Film: The Amazing Spiderman

GENRE: Action/Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for scenes of violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 16 minutes
STARRING: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
Emma Stone (Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love), Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill)
DIRECTOR: Mark Webb (500 Days of Summer)
WRITERS: James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, The Rundown)
Alvin Sargent (Spiderman 2 & 3), Steve Kloves (Harry Potter series)
PLOT: Peter Parker gets bitten by a spider while looking into his missing father’s former partner who has an obsession with lizards.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 The film isn’t awful but I also don’t think the Spiderman movies were in need of a reboot. There are some entertaining parts but it just seemed too emo for me. Sam Raimi’s trilogy was packed full of fun even if the third one faltered a bit. The story elements are very similar with slight variations however the bad guy still has really loud voices in his head.
2 I will say that this film is shot incredibly well. John Schwartzman (The Rock, Pearl Harbor) does a great job making certain scenes epic and other intimate. Also, nice job of swinging through the streets, even though this film had ten more years to perfect Raimi’s already stellar job of webslinging. Interesting to do some of it as first person, which I guess is awesome if you watch it in 3D (I didn’t.).
3 Emma Stone gives an awesome performance as Gwen Stacy. She’s the bright shiny light in this story. Actually Denis Leary also does a great job as Captain Stacy. I didn’t like the Stacys in Spiderman 3 but in this film they are golden. Martin Sheen is dependable as Uncle Ben but Sally Field seems misplaced as Aunt May, she looks too young. Points go to Raimi for the casting of Rosemary Harris.
4 Andrew Garfield does a commendable job of playing a teenager in highschool even though he’s 29 years old. He stumbles nicely and has the look of an emo kid. Unfortunately, I didn’t like him as Spiderman; his quips are a little too cocky and void of true fun. Tobey Maguire may not have had the look but he definitely had the right attitude when he donned the mask.
5 Speaking of masks. Leave the frickin’ mask on! What’s the point in making a mask if you take it off all the time? Does it itch or something? Or is the actor so vain that he needs more facetime on screen? Is it meant to be symbolic? We get it! You’re human. Leave the mask on!

RECOMMENDATION: Theatre for action, DVD for emo
UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Dark Knight Rises

Film: Brave

GENRE: Animated/Adventure
RATING: PG for some scary action and rude humor
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 40 minutes
STARRING: Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)
Billy Connolly (Boondock Saints), Emma Thompson (Love Actually)
DIRECTORS: Mark Andrews & Steven Purcell (newcomer)
Brenda Chapman (Prince of Egypt)
WRITERS: Mark Andrews (John Carter), Brenda Chapman (new)
Steve Purcell (new) & Irene Mecchi (The Lion King)
PLOT: Princess Merida defies custom and brings about a curse that she must undo before it’s too late.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 The animation in this film is breath-taking. Pixar outdid itself visually with all the Scottish landscapes. Four images made me whisper ‘wow’ – the pan across the lake, the waterfall mist, the moss on the trees and the rain trickling down a castle wall. How do they do that?
2 When it comes to Pixar they are known for their compelling stories. I thought Cars 2 floundered and Brave does great at the start but then peters out. The first 45 minutes of this tale is fantastic and hugely entertaining as they set things up and use every aspect of the Scottish culture. The second half of the film just didn’t work for me. It’s hard to root for the hero when they make such a colossal mistake that you could see coming a mile away. Oh well.
3 I love Celtic music. This movie is full of it.
4 The triplets who don’t really talk are quite entertaining. I wish they had more screen time. Don’t make a sequel that’s all about them (Like Cars did with Mater) but I would liked to see them more. The suitor fathers needed more funny lines; although I did enjoy hearing Craig Ferguson (Late Late Show) as Lord Macintosh.
5 ‘Brave’ does not seem like an appropriate title for this film. It would be different if Merida was trying to overcome shyness or gain courage but she’s just an adventurous soul. Just sayin’.

RECOMMENDATION: See it in theatres, it’s Pixar!
UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Amazing Spiderman

TV: My Dream Emmy Ballot

So, I believe the Emmy ballots are due at the end of this week and the nominees will be announced in mid-July. I thought I would submit my own ballot of dream nominees. If these categories were stacked the way I have them, I would be a crazy mess on Emmy night trying to root for my favourites. Of course, that won’t happen; I’m sure we’ll see some more nominations for Chris Colfer and Juliana Margulies. But if I had the power, here would be my nominees:

Best Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
Homeland
The Killing
Mad Men

Best Comedy
Big Bang Theory
Community
Happy Endings
Louie
Modern Family
Parks & Recreation

Lead Actor (Drama Series)
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Kelsey Grammer (Boss)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Damian Lewis (Homeland)

Lead Actress (Drama Series)
Glenn Close (Damages)
Claire Danes (Homeland)
Mireille Enos (The Killing)
Debra Messing (Smash)
Jessica Pare (Mad Men)
Anna Torv (Fringe)

Lead Actor (Comedy Series)
Louis CK (Louie)
Larry David (Curb your Enthusiasm)
Ed Helms (The Office)
Rob Lowe (Parks & Recreation)
Joel McHale (Community)
Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory)

Lead Actress (Comedy Series)
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Jane Levy (Suburgatory)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep)
Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation)
Krysten Ritter (Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23)

Supporting Actor (Drama Series)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad)
Joel Kinnaman (The Killing)
John Noble (Fringe)
John Slattery (Mad Men)
Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead)

Supporting Actress (Drama Series)
Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter)
Lauren Graham (Parenthood)
Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)
Kathleen Robertson (Boss)
Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones)
Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood)

Supporting Actor (Comedy Series)
Donald Glover (Community)
Nolan Gould (Modern Family)
Max Greenfield (New Girl)
Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation)
James VanderBeek (Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23)
Damon Wayans Jr. (Happy Endings)

Supporting Actress (Comedy Series)
Mayim Bialik (Big Bang Theory)
Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory)
Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation)
Maya Rudolph (Up All Night)
Kristen Wiig (SNL)
Casey Wilson (Happy Endings)

Best Writing (Drama Series)
Boardwalk Empire “To the Lost”
Breaking Bad “Salud”
Game of Thrones “Blackwater”
Homeland “Marine One”
Mad Men “The Other Woman”
Parenthood “Sore Loser”

Best Writing (Comedy Series)
Community “Remedial Chaos Theory”
Curb Your Enthusiasm “Palestinian Chicken”
Louie “Oh Louie/Tickets
Modern Family “Leap Day”
The Office “Garden Party”
Parks & Recreation “The Debate”

Let's see if my dreams come true on July 19th.

Film: Prometheus

GENRE: Sci-Fi/Horror
RATING: R for sci-fi violence, language & intense images
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 4 minutes
STARRING: Noomi Rapace (original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Michael Fassbender (Shame), Idris Elba (The Wire)
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott (Alien, Bladerunner, Black Hawk Down)
WRITERS: Jon Spaihts (newcomer) & Damon Lindelof (Lost)
PLOT: Space explorers try to find the origins of mankind but end up making a startling discover on a distant planet.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Ridely Scott films are usually visually stunning. Prometheus is no exception. The opening shots look like the doc Planet Earth. Scott makes things on an epic scale. There is this one scene full of images of a digital universe that is simply breathtaking. The visuals alone are worth the price of admission,
2 Michael Fassbender rocks as the android David. His movements are so specific and mechanical it’s fun to watch. He also gets to have some fun at the humans’ expense.
3 I found Alien to be a suspense thriller over a horror. Prometheus seems to have a bit more horror in its blood. Why do people touch things they know they are not supposed to? Space suits are always vulnerable. There is also a surgery scene that is both thrilling and disgusting. Kudos Rapace.
4 I saw Guy Pierce’s (Memento, Hurt Locker) name in the opening credits but he is hard to recognize under all that make-up. Kind of a waste of his talent if you ask me.
5 I found some of the music really annoying. It was kind of mix between Superman’s fortress of solitude music and old school Star Trek. They played it often in this film when they were trying to discuss deep dramatic themes. It didn’t work for me. Just sayin’

RECOMMENDATION: Theatre great for visuals, not story
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Moonrise Kingdom

Film: Men in Black III

GENRE: Action/Sci-Fi/Comedy
RATING: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 46 minutes
STARRING: Will Smith (Hancock, , I Am Legend, I, Robot)
Josh Brolin (W., Milk), Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive)
DIRECTOR: Barry Sonnenfeld (MIB, Addams Family)
WRITER: Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder, Madagascar 2)
PLOT: Agent J travels back in time to stop an alien from assassinating Agent K and bringing about the end of the world.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 I went into this film with pretty low expectations. I loved the first film but the sequel was lacking in many areas. This one was a pleasant surprise and far surpassed the second installment. They had fun references to past characters like Frank and the worm guys but they didn’t pander to the audience. This one had a much better storyline going for it.
2 Everyone’s been talking about it but I also gotta say that Josh Brolin plays a great Tommy Lee Jones. The look, the voice and attitude is pitch perfect. Brolin elevates every scene that he’s in, probably because he’s made the character three dimensional instead of a caricature. Kudos.
3 I liked how they showed the passage of time travel, it was simple yet interesting at the same time. Loved the concept.
4 While Smith and Jones bring it once again, the supporting characters do some fine work. Michael Stuhlbarg (Boardwalk Empire) is fun to watch as the future-telling Griffin as is Bill Hader (SNL) playing Andy Warhol. Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) is the gross villain but unfortunately doesn’t get to do much comedy.
5 I loved the reaction of the astronauts seeing bizarre things happen to the rocket pre-liftoff.

RECOMMENDATION: Not bad to watch in theatres.
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Moonrise Kingdom