“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (Action/Science-Fiction: 2 hours, 9 minutes)

Starring: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson and Jake Gyllenhaal

Director: Jon Watts

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, strong language and suggestive comments)

 

Movie Review: Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.

Still distraught over Tony Stark’s death, Peter Parker (Holland) leaves behind his superego, Spider-Man, to take a trip to Europe with his high school friends. Parker plans to make his move to win the affections of “MJ” (Zendaya). 

The arrival of Nick Fury (Jackson) in Parker’s hotel room ruins Parker’s plans. Fury divulges new threats from beings called Elementals. Enter Quentin “Mysterio” Beck, a superhero from another universe of the multiverse with a plan to stop the new threats.

Peter Parker must make sense of the new treats using his Spidey-Sense, now comically called the “Peter Tingle.” Parker must do this while still grieving Tony Stark, his mentor and father figure, and working with Nick Fury, played by Marvel Universe staple Samuel L. Jackson.

If you watch this movie as a fan of the comics, one will ponder why Mysterio is not a villain. This is one of the grand illusions of the movie. It easily fools audiences in a satisfactory manner by reinventing reality, which is Mysterio’s realm. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Mysterio with a certain regalness that makes the new superhero likable.

This version of “Spider-Man” is loaded — almost on overkill — with computer-generated imagery. This is on par with the story this outing. Special effects are needed. They help create a world of illusion, order and chaos.

At the heart of the movie exists good characters. They finally make the “Spider-Man” series good again. Writers create a decent enough story that allows their lead actor to shine. Tom Holland is perfect as Spider-Man. His youthful, innocent appeal is perfect for portraying a 16-year-old.

Of course, action and humor are present. The action is good and continuously happens. The energetic scenes are visually active with characters performing stunts as with any superhero movie. 

In addition, plenty of comedy exists in scenes that are appealing. They keep the moment moving enthusiastically when the action scenes are slim. 

Together, these attributes make this latest “Spider-Man” movie good, even if it dwells in moments of unnecessary drollery at times.

Grade: B (Spider-Man: get caught in his web again.)

“Midsommar” (Drama/Horror: 2 hours, 27 minutes)

Starring: Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren and Will Poulter

Director: Ari Aster

Rated: R (Violence, strong language, nudity, gore, drug usage, mature themes and sexuality)

 

Movie Review: “Midsommar” is similar to “Hereditary,” Ari Aster’s first full-length feature. Both are about ritualistic societies directed by director-writer Ari Aster. 

“Hereditary” was artistic and very much a horror. “Midsommar” is more of a drama that becomes a horror. It is, however, a very artistic movie, even if its story appears as a been-there-done-that screenplay. So, it is as powerfully artistic as it is clichéd. 

Dani (Pugh) and Christian (Reynor), a couple with relationship problems, travel with friends Josh (Harper) and Mark (Poulter) to a reclusive village of Sweden as guests of Swedish friend Pelle (Blomgren). 

There, they visit an idyllic village’s renowned midsummer festival. Their retreat is peaceful and beautiful at first but quickly becomes strange as they become part of a disturbing pagan cult’s rituals.

The movie might be better if it were set 40 years before technology such as cellular phones or if it did not follow movies such as director Eli Roth’s “The Green Inferno” (2013). 

“Midsommar’s” four college students travel to an unknown land and do not message others while there or take pictures on Instagram or other social media platforms. Ari Aster writes this movie as if his characters exist in the bubble. More important, it treats audiences as if they are in a bubble, too.

Therefore, audiences should concentrate on the artistic presence Aster creates. He uses camera angles and long- and medium-shot sizes to help tell his story. Creatively, he goes through great means to create a fictional culture, symbols, stories and all. He creates some great special effects. For this, he deserves accolades for artistic vision.

However, he goes overboard with the gore. His intent is the shock value of scenes in the latter half of the movie, making it similar to “Heredity” and imitating Roth’s “The Green Inferno.” Summer is upon us, but this movie has the appeal of a Halloween treat.

Grade: C+ (Interesting, but it has a fall seasonal appeal.)

 

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” (Drama: 2 hours, 1 minutes)

Starring: Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors and Danny Glover

Director: Joe Talbot

Rated: R (Profanity, nudity and drug use)

 

Movie Review: Long-time friends and San Franciscans director Joe Talbot and actor-writer Jimmie Fails cowrote and developed this good drama with writer Rob Richert. The semi-autobiographical narrative about Fails’ life takes a while to get where it is going, but when it does, it has a commanding presence.

Jimmie Fails, playing himself, constantly visits a house his grandfather built in San Francisco during World War II. The problem is the spacious Victorian-type house does not belong to Jimmie. 

Another family owns it. Jimmy still has dreams of one day owning the house and stops by to make repairs on the house, despite warnings by the owners to stay away. 

Jimmy is not wealthy enough to buy the house. Its market value has skyrocketed due to gentrification of the neighborhood yet he remains in love with the house.

Gentrification is at the heart of the story. It is the process of renovating and improving a neighborhood or district then raising the prices so that only the affluent can afford to live there. Talbot (“American Paradise,” 2017) and Fails use this to facilitate a story loosely based on Fails’ own life in the city with his best friend, Montgomery Allen, played well by Jonathan Majors.

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” is symbolic. It exhibits how a neighborhood can lose its flavor as those less fortunate are pushed out of their familiar districts by an influx of outsiders. Fails and Talbot use Fails the character to single out the end of a neighborhood, a community that makes San Francisco the city it is. 

Fails’ love of his familial home is a love story. It is also a love story for his home city of San Francisco, and commentary about the incursion of outsiders that infringe on his city’s character. Audiences see the Bay Area through scenic views and interesting characters. Talbot and Fails want one to experience their city. They accomplish their task. 

Fails’ screenplay avoids common pitfalls of movies. They do not have a single romantic relationship in this movie, save the one of Fails and his family’s previous house. They wanted the love affair to be a man and a house. They achieve that beautifully. They even involve a mystery about the house that audiences observe in the latter portion of this film. 

The movie spends considerable time with scenic views, poetic lines, drawings and people gazing. Although these things set an artistic tone, they delay what Fails really wants audiences to see. Therefore, his script appears to stumble at first, but, after about 30 minutes, it finds a definite good position that intrigues. 

Fails and Jonathan Majors’ acting, Talbot’s direction and nice visuals make one want to visit San Francisco. The cast and crew do a marvelous job of presenting the city. They may encourage more people to visit it and cause some people to stay. 

This artful presentation is not the inspiring influx they may be inviting, yet their screenplay is a contagious advertisement for San Francisco and those liking arthouse films.

Grade: B (A man and his house are a worthy cinematic vision.)

 

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar lives and works in Valdosta.