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Reviews
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
The best "Spidey" movie to date, and arguably one of the best comic book movies overall.
First I'd like to applaud Sony for taking a risk, by industry standards anyways, and simultaneously making different film versions of a top tier comic book superhero. I think Tom Holland is fantastic in the MCU and will continue to watch those films but any fan boy will relish in telling you how many versions, incarnations, and different well known characters have taken on the mantle of Spider-Man through his nearly sixty year existence. Oh, and this goes for just about every other popular comic superhero from Captain America to Batman. The point being is that these characters have such rich and deeply differing story arcs through the years that studios could absolutely put two or three different versions of the same characters on screen throughout the year. Warner Bros. Has also recently taken this route with the upcoming "Joker" (2019) film starring Joaquin Phoenix and helmed by "The Hangover"(2009) director Todd Phillips while still planning to continue with Jared Leto's incarnation in "Suicide Squad" (2016) sequels and/or spin-offs.
I digress. This movie is absolutely fun to watch. It's groundbreaking animation rips the vivid colors and larger than life stylings straight from the comic pages and gives them life and pop that is both hypnotic and exhilarating. The story has a great pace that handles classic Spider-Man tropes like coming of age, love of family, and accepting moral responsibility while never seeming corny or bogged down. The voice cast is superb with great chemistry, snappy banter, and each "Spidey" brings a charm and wit that is unique to their universe while sharing the same brash and fun attitude that is at the core of your favorite neighborhood wall crawler. The villains do not fail to impress either. Voiced by top names like Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, Liev Schreiber, amd Katherine Hahn, classic and modern incarnations of Spidey's rogue gallery nearly steal the film with their near-terrifying and foreboding depictions. Overall this film brings familiar, obscure, and awesomely diverse characters together for an exhilarating and humorous ride. With just enough heart and more than you thought you wanted action to earn itself a place in the discussion for best overall comic book movie to date.
Drew Michael (2018)
Breaking the Mold
I look towards HBO for great stand up showcases as for nearly three decades it was the only place to find them consistently before Netflix came along. This was no different, a comedian I had never heard of with a special on HBO is always a great way to learn about a new talent and be entertained by a fresh take on society and/or life in general. I was a bit confused at first by the presentation. No audience and a performance monologue approach cut with a Skype conversation with a love interest is not what many consider stand up comedy. Drew's performance is paced differently as well, coming off at first as a bit whiny, hasty, and pessimistic, but then I realized without an audience and the expectation of a timed joke this was a man showing his inner demons without the pretense of a typical comedy show to buffer my insecurities on his thoughts or jokes. It made the experience so much more real, as if I was in my own head. Much like having a dark thought or joke that you would never share but still laughed out loud randomly to. Once I found the rhythm of the presentation, the whole piece became more engrossing, hilarious, and a new way to experience "stand up" comedy. Drew's honest, rapid fire, almost rambling deliver crossed with intimate and up close frames of himself made me feel connected to him as a real person lost in thought and feeding these enlightements and insecurities directly to my own mind without the stage, lights, and audience that forms a natural disconnect that we are not aware of or just accept. I was also highly impressed by Jerrod Carmichael's artistic vision in the direction and overall feel to the piece. Intimate, insecure, and most importantly, very funny. I will expect more comedians to try this approach in the future but as the first of it's kind, that I've come across anyways, it succeeds on every level.