Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) directed by Matt Shakman

 I did not have high expectations for this film. The look of it was interesting, an alternative Earth with 1960's aesthetics. Pedro pascal seems a weird choice for tall and angular Reed Richards (Mr. Fantasic) and marvel's superhero offerings seem to have run their course. I was pleasantly surprised. Setting the action on an alternative Earth freed it from endless superhero match ups and the world was pretty cool to look at. All the actors were good in the roles and it avoided most of the pitfalls that have turned me off these CGI spectacle driver films lately. I thought the cast gave some heart to the events and the story and managed to get through the "Reed feels guilt for the accident that transformed them all" we "we are all family" sentiments (well earned in this one) without feeling too trope heavy or superficial. It's not a deep film, it's a good one. Entertaining, light where it needs to be and about people you care about. There is, of course, a big fight at the end with the monstrous Galactus but they use guile and a team effort over just punching and brute force. I will definately watch a second one with this cast. 

Cinema presentation of my documentary "The Picnic" at The Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square, Cambridge MA!

 My documentary "The Picnic" is playing July 20, at 3:30 pm at The Brattle cinema in Harvard Square Cambridge! The doc is about the 50 years of the legendary comic book store I used to manage a very long time ago and is still there, very close to the theatre. Some of the interviewees will be in attendance as well! 

This was a long, multi-year project made possible by donations of many people but particularly Denis Leclerc and Spike MacFee (the first employee of the Picnic who sadly passed in 2019.)

If you or anyone you know would be interested and can be there please show up, it would mean a lot to me, the store and those who are in the documentary. 

The Brattle:  40 Brattle St. Cambridge, MA 02138Saturday, July 20  -  3:30 pm    40 minutes 

The Batman (2022) directed by Matt Reeves

 

There are far too many Batman films, particularly Batman origin films and only a couple of them have been worth a rematch to me. This film tries to reboot the character yet again by reintroducing some of the elements from the original comics and some of the better later comics and finally accepting that every person on planet earth know why Batman is Batman and does retread that ground yet another time. 

Robert Pattinson plays the lead and was not the obvious choice, which is why I think it works. He has a new intensity and anger that we haven’t seen before. The character is much more human and not some indestructible hero but gets hurt, often, and actually grows as a character during the movie. One really welcome addition is that the “world’s greatest detective” actually does a lot of detecting for once. There is a lot more of him figuring things out than action sequences, not that this 3 hour film lacks action sequences. The villain are more humanize as well and the world for the most part seems plausible and as over the top as previous incarnations in this franchise. 

Some weak points are the lack of humour throughout. It could have used a little levity here and there to break it up and the obligatory special effect set-piece involved the sea walls around Gotham City being danger… you didn’t know Gotham was on the ocean? Well neither did I until the sea walls were suddenly part of the plot. Speaking of the plot, it does get a little rambling and over complicated as it suffers like many DC superhero films do with an access of villain and plot twists some of which are poorly executed. 

One of the better Batman movies overall but still suffering from some of the same stuff many other comic book adaptions do which might be unavoidable especially with such a well know main character. 

Documentary: No Straight Lines (2023) directed by VIVIAN KLEIMAN

 

This documentary follows the start of comics made by openly gay artists to present day. I hadn't heard about it until I was told an old friend, Jennifer Camper, was in it. I also worked in a comic book store fin the 80s so I was familiar with the other artists the history they were telling. 

Kleiman does a good job with her interviews and where they go. She lets them slip away from being a strict history of gay comics to , smartly, keeping a lot of conversation about what else was going on at the time to put it all in context. There are a lot of women artists involved as well which was a pleasant surprise as I knew of more lesbian arts than gay ones in the field a the time and it was nice to see them represented  in force. I had to take a break about ⅔ through and was surprised there was no mention of Eric Orner (another old friend), his Ethan Green comic nor his graphic novel about politician Barney Frank. Seemed really good fit but who knows what got in the way. As a filmmaker myself, I realize you can't talk to everyone and some people just won't talk to you in the time you need them too. Near the very end, however,  I saw a piece of artwork that showed his characters (including Boston's the Hat Sisters) so he was represented just not highlighted. 

This is a good modern look back at the early innovators that brought gay subject matter into the comic book world.

Werewolf by Night (2022) directed by Michael Giacchino

 

A last minute entry to the October Horrors this year. I was able to watch this on a bus ride to the States and was very impressed with it overall. It has humour, gore, great makeup effects and just about everything one might want for a halloween special. Added to that, it was exceptionally made. It wasn't just in black and white but also used period Universal Studios classic horror titles and compositions. Apparently it was filmed digitally, then transferred to film and scanned back in to give it that old film look. The pain they took to make the details, no matter how obscure seem authentic really should praised. 

The story is short (one hour) and simple. A group of monster hunters are competing for "the bloodstone" and the right to lead the monsters hunters after the recent death of the current head of the group. I didn't recognize 90% of the characters and that is probably good since, well, they mostly don't last long. It's pretty gory for aMarvel and Disney Plus show but still had humour and characters you get familiar enough with to think you know more about then than you do. The transformation scene is amazing and the added bonus of "Man Thing" (both creatures mostly done by custom and makeup) really made this special. 

Morbius (2022) Directed by Daniel Espinosa

Based on the Marvel comic this is marvel's latest attempt to add supernatural characters into their marvel Superhero universe. The "living vampire' appeared in the 1998 film "Blade"  briefly and that film is on schedule for a new reboot. Having succeeded adding Dr Strange into their stable of heroes successfully this was the next step as they mull around the idea of adding "Werewolf by night", the aforementioned "Blade" and possible "Tomb of Dracula" in future. This film isn't as successful as Strtange and while it's not a bad film it isn't all that great either. 

The main issue is the all too cliché plot and characters. The actors are all fine in the roles but they are not given anything new or unusual to do. I actually predicted almost all the plot beats within 5 minutes of the film starting and was not wrong about any of them. The effects are very good and some of the visuals are pretty cool but they don't add anything to the story. 

This is an obvious movie made to set up their universe for other movies. It doesn't really even come to any sort of solid conclusion and so much is left unexplained it just feels unfinished and a tease by the end. A tease for what? I have to say I am not even slightly curious. 

Spiderman: No Way Home (2021) directed by Jon Watts

 

The third film instalment with Tom Holland as the titular Spiderman is, once again another fun, fast moving film. Well, fun is mostly right, this film has a fair amount of pathos and outright tragedy infused into it. To avoid spoilers on a fairly new film I won't got too deep into that but this movie does change the lightness that has been a trademark of the first two film into something that gives the character more depth and actually brings him closer to the the tone of other Spiderman incarnations that focused on his guilt and loneliness as a superhero. 

Peter parker was exposed as the superhero in the last movie which has caused all sorts of trouble and he asks Dr Strange to cast a spell to make the world forget who Spiderman is and it goes terribly wrong, opening a rift in the multiverse which brings in not only 2 other Spidermans but villain from movies from other studios.  It's brilliantly done! The previous actors playing the crusader reprise their roles and while it has great comic effect it also give them a chance to bring the Holland's version in line with theirs... the three are connected by tragedy and they each help the other to learn to live with it. 

Classic villain played by the original actors bring nostalgia but also add a certain heaviness to the film I didn't expect. They go beyond fan service and are essential to the story. 

Festival showing: The Picnic at the Symbiotic Film Festival

 

Bad timing for my film but a horrible tragedy in Ukraine and the rest of the world. The showing is tonight and still happening as far as I know. 

Fritzi Ritz Makes Movies with YOU

Right here!

(Eulabelle) Moore! Moore! Moore!

Pantheon Zeus and I have died and gone to geek heaven Party Beach.

Soup du Jour! (WITHOUT cheesecake!)

I'm tired of posting clips of our dearly departed! PLEASE, will Death take a holiday, already!
One of my all-time favorite Soupy Sales clips--when TV was LIVE!
(CAUTION: brief bouncing boobies below!)



They took down Soupy's surprise(s)! So here's another one:

Drew on the 'thon!

The mind boggles! Drew Friedman will be ON the Telethon this year - which I can't even imagine without Ed. No, he won't be co-hosting with Jerry (we wish) but still. Read the rest here.


Image courtesy Fantagraphics/Drew Friedman.

Dorothy Lamour - Jungle Princess

The Great Schnozzola!