Spider-Man 2. I took a break from superhero films for a while but couldn’t have found a better way to return. I was just so impressed with this movie. Even more so because I never liked Spider-Man comics. The pace, the stakes, some great slapstick and sight gags. Just firing on all cylinders.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes. A refresher viewing before the upcoming sequel. I liked it a good bit more than the first time I saw it. Now I appreciate more how the milder human performances help highlight the apes (backhanded compliment?). But wow the apes are great. Good heart in this one.
Spring Breakers. Great movie. Surface appeal is dangerous, no? It feels a little exploitative sometimes, but then again our protagonists have such undeniable agency that you wonder whose fantasy(-ies) you’re watching. So now what creeps you out? The movie repeats itself over and over. It’s the promise of spring break and sunshine and fun and release and anything but this, but looping to exhaustion. Interesting also that the movie borrows a contemporary sun-drenched/lens flare/desaturated/neon/present-tense-nostalgia fun aesthetic to undermine itself. Some dialogue I didn’t love, but maybe it was better for efficiency’s sake. Franco’s Alien and Gomez’s Faith are great. I watched this as a belated double feature with Magic Mike. Florida: Where the American Dream Confronts Itself!
Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Nothing incredible, but it checks all the boxes. The pivotal moment is done really well. So is the final scene on the bridge.
127 Hours. This was the perfect movie to watch while trapped in the middle of a 10-hour plane ride. Well done. We need more 90-minute movies.
Mark Larson 