Called Uber after the cartoon ended; they arrived in 8 minutes. Decided to dodge the ugly dark clouds and see Deadpool and Wolverine at the AMC Cherry Hill 24 theater today. A friend told me earlier that we lost electricity after a car ran into a pole. The electricity was long back on by 10:30, but I did see the mess with police cars and fire trucks fixing the pole and towing the car away when my driver had to cut around it.
Left a little early to buy a drink for the movies at the big Target in the shopping center next to the theater. I looked at their records and books, but just ended up with boxes of Made Good granola bar flavors that they don't carry at the Acme and a bottle of Dr. Pepper.
I didn't have time to linger because the showing of Deadpool and Wolverine I wanted to catch began at 11:45. I rushed down the ramp, past TGI Friday's, and over to the huge AMC Theater. Thankfully, there was no line when I arrived, and despite its size, the AMC isn't the maze that the Somerdale Cinemark is. I slid into my seat just as the commercials began.
First of all, there's a reason I prefer seeing movies at the Cinemark over the AMC, despite the latter having more theaters. The AMC is over a decade older than the Cinemark, and its theaters are small and cramped with barely any legroom. The seats only recline back, not forwards, and they aren't all that comfortable.
Second, I wish they hadn't shown so many commercials. Deadpool and Wolverine is already over two hours. Most of the ads were for horror films you couldn't pay me to watch, and I'm still not interested in the second Beetlejuice movie. I would love to see the Christmas action comedy Red One if I hadn't already reserved my November moviegoing for Wicked. The Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, on the other hand, is a must. Timothee Chalamet was a wonderful young Willy Wonka, and parts were filmed in Cape May (standing in for Newport). Captain America: Brave New World looks just as good as the earlier Captain America films with a different actor playing the Captain. (And will likely be a far better February movie than the ridiculous Argyle.)
I won't go into the plot because of spoilers, but I did like it. I enjoyed the other two Deadpool films and am a fan of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, so I figured it was something I'd get a kick out of. The duo played perfectly off each other as "The Merc With a Mouth" who is trying to save his friends and his timeline from being erased and the lost soul of a former X-Man who is trying to live down losing the people he cares about. The cameos ranged from cool to goofy (especially Chris Evans as a totally different character than Captain America) to very unexpected. They did dig up an awesome villain in Cassandra Nova, who rules the barren world where they're sent and has her own bone to pick with the X-Men. Love the soundtrack too, with everything from NSYNC to Huey Lewis and the News to Jimmy Durante.
The movie does share the same problem as the other Deadpool films of Wade's stream-of-consciousness pop culture references becoming dated in a few years. As mentioned, it's also way beyond too long. The movie probably could have been trimmed near the end with no one the wiser. A fight between Deadpool, Wolverine, and 100 other versions of Deadpool is funny and looks cool but adds nothing else to the story. There's also this being rated R for a reason. These characters are notorious for coming from dark comics with a lot of violence, blood, and profanity, and that's replicated here.
If you're a fan of any of these characters, the movies it refers to, Reynolds, or Jackman, you'll want to grab your own buddy and head to the theater for one more go-around with the Merc with a Mouth and the most famous X-Man of all.
Made my way over the pedestrian bridge to the Cherry Hill Mall for lunch after the movie ended. I wanted to try Blue Fig Garden, a new Mediterranean restaurant outside the Mall as part of their "Restaurant Row." I came in to a quiet interior with a few couples enjoying lunch at large, modern tables while the girl brought me soft pita bread and olive oil to dip it in. I looked at the sandwiches, but the prices were a bit much for what you got, and I really wanted something more ethnic. Tried Pachanga Pastry, phyllo dough filled with Turkish pastrami, red peppers, and cheese. Very tasty, but also fairly small. I ate the lettuce and tomatoes they came on, too.
Went into the mall after lunch for a walk. I don't really need clothes right now, so I didn't bother with the department stores. Poked around in Build-a-Bear, Miniso, Hot Topic, Go! Calendars and Toys, and the Squishmallow store, but the only place I bought anything was FYE. Ended up with two records there for half-way decent prices:
John Coltrane - Trane: The Atlantic Collection
The Monkees - More of the Monkees (which came with a second disc of songs recorded for but not used on the album - and it was only $15!)
The bus would be arriving at 4:20, which gave me enough time to get money from an ATM machine. Since that only gave out 20 dollar bills, I stopped upstairs at Aunt Annie's for a good, greasy pretzel and a small cup of very tart and sweet lemonade. The bus picks up just around the corner from the main entrance. It was right on time, and other than getting caught in rush hour traffic on Cuthbert, there were no problems on the road.
Went straight into job hunting and the inventory when I got home. Added the H through K titles, from The Happiest Millionaire through the film version of Kismet. Included the Hogan's Heroes album I found at Abbie Road earlier this year. It's not technically a soundtrack, but it is based after a TV show, which is close enough.
Watched Surf Party while I worked. I go further into the very first Beach Party imitation, with Bobby Vinton as a surf shop owner and Jackie DeShannon as one of three girls on vacation, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.
Broke for dinner at 7 PM. Ate while watching Match Game '78. They cut to early in the year, before the set changed and Richard left. He's still not in a good mood here, even joined by Gary Burghoff, Fannie Flagg, and Jo Ann Pflug.
Finished the night after a shower listening to classic rock and R&B while working on my Surf Party review. I go way back with Santana's music. My mother was and remains a huge fan of his. She was thrilled when Supernatural came out and probably still has her CD with her in Virginia. Zebop! and Shango came out in the early 80's, during the tail end of his first flush of popularity. "Winning" was the hit from Zebop!, but I also liked "The Sensitive Kind" and "I Love You Much Too Much." "Nowhere to Run" was my favorite from Shango.
I also go way back with Fats Domino. Mom used his big hits like "I'm Walkin'" and "Blueberry Hill" for her oldies aerobics classes in the late 80's, and I heard them on the Saturday night oldies show I listened to on the radio every week around the same time. The Best of Fats Domino also has a good version of "My Blue Heaven," along with "Blue Monday" and "Walking to New Orleans."
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