The 16 Most Anticipated Films Of 2016

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December 23, 2015

Okay, we’ve already gone over what went right and what went wrong in 2015, it’s now time to discuss what’s coming up in 2016. The slate of films in 2016 promises to be as unique a year as we have ever had at the movies. DC Comics is set to jump in the superhero film phenomenon, Bill Pullman, and Jeff Goldblum are once again leading the fight for our independence, one of Marvel’s most popular characters is set to get the treatment he deserves, The Avengers are about to throw down, and Jon Favreau is set to tackle one of Disney’s most iconic properties – those are just some of the most anticipated projects on tap for 2016. So in keeping with the new year… let’s look at the 16 most anticipated films in 2016. To start off … let’s look at our honorable mention.

Honorable Mention – Doctor Strange

Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel McAdams round out a strong cast as Cumberbatch takes on the title role of the disgraced surgeon who gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under his wing.

16. Ghostbusters

This movie hasn’t even released its first trailer and I can’t think of a movie that has received more heat. What’s infuriating about this is that most of the criticism centers around the cast being all female rather than all male (the way it was in the original film). Before we sit here and condemn this film, we need to give this film a chance and judge it on its merit. Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon are great actresses and could very well redefine the Ghostbusters brand (in a good way).

15. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

This prequel to the Harry Potter Series, starring Eddie Redmayne as a Magizoologist has muggles everywhere counting the days until November.

14. The Girl On The Train

Based on the 2015 Paul Hawkins best seller, has the potential to be a smash hit, in the same way, Gone Girl was. Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, and Justin Theroux are set to star.

13. Moana

Coming out in November, it stars newcomer Auili’i Cravalho playing a teenage Polynesian princess in search of a fabled Island.

12. Finding Dory

Disney/Pixar’s most forgetful fish returns in this sequel to the 2003 Finding Nemo.

11. Independence Day: Resurgence

Twenty years after the humans narrowly escaping destruction by Aliens, they have to do it all over again.

10. Star Trek: Beyond

I’m a huge fan of Star Trek but to say that I’m a little nervous about Justin Lin taking over for J.J. Abrams as director for this 3^rd installment in the rebooted franchise would be an understatement.

9. X-Men: Apocalypse

Apocalypse (Oscar Issac) is pretty intent on destroying the world and a band of mutants unite to stop him.

8. Warcraft

The fact that I’m going to have to watch this film actually causes me to dry heave, but there is no denying just how big this movie is going to be with gamers.

7. Zoolander 2

It’s been 15 years and Derek Zoolander and Hansel McDonald are back and the mission, this time around is to prevent the assassination of music’s brightest stars.

6. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

In light of recent events, I feel like I might have this film a little too low but none the less it is a spinoff that takes place between Episode III and IV. It’s story of a band of resistance fighters as they fight to get the plans to the Death Star.

5. Jungle Book

A live action adaption of the 1894 Rudyard Kipling story directed by Jon Favreau and starring Bill Murray as the voice of Baloo … I’m in!

4. Captain America: Civil War

I’m probably going to catch some heat for ranking this film this low in the Top 16 but it’s warranted. The Marvel films have become a tad cookie cutter, thus taking away that edginess that we love about Comic Book Films. This film should be massive and maybe the Russo Brothers can do something that will get me jazzed again about Marvel films.

3. Deadpool

Truth be told, I could have easily put this film as number one overall but three actually fits for Deadpool. This is the 8^th installment of an X-Men type film and it promises to be the raunchiest as Ryan Reynolds is set to portray a super hero that we have quite frankly never seen before on the big screen.

2. Suicide Squad

2016 could very well be the year of DC Comics; as not only will we be treated to the introduction of Justice League (in Batman v Superman) but we are going to be see the most unique concept ever done in the Comic Book Genre. A band of villains brought together to accomplish a mission and to top it all off .. we have Jared Leto portraying Joker. If you aren’t excited about that, then you must be dead inside.

1. Batman v Superman

Picking this film as the most anticipated film of 2016 was the easiest part of this article. Batman v Superman has so much riding on its success (basically the whole DC Film brand hinges on this film) that Zack Snyder has to produce a hit (much in the way that J.J. Abrams had to for Star Wars). Lucky for all of us, we won’t have to wait too much longer to see whether or not the DC universe is set to explode on screen.

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Geekflix – Top ‘Netflix’ Picks For January 2016

By

Anthony Wendel

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December 23, 2015

Happy Holidays dear readers. The time has come to go over the releases coming to Netflix in January 2016. There are a plethora of great series and movies coming for you viewing pleasure so let’s get to it.

1. 2 Fast 2 Furious (January 1st)

With the seventh installment of the series fresh out this year, why not take the time to go back and see some of the earlier installments. This one is bit weaker but at least it’s not Tokyo Drift.

2. Angry Birds Toons (January 1st)

Everyone loves Angry Birds. It’s so beloved a movie based on the game will be coming out next year. Until then why not watch this series of shorts to tide you over until it is out.

3. Catwoman (January 1st)

Called one of the worst comic adaptations ever. Is it true? Yes, but if you are in the mood for a terrible film you can mock with a bunch of friends, this will not disappoint.

4. Constantine (January 1st)

Not a great adaptation but not a bad one either. With the Constantine show no longer around, fans will be able to enjoy this movie and watch Keenu Reeves as John Constantine getting caught in a war between Angels and Demons.

5. Training Day (January 4th)

One of the best cop movies ever made. Denzel Washington plays Detective Alonzo Harris, a corrupt cop who takes a rookie through his first day of what it takes to be a cop in the city. Definitely, not your typical first day at work.

6. Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 10 (January 5)

Another season from the show which gave us Kitten Mittens, the Nightman, and Green man. This time around the gang take a flight, go on a group date, and join a cult, all with chaotic and hilarious results. If you haven’t taken the time to watch this show you should really binge on it over a weekend.

7. Dragons: Race to the edge: Season 2 (January. 8th)

If you can’t get enough of Dreamworks: How to train your dragon, Netflix has provided another season of their own series based on the popular franchise. Watch Hiccup and Toothless have more adventure and torch anything which tries to keep them down.

8. Park and Recreation: Season 7 (January 13)

The fantastic comedy starring Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman comes to an end but has us laughing the entire time. This time the season picks up three years later but despite how much the characters grow they still come back to the town of Pawnee.

9. Z: Nation: Season 2 (January 17)

A show about trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse? Yes please. If you need a zombie fix with Walking Dead on its mid season break, this show will satisfy your need for flesh craving zombie action.

10. Sharknado 3 (January 22)

A movie so bad it’s incredible. This third installment involves sharks being dropped on the Daytona 500, sharks in space, and an energy chainsaw. Also there is apparently going to be a fourth one, so make sure to watch this one or you won’t be able to follow the intricate storytelling.

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When Will Someone Tell Max Landis To Shut Up And Create?

By

Matthew Sardo

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December 23, 2015

Max Landis, who has a little street cred in the film industry for his screenplay for Chronicle, also writes a pretty decent comic book. Check out our review: ‘Superman: American Alien’ Could Be The Best Book Of 2016

His father John Landis is an icon in the directing world with too many films to list, but below are the ‘must watch.’ The elder Landis made some duds in the 90s, but his early work is untouchable. Also, he was producing shows on HBO 20 years before it was cool.

Quintessential John Landis
1990-1996 Dream On
1988 Coming to America
1986 ¡Three Amigos!
1985 Spies Like Us
1983 Michael Jackson: Thriller
1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie (prologue & segment 1)
1983 Trading Places
1981 An American Werewolf in London
1980 The Blues Brothers
1978 Animal House
1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie

Enter in 30-year-old Landis who is coming off a terrible year in the film world with America Ultra and Victor Frankenstein. The writer claims America Ultra is this generation’s True Romance. One thing is for sure, Landis has become more infamous for his social media rants than his film work. His latest rant involves dislike for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I’m not sure how Hollywood works, but you’re sure as heck don’t want to piss-off J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm, and Disney if you want to make action / science fiction films. Oh, that’s right! None of them can hear Landis because they are swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck!

Landis in his video below comes off as a spoiled little brat and the epitome of what people consider a millennial to act like. Breaking news for you Max Landis, you haven’t earned anything yet! Shut up and get to work, because you have talent. Don’t waste it worrying about everything and everyone else.

Share your opinion in the moment section below.

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New Belgium And Cycle Brewing Team Up For ‘Of Snow and Sand’ Baltic Porter

By

Matthew Sardo

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December 23, 2015

Wednesday morning Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing announced they have teamed up with St. Petersburg-based Cycle Brewing for Beers with Vrienden to create Of Snow and Sand, a toasted coconut Baltic porter.

Doug Dozark, Cycle Brewing’s owner and brewmaster will join New Belgium’s Ross Koenigs, employee owner and pilot brewer, in Ft. Collins, Colo. for the official Of Snow and Sand brew day on January 15, 2016.

“Our logos both have the beloved bike on them, so it was only a matter of time before we had to get together and brew,” said Lauren Salazar, New Belgium’s specialty brand manager and blender. “What we’ve created for this first collaboration beer is something that’s a winter-ready porter built for the beach. The white caps of the Rockies are our playground in the winter, but sometimes we can’t help but dream of the sand and so this beer merges our worlds.”

About Of Snow and Sand: A tropical twist thanks to a dose of experimental hop HBC 472, which offers a breezy coconut aroma, plus the addition of hand-toasted coconut. The complex malt line-up includes Maris Otter, Black Prinz, Honey and Caramel malt. At 8.3% ABV and 38 IBUs, Of Snow and Sand is hearty enough to enjoy in the winter, yet also great to take along to the beach.

Cycle Brewing will hold a release party in St. Petersburg for Of Snow and Sand from February 18-21, followed by a second brew date Of Snow and Sand on February 19.

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Marvel Orders Gwenpool Ongoing Series Starting in April

By

Matthew Sardo

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December 23, 2015

Marvel announced Tuesday, an ongoing series for the character Gwenpool starting in April. The Unbelievable Gwenpool has the creative team of Christopher Hastings and Gurihiru.

About Gwenpool: Gwen Poole used to be a comic book reader just like you…until one day she woke up INSIDE the Marvel Universe! Now the characters she read about are all real! But they can’t be really real, right? This must all be fake, or a dream or something right? You know what that means – NO CONSEQUENCES! First order of business, get a costume and start fighting crime. Why? Because that’s what everyone who has a solo series does!

“The series is a lot about her believing she’s in a fictional world with no consequences,” says series writer Hastings, speaking with Entertainment Weekly. “She’s seen everyone come back to life at some point, and it sort of seems like she’s living in a video game. And then the book is going to be the universe fighting back at that. Like, ‘you can’t really get away with everything’ is kind of the struggle there.”

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Richard Linklater’s ‘Everybody Wants Some’ Trailer

By

Matthew Sardo

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December 23, 2015

Annapurna Pictures and Paramount released the trailer for Everybody Wants Some from the creative genius that is Richard Linklater. A Van Halen song is always a good start to a film (Better Off Dead, Superbad).

Officially billed as a “spiritual sequel” to Linklater’s seminal Dazed and Confused, the film takes place in the world of 1980s college life and follows a group of college baseball players as they navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.

Everybody Wants Some stars Will Brittain, Zoey Deutch, Ryan Anthony Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Blake Jenner, Glen Powell, and Wyatt Russell and will have its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March before opening in theaters on April 15, 2016.

Linklater has been nominated for five Oscars, most recently for Boyhood (Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing, Best Writing, Original Screenplay).

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Into The Badlands Episode 6 “Hand Of Five Poisons”

By

Mat Douglas

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December 22, 2015

Into The Badlands season finale begins with Sunny paying a visit to the River King, presenting him with a head, as the King demanded in the previous episode. Sunny expresses his need to leave the Badlands that very night, the River King tells him that he will depart at midnight, and to not be late. Telling Vail they are leaving tonight, she demands to know how her parents died. Sunny finally tells her the truth, that Quinn killed her parents with his sword while he stood by. Vail questions whether Sunny can be different if they do leave the Badlands, and not the Clipper he has been his whole life.

Last weeks’ episode saw Jade collapse in Quinn’s arms, the Widow wounded in her fight against Sunny and barely escaping, while Quinn looked on and witnessed M.K.’s hidden power.

A lone traveler walks along the road, heading towards a mysterious building in the distance. Inside, three monks sit in meditation and the traveler tells them that a dark one has been found.

At the Fort, while Lydia comforts Jade, Quinn has discovered that Lydia poisoned Jade and that the poisonous flowers she used were also responsible for the death of Quinn’s previous wife, Beatrice. Quinn spares Lydia’s life and opts to cast her out of the Fort. Pleading with Ryder to help prove her innocence, and her pleas falling on deaf ears, Lydia returns to her father and begs to be taken back by the father she abandoned for a better life with Quinn years before. Meanwhile, Ryder sets his plan into motion to become Baron, making the Widow’s infiltration look like a betrayal by Sunny. Quinn confronts Sunny, accusing him of treason, stripping him of his position as Regent, and has him put in chains. Sunny vows to clip Quinn first once he gets free.

Into The Badlands - Sunny — Sunny (Daniel Wu) accused of treason and taken prisoner
Photo: AMC Networks

Vail is taken, not by Quinn, but by the Widow’s butterflies. Wounded from the battle at the Fort, her wound has become infected and requires immediate treatment. Treating her to bargain for release, Vail gives Tilda a choice, heal the widow with medicine she has left, or poison her and make her own path.

In chains, Sunny receives a visit from Waldo. Two swift moves later, Waldo has disabled the guard and released Sunny, revealing himself as the Widow’s spy inside the Fort. Quinn, having cast Lydia out and imprisoned Sunny, decides to take M.K. to the doll house to celebrate a new beginning for both of them. Ryder and Zypher confirm their plans to unseat their respective masters when Quinn heads into town that evening.

Calling out his attackers before they strike, Quinn is not surprised to see Jacoby and Zypher, but is taken aback when seeing Ryder. Taking his father’s lessons to heart, Ryder seeks to take power, as his father took it from the previous Baron. As stated in previous reviews, and pretty much any article talking about this show, the fight scenes and action sequences, they are superb and the final one of this season is no different. Cutting M.K. to give himself the advantage, Quinn steps aside while the three attackers attempt to subdue him. Quinn slinks off and looks to wait out the fighting and runs into Sunny. Clipping his Baron as promised, Sunny tells Quinn that he will be his last tattoo before attempting to stop M.K. from doing further damage, and then the monks show up.

Three Monks - Into The Badlands — Monks have come for M.K.
Photo: AMC Networks

Shutting M.K. down in efficient fashion, the leader (former UFC fighter Cung Le) look to leave with M.K. and Sunny isn’t about to let that happen. Taking on the other two, Sunny holds his own, but the leader takes him on head to head. At this point, Sunny may stand a chance but then all three monks are shown to be what M.K. is, their pupils go black and they thump Sonny through 3 walls and into darkness.

Vail gets back to town to find nothing but bodies and Sunny’s broken blade. We next see Sunny in the hold of a ship, the River King knows Sunny lied about the head he bought him. In chains, the River King tells Sunny that a man of his skill has value and that his wish to leave the Badlands has been granted, and M.K., is taken by the monks into parts unknown.

A solid season finale has answered a few questions but leaves many more. Quinn is dead, it is unsure if Ryder and Jacoby survived their encounter with M.K., and the Widow is alive but wounded. Lydia has returned to her father Penrith and his religious order, of which we know very little about, and there is a whole lot of territory left unclaimed.

A 6 episode first season of Into The Badlands has raised the bar for any action series going forward. Engaging characters, strong performances, and action sequences that would make a Hollywood blockbuster question its’ own worth, we’ll have to wait until late 2016 for season two.

An upcoming column will feature the best fight scenes in the show this season.

Did you like this episode? Let me know in the comments

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Will We See The Marvel Cinematic Universe Altogether?

By

Sean McGrath

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December 22, 2015

One of the the biggest questions in the back of my mind with each installment in the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe is one that we get a small taste of in May. With Captain America: Civil War hitting theaters, we will see one of, if not the largest, casts of Marvel characters to ever grace a feature film.

Captain America: Civil War — Iron Man and the Winter Soldier are just two of many characters within the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Aside from the massive battle of X-Men: The Last Stand, we are seeing the names of Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Falcon, Hawkeye, Vision, Bucky Barnes and War Machine getting another big screen feature. Adding to that list, Spiderman and Black Panther getting their first taste of the MCU continuity. All in all, we see a major uptake in the body count from years past culminating into this major release.

Aside from this, you still have Thor, the Hulk, Doctor Strange and the entire ABC and Netflix properties that exist in this massive universe, all looking to make a break into a massive conglomerate of Marvel characters.

Possible? Absolutely. Likely? Not very.

Year by year, Marvel has grown each and every property, with new movies and new characters galore that create this world around themselves and opens up great storylines that may be inclusive to their respective titles, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Much like how everyone thought that 2008’s Incredible Hulk was the red-headed stepchild of the MCU, the reestablishment of General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in Civil War shows that the events in Harlem have existed.

As mentioned above, among the movies we also have Agents of Shield and some plot lines from Agent Carter, but more of the former and not the latter. Add Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, the Punisher and Iron Fist in the Defender series, with the likelyhood of Marvel adding new names to the mix each year.

In the wide scope of things, we deal with a lot of mismatching when it comes to including each and every character in the MCU. One being the content of each property. As it is now, the movies and ABC shows are lighter, opposed to the darker toned Netflix series. But that is an easy route to avoid, simply have the characters there and sub out some of the more explicit content.

Of course, there is a hard concept of the SHIELD characters making a jump from TV to film, with the elusiveness of Agent Coulson and the lack of the heroes knowledge of his existence still might make for a hard crossover.

First, is the Civil War storyline, the entirety of the MCU is at war. Sides are taken and lines are crossed. Every hero has their alliance and it culminates into epic battles between people who should be allies, but are more threatening to each other. We could see the sides divided and spend the entirety of the story in a massive battle that could set up a lot of stories down the road.

My second thought of every single character making the jump to a single movie would possibly be down the road for Avengers: Infinity Wars Pt. 1 & 2.

With the thought of the Infinity Stones coming into play and Thanos ramping up his search for them, it’s only a matter of time before he comes into possession of them and merges them to the Infinity Gauntlet and truly hones in on his power. This power will be unmatched by the mainstay heroes and will require all of the MCU to band together. We still have Dr. Strange, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and Spiderman getting ready to establish themselves in the universe, along with those coming along in Netflix over the next few years.

So my thought is, when Thanos assumes his unlimited power, it will be the call that someone makes and calls all of the heroes together to try and defeat him. While it’s a bold prediction, I don’t see any avenue earlier that makes sense for all of them to join up, and with as big of a villain as Thanos, it makes total sense that everyone introduced up to that point when Part I hits theaters in 2018.

I would love to see the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe be on the big screen all together when Thanos attempts to take over the universe. And I fully think that they can do small crossovers in the mean time with the big stars and the Agents of SHIELD, whether it’s bringing some down to the TV screen or giving some of the characters a bit of a promotion.

Finally, and this is the most out there, but the introduction of a Secret Wars storyline. This would be a huge budget film and likely wouldn’t be in the realm of going into production until after 2020, but it would be a great way to explore the outer space portion of Marvel, outside of Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy.

So the question is asked to you, Monkeys Fighting Robots readers, will we ever see every character together in one movie?

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FIVE GREAT SHORT FILMS: THE EARLIER WORKS OF SOME GREAT FILMMAKERS

By

Oscar Moreno

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December 22, 2015

Short films have always been a good calling card for directors. Most if not all of the world’s filmmakers have made one or more shorts, whether it’s for fun, for school or to exercise their skills before moving on to greater things. This list includes some of the greatest examples from around the world.

The Letter by Michel Gondry

Remember that feeling when you were twelve years old and had a crush on a girl? This short is all about that. Throw in Gondry’s trademark crazy in-camera and imagery effects, and you have a sincere, funny and heartfelt short that feels like not just a snapshot from Gondry’s memory, but from anyone who’s ever been a teenager.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfgA7xJfO1g[/embedyt]

How they Get There by Spike Jonze

A brisk, darkly hilarious movie that shows that almost plays out like an anxiety dream about hitting on someone. And if you were ever curious about how do sneakers end up hanging from power cables, this is the film for you.

You can find How They Get There as part of The Work of Director Spike Jonze DVD.

The Big Shave by Martin Scorsese

Meant as a metaphor for the Vietnam War, this short by Martin Scorsese may not have the full technical prowess we’d see in his later works, but the imagery is simple and powerful, showing signs of what was to come from one of cinema’s masters.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1T93rJ9p-s[/embedyt]

Curfew by Shawn Christensen

A 20-minute ride that follows suicidal drug addict Richie taking care of his niece during a night out in New York City. Beautifully shot, emotional and surprisingly funny at times, this short won a well-deserved Academy Award in 2015.

You can find it as part of the Oscar Nominated Short Films 2013 digital collection right here.

Geometría by Guillermo del Toro

What happens when you’re about to fail Math? Ask the Devil for help, of course. Del Toro’s short film is hilarious, with a touch of old school horror, complete with dubbed voices.

You can find it as part of the Criterion DVD and Blu-Ray for Cronos .

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Deadpool IMAX Poster And Trailer Released

By

Dewey Singleton - Film Critic

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December 22, 2015

For the ninth day of Deadpool, IMAX has revealed an exclusive poster for the film. The poster shows the entire cast in flames, with Deadpool riding on top of Colossus’ shoulders at the center of it all. The coolest part of the poster is Deadpool battling Ajax at the bottom and of course the Stan Lee Cameo.

as an added bonus we were also given a new 30 second IMAX trailer.

Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

It certainly seems that the marketing and the push behind this much anticipated film is right on target and is only building excitement amongst the core fanbase. I don’t know about you but I’m counting down the days till we see Ryan Reynolds become Wade Wilson once again in 2016.

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