May 2007  |  Epinions.com

I have been a Spider-Man fan since I was 8 or 9 years old, possibly younger, when I began to collect Spider-Man comics. I have a small collection of comics today, more than half the collection are Spider-Man related. For Spider-Man 3, I had high expectations, especially with the appearance of Venom, arguably the most popular villain in the modern Spider-Man comics (the 1980s and 1990s anyway). Unfortunately, the third Spider-man installment falls short of my expectations. Despite this, it is a film well worth watching. For Spider-Man fans, though, who grew up reading the Spider-Man comics in the 1980s and 1990s like me, they likely won't bond with the film the same way they bonded with the comics. All the important actors and actresses return for Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man 3 also introduces new characters to the film franchise. In this installment, Captain Stacy, his daughter Gwen Stacy, her boyfriend Eddie Brock/Venom, and Flint Marko/Sandman enter the world of Peter Parker. For comic fans, the introduction of the Sandman, a classic Spider-Man villain from the 1960s, like Dr. Octopus, is a welcome addition. For younger comic fans, the introduction of Spider-Man's black costume, which eventually bonds with Eddie Brock to become Venom, is also a welcome addition. Both villains are certain to draw two generations of fans. As other reviewers have noted, this film is more mature than the first two films. Peter Parker, Mary Jane and Harry Osborn are no longer high school graduates or college freshmen; they are now adults trying to make their way between the youthful world they once knew and the adult world where rent is due and feelings are sometimes hurt by the cruelty of strangers but hurt most deeply by those closest to us. A strong, perhaps heavy-handed, theme in Spider-Man 3 is the power of choice. All the characters in this film, including the villains, have had to make choices. What some in the audience will also realize, especially in regard to the characters of Harry Osborn and Flint Marko, is that these characters, like Peter, have made choices, too. We find, though, that Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy and Eddie Brock also make choices throughout the film. When Spider-Man 3 ends, I have the certain feeling that this could well be the last film in the franchise for this generation. There are no concrete plot lines or tensions left open, as there were in the first two films. No hidden lairs discovered. The film ends with Peter entering the blues bar where Mary Jane still works, stepping to the stage, holding out his hand, and the two of them beginning to dance slowly. They do not speak. So, despite their pain, there is hope for them and their relationship. It depends on the choices they now make. And the choices that will be made in Hollywood. Read my full review of Spider-man 3 >

November 2006  |  Epinions.com

Harold Crick must die. Having written some poems and stories, experienced some small success, and viewed the world through the eyes of an author, it is clear that Harold Crick must die! It's that simple. The power of Stranger than FIction is that it brings to consciousness the facts of our very lives. It is a minimalist story, a la Ernest Hemingway and Raymond Carver. The story is a simple but powerful interwoven tapestry of a small handful of lives, including Harold Crick, a senior IRS agent; Karen Eiffel, a novelist whose new book is not yet finished but with the publisher's deadline looming; Ana Pascal, anarchist and owner of a small bakery who knowingly shortchanged the IRS 22% from her last income tax; Professor Jules Hilbert, a professor of literature; a bus driver; a reckless young boy on a bicycle. And an apple. But in this tapestry is a magical event: Karen the novelist narrates Harold's life for a few weeks, and Harold hears her narrative voice (of course, no one else can hear her voice as she narrates about Harold). Shortly, Harold's very modern wristwatch plays a significant part in his very certain imminent death (according Karen-as-narrator). Naturally, this leads Harold to try to find an answer and solution to his predicaments: some unknown voice is narrating his life in his head and has revealed that "unknown to him" he will soon die. So the plot begins. In the end, Harold seeks out Karen Eiffel and meets this woman who is about to kill him in her book about his life. Professor Hilbert defines her as a tragidist. Both Professor Hilbert and Harold read her completed manuscript, but its last few pages, Harold's death, are not yet committed to typewritten copy. Prof. Hilbert tells Harold that he must die; the novel is Karen's masterpiece. Harold, after reading the manuscript, agrees, and calmly accepts his fate, telling Karen that he loves the book and that she must finish it. This perfect, masterful ending she has written in her own hand on a yellow legal pad unfolds in the next scene. And the movie fades to white. Walk out at the fade to white in this film. Leave the theater. The ending you'll savor will be so much more painful. Meaningful. And sweet. Read my full review of Stranger than Fiction >

July 2006  |  Epinions.com

Everyone's bound to cheer Superman Returns. Several of the special effects sequences are so breathtaking that all discussion is deserved. The mid-air plane/shuttle disaster, the bullets bouncing off Superman's chest (and even his eye!), and hundreds such spectacular scenes will truly make the world believe again that a man can fly! There are dozens of scenes that make the audience feel as if they are really there in the scene with the characters, and if they were any closer, they themselves would be in danger. Just as Superman Returns takes risks with its incredible special effects, the film also grasps opportunities just as zealously. Superman Returns explores emotional issues for its hero, and does so surprisingly well. No longer is Superman invincible, indestructible, the proverbial Man of Steel. He is now more "one of us" after his 5-year absence than ever before. This creates more depth of character than the franchise has ever known. Superman Returns also takes risks and grabs opportunity with the character of Lex Luthor, who IMHO has never been much of a threat to Superman or the world. In the Reeves' films, Lex Luthor is a putz, surrounding himself with mindless, brainless, bumbling, uneducated idiots who do his bidding. While just a touch of this remains with this modern Lex Luthor, that is all that remains. Lex Luthor is a very dangerous man. Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor is explosive, and does not distance himself from his crimes. He is as likely to kill you himself as to have one of his few henchmen do it for him. Duality has long been a feature of the most powerful tales of world literature. The most powerful tales use paired characters, events, and circumstances to generate and fuel their plots. Superman Returns employs dualities from start to finish between Superman/Clark Kent, Superman/Lex Luthor, Jor-L and Kal-El and Lex Luthor, fathers and sons, etc. These dualities make Superman Returns a rich feast for the mind and those old enough to remember the first Reeves-helmed Superman film. Read my full review of Superman Returns >