Movie - Spiderman: No Way Home

PG-13 (2:28)

Wide release 12/17/2021

Viewed Monday 1/10/22 (after karate) with T at the Carlisle Theater

RT Critic: 93   Audience:  98

Critic's Consensus:  A bigger, bolder Spider-Man sequel, No Way Home expands the franchise's scope and stakes without losing sight of its humor and heart.

Cag:  4/Liked it a lot

Directed by Jon Watts

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Marvel

Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jamie Foxx, Marisa Tomei, Willem Defoe, Alfred Molina, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire

My comments:  First thoughts?  It was really long.  There were more fighting scenes than I personally like, but that's what draws a lot of people to it, I guess, especially some of the kids and young men.  I loved the comedy.  I loved the characters, especially Dr. Strange.   And I loved, loved, loved the way they brought back Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire (and since it was a total surprise to me, an exceptional addition!)  Every scene with the three Spidermen was exceptional.  And I've got to say that Tom Holland was just wonderful in the role.

     A huge delight was to be sitting next to Tristan and watch his enjoyment of the movie!  It's the first one we've seen together since the pandemic started and that was a real joy, since we used to go frequently before.

     Note:  Andrew Garfield is now 38 years old, and Tobey Maguire is 46!  Tom Holland is a cutesy 25.

                                 

RT/ IMDb Summary:  For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero's identity is revealed, bringing his Super Hero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk. When he enlists Doctor Strange's help to restore his secret, the spell tears a hole in their world, releasing the most powerful villains who've ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Now, Peter will have to overcome his greatest challenge yet, which will not only forever alter his own future but the future of the Multiverse.

PICTURE BOOK - Drawn Together by Minh Le

Illustrated by Dan Santat

2018, Disney/Hyperion

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:   4.30 - 2298 ratings

My rating:  5

Endpapers:  Front:  a drawing of grankid's and bak: a drawing of grandpa's.

Front flap:  Sometimes you don't need words to find common ground."

1^st line/s:  Wordless for many pages, then:  "So...what's new, Grandpa?"

My comments:  lmost, but not quite, wordless.  Grandson and Grandad spend time together, but think they have nothing in common and nothing to talk about until..... Grandson pulls out markers and journal and begins to draw himself as a superhero.  Grandfather excitedly retrieves his sketchbook and calligraphy brush to show his line drawings of dragons and slayers!  Common ground...and a new understanding and appreciation of each other.  COOL! Story and drawings are great.

Goodreads:  When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.
          With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picturebook about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.

MOVIE - Venom

PG-13 (1:52)

Wide release 10/5/18

Viewed 10/8/18 in a recliner in Carlisle

RT Critic: 28   Audience:  86
Critic's Consensus:  Venom's first standalone movie turns out to be like the comics character in all the wrong ways - chaotic, noisy, and in desperate need of a stronger attachment to Spider-Man.

Cag:  3.5/4

Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Columbia Pictures

Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams

My comments:  Very entertaining.  Tom Hardy was wonderful, I don't think Michelle Williams fit her role at all.  It could've even been a little bit more creepy, actually!  There was a bit of humor, I do love humor in these films. Other than that, no complaints! 

RT/ IMDb Summary:  Investigative journalist Eddie Brock attempts a comeback following a scandal, but accidentally becomes the host of an alien symbiote that gives him a violent super alter-ego: Venom. Soon, he must rely on his newfound powers to protect the world from a shadowy organisation looking for a symbiote of their own.

MOVIE - Ant Man and the Wasp

PG-13 (1:58)

Wide release 7/6/18

Viewed Thursday, 8/23/18 at Hanover Theater
IMBd: 

RT Critic:  88  Audience:  77
Critic's Consensus:  A lighter, brighter superhero movie powered by the effortless charisma of Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, Ant-Man and The Wasp offers a much-needed MCU palate cleanser.

Cag:  4/Liked it a lot

Directed by Peyton Reed

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins

My comments:  Very funny, very fun movie, though not at all relaxing to watch!  The cast is wonderful.  The ending/s which correspond to the ending of the Avengers which came out just about the same time, left me with a huge "WHAT????"

RT/ IMDb Summary  From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink: "Ant-Man and The Wasp." In the aftermath of "Captain America: Civil War," Scott Lang (Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he's confronted by Hope van Dyne (Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Douglas) with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from their past.

MOVIE - Wonder Woman

PG-13 (2:21)

Wide release 6/2/17

Viewed date at 7/11/17
IMBd: 7.6

RT Critic: 92   Audience:  88
Critic's Consensus:   Thrilling, earnest, and buoyed by Gal Gadot's charismatic performance, Wonder Woman succeeds in spectacular fashion.

Cag:  4.5 It was really good, with lots of WWI history

Directed by Patty Jenkins

Warner Bros. Pictures

Actors: Chris Pine, Gal Godot

My comments:  This ended up being an unexpectedly good movie.  From the supernatural Amazon tribe, hidden away for many years in preparation to bring down Aries, comes Diana, daughter of the Amazon queen Hippolita.  When WWI spy Chris Pine breaks through the invisible barrier and crashes into the ocean near the island, he is saved by beautiful Diana.  The backstory of Wonder Woman proceeds from there.

RT/ IMDb Summary:  When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.

MOVIE - Captain America: Civil War

PG-13 (2;26)

Wide release 5/16/16

Viewed 9/25/16 (Happy Anniversary!) at Century Gateway

RT Critic: 90   Audience:  90
Critic's Consensus:  Captain America: Civil War begins the next wave of Marvel movies with an action-packed superhero blockbuster boasting a decidedly non-cartoonish plot and the courage to explore thought-provoking themes.

Cag:  4 - liked it a lot
Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo

Walt Disney Pictures

Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, 

My comments:  Very glad I got to see this before it left the big screen!  Many of the Marvel characters - some I don't even know - come together and then split into two factions: Captain America's side (wanting the Avengers to stay an independen's s organization, choosing what problems to take on themselves) or Ironman's side (wanting to sign a treaty that will allow the world governments to be the starting off place, deciding when they'll be needed).  It was actually a lot of fun - particularly near the end when Spiderman and Antman were enlisted!  No Hulk in this one.  Fighting, especially the "big one" near the end, wasn't too boring because there were not real good guys vs. bad guys - it was Avengers against each other without hatred and trying only to stop, not maim or kill.  Super long movie.  Enjoyed it.

RT Summary:  Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War" finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps-one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark's surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.

MOVIE - Deadpool

R (1:43)

Wide release Feb. 12, 2016

Viewed around 5/10/16 
IMBd: 8.1/10

RT Critic:  84  Audience: 90
Critic's Consensus:  

Cag:  4/Liked it a lot

Directed by Tim Miller

20th Century Fox

Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin

My comments:  Though NOT for kids, this was an entertaining, crass, funny, violent movie, full of sexual jokes and innuendos.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the "R" level  stuff.  However, if some of those jokes were changed to just-as-funny PG-13 rated, a whole lot of kids would get a chance to see it.  (Probably wouldn't be as good, though, to tell the truth).

RT/ IMDb Summary: Based upon Marvel Comics' most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. 

MOVIE - Thor: The Dark World

PG-13 (1:52)

Wide Release 11/8/2013

Viewed 11/11/2013

RT Critic:66  Audience: 85

Cag: 4.5 Totally enjoyed it

Directed by Alan Taylor

Walt Disney Pictures

Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tim Hiddleston

My comments"  Good One!  Very enjoyable with lots of chuckles.Chris Hemsworth is such a hunk, I love, love, love Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Stellan Skarsgard running around without his pants on was a HOOT, and the kooky side-kick, Darcy (Kat Dennings) is the really funny one on 2 Broke Girls. I always enjoy Natalie Portman, but I wouldn't consider this one of her stronger roles.  Just plain fun, the perfect movie to be totally outside of your own body for a couple of hours.  Two really fun things to look forward to - a quick, really brief sighting of Captain America in the middle of the film, and the little "addition" at the very tail end of the credits..... (And what on earth did what happened up on the throne at the end of the movie mean???)

Rotten Tomatoes Summary:  Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's "Thor" and "Marvel's The Avengers," Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embarkon his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.

MOVIE - The Amazing Spider Man

PG-13 (2:16)
Wide Release  7-3-12
Crossroads, by myself, Tuesday 9-4-12
on DVD 11-9-12
RT Critic 73% Audience 81%
cag; it was okay 2
Director:  Marc Webb
Sony Pictures
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Sally Field, Martin Sheen

I kept asking myself, "When will this be over?"  It was okay, but dragged on and on and on, it seemed. Andrew Garfield was adorable, and I love Emma Stone and Martin Sheen in absolutely everything.

MOVIE - Thor

Just plain fun
Released 5-6-11 wide
PG-13 (1:55)
DVD 9-13-11
RT:  77 cag:  87
Director:  Kenneth Branagh
Chris Hemmsworth, Natalie Portman

Boys of Steel - Marc Tyler Nobleman

The Creators of Superman
Illustrator: Ross MacDonald
2008
Rating: 4
Endpapers: Shiny red behind cover, two boys in black with large blue Superman profile behind
$16.99

Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Remember those names.

Colorful pages, illustrated in the style of the original comics. The book tells the story of Jerry and Joe, near look-a-likes, meeting in high school. Shy and similar, Jerry creted the story of Superman and Joe created the illustrations. It wasn't easy to finally get published - it was during the depression - but they perservered and did it -- two shy boys from Cleveland, Ohio.

There are three full pages at the end that tell about how, in later years, they lost all rights to Superman and what's still going on in the courts in their behalf - for their families, since they're both gone now.

This was particularly interesting to me because it was just a short while ago that I finished reading Brad Mltzer's Book of Lies, which had a lot to do with Jerry Siegel and the first Superman comic book/s!

YEE HA! THIS IS MY 200TH POST!