FREEZE FRAME: “Deadpool,” “Zoolander 3,” “How to be Single,” “Where to Invade Next,” “Son of Saul”

First, the bad news: The edgy R-rated Marvel superhero movie “Deadpool” is smutty, vulgar, tasteless and perverse. Now, the good news: “Deadpool” is funny, sharply made and Ryan Reynolds is terrific as the X-Men’s snarky, wisecracking antihero. If you’re not easily offended, “Deadpool” could prove to be a shamelessly raunchy guilty pleasure. Just leave the kids at home.

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson return as the fashion world’s dumbest male models in “Zoolander 2,” the sequel to the 2001 comedy that developed a cult following on video. An endless parade of celebrity cameos is the most amusing thing about this long-delayed follow-up that plays like an overextended sketch. Even fans of the original may find it lame.

“How to be Single” is a bawdy R-rated sex comedy that may make you want to shun the single life. A likable cast that includes Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Allison Brie and Leslie Mann give the movie a boost, but this episodic and meandering movie plays out like a de-glamorized episode of “Sex and the City.”

“Where to Invade Next” is the latest documentary from left wing activist Michael Moore. Moore goes a number of other countries to see how they’re coping with –and overcoming- some of the same problems that plague the USA. It’s smart and very informative, but Moore’s preachiness can become a distraction.

“Son of Saul” is the likely winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. This stark and powerful drama from Poland is about a Jew forced to do dirty work for the Nazis at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Things get complicated when he’s ordered to burn the body of a boy who may or may not be his son. Uniquely filmed, “Son of Saul” somehow manages to be simultaneously off-putting and riveting.


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