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I enjoyed seeing The Amazing Spiderman the other night. Although silly at times, it gripped me. Here and there anyway. For a few reasons.
Years ago, writer John Hughes, through his classics The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles & Ferris Beuller's Day Off, taught me to accept (maybe even revel a little in) my awkward teenager-ness. I thank him for that. Thus I'm a sucker for Peter Parker-types or any remotely introverted protagonist. Plus Spiderman makes me nostalgic for my long-ago Saturday morning youth. (I shot webs out of my wrists for years. Who didn't?) And isn't the whole Spiderman story essentially an allegory for adolescence itself? And double plus: Emma Stone. A terrific actress in everything she does but especially Easy A, speaking of rare quality teen flicks.
So yes, I enjoyed the film. At times. But it was missing something so many films seem to be missing now: true originality. Most films are sequels or reboots of previous box office successes. What's next? Smokey & the Bandit 2.0? (I scoff but it's probably in development right now.) Plot-lines are so predictable; it's like studio executives are whispering at board-room tables just outside the frame: more explosions, more jackass, more water on the women.
You know what they're really whispering though? Man, this audience is stupid...stupid...stupid. Plus cha-ching.
7 comments:
Yes, I am frequently dismayed that I can call the ending or plot twists 10 minutes into most movies. However, I am often just looking for some mindlessness. One recent movie that managed to surprise me was the latest Dark Knight.
Second verse, same as the first...
It's our age. We need new and traditional cinema needs to be safe for the investors. World cinema is an attractive alternative. I'm digging Japan.
I love Emma Stone.
You're exactly right. I doubt our generation will ever see anything original which isn't crap. There's too much money to risk on a potential box office flop. We're more likely to see "Avengers XIII" than the next "Citizen Kane."
Unless it stars Chris Rock or Jackie Chan.
That said, I DID enjoy the mindlessness of "The Dark Knight Rises."
I liked the newest Spiderman better than the prior trilogy, but I often get upset when I see a movie from my teens being remade. I didn't see the new Footloose for that very reason. And I like some really bad, geeky, lame movies. Back to the Beach anyone?
Save Ferris
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