Teenage Fan Club: Review of Spiderman: Homecoming

Spiderman: Homecoming

Director: Jon Watts

By Alex Watson

Spiderman has been a hit and miss affair ever since he webslinged his way onto our screens in 2001. Sam Raimi's original trilogy brought us two excellent outings and completely forgettable third. Marc Webb's two Spidey pictures were excellently acted but seemed to lack a certain substance. For Spiderman: Homecoming, director Jon Watts goes with a lighter touch and for the most part succeeds. This movie might just be the most accurate depiction of Peter Parker yet.

Still buzzing from helping Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) in Berlin, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is anxious to make full use of his powers. Given a new suit, he is soon keeping the neighbourhood safe while at the same time crushing on classmate Liz (Laura Harrier). Former salvager Adrian Toombs (Michael Keaton) has moved into the heist business as flying criminal Vulture. Despite the warnings of Stark, Parker is determined to bring him down.

What makes Spiderman: Homecoming a breath of fresh air is how honestly it portrays Peter Parker. Coming off as the ultimate Avengers geek, we see him make a video diary of his time in Berlin. The bane of Happy Hogan's (Jon Favreau) phone, Parker is shown as your typical immature adolescent. This side of the character was always lacking before and he never seemed to come across as uncool enough. Watts puts all that to rights because Parker is believably nerdy alongside his fellow geek friend Ned (Jacob Batalon). Always failing to keep his feelings for Liz under wraps, his problems are always neatly (and sarcastically) summed up by classmate Michelle (Zendaya). Keen to run before he can crawl, Peter doesn't know the limits of his own powers. Tony Stark in this picture comes off as the surrogate Dad figure, who is always scolding his new prospect for the right reasons.

Vulture is definitely Marvel's most straight up villain but unfortunately not its deepest. A former blue collar worker attempting to salvage scraps from the Avengers New York Smackdown- he is sadly booted off the site by Stark's people. Toombs is in the game to make some green, so there's no tragic backstory or sinister revenge motive needed. Despite some well-acted moments, he just doesn't come across as particularly threatening. He is a smart guy and his schemes are always fool proof, this movie needs a stronger nemesis to make Spidey sweat. Another key issue is the lack of love interest, while Liz is a pretty and sweet young thing- she just doesn't seem deep enough for Peter repeatedly crush on. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) feels drastically underused but thankfully she doesn't have the task of reminding us of power and responsibility. Despite these minor flaws, there is little else to really grip about.

Watts had a tough job balancing Spiderman: Homecoming, but he seems to stick the landing. His control of the action sequences is never less than gripping. The standout sequence comes when Spidey must save his friends at the Washington Monument. Rather than just retread the old and well known Peter Parker backstory, Watts simply gets on with the job. This lighter touch serves this reboot well and avoids adding more content than the film can handle. Peter's new suit is a recurring source of laughs, especially since he is barely in control of it. An array of cool new weapons (who knew Spidey had grenades?) could be a handy tool in future outings.

Tom Holland has been the perfect choice for Peter Parker and he comes the closest to accurately playing him. So lame he kind of cool, Holland embraces the awkward yet brave side of the character. Running headfirst into difficulties, Holland's over-excited Parker is believably rash when it comes to his choices. However, he gives this character a maturity that serves him well in the later stages. Michael Keaton again shows what great presence he can bring and how intimidating he can be in the right role. The problem is his Adrian Toombs doesn't have enough outside his tough guy persona. Keaton is great as the everyman wanting to provide, but this character is made for heavy lifting.

Spiderman: Homecoming shows that despite excessive reboots, Spiderman is still a character that has not lost its appeal.

Jungle Boogie: Review of The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book

Director: Jon Favreau

By Alex Watson

While it might be as iconic as its predecessor, Jon Favreau's adaptation of The Jungle Book is still a beautiful filmed and fun ride. Getting the casting spot on for this tale was essential and through the talents of Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, and a ferocious Idris Elba, Rudyard Kipling's creatures are brought to life in spectacular fashion. Alongside having the entertainment element clamped down, Favreau also adds a more emotional core to this ride that stays with you.

Mowgli (Neel Sethi) is a boy-cub who has been raised by a pack of wolves since birth. His panther friend Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) worries for his safety and his Wolf father Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) is frustrated with his inability to run with the pack. The boy cub's life becomes endangered when the man-eating tiger, Shere Khan comes lusting for his flesh. Trying to escape his world and find a home where he belongs will take him into the path of fun-loving bear Baloo (Bill Murray).

Returning to Kipling's world was sneered upon at first when The Jungle Book reboot was announced. Well, it appears the doubters were wrong because Favreau creates an animal world so real you'll believe animals really can talk. Mowgli is seen scrambling across rocks, climbing cliffs to steal honeycombs and in one breathtaking sequence, falling down a cliff with water buffalo. The lurking menace of Shere Khan is cranked up to the max to the extent where he becomes the main attraction. During the Water Truce segment at the Peace Rock (a chapter missing from the 1967 film), you can almost taste the blood on his lips and fury bubbling beneath that scarred face. Khan means not only harm to this boy but he will kill anyone who stands in his way consume him. The sense of belonging gives the film a needed heart as Mowgli struggles to understand is place in the world

Thankfully Favreau says true to the spirit of the movie and gives us what we loved about the characters of old. Bagheera is very much the wise yet overly cautious Panther torn between giving Mowgli over the man world or playing protector to him. Baloo is a mellow and laid back soul who uses Mowgli as both friend and unpaid worker in his quest to get fed. Kaa (Scarlett Johansson) is a slippery and entrancing nemesis whose soft and gentle voice fools even the best of us. Christopher Walken almost steals the show as we get an impressive new spin on King Louie. In this piece he the last of the Gigantopithecus, who sits on a throne with a sizeable amount of treasure and fruit either side. In this, he is a large and slightly unsettling presence who you might think twice about when he says "I wanna make a deal with you!"

Yes "I Wanna Be Like You" and "Bare Necessities" make an appearance but in this picture they feel a little unnecessary. Through the vocals of Walken and Murray, we want to feel transported back to that old magical Disney era but here they feel just added on for old time sake.  The dangers of the jungle, in particular, the nerving Kaa sequence make this a more frightening journey than was needed. When the journey like this is very entertaining such issues are minor ones and Favreau gives us a visually arresting world that it more than we could have expected. Doing this tale as a live action film could have backfired, but it has sufficient charm and love poured into it that it is unthinkable to imagine it any other way.

The cast for this movie is perfectly done and it is impossible to imagine anyone else but Bill Murray as Baloo. Listening to his easy-going charm, you can almost see Murray on a lazy afternoon lying in the jungle with you. Ben Kingsley is also excellent as the authoritative Bagheera who becomes Mowgli's surrogate father throughout, A real presence on screen, Kingsley's voice alone has a commanding feel. Lupita Nyong'o has the most heartfelt role as adoptive Wolf mother Raksha and you can feel the motherly love wherever you look in this film. The real star turn belongs to Idris Elba as the cunning and dangerous Shere Khan. Inject a subtle menace along with a mad obsession, the Luther star is simply electric. There should be Oscars for voice acting alone after this performance.

Forget about your worries fans, The Jungle Book is as fun a ride as you can remember. Jon Favreau has recaptured our love for this old tale and few reboots can wish to be as success as this one. It seems you can teach an old jungle new tricks.

Top 5 Best Movie Phone Calls

Swingers 

The Citizen Kane of awkward movie phone calls see Mike (Jon Favreau) attempt to leave a voicemail for the pretty girl he has met in a bar (Brooke Langton). Not only does he fragrantly ignore his buddy's 'wait a week' advice but sets himself on course to be dateless for much longer. The range of emotion in this scene is breathtaking as Mike goes from being cool and collected, to being almost on his knees in desperation! For dating 101, please watch this!

Taxi Driver 

In Martin Scorsese's gritty classic, everyone automatically goes to the 'You Talkin' To Me?' scene, but this scene is the definition of being ditched over the phone. After Travis (Robert De Niro) blotted his copy book by taking his date Betsy (Cybil Sheppard) to a porn cinema- but his attempts at pleading for another chance bring about one of the most underplayed display's of disappointment rejection by De Niro! Just imagine if she had ditched him by text?

Taken 

This scene has become the high point of the hit and miss Liam Neeson franchise and here he provides an awe inspiring showing of brooding animosity. When his daughter is kidnapped from her Paris hotel, Bryan Mills (Neeson) proceeds to coolly not only threaten the lives of the captors, but list his particular set of skills "Skills that make me nightmare for people like you!" as the voice at the end of the line snides chimes "Good Luck!" it sets him on a path of vengeance that all will come to regret!

Scream 

One of the 1990's more iconic phone calls sees Casey (Drew Barrymore) pick up the phone on an ordinary saturday night only to be told "I'm gonna gut you like a fish!" What follows is a sadistic game of trivia for her to stay alive! Wes Craven has proved himself to be the master of suspense horror and this would prove to be one of his more memorable outings in recent years!

Lost Highway 

Of all the offerings on this list, this one is by the most zany! Delivering as only David Lynch can, Fred (Bill Pullman) meets a mystery man at a party who claims he is already at his house. Upon Fred understandably not believing this story, the man proceeds to call his home number. While he stands before him, the man's voice answers at the other end confirming his is already there! One of the Lynch's finest moments and one call you definitely will not see every day.