Movie Review Madness: Spiderman Far From Home

Spiderman : Far From Home is really a fun Marvel summer movie break to see on the big screen. It’s big and bold, filled with humor, and truly entertaining.  I like Tom Holland a lot. He plays an innocent high school kid who has spidey powers, but he’s dorky and sweet, and still trying to figure out his role in this world.  He’s bereft after the Avengers Endgame loss of heroes. He truly misses Tony Stark and is afraid of the power and mantle bestowed upon him by Tony.

The high school kids are headed to Europe and Peter Parker just wants to be a kid, have a blast, and profess his love to MJ (the fabulous Zendaya) at the top of the Eiffel Tower on the Paris stop. Awesome, right?  Well, it turns out there is chaos breaking out all over Europe.  Peter/Spiderman is summoned by Nick Fury (oh, that Samuel Jackson) to stop it. Not too much pressure on a fun trip.

Enter – Jake Gyllenhaal (Mysterio) who seems to be able to battle the evil elements – Water, Fire, etc.  Wow – Spiderman thinks he’s found a fellow superhero to look up to and work with. Hmm.

Too good to be true?  You think?

So, the mission is crazy. Peter just wants to be a tourist. But, no…Spiderman must web sling into Venice, Prague, etc.  Who is he battling to save the Earth?  I won’t give away more.  Go see Spiderman: Far From Home and root for Peter Parker/Spiderman. And of course, Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) is awesome, as is Jon Favreau as Hap. So many good moments, laughs, and lines. Oh these kids. This is summer movie magic – get that tub of popcorn , a big soda. Sit back and enjoy. Stay for the whole credits to catch the two post movie clips.  Say, what??? And that’s a teaser….

Monday Marvel

Captain Marvel is marvelous. Brie Larson is marvelous. This is a very fun movie in the whole Marvel universe. It does great back story, pulls in lots of little things for the future, demonstrates some serious woman power, and pretty much kicks butt.  We shall see if Alex Cavanaugh agrees. We tend to give reviews around the same time and I know he was excited for this film.  It totally exceeded my expectations. I was not thrilled by previews, but I like Brie as an actress. She did not let me down.

I will not go into a whole plot line. You would need a power point presentation at this juncture to describe Marvel World.  Let's just say that we do see a CGI young version of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury back when he had two functioning eyes and we see why he ultimately needed a patch. Also Clark Gregg as Colson and how he and Fury worked together. There's a whole Agents of Shield connection.

Ben Mendelsohn is quite good as a Skrull - shape shifting character. Is he good or bad? I wasn't sure at first which way this would go. Also, Annette Bening as Dr. Lawson - WTF - what's the connection?  And the cat Goose? 

So many questions. Go see Captain Marvel for answers. You will not be disappointed as this movie kicks off our spring season. It's been a dry spell. Time for some entertainment on the Big Big screen.

Movie Review Madness - Incredible 2

I am very behind on movies - cannot keep up with Alex Cavanaugh. But here I am with a review. Better late than never.

It took a long time but it was worth the wait – Incredibles 2 has that Pixar magic. Animation, story line, voices, and energy make for a very entertaining two hours for young and old alike.  When we last left the family, super heroes have been banned. So Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) has slogged in the insurance world, and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) has stayed home with the kids – Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner), and baby Jack-Jack. But trouble is brewing and a very rich entrepreneur Winston D.(Bob Odenkirk – yes, doing his Better Call Saul kind of voice) wants to make super heroes cool and necessary again.

So he wants to promote Elastigirl. After much discussion, Mr. Incredible is home with the kids – oh, that gives some funny scenes. He’s exhausted with Violet teen angst, kid’s New math (Dash), and Jack-Jack exploding into his super powers. The kid can vanish and go through walls, he can become a demon and burst into flames, and he can duplicate into many. Yikes. The dad has his hands full and tries to make it sound like it’s under control.  Meanwhile, through some careful organized saves, Elastigirl is proving woman power, super hero power, and is becoming a legend.

However, a very evil villain – the Screenslaver- threatens the whole atmosphere.  I won’t give anything else away.  Let’s just say that Mr. Incredible gets to don those tights again. Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) totally does his thing. Other super heroes contribute, go bad, and then recover.  The kids are older and more valuable and skilled. And Jack-Jack is tremendous. Plus you have Edna (voiced by the director Brad Bird) in a great sequence – she chooses to babysit Jack and design his little baby super hero outfit. It’s genius!

So much fun is packed into this film. Lots of laughs and you care about these animated characters.  It’s worth the wait.  Classy project, animation, and the pre-movie little animated flick Bao is rather poignant.

Get that tub of popcorn, buy those sodas, and spring for a really fun family outing. They are Incredible….2

Movie Review Madness - Legend of Tarzan

We all think we know the Tarzan story, but this new movie Legend of Tarzan is an excellent version. We meet Lord Greystoke (Alexander Skarsgard) and his wife (lovely Margot Robbie) in London. He’s been called by a council and asked to return to The Congo to see what King Leopold is up to in regards to trade and money. In theory this is as an ambassador but in reality, as Tarzan, he is being lured in as part of a barter – a nefarious scheme by a crooked captain (played by the always evil Christoph Waltz).  Fortunately an American (Samuel L. Jackson) is along for the ride, and quickly becomes an ally in a deadly battle against slavery, diamond dealing, and revenge (a tribal king played by Djimon Hounsou is not pleased).

The early scenes in the Congo are one of welcome. Tarzan’s old tribe greet him warmly and life is grand. Alas, the captain has his minions capture tribesman, the wife, and set fire to the village. Mayhem ensues.  Enraged, Tarzan and Jackson head out to save the wife, free the slaves, and get to the bottom of the Congo’s secrets. Fortunately, Lord Greystoke sheds his shirt (wow!), swings from vines, communes with the gorillas and other jungle creatures, and fulfills the legend.

This movie is lush and well done. The acting is above par, the Tarzan aspects are not cheesy, and the film is action packed. Alexander with his gray green eyes, chiseled face and body, and brooding demeanor is a worthy Tarzan. Do your best jungle yell and swing in to see Legend of Tarzan.

Movie Review - The Hateful Eight

There’s good Tarantino – Pulp Fiction, and there’s bad – Django Unchained comes to mind. Let’s add his latest,  The Hateful Eight,  to the bad list but it could have been so good.  Someone needs to give director Quentin Tarantino a machete to cut this film from three hours to less than two. Someone needs to not be so indulgent with Quentin being so full of himself, and just say, “Get on with the story.”

The opening scenes are gorgeous as we watch a stagecoach in the snow. He also shows what looks like a gnarled tree is actually a stone crucifix – ah, symbolism. In the first hour, we pile a mix of outlaws and lawmen into the coach, only to arrive at Minnie’s Haberdashery in a blizzard, and find another group of suspicious characters. The clock is ticking for a bloodbath. Samuel L. Jackson is a principled bounty hunter given to well proclaimed pronouncements. Kurt Russell is holding onto Jennifer Jason Leigh, an urchin outlaw.  There’s a sheriff, a hangman, cowboy, and a general. There is leftover feelings from the Civil War and banter on racism and bigotry. Too much meandering, too much rambling talk, too many cold characters we don’t care about.

In the final thirty minutes, we find out why everyone is at Minnie’s except Minnie and her husband. Tarantino flashes back to show us the behind the scenes gathering of these vultures. It’s almost like an Agatha Christie game of Clue, only with extreme violence. It’s a shame. The acting is fine. There’s some interesting dialogue. It’s filmed richly and the musical score is grand. But, The Hateful Eight is cold and ugly, devoid of a reason to unspool.

Movie Review Madness: Captain America - The Winter Soldier

Due to April's A to Z Challenge, I'm behind on presenting movies from April. So this is a tad late, but what the heck. I hope to catch the new X-Men movie this weekend. That will be a current review.  

 

Captain America: Winter Soldier is another Marvel comic movie and it’s quite good. Chris Evans is so stalwart and good looking – he is the embodiment of a hero. And if you watched the tv show Marvel Agents of Shield, you get story tie-ins and further links to the tale. All in all, this is a fun series with well written action, dialogue, and humor. At times tongue in cheek, Marvel can make fun of itself.

So, Hydra rears its ugly head – this was an offshoot from Nazi Germany. Who is involved in this? Robert Redford is a bigwig who appears dirty. He’s such a great actor. When he and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) face each other, it is a master acting class.  

Who kills Fury? Is he really dead? Who is this Winter Soldier dude who, at times, is more powerful than Captain America? Poor Steve Rogers keeps trying to figure out who’s good and who’s bad. He’s fortunate to have The Black Widow (steamy Scarlett Johansson) by his side and newcomer, Sam – the Falcon. It’s a race against time to replace some computer cards in the new Shield planes. They appear to be corrupted by Hydra and set to blast tons of American targets.

 

The plot is convoluted. Just know that it is good versus evil, and a time crunch to save the world. You have to root for Captain America and the Marvel entertainment machine. They keep big blockbuster movies challenging and set the bar high. Stay for the final credits and a sneak peek into the Marvel future.