Director John Watts, who has directed all three of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, brings audiences a dazzling movie for the Holidays. Script writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers deliver a roller coaster effect in this movie: at one point, Peter Parker (Tom Holland), his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya), and his best friend Ned (Jacob Battalon) worry about their chances of being accepted to MIT. The next moment, all hell breaks lose as Peter meddles with a spell by Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) that opens the doors to the Multiverse.
The result is supervillains from other dimensions start to appear on our world: Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), and Electro (Jamie Foxx). Peter Parker realizes he has really screwed up the Universe and tries to fix it with the help of MJ and Ned but things spiral out of control!
Mid-way through Spider-Man: No Way Home, during one of the quiet moments in this 148 minute movie, I started to think: what am I doing in this sold-out theater with Covid-19 surging in Western New York? Is my N95 mask enough to protect me?
But then the roller coaster action zoomed upward and I was lost in the action again. Spider-Man: No Way Home is a cinematic thrill ride! If this is the last movie I see in a theater until deep into 2022, I’m all right with it. GRADE: A-
A bit OT: …
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/dec/20/martha-wells-continues-run-of-female-hugo-award-winners
The new Hugo awards were announced in Washington DC – important enough for the London political newspaper Guardian (comparable to the NYT) to report on, who’d have thunk years ago???
For the sixth time a woman got the award for best novel of the year!
The best novel winner was not a woman for the sixth time, but for the sixth time in a row. For the past ten years or so the fiction nominees have been overwhelmingly by women, and so the winners have been, too. (Except when the Puppies were choosing the nominees. They chose men, and the voters chose No Award.)
Jeff, thanks for the clarification. Like everything in America, the SF awards have become politicized.
Jeff, thanks, that was what I meant – and was surprised by.
Wolf, back in the 1960s and 1970s I would read all of the HUGO and NEBULA nominees before the awards were announced. I’m so far behind today that I haven’t read many of nominees or winners during this past decade.
George, same here – there’s just too much to read.
Only women got nominated for best novel. Only one male for best novelette. No men have been nominated for best novel 2 years running. If only men had been nominated gender bias would have been called. Kim Stanley Robinsons’ lastr novel was better than anything nominated tis year.
The Robinson book was 9th in nominations, so top 10, anyway. 88 people nominated it, but to get on the ballot required at least 132.
Why does have to be about gender??? It should about writing.!
I just hope you came out of that theater healthy, George. Frankly, never a big Spider-Man fan. I’m sure this is entertaining and we will probably see it at some point, but I prefer him in small doses in the Avengers movies.
Jeff, the audience for Spider-Man movies are 12-year-olds…which Diane claims I am. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME had a $500 million Box Office on Opening Weekend. The sold-out audience I saw it with were mostly teenagers with masks.
If I go, I go on a Tuesday afternoon at 2 o’clock and see it with six people. I am not brave enough for weekends.
Patti, Diane and I prefer matinees for movies and plays. Our ophthalmologist said to us, “I tell all my patients over 70 the same thing: Do Not Go Out At Night. No one over 70 has good Night Vision and the risks of falling at night increase year by year.”
In Florida, that is pretty much what we do – Tuesdays at 1 or 2 PM. We sit in the last row in the corner. There are rarely crowds. I guess we’ll have to see this year.
Jeff, the NHL has postponed games this week. It feels like we’re sliding into lockdown mode…again. Diane is already considering cancelling our Anniversary Dinner at our favorite swanky restaurant next week and just do Take-Out. Omicron is spreading fast!
I usually only go to matinees. Less people and cheaper prices.
This one has been getting good reviews but so did the last one and I hated it. It was more of a teen romance story.
I thought the last one was great, and I’m looking forward to seeing this one. When we were reading Spider-Man comics, Ann called them her favorite soap opera.
Jeff, I was a big fan of the early SPIDER-MAN comics, too!
Steve, the romance has been toned down in SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. And I really like Doctor Strange!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Rick, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME will be streaming on Disney+ in 45 days.
Another special, added cost service we don’t have. Paying $260 month for basic cable doesn’t leave room for expensive extras in the budget.
Wow, Rick! I thought our cable bill was bad at $83/month for extended basic! It has doubled since we started, however!