Recent Movie Roundup

Brief thoughts on 3 recent movies I saw in the past few weeks or so:

La La Land: I fell in love with Emma Stone when she told Ryan Gosling she hated jazz. Did I miss the point of the film? It wasn't what I wanted it to be, but it was well shot and decent entertainment. It goes limp in the middle, though, and it would be nice if Stone's character was better developed--not from an ~EQUALITY~ for its own sake standpoint but because the movie would be much better if she were more consistent and entertaining.

I was also surprised at how unimpressive Gosling was as a singer/dancer. Still, despite the film's weak points and (not its own fault) massive hype, I'm glad I saw it, and the ending got to me much more than I expected.

Spider-Man: Homecoming: My preferred Spidey is not 15 years old, and that's all there is to it. I like an older, more mature Spider-Man and Peter Parker, and this version is not only a kid, but is made even more of a kid by his relationship with the other people in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I mean, Robert Downey Jr. totally steals the whole movie and is one reason why the wallcrawler often feels like a supporting player in his own film.

Having said that, I do think the movie accomplishes what it intends, and given the overload of Spidey flicks in the modern era, I can't at all blame everyone for going in this direction. Tom Holland is very good at doing this version of Spider-Man. Even better is Michael Keaton, who leaves you wanting much more of him. I'll look forward to subsequent installments, but it's not my Spider-Man. Let's face it, every performer is just chasing the definitive Nicholas Hammond depiction of the character.

Hidden Figures: This is a solid, feel-good movie, and there's nothing wrong with that. I totally forgot Kevin Costner was in it, and I didn't know Kirsten Dunst was in it. That's not to slight Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer, or Janelle Monae, but I'm just telling you what the surprise element was.

Not every movie has to have a big surprise, though, unless it's directed by M. Night Shamalyan. I liked Hidden Figures.