Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Score: 4.5 / 5

One of the most exciting entries in the MCU -- amidst an unpredictable slew of new titles, too -- No Way Home is a triumphant third Spider-Man movie. That's a phrase we've never heard before. Jon Watts and his team have crafted what amounts to a DCEU Arrowverse major crossover event, a playful and endlessly entertaining mashup of heroes and villains who react to their circumstances in unpredictable ways. What could have been a logistical nightmare, with so many big names, big titles, and big expectations, is instead energetic, creative, and utterly joyous. That's all thanks to a brilliant screenplay and confident directing, although frankly, I found the editing in this movie bewildering more than once (and that's the only reason it's not scored 5). Until, that is, the final act, which is shockingly emotional.

Beginning immediately after the end of Far From Home, the story launches Peter Parker (Tom Holland) into the public sphere. People on the street know who he is now, and so does the government. Peter, his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), and Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), are brought in for questioning before their charges are dropped, thanks to some quick work by their lawyer. And this, within the first ten minutes of the film, is when I started crying, because lo and behold: Charlie Cox reprises his role as Matt Murdock. Thanks to this applause-generating cameo -- and the presence of Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk in the Hawkeye miniseries -- it seems the MCU has reclaimed the rights to their characters from the Netflix shows.

Then there's some basic dramatic hoopla about the kids applying for university and getting denied from all (even MIT!) due to their notoriety. The story in earnest begins after Peter asks Dr. Strange to cast a spell and make the world forget that he is our friendly neighborhood webslinger. Interrupting the wizard's work, Peter fractures the spell by requesting exceptions for MJ, Ned, and Aunt May. It's more than a little annoying to me that Ned is such a central character in these movies, because I find him almost unbearable, but MJ and Aunt May each finally get some really golden scenes in this movie. Not long after the spell, we learn that his meddling somehow caused a rift in the multiverse, allowing other individuals who know Peter's secret identity to access this universe. Thus enters characters from previous iterations of Spider-Man in some of the best-handled retconning I've ever seen.

In what we all feared would simply be a casting gimmick, a huge cast of fan favorites appears spontaneously, wreaking havoc in their search for Spider-Man. The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) are quickly contained by Dr. Strange, and Peter confronts Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx). Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), still wrestling with his split personality of the Green Goblin, makes friends with Aunt May, and works with Peter to rehabilitate the villains. They aim to help these characters rather than simply send them back to the moments of their deaths. It makes for several surprisingly funny sequences of the characters bantering and discussing how to be "fixed." It's not an overcrowding mess, but in fact buttresses this "Home" trilogy's central themes of belonging and integrity and comfort. It's also an effective way of finally allowing Holland's version of Spidey to mature and really grapple with his mantra, "with great power comes great responsibility."

And with the weight of these heroic decisions comes dire consequences. The filmmakers here know this, as they strive valiantly to honor the legacies of previous Spider-Men franchises while more or less correcting our cultural narrative around the intellectual property. Enter, as they do near the halfway point, two other Spider-Men in the form of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. What I thought would be cameo appearances are actually crucial plot and character points that carry through the end of the film. Their scenes are laugh-out-loud funny, often tear-jerking, and irresistibly welcome, and the writers clearly wanted to honor rather than rewrite their characters, especially in Garfield's case, who was unable to make a third outing as Spidey. One wonders, now, if Sony will attempt to capitalize on his re-entry for their growing efforts to continue pumping out darker Marvel titles. It helps that Venom will apparently now become a shared property, as told by the credits scenes in Venom: Let There Be Carnage and in this film.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Score: 4 / 5

It's a lot of the same, but I liked this Spider-Man much better than Homecoming. Why? We get out of Queens and get to tour Europe. We get Nick Fury and Maria Hill and Happy Hogan. And, by far most importantly, we get Mysterio in all his glory.

Still haunted by Tony Stark's death, Peter Parker returns to school for a rebooted semester after the Snap (actually after the Blip, when Hulk snapped again so that the dusted folks returned). He's caught with developing feelings for MJ, wanting to distract himself from tragedy, and avoid being a superhero, and so he embarks with his classmates on a science trip to Europe (where they never actually do scientific things). Cheap plot vehicle aside, Peter finds himself in Venice when the city is attacked by a giant water monster. Nick Fury collects Peter and introduces him to Mysterio.

Mysterio, he says, is from another planet Earth, and convinces Fury and Peter that a multiverse exists. If you knew anything about Mysterio going in, you know he is lying. It's a delicious character presented to us by Jake Gyllenhaal, and he chews the lines and his costume (!!!) like they're his gateway to our minds. His team of Tony Stark ex-employees, now emboldened to pirate Stark tech, have used advanced drones to project holographic images and amazing special effects to create four new monsters to threaten the planet. Mysterio seeks to create an Avengers-level threat, as he calls it, so that he can become Earth's mightiest hero and replace the void left by the narcissistic playboy. It's hard not to see him, directing his illusions with a maniacal glint in his eye, playing the character as a sly jibe at the Marvel directors themselves, filled with grandiose schemes and doing whatever it takes to realize them.

Oops, is that a spoiler? It shouldn't be. The actual superhero parts of this movie are pretty straightforward and utterly entertaining. Mysterio's tricks are magnificent to behold, especially in a turning point when he assaults Peter's senses in a trippy visual maze not unlike something you might see in Doctor Strange. Plus, though we don't get any hint of Donald Glover's Prowler, Miles Morales, or the Scorpion (all hinted at in Homecoming), we do get some nice surprises. The Elementals (as Mysterio calls them) seem to be based on several Spidey villains from the comics: namely, Hydro-Man, Sandman, Molten Man, and Cyclone.

Further, the post-credit scene introduces J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson (reprising the character in this franchise, thank heaven) revealing Spider-Man's true identity. We can only hope this paves the way for the third installment, which I pray means that Peter will go on the lam and we will finally get to see Kraven the Hunter chase him down. Too, as Jameson is the driving force behind the villain Scorpion, we can hope that the MCU is slowly building its case for a Sinister Six movie. What a thrill!

My geeky excitement aside, Far From Home is far from a perfect movie, and joins its predecessor as a fun, second-rate entry in the franchise. Because the genre of this Spider-Man's movies is foremost a coming-of-age comedy and only secondly superhero action, the film balances its truly excellent superhero stuff with wacky comedy clearly aimed at a younger audience. Like the first, it's uplifting and gleeful to a fault, making its niche in the franchise but grating against those of us who crave meatier servings. The one-liners come fast and hard, but I found myself snorting more than laughing aloud. And while Tom Holland presents a wonderful interpretation of the character, several of his classmates got on my last nerves while I watched this movie. Give me Peter and the adults, and leave the rest out. I'd have been happier for it.

The First Purge (2018)

Score: 4 / 5

After a dismal first outing, did anyone really want another Purge? It was such a promising idea, squandered on Ethan Hawke and a chilling but familiar home invasion thrill-ride. Then came Anarchy, a delicious sequel that took the action onto the streets and showcased the real horrors of Purge night, led by an incredible Frank Grillo. And then, of course, Election Year came roaring in the summer before Trump got elected, feeding off our very real cultural anxieties and becoming a resounding vision of a future all too close to reality.

Each film has gotten "better": more artistic, more horrific, more iconic, more mindful of social climate. Specifically, each has included more characters (and actors) of color and suggested that part of the story of the Purge involves the racial and economic divisions of our country. Consider Ethan Hawke and family from the first film, wealthy and relatively secure (though, if you remember, he was a scumbag profiteer). In subsequent films, we've fought alongside groups of survivors and rebels in the streets and come to understand that the wealthy white people in charge -- by and large -- use the Purge to attempt a social cleansing, to rid themselves of those wretched black and brown gutter folk.

At least, that's how the story has been painted.

And now, in The First Purge, we see how and why. As America reaches a boiling point with crime and overpopulation, an Architect (Marisa Tomei) develops an experiment for people to act on their most taboo desires and base hatred on a single night. Stepping right up to support her, the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA), a new ultraconservative political party backed by the NRA, fund her Experiment in a controlled environment. Staten Island becomes quarantined and its inhabitants are offered money to participate. The island is closely monitored and on March 21 (yes, numerically that's 3...2...1...) the Experiment commences.

The film shows a lot of things we've thought about but haven't seen yet in this series. We see folks using lawlessness to party openly in the streets. But as the white folk in charge see a lack of violence (they have television audiences to please and incite, don't forget) they send in death squads to light a fuse for murder and mayhem. They're hoping the Experiment will succeed and their Purge will spread across the nation. We know, of course, that it will.

This picture is nowhere near as iconic as Election Year, nor is it as campy or pulpy. It's a fabulous good time, filled with violence and terrifying images and more than a few well-earned laughs. What makes this entry my close #2 favorite in the series, apart from its revealing plot points, is that it so clearly takes itself seriously. That's the first time in this franchise, and an important step to take looking to the future: apparently we will soon be seeing a Purge television show that will explore the reasons and preparations people make for the Purge night.

We get some really fascinating real-life social commentary and racial and socioeconomic theory. While perhaps some of this high-brow material escapes the film in practice, and surely escapes its target audience, the thoughts nevertheless seep out of the screen and into our heads. Meanwhile, we also get a breakneck ride through lives in trouble and a night of hell that is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat. And, yet again, we get a look at our own society that is much too close for comfort.

IMDb: The First Purge

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Score: 3.5 / 5

After seeing two previous cinematic incarnations of the character, my Spidey senses were tingling heading into this flick. I suspect Disney/Marvel Studios execs were even more nervous, judging by the excessive advertising and merchandising for their newest flick (in the middle of a year with two other big-budget sequels). We knew the villain from promos, we've already met this Peter Parker (in Civil War), and we've been disappointed in the character before. And while Homecoming is neither my favorite version of Spider-Man nor even one of the better Marvel Studios films, it boasts some inspired choices that might affect the successes of future MCU pictures.

Tonally not unlike Ant-Man, this flick knows how to have fun. Sweet and funny in an uncomplicated way, Homecoming panders to a younger audience. Though its basic comedy won't please everybody, it's executed with such precise timing and earnestness that it pulled more than a few chuckles from my throat. More important, the movie is uplifting and even gleeful in a way almost no other superhero movies are. Most of the credit for that goes to the writers. While movies written by committee aren't usually impressive, the six writers here focused their energies on changing the very structure of the genre. The superhero arc is a mere plot device; the movie works because it's a coming of age story and a high school comedy. This might just signal an evolution in superhero cinema: Maybe superhero movies have to be something else too.

Of course Tom Holland deserves his credit, too. This Spider-Man bothered me as a fan (Why are we changing MJ's name? Why are we changing Aunt May's character?), mostly because of how ridiculously high-tech his suit is. The cool thing about Spidey is that he's young and witty, yes, but it's just him. The kid with tingling senses who can climb walls and made his own web-shooters. Here, half the movie is him battling with the tech in his suit (given to him by Tony Stark, whose films feature the same gimmick). Holland, though, manages to work around all that and staking his claim in a character who, in his hands, just loves being Spider-Man. His wide-eyed wonder and innocence infects us until we're as happy with his situation as he is. And though you can take or leave the high school drama he faces, we believe his struggle against realistic, believable stakes every minute along the way.

While Tyne Daly and Donald Glover are memorable but woefully underused (especially Glover, whose character is the Prowler -- a personal favorite hero/villain -- and the uncle of Miles Morales, suggesting a future POC Spider-Man in the franchise's future!), Zendaya and Jacob Batalon make fabulous turns as Peter's friends. Michael Keaton as the Vulture, however, steals his scenes with a down-to-earth energy and unusual charm for a villain. Can we even call the character a villain? He's a hardworking, average guy who just wants a slice of the good life, to provide for his loving family and reap the benefits of his many years' toil. The movie could have done more in exploring the socioeconomic dynamics of him and his journey, but even as it is, Adrian Toomes is one of the most surprising and believable characters in the franchise. Sequels may or may not include Keaton's Vulture, whose final scene is a real shocker.

Fair warning if you're feeling that superhero fatigue: We'll be seeing more Spider-Man solo movies. This flick gives the character a clean slate and lots of room to grow. It establishes his part in the MCU without making him another Avenger (thank heaven!) and makes a pretty strong statement about that decision (the scene where Tony Stark offers him a place in the team is jaw-droppingly audacious). With its youthful energy and themes, Homecoming offers a different sort of dish for us to chew, and will undoubtedly affect the flavor and texture of forthcoming installments: Consider the final scene featuring Cap, a big "Eff you" to the convention of post-credits teasers. Whatever happens next, we can hope that the movies keep as strong a sense of place as this one does (it's basically a love letter to Queens, and it's beautiful). And I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a Mysterio appearance.

IMDb: Spider-Man: Homecoming

The Big Short (2015)

Score: 4 / 5

It's a strange thing to enjoy a film but have no idea what's happening. The Big Short is all about the housing market, Wall Street, and the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008. Basically, a lot of things I don't expect to ever really understand. But the film works precisely because it caters to those of us who share that bewilderment. Of course, it also caters to people who do understand the crisis and vilify the villains behind it.

Hell, I even got angry with them. I didn't always know exactly why I felt that way, but director Adam McKay (in what might be the first film of his I've ever seen) shares his outrage so bountifully that even his kinetic directorial style here serves to heighten the anxieties and tensions at work. We flit from brokers and bankers to salesmen and victims with such fervor that we feel vexed not only by the duplicitous and voracious money-mongers, but by the filmmakers and their fierce understanding -- and criticism -- of the crisis.

If that makes sense to you, you're already a step ahead of me. But the primary way McKay caters to us know-nothings is by breaking the fourth wall in periodic, stylized exposition monologues. We have Ryan Gosling delivering voiceovers, trying to help us understand the forces at work. When even he needs help, he presents us with celebrities in various comical situations who then explain in hilarious and somewhat less-than-totally-enlightening terms a particular concept or construct. The logic, I suppose, is that Margot Robbie in a bubble bath can explain something as dull as subprime mortgages (??) in an entertaining and pleasant way, while maintaining a sort of aloof, satirical manner. Similarly, Selena Gomez stacking chips in Vegas can explain synthetic CDOs (??) about as well as Anthony Bourdain can make fish chowder out of three-day-old fish while explaining something else. It's a sly move.

It's also one that laughs at us as much as we laugh at it. I mean, isn't part of the problem with these complex business concepts that the majority of Americans really have no idea what's happening? I think it's one of the characters early in the film who decries Wall Street for coming up with big words and complex procedures simply so that its grip on international finance remains firm. So whereas McKay and his team seem to know what's going on, and while he seems willing and able to share it, he does so by condescending to a populace that only really cares about "reality" television, breaking down the fourth wall on celebrity life, and sipping champagne in a bubble bath.

It's a damning judgment of a couple institutions, to be sure. And all this has been to say nothing of the biting dialogue, razor-sharp and with more wit than it can sometimes handle. We see young men calculating their way into the field from their garage, and we see those same men later lounging in their commercial offices while the financial world collapses. Their performances -- particularly those of Christian Bale and Steve Carrell -- are stunning, even (and perhaps especially) when they prove to be less than heroic. Of course, this is movie almost exclusively concerns white men, but then I suppose that's a bit of a statement in itself, even with the likes of Melissa Leo in supporting roles. And by the end, they all work together, through perfect timing and flawless dark comedy, to infuriate the audience.

This movie isn't a drama thriller that carries a warning, like Margin Call. This is a white-hot, scathing indictment against all kinds of things I just don't understand. And it's one of the funniest movies I've seen this year. And that's exactly the point.

IMDb: The Big Short