[ThisWeek] Spiderman 2 at the Kenworthy

[thisweek at kenworthy.org]

This week at the Kenworthy-

Spiderman 2 (PG13)
Friday, Saturday & Sunday November 26, 27 & 28
4:15 & 7:00 PM
Tickets: $5 adults, $2/child 12 or under
Spiderman 2 is a special presentation; KFS passes will not be accepted this
week.
(See Review below)
* * *
Upcoming movies at the Kenworthy-

Maria Full of Grace (R)
Dec 3 at 7:00 PM
Dec 4 & 5 at 4:30 & 7:00 PM

It¹s a Wonderful Life
Dec 10 at 7:00 PM
Dec 11 & 12 at 4:15 & 7:00 PM

I Heart Huckabees (R)
Dec 17 at 7:00 PM
Dec 18 ­ 19 at 4:30 & 7:00 PM

Regular Movie prices:  $5 adults, $2 children 12 and younger.
KFS passes accepted for Sunday movies

508 S. Main Street, Moscow, Idaho
For more information, call 208-882-4127.
* * *
This week¹s review-

SPIDERMAN 2
Directed by Sam Raimi
Written by Alvin Sargent, based on a screen story by Alfred Gough, Miles
Millar and Michael Chabon and the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve
Ditko
Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
This film is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has some brutally
violent scenes, and kissing.

As reviewed by A. O. Scott writing for the New York Times

On the way out of the advance screening of ''Spider-Man 2'' I asked my son,
who is nearly 8 and whom I had brought along for some unscientific audience
research, what he thought of the movie.

As he usually does, he mentioned the scary parts and the cool parts, of
which there are many. ''But there was one part,'' he said, ''that I really
didn't like.'' That was when Peter Parker threw his costume in the trash and
declared that he was ''Spider-Man no more.''

''He can't do that,'' my son complained. ''It's not right. We need
Spider-Man.'' 

And so we do. At the very least, a movie audience brutalized by dumb, loud
and cynical blockbusters can always stand to be reminded of what vibrant,
intelligent and sincere popular filmmaking looks like.

The distinguishing features of this film, I'm happy to report, are strong
characters and honest feelings. This sequel, freed from the dreary burden of
exposition, is better than its predecessor, and also superior to most other
comic-book-based movies. It has a more credible (and more frightening)
villain, a more capacious and original story and a self-confidence based not
only on the huge success of the first ''Spider-Man'' but also on Mr. Raimi's
intuitive and enthusiastic grasp of the material.

At the end of ''Spider-Man,'' the hero was forced to choose between
superhuman powers and the earthly charms of Kirsten Dunst. It was hard not
to sympathize and to wonder why poor Peter Parker couldn't have both. But
the world, then as now, needed Spider-Man, and so Peter (Tobey Maguire)
hardened his jaw and renounced his desperate, lifelong love of Mary Jane
Watson (Ms. Dunst). The first hour of the sequel is largely devoted to
exploring the consequences of this decision -- to showing, in other words,
what a drag it is to be Spider-Man. The weary web-slinger, though adored by
the public, is mocked and maligned in The Daily Bugle (still edited by the
blustery, blithely unethical J. Jonah Jameson, played with maniacal gusto by
the incomparable J. K. Simmons). But the deeper wounds are suffered by his
alter ego. 

As reviewed by Jeffrey M. Anderson writing for the San Francisco Examiner

Peter Parker goes through such suffering and torment in "Spider-Man 2" that
you might think you're watching an Ingmar Bergman film.

But of course, that's the secret behind Spider-Man and many of his fellow
superheroes over at Marvel Comics. They have lives just as complicated as
ours, but made more difficult by the inclusion of superpowers. How much
responsibility does a superhero have? Do his or her personal problems always
have to take a back seat to some stranger getting mugged in an alley?

"Spider-Man 2" beautifully illustrates this quandary in its opening minutes.
Working as a pizza delivery boy, Peter must change into Spider-Man to get
his pies delivered on time. Unfortunately, he spots a pair of children
running out into the street, chasing a red ball in front of a speeding truck
(don't these truck drivers ever watch out for bouncing red balls and
children?). Because he saves the kids, he misses his delivery by two minutes
and loses his job.

As fast and relentless as "Spider-Man 2" may seem, Raimi does some of his
most remarkable work with his little rest periods. For one thing, Peter's
mad-dog newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) gets several
hilarious line deliveries in, giving the film as many laughs as there are
thrills. Raimi also gets comic mileage out of a musical interlude set to the
tune of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head."

More important is a wonderful scene that comes about two-thirds of the way
through. Just when things can't get any worse for Peter, his Russian
landlord's gangly-but-cute daughter (Mageina Tovah) -- complete with blond
pigtails -- appears at his door, asking him if he would like a slice of
chocolate cake and a glass of milk. It's an unbearably lovely scene, giving
us a much-needed breather and Peter a new lease on life. Not everything in
the world sucks after all.

Credit four very good writers with this excellent film, which unquestionably
surpasses the first in every respect. Sure, the movie has a few small flaws
that could have been fixed with a bit of editing, but it's easy to gloss
over them while basking in the glow of the overall effect. The key is that
Raimi has clearly enjoyed working on this film and his joy shines through.
It's his best film since "A Simple Plan" and certainly one of this summer's
high points.

As reviewed by Jon Niccum writing for the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World

The mantra of the Spider-Man character has always been, "With great power
comes great responsibility."

Filmmaker Sam Raimi could certainly relate to that when he tackled the first
"Spider-Man" project two years ago. Commendably, he took one of the most
popular of all comic book characters and crafted a critically praised
blockbuster that went on to become the fifth-highest grossing movie of all
time.

With "Spider-Man 2," Raimi has masterfully managed to avoid every pitfall
that plagues superhero flicks --and sequels in general. The result is one of
the year's best films and arguably the most successful comic book adaptation
of them all.

Whereas the original movie felt like two separate ideas forced into one
story (an origin tale and a super-villain showdown), the flow here is
remarkably improved. The opening minutes reveal this flair. Rather than
resorting to some clunky recap or "Star Wars"-like crawl, the credits are
bolstered by panel art that wordlessly summarizes the plot of the first
movie.

The "Spider-Man" franchise, like fellow Marvel Comics' standout "X-Men," has
learned a valuable lesson when it comes to casting. Unlike the "Batman"
series which flaunts movie stars, "Spider-Man" hires ACTORS. Molina isn't
exactly a household name to most 13-year-old superhero devotees, yet his
ability to show a human side being corrupted by power brings added depth to
the story. 

The effects in this film -- specifically Ock's appendages and the
web-slinger himself -- make the first picture's CGI work look as clunky as
Claymation.

Raimi puts his own distinctive stamp on the production. There are moments
where he flirts with pure genius, such as an off-the-wall montage set to
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" that seems straight out of a 1970s
shampoo commercial.

There's little to find fault with in this staggeringly entertaining sequel.
However, it sure raises the bar enormously high for the inevitable
"Spider-Man 3."

Film reviews are researched and edited by Peter A. Haggart
* * *

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PAMELA PALMER, Volunteer
Mailto:ppalmer at moscow.com
Film and Events Committee
Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre

http://www.kenworthy.org
To speak with a KPAC staff member,
call (208) 882-4127
Mailto:kpac at moscow.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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