As potent as the first time I saw it, Spider-Man 2 retains its legacy of being an authentic ode to the selflessness of heroism, and the double sided coin of it.
With injections of horror, comedy and action, Raimi's second entry into his trilogy has everything. But it chooses to hone in on the identity crisis Peter Parker faces and what he means to his city.
Spider-Man 2 works because it feels like a rightful representation of what that struggle…
Endlessly dreamy. Enthralling moments of awe, love, and tragedy. So few films are able to observe such suspension of time. From the first touch of Carol's hand on Therese's shoulder, even without context, the physical gestures are quietly breathtaking - every stare, smile, and graze meaning more than the last. Each time I return to Haynes' winter romance the world only reaches as far as the edges of the grain, the real one dissipates. A total transportation back in time and love.
Have never been a big New Mutants fan (although I have read Claremont's New Mutants 1983 arc with the demon bear so I guess I have been primed a bit for Dani's stuff here) so I don't hold them sacred, but this movie seemed a bit off from the get go. The initial horror concept had some teeth but the end product is unfocused and unconvincing.
Casting is... fine; Anya Taylor Joy is a great choice for Magik even if…
"I saw her for a last time. She did not see me."
I often think of all the people throughout history that had no choice but to love in secret. Whose every day lives were weighed on by a repression that crushed their hearts and filled them with unspeakable resentment for a world that wasn't ready for them yet. It's solitude, and emotional torture. And all they could hope for was "in another life...".
Portrait of a Lady on Fire…
I lose followers every time I make these types of complaints but I don't need fragility in my life so here we go: I'm tired of the same 'group of teenage boys solve a mystery' story. Almost every review of Summer of 84 comments on how it rides the nostalgia-porn wave that the likes of Stranger Things brought on and that's correct. Every archetype, trope etc. is there.
But this weirded me out more than usual with multiple conversations about…
