The Amazing Spider-Man

It is impossible to not compare The Amazing Spider-Man to Spider-Man which has a 10 year difference in release date.  It is a bit frustrating watching the entire origin story retold when most of America already knows what occurred.  But here we are re hashing an old story.  But to the credit of the movie's stars, director, and creative team they are able to create an interesting and engaging story.  The Amazing Spider-Man is a solid summer blockbuster that has enough energy and fun story-telling to hold you off till The Dark Knight Rises comes out

This first part will hopefully answer the question as to why this movie is coming out and it all has to do with money.   Had Sony decided to do a fourth movie with the entire crew they had on, a sizable chink of the movie's budget would have gone to the movie's stars including 50 million to Tobey Maguire and far more creative control to director Sam Raimi after having Venom shoved down his throat despite not wanting to deal with that villain.  So it was cheaper to go out and get a new younger staff of up and coming actors that are bordering on the A-list if not already there and a director who has only done one other movie and that being (500) Days of Summer.

The other factor being that Sony was about to lose the rights to the character. Back in the 90's Marvel was hemorrhaging cash so they sold off their characters to various movie studios.  Had Sony not made a new movie by this year the rights to the character would have reverted back to Marvel and they could have made their own movie.  So that is why this movie had to be made.

So they went out and they got their younger cast crew.  First off and this is an easy point to get past but how do Andrew Garfield, who is 28, and Emma Stone, who is 23, look like they belong in high school? But no movie high schoolers ever do.  The next problem is that Garfield is a good looking guy, and doesn't really get the same nerdy image we got from Maguire when he played the young teen.  But a credit to his skill Garfield is able to get at the awkwardness that any out of touch high school student may feel, making the character  believable.  Emma Stone may have been the best piece about this movie, and far better portrayed than Bryce Dallas Howard throw away part in the third movie.  The chemistry between the two actors, who are dating in real life now, pops on the screen and drives the story forward.  I loved Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben and thought he played a very strong mentoring figure, but there was no way that Sally Field was going to be better than Rosemary Harris for the role of Aunt May, Harris was perfect for that part just look at the difference.

 

But with a remake and re imaging of the series they have the opportunity to go in whatever direction they like, but when retelling the story that seems to be all they do, retell the story.  Even if Uncle Ben is now played by President Bartlett how can anyone continue to feel for him if we know he is going to die every decade or so.  Both Batman series got it right, with Tim Burton's he didn't feel the need to start Bruce Wayne out before he was Batman; everyone already knew he was.  Christopher Nolan recreated the origin story when he rebooted the series because he took his Batman in such a different and grittier direction.

In Spider-Man we still see Peter Parker as a dweeby high school student who gains his power when he is bit by a radioactive spider and understands his responsibility after his Uncle dies.   The only more depth we get is the audience watching Peter's parents walk out on him and the burden that leaves on the boy.  He even reappears in a wrestling ring and lets his Uncle's killer get away, nothing has changed. To their credit, the creative team does a great job retelling the origin story, and connects you with who this Peter Parker is going to be.  But it takes up the whole first half of the movie, and you almost wish they just could have skipped all that and gone straight to the action.

It is unfair to always comparing the two franchises, if you can judge this movie on its own merits it really is good.  Garfield and Stone carry this movie and Webb writes towards that strength.  It is easy to see just why Emma Stone is all over the place in Hollywood as she has become such a versatile actress.  And Garfield does great with teenage angst.  The on-screen chemistry bursts off the screen and you get a real sense of first love all on top of a gloomier timeline for Peter Parker.  The visuals are stunning and there is a solid use of 3-D specifically in the fight sequences and inside the lab.  It was also nice seeing our hero doing some live stunts instead of going straight to CGI as soon as the mask comes on.  I didn't need the first person point of view as Spider-Man flies through the streets, but I respect Webb taking a chance and going for it.

The Lizard wasn't an especially daunting villain and his motives seemed too crazy and illogical even for a mad scientist.  I really wish that the physical threat of the Lizard could have been what they made the Venom character into.  Despite a darker  tone, as the movie reaches its climax the characters get a little campy.  That is understandable as that is always how Spider-Man was written, even though it appeared he wasn't that way at all until the movie reached its last few fight sequences.

There is a good movie in here and walking into The Amazing Spider-Man with low expectations helped.  You expect to see the same thing, and unfortunately they show you the same thing.  It is very similar to hearing your friend tell you the same story again and again, but you don't mind hearing it because it is a really good story.  But in the back of your head you already know how this one is going to end. B-

The Help

Based in the racially charged Deep South during the sixties The Help takes a look at the perspective of the hired help and what they were forced to grin and take during Jim Crow. The heart of the story is in the right place. Everything else seems to be scattered from the emotion to the narrator. This fluctuation may work for a book but in the movie the story seems to be all over the place.

The story itself is very convincing and connects itself to the audience. There didn't seem to be any over dramatization for the sake of getting a reaction. Although it seemed there was plenty of room for just such an action as one can't help but feel nervous for the main characters as they attempt to do what they feel to be the right thing. Instead the story is told true to what life could have been during this tumultuous time. The story seemed so natural that I believed it to be a true story.

The Help follows the action of two women attempting to share the story of their town with the rest of the country. Emma Stone plays Skeeter a fledgling writer living in a well to do Mississippi town. She is looking to make the move from small town journalist to novelist and to do that she needs to find a subject to speak to that people around her seem to be missing out on. After noticing the way her friends and family treat the hired help, she believes she has found her subject. No one is willing to talk to Skeeter about what really goes on in these white homes fearing the repercussions until she finally convinces Ailbileen Clark played by Viola Davis to speak about her life. While the story is about the black workers and the voiceovers are done by Viola Davis, Emma Stone’s character seems to be the one pushing the plot along. Only Hollywood could take a movie about the plight of Black workers in Jackson, Mississippi during the sixties and have it star a white woman.

The book features three different perspectives both the point of view of Skeeter and Ailbileen along with Ailbileen's friend Minny. In the movie Minny, played by Octavia Spencer takes a back seat and provides more comic relief than perspective. The movie is at its best when the focus of the movie turns to Davis and Spencer. As you can expect Davis, a Tony and Oscar nominated actress, brings in a powerful performance. All her emotions dazzle through the eyes of this performer and it is her character that can raise you up or bring you down. Spencer does not convey her fears as well as Davis, and while she obviously fears for her livelihood at time she does much better with sass.

Their white counterparts do a fine job. It is easy to see why Emma Stone is in so many movies, she is charismatic, talented, and cute. She does a great job in the movie but is probably given too much to do, including a romance that has no bearing on the story, and in fact takes away from the idea that this movie is about strong independent women. Her romance is the only male prominently featured in the movie; all others are pushed out of the scene or are only there at the whims of their wives to showcase the women of the time. No better example than queen bee and president of the Junior League Hilly Holbrook, played by Opie's daughter Bryce Dallas Howard. Hilly holds the most power in her group of women and has ostracized those who would get in her way. Howard really gets herself into the character, pushing those around her to maintain the status quo of the town all while wearing a perfect smile. Howard does a great job bringing to life a deplorable character.

With such strong talent in front of the camera most of its waywardness can be attributed to the relatively new director Tate Taylor. Taylor is a close friend of the novel's author Kathryn Stockett and may have been convinced to keep too much of the story. While not necessarily a bad thing to stay so true to a beloved book, there is no need to keep everything, and someone with such little experience or sway may not know how to correctly pace a movie.

The movie itself though is fine, it doesn't get bogged down or overzealous, though it is often fairly overt on what the characters are thinking and how you should feel. The movie concerns itself with making sure fans of the book can cherish the story and share it with those who have yet to read it, and in that respect the movie accomplishes its goals. If you allow yourself to be taken into their world you will surely feel better for it. C

Crazy, Stupid, Love

The movie opens with the heartbreak that drives the rest of the movie. Cal played by Steve Carell learns in the middle of a packed restaurant that his marriage is about to end and his wife Emily, played by Julianne Moore, cheated on him with a co-worker. This is not the start to the romantic comedy that we are used to, and from here it could go anywhere. They decide to keep the movie in the comedic wheel house but not without a few dramatic moments.

There is a lot jammed into Crazy, Stupid, Love but it never feels like you are missing out on anything. Dan Fogelman wrote his love story with three different generations all experiencing more or less the same thing. The first half of the movie seems to be full of punchy dialogue but as the movie progresses we lose the tart retorts and gain a sincerity and hope to the film. The emotions the characters feel seem much more genuine and their action more natural to what is going on around them even if the situations that started it all seem less likely.

While maybe not all totally believable the movie has a lot of heart and that has to count for something. The movie’s leading men hook up in a totally unrealistic fashion. There is no way some hot guy in a bar full of far too many attractive women takes a sad, pathetic 40-something man under his wings and guides him. But to be fair there is no chance a divorce ends that quickly or amicably without lawyers so it is best to just go with it. The dynamic between the male leads are great and lead to a lot of funny moments. It is not just the zingers that the actors deliver that receive audible reaction from the audience. This movie is also full of uncomfortable moments directly out of Carell’s “Office” playbook which makes sense as he also lends his hand as a producer on the film. I don’t know if I can remember a movie since Superbad that I was forced to look away from the screen by just how uncomfortable some of the funnier scenes in the movie got. The delivery is fantastic all around and there is little doubt to why that is.

The cast is full of incredibly talented people who continually get better with each role. Ryan Gosling is everything that is right with movies right now. His most recent roles have been amazing from the heart-breakingly beautiful in Blue Valentine, to the drug addled coach in Half Nelson, to the eternally romantic Noah in The Notebook. He picks amazing parts and knocks each of them out of the park. It was great to see him branch out into a comedic role and show just how far his talent can reach. Gosling is bound by nothing and it is going to be great to watch this leading man continue to grow. Carell returns to the big screen as the everyman romantic who once again spends the movie blurring the lines between being a total doofus and a complete charmer. His best scenes though are when he and Gosling work together in a Miyagi-esque relationship.

Their female co-stars don’t get quite the same detail written into their characters. After the initial outburst we learn very little about Moore’s Emily. There is a lot in the script about how Carell’s character deals with the break up, but most of Emily’s story comes from a response to the actions of her husband. Her best scenes feature her and Carell expressing the regret of their current situation. Emma Stone meanwhile plays Hannah the aspiring lawyer, and much like Gosling her character is far more interesting than the female lead. Her charisma flies off the screen especially the moments she shares with Gosling. She pops with her co-star and flaunts her perfect comedic timing. Of the four main actors, she probably gets the least amount of screen time. It is a shame we don’t see this romance till later in the story but these two young actors make every scene work.

Not only is this a talented leading group but the ensemble behind them are great as well. The third story line involves the older couple’s son who, typical of Hollywood, seems to be more knowledgeable than the adults who surround him. Also wonderful in the movie is Marissa Tomei who dials up the crazy a little bit and generates quite a few laughs herself. In fact the whole cast is able to get the audience going and it is a credit to the script that it was able to attract so many talented people.

The cast should attract a lot of people to this movie. Where it will win them over though is the amount of heart that shows on the screen. B-

Easy A

In the same vain of Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You comes the retelling of the classic tale The Scarlet Letter.

Emma Stone stars as Olive, the high school girl who feels unrecognizable in the high school world. One lie begets another and soon she is the center of high school gossip. The morally upright condemn the girl to hell so as an act of rebellion she marks herself with the letter A. Seriously they don't even try and hide the inspiration; I would hope that the lack of subtlety would anger the English teacher whose current assignment is the same book. The movie also draws inspiration from John Hughes' movies. The nods to the movie include Stone looking in the camera and telling the audience I want to live in a John Hughes movie and then a short montage of his films.

The story is told over her web cam and leads to some awful narration which indicates that all the effort was put into the conversation rather than the execution. So many movies today are trying to put their movies through the today’s lens. The narration adds some laughs but what it really brings to the table is a way to bring the whole story together and to add some time to the movie as the whole story runs a brief 90 minutes.

What the movie lacks in subtlety it makes up in writing. The movie is full of sharp wit and snappy remarks. Emma Stone makes it appear effortless in almost all of her scenes. The only time she is ever outshined is by her parents played by Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci. Their humor and veteran comedy chops steal every scene they are in and rang out the most laughter in the theater.

The movie is made for the tween demographic and is probably why the original script called for much more fowl language, probably directed at the film's martyr who bears an enormous amount of weight which I'm sure any high schooler can indentify with. And that who is going to identify with the movie, but worry not parents, there are plenty of laughs to go around. B-