Disney’s Zootopia is an Instant Classic
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Disney’s latest offerings— with the exception of lacklustre Pixar collaboration The Good Dinosaur. We’re pretty sure Finding Dory will pick up The Good Dinosaur’s slack— have all been amazing, a constant reminder to people everywhere that they still have a monopoly on making feel-good, so-relatable-it-burns movies that turn into cash-cows and classics alike. Its latest family flick, Zootopia, which has already made bank beyond even Frozen’s record-setting debut, continues the time-honoured Disney tradition.
There’s Something About Mary… (Burn For Burn #2 Review)
What would you do if you were able to orchestrate the perfect payback plan? If the person who hurt you the most was forced to swallow a spoonful of their own medicine— and then some. If everything went accordingly, if you got exactly what you wanted, how you wanted it… would you go back for more? Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian return to Jar Island to find out. (more…)
Karma’s a Trip (Burn for Burn #1 Review)
It’s fair to say I’ve been out of the literary loop for quite awhile, missing out on hundreds— if not thousands— of potential favourite books because I simply didn’t have the time to read. That’s why having a boss like Papi Chulo is a good thing: as long as my writing is semi-coherent, I can ramble on about whatever I want. Even if I want to write about a trilogy of books that originally made its debut in 2012. Why am I writing about a trilogy of books that’s been over and done with since 2014?
You need to read it, that’s why. I’m doing you a favour, because friends want friends to have nice things. And every friend who’s any friend knows one thing: revenge is a dish best served with vodka and chocolate. Yeah, yeah, everyone knows that karma is supposed to work on balancing the universal scales of justice, but let’s be real: with all the transgressions she has to sort out, karma is slower than those Disney sloths working the DMV. That’s why revenge fantasies run amok, and for everyone who’s been silently stewing over the misdeeds of another: Burn For Burn is the perfect medicine. (more…)
Deadpool Review: The Best Part Of This Movie Was The Whole Thing
Holy sh*t! If you haven’t seen Deadpool, you really, really should. If you’re on the fence, wondering if it’s been overhyped and talked up to death: it hasn’t. The marketing campaign was aggressive— deservedly so— for this R-rated masterpiece, which has already broken box office records, pulling in over $140 million during its opening weekend.
The short of it is that Deadpool is a movie you need to make time to see— call in sick to work, duck out on a family dinner, do whatever you must to get your cute little butt into a movie theatre to witness this monumental film— it makes fun of Reynolds’ previous stint as a Green Lantern, gets frank about masturbation, and comes complete with a couple of sweet cameos.
The long of it is that Deadpool is everything it promised it would be and more. It’s wonderfully violent (including decapitation), fantastically foul-mouthed (lots of F-bombs), the nudity is delicious (particularly the shot of Ryan Reynolds’ finely-toned gluteus maximus), and the political incorrectness is so savage it gives us the warm and fuzzies. But this isn’t just a movie designed to your most crude, innate desires. It actually has a plot (you can check out the IMDB page for a summary).
The casting was spot-on for this movie. Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool and Morena Baccarin as Vanessa is both the girl next door and the sensual sex bomb. She compliments Reynolds’ smart-mouthed, acerbic character perfectly; if there was ever a female lead worth a murdering spree, it’s Vanessa (given that the sequel has already been greenlit, hopefully, Baccarin will return).
Of course, no review of this movie would be complete without mentioning the performances that tied it together: sure, Wade and Vanessa made a perfectly screwed-up couple, but during their two-year-long separation, Leslie Uggams as sharp-tongued Blind Al and T.J. Miller as the painfully-honest Weasel kept Deadpool appropriately feisty. And let’s not forget Dopinder, the only man on the planet who takes Deadpool’s far-fetched romantic advice with more than a grain of salt (we hope he shows up in the sequel). Also, Colossus was amazing. And so was Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and… you know what? Everyone nailed it. The wild west has been won. Nobody felt miscast or awkward, and everyone who interacted with Deadpool only served to highlight the best and worst aspects of his character (sometimes simultaneously).
It’s an action movie, it’s an epic romance, it’s overtly sexy (spoiler ahoy, if you don’t want to know who makes an appearance where, skip to the end of the bracketed section: Stan Lee in a strip club gives me life), it’s a feel-good comedy fest, but most of all, it’s pure, unaltered, unhinged insanity.
There’s still plenty of debate over whether or not this is kiddo friendly, and after seeing the movie, we’re gonna go with a solid N-O. Not because kids are so impressionable, their heads will explode at the first hint of Wade and Vanessa having fun with a strap-on; the theatre will likely be packed with adults at the edge of their seats, waiting to lose themselves in a movie that has tipped the “superhero” genre on its self-righteous head. A crying baby or a kid running up and down the aisle or loudly talking completely breaks the movie’s immersion. As a sign of respect for everyone else, please either leave your child at home or, if Family Fun Night at the movies is a must-have, go see Kung-Fu Panda 3.
Deadpool has earned every bit of praise heaped upon it before, during and after its release, and it was worth the wait. We cannot recommend this highly enough, everything was driven by the details and by an honest love for the character and his source material. If you’re looking to be awed by something close to perfection (or if you want to see Ryan Reynolds’ butt) go see this movie. Seriously. Drop what you’re doing and go, you’ll be glad you did.
Rating: 5/5 stars.
REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil’s AMALUNA
After the incredible success of TOTEM in 2013, Cirque du Soleil has returned to South Florida with one of its newest touring shows — AMALUNA. AMALUNA was written and directed by Tony Award-winning director, Diane Paulus. Cirque du Soleil’s 33rd production is a celebration of love and a tribute to the work and voice of women.
AMALUNA is a gorgeous theatrical production that showcases a rich story and stunning visuals. AMALUNA transports the audience to a mysterious and mythological island governed by Goddesses and guided by the cycles of the moon. The coming of age saga features a queen’s daughter learning about various rites that honor femininity, renewal, rebirth and balance. Their world is turned upside down when a storm washes a group of young men ashore their island paradise. An epic and emotional love story begins as a brave young man tries to woo Queen Prospera’s daughter through various demanding trials that lead to mutual trust, faith and harmony.
The cast is made up almost entirely of women. It boasts that 70% of the cast is female. The all-girl band performs some amazing rock-ish music that puts the audience right in the middle of the action. There are clowns and jugglers. People fly up in the air via straps and hoops. The acts are a visual feast for the eyes. Each act is gorgeously choreographed and is jaw-droppingly beautiful to watch.
Cirque du Soleil visits South Florida almost yearly. So whether you are in town, or across the country, you definitely need to reserve your seat under the blue and yellow Big Top tent to see AMALUNA. The spectacle will not disappoint!
