The Amazing Spiderman
There are plenty of reasons why The Amazing Spiderman is a good movie: The give and take between Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield is playful and entertaining, Martin Sheen is funny and the comic book roots shine through in all the right ways. Even the camera work is interesting and tries to avoid the cliché motion-sickness-inducing swinging that comes with a Spiderman movie. The bottom line, though, why this movie is one of the top 10 superhero movies, is that it does not feature Toby Maguire, Kirsten Dunst or Willem Dafoe.
The previous Spiderman trilogy cannot solely be condemned on the fact that James Franco and Topher Grace were featured prominently. It also had sub par graphics and weak plotlines.
Nothing about those movies screamed remake, yet summer 2012 featured a Spiderman movie for the fourth time in a decade.
Fortunately, this movie is different. Despite being a comic book movie, it shares little with its predecessors. Sure, Peter Parker is bitten by a spider in both, and has parents in neither, but that is where the similarities end. Removed, thankfully, is the tension between Peter and a best friend, as well as the obnoxious “will they/won’t they?” with the always lovely, although pushing believability as a high-schooler, Gwen Stacy.
In place of the formulaic Spiderman movie is a true summer adventure, with conflicted heroes and hell-bent villains. The blockbuster has mostly disappeared and in its place are sequences of explosions, mildly amusing banter and women in skimpy clothing.
Fortunately, The Amazing Spiderman is a return to the classic smash-hit, giving the audience a solid movie combining a dynamic story big-name actors, and a child’s sense of imagination.
What this film may lack in originality—after all, Spiderman is yet again saving New York from certain demise—it more than makes up for with an interesting take on the old story and challenges our notions of the characters. Come see this movie if only to get the old Spiderman out of your head.
Moonrise Kingdom:
Saying a movie was good is always a subjective statement. In a theater with a hundred people watching the blockbuster of the century, there will always be one audience member who dislikes the film.
Nonetheless, films are made for the masses, not individuals, but in this case, Moonrise Kingdom was made for those masses that enjoy cheeky dialogue, well-crafted and artistic cinema and have a taste for adventure.
This is a film whose distant trailer, albeit intriguing, does not adequately prepare the viewer. The story told is much richer and longer than can be expressed by the couple-minute-long montage, or even a review. To avoid spoiling the movie nothing will be divulged about the plot, although what should be noted is that the speed of the story being told is more Winnie the Pooh than Transformers.
The best way of describing the cinematic qualities of the movie is to think of a Norman Rockwell painting being Instragrammed.
For the better part of an hour and a half, the viewer is taken away from the lace-up Nikes and hoverboards of Back to the Future II and is sent back to a simpler time of warm summer days and Americana styles.
Every scene of the movie is framed with care, highlighting the distinct colors, the iconic tents and characters clever dialogue. The film really captures the essence of scout camp and small vacation islands during the 1960s, with the soundtrack solidifying director Wes Anderson’s vision.
What the film may lack in quantity of dialogue it certainly makes up for with sharp lines, giving characters intrigue and depth. Sam, the Khaki Scout, and Suzy, the troubled girl, give performances that transcend their age, asking questions and looking for answers identical to those sought by their parents.
Bill Murray portrays a father straight out of the Kennedy era, whose despondence and fondness for ugly sweaters is only upstaged by his classically dry humor.
Edward Norton plays a Scout leader and delivers arguably his best performance since Fight Club; intentionally and underhandedly funny, he conveys everything that it means to go to scout camp.
Even Bruce Willis, who plays the subdued Island Police, seems earnest in his actions, and gives the movie a flair of passion in times of excitement.
I highly recommend this film: It has acting, a story and cinematography that have not been found in other movies this year, and if nothing else, it is a break from explosions and shootouts.
The Amazing Spiderman shows Friday Oct. 26 though Sunday Oct. 28.
Campus Films is hosting a Halloween Movie night, Oct. 31 in the Routunda, showing Ghostbusters at 6 p.m., and Zombieland at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $1.
Moonrise Kingdom shows Friday Nov. 2 though Sunday Nov. 4.
