The Amazing Spider–Man Double Feature (2012 & 2014)

The Amazing Spider–Man Double Feature (2012 & 2014)

The Amazing Spider–Man (2012)

C. – 136m.
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: Spider–Man 4: The Amazing Spider–Man, Spiderman 4: The Amazing Spiderman, The Amazing Spider–Man In 3D, The Amazing Spiderman In 3D, The Amazing Spiderman, Spider–Man, Spiderman
Dir.: Marc Webb.
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Campbell Scott and C. Thomas Howell.

As with the first Tobey Maguire Spider–Man (2002), Peter Parker finds himself an alter–ego around the time of the death of his Uncle Ben (Sheen). Garfield is the web-slinging hero and Emma Stone is his drug of choice, Gwen Stacy, right under the nose of her father – a cop, Denis Leary. Rhys Ifans is right at home as the decent guy turned evil by mutation in a lab accident, he turns into The Lizard, and Field plays a lovely matronly Aunt May. 

This one holds it’s own against the first two Maguire Spider–Mans (2002 & 2004) and delivers just a bit more. While Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson is clueless but cute, Stone’s Gwen Stacy is almost as equally a nerd as Garfield’s Peter Parker. Need I say that she is of course as pretty as Dunst was in her respective role back in the day? In short: There are no dumb or clueless characters in sight here and that is what makes this one work so well in, what can only be called, the cynical age (2010 – Present). There is plenty of romance and action here to keep both sexes appeased! 

Rated: [PG – 13] – Sequences Of Action & Violence.
Available On 3D & 2D Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.

The Amazing Spider–Man 2 (2014)

C. – 142m.
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 – Widescreen.
A.K.A.: Spider–Man 5: The Amazing Spider–Man 2
The Amazing Spider–Man 2: Rise Of Elctro, The Amazing Spiderman 2: Rise Of Electro, Spiderman 5: The Amazing Spiderman 2, The Amazing Spider–Man 2 In 3D, The Amazing Spiderman 2 In 3D, The Amazing Spiderman 2, London Calling, Spider–Man 2, Spiderman 2, Spider–Man, Spiderman
Dir.: Marc Webb.
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Fox, Dane DeHaan, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti and Sally Field.

After pushing Gwen Stacy (Stone) away at the end of the first film, Peter Parker (Garfield) must fight to keep his one time love and the rest of New York City safe from another Oscorp villain, Electro (Jamie Fox).

Part of the charm of the Spider–Man character is that he is at once bright but shy and cool but yet awkward. In this sequel, Spider–Man ceases to be shy, cool and awkward. What is left is a pompous jerk who can throw canned webbing around so he can get place to place. This is a far cry from what Spider–Man was and should be. As such it is hard to root for him even though he is THE superhero of the film. And where the first film felt nice and tight and left viewers wanting more, this one is a slow, sloppily told yarn that could have been shortened by 40 minutes. In short, this just about kills the fun of a Spider–Man film! Small wonder this was the last of the Garfield series.   

Rated: [PG – 13] – Sequences Of Sci–Fi Action / Violence.
Available on 3D & 2D Blu–ray, DVD and Digital Copy. 

Baby Driver (2017)

Movie Poster for Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver (2017)

C. – 112m
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 – Widescreen

Writer – Dir.: Edgar Wright.

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx & Paul Williams. 

A young getaway driver forced into one last heist realizes that it, the heist, is doomed to fail. Fast paced and action packed film boast of fine performance and an exceptional soundtrack. A must watch! As a point of interest a scene in a parking garage near the end of the film was shot on the same set as the American version of House Of Cards (2015 – 20??) – “Air Force One” from that show can be seen in the film!

Trivia: Jamie Foxx would stay and watch Kevin Spacey work even when he wasn’t in the scene. Emma Stone was originally offered the role of Debora but dropped out to make La La Land (2016) – for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Edgar Wright said in an introduction to the film that there is little to no CGI in the film. The driving was all practically done. The tracking scene at the beginning of the film with Baby and the coffee took 28 takes to do. Take 21 is the one you see in the film. In the background of every scene that doesn’t have music you can hear a slight ringing to show Baby’s Tinnitus. When Baby is flipping through the channels at the beginning of the film you hear various lines from various movies: “You are so beautiful,”; “They grow up so freaking fast,”; “How’s that working out for you?”; and “We’re partners. There’s nothing that matters to me more than our friendship.” All these lines show up later in the film as dialogue. And finally: This was the first Edgar Wright film to be shot in the United States.

Rated: [R] – Violence And Language Throughout.

Available on 4K Blu–ray, Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.