A World of Kino 39 | Spider-Man, The Apartment, House of Gucci & more

What a week it’s been. I finished wrapping filming on Friday (you may have seen the BTS video I made for that), and I’m eager to continue working on more projects! But for now, let us relax with some kino, from new releases, to revered classics, to even a Spider-Man marathon right at the end.

Why did I ever have any hope that the new West Side Story could be decent? Spielberg isn’t even a director I like, but his work on this film is especially embarrassing! 

Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.

I haven’t seen the original West Side Story – though I am well versed in the Shakespearean original (I’m sure you can figure out which play that is) – so fans of that might love this remake, if only because they already adore the songs. But from the perspective of someone who generally speaking does not enjoy musicals, the craftsmanship and storytelling in this is just trash. As a whole, there was a distinct lack of energy to the scene pacing, which made the film extremely painful to sit through – in spite of my frequent outbursts of laughter. The writing is pitiful, the songs are trash, and the awful performances only manage to make every single terrible directorial decision exponentially more hilarious. Now, I could at least call the cinematography pretty – there were certainly some decent transitions, use of colourful lighting, and intricate mise-en-scene – if it wasn’t for all the obnoxious lens flares cluttering the screen, that made me wonder if it was actually JJ Abrams who was behind the camera. The way this film is composed – both musically and visually – is a nightmare of absurdly kitsch proportions.

I only watched this next film because I applied to curate for the local film festival. I hope I get the job, if only to justify the miserable experience I had watching The Incredible Jessica James.

Burned by a bad breakup, a struggling New York City playwright makes an unlikely connection with a divorced app designer she meets on a blind date.

Despite some original twists to the formula, Jessica James remains in the same camp as most other romantic comedies – as in, extremely annoying. By not doing much of interest with the story or visuals, the pressure to carry the film sits on the dialogue and performances; which objectively speaking are decent, but have no qualms about being divisive. Jessica James can be hard to sit through at times, since the unlikable characters make the fact that they are unlikable a staple of their identity. However, being so unbashful can be a point of endearment for some, since wearing its heart on its sleeve – alongside amusing references to Jesse James and Jackie Brown – give the film a somewhat unique voice. But for me, this was just a really painful experience.

Ridley Scott released two films this year. Annoyingly enough, I still haven’t been able to watch the one getting actual critical acclaim (The Last Duel), so we’ll just have to settle for House of Gucci.

The true story of how Patrizia Reggiani plotted to kill her husband Maurizio Gucci, the grandson of renowned fashion designer Guccio Gucci.

Oh Leto… my dear Leto… God, what a performance! He truly does steal the show, because I didn’t even bother holding in my laughter with every ridiculous line uttered by his ridiculous caricature of a performance. Such over-the-top goofiness that can only be explained as intentional, yet wholly incompetent. Well, at least he made the film extremely entertaining, because I did rather miss him when he stopped appearing. It’s strange, because the rest of the cast fit pretty snuggly into their roles. Adam Driver is suited to these minimalist performances, Al Pacino is a gem as always, and Lady Gaga is surprisingly excellent. The film is structured like a mafia movie, with some pretty gripping character development, even if the inclusion of the occult felt somewhat out of place. But Ridley Scott’s filmmaking honestly feels sloppy here, almost as if he’s a novice director still learning the ropes – not an 84 year old veteran! House of Gucci feels very rushed, made with a reckless style that is not at all characteristic of Scott’s usual performance. But the plot is still very enjoyable, and Jared Leto gives one of my all time favourite performances, making this one of the best comedies of the year.

I had no clue that King Richard would be about tennis, and while the sport movie formula isn’t something I generally find appealing, it is done well here.

Richard Williams serves as a coach to his daughters Venus and Serena, who will soon become two of the most legendary tennis players in history.

I find it strange that the spotlight is put on Will Smith, since the real stars are Venus and Serena Williams. But his character is the one who goes through the most development – from unwaveringly supportive but infuriatingly stubborn, to genuinely inspiring for his daughters – so I guess it makes sense to make him the titular character, even if the point is that he was never the sole cause of their success. But anyway, this is a solidly constructed film, with all the superb performances you’d expect from something of this caliber – though again, I think the real praise should go to Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been done before, but its predictable plot is achieved pretty flawlessly regardless. King Richard is simply a safe and worthwhile watch.

Let’s go back a few weeks now, since I left out several films that I’d watched just to dedicate the previous episode purely to the Film Festival. First up, is The Iron Giant.

In the small town of Rockwell, Maine in October 1957, a giant metal machine befriends a nine-year-old boy and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.

Wow, this was actually a brilliant film. I’m naturally apprehensive of children’s movies, but The Iron Giant doesn’t let down in the slightest. I remember reading the book aeons ago, so I can’t comment on how good of an adaptation this is, other than say how it induced me with a peculiar feeling of deja vu as I pieced together a nostalgic semblance of fragmented wonder as the film unfolded. Sure, Hogarth is a little annoying in his arrogant manner of speaking, but the energy brought to this film – from the action, to the drama, to the comedy, to even the horror – is magnificent to say the least. This is one of the most phenomenally animated films I’ve ever seen, with a heartfelt story of powerful proportions.

And now for a classic, which I’d been meaning to watch for ages, so I’m glad to have finally had the pleasure of experiencing The Apartment.

Bud Baxter is a minor clerk in a huge New York insurance company, until he discovers a quick way to climb the corporate ladder. He lends out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. Although he often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits, one night he’s left with a major problem to solve.

This is about as perfect a screenplay can get. A mature, heartfelt drama interspersed with moments of brilliant comedy, built on the back of a deceptively simple premise that just becomes all the more tragically hilarious as the knot gets tighter. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are wonderful to watch here in their infatuation and heartbreak, that blossoms into a relationship that is so beautiful in the unexpected twists it undergoes. I wasn’t much of a fan of Some Like It Hot, so I was a little anxious I wouldn’t be enamoured by this film either. But Billy Wilder has definitely won me over now, because The Apartment is built with nary a lapse in narrative prowess.

I found out about this next one from stumbling across the soundtrack on Spotify, instantly falling in love with what Pino Donaggio had crafted so beautifully. I’m so happy that not only is the music a masterpiece, but so is Brian De Palma’s directing, Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography, and John Travolta’s performance, making Blow Out my favourite stand-alone film of the episode.

Jack Terry is a master sound recordist who works on grade-B horror movies. Late one evening, he is recording sounds for use in his movies when he hears something unexpected through his sound equipment and records it. Curiosity gets the better of him when the media become involved, and he begins to unravel the pieces of a nefarious conspiracy. As he struggles to survive against his shadowy enemies and expose the truth, he does not know whom he can trust.

From the get go, Travolta captivates the screen, pushing through the murky mystery to deliver one of his all time best performances. From charisma to frustration to tear-jerking emotion, the entire film is made as enjoyable as it is because he is so good to watch. But the film itself is also immensely enjoyable regardless, because Blow Out delves right into solving an intriguing mystery. Something I particularly appreciated was the sheer attention to detail, since innocuous things happen in the background that can clue you in right from the start to some of the puzzle pieces. While it does admittedly suffer a little from third act syndrome, the entire plot is built up with such excellent thrill and tension. Capped off by so many shots that are to die for and sound design that is unbelievably good, Blow Out is most certainly a nigh perfect film. 

But it’s the ending that made me truly love this film. God, that ending was incredible! It was so good, in fact, that I literally rewatched it straight after just to get slammed in the face once again by the morbidly gorgeous climax. The shot with the fireworks is so mesmerising to look at, before then transitioning into the heart-wrenching final tape recording, playing over Travolta’s depressed face before sickenly getting cut up for use in the horror movie. Ending on Travolta’s face as the scream digs its claws into his heart was such a mortifying but perfect way to end this incredible film. 

In preparation for No Way Home, I’ve decided to marathon both the Raimi trilogy and Webb duology – even if I’m still erring on the side that Maguire and Garfield won’t be appearing. But beginning with the Raimi movies, I think all three are perfect.

Spider-Man centers on student Peter Parker, who after being bitten by a genetically-altered spider, gains superhuman strength and the spider-like ability to cling to any surface. He vows to use his abilities to fight crime, coming to understand the words of his beloved Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Tobey Maguire is perfect in this role. I thought Tom Holland was a serious contender because of recency bias, but rewatching this film I have no qualms calling Maguire the undisputed best rendition of the character. Peter undergoes a brilliant character journey, filled to the brim with both the most hilarious dialogue and tear-jerking moments. The way Maguire gradually transforms throughout the course of every film to reflect this is spectacular. Peter discovering his powers made me grin with every amusing addition to his new condition, but him discovering strength of character – with the unspoken longing for MJ driving him to improve – is what truly makes this such a poignant trilogy. The conflict that is at the heart of the movies isn’t some super villain plot to destroy the world, but rather Peter struggling with the emotional weight of his responsibilities. I’m not talking about his responsibilities of being a good superhero, because that’s second nature to him; as soon as he puts on the mask, him saving someone’s life isn’t a matter of if he will do it but how awesome it will look – and it does indeed look awesome. No, the main responsibilities he is always having to grapple with are all the nonsense plaguing each and everyone of us: the insurmountable pressures of life – broken hearts, unspoken regrets, failing friendships, unending work, even financial troubles – all of them stemming from the difficulty of admitting you’re the one at fault. Peter suffers through the most agonising torture, but it’s a torture that isn’t fantastical and detached from reality, because it’s the torture that life has in store for everyone, and that makes it all the more damning. But as painful as it may be to see him suffer through that, it also brings a pleasant sort of feeling, because he does overcome it in standard superhero fashion, improving as an individual far beyond what he ever thought capable, with all the themes and lessons that come bundled into that hero’s journey resonating acutely for anyone of any age. 

It’s such a euphoric feeling when the memories come floading back, only enhanced exponentially by maturity. Because finally, I actually understand the intricacies of the plot and the nuance of the characters. While the action continues to be excellent – especially when Raimi suspends reality to have Spidey swinging all over the place – this time around what truly gripped me was that beautiful melodrama. The drama is played with such a gorgeous level of maturity; so unrelentingly accurate to real life that it hit me right in the heart. That’s in no small part thanks to the amazing characters that the actors bring to life with undying passion. I’ve already sung my praises of Tobey Maguire, but Kirsten Dunst and James Franco round up the main trio wonderfully – as well as Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and even Topher Grace, as gorgeously enticing villains. Their characters are such complex beings, with contradicting motivations that pull them completely apart. For some peculiar reason, I’ve heard that being a point of negativity, which I simply don’t understand as that’s what makes the drama so nuanced. The fact that nobody is right yet everyone is sympathetic – hell, I’d even argue empathetic – is what makes this such an emotional ride, and thus the timeless films that they are. Obviously, the Spidey scenes are what made me love these films so much when I was young, but it’s Peter’s ordeals with MJ and Harry as human beings that elevate it to a level far beyond any other superhero movie. The drama pushes the characters into extremes that no other film of this genre dares to do, because they’re always so caught up in the world ending conflicts, so that there’s barely enough time to touch on meaningful human conflicts. I appreciate those kinds of movies, but returning to a time when characters were the centre of attention – with the action merely auxilliary – is such a refreshing change of pace. 

I honestly have no trouble calling these films utter masterpieces of filmmaking and storytelling, because they fully shed any pretence that this genre is incapable of producing poignant drama to the absolute highest level. The emotional beats hit real hard, striking the perfect balance between endlessly fun action, dorky comedy and heartfelt sentimentality. Danny Elfman’s glorious music is laced with such a peculiar blend of heroism and melancholy that induces such an irresistible sense of nostalgia within me, heightening the incredible screenplay exponentially. Raimi fully embraces the same goofiness from Darkman – and I love him for that – but the story and characters are so much better here, with the entire cast excelling in their roles to forge a character drama that would be a masterpiece even without the superfluous action. 

Webb’s reboot is not so good however. Considering I gave the entire Raimi trilogy 5 stars, it’s only natural that the reboot wouldn’t receive my equal adoration. But in all honesty, I don’t think they’re that bad, since their only real fault is in how inferior they are standing in Raimi’s shadow. These films feel a lot more conventionally made than Raimi’s, which is fine because they’re still enjoyable, but it does mean they utterly lacks the charm that made the three previous films so fantastically unique. 

Andrew Garfield is great though, no doubt about it. He definitely handles the many different facets of Peter’s character perfectly, transforming throughout the course of the film almost as well as Tobey Maguire. And his version of Spidey is a pretty neat new take, with snarkier quips, a more gangly design, and a much heavier lean into actually moving like a spider. The gradual growth of Spiderman is always lovely to watch unfold, especially when it evolves naturally with Peter as a character, and so I think these films do this well enough so as to justify their own existence. They also nailed Gwen Stacy, because Garfield’s chemistry with Emma Stone is perfectly performed. Although the immediacy of their connection does make the romance way less interesting than the heartbreaking push and pull between Maguire and Dunst, by comitting so readily to the relationship, Marc Webb can focus on different avenues of Spiderman that retread as little of the same ground as possible. The scenes between those two are definitely the most beautiful moments of both films, and is what makes the twist at the end of the second surprisingly powerful.

I think the main problem with these films is that they just delve straight into the plot. They barely spend enough time exploring Peter just living life, because they’re so caught up in investigating some meaningless conspiracy that inevitably ends in a CGI fight to dismantle a deadly device – convoluted rubbish we’ve all seen a million times before. The villains are passable, but their dumb sci-fi plans bare no thematic connection to Peter himself. In Raimi’s trilogy, the villain’s plan barely extends beyond a personal desire to fight Spidey, the winning of the fight being fundamentally tied to resolving the core theme of the film. That might make the fights more simplified in their lower stakes, but it allows the focus to be placed on the character drama instead, as that’s where the actual substance lies – plus I will still say Raimi’s fights are much more exquisitely composed regardless. Sure, it did mean that MJ was always being taken hostage so as to artificially heighten the tension – but tension works way better when there’s only one person in danger rather than thousands. These films are formulaic rather than inspiring, with final showdowns that don’t really carry any weight because they haven’t grown organically from the conflict between characters. 

The Amazing Spider-Man duology definitely shines when it gives Garfield the time to be his character. The switch from MJ to Gwen allows the films to explore a different side to Peter that isn’t being beaten down by life, to the point where I would be content if every scene was just between Peter and Gwen. But while Webb tried to do some things differently so as to create an experience that still feels somewhat fresh, the plots themselves are so much less interesting, made all the worse by how much prominence is given to it instead of focusing on the characters themselves. Although the new Spidey design is cool and there’s a lot of well crafted shots and scenes, this film hardly pushes action to new heights like Raimi managed to achieve. As a whole, it utterly lacks the thematic complexity and emotional poignancy that Raimi so masterfully created, instead being satisfied with pure, superficial entertainment.