Is Spider-Man true literature or big screen gold?

While some may argue whether comic books are true literature or not, there is no debate over whether or not they'll make it on the big screen.  Superhero movies are what summer blockbusters seem to be made of lately and the newest one to kick off this year's season just opened last night. 

As an author, I love books.  Duh.  I also adore movies and I write reviews on for several web sites.  Be sure to subscribe to my Movie Review Maven blog!

Movie Title:     The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell:   

This new installment of the Spider-Man franchise successfully makes you feel like you’re reading the panels of a comic book, but also has the effect of a choppy story that is common within that genre.  The flick is full of acrobatic stunts, impressive car crashes, and electrifying villains that young kids will get a kick out of.  I saw a few little ones walk into the theater wearing their Spidey costumes.  Adorable.  Most teens and parents who still have the Toby Maguire DVD sitting in their cabinet at home are asking “Why are they doing a remake so soon?” 

Uplifting theme:   

• Peter Parker’s girlfriend, Gwen (Emma Stone), gives the Valedictorian speech at her high school graduation that pretty much sums up the theme for the movie: “It’s easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too.  There will be days when you feel all alone and that’s when hope is needed most.  No matter how bad it gets or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope.  Keep it alive.  We have to be greater than what we suffer.  My wish for you is to become hope.  People need that.  And even if we fail, what better way is there to live?”

Things I liked:

• The beginning of the movie sheds more light on Peter Parker’s parents and their unique mission which caused them to leave their young son.
• The slow-motion sequences were really great.
• Where else can we see Jaime Foxx with bad comb-over?
• The audience I sat with thought it was hilarious when Spider-Man sticks to a vehicle while it drives down the road.  He says to Gwen on the phone “I got a little stuck in traffic.”
• I pretty much love Emma Stone in anything.  This is a much softer version of her sass.
• This installment in Spider-Man is stuffed with villains.  Some say too many.  I rather liked the fact that the formula wasn’t “fight bad guy-win-happy ending-the end.
• (No spoiler alert)  I loved the story line and ending with the brave little boy.

Things I didn’t like:

• While Garfield and Stone have some chemistry, there’s no magical kiss like the one Maguire/Dunst created in their famous upside-down scene.
• It’s hard for Spider-Man to be really amazing when we’ve seen so many truly awesome CGI movies lately….with and without Superheroes.
•  Is it just me or does it seem like all of the villains in movies lately aren’t really bad, but just misunderstood?
• Before the movie started at the Regal Theater I attended, a bizarre announcement played with Emma Stone and a drugged out looking Andrew Garfield with a fake British accent.  They were encouraging patrons to upgrade to a particular ticket after the movie with access to additional content.
• Spiderman’s clever banter with bad guys just isn’t very clever at all.
• Some of Spiderman’s webs magically hook onto thin air.  What the?
•  The story line turns Peter Parker’s girlfriend into a successful Valedictorian with a loving family, much different from the Kirsten Dunst's wounded character. 
• I love Paul Giamatti, so I thought he was seriously underutilized in this film.
• Peter and Aunt May (Sally Field) fight in almost every scene they're in.
• Why do evil scientists always speak with a German accent and laugh after every sentence?

Inspiring lines:

• “What makes life valuable is that it doesn’t last forever.  What makes it precious is that it ends.”  - Gwen’s graduation speech
• “Time is luck, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.   Make yours count for something.  Fight for what matters to you, no matter what. Because even if we fall short, what better way is there to live?” – Gwen’s graduation speech
• “You’re not a nobody.  You’re somebody.”   - Spiderman  
• “The world cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”   - Albert Einstein, as quoted by Norman Osborn

Funny lines:

• Max tells Spider-Man “I will be like a god to them.”  Spiderman quips “A god named Sparkles?”

Things to look for:

• I love it when Stan Lee makes his cameo performance in Marvel movies.  Look closely in the high school graduation scene.  Stan sees Peter Parker with his Spider-Man mask on and says “Hey, I think I know that guy!”
• Some of the high school students decorate their graduation caps with little toys or words.  My oldest son just graduated from college last weekend (proud mama!) and I didn’t see any of the students decorate their caps, but I thought it was a cute idea.
• Peter Parker’s ring tone on his cell phone.
• Peter Parker’s cute “Thrasher” t-shirt.
• Aidy Bryant from Saturday Night Live is wearing a Statue of Liberty costume and says to Spider-Man “Nice costume!”
• Don’t bother looking for a fun sneak peek at anything after the credits roll.  When the movie is over, it’s actually over. 

Tips for parents:   

• Kids can learn about battery power and electric charges…
• The profanity is lean with only a few “mild” bad words, but there is, of course, a lot of violence.  Young children with dreams of becoming the next Superhero may need to be counseled “Do not try this at home.”
• If you missed the first Andrew Garfield Spidey, you can get it here:

Want to see the Toby Maguire version? You can pick it up cheap right here:

Saving Mr. Banks features Disney Magic That Touches the Heart

Movie Title:  Saving Mr. Banks

Grade: A-

In a Nutshell:  This is an absolutely lovely film that wraps a perfect Disney bow around your heart.  It’s the untold back-story of how the beloved movie Mary Poppins came to be.  Walt Disney is vividly brought to life by two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks.  Until now, very few fans knew that Disney spent 20 years trying to convince the curmudgeonly author of the Mary Poppins books to allow him to turn her stories into the iconic film that we all adore.  The fantastic Emma Thompson, also a two-time Oscar winner perfectly portrays P.L. Travers, the author who struggles with her hidden fears and the ghosts of her past and who is the one who ultimately saves Mr. Banks in the end.  This should be Emma Thompson’s third Academy win…

Uplifting theme:  This spoonful of sugar touched a sensitive spot on aging Baby Boomers in the audience who cried like babies in the end. (weak grin)  While P.L. Travers reviews in her mind the tormented life of her charming father’s addictions, she too is caged by her personal demons.  SPOILER ALERT: It wasn’t until Walt Disney and P.L. Travers chose to change their painful childhood memories, focusing on the good and allowing the anger to melt away, that Mr. Banks was saved. We would be wise to do the same.

Things I liked:  While her prickly personality battles against the Disney machine during the day, she cuddles with the soft mouse at night in her hotel room.  I loved the moment when a giant Mickie Mouse offers to escort a hesitant P.L. Travers into the debut screening of the movie.  An underused gem, I loved Bradley Whitford in The West Wing: The Complete Series Collection and “The Good Guys” (Pilot [HD]), so it was great to see him again.  The handsome Colin Farrell and talented character actor Paul Giamatti added nicely to the star-studded cast.

Things I didn’t like:  The medicine that was spoon-fed included a dose of Disney branding that was a bit self-serving on the eve of the half-century anniversary of Mary Poppins 50th Anniversary Edition , albeit clever marketing.  I was surprised to learn that P.L. Travers didn’t want actor Dick Van Dyke in the Mary Poppins movie…I LOVE him and thought he was truly magical in the film!

Funny line: Walt Disney says to P.L. Travers who sits awkwardly on a carousel “I had a wager I couldn’t get you on a ride.  I just won twenty bucks!”  The author of a children’s book about a flying nanny ironically questions Disney by asking “Where is the gravitas?”

Insightful quotes:

“Live a life that isn’t dictated by the past.”   - Disney

“We restore order with imagination.”  - Disney

“A leisurely stroll is a gift.”  Ralph

“A mouse is family.”  - Disney

“This world is just an illusion.”  - Robert Goff Travers

Things to look for:  Notice who says “Don’t leave me”, “Never.  I promise” and how it is fulfilled. Apparently, Walt Disney smoked like a chimney and was rarely seen without a cigarette.  It was decided in this movie to remove that portrayal, but there is one quick mention of it when Walt, himself, stamps out a cigarette to protect the children’s sensitive eyes. 

Tips for parents: Saving Mr. Banks is a bit slow-moving for children, without big action scenes to make up for it.  While it is about Walt Disney’s magical world, the film is more about character development and the magic of creating one’s future, rather than dwelling on the past.  

Interesting books to read on the subject:
How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life

The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney

Mary Poppins - The Complete Collection

Turbo Terrific for little ones

Turbo is an example of a trailer that didn’t make the movie look as good as it is.  I mean, a movie about a fast garden snail?  Unlike Ryan Reynold’s other movie released this weekend, R.I.P.D., this fun flick is sure to please the whole family.  It has heart and illustrates the feel-good message that all you need is one good friend to believe in you in order to succeed.  No dream is too big and no dreamer is too small.  Sweet.

 

Voice and acting talent Paul Giamatti plays Chet, Turbo the snail’s best friend and brother, but it’s Tito (Michael Pena) who first believes in Turbo’s dream to race in the Indianapolis 500.  Tito and his brother own a taco shop called “Dos Bros Tacos” when Tito discovers the quick escargot and hopes to create a “tacovolution” that will draw more hungry customers to their little restaurant.

 

The unmistakable voice of Samuel L. Jackson brings “Whiplash” to life, another fast snail who befriends Turbo and helps him reach his goal.  “Smoove Move” embodies Snoop Dogg’s snail persona, complete with a pair of dice swinging from his slender, snaily neck.

 

You’ll also hear the voices of other fan favorites such as Michelle Rodriguez (Paz) and Ken Jeong (Kim Ly), who both own shops in the same small strip mall as Dos Bros Tacos.

 

This is the first project of director and co-writer David Soren, who pleases young audiences with colorful characters, an underdog story, and lots of silliness.  Kids aren’t too hard to please, after all.  Adults will be amused, however, by a few clever lines and gags.  Watch for the funny mean kid on the Big Wheel, the mustache made out of grass, Taco Man and his sidekick “Churro”, “Snail up!”, “Snailed it”, and the label on a hot sauce bottle that says “Product causes death.”

 

It’s amazing how a good animation team can create such detailed facial expressions on slimy insects, but they succeed.   It’s not worth the extra money to pay to see it in 3D.   The language is clean, although there are a few risqué jokes that should fly over most little one’s head.  “Your trash talk is needlessly complicated” is a funny line geared towards adults, but still evokes a laugh out of kids for reasons they don’t even understand.

 

Suspend your disbelief and enjoy the fast ride with your kids and a bucket of popcorn.  Not in to insects?  Go see Monsters University instead.

 

Grade = B