Why would anyone in their right mind want to go see another one of these Step Up movies? The characters have no depth, the storylines lack originality, and the writing is just plain awful. Fine, maybe I can’t be considered in my right mind for enjoying them so much. I am a sucker for anything that involves dance—I’ll just put that out there now. I will expose myself to an inordinate amount of cheese if there is even a chance for one out-of-this-world dance sequence. The dancing in Step Up Revolution made me want to go back to Miami, jump up on a car, and start Crumping on Ocean Drive. Bottom line is, these movies make you want to get up and dance and you aren’t in YOUR right mind if you don’t enjoy feeling that way! For people like me (and the millions of other people watching these flicks), the creators of the Step Up franchise knew exactly what they were doing. This summer’s installment was no different.

[Read more…]

We all know who the Batman is, but does Bruce Wayne really know?

The Dark Knight Rises is a movie of questions and of struggles. Society as a whole, a man and his inner deamons, a woman on the brink of something huge and a thief looking for a clean slate.

This is a movie with a comic book character in it, not a comic book movie.

Bruce Wayne has become a hermit in his many roomed mansion for the past 8 years since he took the fall for Harvey Dent’s atrocities. Alfred has always been the loyal servant but is growing painfully weary for Bruce. The Batman has not been seen in years and even Bruce struggles with who he is and should be. [Read more…]

When I was nine I received a paperback graphic novel titled “The Amazing Spiderman.”  I devoured it.  It recounted the origin of one of my favorite all time super heroes.  One I could truly relate to, not the most popular kid, into science, let’s say just a “touch on the fringe.”  I remember imagining that I, too, possessed these powers, the ability to walk up walls and have super strength and lightening reflexes.  I also remember the trouble I would get into for leaving black footprints on my parents’ fresh hallway paint while trying to exercise my spider wall climbing ability.  This was of course one of the innocent modalities of youth which I’m sure many of us have experienced.  But alas, we must grow up.  We must set aside our innocence and the pleasantries of ignorance and go out into the world where there is no such thing as radioactive spiders, at least, not the kind that grant us superpowers.  We must inevitably face the reality that life has real challenges and heartbreak and loss.

The metamorphosis from youth to adulthood is what Marc Webb attempts to capture with his rebooted vision of “The Amazing Spider-man.”  This feat is managed reasonably well despite some rather lazy plot devices and undeveloped character motivation.  And while Andrew Garfield owns the role of Spidey, crawling carefully from Tobey Macguire’s shadow, he lacks some of the powerlessness we come to expect from Peter Parker.  I, for one, actually enjoy this grittier version. [Read more…]