FILM: Spider-Man Far From Home (dir: Jon Watts, 2019)

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF MY BLOG!

REVIEW No. 1,000!

"This is so much fun!"

Whereas Avengers Endgame would have ended the MCU's Phase Three on a reflective and sombre note, instead Marvel opted for this Spider-Man sequel, which is a far more optimistic, bright , breezy and fun movie.  Again, Tom Holland's infectious glee and energy leaps out of the screen, together with the occasional emotional moment (mostly tied in to Endgame) that he can handle with ease and sincerity.  The Europe-hopping story is enjoyable and visually entertaining, and Giacchino's knowing score is terrific in combination with a delightful retro-styled blast of continental pop hits. The rest of the cast also delivers - Jackson, Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Tomei and Favreau are all excellent value here - and Jon Watts directs with even more zip and flair than in  Homecoming.  In spite of the new locations, Far From Home still feels comfortably Marvel, and it shows that there is still life in the movie brand yet.  With Spider-Man out of the MCU and back to Sony for the foreseeable future, it will be interesting to see if - and how - well - Sony runs with the interesting end-point of this absolutely enjoyable blast of entertainment.

DVD: Avengers Endgame (dirs: Joe and Anthony Russo, 2019)

"Let's go get this son of a bitch!"

Not one for casual filmgoers, if you have not seen the last decade's worth of Marvel movies then Endgame will make little sense.  However, it is not by accident that this film has become the biggest box-office champion of all time (at time of writing), with its incredible scale of story and action, superlative effects and closure for the original core Avengers team.  For the fans, the ramifications of the genuinely shocking ending of Infinity War are dealt with maturely and surprisingly sensitively, the emotional beats really have impact throughout the film, and the re-building of the team over the course of the film is skilfully handled, with a huge and apt finale that is both rousing and convincing.   It will be interesting to see how audiences respond to the next wave of characters to be introduced, but for now Marvel is to be applauded for its achievement, ambition and quality over the series of mostly-linked and very entertaining films.

FILM: IT Chapter Two 4DX (dir: Andy Muschietti, 2019)

"I hope it's a puppy…"

Put into production quickly after the huge success of the 2017 adaptation of the first half of Stephen King's novel, this film is very much a Part Two of two, and it complements the first film extremely well.  A lot of what was so right about the first part still applies, in particular Muschietti's impressive control of what is presented on screen.  The adult cast is simply terrific, both as individuals and as an ensemble, and there are some great scenes where the older cast interact with their younger versions.  A marked difference from the very start is the harsher tone and adult themes, with a darker feel, and the lengthy running time allows the adult characters to be established properly and to breathe.  Minor niggles would be that the nightmarish visions look somewhat generic, and deliberately evoke the Elm Street films, and the ending is little more than a bigger budget version of the first film' ending (although it looks considerably better than the TV movie's finale!), but It Chapter Two is still superior horror film-making, it delivers the goods, and King/horror fans can have fun spotting the references (some blatant, some subtle).  With rumours of a 'super cut' of both movies together a possibility, that would offer a great way to see this incarnation of the whole story.

VOD: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (dir: Marielle Heller, 2019)

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"Jack, this was not unpleasant."

The story of literary forger Lee Israel here plays like an anti-Woody Allen in its bitter-sweet portrayal of the New York artistic community, but still set against a filmic backdrop of the city.   The script is intelligent, the direction is carefully controlled and the tone is wonderfully sombre.  It is always a pleasure to see Melissa McCarthy swap broad-strokes comedy for understated finely-detailed dramatic performance, and her pairing with Richard E. Grant as her partner-in-crime here works superbly.  This is not a showy or attention-grabbing film, but it is engaging and pleasingly presented.

VOD: One Cut Of The Dead (dir: Shin'ichirô Ueda, 2019)

"This is a TV show, not art!"

This horror festival favourite is a classic case of patience being rewarded, with the entire third act being a huge pay-off  that is great fun.  The first half-hour is what appears to be a particularly bad one-take micro-budget zombie TV show, but then we veer off into what turns out to be an enthusiastically cheeky take on Truffaut's La Nuit Americaine (Day For Night) filtered through cheap Japanese zombie-horror that not only puts that first act in a whole new context but also serves as a love-letter to film-making.  It is far from perfect, and the seemingly 'bad' bits can be a chore to sit through, but it is clearly a labour of love and all is forgiven for the smart and hugely enjoyable final half-hour.