Tag: Marisa Tomei

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Post author By Mark
Post date December 20, 2021

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and no, we’re not talking about Christmas, we’re talking about the new Spider-Man film No Way Home! Quite possibly one of the most hyped films in MCU history, there was a lot riding on Tom Holland’s latest outing as the web-slinger and sufficed to say No Way Home lives up to all these expectations and then some; a more mature chapter in Peter Parker’s story that feels like an appropriate culmination of everything Holland has gone through and a celebration of the character’s rich on-screen history. Despite the all-star lineup of the web-head’s greatest foes, director Jon Watts never lets the story slip away from Peter, telling a quintessentially Spider-Man story that perfectly straddles the line between huge, explosive action and the everyday struggles of the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Peter Parker’s (Holland) life is in a shambles after Mysterio unceremoniously ousts his identity as Spider-Man to the world at the end of Far From Home, prompting the young Avenger to turn to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in an effort to erase the world’s knowledge of this fact and restore some semblance of normality to the lives of Peter and those closest to him. When this inevitably goes awry, Strange and Parker unwittingly fracture the multiverse, causing villains from all manner of non-Disney owned, Sony produced Spider-Man films to tumble into the MCU, including Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Willem Dafoe’s (all-time great) Green Goblin. Now tasked with capturing these intruders before they can wreak havoc on his universe, Spider-Man is forced to contend with the full weight of his actions and the true responsibility of being a hero if he has any hope of saving the world once again.

Reassembling these characters from previous films may seem on its face an obvious case of fan service, but No Way Home consistently finds fresh angles to approach these characters without tarnishing their legacy; natural extensions of previous narratives or chances to redeem an ill-received prior outing rather than simply being well-known punching bags for Spidey to wail on. Jamie Foxx’s Electro for example has far more personality this time around, free from the shackles of his nerdy, awkward persona in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and now a laid-back, wise-cracking bad-ass; a far more appropriate character for Foxx to play and one that he excels at.

At the other end of the spectrum is Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, whose story wrapped up perfectly in Spider-Man 2. He certainly didn’t need more screen-time but what we get here is a fantastically fun and fascinating furthering of the character audiences know and love, with Molina hamming it up in the best way possible as the medically grumpy fish-out-of-water scientist turned supervillain. Those big, bombastic action sequences are all well and good but it’s the quieter moments that really justify Doc Ock’s return; a tortured soul desperate for a reprieve from the voices in his head and, like Peter, a return to the somewhat normal.

However it’s Willem Dafoe who cements his place as the greatest on-screen Spidey villain, slipping back into Green Goblin almost 20 years later and making it look completely effortless. On an acting level alone it’s fascinating to watch Dafoe contort his face and switch between the two personalities at war within Norman Osborn’s head on a dime; his voice dropping to a menacing growl as a sneer spreads across his face. But it’s the energy of pure, chaotic evil that he brings to the MCU that makes him Holland’s fiercest foe to date, wanting nothing more than to make Spider-Man suffer and relishing every second of pain he puts him through. Screenwriters Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna do a great job ensuring they aren’t just trading on audience goodwill, building on the foundation of Norman’s lust for power established in 2002’s Spider-Man and taking it to the logical next step as he covets an entirely new universe to subject to his will.

In a film this crowded it might be easy for Holland’s Spider-Man to play second fiddle but – despite all the colossal world expansion and inevitable sequel set-up – No Way Home very much feels like the next chapter of Peter Parker’s story. With that comes an almost perfect balance between the small-scale problems that define a good Spider-Man story – girl troubles, college admissions and otherwise balancing the mundane with the extraordinary – alongside the huge, multiverse-ending stakes. This is still a young boy coming to terms with his responsibilities as a hero and the stakes of not committing fully to either of the lives he is attempting to live have never been felt more than they are here. Cumberbatch is an excellent and intriguing choice to shepherd Peter into that next phase of his journey, not as paternal as Iron Man and certainly not as nefarious as Mysterio, Doctor Strange doesn’t shy away from delivering hard truths, a necessary push that makes for some incredibly satisfying moments when the going gets tough.

No matter how crazy the plot may get we are always locked into Peter and how he approaches this latest challenge, particularly how it affects those close to him and his sweet relationship with MJ (Zendaya), who finally comes into her own as a central protagonist rather than a quirky side-character. This being an MCU film, things never get too dour (perhaps to some viewers chagrin) and the jokes fly thick and fast, with Jacob Batalon’s Ned stealing every scene he is in with absolutely pitch perfect comedic timing, never failing to have the audience guffawing at even the most juvenile of jokes. But this is Holland’s film and it is the best he has ever been in the role, due in large part to the amount of emotionally heavy material thrown at him in the script; we feel the desperation in Peter’s actions and the weight of what he must do to correct the mistakes he has made. No spoilers here but it warrants mentioning that – following a third act that ranks up there with Avengers: Endgame in terms of sheer wish-fulfilment awesomeness – the ending is one of the most cathartic, triumphant conclusions in all of the MCU; a perfect jumping off point should they (most probably) continue to further Spider-Man’s story but also an incredibly satisfying conclusion should this truly be the end, something neither of the other actors who have played the wall crawler can claim to have had.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is easily the best of Jon Watt’s trilogy and perhaps more impressively one of, if not the best Spider-Man film ever. The culmination of Peter Parker’s story as a young, inexperienced web-slinger is a rollicking rollercoaster of fun and action sure, but one that manages to pack big stakes and crushing emotional weight onto Holland’s shoulders that he handles beautifully. The returning villains are all an absolute blast to spend time with again, the surprises we can’t spoil will have audiences in a fervour and the supporting players are all genuinely excellent in the way they impact Peter’s journey from boy to Spider-Man. Don’t let the title fool you, with this film Tom Holland proves definitively that he is absolutely at home as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: No Way Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, J.K. Simmons, Jon Favreau, Tony Revolori & Benedict Wong – In cinemas now.

10/10

Tags Alfred Molina, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, J.K. Simmons, Jacob Batalon, Jamie Foxx, Jon Favreau, Jon Watts, Marisa Tomei, Marvel, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland, Willem Dafoe, Zendaya

Movie Reviews

The King of Staten Island

Post author By Mark
Post date July 24, 2020

Some might say that, at this point in his career, Pete Davidson is known more for his public persona than anything he has done on Saturday Night Live. If his new Judd Apatow directed film The King of Staten Island does anything, it shows that he is fully aware of it. Serving as less of a true comedy and more of a character study that attempts to demystify the man behind the public relationships and nervous breakdowns, the film gives you an insight into what makes him tick in a semi-biographical tale of his life, warts and all. It’s a brave pursuit and it’s clear that Davidson has put his heart and soul into writing the film and playing himself, showing just how devastating an effect the death of his father has had on his psyche. It does, however, suffer in the joke department – with only a handful of scenes offering more than a weak chuckle. The film feels like something of a hoodwink, luring you in with the prospect of an exciting young comedic talent and then failing to deliver. If you go in knowing that this is a deep dive into Davidson’s life then you are likely to get more out of it but at this point so long after his popularity has peaked it is hard to believe that the audience is really starving for this introspective look.

Davidson plays Scott, a 20-something stoner who lives at home and spends his days hanging around his friends’ shady basements and local Staten Island parks contemplating his future and dreaming of bigger things. The untimely death of his firefighter father as a child (a fact pulled from Davidson’s real life – his father passed away rescuing civilians in 9/11) has haunted Scott for his whole life, causing some severe mental and behavioural issues that he has struggled to deal with and has numbed through drugs. With his sister Claire (Maude Apatow) graduating, Scott finds himself at something of a crossroads, forced to consider his future and whether he should pursue his dream of opening up a tattoo parlour restaurant, whilst also juggling his casual relationship with lifelong friend Kelsey (Bel Powley) and the arrival of his widowed mother’s (Maria Tomei) new boyfriend Ray (Bill Burr). Whilst navigating this perfect storm of personal problems Scott must also deal with a resurgence of his mental illness, causing him to doubt the right decisions he makes while still managing a number of exceedingly irrational ones.

The key question I have for The King of Staten Island and Pete Davidson in particular is what is the purpose of it? The film’s biggest flaw seems to be that the message is so jumbled and confused that I’m not really sure what the overall themes at play are and to try and get to the bottom of the problem I believe it’s necessary to look at Davidson’s real story. The most understandable part of Davidson’s real-life narrative is his sudden and dramatic rise to fame through his personal life. He was never one of the biggest players on Saturday Night Live during his tenure and it was easy to empathise and feel slightly bad for someone thrust into the limelight because of a relationship with one of the biggest pop stars on the planet in Ariana Grande; it’s essentially the plot of Notting Hill come to life. Davidson’s decision to make the character of Scott so hopeless and almost unlikeable is baffling, especially when the arc to really dig deep into his public persona and the exacerbation of his mental illnesses is seemingly so obvious. The real Davidson likes to portray his image as this slacker loser but in reality has obviously put in a lot of hard work to get to the position he is in today.

Scott, on the other hand, is utterly useless and blames everyone around him for his inability to make decisions. The character’s motivations are woefully underdeveloped, with the storyline around Scott’s desire to open up a tattoo parlour only cropping up when the other, more interesting plot-lines around his mother’s boyfriend or his sister’s inability to move on with her life because of him seems to grind to a halt or run out of steam. It doesn’t ever feel like Scott ever really wants to pursue tattooing as a full time career and as a result it becomes hard to see the admittedly sweet character moments between Davidson and Bill Burr that stem from this plot-line as anything more than a joke. It is unclear if Davidson and co-writers Judd Apatow and Dave Sirus have threaded the storylines in the film together in such a jumbled way as some kind of a visual representation of the scattered thoughts and mental clouding that Scott’s depression causes, but if that is the goal then they have achieved it. The constant switching of Scott’s motivations doesn’t actually work towards building any empathy for the character from the audience, and it’s hard to really get invested in Scott’s love-life with Kelsey when he constantly treats her terribly as he does similarly to his sister. It plays as a straight up drama rather than a comedy, focusing on the devastating ripple effects that a traumatic event can have on a child; following them through to adulthood. It’s just a pity that you have to dig so far into it to really understand what they were going for (even then I’m not so sure; this is just me trying to make sense of it all) and the billing of this as a comedy may be misleading to audiences.

If it seems like I’m drawing too many similarities between Davidson and his character and paying too much attention to his real life, it is because Davidson has given the impression that this is his story. In interviews he has made it clear that he hopes this will help audiences understand him and he has gone so far as to shoot the production in his native Staten Island, with many of his friends in supporting roles including rappers Machine Gun Kelly and Action Bronson as well as his childhood friend and co-writer Dave Sirus. Therefore I think that it is fair to draw comparisons between the real narrative and the film, and in many ways this is an excellent look at mental illness and the harm it can cause someone. What it isn’t, however, is particularly funny, which is a shame given Davidson’s track record. He’s excellent in the role, particularly the dramatic scenes and there are a handful of laugh-out-loud moments, but for the most part the jokes fall flat and don’t showcase anything particularly different from the standard fare on Davidson’s irregular “Weekly Update” segments on Saturday Night Live. The real star of the show here is stand-up comedian Bill Burr as Ray, the potential step-father to Scott who isn’t afraid to show him some tough loving in order to stir him into getting his life in order. Burr has always been a phenomenal stand-up comedian and one of the best working today, but his transition here to a key supporting, if not lead role, is wonderful. It isn’t the most joke-heavy role in the film but Burr never fails to make an impact and at the very least brings a chuckle to every scene, even if only through his delivery of a line. I hope that we get to see him in more comedies going forward because the man oozes talent and can clearly translate his stand-up persona to the screen in the right roles.

My experience with The King of Staten Island was an interesting one. I went in expecting a comedy. That is what the trailers and talent in-front of and behind the camera sold me on. As a comedy I can say that The King of Staten Island isn’t a particularly funny one and ranks towards the bottom of Judd Apatow’s filmography; but as a dramatic study of a young man learning to embrace the trauma of his past and accept it as a part of himself in order to move on with his life the film absolutely delivers, with a commanding lead performance from Pete Davidson and excellent supporting work from Bill Burr. While I think the story could have benefitted greatly from making the character of Scott more empathetic and likeable, his story still made me reflect on just how difficult Davidson has had it and I can only imagine how rough it must have been for the guy being thrust into the spotlight. At the end of the day however, the demand for that deep introspective look into Davidson’s psyche probably isn’t as high today as it may have been a few years ago, and I can’t really recommend that this heavy, rarely funny comedy is anything you need to flock to the newly reopened cinemas (in Australia at least) to see.

The King of Staten Island stars Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, Maude Apatow, Bel Powley, Ricky Velez & Marisa Tomei – Available to rent on VOD in America and in Australian cinemas now.

Tags Bill Burr, Judd Apatow, Marisa Tomei, Maude Apatow, Pete Davidson, The King of Staten Island

Movie Reviews

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Post author By Mark
Post date July 2, 2019

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has come a long way. From the first time he swung into frame in Captain America: Civil War to say “Hey everyone”, audiences knew there was something special about his interpretation of the character. Holland has continued to prove himself as the best actor to pull on the red and blue tights, nailing Peter Parker’s internal conflict that comes from balancing crime fighting and schoolwork, and the character’s development through his solo film and the previous two Avengers films has been one of the strongest points of the MCU. With Spider-Man: Far From Home,returning director Jon Watts is able to craft a solid, imperfect conclusion to this Spider-Man arc which nails the character of Peter Parker and the acrobatic action he brings to the table, but also gets bogged down at times by some odd character choices and pacing issues. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock and are one of the three people who haven’t made it out to see Avengers: Endgame, a warning: spoilers lie ahead.

Peter Parker has been having a rough go of it lately. After being dusted and effectively wiped from existence in Avengers: Infinity War and revived five years later, the youngster is having a tough time readjusting to life post “Blip” – the name given to Thanos’ snap. A relaxing summer European vacation with his classmates is the perfect opportunity to hang up the spider-suit for a while and spend some quality time with his crush MJ (Zendaya). Peter, and the world at large, is struggling with the recent death of Iron Man and the fracturing of the Avengers as a result. A great amount of pressure has been placed on Spider-Man as Iron Man’s replacement, a problem which is only exacerbated when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) highjacks Peter’s school trip in order to help Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), also known as Mysterio, defeat a new world-ending threat – Elementals: physical embodiments of earth, wind, fire and water who destroy everything in their path. Peter soon finds his priorities divided between living a normal life with his friends and getting the girl and rising to the challenge to help Fury and Beck, taking Tony Stark’s place in the process. After the earth-shattering events of Endgame, the story here feels comparatively smaller, a more intimate film that is less about world-ending catastrophes than it is about exploring the psyche of Peter. It takes a little time to get used to the smaller stakes here but, much like last year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, it is refreshing antidote to Endgame and a nice way to close out phase three of the MCU.

The strongest aspect of Far From Home is how it handles Peter’s personal struggles following the death of Iron Man. Not only has he lost a true friend and mentor, but he’s also lost his way in terms of being a superhero, opting to step away from the limelight and just be a kid for a change. The film really zeroes in on the responsibility placed on Peter and how he handles it; he is presented with challenge after challenge – making some missteps along the way – on his way to deciding where his future lies. Some of these missteps, which I won’t get into to avoid spoilers, are handled better than others, with a few moments leaving audiences scratching their heads as to why on earth Peter made that specific choice. Sure, you could chalk it up to him being a teenager, but doing so robs Spider-Man of the intelligence that is inherent to the character. With Iron Man’s death Peter is subconsciously searching for another mentor to put his trust in and to guide him with his choices. Enter Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio, who Peter develops a bond with as they fight the Elementals together. Holland and Gyllenhaal have great chemistry together, clearly influenced by their real life friendship, and watching the characters develop their bond is one of the highlights of the film. Gyllenhall plays the role of Quentin Beck with a confidence and bravado that attracts Peter, qualities that make him a surrogate in Peter’s eyes for the late Tony Stark. It’s an interesting plot thread to pull on; watching Peter doubt himself and desperately search for guidance when Tony believed he was the one to carry the torch going forward.

In addition to exploring Peter’s internal mental struggles, the film also mixes in a healthy dose of romance with the burgeoning relationship between Parker and MJ. It’s a fun plotline which helps to emphasise the kind of normal life that Peter longs for, a life that is constantly hindered and kept out of his grasp by his responsibilities as Spider-Man. MJ is given a much more fleshed out role this time around and Zendaya revels in playing the odd, socially awkward teenager. The random truth bombs and scathing retorts she fires off are always hilarious and she is by far the best of the younger cast in the film outside of Holland, who also dials up the social awkwardness in his exchanges with MJ. It’s almost too hard to not turn away and cringe at some of the dialogue and it really works to make the characters feel like kids finding their way to expressing their feelings for one another. This rom-com storyline adds a fresh layer to the average Spider-Man adventure, with past films often playing the romance much more seriously, highlighting the depressing aspects of Peter pining for MJ’s affections. Far From Home is first and foremost fun, and it goes a long way in investing you in the characters and their predicaments.

When Homecoming was first released people were excited for the first time to actually explore Peter Parker’s adventures in high school. The Maguire and Garfield Spider-Man films were also set in high-school but they never really took advantage of the setting or the simple but engaging premise of balancing school and hero fighting. (Add to that the fact that both Maguire and Garfield both looked like they hadn’t stepped foot in a school in twenty years). Homecoming was the first Spider-Man film to really live in that school environment and as such, brought a host of other teenagers in to occupy Peter’s world, including best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), bully Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), and classmate Betty Brant (Anjourie Rice). They all worked wonderfully in Homecoming where the stakes were comparably lower and at a more “friendly neighbourhood” level, but in Far From Home these characters become too much at times. They’re all played wonderfully and it’s understandable wanting to bring them back after how well they were received before but it almost always slows the pace of the film when we cut away from Peter’s adventures to check in with them. The film works best focusing on Peter and if these characters are taking away from his screentime and distract from the main plot then it might be time to jettison a few. That being said, I could watch an entire film of Martin Starr’s character Mr. Harrington struggle through literally every situation he is put in, with a can-do attitude and no luck in life whatsoever, he is hilarious and steals almost every scene he is in.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is a film which, like Peter Parker, has an enormous responsibility on its shoulders as the first MCU film to follow Avengers: Endgame. It largely lives up to the task, providing a fun, engaging Spider-Man story that explores one of the character’s oldest struggles: deciding whether to live a normal life or make the sacrifices necessary to be Spider-Man. While there are some pacing issues and questionable character decisions, it never detracts from your investment in the key characters, anchored by an always stellar performance from Tom Holland. Between this, the recent PS4 game and last year’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse we really are living in the golden age for the web-slinger. Here’s hoping we stay on the upswing for a little while longer.

Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori & Jake Gyllenhaal – in cinemas now.

Tags Jacob Batalon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jon Watts, Marisa Tomei, Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson, Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tom Holland, Zendaya