Occasionally, I miss doing movie reviews for the newspaper, a regular gig when I worked at a newspaper in Iowa. Back then, it was easier to get to the theater before my kiddos were busy and the towns with theaters were closer. But in a rare turn of fate, I’ve seen two newish movies recently, and both are coming to the Strand Theater in Britton in the next couple of weeks, so I’m bringing back the movie reviews, at least for a week.
First, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” I just saw this movie this past weekend at the Strand, but never fear! It will still be there this next weekend.
This is a comic book, Marvel movie, and I think you probably need to know a little bit about what’s been happening with Spider-Man in the past few movies to fully enjoy it. But I thought it was really great.
Tom Holland, the young British actor who has played Spider-Man for a number of years now, is really an adult these days. And that’s a lot of what this movie deals with. I probably have a little crush on him, but I will say that his emotional range is excellent.
There’s a lot of pain and loss behind Spidey in this film, and Holland does an excellent job conveying that as he navigates the loss of loved ones and deals with a new and confusing threat. The movie also brings in the gritty character The Punisher, played wonderfully by Jon Bernthal.
It’s not a short movie, coming in at about 2 hours and 15 minutes, but I was glued to the screen like I haven’t been for a superhero movie in quite some time. I am a Marvel fan, although I don’t see every movie or watch every series like I used to. As far as the whole Marvel universe goes, I think this newest Spider-Man entry is really great.
If you don’t want to take my word for it, just glance at the box office. The movie has already earned more than $2.3 billion worldwide and is going to be one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
The next movie I would encourage you to see is Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
You remember “The Odyssey,” don’t you? The 12,000-line ancient poem that you no doubt read every word of in high school English class?
As someone who loved English in school, got an English degree and then a master’s degree in English literature, I suppose I should tell you how much I love that poem and know it very well. Well, actually, that would be a big fat lie.
Before watching the movie a couple of weeks ago, here was my biggest exposure to the story of “The Odyssey,” and these are both a little embarrassing.
When we were kids, after school every day we would hurry to the TV and flip on South Dakota Public Broadcasting. It had a great lineup, but one of the best was “Wishbone,” a show where a little Jack Russell terrier lived in the real world but also acted out stories from classic literature in every episode.
And yes, indeed, Wishbone the dog at one point assumed the role of Odysseus and somehow, despite having paws, wielded a bow with amazing accuracy.
Then there was “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The 2001 film directed by the Coen brothers is based on “The Odyssey” as well, and it had amazing music. Huge props to Mrs. Remily for letting us watch the film in high school English class in the name of education!
So most of my “Odyssey” knowledge comes from a terrier and George Clooney. It’s not like I’m an expert in the story. But I did really enjoy the film.
It is an epic. And I mean a big ol’ sprawling epic. You have love, war, adventure and scary elements. It’s all there, along with basically every actor you can think of in Hollywood today.
Odysseus is played by Matt Damon, and guess what? His son Telemachus is played by none other than Tom Holland. Yes, Spider-Man. The Jon Bernthal I mentioned above is also in the movie.
The movie is close to three hours long, but I can honestly say it had me engaged pretty much the entire time. I basically knew how it would end, thanks to Wishbone, but I was still interested and sitting on the edge of my seat as Odysseus’s inner demons came out to play.
I also had to see this one because it’s probably going to be a big one when the Oscar nominations come out. But I think anybody could enjoy it if you like a big ol’ adventure movie.
Anyway, both of these movies will be showing at our local theater in the next couple of weeks. And while you can certainly find them elsewhere, there’s something a little more fun about watching a big movie on the big screen, with a bucket of popcorn in your lap and people from your own community sitting around you.
So go out, support the Strand, munch some popcorn and enjoy a couple of hours of escaping into a movie. And if you happen to see me there, don’t ask me to explain the entire plot of “The Odyssey.” Remember, I’m working with a terrier and George Clooney here.
