Father Time, all the hack sportswiters say, is undefeated. So one way to introduce some pathos into your comic book franchise is to pit your aging superhero against the champ. This approach, pioneered by Frank Miller in his seminal Dark Knight series, can humanize a monolithic symbol, as they find their once great abilities greatly reduced. This is the idea that drives James Mangold’s Logan, the R-rated Wolverine movie that (probably) marks Hugh Jackman’s final appearance as the character. It opens today in a couple of thousand theaters across the country and our critic Piers Marchant recommends it for those who like their red meat rare.
But if aging proves difficult for the mutant, he’s not likely to find much box office competition this weekend. It’s going up against the likes of Table 19, a misfits at a wedding comedy, and a teen mystery called Before I Fall — about a high school girl (Zoey Deutch) who keeps reliving her last day alive — which sounds like it was based on an old Dear Abby column. And the makers of The Shack, a Christian-themed movie from Lionsgate starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer, had such little faith in the project they declined to screen it for critics.
Also Philip Martin has some final thoughts on the Oscars, Karen Martin has her weekly home video round-up and Dan Lybarger talks to the director and star of the hybrid documentary Kate Plays Christine. All in the Style section of Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.