETA’ (2022) – Movie Review – PopHorror

Published

11 hours ago

March 4, 2026

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Jeremy Schuetze’s ‘ANACORETA’ (2022) – Movie Review – PopHorror

PopHorror had the chance to check out Anacoreta (2022) ahead of its streaming release! Does this meta-horror flick provide interesting story telling or is it a confusing mess.

Let’s have a look…

Synopsis

A group of friends heads to a secluded woodland cabin for a weekend getaway, planning to film an experimental horror movie. As the shoot progresses, the project begins to fall apart—until a real and terrifying presence emerges from the darkness.

Anacoreta is directed by Jeremy Schuetze. It was written by Jeremy Schuetze and Matt Visser. The film stars Antonia Thomas (Bagman 2024), Jesse Stanley (Raf 2019), Jeremy Schuetze (Jennifer’s Body 2009), and Matt Visser (A Lot Like Christmas 2021)

My Thoughts

Antonia Thomas delivered an outstanding performance as the female lead in Anacoreta. It was remarkable to watch her convey such a wide range of emotions with authenticity and depth. I was continually impressed by her ability to switch seamlessly between different dialects. I absolutely loved her delivery of the dialogue of telling The Scorpion and the Frog fable.

Anacoreta employs a distinctive, meta-horror style of storytelling. The narrative follows a group of friends creating a “scripted reality” horror film, and as the plot unfolds, the boundary between their staged production and their actual lives becomes increasingly blurred. This was interesting, but at the same time frustrating as a viewer.

Check out Anacoreta on Prime Video and let us know your thoughts!

Movie Reviews

‘Hoppers’ review: Pixar’s best original movie in years

Published

23 hours ago

March 3, 2026

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‘Hoppers’ review: Pixar’s best original movie in years

“So it’s like Avatar?” one character quips in Disney and Pixar’s “Hoppers,” bluntly translating the film’s high-concept premise for the sugar-fueled kids in the audience. And yes, the comparison is apt. The story follows a nature-obsessed teenage girl who manages to quite literally “hop” her consciousness into the body of a robotic beaver in order to spark an animal rebellion against a greedy mayor determined to bulldoze their forest for a freeway.

It’s a clever hook. The kind of big, elastic idea Pixar used to make look effortless. “Hoppers” does not reach the rarified air of “Up,” “Wall-E,” or “Inside Out,” but after a stretch of uneven originals like “Turning Red” and “Luca,” and outright misfires such as “Elemental” and “Elio,” this feels like a genuine course correction. The environmental messaging is clear without being preachy, the animals are irresistibly anthropomorphized, and the studio’s once-signature emotional sincerity is back in sturdy form.

Pixar can afford to gamble on originals when it has a guaranteed cash cow like this summer’s “Toy Story 5” waiting in the wings, but “Hoppers” earns its place in the catalogue. Director Daniel Chong crafts a warm, heartfelt film that occasionally strains under the weight of its own ambition, yet remains grounded by character and theme. Its meditation on conservation and animal displacement feels timely in a way that never tips into after-school-special territory.

We meet Mabel, voiced with bright conviction by Piper Curda, as a child liberating her classroom pets and returning them to the wild. Her moral compass is shaped by her grandmother, voiced by Karen Huie, who imparts wisdom about nature’s sanctity. True to both Pixar tradition and the broader Disney playbook, this beacon of guidance does not survive past the opening act. Loss, after all, is Pixar’s favorite inciting incident.

Years later, Mabel is still fighting the good fight, squaring off against the smarmy Mayor Jerry, voiced with slick menace by Jon Hamm. He plans to flatten the glade where Mabel and her grandmother once found solace. Mabel’s resistance feels noble but futile. The animals have already mysteriously vanished, the machinery is coming, and her last-ditch plan involves luring a beaver back to the abandoned forest in hopes of jumpstarting the ecosystem.

That’s when the film gleefully pivots into mad-scientist territory. At Beaverton University, Mabel discovers her professor, voiced by Kathy Najimy, has developed a device that can project human consciousness into synthetic animals. The process, dubbed “hopping,” allows Mabel to inhabit a robotic beaver and infiltrate the forest from within. It’s an inspired escalation that keeps the film buoyant even when the plotting grows predictable.

Her new posse includes King George, a lovably beaver voiced by Bobby Moynihan with distinct Bing Bong energy; a sharp-tongued bear voiced by Melissa Villaseñor; a regal bird king voiced by the late Isiah Whitlock Jr.; and a fish queen voiced by Ego Nwodim. As is often the case with Pixar, even in its lesser efforts, the world-building is meticulous. The animal hierarchy, complete with titles like “paw of the king,” is layered with jokes that play for kids while slyly winking at adults.

The plot ultimately follows a familiar template. Scrappy underdog rallies community. Corporate villain twirls metaphorical mustache. Emotional third-act sacrifice looms. At times, you can feel the machinery working a little too cleanly. Pixar, and Disney at large, has grown increasingly reliant on sequels and established IP, and “Hoppers” does not radically reinvent the wheel. In an animated landscape where films like “K-Pop: Demon Hunters,” “Across the Spider-Verse,” and “Goat” are pushing stylistic and narrative boundaries, being safe and sturdy may not always be enough.

And yet, there is something refreshing about a Pixar original that remembers how to tug at the heart without squeezing it dry. “Hoppers” is playful, peppered with cheeky needle drops, and builds to a sweet emotional catharsis that may or may not have left this critic a little misty-eyed. It feels earnest and engaged.

“Hoppers” may not be top-tier Pixar. But it is a welcome return to form, a reminder that the studio still knows how to marry big ideas with a bigger heart.

HOPPERS opens in theaters Friday, March 6th.

Movie Reviews

‘Hoppers’ review: Who can argue with hilarious talking animals?

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

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‘Hoppers’ review: Who can argue with hilarious talking animals?

Just when you think Pixar’s petting-zoo cute new movie “Hoppers” is flagrantly ripping off James Cameron, the characters come clean.

movie review

HOPPERS

Running time: 105 minutes. Rated PG (action/peril, some scary images and mild language). In theaters March 6.

“You guys, this is like ‘Avatar’!,” squeals 19-year-old Mabel (Piper Curda), the studio’s rare college-age heroine.

Shoots back her nutty professor, Dr. Fairfax (Kathy Kajimy): “This is nothing like ‘Avatar!’”

Sorry, Doc, it definitely is. And that’s fine. Placing the smart sci-fi story atop an animated family film feels right for Pixar, which has long fused the technological, the fantastical and the natural into a warm signature blend. Also, come on, “Avatar” is “Dances With Wolves” via “E.T.”

What separates “Hoppers” from the pack of recent Pix flix, which have been wholesome as a church bake sale, is its comic irreverence.

Director Daniel Chong’s original movie is terribly funny, and often in an unfamiliar, warped way for the cerebral and mushy studio. For example, I’ve never witnessed so many speaking characters be killed off in a Pixar movie — and laughed heartily at their offings to boot.

What’s the parallel to Pandora? Mabel, a budding environmental activist, has stumbled on a secret laboratory where her kooky teachers can beam their minds into realistic robot animals in order to study them. They call the devices “hoppers.”

Bold and fiery Mabel — PETA, but palatable — sees an opportunity.

The mayor of Beaverton, Jerry (Jon Hamm), plans to destroy her beloved local pond that’s teeming with wildlife to build an expressway. And the only thing stopping the egomaniacal pol — a more upbeat version of President Business from “The Lego Movie” — is the water’s critters, who have all mysteriously disappeared.

So, Mabel avatars into beaver-bot, and sets off in search of the lost creatures to discover why they’ve left.

From there, the movie written by Jesse Andrews (“Luca”) toys with “Toy Story.” Here’s what mischief fuzzy mammals, birds, reptiles and insects get up to when humans aren’t snooping around. Dance aerobics, it turns out.

Per the usual, “Hoppers” goes deep inside their intricate society. The beasts have a formal political system of antagonistic “Game of Thrones”-like royal houses. The most menacing are the Insect Queen (Meryl Streep — I’d call her a chameleon, but she’s playing a bug), a staunch monarch butterfly and her conniving caterpillar kid (Dave Franco). They’re scheming for power.

Perfectly content with his station is Mabel’s new best furry friend King George (Bobby Moynihan), a gullible beaver who ascended to the throne unexpectedly. He happily enforces “pond rules,” such as, “When you gotta eat, eat.”

That means predators have free rein to nosh on prey, and everybody’s cool with it. Because of bone-dry deliveries, like exhausted office drones, the four-legged cast members are hilarious as they go about their Animal Planet activities.

No surprise — talking lizards, sharks, bears, geese and frogs are the real stars here. They far outshine Mabel, even when she dons beaver attire. Much like a 19-year-old in a job interview, she doesn’t leave much of an impression.

Yes, the teen has a heartfelt motivation: The embattled pond was her late grandma’s favorite place. Mabel promised her that she’d protect it.

But in personality she doesn’t rank as one of Pixar’s most engaging leads, perhaps because she’s past voting age. Mabel is nestled in a nebulous phase between teenage rebellion and adulthood that’s pretty blasé, even if a touch of tension comes from her hiding her Homo sapien identity from her new diminutive pals. When animated, kids make better adventurers, plain and simple.

“Hoppers” continues Pixar’s run of humble, charming originals (“Luca,” “Elio”) in between billion-dollar-grossing, idea-starved sequels (“Inside Out 2,” probably “Toy Story 5”). The Disney-owned studio’s days of irrepressible innovation and unmatched imagination are well behind it. No one’s awed by anything anymore. “Coco,” almost 10 years ago, was their last new property to wow on the scale of peak Pixar.

Look, the new movie is likable and has a brain, heart and ample laughs. That’s more than I can say for most family fare. “A Minecraft Movie” made me wanna hop right out of the theater.