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A Big Pile of Movie Trailers!
A bunch of movie trailers have been coming out over the past few weeks that I simply haven’t gotten around to posting. That’s on me. Let’s not make it a thing. It eventually reached a point where I decided it would be more fun to pile them together for your amusement!
First up is Cruella, starring Emma Stone. It’s Disney’s origin story for Cruella de Vil, because that’s how they’re doing live action this time (also because 101 Dalmatians had a live action movie decades ago). This one looks pretty OK.
I’m not the first person to point out that it looks like Cruella de Vil by way of the recent Joker movie, but with a Disney spin. That’s probably exactly what we’re going to get. Hopefully Emma Stone had fun with this one.
Next up is Army of the Dead by Zack Snyder. He reignited the zombie craze years ago with his remake of Dawn of the Dead, and I guess he decided to go back to zombies. Good for him!
This one looks like it could be fun. Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead was enjoyable. Perhaps giving him something other than DC superheroes will get him back to making enjoyable movies.
Lastly is the teaser trailer for Luca, the next Pixar film. This one took me by surprise because I knew nothing about the film before watching the trailer.
Here’s hoping for the best! I haven’t particularly been enthralled by any recent Pixar movies, but I’m always open to the idea of Pixar recapturing the magic of their old days. I’ll get my hopes up again. It’s the story of my life.
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Of Course Emma Stone Should Play Spider-Gwen
Though she’s probably too old for that new kid they hired to play Spider-Man, Emma Stone is the obvious choice for fan favorite character Spider-Gwen. And not just because she was the best Gwen Stacy on the big screen (Remember that there have been two?).
Major props to Vulture Studios and New York Magazine for putting this video together. It’s well-edited, looks pretty nifty and really shows deft of craft. Plus Emma Stone is pretty awesome, so giving her more attention is always a plus!
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Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
We all know that Peter Parker never has much luck with the ladies, but on the big screen, his love is smoldering! Who would have guessed that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a romantic comedy? The second entry in Sony Pictures’ second Spider-Man series is all about the love shared between an arachnid boy and his high school sweetheart. Sure there are a couple of super-villains thrown in for good measure, but that’s just what you have to deal with when you’re dating the Amazing Spider-Man!
Movie Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
I don’t mind at all that Sony Pictures wants to make a mega-franchise out of their Amazing Spider-Verse. As far as I’m concerned, director Mark Webb and actor Andrew Garfield absolutely get Spider-Man. They get the humanity. They get the drama. They get the pure thrill of being Spider-Man. They seem awkwardly obsessed with Peter Parker’s dad, but that can be forgiven when the rest of their movies are so good!
I loved the first Amazing Spider-Man movie, and praised it for the nuanced, personable portrayal of Peter Parker. The same focus on Peter returns for the sequel, and once again I have to point out that the young Andrew Garfield is light years beyond Tobey Maguire in not just his skill as an actor, and his range, but just in how he embodies the character. Garfield easily carries the film, injecting Peter and Spidey with the right amount of humor and love for his family and fellow man. He’s joined by a returning Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, who just lights up the whole film whenever she’s on screen. The chemistry between the two actors is some of the best I have ever seen in film or television, and they really do make this movie into more of a love story than a superhero flick.
But it’s also, definitely, a superhero movie. And while those elements aren’t the strongest part of the film, they are still highly enjoyable. Like I said, Garfield is fantastic as Spider-Man, especially in costume. Not only is he legitimately funny, but he has such a great rapport with pretty much everyone he meets. The special effects are also top notch. The web-slinging is wildly fun and the fight scenes are pretty epic, but I would have to say that the movie’s trio of new villains – Electro, Green Goblin and Rhino – don’t live up to expectations. All three are solidly portrayed and fulfill their roles in the film, but they never amount to much themselves beyond giving Spidey something to do in costume.
But even if the villains are kind of clunky, and even if this film uses one of my most hated fiction tropes of all time, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 succeeds on the strengths of Spidey and his love story alone. Who would have thunk it?
Join me after the jump for the full review! I will try to keep SPOILERS to a minimum!
Henchman-4-Hire 