AFTER THE HUNT Review

Luca Guadagnino has always seemed more interested in instigating than he has entertaining, whether that be via sexuality, cannibalism, or even peaches - the filmmaker is intentional about forcing audiences to not only engage with his work but consider it, question it, and debate it. After the Hunt might be his most pointedly provocative project thus far as it is a movie expressly made for the purposes of the conversations that will come afterward. The fact I'm spending enough time thinking about this movie to write a review aside, I’ve never felt so passionately about something that I would choose to die on any specific hill (spare me your own opinions). I say this (probably optimistically) because I like to imagine people come to their conclusions and form their points of view based on insight or experience that would garner them valid reason for feeling the way they do, so while it is easy to say I understand where everyone in After the Hunt is coming from the film more or less forces the viewer to pick a side, to draw their own conclusions and in light of the conclusions one draws, question what those positions say about you as a person. 

As the common enemy of the evolution revolution - a cis, straight, white male - I found this film to almost be designed as something of a trap for those who fall into any of the above categories and/or relate to or simply like Michael Stuhlbarg's character the most. Guadagnino and screenwriter Nora Garrett are fans of nuance, sure, giving multiple facets to everyone included in this elitist, privileged club but more importantly, relaying reason to simultaneously believe and doubt each person involved for different reasons. The core question of what did or did not happen and whether a line was crossed or if there were several comes in second to Garrett's thesis though, which she shares with Ayo Edebiri's character, this regarding virtue ethics. The majority of those in positions of such privilege and power who purport to hold the moral high ground only do so for the appearance of being virtuous and not because their actions would remain the same regardless of the circumstances; a truth that holds strong no matter how much one might pad it with philosophical babble.

Movies I Wanna See Most: Summer 2018

The summer movie season is always one of my favorite times of the year because it seems people outside those of us who consistently devour movies seem to make a big deal of what's opening in theaters each week. When it's something the masses are interested in it feels like a celebration and no matter how crappy or generic some of these movies might be that attract the masses I can't help but smile about people finding joy and excitement in the cinema. I've always attempted to find a balance between big-budget and indie fare rather than dismiss the blockbusters and only adore the smaller, more intimate movies. I like to try and think in terms of objectives and how well a movie accomplishes the objectives it sets out to accomplish by the end of the film. This seems especially critical when approaching traditional summer popcorn movies. That doesn't mean I'm necessarily more excited for Skyscraper than I am something like Hot Summer Nights, but rather that I'm interested in both for very different reasons. While neither of those titles will be on my list I would place director Brad Bird's follow-up to his 2005 Pixar juggernaut, The Incredibles II, just outside my top ten along with the likes of Rupert Wyatt's follow-up to his The Gambler re-make titled Captive State that stars John Goodman and explores the lives of beings on both sides of a conflict that has been in place for nearly a decade after an extra-terrestrial force took occupation in Chicago. The film has an August release date and was included in my most anticipated of the year as Wyatt's entry in the last Planet of the Apes trilogy is still my favorite and this film seems like a natural progression after Goodman's fantastic turn in 10 Cloverfield Lane, but the absence of any trailer or any promotional material whatsoever makes me wonder if this one might not get delayed. Elsewhere, there is The Happytime Murders from Brian Henson (son of Jim) a dark comedy about the puppet cast of an eighties children's TV show that begin to get murdered one by one, Gary Ross' (Pleasantville, The Hunger Games) take on a Steven Soderbergh heist flick with the star-studded Ocean's 8, and likely Morgan Neville's (20 feet from Stardom) documentary that explores the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers in Won't You be My Neighbor?. You won't find the likes of The Equalizer II or The First Purge on my list and none of the broad mainstream comedies such as Tag or Uncle Drew are on there despite the fact I'll no doubt end up enjoying both of them, but like I said, I'm by no means opposed to unabashed blockbusters as is evidenced in my number ten pick...

SILENCE Review

Silence is director Martin Scorsese's twenty-fourth narrative feature and one the auteur has been longing to make for quite some time. With that, Silence is a nearly three-hour epic that feels as if it has so much on its mind while at the same time not exactly conjuring much thought about anything other than what is physically presented. This is somewhat troubling considering Silence is a movie wholly about spirituality and the fact it isn't so much the traditions and exteriors of a religion or set of beliefs that matter, but whether the individual practices what their faith teaches daily while realizing how best to do so when that faith is inevitably tested. There is clearly a lot going on in Silence and much Scorsese seems to want to discuss, but the final product we've been delivered is so subtle about its deeper meanings and feelings around the people and subjects it is taking on that the viewer really has to reach into the depths of their attention to pull something substantial from the experience. One can counterpoint with the fact that Scorsese simply isn't spoon feeding viewers what he wants them to think and how he hopes they perceive his ponderings, but rather that he gives the facts of these "based on true life" events with limited shades of interpretation to allow the audience to have their own. This is fair. We have so many churches and/or places of worship these days due to the fact so many couldn't let their interpretations settle into an already established denomination, but this isn't the same kinds of conflicts of faith our characters in Silence struggle to comprehend. More, this a film about the thought process, the heart of the teachings Christianity and other religions preach, and how these intangible things define who we are as individuals and the role they play in determining the tone of humanity. There are no concrete definitions, no absolutes, no black or white, but instead Scorsese and co-writer Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York) have adapted Shûsaku Endô's 1966 novel into a meditative film that has the odd distinction of both being completely about what lies beneath the surface yet often times feels only surface level as far as impact and effectiveness are concerned. There is no denying that the film has layers upon layers from which numerous conversations can be elicited while featuring gorgeous photography, a couple of committed and rather brilliant performances, as well as some genuinely heart-wrenching moments that, depending on beliefs prior to seeing the film, will either reaffirm your faith or cast greater doubt than even before. For such factors alone, Silence is a staggering piece of work that should be commended, but on a basic level of raw emotional response the film didn't leave the lasting impression or transcendent experience great sermons hope to accomplish.

First Trailer for Martin Scorsese's SILENCE

After it being initially announced that the first trailer for auteur Martin Scorsese's long-gestating film Silence would premiere before showings of Allied on Tuesday night and online this Saturday things quickly snowballed into the trailer not playing before my screening of Allied to walking out of Allied only to find out the trailer had already debuted online. All of that said, the first trailer for Scorsese's passion project has finally debuted and it certainly promises a tale of vast epicness and deep explorations in the biggest, most complex of territories: religion. Based on the 1966 novel by Shusaku Endo and adapted for the screen by Jay Cocks (Gangs of New York) Silence follows two Jesuit priests who go looking for their mentor in 17th Century Japan, a time when outsiders, and especially Christians, were treated with disdain and mistrust. Scorsese is said to have been working on trying to adapt Endo's novel for some twenty-five plus years, but finally was able to move forward with the project at the beginning of last year after Fábrica de Cine and SharpSword Films agreed to produce and provide the financing for the $50 million picture with Paramount distributing the film in the U.S. While anything Scorsese does is naturally going to be of great interest to cinephiles the dierector has proved fairly bankable in his last few endeavors with Paramount releasing Shutter Island, Hugo, and The Wolf of Wall Street each to solid financial success and/or great rewards reception. Not counting Shutter Island, Scorsese's last five films have also scored Best Picture nominations and so the precedent is rather high for his latest, but if this trailer truly is any indication of the three hour opus the filmmaker has constructed we seem to be in for something special if not hugely insightful and maybe even influential. Silence stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano, Ciaran Hinds, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, and opens in limited release on December 23rd, 2016. 

HACKSAW RIDGE Review

It has been a decade since Mel Gibson directed his last film. Almost as much time as there was between Braveheart and Passion of the Christ, but in this latest interval Gibson has unfortunately become more discussed for things besides his filmmaking talents. With Hacksaw Ridge, the story of WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss who refused to kill people as a Conscientious Objector, Gibson is very much back in the playing field he seems comfortable with. That said, Gibson seems to have also taken the time away to pull in other influences for his art as many of the early scenes here in which the director develops and builds the character of Doss with actor Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, The Amazing Spider-Man) feel as if they were constructed to be a love letter to Hollywood's golden years. This, of course, deeply contrasts the usually stark and brutal tone that Gibson's films take on, but don't fret as those qualities are sure to come still in Hacksaw Ridge. More, Gibson understands that by painting these early, more serene portraits of where his pacifist of a protagonist comes from he by default makes the bloody and downright horrific war sequences that inevitably take place that much more affecting and that much more powerful. Though somewhat working at odds with one another given how realistically and viscerally Gibson paints his scenes of war with a story that more or less condemns such actions these two elements of what we're seeing and what train of thought we're being encouraged to consider come to work in each other's favors. For as quickly as we see how easily a life can be snuffed out and how faithful Doss has to be to trust that he can "run into the hell fire of battle without a weapon to protect his self," and still survive the point is made that the violence of war is senseless and that, after such an experience, most soldiers would likely agree with such a sentiment. Gibson isn't just making a war film to show off how skilled an action director he is or to revel in the gluttony of violence, but more he is using this profusion of blood and gore to align us more with the mentality that Doss brings to the battlefield and why, despite popular opinion, that might not be such a bad thing. The greatest accomplishment of Hacksaw Ridge though, is that it accomplishes relaying such ideas without preaching them, but instead more by standing with its lead character who stands by his principles even in the great circumstances of a world war.

Movies I Wanna See Most: Fall 2016

So far, 2016 has felt like something of a lackluster year for film when compared to what felt like a rather stellar 2015. Maybe it is the hurt of summer '16 and the many disappointments it carried that is still making me feel worse about the year than it actually has been, but if the summer of '16 was a let down the latter half of the year certainly seems like it has a shot of righting the ship and offering plenty of interesting films that could fill the majority of my year end list that I'm beginning to get concerned about. In fact, the rest of the year is so jam-packed with highly anticipated stuff I think I could make a top twenty and be legitimately excited for each and every one of the movies on that list. As I did last year, I'm basically including a top fifteen with more of a focus on why my top ten are indeed my top ten, but hard choices had to be made.

I'm interested to see what Clint Eastwood and Tom Hanks have to offer with Sully and the fact it was shot 100% on IMAX cameras. I'm equally as intrigued by what Oliver Stone and Joseph Gordon-Levitt have up their sleeves in Snowden, but while interested I can't say I'm necessarily excited for the possibilities these features hold. I kind of feel I know what to expect and if they fulfill those expectations, great-if they surpass them-even better. This could very much describe the way I feel about the likes of The Girl on the Train and The Accountant as well. I'm very much interested to see if either of these can rise above their genre trappings to be more than what their trailers promise or if they'll simply be solid exercises in those genres-which isn't a bad thing either. I expect Birth of a Nation may be a great film, but am I excited to watch another harsh account concerning slavery? Not really. If I knew or had seen a little more about Denzel Washington's Fences adaptation or Miss Sloane starring Jessica Chastain I might be more inclined to include them on my list. Speaking of Washington, I'm certainly eager to see such mainstream films as Magnificent Seven, When a Monster Calls, Deepwater Horizon, Moana, and Assassins Creed, but not more than what is currently on my list. Monster and Moana would definitely make that top twenty though.

I've excluded Martin Scorsese's Silence from this list as I've put it on the last four or five lists I've made of this nature and it seems and it still doesn't have a firm release date. If we were to get some kind of confirmation it would certainly be near the top, but as of right now I'm treating this thing as if it won't come out until 2017. Same for the Will Smith/Kate Winslet/Keira Knightley/Helen Mirren/ Edward Norton/Naomie Harris/Michael Peña starrer Collateral Beauty. We could get a trailer any day now given the December 16th release date, but as we haven't seen so much as a still yet there is nothing to go on. The one landing just outside this top fifteen is Ewan McGregor's directorial debut in American Pastoral which I unfortunately feel will take a while to get to my neck of the woods. And so, without further adieu, let's dig in...

First Trailer for Mel Gibson's HACKSAW RIDGE Starring Andrew Garfield

Mel Gibson's first directorial effort in ten years has finally received a trailer and I couldn't be more excited to see what this feature has in store for us. Set to have its premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month and then be released in early November of this year it seems as if Lionsgate will be putting a lot of stock into this potential Oscar contender while at the same time doing their best to skirt the fact this is indeed a Mel Gibson movie. Though the trailer proclaims that Hacksaw Ridge comes from the Academy Award-winning director of Braveheart there is no mention of Gibson's name at all. Instead, what we are treated to is a nice summation of the true story concerning Desmond Doss, a conscientious collaborator and Army medic who refused to bear arms during World War II, but ended up saving 75 men during the bloodiest battle of the war without firing a single bullet. To go along with this inspiring tale is the pairing of some pretty spectacular visuals as Gibson has teamed with cinematographer Simon Duggan who has worked on films such as I, Robot and The Great Gatsby. The real highlight of the trailer though is the focus on Andrew Garfield's performance and given he has this as well as Martin Scorsese's Silence coming out this year it could be a huge awards season for the guy. Though the British actor puts on something of an exaggerated southern accent here it doesn't sound terrible, but rather is made to be endearing by the end of the clip which I assume is what the actor was going for given his plight could certainly be seen one of two ways depending on the audience member. The story is ripe for the feature film treatment and Gibson along with co-screenwriter Andrew Knight have hopefully tapped into the complexities such a story can provide rather than delivering more of a generic war film. Based on the trailer it seems Gibson intends to become known more for his art rather than his antics again, but of course only time will tell. Hacksaw Ridge also stars Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Vince Vaughn, and opens on November 4th, 2016.

Movies I Wanna See Most: 2016

As always, there is a lot to look forward to this year at the cinema. In attempting to look through all of the major releases for the upcoming year that are already on the calendar I've come across more than enough movies to keep a variety of audiences entertained, but what follows is not just a list of films I'm most excited to see (though that is surely the bulk of it), but also commentary on just how difficult it's become to both look forward to and be excited about the onslaught of super hero films I know we will inevitably receive. I'm a fan of comic book movies and am looking forward to seeing all seven of the major ones that will be released over the course of 2016, but to allow them to take over seven individual spots on my list seems ridiculous and something of a waste. Everyone who's been to the movies in the last two months (and if you've seen the Star Wars numbers coming in you'll know that's a lot of people) know there is a new Batman V. Superman movie coming out and another Marvel movie where Captain America and Iron Man face-off. They may even know that Ryan Reynolds is playing some kind of version of Ryan Reynolds in a red suit, but while I'm as hopeful as the biggest fanboy that Deadpool turns out to be as great as the wonderful marketing campaign has led us to believe-it's an obvious choice, an obvious movie to anticipate. Does that mean every film on my list is a smaller film that you probably haven't heard about yet? No, not at all. There are of course films like Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Star Trek Beyond, and Star Wars: Rogue One sprinkled throughout because, guess what? I like Harry Potter, Justin Lin, and Star Wars so I'm genuinely excited to see how those movies turn out. By stating the obvious at the beginning though, by saying that, "Look, there are going to be this many super hero movies this year and yes I'm pumped for all of them, but here are a bunch of other movies that might interest you that I'm excited about," this list might provide insight to a film you didn't know was coming down the pipeline prior.

Movies I Wanna See Most: 2015

I can't help but feel I don't know enough to be making such a list as this anymore. Every year I go through the upcoming years slate of planned movie releases and come up, pretty easily, with ten or so films I'm genuinely excited to see and again, this year, that has been no problem. My issue with a list such as this is there is no way to go through each possible release or even know about every release in the way that a movie might come to light during the course of the year and becomes something you wish you might have highlighted way back when, that you knew about and held expectations for simply because it's nice to be "in the know". That sounds a little crazy and a little ridiculous, I realize, but it is easy to go through and say what blockbusters you are most excited to see in any given year, but you only wish you knew that there might be a Birdman or a Whiplash sneak up on you and blow you away. Then again, I'll just convince myself I actually enjoy the element of surprise and wait to see what gems 2015 currently has tucked away. To both points, I've attempted to go through and double check with some of my favorite directors and actors to see what, if anything, they might have on their slate for this year so as to hopefully surprise a few people with this list and not just satisfy/underwhelm folks who see another list where The Avengers and Star Wars take the cake. From my most anticipated list of 2014 three films made my year-end top ten. From my most anticipated list of 2013 one film made it, so I guess that could be taken as a good sign if there is any correlation to be found at all. Furthermore, 2014 seemed like a really solid year when looking back despite it feeling easier than ever to craft a top ten. There were a few exceptional films, but there seemed an abundance of more than solid features that are just as worthy for someone else's favorite films of the year. If 2015 is anything like it, we'll be in for a great crop of flicks (the best of which I likely don't even know about yet).

Favorite Films of 2014 So Far...

There have been plenty of solid films come out this year already and we are only halfway through it. I say solid, but in no way does that mean many have been exceptional. It's funny really because in terms of quality this has been one of the better summer movie seasons in recent history. From the straight up, brisk nature of Neighbors to the full on-lampooning of sequels in 22 Jump Street this summers comedies have delivered while both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Past have proved to be fine diversions in the super hero genre that seem to be breaking away from the formula that has become standard in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (here's lookin' at you, Thor). We've of course had smaller films that I have garnered a good appreciation for including Jon Favreau's return to small-scale movie-making in Chef and Nicolas Cage's return to actual acting in Joe, but the real surprise has been the typical (Godzilla, Edge of Tomorrow) and atypical (The Fault in Our Stars) summer fare that has really made this year a breeze so far. The two major animated releases have both come extremely close to that exceptional mark as The LEGO Movie is downright hilarious and has a unique take on what could have been a giant commercial while How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a beautifully realized continuation of Hiccup and Toothless' story that deserves to be seen on the big screen. I rather enjoyed Noah as well and look forward to re-visiting that film when it hits home video much in the way I enjoyed Snowpiercer which I saw and reviewed yesterday and you can read about here. Don't get me wrong there have still been plenty of mediocre to less than stellar films this year both in mainstream and arthouse releases (Pompeii and Under the Skin could crawl away and die for all I care), but the following five films are what struck me as either fascinating, substantial or flat-out awesome as I left the theater. Hit the jump to check out my top 5 of 2014 so far...

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 Review

Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy set a high standard for comic book films. Not only did they have ambitions to be the best of their kind, but the best kind of film period. They looked to transcend the genre and that is more than well and good because I am a huge fan of Nolan and what he did for Batman, but in many ways that can only be the right approach for so many comic book heroes. Not every super hero benefits from being dark, brooding and grounded in reality. This idea of grounding everything from these fantastical, imaginary worlds into the reality that surrounds us will not always be possible and that is what director Marc Webb seems to have tapped into with his re-booted Spider-Man series that looks to fully embrace the world of the comics. Unlike many I was a big fan of the 2012 re-boot starring Andrew Garfield as the masked webslinger for despite the fact it lacked credible or sometimes even remotely intelligent dialogue (an issue that continues here) as well as relying too heavily on special effects in its clumsy action sequences (an issue both improved upon while still heavily leaning on the computer generated crutch) it was a Spider-Man film, that for the first time felt like it captured the spirit of the comics. I'll be the first to admit I am not a big comic book reader, but Spider-Man is an exception and was always a personal favorite of mine growing up. Not only for the little bit of comic reading that I dabbled in, but like Batman and the X-Men it was for the 90's animated series that pulled me into these worlds in the first place. What I enjoyed about 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man was that it seemed to fully immerse itself in the world of its relatable protagonist and was unafraid to try and bring to the screen the more ridiculous of Spider-Man's villains which included a giant lizard in a lab coat. Seeing these actual worlds jump off the pages and onto the screen is what comic book fans have presumably wanted for years yet now that Nolan's Batman films have re-defined what a credible super hero movie is it is easy to look at those that don't adhere to the same rules as something of a lesser accomplishment. It is by the fact fans should come to the realization that this may be the closest in regards to all aspects of the way a movie can be made that a motion picture has captured the essence of what makes a comic so entertaining and endearing through its world building, its dramatic beats, its character development and most of all, its silliness. In short, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 really bowled me over.

Movies I Wanna See Most: Summer 2014

We typically count the summer movie season as kicking off that first weekend in May which this year indicates The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has taken the spot alongside the obligatory alternative programming that looks to be Elizabeth Banks Walk of Shame though we've yet to see any real publicity for the film which only means Spidey will dominate all the more. Despite this seemingly natural kick-off and even the pre-emptive strike that was Captain America: The Winter Soldier the summer of 2014 seems to be one that will be filled with smaller, not yet publicized flicks that, as I looked through the calendar to put this list together, made me at the very least curious and hopeful that something might stand out among what isn't as crowded a summer as we've become accustomed to. Don't get me wrong, there are still super hero flicks aplenty (two of which are sequels) while others are sequels we're excited for (22 Jump Street, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) others that kind of tread the middle (Transformers, Sin City) and others we're just not sure about (Expendables 3). Needless to say, what is surprising in the line-up of big studio fare this year though are the number of "original" productions (especially comedies) that are going to have a go at it. Granted Godzilla, Malificent and Hercules are all based on popular brands, the new films themselves still have no built-in audiences and so it will be interesting to see what people respond to and what the quality of these films actually are. I want to see both Malificent and Hercules, but I'm not necessarily excited about either of them as their trailers did little to impress. On the other end of the spectrum though I have never been a fan of Godzilla yet the marketing and impressive roster of people working on the film have given me some extreme optimism that I hope is delivered upon. With a strong mix of genres, a fair amount of original material and what seems to be a promising year for comedy I look forward to the Summer movie season and give you fifteen films I can't wait to see after the jump...

Trailer Roundup: SUPER BOWL XLVIII

As Sunday draws closer we have begun to see early releases of not only commercials, but some of the movie spots that will be making their way towards the Super Bowl this weekend. Earlier this week we got a peek at The Muppets joining with Toyota for a tie-in promotion to not only help sell cars, but their sequel, Muppets: Most Wanted, to the successful 2011 reboot. Word is that Disney is giving Captain America: Winter Soldier a moment to shine with its release date set for the not too far off April 4th, but director James Gunn's highly-anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy adaptation will be absent from the festivities. This is probably best as Disney and Marvel want to leave the emphasis on the ol' Cap for right now, but no doubt have a major rollout in place for GOTG later this year as hinted at by Gunn's twitter. DreamWorks will be forking over the reported $4 million for 30-seconds of commercial time in order to promote the March 14th release Need for Speed starring Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul in what will be a test to see just how far his appeal spreads. I never played the video game the film is based on, but the trailers so far have been much more impressive than I expected and as a BB fan I'm excited to see what Paul does next, but am slightly disappointed Bryan Cranston won't get the same love as his Godzilla reboot will also be a no-show. Next up, we have Paramount who is doing big business and hoping for serious business in return as they will have spots in place for both Noah, the biblical epic directed by Darren Aronofsky that is sure to cause a good amount of conversation when released on March 28th and our first look at Michael Bays fourth installment in the toys turned action stars series, Transformers: Age of Extinction. Mark Wahlberg takes over leading man duties this time as the series is somewhat rebooting itself and hits theaters on June 27th. Finally, Sony has big plans for everyones favorite web slinger and will air a spot for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which will kick off the summer movie season on May 2nd. Last, and probably least is the appropriate yet surprising inclusion of Kevin Costner's Draft Day that obviously has a football-based story, but is not a tentpole release. Granted, Draft Day will only get a pre-game spot, but no word on if that actually cost them any less. Super Bowl XLVIII begins at 5:30pm Central, February 2nd on FOX.    

First Trailer for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

I have to say, I'm pretty excited for the second installment of director Marc Webb's Spider-Man franchise. Though the first film gets somewhat of a bad rap (I know the plot of turning everyone into lizards wasn't exactly real and gritty), but I think or maybe I hope that much of the reason that film flew more under the radar than most successful series-launchers is that it came out in a crowded year. Having to compete in a summer season already defined by The Avengers and the final chapter in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy couldn't have been easy, yet The Amazing Spider-Man still managed $750 million worldwide. With a relatively quiet 2014 (the only other major super hero film slated for summer as of now is X-Men: Days of Future Past while Guardians of the Galaxy takes a later August slot) it could be the time to shine for Andrew Garfield's new Spidey. While I was hoping the trailer didn't give too much away it certainly hints at where this series is going. There have been reports that Sony has this franchise planned all the way through a fourth film and that includes building to The Sinister Six. The idea of going the opposite route in which Marvel Studios has gone and instead creating the legendary team of super villains rather than heroes is rather genius and definitely a way to make up for the fact we still can't see Spider-Man join The Avengers on screen. Spidey has always been the Marvel hero with the most notable roster of bad guys so this makes sense in terms of building excitement as well. The trailer, while emphasizing a plethora of villains, doesn't give them much screen time but more teases them than anything else. The bulk of the two and half minute clip is dedicated to Peter Parker coming to terms with his reality and his new relationship with Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan). I sincerely hope the marketing for this film doesn't give too much away over the next four months as it seems Sony/Columbia have something that could make for a potentially fantastic theater-going experience here. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 also stars Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Paul Giamatti, Felicity Jones, Chris Cooper, Sally Field and kicks off the summer on May 2, 2014.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Review

Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite super heroes, but not because I was ever an avid fan of the comic books. In fact, I've never really been a comic book reader at all but instead became more enamored with the damaged teenager who is blessed with the responsibility of great power through the Saturday morning cartoons of the 90's. Why Peter Parker connected with me more than any other super hero is likely due to the same reasons he connected with every other awkward kid who found things more interesting in the classroom rather than on the basketball court. I like to think the movie studios have chosen to reboot the webslinger's franchise because it is a timeless story that follows a well worn path but does such a good job of hitting those points and driving home the message of how with great power comes great responsibility. Now, while it is obviously due to the fact that Spider-Man is a hot property and a guaranteed money maker that, if they let it sit for too long, will lose its value. I still choose to believe that somewhere in this diabolical plan to make more money someone just wants to tell a good, fun story that the teenager in all of us can relate to and fulfill those hopes we were never quite capable of. When the plans for a fourth entry with Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and crew fell through it didn't take long for Columbia Pictures to round up a new director and cast to reboot the franchise. While many were upset there would be a new version of a story we'd seen a mere ten years ago the reboot has been smart enough to distance itself by striking its own chord with an approach that differs from the Raimi version by adapting to a more modern audience. How much could change in a decade? Enough for this reboot to be fully justified in my humble opinion.

Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen), Aunt May (Sally Field) and
Peter (Andrew Garfield) discuss a piece of Peter's past.

From what I gather this latest telling of the Spider-Man origin story is based more in the realm of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic series which coincidentally was also a reboot of the origin story of our famous protagonist. In the reinvention process Peter Parker is still a whiz kid high school student that is bitten by a spider, but it is not that of a radioactive arachnid but instead a genetically altered spider that has been part of ongoing experiments at the Oscorp corporation. You may recognize the Oscorp name from the Raimi series, but that baddie from the original is only mentioned in passing here. His company simply serves as the setting for something much more interesting to develop between the young Parker and a seasoned scientist named Dr. Curt Connors who was a partner in research with Parker's absent father. While the previous trilogy spent no time investigating Peter's parents director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) and his writers have integrated his parents as a crucial part of the mythology. It becomes apparent that there was something fishy going on within the walls of Oscorp and though in the latter half of the film the storyline concerning the Parker's is dismissed in favor of Spider-Man vs. Connors alter ego, the lizard, there is plenty left open for what will likely be several more films and maybe even a tie-in with those other Marvel heroes that were recently parading around New York City (wink, wink).

Spider-Man and his new found love Gwen Stacy
(Emma Stone) embrace their roles in each others lives.

The Amazing Spider-Man does well to hit the marks that it needs to while not re-visiting the overly familiar aspects of the origin story. The Daily Bugle and J. Jonah Jameson, Peter as a photographer, the death of Uncle Ben, and especially Mary Jane Watson have all been either cut completely or play a minimal role in the reboot. While the likes of Martin Sheen and Sally Field serve well as Uncle Ben and Aunt May, it is relative newcomer Andrew Garfield who will be the talk of the town once everyone realizes he has not simply rehashed the Tobey Maguire role, but has re-invented it for a re-envisioned telling. Peter Parker is not necessarily a geek in the commons sense of the word, but more an outcast. He is not at the mercy of the popular girl, but is instead falling for a sweet classmate portrayed by the charming Emma Stone who, when she shares the screen with Garfield, oozes a chemistry hard to capture so naturally on screen. Like Chris Nolan's reboot of the Batman franchise, Webb has constructed a film where the person inside the mask is just as engaging as the hero. For the first hour of the film we are focused solely on the development not only of Parker and his new found powers but his developing relationship with Gwen Stacy (Stone). There relationship while critical to the plot also serves as motivation for why Peter is able to see more clearly what his purpose might be. Why he was in fact blessed with such abilities and in turn responsibilities. There is also a lovely rapport with his aunt and uncle that has some wonderful moments of non verbal communication. The way in which Webb captures these human moments is critical to the overall success of the film because at nearly two and a half hours the film could have easily slipped into several action pieces stacked on top of one another. Instead, those elements are saved for the final act while up to that point servicing the story in a way we feel really justifies the actions of those involved in that big, climactic, showdown.

Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) tests out a new genetic
enhancement serum on himself.

While I had a few issues with the film throughout (the pacing in parts, spots of corny dialogue, and heavy reliance of CGI in the third act) I was more surprised with how much I appreciated what the makers had attempted, and for the most part, succeeded in doing here. Webb has allowed a gritty, more realistic tone to influence the look and feel of his Spider-Man world but does not resist the slight cheesiness of the actions taking place here. I mean, when it comes down to it this is about a guy in spandex who is fighting another guy that through the cliched circumstances of science experiment gone wrong turns into a large, angry reptile. The actor that is Rhys Ifans though completes a largely difficult task of making that ridiculous description of a role seem all the more plausible than it likely has any right to be. There is also some nice work here from Dennis Leary as Gwen's police captain father but it is Garfield and Stone that will make even the biggest of doubters reconsider their initial thoughts of a new Spidey so soon after the scars were healing from Raimi's disastrous third outing. In that fact also lies the reasoning I have had no issue with the idea of rebooting the series since day one. It would have been hard to come back from such a massive success of a film where the majority's response was mostly negative. It would have taken a lot to restore trust with the Spidey faithful and in the end this was likely the best choice for the future of any Spider-Man feature incarnations. I hate to even bring up the previous trilogy so much as The Amazing Spider-Man is more than capable of standing on its own two feet, but it is an inevitable comparison. Lucky for us, the quality of this reboot will likely make that comparison one that will soon fade and allow this re-telling to be treated exactly as it should be: an artist's interpretation of a story that deserves to be explored.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Review

Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite super heroes, but not because I was ever an avid fan of the comic books. In fact, I've never really been a comic book reader at all but instead became more enamored with the damaged teenager who is blessed with the responsibility of great power through the Saturday morning cartoons of the 90's. Why Peter Parker connected with me more than any other super hero is likely due to the same reasons he connected with every other awkward kid who found things more interesting in the classroom rather than on the basketball court. I like to think the movie studios have chosen to reboot the webslinger's franchise because it is a timeless story that follows a well worn path but does such a good job of hitting those points and driving home the message of how with great power comes great responsibility. Now, while it is obviously due to the fact that Spider-Man is a hot property and a guaranteed money maker that, if they let it sit for too long, will lose its value. I still choose to believe that somewhere in this diabolical plan to make more money someone just wants to tell a good, fun story that the teenager in all of us can relate to and fulfill those hopes we were never quite capable of. When the plans for a fourth entry with Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and crew fell through it didn't take long for Columbia Pictures to round up a new director and cast to reboot the franchise. While many were upset there would be a new version of a story we'd seen a mere ten years ago the reboot has been smart enough to distance itself by striking its own chord with an approach that differs from the Raimi version by adapting to a more modern audience. How much could change in a decade? Enough for this reboot to be fully justified in my humble opinion.