Reel Critics: ‘Trainwreck’ takes an enjoyable turn

Judd Apatow is the godfather of the raunchy semi-romantic comedy. His credits include “Bridesmaids,” “Knocked Up” and “This is 40,” to name a few.

In “Trainwreck,” he teams up with the remarkable talents of sweet bad girl Amy Schumer. Together, they take this unique humor to a higher level.

Schumer is known as a cutting-edge stand-up comic who frankly portrays the sexual habits of her generation. She wrote the screenplay and stars as a female reporter also named Amy. She works for a macho low-brow men’s magazine. Her character embodies a female version of the shallow male lounge lizard.

The brief bedroom scenes are R-rated but hilarious. The vulgarity is verbal, not visual. After the bawdy set-up, the movie takes an unexpected turn. Amy is assigned to write a story about a doctor who specializes in sports injuries. As they start to fall in love, a whole new set of issues arise for Amy.

Bill Hader of SNL fame is outstanding as the low-key, nerdy doctor. His patients include famous athletes who appear as themselves. LeBron James steals the show with great comic timing and surprising acting skills.

I don’t think I have ever seen a film that starts out so risqué and ends up so sweet. If you can take the initial crude humor with the final romantic outcome, you’ll have a good time with this one.

—John Depko

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Heroes, villains and insects abound in ‘Ant-Man’

The idea of an ant as superhero sounds like a joke, but in Marvel Comics’ “Ant-Man,” Paul Rudd manages to make it an amusing, if paint-by-numbers, action caper.

Brilliant Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) develops technology to shrink a man in a spandex suit and a mask down to a speck, making him the ultimate secret weapon.

When he mysteriously retires, his protégé turned evil scientist Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) duplicates his research and comes up with — Yellow Jacket Man? It doesn’t have the same cachet, but it will mean millions for Cross. No doubt he envisions himself as an action figure, complete with cool wings and an Epi-Pen.

Enter Scott Lang (Rudd), a modern-day Robin Hood with a master’s degree in cute. Thanks to his buddy (a wonderfully dim-witted Michael Peña), Scott pulls off a heist that ultimately has him donning the body-hugging red suit and learning to command an army of insects.

The special effects, especially in the final battle, are pretty crazy fun. “Ant-Man” is enjoyable family entertainment, ranking to a lesser degree on the superhero meter.

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Mr. Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is also a superhero: elegant, cerebral, but still just as capable of taking down a villain. His sharp tongue and posh accent are his weapons of choice.

And who better to play him this time around in “Mr. Holmes” than Ian McKellen, as the legendary detective battles the ultimate foe: old age.

Holmes has retired to the English countryside and keeps bees. But what hounds him is his struggle to recall his last case, which ended badly some 30 years ago.

Holmes is looked after by a slightly resentful housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her bright young son, Roger (Milo Parker), who takes a keen interest in Mr. Holmes’ bees and in his powers of deduction.

McKellen gives a beautifully modulated performance as a frail yet feisty Holmes of 93 and in flashbacks as the elegant sleuth in his prime.

This is a quiet study of a man forced to come to terms with a memory and body that are failing him and a lifetime of regrets about how he failed others. “Mr. Holmes” ends on a beautifully eloquent note of redemption.

—Susanne Perez

JOHN DEPKO is a retired senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. He lives in Costa Mesa and works as a licensed private investigator. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a company in Irvine.