Tangled Webs (Spider-Man: Far From Home, 2019)

Spider-Man_Far_From_Home_PosterAfter the massive epic that was Avengers Endgame, a smaller story to actually close stuff off may seem like an odd choice. And yet?  Well, it may have been what was needed.

Bringing back director Jon Watts and the cast of Homecoming, we get a personal story in which Peter Parker really just wants to go on his school trip abroad and confess his love to MJ. But things are complicated.  It turns out that pretty much every major character from Homecoming was caught up in the snap.  And now they have to deal with the fact that all their classmates are now five years older.  The film explores some rather interesting aspects…like all the returned people who were displaced.  Peter and May found themselves homeless, which was one of those things you just do not thing about in the grand schemes.

It turns out that Nick Fury is trying to reach Spider-Man, but Peter refuses to take his calls. But once on vacation in Italy, the class comes under attack by a water monster, which is defeated by Mysterio. A mysterious man who Nick Fury informs Peter is from an alternate earth where he fought the threat of elemental men that are now plaguing Peter’s world.

Far From Home bumps up certain characters too much bigger roles, and it is to the benefit of the film. Holland and Zendaya have real chemistry and their storyline is both adorable and a lot of fun.

The Mysterio storyline is really well done.  There is a scene where his illusion powers is straight up the stuff of the comics. The visuals in the film are terrific and Gyllenhaal gives a solid performance.

Unlike Homecoming, Happy seems more invested in Peter and Spider-Man. This makes sense on a few levels, but I really did enjoy their interactions in the film.

I really enjoyed this latest outing, even more than Homecoming.  It is funny, has heartfelt moments, good performances and great visual effects.  Oh, and stay for the Mid and Post Credit scenes.  They are game changing moments.

You Take the Good, Take the Bad (Life, 2017)

life_2017_posterA sci-fi thriller set aboard the International Space-station, Life is a competent film.  The effects are good enough to allow for suspension of disbelief.  The cast  is quite likeable.  The story is uncomplicated.

A research team discovers a life form in soil samples from Mars.  Eventually, the life form grows and as often happens, it gets free and starts killing people.  The scientists must find a way to keep the creature from reaching earth and…well, not die.

It might sound like I disliked Life.  But actually?  I enjoyed it just fine.  I never got bored and liked the characters.  But it was not nearly as risky, even the ending feels like an attempt to feel edgier than it is.

Again, I enjoyed the film, but it won’t be joining the pantheon of Sci-Fi monster movie classics.  But it was okay.

Prison Without Prison Bars (Prisoners, 2013)

prisoners-posterIn this compelling, but bleak, tale Hugh Jackman is Keller Dover.  His Daughter and her friend have disappeared and he is working aggressively to find them.  As he feels the police are not working hard enough, he opts to kidnap the lead suspect.  He tortures the young man, Alex, who is mentally about ten.  And the deeper it all goes, he becomes more and more obsessed.

But there becomes question on whether Alex is truly guilty.  The downward spiral of Keller as Detective Loki tries to solve the kidnapping is frightening.  He becomes that thing he is seeking to stop.  The film ends on a truly dark note.

Visually, it is every bit as colorless and gloomy as it’s story.  You hope for a resolution and finding Dover’s daughter and her friend.  And yet, even the resolution of the film has a futility.  This is not to say it is a bad film.  But you don’t walk out with a sense of hope, that is for sure.

We Belong To The Night (Nightcrawler, 2014)

nightcrawler-posterJake Gyllenhaal is lowlife Louis Bloom.  He makes his living stealing and pawning stuff.  He is also not above harming people to get out of situations.  One night he discovers Joe Loder…a camera man who patrols the night for accidents, murders and other tragedies so he can sell the footage to television news.  This ends up to be a perfect job for Louis.

A lot of films are about an arc…a good character being corrupted…a corrupt character finding redemption.  That is not this film.  Louis is soulless, lacking any compassion.  This serves him well as he starts excelling at the exploitation of people’s pain and suffering.  Gyllenhaal is intense and frightening in the role.  He is a sociopath, filming the suffering of even people in his own life.  The footage is what matters, not the people.

In spite of the darkness of Louis, this film makes it hard to look away and draws you in, hoping for that moment where Louis might show a spark of humanity.  But Louis is cruelly satisfied with who he is.  Nightcrawler is a good and effective film, but also unrelentingly dark.

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