“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Action/Science-Fiction: 2 hours, 28 minutes)

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon and Benedict Cumberbatch

Director: Jon Watts

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

Movie Review: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has operated in secrecy for months. The wait is worth it. This is one of the more thrilling Marvel Cinematic Universe’s movies. It should have your Spidey senses tingling in a good manner.

Continuing where “Spider-Man: Far from Home” (2019) stopped, “No Way Home” features Peter Parker (Holland) suffering the consequences of having been outed as Spider-Man by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal). Parker’s compromised superhero identity has repercussions for not only his life but also for his girlfriend, M.J. (Zendaya), his best friend, Ned Leeds (Batalon), and his Aunt May Parker (Marisa Tomei). 

Their lives become tabloid fodder, their plans put on hold and they suffer multiple investigations by law enforcement. To give his friends their lives back, Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) to cast a spell to help but Doctor Strange’s spell shatters the multiverse, causing greater problems.

Capitalizing on the fame of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (Directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman), “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has a similar narrative. Both are good movies, the prior an animated flick and the latter being live-action. “No Way Home’s” great entertainment value is its ability to keep surprising its audiences with the unexpected.

Director Jon Watts does a good job developing elements from the first major screen adaptation “Spider-Man” (2002) to the current “No Way Home.” He and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who both co-penned the last two Spider-Man movies, create an engaging movie with plenty of surprises. They nicely combined elements of Spider-Man on the big screen from the last 20 years to form a cohesive movie that provides laughs and plentiful action sequences.

The result is a fascinating movie that should make fans of the web-slinger happy while delighting newcomers to the franchise. The movie’s apex misses a key moment to resolve Peter Parker’s dilemma via a smarter method but the narrative remains solid entertainment.

Grade: B+ (Spidey is worth leaving your home to see.)

Playing at Valdosta Stadium Cinemas

“Nightmare Alley” (Crime/Thriller: 2 hours, 30 minutes)

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara and William Dafoe

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Rated: R (Strong violence, gore, profanity, nudity and sexual content)

Movie Review: Seductively charming, “Nightmare Alley” is a flashback to the noir movies of yesteryear. 

These movies were not always popular with audiences because they present dark themes about human nature. Most of the characters are usually, malevolent or demented, and driven by self-interests. Even more, the protagonist is corrupt too and behaves like an antagonist. 

“Nightmare Alley” captures this genre beautifully and Director Guillermo del Toro’s grand style for good visualizations also accompany this adventurous tale of crime, passion and the strange.

Stanton Carlisle (Cooper) is an ambitious man working for a side-show carnival. He has a talent for manipulating people. He serendipitously meets the correct people who teach him how to manipulate people using mentalism. Later, he meets Dr. Lilith Ritter (Blanchett), a psychiatrist more devious than Carlisle. They are both into mind games, the deadly kind.

Typically, the noir genre features settings that are dark places or outside night scenes. Del Toro makes use of light and dark scenes, often using bright scenes to reveal some deeper part of this arresting tale.

No one expects less of Del Toro. He gave audiences “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006) and “The Shape of Water” (2017), both award-laden movies. He concentrates on the visual story as well as the words and actions of the characters. It works here, even if the application of dark-themed concepts appears far too often in his movies.

The cast is superb. Cooper plays the lead character in a manner that makes you want to see him succeed, even if the man is deplorable in his attempts to swindle his way to the top. Blanchett is tempting in the manner Bette Davis charmed in older movies. Her words are commanding as her actions are unethical, yet she is alluring.

Others also shine. Collette is bewitching as a clairvoyant and David Strathairn plays her constantly intoxicated husband with zeal – short but noticeable in an award-fetching manner. Character actor Richard Jenkins is solid as always. Dafoe plays the manager of a carnival well and gives the movie a sound character who almost appears legit. Rooney Mara is a strong silent type as Cooper’s love interest and the movie’s ethical center. Several others may provide smaller roles but each character provides strong turns.

The problem is Del Toro and fellow writer Kim Morgan should give their modern noir thriller more tone-down characters who often overshadow their story and less artful visual aspects that divert one’s attention occasionally. Still, this remake of “Nightmare Alley” (Director Edmund Goulding, 1947) delivers the art of yesteryear in a gratifying manner.

Grade: B (Take a stroll down this alley for some nifty thrills.)

Playing at Valdosta Stadium Cinemas

“American Underdog” (Drama/Biography/Sports: 1 hour, 52 minutes)

Starring: Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Hayden Zaller and Dennis Quaid

Directors: Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin

Rated: PG (Language and thematic elements)

Movie Review: Nothing an audience likes better than seeing an underdog character achieve good ultimately. 

“American Underdog” hits all the right notes to please viewers. Based on the book “All Things Possible” by Kurt Warner and Michael Silver, this movie details the struggles of Kurt Warner to achieve his dream of being a National Football League pro-player. His life and faith are inspirational and worthy of a movie.

Zachary Levi plays football Hall of Fame alum Kurt Warner. The football legend’s life forms an inspirational story from his days playing college football to his family life to a Super Bowl win during his first season in the NFL.

Kurt Warner has a remarkable story. This movie nicely shows he is more than a football icon. He is a family man, married to his longtime love, Brenda Meoni, played by Anna Paquin. Together, they raise a large family and create some good philanthropical projects together.

The movie shows his struggles to fulfill his dreams to be a professional athlete. Each step is a struggle but Warner remains determined. He constantly battles adversity yet remains grounded in faith, family and friends.

As noted earlier, the Erwin Brothers create a nice biographical drama. It is inspiring, even when bland — a slice of Warner’s struggles would have sufficed. Yet, Warner’s life shows an everyday man achieving despite the odds. “American Underdog” is a worthy story for those needing a slice of inspiration this Christmas season.

Grade: B (Two, four, six, eight, “American Underdog” has plenty to appreciate.)

Playing at Valdosta Stadium Cinemas

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar has been writing movie reviews for The Valdosta Daily Times for more than 20 years.