Since the last movie blitz, I have been just as busy. One of my managers at the pool has been in DC for the past week and through this week so my movie time has been slashed left and right while I cover out there. I’m also trying to pick up golf, so that’s going to eat away my free time too.
- Hustle
- I am not the biggest Adam Sandler fan, nor am I the biggest sports movie fan. I’ve seen Adam Sandler in a lot of enjoyable movies like Don’t Mess With the Zohan and Hotel Transylvania (Never got around to watching Uncut Gems). But I’ve also seen him in garbage like Jack and Jill or That’s My Boy and it just astounds me that he can go from one to the other so whimsically and without repercussions. I’ve also seen a few sports movies like Remember The Titans, The Blind Side, and King Richard and they are all variations of the same formula for the most part. What Hustle does is take that same formula, spin it around a bit and throw in a sincere, almost heartfelt performance from Sandler. While the formula is still familiar and hits all the same notes, the genuine care and almost humble nature of the whole thing adds some interesting flavor. Hustle is entertaining to a degree and definitely keeps the audience engaged, but it suffers from extraordinarily clunky and generic dialogue. Awkward support casting and the bizarre subplot further hamstring this movie and preventing it from being great. 72/100
- Spiderhead
- Joseph Kosinski has been slowly building up an impressive, yet highly selective resume of movies over the past few years. I would throw him into the same category as an early 2000s through 2017 JJ Abrams. He has a unique talent for taking old properties and spinning them back up with new life and fresh ideas. What Abrams did with The Force Awakens and Star Trek (2009), Kosinski did with TRON: LEGACY, and Top Gun: Maverick. Based on my scores alone, I would say that Kosinski is better at this game than Abrams is, but not as an overall director. This is very clear when watching Spiderhead, another Netflix original released this month. Based on a novel, Spiderhead starts Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, and Jurnee Smollett. Falling prey to the same issues as Hustle, the dialogue and awkward supporting cast really brought Spiderhead down a few points. While the story is a fascinating concept and offers compelling social commentary, the poor CGI and pacing make it drag on and on without end. 72/100
- Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
- Have you ever seen that meme with Jeremy Clarkson that says “This is brilliant, but I like this” with him pointing to the two cars? That’s how I feel about No Way Home and Spider-Verse. NWH is an awesome movie, I had a blast watching it. But I adore Into The Spider-Verse so much more. It was ahead of its time in terms of ideas and really kicked off the whole multiverse thing. It showed fans are comfortable with more in-universe complexities and helped spur other franchises along a little bit better. Plus I just started watching New Girl a few weeks ago with my fiance and Jake Johnson is awesome as Nick Miller and Peter B. Parker. Oh, and the animation is absolutely drop-dead flawless. The top 50 posts on r/moviedetails are all probably related to Spider-Verse. 96/100.
