– Ryan Reynolds is a massively experienced actor with 61 pictures and 24 television series listed in his filmography.

– He made sure that ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ did not end up with an inflated budget; ensuring that the film had the same “micro-budget feel” as the previous two entries. [1] IMDb.com

-Reynolds is a Canadian actor who was born in Vancouver, BC.

-He’s one of the higher paid entertainers working today, with a net worth of $350 million USD (2024).

-Ryan’s earlier attempts at appearing in superhero properties ended in spectacular failure, ”Green Lantern’ and ‘X-Men Wolverine: Origins’ were critical-flops and commercial losses, both motion pictures featured the actor in a key role.

-Reynolds first rose to prominence with his breakout film National Lampoon’s ‘Van Wilder’ (2002).

Kingsman: The Secret Service

What a ride!

Hold my umbrella as I regale you with a tale of secret agents, Oxford whites and technocrat billionaires. If you took Ian Flemming and added Guy Ritchie’s sensibilities – the outcome would be: Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Kingsman’ movies. ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ is an absurdist nightmare with cheeky overtones; providing levity for an audience that otherwise might be nonplussed with the now rather tired tropes of the spy thriller genre.

Colin Firth takes the lead – starring as Harry Hart AKA agent “Gallahad” – a pastiche of British superspy James Bond and ‘Get Smart’s’ Maxwell Smart. Agent Gallahad is a man not to be trifled with; he’s humanity’s last hope to prevent a planned doomsday event, working alongside a new agent-in-training, “Eggsy” – played expertly by Taron Eggerton.

‘Madame Web’ defines mediocrity.

Albeit, it’s not nearly as awful as most critics would have you believe. It doesn’t reach ‘Morbius’ levels of bad – yet, this movie is so bland and predictable – that it’s (essentially) the cinematic equivalent of paint-by-numbers. Which begs the question: how did the filmmaker manage to botch the more formulaic aspects of this movie?

All this picture required was standard superhero fare:

tell an origin story, craft a villain with little to no characterization, and finish it all with an action set-piece atop some towering structure – skyscraper, scaffolding, monument, etc. If this formula was followed – we would’ve had an average Marvel movie.

Not a masterpiece, but enjoyable viewing nonetheless.

Why, then, is Sony Pictures Madame Web worse than your run-of-the-mill Marvel flick?

‘Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent’ sticks to the proven formula of a Dick Wolfe production; while combining cultural aspects of Canada –  to great success. As a longtime fan of the franchise and a self-admitted “procedural drama junkie”, I’m a fairly good judge of what makes a cop-show work. Dialogue and pacing is one of the most important factors. Each episode is a self-contained mystery, so the story needs to be engaging yet delivered somewhat opaquely. Anticipation and intrigue is key.

The pilot episode’s plot is fairly straightforward:

 A crypto mogul is missing after attending an event on Lake Ontario, taking with him hundreds of millions in cash from his clients. Has he absconded with the money or is it possible that foul play is involved?