Deadpool 2

Silly sequel manages the impossible, resurrecting and raising the ridiculousness of the former film without stepping over the coke-line that the former had nearly fully snorted. Invincible franchise flick pratfalls into a series of alarmingly serious moments and yet never lets the irreverent tone drown in the pool of death.

Avengers: Infinity War

Whoever thought this many marvelous heroes could run the Gauntlet must’ve been Infinitely Stoned. But they somehow succeeded, so here’s 25 words, cuz Oh Snap!

Hail, Caesar!

Coens salute themselves with completely unedited brainstorm session.  Deliberately over-long sequences beautifully mirror 50s films but get lost amidst endless other scenes of ludicrous length.  Neither outstanding cast and characteristic Coen comedy, nor tacky narration and contrived confessionals can hold together a tossed salad of unempathetic characters and poor plotting.

Sicario

Denis goes to un Estado Nuevo with morally ambiguous tale in which Benicio takes no bull but stealthily tunnels his way into leading role.  Characters seem childishly expressive, marking interesting contrast with secretive and adult world of the film.  Brilliantly understated cinematography bonds these prisoners to their colder northern cousin.

Inherent Vice

Source material is film’s inherent vice.  Phoenix stays lit as latter day Lebowski amidst a stellar cast of coked-up costars while Anderson’s brilliant long-shots mark the highlight of an overly long and convoluted mockery of narrative.  Rainbow pallet lightens the gravity of what may be the brightest noire ever made.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Sin City: Fall of a Franchise matches 300.2’s weird chronology, imitative superficiality and nude (albeit black and white) Green.  Rourke’s Kirk Douglas is a better match than Brolin’s Owen.  Could certainly have benefited from insurance against tragic deaths of Murphy, Duncan and character development.  SinCity: Are you in gold eye?

Guardians of the Galaxy

Gunn hits bulls-eye with this branch-in-cheek rendition of Star Wars: The Force Avenges.  Bautista finally flexes acting muscles while Cooper perfects Pesci impression, Diesel and Seldana go green and Pratt cements his star status.   Effects, humor and heart make up for misused collection of bit-players and deus ex galactica finale.

Gangster Squad

Gangsterland proves that with enough star-power, a terrible script can be transformed into an equally terrible movie.  2-dimensional characters babble clichéd lines throughout an overly dumbed-down condensed TV-series plot.  Gosling and Stone make one Crazy Stupid decision after another and Brolin decides this is No City for Penn’s bulldog mask.