On DVD: 'The Road' and "Wolverine'

I watched a couple of movies recently while traveling, and here are some thoughts.

The Road (2009): What a hauntingly good film. Vigo Mortenson and young Kodi Smit-McPhee form a powerful duo, who spend most of the time together, with interludes of interaction with other characters in this post-apocalyptic drama. It is violent, and is it dark, but the film reeled me in from the beginning and didn't let go of me until I sat there stunned and emotionally drained during the closing credits. Like Children of Men (which I reviewed briefly earlier this year), it's really not a sci-fi movie; it's really a dark tale of a father and son, and one that, though I'm not likely to watch again, I'm glad I did.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009): I reviewed this last year after it came out, and I can tell you I actually enjoyed it more this time without the weight of the 20-year expectations of a Wolverine movie. It still had it's problems: the last fight scene was too over-the-top; the special effects were sub-par; and there are too many characters. But I liked it better the second time. Hugh Jackman is awesome as Logan, Ryan Reynolds is good as Deadpool (though they butchered his charater a little), and the story was interesting. Is it a great movie? No. Does it belong among the best super-hero movies? No. But it's very entertaining, and I would certainly see a sequel.