Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Ever since this Marvel Studios franchise started back in 2002 with "Spider-Man", we've seen many changes along the way including three different actors as the iconic character and a number of animated feature films. And even though I'm not particularly a Spider-Man fan, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is a film that has definitely improved on that franchise. What's amazing is that this franchise has lasted almost a quarter of a century. 

Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is now an adult living entirely alone, having voluntarily erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves, namely MJ (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon). Crime-fighting in a New York that no longer knows his name, he's devoted himself entirely to protecting his city--a full-time Spider-Man--but as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical revolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced. 

Others to round out the cast are Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova/Black Widow, Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher, Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Tramell Tillman as Bill Metzger, Liza Colon-Zayas as Detective Jean DeWolff, Marisa Tomei as May Parker, Naomi Watts as voice of E.V. and Michael Mando as Mac Gargan/Scorpion. 

This was delineated with amazing precision by director Destin Daniel Cretton ("Drakmar: A Vassal's Journey" (TV documentary) '06, "I Am Not a Hipster" '12, "Short Term 12" '13, "The Glass Castle" '17, "Just Mercy" '19,"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" '21) plus TV, shorts and  a video. Even though the last Spider-Man film four years ago, No Way Home was directed by Jon Watts, this movie was able to carry the similar feel of that film in order to connect the two films which makes a more effective transition. This is the first film this filmmaker has tacked that is a big-budget project and he definitively proved he can handle the riggers of such a production. It was equally well written by Chris McKenna ("Igor" '08, "The Lego Batman Movie" '17, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" '17, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" '17, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" '18, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" '19, "Ghosted" '23) plus TV and a short, and Erik Sommers (See resume of McKenna), based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. This was a nice continuation of No Way Home with the voluntary action of Spider-Man choosing to protect the ones he loves for their own good and his continuation of the bonding brother-like camaraderie with his buddy Frank. But then, he does need another foil to battle, and the one written was surely ingenious. And really, other that a couple of very small places of continuity issues, this script was spot on. And, of course, the visual effects predominately designed by ILM (Industrial,Light & Magic) and Framestore were seamless and certainly emphasized that grandiose feeling this director was attempting to convey. 

Oh, and not to worry, there will be a sequel! I know that's tough to swallow, but it is true! Hopefully Marvel will use the same writers and director to pull this off, otherwise it most likely be questionable. If you're a Spider-Man or a comic book film type of moviegoer, this will definitely fit the bill. If you like that huge effect of a film, this is presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                            Rated: PG-13                                    145mins.

Motor City

Action films are about as commonplace in Hollywood as most other genres, and with that there isn't too much more a writer can create to impress the ardent moviegoer. As with the case of "Motor City", it's not overly original, but plays out in a captivating, slick way.

In 1970s Detroit, John Miller (Alan Ritchson) falls for a local gangster's girl, Sophia (Shailene Woodley). In retaliation, the gangster, Reynolds (Ben Foster) enacts a frame job via using a corrupt cop, Lieutenant Savick (Pablo Schreiber) to send the innocent man to prison. His life ruined, Miller plots a revenge campaign against the man who took his girl away, using allies Youngblood (Lionel Boyce) and Singh (Amar Chadha-Patel). 

Others to round out the cast are Dominic Bogart as Porthos, Mister Fitzgerald as Aramis, Rafael Cebrian as Athos, Ben McKenzie as Detective Kent, Elliott Mayer as P. Garrett and Peter Epstein as Dirty Cop. 

This was directed with high intensity and tons of grit by Potsy Ponciroli ("Super Zeroes" '12, "Colt Ford: Crank It Up, Live at Wild Adventures" '14, "Old Henry" '21, "Greedy People" '24) plus TV and music videos. The high adrenaline, explosiveness of this yarn was staged and paced incredibly well. He doesn't have a plethora of film experience, but this movie will show us that he can hold his own when putting an intense film like this together. It was cleverly written by Chad St. John ("London Has Fallen" '16, "Peppermint" '18, "Replicas" '18) plus a short. As with most action films as this, this has aplenty of double-crosses intertwinded within the script which can create a captivating story. The one flaw I felt was happening here was where a Detective Kent, who was part of an investigation, was seemingly being elusive in that was he a bad cop or an alright one? He was difficult to pinpoint. But, considering the plot was certainly something we've seen before, it was still presented in a way that was intriguing. Think--"John Wick" as far as the writing--not many lines, however the action spoke volumes, just like in "John Wick". The stunts were another star of the film--created by the incomparable Doug Coleman. 

Certainly if you like "John Wick" and that franchise, you'll love this. It was definitely made for the 18-24 single male demographic--ca-ching!! In this day of everyone and thing out there that is so serious, this is a great escape film to meld into. Nothing mind-bending here, but this is why we need to escape once in a while. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                         Rated: R                                                 104mins.

The Odyssey

One of the finest filmmakers that has come out of Hollywood in a long time has got to be Christopher Nolan. His resume is as extensive as it is impressive covering a spectrum of genres, i.e. war, crime, sci-fi, drama, etc, and delving into different eras of time. Now we have a film of the band of soldiers striving to make it home after winning the Trojan War. 

Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, embarks on a perilous journey to return home to his queen, Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), after winning the Trojan War. Crossing the Mediterranean Sea with his fellow soldiers, they soon find them selves battling not only the elements, but an array of deadly obstacles and mythical creatures like Cyclops (Bill Irwin), Polyphemus, Sirens and Calypso (Charlize Theron) along the way. Meanwhile, there is turmoil at home with Antinous (Robert Pattinson) attempting to stir up trouble assuming, afters years, Odysseus is dead, so he should become the suitor for Penelope to gain power. 

Others to round out the cast are Niko Nicotera as Peisander, Corey Hawkins as Polybus, Jarreth Merz as Leodes, John Leguizamo as Eumaeus, Iddo Goldberg as Amphimedon, Elliot Page as Sinon, Elyes Gabel as Elatus, Zendaya as Athena, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus, Lupita Nyong'o as Helen/Clytemnestra and Josh Stewart as Antiphates. 

This was brilliantly directed with a gripping and pulsating pace by the incomparable Christopher Nolan ("Following" '98, "Memento" 2000, "Insomnia" '02, "Batman Begins" '05, "The Prestige" '06, "The Dark Knight" '08, "Inception" '10, "The Dark Knight Rises" '12, "Interstellar" '14, "Dunkirk" '17, "Tenet" '20, "Oppenheimer" '23) plus shorts. Every scene in this film was created with such distinct clarity and delineation. He was certainly able to encourage his actors to dig deep in 'being' these characters they were portraying. I can't wait for his next movie. It was also crafted well by writer Christopher Nolan (See his resume above), based on "The Odyssey" by Homer. Nolan is one of those few filmmakers that not only writes what he he directs, but more to the point, he truly is as an amazing talent in the writing or directing realm equally. There are so many different scenes with so many different characters he must cater to in order to make his films make sense, this production being of no exception, that he is able to convey his story in an effortless way. Along with the editing by Jennifer Lame, ace and cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema, asc, this film was simply a sight to behold. 

Certainly if you are a Christopher Nolan aficionado, you will be in Nolan heaven. Still, my favorite film by Nolan is "Memento" 2000 with Guy Pearce, but all his films are incredible and extremely creative. This was shot with IMAX cameras, so even if you don't happen to see this on an IMAX screen, it still gives its audience that awesome feeling to it. Trust me, this has shy of a 3 hour running time, however it flies by quick. This is a triumph!!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: R                                      172mins.

Backrooms

When I think of films that are odd or quirky, I immediately think of M. Night Shyamalan. His films are odd, however they are original. Well, with "Backrooms", we have a similar feel in that it is extremely original, but definitely quirky and obscure. With all the remakes, reboots, sequels and prequels out there, it is refreshing to see something this original. 

A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom where a therepist's, Dr. Mary Stein (Renate Reinsve) patient, Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) disappears into a dimension beyond reality, she must venture into the unknown entity to save him. Clark owns and operates the furniture store and inadvertently stumbles across the 'door', so he calls on his assistant, Kat (Lukita Maxwell) and her boyfriend, Bobby (Finn Bennett), so he can video it, in order to research the phenomena, and soon everything goes awry.

Others to round out the cast are Mark Puplass as Phil, Avan Jogia as Naren Warne, Robert Bobroczkyi as Pirate Clark, Ember Ambrose as young Mary, Krista Kosonen as Nora, Philip Granger as Meterman and Katharine Isabelle as Robin. 

It was directed with such intensity and grit by Kane Parsons ("Backrooms TV series '22-'25). Obviously this filmmaker scored well with the series which allowed the feature film to be produced. His pacing was amazing as was his ability to grab his audience out of their theater seats and be pulled into this film. If you like his brand of direction, his "Backrooms Sequel" is coming , although production unknown. It was interestingly written by Will Soodik (TV), based on the series by Kane Parsons. As aforementioned, although this film is quite original which creates freshness, there were entirely too many questions and not enough answers to why was this 'backrooms' entranced off of a furniture store? Where did it come from?, Why was it in existence? What happened to some of the people that went in there, but have no idea was happened to them? Also why didn't Parsons write this since he has written some of the series along with his direction? The acting by Ejiorfor and Reinsve was gripping and very believable and this being a psychological horror flick allowed the audience to be captivated, but the writing needed polish.

I want to believe that a sequel is in the works, because this film needs one with all the questions that hopefully a sequel can answer. The claustrophobic photography by Jeremy Cox was stunning as it was effective. It certainly is a film that a good deal of psychologists could study to come up with their conclusions, but it might not be for the every day movie goer for its obscurity.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                       Rated: R                                        110mins.

Moana

Disney is certainly one of the kings of animation, and with the success of so many of their animated films, they have profited well. Films such as "Jungle Book", "Mulan", "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin" and others have been redone in a live version hoping they will reap the same profit once again. Some have done well--some not, but Disney always strives. So, Disney yet tries again with a live version of "Moana", ten years after the original animated version. 

In Disney's live-action reimagining of the beloved animated adventure, Moana (Catherine Laga'aia) answers the Ocean's call and, for the first time, voyages beyond the reef of her island of Motunui, with  which is forbidden by her dad, Chief Tui (John Tui) for safety reasons, with the infamous demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) on an unforgettable journey to restore prosperity to her people in the form of a stone, The Heart of Taviti. Maui is the only one who can guide Moana in this dangerous quest.

Others to round out the cast are Fankie Adams as Sina, Rena Owen as Gramma Tala, Jemaine Clement as Tamatoa, Amayan Masoli as Moana (8 years old) and Emma Puahi-Shapazian (Moana (4 years old).

This was directed with wit and adventure by Thomas Kail ("Grease Live!" (TV movie) '16, "Hamilton" '20) plus TV. Considering this director's experience in the musical realm, and Moana being basically a musical, his take on this project was delineated well, especially working with the same collaborators--Mark Mancina and Lin-Manuel Miranda that worked on the original. He knew just where the musical numbers would be the most effective in this film. The film was effectively written by Jared Bush ("Zootopia" '16, "Moana" '16, "Encanto" '21, "Moana 2"'24, "Zootopia 2" '25) plus TV and a video game, and Dana Ledoux Miller ("Moana 2" '24) plus TV, based on the 2016 animated film "Moana" by Jared Bush, Ron Clements and John Musker. Obviously, Bush has the lion's share of the experience here, but then considering that Miller wrote the screenplay for "Moana 2", it was concluded that this writer needed to be included and I believe it helped. What can I say about the writing here than the fact that it followed the animated version almost verbatim. Dwayne Johnson reprised his role as Maui and I'm not sure where they got Catherine Laga'aia to play Moana since she was very believable and could belt out a song. And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Idustrial, Light & Magic) were seamless. As with the animated version these two music composers hit a homerun with the score and songs. 

Again, if you thoroughly enjoyed the animated version of this film, you will undoubtedly love this since it follows its predecessor almost word for word. But, then again, Disney is the king of remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, franchises, etc. If you want a huge version, it's also presented in an IMAX format as well. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                         Rated: PG                                             116mins.

Minions & Monsters

When "Minions" was released back in 2015, who really knew of the popularity it would've become? Think about it: characters that don't speak English, or any language come to think of it, is created to be humorous with a definite premise, and succeed. It sounds preposterous, but this is why this franchise has succeeded. 

This is the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin) conquered Hollywood in the 1920s, became movie stars, lost everything, and unleashed monsters onto the world and they banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created through a mischievous green monster, Goomi (voiced by Trey Parker) in order to obtain monsters for their film. The studio doesn't know what to do with them, namely a director, Max (voiced by Christoph Waltz), so as things start to go awry, the Minions attempt to stop it, but not with much success.

 Others to round out the cast are Allison Janney as tour guide Olivia, Jesse Eisenberg as Dort, Zoey Deutch as Debbie, Jeff Bridges as Frank and Elwood, Bobby Moynihan as Phillips, Phil LaMarr as Howard and George Lucas as himself. 

This was whimsically directed by Pierre Coffin ("Despicable Me" '10, "Despicable Me 2" '13, "Minions" '15, "Despicable Me 3" '17) plus TV and shorts. Clearly this filmmaker knows his craft when it comes to animation, however, it would be interesting to see what he could do with a live-action project. He has solely worked with Illumination Studios since they produced both Minions and Despicable, so surely he is comfortable with them. This was interestingly written by Pierre Coffin (TV, shorts and a video) and Brian Lynch (Big Helium Dog" '99, "Hop" '11, "Puss in Boots" (story) '11, "Minions" '15, "The Secret Life of Pets" '16, "The Secret Life of Pets 2" '19, "Minions: The Rise of Gru" (story) '22) plus videos and a short. Interesting that Pierre received top billing here, but since he directed and played the voices of most of the Minions, it shouldn't be a total surprise. Clearly Lynch is the talented writer here--just watch "The Secret Life of Pets" and you'll see what I mean, and he probably should've written this solely, but, again, it's Coffin's baby. Because of its short running time--an hour and a half, there was clearly more plot than the running time could hold. So, with that, the story became a bit confusing. Is it a wash? No, of course not, there were many funny areas that made up for a lot. It was cute, funny and something kids will love, however it did get a bit bogged down with too much plot. Of course, Illumination Studios that created the animation along with many others films was a delight

Again, this is a great summer flick that families with kids will undoubtedly enjoy, but if you're looking for a tight script, this may not totally fill the bill. The animation by Illumination is exquisite and if you like an up close and personal feel, it is presented in IMAX and 3D. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                        Rated: PG                                           90mins.

             

Young Washington

In this summer film season, I cannot think of any other film to review, if one is looking for patriotism, that that of "Young Washington", especially this being July 4th. This, being a film to celebrate the 250th birthday of this great country, is one that will be or should be seen in schools to showcase the beginnings of the United States of America so as not to forget where we came from.

The year is 1755. Before he was the father of a Nation, he was a soldier fighting to survive. A single misstep thrusts young George Washington (William Franklyn Miller) into the center of a global conflict, testing his honor, loyalty and courage. As alliances crumble and the frontier erupts into war, he must confront not only his enemies but the man he's becoming. So, with his fellows soldiers including Christopher Gist (Leo Hanna), Joseph Jumonville (Clement Toyon), Tucker Bowman (Nicholas Antoniou) and others, he forges ahead with brute force and determination to see our country not fail. This is the untold story of Young Washington.

Others to round out the cast are Mia Rodgers as Sally Cary, John Foss as Lawrence Washington, George's brother, Kelsey Grammer as Lord Fairfax, Andy Serkis as General Braddock, Ben Kingsley as Robert Dinwiddie, Michael Benz as Thomas Gage, Jonno Davies as James McKay, Will Joseph as Young George, Ryan Begay as Half-King Tanacharison and Montana Hodgkinson as Chief Red Hawk.

This was directed with grit, integrity and insightfulness by Jon Erwin ("The Cross and the Towers" '06, "Alumni" (TV movie) '09, "October Baby" '11, "Fully Alive" '12, "Mom's Night Out" (as The Erwin Brothers) '14, "Woodlawn" '15, "Steve McQueen: American Icon" ((co-directed) '17, "I Can Only Imagine" '18, "I Still Believe" '20, "American Underdog" (as The Erwin Brothers) '21, "The Jesus Music" '21, "Jesus Revolution" '23) plus TV, videos and a music video. This was brilliantly well structured, sequenced and staged with perfection. Of course, with this filmmaker having the extensive resume that he has, Erwin was able to delineate the different aspects of this soldier in his earlier years. It was equally penned well by writers Jon Erwin, Tom Provost and Diederik Hoogstraten. This was well thought out and was definitely concise. Obviously Erwin has the lion's share of the experience here, however the other writers certainly were strategic with their respective input. The writing simply kept me riveted and some aspects of the film I either didn't remember or really did not know. 

One thing that England didn't understand back in the mid 1700s was that they were servants of the people, not the other way around--sound familiar today? This is a country for the people, by the people--not the government. This country can learn from this film, lest we lose our freedoms one by one. This film should be shown in schools including colleges, and recommend this highly!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                         Rated: PG-13                                      121mins.