The Amazing Spider-Man 2

My View:  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) PG-13 Peter (Andrew Garfield) it seems, has a great life.  His girlfriend is the beautiful and smart, Gwen (Emma Stone), and he’s a superhero.  But Peter’s world is getting complicated quickly.  As soon as he takes on a new villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx),  bad guys from his past start popping up.  And it seems that all his enemies have something in common –  a corporation called Oscorp.  The best thing about this film is the chemistry between Garfield and Stone, as they play off each other so well, and Emma Stone is my pick for the perfect Gwen Stacy.  But this film fails in comparison to some of the better Marvels films like The Avengers or Iron Man, as it never sets a clear tone on what the film wants to be.  Some of the actors seem to feel as if they are in a “comic book” film, hamming it up and over-acting each line.  Others, like Stone, take the film seriously and give excellent dramatic performances.  I like the action sequences and the major battle scenes. Some shots of Spider-Man traveling through the city are absolutely spectacular.  The storyline lets us down, as, at times, I was bored with parts of the film.  There is too much of a rather boring Electro character and not enough of the Green Goblin character that Dane DeHaan plays.  The emotional points in the film were not impactful enough for me, and I also did not like the ending. Unlike other Marvel films, there are no additional scenes during or at the end of the credits.  It’s been said that there aren’t any current plans to mix the Spider-Man world with the rest of the Marvel universe, and I am fine with that.  Spider-Man would just look silly interacting with Ironman and Capt. America.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Website

Indiefest:  Decoding Annie Parker (2014) R  Annie (Samantha Morton) is a young woman who comes from a long line of family members who died from cancer.  Dr. Marie-Claire King (Helen Hunt) is a researcher who specializes in cancer.  The two, Annie and Dr. King, embark on a remarkable journey to prove that some forms of cancer are hereditary. This is a smart, moving, inspiring film that also is very funny, mostly due to the outlook and dialogue of Annie Parker.  Samantha Morton gives a brilliant performance as the quirky Annie, whose quest to not only beat cancer but also understand why she got the disease dominates the film.  Helen Hunt isn’t given as much to do, mostly because she is seen mostly in scenes of doing very dry research, but Morton is a breath of fresh air and makes this film work.  It’s not often that in a scene where a patient is being told they have cancer, you are laughing.  My Rating:  Full Price  Decoding Annie Parker Website   For a full length review of the film click here  

Indiefest:  Blue Ruin (2014) R   Dwight (Macon Blair) is basically a beach bum, living out of his car and depending on trash cans and strangers for meals. Dwight discovers that a long time family rival is going to be released from prison.  Now Dwight will go back home to Virginia and try and get his revenge. This is an unconventional suspense film about a man who gets in way over his head and just tries to survive.  Blair is impressive in this tour de force performance, where he says very little, but through his body language and facial expressions, gives us so much information. The world that we see in this film is one where violence is met with violence, and Dwight is pulled further and further into it. The film is written extremely well, creating tension in even the most normal of scenes.  It is a stunning film to watch and experience.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Blue Ruin Website  For a full length review of this film click here

Forgotten Film:  Me and You and Everyone We Know (2004) R Richard (John Hawkes), a shoe salesman, has just recently been thrown out by his wife (JoNell Kennedy) and is now living with his two sons in a small apartment.  He meets Christine (Miranda July) and a budding romance slowly blooms between the two.  This is a quirky, funny film that has a number of subplots, all which come together at the end of the film.  Miranda July is delightful as a woman who desperately wants to be an artist, and the chemistry between her and Hawkes is magical.  This is one of those films that you will want to see several times to catch all the dialogue and drink in all the brilliant scenes.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again  Me and You and Everyone We Know Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)  Dusty, the racing plane, gets injured and now is a fire fighter.  Why Disney insists on releasing these films in the theatre, when it's obvious that were meant to be direct to DVD films is beyond me.  Planes: Frie & Rescue Info

In Case You Missed It:  The Legend of Hercules (2014) PG-13  Retelling of the Hercules legend.  It’s a big mess of a movie where I had trouble understanding what the actors were saying.  I still don’t know what happened at the end of the film.  Stay away from this film and wait for The Rock’s Hercules film that will be released this summer.  My Rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again  The Legend of Hercules Website  

Weird Credits:  From the credits of The Amazing Spider-Man 2:   eco intern

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Edge of Tomorrow (2014) PG-13 A soldier (Tom Cruise) fighting aliens begins to relive the day he dies over and over.  Cruise isn’t a favorite of mine but the trailer looks like the film could be a blast and it’s got Emily Blunt as a soldier who holds the key to winning the battle.   Edge of Tomorrow Website

Until NextTime!