Spider-Man: Homecoming

I’m getting a little tired of film titles with colons and subtitles. Just thought I’d start with that. What I’m not tired of, surprisingly, is superhero films. “Spiderman: Homecoming” is different than the other Avengers films, in that it’s more grounded in the high school drama of an insecure, immature teenager who is grappling with the great power and great responsibility of super strength, super speed, super agility, super spidey senses, and all that other stuff we’ve seen already (five times in the last fifteen years). You would think that this reincarnation would be a bit too recycled and redundant after such a saturated market, but it actually stands out as one of the less formulaic takes on the genre.

We begin our story with the origin of our antagonist, Adrian Toone (Michael Keaton). It’s a masterful performance of which I only have two complaints (see below). He’s a salvage crew chief cleaning up the aftermath of the events of the original “Avengers” when Tony Stark’s company comes in and steals his contract, leaving him no choice but to go rogue. Makes sense, and a pretty compelling character motivation device.

Anyway, in a sharply done sequence, we are introduced to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) through a personal video diary that catches us up on the events of “Captain America: Civil War” through the eyes of the kid. From there, we get to relive our own awkward high school experience through Peter’s nerdy, shy daily struggles as he interacts with girls, teachers, his Aunt May, and the general public of Queens, New York. He more than anything wants to be an Avenger, and his attempts to gain the approval of the elite superhero agency is both endearing and desperate. He finds himself growing up before our eyes as he faces a new type of criminal, the prospect of a hero’s life beyond his Queens childhood home, and talking to the girl of his dreams, Liz (Laura Harrier).

Robert Downey Jr. returns as Iron Man, and serves as the father-figure and the connective tissue to the rest of the MCEU (Marvel Comics Extended Universe). We are teased right and left about the possibility of our favorite Avengers popping in for a cameo, and make no mistake, Spider-Man has joined the team with promise for some epic collaboration in the near future. Downey Jr. has his usual swagger, but he shows a certain soft spot for the kid which adds even more depth to his complex character.

Director Jon Watts (“Cop Car”) provides a different take on the genre. It’s truly more of a high school dramedy at heart than a traditional superhero flick. That’s what keeps it from becoming stale before the opening credits are over. He wisely chooses to skip over the origin story, which every red-blooded American knows by heart by now. Instead, we are immersed into the more banal parts of the hero’s life. It’s as if we were offered a movie of Black Widow doing her grocery shopping and going to the gym instead of actually fighting bad guys all day. It worked.

We root for Spider-Man because he’s everything we wish we were. It’s every child’s fantasy to develop superpowers, and to walk the halls of the high school hiding a secret that is beyond cool. He’s a smart, kind person. Like Captain America without the confidence, experience, or chest hair. Tom Holland does an exceptional job encapsulating the emotion and physicality of a teenager, and although some of his behaviors are aggravating at times, we are constantly reminded that he’s just a kid (something that was missing from the other two attempts with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield), and kids make poor choices. His best (and only) friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon) is the goofy, nerdy kid who complements Peter very well, bringing a sense of realism to Parker’s intended persona. Ned’s comic relief is actually more resonant in grounding the high school vibe than even Parker’s, but that’s a whole other essay.

My only gripes are that at times it seems a bit long, some of the dialogue is a little weak and forced, and with the Vulture’s costume. When not in full special effects mode, it doesn’t necessarily work for him. Keaton embraces the opportunity to show a different side of his acting arsenal, and he absolutely nails it. It wouldn’t have worked twenty years ago, but his gruff, aged exterior and his gravelly voice make for a very deep and rich character. Overall, this was an excellent film and an exciting preview of things to come for one of the most iconic superhero characters ever. See it because it’s good, not just because it’s Spider-Man. 9/10.

Baby Driver

“Baby Driver” is one of the more surprisingly refreshing films to cross the silver screen this year. It’s a genre-bending musical action romance that is equal parts Michael Mann, Steven Soderbergh, and Quentin Tarantino. Writer/director Edgar Wright (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost movies) delivers a truly entertaining film that hits the gas pedal right from the opening credits, and doesn’t let up until the very end.

Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a driving savant. Cooler than Steve McQueen, behind the wheel, he’s unstoppable. His modus operandi is finding the right music to pace him through mind-blowing vehicular maneuvers, and the soundtrack is all over the place, ranging from Queen to Barry White, Beck, to Golden Earring. The music becomes a character in itself, much like the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. In over his head with crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey), Baby is tasked with one last job before he’s left alone, but with his skill set, Doc doesn’t want to let his lucky charm get away. Enter Lily James as Debora, the aw shucks, cute-as-a-button waitress at the local greasy spoon diner. She throws a wrinkle in Baby’s plans when she steals his heart, and it’s all up to Baby to get out of his precarious predicament alive.

The supporting cast has a ball in this one. Jaime Fox, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, and Jon Bernthal add A-list name recognition as various racketeers and unscrupulous crooks, while Lily James (“Cinderella”) channels her inner “True Romance” as the sweet, innocent damsel caught in the crossfire. They all play off each other nicely, embracing each of their respective roles in a way that really amplifies the overall feel of the film, which is inspiring. With the exception of Spacey, who seems to go through the motions doing what he’s done so many times before, they are appropriately cast, although I would have liked to have seen Bernthal on screen a bit longer. Spacey’s character in particular was ripe for someone a bit less stereotypical. If it were me doing the casting, I would have gone another direction and chosen someone more physically imposing, like a Steven Lang or Mickey Rourke (don’t judge, I like him). It may have changed the tone of the film a bit, but it was the one missing piece.

The film not only instantly catapults Ansel Elgort into legitimate leading man territory (see Alden Ehrenreich’s epic cowboy scene in “Hail! Caesar” for comparison), but plays it cool with the impressive supporting cast. Their roles are juggled adroitly by Edgar Wright, who seems on the cusp of greatness himself. People love action. People love music. People love capers. People love fast cars. And people have short attention spans, which makes filmmaking a difficult proposition these days. Good directors keep the pace moving from start to finish, but Wright manages to weave romance, humor, strong dialogue, and a compelling story together into a very impressive manner. “Baby Driver” is the total package for an action film, and I was beyond pleased.

There isn’t much to dislike about “Baby Driver” from a critical perspective. It’s a fun movie that’s been missing so far this summer, and hopefully will spark a turning point in quality of film this summer. Personally, I’m looking forward to numerous July releases, and I can only hope they are as satisfying as “Baby Driver.” 9/10.

Transformers: The Last Knight

Rarely am I regretful for the time spent in a comfortable chair, watching a $260 million film on a 100-foot screen. But it does happen. I mean come on, I could have watched the Mariners win another game in what will be Seattle’s first World Series year ever. I digress. “Transformers: The Last Knight” may not actually be the last time we’ll see the robots in disguise on screen, but it plays out like a finale.

The world is in peril yet again, with an imminent collision between Earth and Cybertron. The evil robot goddess Quintessa is trying to suck the lifeforce out of the Earth’s core, or something like that. Battles ensue between autobots, decepticons, good humans, bad humans, and there is a mystical staff of power that is uncovered for the first time since the dark ages. The plot is silly and amateur, but we don’t watch Transformers for the story, do we. The audience is bombarded with sentient robots, new and old. There are some adequately cool visual effects, but there are some serious problems with this film.

Mark Wahlberg plays Cade Yeager, a prototypical humble hero, and his acting made me pine for the days of Shia LeBeouf. Laura Haddock plays Vivian Wembley, and she made me legitimately miss Megan Fox. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s truly that bad. To capitulate the almost certain Razzie award sweep, Sir Anthony Hopkins, who is one of the finest actors of his generation, delivers what is undoubtedly the single worst acting performance of his career. A shame really that it is such a high profile piece in the twilight of his career.

Screenwriting is an area that I tend to pay particular attention, and when you combine nonsensical dialogue with a director who clearly has ADHD and isn’t ashamed to let the world know, it tends to overshadow any and all continuity or movie magic in this case. Story? Who needs a story when you have special effects? Let’s blow some things up and put gorgeous women in tight clothing and diminish characters by creating elaborate but irrelevant details about them. Look, a squirrel! Explosion, sex appeal, product placement, stereotype. Mark Wahlberg’s abs, giant robot fight, cheesy cliché speech. Bad jokes, worse acting, the worst dialogue. The end.

Michael Bay is in his element, which is to say his fifth Transformers film. He loves his cutting edge special forces technology and bearded, sunglass-wearing macho men. I actually kind of liked “13 Hours” last year. He also loves explosions. Lots of explosions in slow motion with camera flares. And then blow up the explosions with special effects. I think you get the point. This was a terrible film on top of awful writing, and horrendous acting.

Don’t get me wrong, I was a fan of Transformers since before I can remember, and the 2007 original live-action film was one of my most anticipated films of the year. I liked the first one. It was quirky and had a nice blend of action and humor. But then the franchise began its spiral into cinematic depravity, chasing the dollar in all the wrong ways.

You are probably asking yourself, “there has to be something good about it, right?” To that I will say, absolutely. The fight scenes were great. A bit inconsistent in quality, duration, realism (even within the realm of giant robotic car creatures), and science (Michael Bay likes to take liberties with the laws of physics).

Basically, this was a colossal pile of regret. $260 million wasted on a terrible film. A terrible film that will likely make more than a billion dollars worldwide. Sigh. 3/10.

The Mummy

Déjà vu. That’s the first thing that comes to mind as I reflect on watching Tom Cruise sprinting away from danger while those all around him just can’t seem to run as fast (or look as good doing it). “The Mummy” is a forgettable, mediocre action film with a highly formulaic arc. The film kicks off an interesting new franchise that might have some promise, but maybe should have gone a different direction in its debut vehicle.

The Dark Universe has been around for decades, but Universal Pictures has decided that now is the time to reboot. With “The Invisible Man,” “Bride of Frankenstein,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” and presumably “Dracula,” and “Wolfman” down the pipeline, it’s beyond familiar; it’s played out. That said, it’s going to make a boatload of money. With stars like Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Tom Cruise, and Russell Crowe, Universal is pulling out all the stops to make a viable extended universe of characters that just might leave a real cinematic legacy.

The film begins with the back story of Egyptian Queen Ahmanet (Sofia Boutella) sealing her mystical fate by killing her husband and his progeny. She’s mummified and cursed, giving us everything we need to know about how the rest of the film will play out. Enter present day Iraq. Nick Morton (Tom Cruise) is an army operative who is really more of a treasure hunter than a patriot. He’s too cool to wear a uniform, and seemingly does whatever he wants, even with his superiors barking orders at him. Anyhow, after discovering Ahmanet, she awakes from her slumber only to have a massive mummy-crush on Nick, chasing him with the intent of binding themselves in eternal bliss or something. How it ends doesn’t really matter, because it’s all about Tom and some surprisingly impressive action scenes. Everything else is essentially dreck, but the plane crash, van chase, and particularly underwater fighting scene are fun enough.

Tom Cruise does his best to create a memorable character, but it’s not enough. Nick Morton is not particularly likable or heroic and honestly didn’t ever quite fit for the mood of the film. I would have preferred someone with less typecast recognition, and maybe someone of middle eastern descent. I understand the need to kick off the universe with an impressive collection of A-list stars, but wonder if the films would carry more weight if done with a higher standard of quality and less attention on starpower. Anyhow, the ageless Cruise (he’s 54 now) delivers impressive action and unimpressive acting. I’m anticipating September’s “American Made” as it might be an opportunity for him to demonstrate some quality acting in what might be a surprise hit.

Russell Crowe plays Dr. Henry Jeckyl (yes, that Dr. Jeckyl) in what will likely be the Nick Fury character (Marvel Avengers reference) who ties the whole universe together. He stands out as the strongest character of the bunch, which may have been intended, but is definitely not enough to carry a film in a supporting role. Jake Johnson is the comic relief sidekick, and Annabelle Wallis is the damsel in distress archaeologist who tries to keep the cavalier Cruise in check. It’s pretty unremarkable overall.

Director Alex Kurtzman is new to this aspect of the game after writing and producing Michael Bay and J.J. Abrams movies for years. He does a pretty decent job, but there is nothing special about his work and I wouldn’t expect him to churn out anything of real quality. The three members of the writing team have worked with Cruise on numerous occasions, and have all come on hard times lately in terms of quality screenplays (excluding Christopher McQuarrie’s 2014 “Edge of Tomorrow”) “The Mummy” is no exception. A tent-pole film for Universal with high long-term expectations, and a modest $125 million budget, it should do well at the box office, no doubt.

Watching Tom Cruise in action is always somewhat entertaining, and the visual effects are higher quality than they appear in the previews (that’s mercury, not water dripping from the sarcophagus). A few of the action scenes are fun, and the story is timeless, almost ubiquitous horror fare. I had low expectations, and admittedly was entertained, but this wasn’t what I would consider a good movie. 5/10.

Wonder Woman

It’s about time we have a bona fide female superhero. That’s the general sentiment around the campfire, which is why I am incredibly dubious of the lack of studio confidence in this franchise. There has been minimal advertising, marketing, or merchandising. Where are the action figures, fast food tie-ins, and ubiquitous product placement? The film also has a noticeably lower budget ($149 million) than the Zack Snyder behemoths that have critically tanked in the past several summers (“Man of Steel” - $225 million, “Batman vs Superman” - $250 million). This might have been a mistake.

When I was young, Wonder Woman stood atop the pantheon of superheroes at Superman’s right hand side. She was more powerful than any of the Marvel guys not named Thor or Hulk, and the daughter of a Greek God? Come on, the character begs for a franchise. She finally has one, and almost everything about it is terrific.

Set to the backdrop of the war to end all wars, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), the Wonder Woman, embarks on a quest to defeat the Germans and duel Ares, the Greek God of war (it makes more sense than it sounds) after an American spy washes ashore her all female paradise island of she-gladiators and threatens their peaceful existence. Fighting in the trenches alongside Captain Steven Trevor (Chris Pine), she begins to understand that man isn’t as evil as she was taught, and gods aren’t as dangerous.

What makes the film work for starters is the portrayal of the larger than life character. Gadot is outstanding as the warrior princess and can play a very wide range of emotion without saying a word; confusion, naiveté, innocence, love, and rage. She’s mesmerizing in her beauty, and after several failed false-starts since the 1970’s, just like Henry Cavill as Superman, I think they’ve found their hero for the next decade. She oozes strength and sexuality, a difficult combination to pull off on screen (and be taken seriously for both). Brie Larson certainly has her work cut out for her in 2019’s “Captain Marvel.”

Patty Jenkins (“Monster”) is the first female director to the high-stakes, tent-pole genre, and the subtlety by which she introduces the strongest of the fairer sex is beyond commendable. She takes a massive question mark and turns it into solid gold, and the box office will confirm that, trust me. She has earned herself a sequel with this one, and now the only question is if she wants it.

DC Comics and Warner Bros. needed a critical hit not just to avoid three (arguably four) poorly done comic movies, but also to open the floodgates for a whole new audience that has long been neglected. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, and more notably, the leads in the last two “Star Wars” films (Daisy Ridley and Felicity Jones) have been a huge step forward in progressive thinking by film studios. Bravo. Add Gal Gadot’s name to that list, and put her down as the top reason I will be excited to see “Justice League” in November.

There really isn’t much not to like about the film. The visual effects are typical DC; not quite up to the quality of Marvel, but still entertaining. Maybe Disney just has a competitive advantage on the technology and quality? Who knows, but the film ran a bit too long at just under two and a half hours. The climax raged on for far too long, but that isn’t necessarily that bad. It added more depth to the evolving character, and set her up for a long and successful cinematic run.

“Wonder Woman” is by far the best DC superhero film since 2008’s epic “The Dark Knight” and does so by changing its image. Reminiscent of “Captain America” in more ways than one, we finally see a DC film that captures the humor and lightness of Marvel in a way that is absolutely spot on. Due to the recent misfires, I was skeptical that it could be done, but “Wonder Woman” is wonderful. 9/10.

Baywatch

Is David Hasselhoff finally making his long anticipated comeback? First “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” and now “Baywatch?” Doubtful. This current tidal wave of projects crossing over TV to movie and movie to TV has been nothing short of overwhelming as of late. It was inevitable that the red-suited rompers crossed over given the unprecedented global success of the show. Grossing hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of a decade, the brand had been shelved as of late, but it’s back, and you can expect more if Paramount wants to continue making money. With a budget of just under $70 million, the likelihood of success is almost certain. If not in the US, then in Germany and Eastern Europe without a doubt (big fans of the original series).

Hasselhoff passes the torpedo buoy to Dwayne Johnson, who plays the legendary beach hero, Mitch Buchanan. He is known and revered on his beach, always vigilant, always helpful, always friendly. The opening credits emphasize that this is his beach, everyone else is just a visitor. Enter hot shot Matt Brody (Zac Efron). He’s been handpicked by the police chief to inject some youthfulness (and abs) to the Baywatch crew. They stumble onto a drug smuggling operation run by the nefarious Victoria Leeds (Priyanka Chopra) and take it upon themselves to get involved in keeping their beach clear of criminals.

Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, and Ilfenesh Hadera play the beach beauties, who, if we’re being honest, are the real draw for the moviegoer, but director Seth Gordon (“Horrible Bosses) does a tasteful and respectful job avoiding the temptation to exploit their… talents. They get to frolic in their red swimsuits, and run in slow-motion more times than is necessary (not that I’m complaining).

As the film progresses into full action/comedy mode, we begin to realize that this is a true buddy flick more than anything else. Efron and Johnson see their competition and friendship blossom and have tremendous chemistry, showing off their impressive physiques at every opportunity. To counterbalance the abundance of abs and biceps, there’s the doughy Jon Bass who plays Ronnie, the wannabe who makes the team because of his dedication and attitude. It’s a nice touch, and he’s not technically the comic relief, but adds some grounding and normalcy to the rest of the Adonis and Aphrodite beach bods.

The mood of the film is just right. All of the characters (except Efron) take their job as lifeguards dead seriously, and Johnson is a full-blown zealot with a total unawareness of the extent and limitations of his beach authority. It is fast-paced, action packed, and full of raunchy, yet appropriate humor.

Seth Gordon is a favorite director of mine in the genre. He started his career with one of the best comedic documentaries of all-time; “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters” and moved into mainstream cinematic humor via television, which makes him the perfect pick for a film rooted in a surprisingly light and fun buddy action comedy vibe.

Writers Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911!”) create more of their trademark potty humor, capitalizing on the hilarity of the male genitalia more often than necessary. Their jokes are sharp, but it’s the delivery by the cast where each character embraces their respective role and seem to be truly enjoying the process that keeps the film from sinking. Barely.

Let’s be honest, the unprecedented success of the “Baywatch” brand had more to do with Pamela Anderson’s assets than David Hasselhoff’s acting. It’s fine though, as the lifeguards are all about taking themselves too seriously, saving lives, and looking good doing it. “Baywatch” is exactly what you would expect, and not much more. Efron and Johnson have great chemistry, and watching it will either make you want to hit the gym, or feel deflated by physical comparison. It’s a fun comedy and decent acting, but the source material lacks any real substance. 5/10.