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Film reviews

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, takes the franchise to new heights. I was invigorated by the storyline and the backstory, and the many new dangers the film introduces made my head spin. It is a masterpiece of nostalgia and creativity. The nostalgia arises from its importance in the Spidey universe, and the creativity from the superb comic book animated filmmaking. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is simply a monumental achievement by directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.

In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) is Spider-Man. As life starts to get more challenging for him as Spider-Man, Miles continues to hide his Spider-Man identity from those who are important to him. The film jumps through many hurdles of the Multiverse, which is one of the things that makes Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse spectacular.

As Miles strolls through the Multiverse, the comic book animation is superb. The audience will feel intertwined in the amazing comic book world surrounding Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. A world with Spidey characters overseas, where many backstories find the light of day, and where all the twists are connected. But the film reminds us that nothing is permanent, and “those connections can be broken.”

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will have its audience wondering how far into the comic book adventure the film can go. The precision with which the film presents its backstory is stunning; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is completely faithful to its storyline. The film’s surrealism is captivating, and there are layers upon layers, seemingly endless layers, of surprises. The immersion into the Spidey world made me want more and more Multiverse moments. Throughout the film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continues its superhero vibe without losing its momentum.

In my view, this is one of the best animated cinema rides ever—a wild ride indeed that is as good as it gets with a superhero adventure. It’s the most comical, colorful, and visually stimulating film I’ve seen in a very long time. It’s in depth with its destruction, and it really tests the limits with its chaos and the number of enemies.

The Multiverse portrayed in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has interesting and awesome transitions. The transitions create more dangers than the audience expects, and every character, event, or puzzle is connected. The film also has a strong connection to all the previous Spider-Man movies.

There is just no stopping the galore of superhero animation. There are many moments of thinking all is lost, but then our hope is restored. Simply a spectacular film. Four stars for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Film reviews

You Hurt My Feelings Review

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The beginning of You Hurt My Feelings starts with a counseling session. The topics addressed focus on feelings. The film displays how human emotions can have a big impact on how people take criticism. You Hurt My Feelings is an experience exploring how others think of each other, and how their careers and success come into play.

The start of the film begins with adults having frustrations with their careers. The focus is on a married couple, Beth, and Don. Beth is played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Don is played by Tobias Menzies. Beth is a novelist and Don is a therapist. They have a son named Eliot played by Owen Teague. Beth is more determined to find success. She questions, however, if Don truly has faith in her dreams of exploring new ideas in her writing. Beth goes on a stroll with her sister Sarah (played by Michaela Watkins), and they find Don in a store talking to Sarah’s husband Mark (played by Arian Moayed). As they come closer to their husbands, Sarah freezes as she overhears Don say some snarky remarks about the novel Beth currently has in the works. This, of course, hurts Beth’s feelings as one might guess from the movie’s title. 

The film is filled with a plethora of turmoil among all the characters from this point forward. Not only does Beth feel annoyed and put down after overhearing Don, but Sarah also struggles to support her husband, Mark. Mark is a struggling actor who is not getting the roles that speak to him. Primarily, the focus is on Beth and Don, but the other character’s troubles play into the film’s theme of finding success. Beth has a hard time having faith in her husband, while Sarah has a hard time supporting her husband’s acting career. Don even finds himself in distress when working with his patients in his job as a counselor. Everyone in the film at times falls into a pattern of feeling thrown under the bus, or feeling like they are throwing someone else under the bus. The writing in You Hurt My Feelings is brilliant in the way it presents a calm and heartfelt sense with natural human emotions.

The appreciation demonstrated throughout the film is reestablished in various scenes and particular moments. Despite Beth’s frustration with Don’s critical words, she puts more effort into trying to help her son Eliot. Beth attempts to help her son follow his dreams through his writing. Eliot continues to struggle to get his act together. The inspirational factor in You Hurt My Feelings is its approach in showcasing how feeling rejected yourself can cause you to want to encourage others.

There are moments of joy and laughter even during the harsher scenarios in You Hurt My Feelings. There are also several scenes which reinforce the experience of realizing the need for change. Despite the aggravations between the characters, it all works out in the end. Three and a half stars for You Hurt My Feelings.

Film reviews

The Little Mermaid Review

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The Little Mermaid has some amazing visual sensations at the beginning, involving repeated transitions from below the water to above the surface. That is where the technological features of the film are the most enchanting. After that, Ariel’s voice provides much of the magic.

This newest version of The Little Mermaid is not animated like the original 1989 version, it’s a remake of the Disney classic with actual people and a lot of CGI. There are many characters who provide moments of exhilaration in the film. Ariel is played by Halle Bailey, Prince Eric is played by Jonah Hauer-King, Ursula is played by Melissa McCarthy, King Triton is played by Javier Bardem, Daveed Diggs is the voice of Sebastian, Jacob Tremblay is the voice of Flounder, and Awkwafina is the voice of Scuttle.

Those who love the original
version of The Little Mermaid will recall that Ariel is a mermaid living below the sea. She has a fascination with humans and a burning desire to know of what it is like to live on land with humans. Ariel’s father, King Triton, is protective of her and prohibits her from leaving her home in the sea. Her crab friend Sebastian tries to be an advocate for her, but Ariel feels that the world around her is a disappointment and she is full of despair. But when Ursula comes around all that changes.

Ursula is a sea monster and she makes a deal with Ariel to trade her voice for human legs so Ariel can see what life is like out of the sea. Once Ariel is on shore she believes she has found her love, Prince Eric. But she is torn with a range of questions. Can she continue to be dishonest about not being a human? Can she trust Ursula? Is her world below the sea in danger? Are her sea creature friends Sebastian and Flounder safe? Fans of the earlier version will know the answers.

Some of the joy I found in this film came from a number of spectacular and exhilarating tunes written by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Jacques Oftenbach, including Under the Sea and Part of Your World. But my enjoyment was even more from reliving the original film, only with with actual people instead of animated characters.

Ariel wanting to feel loved gives The Little Mermaid much of its vibrant energy. The film also shines in the connecting of friendships in a magical world. The sea is full of wonders, and The Little Mermaid gives viewers many reminders of the joys we’ve all experienced with Disney films.

The Little Mermaid is a classic for kids and families, and it’s one that will give many Disney fans an enjoyable movie experience. It is also one where adults (including myself) can be reminded of the Disney wonder from our younger days. Because it’s not animated like the original, there’s not necessarily a lot of nostalgia, but it is a positive experience. Three stars for The Little Mermaid.