Spider-Man: No Way Home
Well friends, I know I’m about a week or two late on this one. I actually watched this one when it first came out. Then I went to see it again a couple days before Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, life has been pretty crazy for me the last few weeks. Starting Dec 2, I played Santa in Elf: The Musical at the historic Royal Theater. That was a whirlwind couple of weeks as we did 9 sold-out shows. No “spare time” whatsoever from Dec 2-12. Then on the morning of Dec 13, I checked into SMH and had a gastric sleeve procedure done. I spent two nights in the hospital and have been recovering ever since. Last week, two of my brothers and their families came into town and we spent every minute just enjoying the season. I’ve been off work for a couple weeks, and this is the first time I’ve even opened my computer.
So, Spider-Man. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FREAKING MOVIE!!!!! I’ve heard others say it, and I agree- this may be the best Marvel movie ever made. And maybe, just maybe, this was THE movie to get people packing out your local cinema again. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” became the first film of the pandemic era to hurtle past the $1 billion threshold at the worldwide box office, and it did so in near-record time of just 12 days.
So, for the four of you that still haven’t seen this movie, Spider-Man’s secret identity has now been revealed and, desperate for help, Peter turns to Doctor Strange to make the world forget that he is Spider-Man. When a spell goes wrong and shatters the multiverse, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. In this movie, we really start to dig into the idea of the multiverse and, in my opinion, Doctor Strange really seems to be cementing himself as at least A leader of the new Avengers since Iron Man, Black Widow, and Steve Rogers’ Captain America are now gone.
It’s honestly so hard to write this review without giving spoilers because it’s just that good. I want to tell you everything. This movie, unlike many movies in the super-hero genre, is absolutely loaded with heart and emotion. I promise you there are people who couldn’t care less about superhero movies that will love this movie. Case in point, my brother, Nathanial, who lives in San Francisco was in town this past week. He’s never watched a movie from the MCU and hasn’t seen a Spider-Man movie since the Tobey McGuire days, but he went with us simply to be with the family, and he really enjoyed it.
Now for die-hard Marvel fans, you’ll love it also, but you’ve all most likely already seen the movie. Right?! This movie weaves it’s way into the very fabric of the MCU so well, and there is so much action. But action that’s done really well. This movie also captures the heart of the Tobey McGuire and Andrew Garfield Spider-man movies that old skool fans will really love.
Even kids will love this movie. Now admittedly, you’ll be sitting in the theater for just over 3 hours with this one, but my girls, who are 9 and 10, sat there the whole time…TWICE! They can never sit that long without having to go to the bathroom, but they did it…TWICE!
I think we can all agree that it’s been super convenient over these last couple years to be able to see brand new stuff go straight to our favorite streaming services. HBO Max has had a pretty sweet deal in that they got a BUNCH of brand-new stuff during 2021. However, convenience aside, there’s just nothing like settling in at the movie theater to watch a good movie. Yes, it can get pricey; especially with kids and them having to get snacks, but there’s just something about watching your favorite movie on that big giant screen with a bucket of hot, buttered popcorn in your lap.
As far as this cast- stellar! Tom Holland (Spiderman: Homecoming, Onward), in my opinion, is far and away the best Spider-Man in history, and his chemistry with Zendaya (Spiderman: Far From Home, The Greatest Showman) is perfect. I guess it doesn’t hurt that they are adorably in love in real life as well! Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home) reprises his role as Ned. Jon Favreau (Iron-Man, Four Christmases) reprises his role as Happy Hogan, and Marisa Tomei (MY Cousin Vinny, Spider-Man: Far From Home) is back as Aunt May. You’ll also see Jamie Foxx (Ray, The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, Born on the Fourth of July), Andrew Garfield (Tick Tick Boom, The Amazing Spider-Man), and Tobey McGuire (Brothers, Spider-Man.) As previously stated, you’ll also see plenty of Doctor Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock, The Imitation Game.)
If you haven’t already done so, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!! “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, mild language, and brief suggestive comments. Again, I took my 9- and 10-year-old daughters twice. It’s still playing in ALL of your local theaters, and likely will for quite some time.
Don’t Look Up
Where to begin? Where to begin? Writer, Producer, Director, Actor, and Comedian Adam McKay (The Other Guys, The Big Short) brings us this hilariously satiric look at what some would describe as a modern-day America full of science-deniers and citizens more interested in entertainment than reality; kind of in the same stratosphere as “Idiocracy.”
Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook) stars as Kate Dibiasky, an Astronomy grad student who discovers a comet that’s on a collision course with Earth. Along with her Professor Dr. Randall Mindy, who is played by the great Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street, Titanic), they set out on a media tour of sorts to try to warn an indifferent world about what’s coming. Along the way, they encounter a clueless President Orlean played by Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada, Sophie’s Choice) and her bumbling son/Chief of Staff who is played by Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street, 21 Jump Street) as well as a morning television show duo played by Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, The Aviator) and Tyler Perry (Gone Girl, Madea’s Family Reunion.)
With only six months until the comet makes impact with Earth and wipes out mankind, managing the 24-hour news cycle and gaining the attention of a social media obsessed world before it’s too late proves to be shockingly comical. They ask themselves, “What will it take to get the world to just look up?”
This movie is really fun BECAUSE of its absurdity. Please don’t negatively review this movie with, “It’s just so dumb.” IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE! Again, I bring up the classic Luke Wilson movie, “Idiocracy.” When I first saw it all those years ago, I pretty much wrote it off. However, the last 6ish years have made me re-examine the movie.
I read one review of this movie that said. “The movie is fun to watch AND it invokes a lot of anxiety.” That is #truth. “Don’t Look Up” is a lot of fun, but it does invoke anxiety because at times, it’s not far off from the world that we live in. To me, the most ironic thing about this movie is the ones who write it off as just “stupid” or “nonsense” are the very ones the movie is…jabbing.
So, I loved it! Basically, my liberal friends love it. My conservative friends think it’s dumb. Hahaha
I’m interested to see where you fall. “Don’t Look Up” is rated R for language throughout, some sexual content, graphic nudity and drug content. Pour yourself a strong drink and buckle up, America!
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