Off to see "Thor: Love and Thunder"

TAIKA WAITITI AT THE THOR LOVE AND THUNDER AUSTRALIAN SPECIAL EVENT SCREENING SYDNEY AUSTRALIA 27TH JUNE 2022. © Scott Ehler for Getty ImagesWish us luck!  Kidding. The buzz is strong with this one...

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Extremely Belated Reviews: Batman, Dog, Yang, Adam, and Apollo 10½

by Nathaniel R

Each year we dream of saying something about *every* film we see but it never quite works out that way. Herewith some films we didn't review at the time. Better late than never or...? You decide.

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Did you love 'Downton Abbey: A New Era'?

by Nathaniel R

If you are the target audience for Downton Abbey: A New Era, you probably hit the movie theater this weekend (or hope to soon). Chris reviewed it here for us from an early critics screening but he had a different perspective as a confessed Downton agnostic. It's a much different experience for Downton loyalists. It has so many shots panning across the entire teeming cast that it's not unlike Avengers Endgame in terms of the fan service optics. I went with the boyfriend and best friend and we all had a blast. Very happy to report that it's much better than the first Downton film. 

Over the weekend yours truly was a guest at Next Best Picture to discuss the film. Have a listen whether or not you've seen it -- though it was difficult we avoided spoilers for the full hour!

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

by Nathaniel R

With Sam Raimi's take on Doctor Strange new in theaters, we chose his earlier superhero film Spider-Man 2 (2004) as this week's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" subject. While Raimi directed all three of the original Spider-Man films, Cláudio was right to suggest that the second film could well be considered a "platonic ideal for what superhero movies should be". When the film first opened in 2004 I saw it twice on opening weekend, something I hadn't done since I was a teenager. Not coincidentally it made me feel like a little kid again, pouring over comic books. It was a kind of pop bliss seeing Spider-Man come to life in such a wonderfully judged adventurous, romantic, and thrilling movie. Though that kind of magic has long become normalized, Spider-Man 2 is still a thrill.

Revisiting it was fun though quite surprising in three specific ways...

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Movie News x 5: Amsterdam, Avatar 2, Barbie, Bardo, and Fast X

by Nathaniel R

1. Hey look, it's the first image from David O. Russell's next film Amsterdam, which the internet has been calling either Canterbury Glass or Untitled David O. Russell Film for its entire production history. But now we know its true name so we've had to adjust all the Oscar charts accordingly, not that we've predicted it for much at this juncture. Though obviously predictions can and do change throughout the year...

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