Spiderman Homecoming

Spiderman Homecoming

This is a very juvenile movie. It has none of the darkness of prior movies. It has the airiness of a teen movie akin to the Breakfast Club. This Spiderman is an awkward insecure fifteen-year-old living in Queens. Tom Holland is a British actor who was spared the need to master a Queen’s accent (as were the other Spidermen). Tom Holland is a journeyman for the Avengers under the supervision of Tony Stark, Robert Downy jr. Holland keeps on screwing up as teenagers do.

Parker has a rotund generic Asian side kick who provides comic relief if not angst. This movie is so PC I doubt Republicans will see it. Lots of the action takes place in the high school including detention.  Peter is infatuated with a girl that he can barely look eye to eye.

There is a villain, The Vulture, played by Michael Keaton. The Vulture is a junkman who hauls machine parts from other dimensions and makes super weapons for bad guys. He flies a winged contraption that looks like a bunch of fans wired together. He is a hand full for young Spidey and Spidey needs help.

The movie does have light moments eliciting laughs. Marisa Tomie is Aunt May. The original Aunt May was a white-haired fragile old lady. I am not complaining about Tomie, but whoever did the casting should get their glasses checked.

Given the robust box office and high Rotten Tomato score this review is anathema. Maybe it is old age but this movie is better for the kids. 

Baby Drver

                                                                                                  July 13, 2017

Baby Driver is a unique movie; it is not a sequel or a remake it is an original script. This is a terrific movie. It is a tender love story with bank robberies, unshaven dirty bad guys and amazing car chases.  Driving is a major element of the film: drifting, high speed chases, reverse driving (it made me feel inadequate). This movie has elements of Bonnie and Clyde, Bullet and some parts of Grease. The cast is terrific. The ensemble’s performance was cohesive and well-paced. The movie’s direction was gritty, dynamic and interjected with poignant moments.

The protagonist is named Baby; yeh, just Baby. How cool is that? Baby is played by Ansel Elgort. He was the wimpy brother in the Divergent series. Baby has a baby face, there is even a close up of his peach fuzz. He seems Autistic, with preputial dark Ray Ban’s, fixed ear plugs and pouty lips seldom speaking. One character asks if he is slow, which is an inside joke. The loopy personality masks his supremely virtuoso driving skills. He does not drive Porsches or Ferraris, rather more humble fare. He makes diving a Subaru sexy; there is hope for all of us. Elgort is pitch perfect for the role.

He is constantly plugged into his iPod so the music drowns out tinnitus. The music is a big part of the film. Half the tunes I recognized for the rest I had no clue (a consequence of being born in the 50’s).

Kevin Spacy is the gang mastermind who orchestrates the robberies. Baby is indentured to Spacy, but how is not made clear. Spacy is a precise task master and cold blooded. The film focuses on one last heist and Baby must be behind the wheel.

Jon Hamm is a former stock broker turned bank robber (Wow, what a stretch). Unshaven, greasy and probably smelly, he still gets the hot chic (go figure). He was corrupt in Mad Men, but here he is lethal. Jammie Foxx plays a tattooed necked killer/bank robber. He is part of the gang with Baby and Hamm, he threatens Baby.  Foxx relishes this role.

Lily James plays Debora, Baby’s love interest. She is like Sandy from Grease, but she wields a crow bar. This is love at first sight, or as the Italians would say struck by a thunderbolt. They are very tender with each other and share a strong bond.

I highly recommend this film. And please would someone tell me what is Egyptian Reggie.