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Reviews
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Hits Home
Spiderman has now been reintroduced as a film series for the third time in less than twenty years with the release of Spider-Man Homecoming. While it might be easy to dismiss this film for that reason, it's important not to given just how well this film interprets the franchise it represents.
Homecoming is very aware that most of its viewers have already seen a Spider-Man origin story multiple times. As a result, it smartly leaves out the bits of story you already know and focuses on the more meaningful parts of Peter Parker's character. This is truly the first of the Spider- Man films to accurately depict the Spider-Man as both a high school nerd and a friendly neighborhood super hero (complete with wisecracking puns), not necessarily dealing with Avengers issues of impending world destruction, but rather with problems of a smaller scale. In fact, showing the balance of high school drama and super hero responsibilities is an excellent depiction, such as in Peter's dedication to being a good student and him placing as much importance on attending his academic decathalon matches as saving the city.
The introduction of a more high tech suit was an interesting direction for Spider-Man as well. For some fans it might be seen as a poor choice considering how the basic super powers (such as Spidey Sense) are somewhat downplayed in favor of Stark technology. However, it was important when considering the story arch that was introduced by it for Peter's character. The theme of actions versus abilities is shown, highlighted by Tony Stark himself, who makes a few brief appearances in the film.
Speaking of Tony Stark, I was worried going into this movie about the presence of big-name stars such as Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Keaton who might possibly overshadow the up-and- coming Tom Holland (who, if you didn't know, is playing Spider-Man). However, the direction of the movie is flawless, and each of these big stars is given the minimal screen time to advance their character in the story without leaving the young Tom Holland as a supporting character in our minds. Keaton's villain is a very relatable blue-collar man who is fighting for the working man. He does his part well without overstating his welcome. And Tony Stark, well, by this point we're all familiar with Iron Man. Thankfully, the film has him as more of an Easter Egg and uses a more thoughtful method to connect him to Peter. This is done successfully through Tony Stark's assistant, Happy, now having a more prominent role as Peter's mentor (which he fills well as a form of comic relief). Other supporting cast members also perform their parts well, such as the now younger Aunt May (whose attractiveness is a running joke in the film), and Peter's best friend at school, Ned.
The film is the overall one of the most surprising of the MCU films released in awhile considering how different of an approach it has to Spider-Man, and super heroes in general. It's worth checking out and certainly hits home, not just as an MCU submission, but as a reintroduction to the Spider-Man franchise, and as a movie in general.
Vinyl (2016)
Brilliant fusion of styles
The dark, organized criminal setting of Martin Scorsese is infused with the gritty, rock and roll ambiance of Mick Jagger.
The editing, cinematography, and music in the show are all spectacular. While Vinyl does clearly rely heavily on this sense of style (which it excels in due to amazing production values), it also does feature a compelling story set around the diverse and evolving music industry in NYC during the 1970's.
Bobby Cannavale is fantastic as Richie Finesta, a record company executive who began his career in the music industry because of his love of music which in turn gave him a good ear for talent. However the greedy, dehumanizing elements of the corporate aspect of the industry have disenchanted Richie to the point where he now views musicians merely as products.
The trials he faces as a business man in the music industry are interesting to behold, from loudmouth rock stars to borderline crazy, drug- addicted radio personalities, to foreign business partners.
The corporate side of the industry is contrasted well with the artistic nature of the music itself. The powerful and inspirational effects of good music are demonstrated in a flawless fashion during a few distinct scenes. Crowds go wild to the revolutionary sound that was the epoch of punk rock.
The concept of being "in it for the music" vs "selling out" is also a reoccurring theme seen in Vinyl. The heart and soul of a good musician longing to sing the blues outweighs the temptation of selling out to a big record company. Richie's thrill of discovering new and exciting artists is at odds with his plan to sell his record company.
The themes depicted in the pilot episode of Vinyl are exciting and clearly come from an experienced eye (Jagger's). This makes the show all the more exciting to behold. Only time will tell if they are built upon in a manner as compelling as that seen in the premiere.
The Wire (2002)
The greatest show ever made
I assumed the wire was another cliché cop drama. After finally watching it (ten years too late) I'm happy to say I could not have been more wrong. The Wire is a unique social commentary about the war on drugs in Baltimore. It weaves an intricate story of diverse and well-written characters, leaving no stones unturned in the process. Every aspect is portrayed, from the police to the lawyers and politicians to the big drug lords, low level corner slingers, junkies, and even the children who get caught up in the midst of it. It also manages to retain a level of moral ambiguity with regards to it all. Cops are not all glorified, the politics of the law often even interfere with the policing of drugs. On the other side of the law, the criminals are sometimes also portrayed in good lights. The story is realistic, and nothing is sugarcoated. It's profound, intelligent, perfectly written, directed and acted. It is the greatest show ever made.
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
Surprisingly good
Let me start out by saying that my expectations for Anchorman 2 were somewhat low. And that may be the very reason I found it so enjoyable. I also had similarly low expectations when seeing the first movie, which I loved. I wasn't expecting much more than a typical goofy Will Ferrell comedy. It turned out to be one of the biggest cult classic comedies of the decade.
With the second movie, I didn't expect it to be much different or better than the first movie, and honestly it isn't. The characters are the same, the humor is the same, and the plot is just as ridiculous. Anchorman 2 was everything a good comedic sequel should be. It didn't try to be something completely different from its predecessor, but rather paid homage to it and continued used its legacy in an appropriate fashion.
And while its difficult to not compare any sequel to the previous entry in its series, for the sake of this review I will also consider the movie as a standalone title without reference to Anchorman 1. In this context, by itself Anchorman 2 is a very funny, bizarre comedy. I probably don't need to delve into the finer points of the characters, with whom you're probably already familiar. And the plot (much like the first film's) is far-fetched and ridiculous.
Where the bulk of the film's charm lies is the comedic talent of the actors. Each of the four main characters is hilarious in their own way and the chemistry between them all is priceless. The jokes are constantly running throughout the movie, and kept me laughing constantly.
Overall, this is a really funny movie that is definitely worth your time and money. I don't understand why it seems to be getting a bad rep from some of the anchorman purists. The only logical conclusion I can draw is that they set their expectations way too high for the movie. So see it with an open mind.