Cindy Prascik's Review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for an afternoon with one of my favorite heroes, the Amazing Spider-Man.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Spidey faces off with a trio of new foes, while Peter Parker deals with the travails of teen love.
In the Amazing Spider-Man 2, Andrew Garfield reprises his role as the titular web-slinger. Whatever problems this movie has--and, trust me, it has 'em--Garfield's enthusiasm for the role really shines and is something special to watch. As a fan, there's nothing quite like knowing the guy in the suit is as excited about it as you are.

The movie doesn't stretch Garfield's talent, but it's better for having him. The cast boasts some pretty big names, but if there's anyone else worth mentioning it's Dane DeHaan, who is terrific as Harry Osborne.

Like its predecessor, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 has inexcusably poor special effects. For all the money the filmmakers have thrown at the screen, it looks no better than a video game. Jamie Foxx' Electro is pretty badass, but the flying sequences and other CGI are terrible.It goes without saying--but I'll say it anyway--the Amazing Spider-Man 2 is far too long.

There's barely enough substance here for a 90-minute popcorn flick, yet the movie drags on for another 50 minutes beyond that...I considered going for popcorn I didn't want or making a bathroom run I didn't need just to shake off the drowsies.

Most of the humor is juvenile and falls flat, though Garfield and co-star (and real-life love) Emma Stone are just charming enough to make some of it work. I disagree with complaints that there are too many villains in the movie, but I don't think the script really gives any of them their due.

As long as the movie is, they definitely could have done much better on that front. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has its fun moments, but watching it is a little like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with a cat in the house: just when you think you're getting all the pieces together, they land in a jumble on the floor.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 runs 142 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of sci-fi action/violence."

It's worth seeing for great performances by Andrew Garfield and Dane DeHaan, even if it doesn't live up to its "amazing" billing.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 gets five.

Until next time...

"A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool? 95 million dollars!"

MOVIE REVIEW: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

The web-slingin' wall-crawler hits the screens once again in this follow-up to Marc Webb's 2012 reboot of the series. Andrew Garfield returns as Peter Parker, who squares off against the villainous Electro, played by Jamie Foxx. Emma Stone heads up the rest of the starring cast, which includes Paul Giamatti, Dane DeHaan, and Chris Cooper. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Marc Webb 

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Chris Cooper, Paul Giamatti

Release Date: May 02, 2014

Rated PG-13 for seq. of Sci-Fi Action/Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 21 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

I’ll start this review like I’ve probably started the 4 other Spider-man reviews before it.  I’ll never been much a fan of the character, I’m not sure why but he’s just never grabbed my attention like DC’s Mount Olympus of heroes or the X-Men for example.  I did enjoy the first two Sam Raimi and despised the third.  The first film in the rebooted series didn’t hit the mark for me even though I liked Garfield and Stone in their roles.  The 2^nd go around doesn’t fair much better.  The film suffers from some truly awful writing filled with stale dialogue and plot holes just a tad too large to ignore.  It’s never a good thing when certain segments of the film remind you of 90’s era Joel Schumacher Batman films.  As a whole the film feels like a throwback but not in a good way.  While most superhero films are trying to infuse some deeper meaning into their stories or at the very least some fun, this one seems content to give us a few CGI heavy set pieces and the most basic of back stories for the villains and call it a day.  In between this all we get an overdose of Parker and Stacy’s romance which is solid but overdone.  It’s propped up by Garfield and Stone’s chemistry which makes the whole thing more watchable than it should be but they can’t save this bloated mess of a film.  I personally have no problem if a film is 2 and half hours long as long as it earns that runtime, this one doesn’t come close to deserving its runtime, not by a long shot.  It would have been better served with a more focused storyline and villain instead of trying to lay the groundwork for future spinoffs and sequels like the planned Sinister Six films.  The Amazing Spider-man 2 is purely for diehards and anybody wanting to see Paul Giamatti scream out intelligible dialogue in a 2 minute cameo.

D

Cindy Prascik’s Review of Metallica Through the Never

Dearest Blog, today I used my recovery day from the Nine Inch Nails concert to catch Metallica's latest big-screen venture, Through the Never.

Spoiler level here will be mild, and, truth be told, there's not a lot to spoil.

During a Metallica concert, a young man (Dane DeHaan) is charged with collecting "something the band needs tonight," but finds the task is more challenging than he could have imagined.

Lots of people release 3D concert films these days, and I get pretty tired of seeing trailers for Katy Perry, One Direction, Kenny Chesney....... Wait...what? Sorry, I dozed off just typing that bit. Anyway, it's nice to get a big-screen outing from a band that's actually worth seeing. Make no mistake, Through the Never is no more than a concert film with a little extra mustard on it, but what a concert film it is!!

Any plot is merely a side note to an explosive Metallica show. The story is interesting enough, without being distracting. DeHaan spends 90 minutes looking confounded, terrified, and higher than someone in a Cheech & Chong film...sometimes all at the same time.

There are extras aplenty, but his is really the only character to speak of, and he carries the scripted part of the movie well.

There's no backstage BS in Through the Never, no Katy Perry explaining how her Christian upbringing prepared her for a career crooning trite pop songs while dressed as a PG13-candy striper.

Outside the trippy clips of DeHaan trying to accomplish his chore, there's just Metallica, Metallica, and more Metallica. Top hits like Enter Sandman, One, and Nothing Else Matters are complimented by old favorites Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and my favorite Metallica song, Creeping Death. I had the theatre to myself today, and I'll cop to throwing the horns and yelling, "Die! Die! Die!" along with the onscreen crowd.

The 3D is good without being obtrusive. Nothing flies off the screen at you, but it definitely feels like you're front row for Metallica's big sets and big sound. This movie is a good time x 12.

Metallica Through the Never runs a quick 93 minutes and is rated R for "some violent content and language."

Metallica Through the Never is a fantastic concert film that, for my money, could have been two hours longer and still seemed short.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, I can enthusiastically give it all nine.

And, if you were lucky enough to catch this in IMAX 3D,

I hate you. I really hate you! ;-)

Horns up, dear reader(s)! Until next time...



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