Much as was the case with The Cabin in the Woods, I missed The Amazing Spider-Man when it was released in theaters last year. There are a bunch of possible reasons for this, but the most obvious was that it just felt too soon to reboot the Spider-Man story. Sam Raimi’s trilogy had only ended 5 years ago, and the first movie was only 5 years before that, and I just felt that if they weren’t continuing the story that they’d be better off leaving Spider-Man alone for a while. However, over the weekend I watched it (thanks to a free weekend of HBO) and I generally enjoyed it. While it’s too far removed from the film’s release to give it a full review (though I’d generally give it a B+), I thought I’d do another “Not Exactly a Review” filled with my disorganized thoughts.
I’ve always believed that films should be appreciated on their own merits, and that it’s unfair to judge a film either positively based on the reflected glow of other films (The Dark Knight Rises benefitting from the praise for The Dark Knight) or negatively simply because it is being compared to something universally loved. However, it is fair, and in this case unavoidable, to compare this film with the Raimi trilogy, given the close time frame and wide appeal of the previous films. The Amazing Spider-Man tries to blaze its own trail, succeeding in some ways and failing in others. Continue reading
I love musicals, but I love musical climaxes even more. No, not like that, get your mind out of the gutter! I’ve always enjoyed movies that have either the climax of the story, or at least a major plot point, revolve around a musical number, particularly when it is unexpected. I don’t mean in musicals, but in movies that otherwise have no musical numbers and are not about music. In other words, not movies like Crazy Heart, Ray, or A Prairie Home Companion, all of which are in some way about music.
I also don’t mean scenes set to music, either as a montage or to set the mood for the scene, like in Rocky, The Breakfast Club or Cruel Intentions. I’m not even talking about musical climaxes that are the obvious result of the plot, like in Dirty Dancing, Sister Act, or Little Miss Sunshine. What I’m talking about are moments when characters in otherwise non-musical movies have some sort of musical performance/dance number/song that resolves their issues, expresses their feelings, or advances the plot in a way that’s unique compared to the rest of the film, and is often unexpected or completely surprising. Here are some examples of what I mean: Continue reading
The Love Pirate 