DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (R)
It was bound to happen eventually. Deadpool has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you haven’t yet, now would be a good time to brush up on the last 30 years of superhero media. I’m talking movies, TV shows, characters, actors who played those characters, actors who dated the actors who played those characters, and CERTAINLY films that were never made based on those characters.
There won’t be a quiz but it’ll definitly help.
Ryan Reynold’s revitalization of the cult favorite character Deadpool was the sole breakout effort of the late-stage descent of the, now deceased, Twenty Century Fox’s slate of Marvel superhero offerings. By breaking the fourth wall and offering a level of ultra-violence usually frowned upon in cape and cowl extravaganzas, “Deadpool” felt like a breath of fresh air in a wasteland of drivel. Now, upon the purchase of the Twentieth Century characters, along with the rest of their sizable film slate to form one of the more consequential media conglomerations in recent years, Marvel/Disney is unleashing their version of a Deadpool extravaganza; this time with the budget of a thriving mega-studio, the full back catalog of characters at their disposal, and the creative bonafides of a floundering Marvel Cinematic Universe on the line. And considering the meta nature of the Deadpool character, all these factors are as much plot lines in the film as they are background media noise in Variety.
The story is a simple one. When Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is told his universe might be destroyed, he hops on a multi-versal adventure to try and track down the one person who might be able to help him: The Legendary Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Featuring Jackman’s much-heralded return to the claws that made him a movie star, the film is as much a eulogy for the entire Twentieth Century slate of superhero films as it is a resurrection of Wolverine. Without spoiling much of anything, and there is plenty to spoil, “Deadpool & Wolverine” takes full license with the myriad of characters in it’s toy chest; taking the “slamming action figures together” style of big budget blow out to its zenith and winking while doing it. It’s maximalist IP filmmaking at its most bombastic and it sure is a sight to see.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is playing The Broad Theater and Prytania Theatres at Canal Place NOW.
ODDITY (R)
After taking New Orleans by storm during the Overlook Film Festival 2024 where it won the Audience Award, and the same at the SXSW Film Festival, “Oddity” is back on the NOLA big screen for a limited theatrical run. A creepy, mucky, spooky whodunit; the film follows a psychic looking for clues about the death of her sister at the hands of a late-night intruder. The kind of ghost story that seems only apt to be set among the misty villages of Ireland, “Oddity” has the jolts to keep you guessing and a lingering chill that is sure to keep you wary in the watches of the night.
Check it out for a good old-fashioned spine shiver-er. Just be sure to double lock your doors once home and don’t let in any strangers, no matter what they say.
“Oddity” is playing at Prytania Theatres at Canal Place.
Harakiri
As part of their Prytania Cinema Club, the Prytania Theatres at Canal Place is bringing audiences one of the classics of Japanese cinema, “Harakiri” (1962).
Set in the waning years of the Japanese feudal system, where disgraced Samurai wander the countryside with no master to serve or war to fight; one such Ronin (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the gate of a feudal lord requesting the opportunity to perform ritualistic suicide within their palace. What follows is a withering dissection of the concept of honor, the fallacy of the Samurai worldview, and the lengths that men will go to protect their family legacies.
The highest-rated film in the history of Letterboxd, “Harakiri” more than lives up to its reputation as one of the greatest films of all time. Carried by a blistering lead performance by Tatsuya Nakadai and a story that continues to surprise until the final credits, the film is a towering example of Japanese filmmaking and the cultural dexterity of the Samurai film which, not unlike the American Western, is an unending sandbox to tell stories about the heights of human goodness and depths of cultural depravity. Shockingly modern in its narrative approach and universal in its message, “Harakiri” is the kind of film I wish I had seen years ago, and am ecstatic to spread the gospel of today.
There is not a better film showing in New Orleans theaters this week, so check it out if you’re in the mood to be bowled over by the power of great cinema.
You’ll be glad you did.
“Harakiri” is showing at Prytania Theatres at Canal Place on July 28 and July 31.
