What can I say, I never got onboard with the Deadpool movies. They felt more like gimmicks – hard R-rated superhero movies that leaned heavy on star Ryan Reynolds’ schtick. But then you have Hugh Jackman as Wolverine – some of the very best superhero casting we have had to date. What happens when you bring those two things together? I suppose “Deadpool & Wolverine”, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s attempt to tap into the popularities of both.

Disney has dropped a lukewarm first trailer for the film and it doesn’t really tell us much. I guess you could say it’s more of a gag and tone sampler. Whatever you call it, the worse thing about it is the absence of Wolverine! Yes, I know it’s the first of what will be three or more trailers and we will see Jackman down the line. But this one could have really used him.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” opens in theaters on July 26th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

EDFF REVIEW: “The Hill We Climb”

“The Hill We Climb” is a poignant and powerful documentary short film from director and executive producer Raeden Greer. The film tells the moving true story of two Benton, Arkansas residents and their tireless efforts to improve and revitalize a marginalized 100-year-old African-American community known to the locals as “The Hill”.

Greer centers her film on two of her friends and classmates, Farisha Brown and Aaron Calvin. Both lived across the proverbial tracks in the “The Hill”, now referred to as the Ralph Bunche Community. Speaking mostly through compelling testimonies and the evocative camerawork of her DP Christian Wallace, Greer addresses the community’s complex problems with a heart-piercing clarity.

Interestingly, the struggles Greer emphasizes come from both inside and outside of the community. There is the constant battle for its reputation. There is the neighborhood’s history of crime and the resulting stigma that Farisha, Aaron, and others have tried to overcome. Then there is the difficulty in getting participation from within the community – a surprising dilemma that only adds to the challenge.

Farisha and Aaron are both interesting and inspirational. But just as important to the film’s overarching message are the various community members we see and hear. Whether it’s an elder preacher sharing his real-world wisdom, a longtime resident expressing the ways their neighborhood has changed, or a young boy explaining why he plans on moving away once he’s old enough. The people we meet bring out the energy, the frustration, and the personality of a part of Benton that people only know by the image they project.

Greer shares some of the city’s ugly history which speaks to the progress that has been made since. But she makes it abundantly clear that there is still a long way to go. That leads to an urgency in her approach that energizes the film. But there is also an honesty that leaves us wondering not only how change might come about, but if it even will.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

EDFF REVIEW: “The Last Thing Lost”

At the risk of stating the obvious, one of the great things about documentaries is the opportunity they provide filmmakers to tell affecting real-life stories that otherwise wouldn’t be shared outside of their own communities and circles. One such example is “The Last Thing Lost”, a striking 41-minute film from writer-director Jake Siam Solomon that’s equal part heartbreaking and uplifting.

“The Last Thing Lost” tells the story of Sarith Ou and his improbable journey from war-torn Cambodia to Wisconsin, USA and then back to Cambodia. Solomon chronicles Sarith’s unimaginable life, highlighting a man haunted by his traumatic past yet using it to drive his heartfelt desire to help future generations in his homeland.

The fourth of seven siblings, Sarith grew up part of a farming family in Tom Poung village. With the Cambodian government in chaos, a young Sarith joined the Khmer Rouge, a ruthless and murderous regime who is said to have killed three million people between 1975 and 1979. Sarith rose in rank, soon commanding a total of 300 troops. But he defected after seeing the group’s genocidal reign of violence and oppression, running for his life and even serving time in a Thai prison before making it to safety in the United States.

Sarith made a good life for himself in Wisconsin, but the trauma and guilt remained. With his native country ever in his mind, Sarith returned to Cambodia. There, with the help of his American friend Roger Garms, he began building a new school and teaching the enthusiastic children in hopes of setting their young lives on a better trajectory.

Solomon does a good job laying out Cambodia’s tumultuous history in relation to its current state, through Sarith’s personal testimony, archived footage, and even an occasional chalkboard-esque animation. Not only does it provide context to Sarith’s life, but it helps us understand what compels him to action. It truly is a remarkable story relayed through an evocatively shot, skillfully edited, and keenly directed documentary.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Guy Ritchie had a good 2023 and deserved more attention for his silly yet fun “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” and his brilliant “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant”. He’s shown no signs of stopping in 2024 as evident by the fun and spirited new trailer for his upcoming film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”. This wild action-packed spy thriller is based Damien Lewis’ 2014 book “Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII”. Our first look at it leaves me genuinely excited.

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is said to be based on the true story of a team of misfits who gave birth to our modern day black operations. The film stars Henry Cavill as the leader of the ragtag outfit sent on a top-secret undercover mission to neutralize German U-boats in the North Atlantic. “Hitler is not playing by the rules, so neither are we.” In addition to Cavill, the film also stars Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Cary Elwes, Alex Pettyfer, Til Schweiger, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, and Henrique Zaga. Sign me up.

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” lands in theaters April 19th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Dev Patel has proven to be a fabulous actor, but his latest film “Monkey Man” promises a grit and intensity we’ve never seen from the 33-year-old Brit. Even more exciting, the film marks Patel’s directorial debut. Working from a story he conceived, “Monkey Man” looks to be a stylishly fierce action movie as evident by the kinetic first trailer.

In our first look we see Patel playing an anonymous young man known only as Kid who scrapes by working low-paying jobs and street fighting underground. But following the murder of his mother by big city elites, the Kid’s festering pent-up rage boils over, sending him on a John Wick-styled rampage of revenge. But this is no John Wick knockoff. The setting, the cultural inspiration, and the cinematic style give the movie an exhilarating original feel. I can’t wait.

“Monkey Man” hits theaters on April 5th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I can honestly say that out of all of the 1980s movies to remake, “Road House” wasn’t among the first to come to mind. Yet here we are, a couple months away from a new “Road House” movie. It’s said to be a remake that tells a similar story but with a modern twist. It comes from director Doug Liman and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a former UFC fighter who finds work at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys.

The film is set to release March 21st on Prime Video. In anticipation of its upcoming trailer drop, Amazon MGM Studios has released a new poster. Check it out below and tell me what you think.

Early this morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their highly anticipated nominees for this year’s Oscars. As is always the case, the morning had its share of surprises and head-scratching snubs. But in their defense the Academy also got a lot of things right. Either way, I have plenty on my mind about this year’s batch. So here are a few Random Thoughts on the 2024 Academy Award nominations.

• It was a huge morning for “Oppenheimer” which led the way with a whopping 13 nominations. It’s shaping up to (finally) be the year that Christopher Nolan fully gets his due on Oscar night.
• Not only did “Oppenheimer” mop the floor in the technical categories, but it also received nominations in Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Who knows how it will turn out, but things are trending up for Nolan’s brilliant awards-worthy latest.
• Only two behind “Oppenheimer” was “Poor Things” which once again revealed the soft spot (and the mind-boggling leniency) the Academy has for Yorgos Lanthimos. The film was an overindulgent mess yet here it sits with 11 nominations.
• We have a pretty good selection of Best Picture nominees this year with only two that I would toss out in a heartbeat. But it’s hard for me to gripe. My top three movies of 2023 are all in the group and I like most of the choices.
• Could it be that the Academy isn’t as enamored with “Barbie” as other awards shows (which I would applaud them for)? The box office smash hit but incredibly flawed film still earned 8 nominations. But it missed out on a couple of pretty big categories.
• Sticking with “Barbie”, one of the more face-palm moments came with the nomination of America Ferrera in Supporting Actress. It’s essentially a nomination for a speech which stands out even more by the fact that the film’s lead, Margot Robbie didn’t get a nod. There were far more deserving supporting performances from actresses such as Rachel McAdams, Penélope Cruz, or Julianne Moore. Whatever, it’s Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s to win.
• As for that Lead Actress category, Robbie’s omission is a bit of a stunner. Again, I’m no fan of “Barbie”, but Robbie was pretty great. It’s especially perplexing considering Annette Bening was nominated for the so-so at best “Nyad”. Robbie deserved a spot.
• The far more egregious snubs in the Lead Actress category was Greta Lee for “Past Lives” and Natalie Portman for “May December”. I would put both in over any nominee not named Lily Gladstone. C’mon Academy!
• Last thing on “Barbie” – outlets are already expressing shock and crying foul on Greta Gerwig not being nominated for Best Director. I’m sorry, but but it was a good choice especially if it meant Jonathan Glazer getting in for his masterful “The Zone of Interest”. The biggest bummer in Directing was Lanthimos. Replace him with Celine Song (“Past Lives”) and the category would be nearly perfect.
• Martin Scorsese’s brilliant “Killers of the Flower Moon” racked up an amazing and well-deserved 10 nominations. Sadly there’s a big possibility it follows in the footsteps of Scorsese’s “The Irishman”. That 2019 film received 10 nominations but won nothing. Lily Gladstone should keep “Killers” from going home empty-handed, but it will have a tough time winning much else.
• Speaking of “Killers”, being left out for Adapted Screenplay is terrible especially in light of what else was nominated. The screenplay was the biggest problem with “Barbie” and with “Poor Things” it was a scattershot mess. Yet both get nominated.
• One of the great joys of the morning was seeing “The Zone of Interest” getting five nominations. I was especially excited that it was included for Best Picture and Best Director. For those who have yet to see it, make every effort to catch it. It’s easily one of 2023’s very best movies.
• “The Zone of Interest” looks like it may be the front-runner for Best International Feature. I love it. This is a wild category made interesting by its notable omissions, namely “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Society of the Snow”. Am I missing something?
• John Williams received his 54th (!!!) Oscar nomination for his score in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”. Did it deserve a nomination? Maybe not. But I’m never going to gripe when I see this living legend get recognition.
• Absolutely nothing for “The Iron Claw”. I realize it was a longshot, but I held out hope that the film might receive some kind of recognition. It certainly deserved it.
• Sterling K. Brown surprised with his Supporting Actor nomination for “American Fiction”. It’s a good performance and I’m guessing his inclusion knocked out Charles Melton (“May December”).
• Aside from Mark Ruffalo, the Supporting Actor choices are pretty strong. Brown is a nice addition, Robert De Niro is getting a lot of nominations but no wins, and Gosling has the fan love but I’m not sure how much else. That leaves Robert Downey Jr. who is (by a pretty large margin) the most deserving. Hopefully he’ll finally get his statue.
• Just a quick plug for Donnie Yen in “John Wick: Chapter 4”. I’d put him ahead of Ruffalo, Brown, and even Gosling for Supporting Actor. Alas…
• Among the most competitive categories heading into Oscar night will be Best Actor. It looks to be a one-on-one showdown between Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) and Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”). They were my two favorite Lead Actor performances of the year so it’s good to see. That said, I’m rooting for Murphy.
• Despite getting recognition from the Golden Globes and BAFTA, “Saltburn” was completely ignored by the Academy and you won’t see me shedding any tears. “Saltburn” was one of the more frustrating movies of last year and apparently the Academy saw through it.
• It wasn’t a particularly good morning for “The Color Purple”. Outside of Danielle Brooks for Supporting Actress, the musical remake didn’t make a dent. I can understand why. The first half of the film was some of the best cinema I saw in 2023. The second half was messy and rushed.
• I like the sound of Oscar-nominated “Godzilla: Minus One”.
• Among the other big names not nominated this morning was Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor and Bradley Cooper for Best Director. Both seemed to be on the bubble and now they’ve both fallen short.

Here is a Full List of This Year’s Nominees…

Best Picture

American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best Director

Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things
Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest

Best Actress

Annette Bening – Nyad
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Emma Stone – Poor Things

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
America Ferrera – Barbie
Jodie Foster – Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Best Supporting Actor

Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction
Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

Best Original Screenplay

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

Best International Feature

Io Capitano
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Teachers’ Lounge
The Zone of Interest

Best Animated Feature

The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Best Cinematography

El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Original Score

American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Original Song

“The Fire Inside,” Flamin’ Hot
“I’m Just Ken,” Barbie
“It Never Went Away,” American Symphony
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Killers of the Flower Moon
“What Was I Made For?” Barbie

Best Editing

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Production Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Costume Design

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Golda
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow

Best Sound

The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

Best Visual Effects

The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

Best Animated Short

Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best Live-Action Short

The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Best Documentary Feature

Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol

Best Documentary Short

The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó