Alfred Molina – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: How many Spider-Mans do we get to see here?

Vampire Bat: Well, I know more about Batmans.

Vampire Owl: I don’t know anyone else to ask, as I don’t know a Vampire Spider.

Vampire Bat: You can still ask someone who has watched this particular movie.

Vampire Owl: I don’t need to ask any human about that.

Vampire Bat: There can always be exceptions.

Vampire Owl: I don’t make exceptions with humans.

Vampire Bat: You should try trusting one human per day.

Vampire Owl: You think that it is going to mean something.

Vampire Bat: Make an attempt today, and you will at least have a decision.

[Gets a gobi paratha and three cups of elaichi tea].

What is the movie about? :: After the death of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), it comes to light that he had revealed Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) identity as Peter Parker. Michelle Jones-Watson a.k.a. MJ (Zendaya) finds herself as the celebrity girlfriend of a superhero without any idea what is to happen next, as they are hunted for the drones of Stark Technologies which were used by Mysterio, who had manipulated the scene as if it was Spider-Man who controlled the drones against the people of the city. People seem to believe more in Mysterio rather than Spider-Man, and Peter’s friends are questioned by the federal agents. Their applications for future studies far away from the city with a fresh start are also rejected. The charges are dropped soon enough, but they are not able to get rid of the crowd which keeps following him to such an extent that he wishes to spend most of his time on the roof of a building. Fed up with everything that has been happening around him, Peter decides to meet Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), hoping that he can come up with a solution to the miserable turn of events.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In New York Sanctum, he hopes that Strange can go back in time, and make sure that what happened to him didn’t really happen. Strange doesn’t have the time stone any more, but he manages to cast a spell that would be able to make everyone forget that Spider-Man and Peter Parker are the same person. Despite being warned against using it, he feels that he is in full control. Even though the spell seems to go on well in the beginning, Peter continues to be the foolish youngster that he has always been, and request alterations with different names so that his loved ones can remember his secret identity. Strange is forced to stop the spell before something terrible happens. He contains the spell, and Strange asks him to at least try to plead his case before trying something strange like this. While he tries to do the same, Otto Octavius a.k.a. Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) appears out of nowhere, searching for his machine, and almost kills everyone on a bridge, causing massive destruction and loss of public and private property in the process.

And what more could happen around here as the world seems to have changed? :: As Spider-Man seems to have things in control, Norman Osborn a.k.a. Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) seems to appear out of nowhere. Then there is Dr Curt Connors a.k.a. The Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and also Max Dillon a.k.a. Electro (Jamie Foxx) who also seems to have come from other universe, as the spell seems to have summoned people from the other universes who know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Doctor Strange now really needs Peter Parker and his friends to search the internet for anything strange which might have happened in the nearby areas, and get all the villains from other universes in captivity. But these are the supervillains whom he hasn’t encountered before. Electro is rather too powerful for the Spider-Man of this world, as he is too super-charged, and they don’t really know what the Green Goblin is capable of. There seems to be some changes to the powers of the supervillains too, and they hope that it is not for the worst. Now, can the newly arrived supervillains be stopped?

The defence of Spider-Man: No Way Home :: This is one movie from the third group of Spider-Man franchise that manages to bigger than ever, and also has more smartness than the earlier films of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Even though the danger is more serious here, the humour is surely not lost with the characters. With more than one Spider-Man around, there is a lot of nostalgia related to this one too, and my favourite would always be the one from The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel. As far as the villains are concerned, they provide nostalgia from all universes almost equally. We can credit the performers who bring the different elements of antagonists in a variety of universes very well. The action sequences continue to impress us, and with so many villains around, this surely has the grandeur. Visually, the world has been done very well, as we look at it. Even though it is not his movie with the title, it is still Benedict Cumberbatch who impresses the most here too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie becomes more relevant as it seems to begin something which will have some grand influence on the whole cinematic universe. Some repetitions will be felt, and the youngsters do feel like going a little bit too irritating. These are the kind of youth that doesn’t even take the responsibility for their actions, and still blame others for whatever dumb things they did. The seriousness should have been there during at least some of those situations which meant terrible danger for everyone around. The movie should have also focused less on getting the clap from the masses, as that time is now over after Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. But we know where the movie is heading – the exciting finish, that too without exaggeration, does the job. There is something for everyone who has loved Spidey through the years, no matter what the age group might be – you get enough of the superhero here.

How it finishes :: The movie which continues the Spider-Man legacy, and had a nomination for the Best Visual Effects at the 94th Academy Awards. We have all been waiting for this movie more than the other Marvel films for sure. After all, we have been fans of Spidey for such a long time, and none of our favourites were with this particular spider. It just doesn’t feel like having the effect of what has been spread as the great superhero experience with multiple Spider-Man impact. It seems that the new generation superheroes need more to be of use, after Avengers took it beyond the limits. Yet, the movie remains as interesting as most of the superheroes should be. With a superior finish after a lot of action, the movie manages to end things well. The movie surely leaves us with more to hope for with the later films. We are never finished with the superheroes who seem to keep providing us with the false hope about a world which will always remain hopeless – the world needs what is not real at all times, because reality is always worse.

Release date: 17th December 2021
Running time: 148 minutes
Directed by: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: Everyone is frozen at home due to COVID-19, and we are watching the second part of this movie.

Vampire Bat: COVID-19 has been a serious crisis in the vampire world too.

Vampire Owl: Yes, the last world vampire conference was held in twenty five districts because they had to keep the distance.

Vampire Bat: For the undead, it wouldn’t show any symptoms. We would just die.

Vampire Owl: Death after death is a highly disappointing thing.

Vampire Bat: Yes, we become immortal, and then we die. It is ridiculous.

Vampire Owl: The vampire doctors including Mr. Frankenstein are saying that this was spread by werewolves.

Vampire Bat: This could have been the result of a pure evil magic potion prepared by the Northern Witches.

Vampire Owl: Or maybe spread by a zombie bat?

Vampire Bat: Bats becoming zombies are abominations. I wouldn’t discuss them.

[Gets some banana chips and three cups of cardamom tea].

What is the movie about? :: King Runeard (Jeremy Sisto), long ago, had established a treaty between the people of the kingdom and those of the forest, by building a dam for the better utilization of resources by the forest tribe. But all of a sudden, a fight breaks out between the soldiers of the kingdom and the fighters of the forest tribe, leading to the death of Runeard and also that of the tribe leader, leading to a division between the two, and the forest being engulfed in an enchanted fog created by the spirits of nature, letting nobody inside and allowed nobody to go out. The enraged elemental spirits of Earth, Fire, Water, and Air of the forest had only one person escaping to the kingdom of Arendelle, Agnarr (Alfred Molina) who later became the king after the death of his father with Iduna (Evan Rachel Wood) as his queen. The tale go only this far for Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell).

So, what happens with the events here? :: Years after her coronation, Anna and Elsa are having some good time during the autumn season with Olaf the snowman (Josh Gad), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), and Kristoff’s reindeer Sven along with the subjects in the kingdom. Elsa has been listening to a mysterious calling, and her response to the same awakens the four elemental spirits, Earth, Water, Air and Fire. With these spirits threatening the kingdom, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven set off to find the problem’s root cause, leaving the people with Pabbie (Ciaran Hinds), the leader of the Rock Trolls. The team is taken in by the enchanted forest, but are trapped in there with no chance for exit. There they meet the air spirit first, followed by two groups of soldiers from both sides who are still in conflict with each other.

And what else follows with the happenings? :: Elsa and Anna manage to make peace between the two groups of soliders as they realized that the queen of the kingdom is from their tribe, and she was the one who saved the king and escaped with him from the enchanted forest years ago. Meanwhile, Kristoff keeps thinking about proposing to Anna, but doesn’t succeed in the same for which asks for her from Ryder (Jason Ritter) who shares his interest in reindeers. They come up against earth spirits, a group of giants made out of rocks, but manage to evade them. They find their parents’ destroyed ship and a map with a route to Ahtohallan, a mythical river which could answer all their questions. Elsa decides to go there alone, and with Kristoff and Sven already left behind, leaves Anna and Olaf to float down in a boat made of ice as she decides to take on the water spirit on her way through water. But there is a long way to go, and can she do it alone?

The defence of Frozen II :: The animation remains the strong point of the movie. There are also the special effects – what you see on the screen is nothing less than spectacular, getting you right into that world, and frost just gets to you if you are sitting in a theatre, especially a newer multiplex. The visual effects do the job like not many animated movies can do, and in a world of magic, it asserts the strength of the same. The characters are lovable, and we feel very close to them, even though they are part of that fantasy world only. They become part of us as much as the technical skill on display. The songs are pretty good too, and the messages are once again clear, with family bonding, not just between the sisters, but going further. Frozen will continue to have advantage over the other so called big animated movies like How to Train Your Dragon, Rio, Despicable Me, Finding Nemo, Cars, Ice Age, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda and the others which have turned into successful franchises.

Positives and negatives in a world of enchantment :: The case of repetition could be there up to an extent. Frozen had already established a “happily ever after”, and due to the same, this could have been a reverse fantasy on another day. People might have the opinion that a sequel was not needed, considering how perfect the first movie seemed to be. A certain amount of deviation can be declared too. Finding fault with this sequel is more of a process which can be done in relation with the first movie, and not as a stand-alone flick, and it is something which a person who hasn’t watched the first film will understand with ease. We can also move on without finding any fault in this case, as this movie has no shortage of entertainment, with action, adventure and even a funny side – the cuteness factor is also at the highest with this movie in comparison with any other animated movie that strives to do the same for the audience.

How it finishes :: Frozen 2 might not be able to claim that much of a splendour as its predecessor which held the title of the highest grossing animated movie of all-time, even though the sequel has overtaken Frozen, but it has to be noted that the first position is no longer there to be taken. The two Frozen movies are now on second and third positions in that list. But that wouldn’t take away this movie’s claim as a worthy successor because the first movie had set a level which was almost impossible to meet, and this one had to stay close to what was established. The spectacular world which has been created in this film is sure to catch our attention, and the soul of the first movie is carried on, which will make this an interesting watch, and something to feel happy during the time when Corona virus is making its way through nations. Frozen 2 has the beauty of snow, hues and magic brought in style yet again for your eyes.

Release date: 22nd November 2019
Running time: 103 minutes
Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Evan Rachel Wood, Sterling K Brown, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton, Rachel Matthews, Jason Ritter, Jeremy Sisto, Ciaran Hinds, Aurora