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Spider-Man
2
Reviewed by Jason Aaron
It’s easy to call Spider-Man 2 the best superhero film of all
time, but it’s far more than just that. Though it may be a little early
to start compiling a Best Of the Year list, Spider-Man 2 will surely
rank among the best-scripted, best-directed, most moving, most awe-inspiring
and most downright enjoyable films of 2004. Even with keeping the same director
(cult legend Sam Raimi) and cast (including stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten
Dunst), this sequel improves on its predecessor in virtually every way.
The Green Goblin, the villain of the first film (played in a rare ham-fisted
turn by the usually reliable Willem Dafoe), looked more like a Mighty Morphin
Power Ranger than a dangerous evildoer. Spider-Man 2 gives us Doctor
Octopus, a misguided scientist with a set of creepy, metallic arms. Veteran
character actor Alfred Molina is perfect as Doc Ock: never over the top
but always menacing. In one truly inspired scene — like something straight
out of Raimi’s Evil Dead — those snake-like arms of Ock’s
slaughter a roomful of doctors and nurses.
Spider-Man 2 is conversely funnier and more serious than the original
film. It’s hard to imagine any movie with a spandex-clad main character
being more emotionally powerful than this one. The script nails everything
that makes lovable loser Peter Parker (Maguire) such a compelling and enduring
character. His web slinging and crime fighting may earn him the adoration
of children everywhere, but it certainly doesn't help him hold down a steady
job, keep up his grades or commit to the woman he loves.
Even his super-strong alter ego Parker can't win, what with publisher J.
Jonah Jameson (brought to life in another hilarious performance by J.K.
Simmons) slamming him as a menace in every issue of the “Daily Bugle”
newspaper and Parker's best friend, Harry Osborn (James Franco), dead-set
on getting vengeance against the wall-crawler in the name of his late father,
Norman Osborn, a k a the Green Goblin.
As if all that wasn't enough, now Spidey seems to be suffering a bit of
superhero performance anxiety, causing his powers to short out at the most
inopportune moments (like when he’s swinging between skyscrapers).
Spider-Man 2’s screenwriters (including Pulitzer prize-winning
novelist Michael Chabon) deserve huge kudos here, as this is one of the
best written action films since Die Hard or even Raiders of the
Lost Ark, and actually it's far more moving than either of those two.
Spider-Man 2 even manages to turn crime-fighting clichés into
movie gold, as Spidey and Doc Ock stage battles during a bank hold-up, atop
a brownstone, in an abandoned warehouse and on a moving subway. The subway
battle is undoubtedly the film's highlight, complete with amazing visuals
and a touch of post 9/11 New York style solidarity that comes across as
surprisingly stirring and sincere. Spider-Man 2 is very conscious
of its status as a post September 11th hero film, what with Spider-Man battling
evil alongside the NYPD and FDNY. This is super heroics, 21st century style.
While the original film's computer generated effects sometimes bordered
on the cartoonish, Spider-Man 2 showcases the most effective blend
of CGI and live action to date. The wizards at Edge FX should go ahead and
clear off a space on their mantles for Oscar statues. Hardcore Spidey fans
will love seeing the film's little nods to the character's rich comic book
history. Wonder why Peter's college professor only has one arm? Stay tuned.
Any significance to Jameson's son being an astronaut? You bet.
Comic fans are going to cherish this movie like they cherish the weathered
boxes of bagged and boarded books stored in their parent’s basements
(I can make that joke because I still have comics in my parent’s basement).
However, the moviegoers who'll really be blown away by Spider-Man 2
are the ones who aren't expecting it, the ones who couldn't care less about
a comic book, but instead just want to see some Hollywood escapism at its
most refined. This is it, true believers!
The effects are flawless, the jokes fresh, the character well defined, the
emotions real and the action inspiring. Overall, this is the once and future
Citizen Kane of comic book superhero flicks. This is as good as it's
ever gonna get. The superhero film genre stretches all the way back to the
Superman serials of the 1940s and includes everything from Batman
and the X-Men to Howard the Duck and the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles. Finally, after 60 years of hits, misses and downright
disasters, superheroes have a bit of cinematic perfection to call their
own. After all the times they've saved the world, don't they deserve it?
(PG-13) Rating: 5; Posted 7/6/04 |
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Lewis
& Clark: The Great Journey West
Reviewed by Russ Simmons
Want a quick and entertaining historical refresher to prepare yourself
for all of the Lewis and Clark Expedition celebrations going on around
town? It would be hard to find a better choice than Lewis & Clark:
The Great Journey West. It's now playing at the Extreme Screen Theatre
at Union Station.
A giant screen production from National Geographic, Lewis & Clark
is a visually stunning overview that helps drive home the point that this
undertaking was an amazing achievement. As narrator Jeff Bridges points
out, it was, in 1804, "the equivalent of a mission to the moon."
When Thomas Jefferson recruited Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to
chart a route from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, few thought that it
actually could be done. In fact, when the party hadn't been heard from
after several weeks, most assumed that they were all dead.
Amazingly, the expedition only lost one member, and he expired early
in their journey from natural causes. Perhaps they all should have died.
As the film demonstrates, fate stepped in numerous times to save them
from certain doom.
The movie is a beautifully photographed visual log. There is no dialogue
or dramatic screenplay. The action is reenacted, but Bridges' narration
serves to fill us in on the details of the remarkable journey.
Director Bruce Neibaur utilizes a lot of aerial photography to sweep
over the purple mountain's majesty, giving audiences the visual rush that
is now required from IMAX and related giant screen formats. It's as if
the adventurers were being watched over by a protective bird, soaring
above the action like a guardian angel.
Highlights of the journey include the numerous encounters with (mostly)
friendly Native Americans, close encounters with wild animals, buffalo
stampedes and brushes with death on perilous river rapids.
The importance of their young Shoshone guide, Sacagawea is emphasized,
too. Without her frequent intervention to help the members of the expedition
find food and placate the natives, it is virtually certain that none of
them would have survived. York, Clark's slave, is also given his due as
an important participant who eventually received his freedom as a reward
for his contributions.
At a zippy 42 minutes in length, Lewis & Clark: The Great Journey
West should be able to hold the interest of even the most fidgety
youngster. It also serves as an engaging Cliff Notes guide to
an important historic milestone. (G) Rating: 3; Posted 7/02/04
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The
Big Animal
Reviewed by Uri Lessing
If standing in an enormous line to see a live action comic book sounds a
bit daunting, you might want to hit a brand new art theater and check out
The Big Animal instead. This curious gem comes all the way from
Poland, and was penned by the brilliant social filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski
before he died. The story is simple, elegant, thought provoking and at times
frightening.
Zygmunt Sawicki (portrayed by the film's director Jerzy Stuhr) lives
a simple life with his wife Marysia (Anna Dymna). He arrives on time every
day to his bureaucratic job, lives in a fenced-in home on the edge of
his village, and plays the oboe in the town's band.
One evening, a traveling circus leaves behind an enormous camel that
wanders up to the couple's home. Instead of turning it in, Sawicki decides
to keep it. The camel is a blend of exotic possibilities and emotional
excitement, and Sawicki embraces it with a newfound joy. The beast also
captivates his wife, and the couple becomes closer as they cherish the
animal. Consequently, they sacrifice their former existence.
As the Sawickis are captivated, the rest of the village becomes upset,
judgmental, hateful, and eventually completely isolate them. A public
servant nervously explains to Zygmunt that he has no idea how to tax the
beast. People first laugh and later shun Sawicki as he walks through the
town with his camel. Sawicki is subtly humiliated and kicked out of his
band. We never see the camel disrupting the lives of the town, but just
his presence seems to infuriate the villagers because it does not fit
into their schema of life.
As in Henri-Georges Clouzot's film Le Corbeau, seemingly simple
people are revealed to be angry, jealous and petty. Kieslowski has written
a film about how people, when confronting something new, often react with
anger and even vengeance. The film also focuses on the unconquerable spirit
of dreams. The Sawickis never succumb to hatred.
Director Stuhr keeps the film simple and direct. The pacing never dwindles.
The photography of Pawel Edelman (The Pianist) is exquisite,
and the only element that mars The Big Animal is that, at times, the subtitles
display grammatical errors.
The Big Animal is a touching film and a perfect way to introduce
Kansas City to the new Screenland Theatre. Located one block west of 17th
and Broadway, the Screenland is an elegant little theater, with recliners
in the center aisle and state of the art sound. A charming film in a charming
new art theater: Who could ask for more? (Not Rated) Rating: 4; Posted
7/02/04
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America's
Heart and Soul
Reviewed by Liz Sweeney
In the same hot summer month that Control Room and Fahrenheit
9/11 are due to inflame hearts and minds, America's Heart and
Soul will appear like cool relief. Timed to be released on the 4th
of July weekend, and flying high on the documentary film trend, this patriotic
piece signals as heartily as a flag, reminding citizens that America is
full of distinctly interesting and compelling lives.
Director Louis Schwartzberg traipsed about the country with a 35 mm camera,
capturing urban and rural landscapes and the folks that inhabit them.
Explaining on the film's website, "Everyone dreams of hitting the
road, traveling around the country like Steinbeck," Schwartzberg's
reference to the quintessentially American writer is not incidental. Reflecting
characteristic Steinbeck themes, Heart and Soul draws inspiration
from the land and cultural diversity, and affirms the strength of the
human spirit, capturing the native speech, folklore and humor of the particular
regions he visits. Also reminiscent of Steinbeck, Schwartzberg frequently
champions the forgotten and disenfranchised, and poeticizes the rustic.
About 25 vignettes are featured, and include an acrobatic flyer, a gospel
singer, a blind mountain climber, an Appalachian rug weaver, and an "explosive
artist." What binds the film is that its subjects are passionate
about what they do; each "character" approaches life with a
certain amount of conviction, if sometimes obsessively.
Although a first time director, Schwartzberg has plenty of experience
as a cinematographer, and his experiential bias shows. He captures his
subjects beautifully against gorgeous scenery and underscores the essence
of colorful individuality. One short sequence shows cliff dancers whose
choreography encompasses aerial, vertical and horizontal dynamism. It's
a breathtaking piece of cinematography.
Featuring a new song by John Mellencamp (arguably the music industry's
closest Steinbeck equivalent), America's Heart and Soul avoids
political overtones in a peculiarly un-Steinbeck-like approach. It should
come as no surprise that Disney, the same company that tried to freeze
the distribution of Fahrenheit 9/11, is avidly promoting America's
Heart and Soul. The film lacks a core subject and narrative trajectory,
and its persistent apolitical stance often gives it a whitewashed feel
that ultimately makes Heart and Soul more akin to the overplayed
song with the shared name. Many of the people are fascinating, but by
including so many, Schwartzberg sometimes leaves us feeling unfulfilled.
America's Heart and Soul is a sincere collection piece, albeit
without a central thesis. For Americans looking for an alternative to
uncomfortable political films, this upbeat movie is a good choice. Its
success may actually ride the coattails of backlash against its more gritty
rivals. (PG) Rating: 3; Posted 7/02/04
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Latter
Days
Reviewed by Russ Simmons
TIf you love stereotypes, stock characters, stilted dialogue and contrived
situations, then Latter Days may be right up your alley. On the
other hand, there may be other flaws that could spoil things for you.
The first directorial effort from screenwriter C. Jay Cox (Sweet
Home Alabama), Latter Days is a romantic drama with a twist.
This story of star-crossed lovers involves a male Mormon missionary who
falls for another man.
Steve Sandross plays Elder Aaron Davis, a sincere but naive young man
just beginning his two-year stint as an LDS missionary in Los Angeles.
A closeted gay proselytizing for a church that condemns homosexuality,
Aaron struggles with this internal conflict.
Things get more complicated when Aaron meets Christian (Wesley A Ramsey),
a shallow and promiscuous gay man who lives in the apartment complex that
Aaron and his mission companions move into. An aspiring actor working
as a waiter at a trendy restaurant, Christian makes a $50 bet with some
of his co-workers that he can seduce one of the missionaries.
Christian's "gaydar" points to Aaron, and he makes him his
target. Trouble is, Aaron is an earnest person who only wants to do God's
work. When he compares himself to this man of conviction, the ironically
named Christian begins to question his life choices and realizes how shallow
he really is.
Christian begins to fall in love with Aaron, and the feeling is mutual.
When some of the missionaries catch Aaron and Christian in a romantic
kiss, it is the beginning of a soul damaging scandal.
Cox, a former Mormon who reportedly based both characters on aspects
of his own personality, has an ax to grind. The Mormon Church, which considers
homosexuality an abomination, is ridiculed as an intolerant and hypocritical
organization. Problem is, Cox's approach is so heavy-handed that his movie
nearly becomes a Michael Moore-style polemic. Cox nearly gives the elders
moustaches to wickedly twirl.
The actors are likable, even when the dialogue lets them down. Thankfully,
there are some solid pros (Jacqueline Bisset as a troubled restaurateur
and Mary Kay Place as Aaron's intolerant mom) that make the screenplay
seem better than it is.
A popular feature at gay film festivals, Latter Days is getting
a pass because of its gay-friendly stance, not because of its filmmaking.
The movie has a preachy, holier-than-thou attitude that may annoy even
those who may be sympathetic to its point of view. (Not rated, but features
adult language, situations and copious nudity) Rating: 2; Posted 7/02/04
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The
Notebook
Reviewed by Uri Lessing
The key to a successful romantic film is getting the audience to fall in
love. This is not as easy as it sounds because filmmakers have about 5 minutes
to complete this task, and an hour and a half to sustain a genuine and amorous
atmosphere. Courting the audience is a lot like a first date, and when a
movie is successful, the audience will think back fondly on the film like
an old flame.
In contrast, The Notebook is like a vicious manipulative stalker
that deserves to be chucked in jail for indecent behavior and gross misconduct...and,
well, just being a really lousy movie. The Notebook is about
as romantic as a drunk belting bad poetry under your window at 3 a.m.
The premise of a romantic film is a lot like a person's appearance. It's
the hook that draws one in. The Notebook's premise is about as
attractive as an infected nose ring. In a nursing home, the elderly Duke
(James Garner) reads to Allie (Gena Rowlands) from a notebook that documents
a great romance in an attempt to cure her degenerate brain condition.
(Is Alzheimer's disease romantic?) We watch flashbacks of young love blossoming
between working class Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and rich socialite girl
Allie (Rachel McAdams). But Gosling and McAdams are about as flat as notebook
pages, so their characters struggle to do something interesting.
Gosling does his best Leonardo DiCaprio impersonation, and McAdams spends
the majority of the time screaming: She screams on a Ferris Wheel, she
screams for joy, she screams at Gosling in anger, she screams at her rich
tightwad parents when they forbid her to see her love, she screams while
making love and she screams for happiness when a new man proposes to her.
(Is screaming romantic?)
All of this takes place in a fantasy version of North Carolina where
the sun always sparkles across the lake and the moon is always full. Characters
come and go. The film even appears to kill off Calhoun's best friend and
dad so he can spend more time alone with Allie. Black people are reduced
to scenery either dancing and singing on Calhoun's porch or silently serving
Allie at her house. (Is racism romantic?)
The ending of the movie, however takes the cake as the most contrived
ridiculous ending that has ever concluded a romantic movie. It's like
a last desperate attempt to get the audience to cry, and one gets the
sense that director Nick Cassevetes and writer Jan Sardi would spray the
audience with teargas if they could.
In your next search for that perfect romantic movie, the one that touches
your soul and induces memories of beautiful days with a new exciting person,
please show some common sense and file a restraining order against The
Notebook. (PG-13) Rating: 0; Posted 7/02/04
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The
Saddest Music in the World
Reviewed by Russ Simmons
Some folks love turnips, bagpipe music and leisure suits. They're not
wrong. It's just a matter of taste.
Some folks love Guy Maddin, the fiercely eccentric Canadian filmmaker
responsible for such peculiar fare as Archangel and Tales of the Gimli
Hospital. Here's an artist who knows his work isn't commercial. He would
probably resent it if the public at large embraced his peculiar vision.
(He reportedly said he took his movie to Sundance so that he could pee
in the hot tub.)
Maddin's latest concoction is The Saddest Music in the World,
adapted from a screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day).
True to form, it's a trip to Weirdsville.
The story takes place in frigid Winnipeg during the depths of the Great
Depression. A beautiful beer baroness named Lady Port-Huntly (Isabella
Rossellini) has decided to sponsor a contest. In reaction to an English
newspaper's description of Winnipeg as the "world capitol of sorrow,"
Lady Port-Huntly has offered $25,000 to the person or persons who perform
the saddest music in the world.
The contest unfolds like a twisted version of American Idol, with numerous
elimination rounds (Eskimos competing against African pygmies, etc.).
At the end of each round, the winners are whisked down a slide into a
giant vat of beer.
Throughout the contest, we're made privy to Lady Port-Huntly's bizarre
back story that led her to becoming a double amputee sporting glass legs
filled with beer. We meet her ex-lover Chester Kent (Mark McKinney), his
current lover Narcissa (Maria de Medeiros), Chester's dad, Fyodor (David
Fox) and brother Roderick (Ross McMillan).
The actors perform their dialogue in an over-the-top, anachronistic style
that fits with Maddin's retro filmmaking. Maddin shot the movie in 8mm
black and white (with a few washed out color sequences) and then blew
it up 35mm to achieve the look of an ancient reel discovered in a musty
basement. The action was shot on a refrigerated soundstage on sets that
look like German expressionism as re-imagined by Walt Disney.
All this, one supposes, is good for a few laughs. Problem is, it just
isn't all that funny. One could argue that the whole enterprise is mind-numbing
pretentious. Maddin's gimmicky visual style is quite arresting for a time,
but eventually one yearns for more.
Although some of us would like to point out that the emperor has no clothes,
others love Maddin's twisted vision. Then again, some people love borscht.
(Not rated) Rating: 2; Posted 7/02/04
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