I was ready to be under-whelmed by Spider-man 2, but I ended up having a lot of fun! It’s tons better than its predecessor. I had a perfect summer matinee experience – well-crafted comic-book camp complete with silly family audience (the best moment came when Mary Jane started kissing one of the boys and a little girl in the row behind me flipped out – "Eeewwwwww! Gur-ooooooss!") Spider-man 2 was much more relaxed, had less of that movie-by-committee feel I hated about the first one. They managed to finish the special effects this time. They presented a much more interesting villain in Doc Ock. They permitted director Sam Raimi to operate more freely in his own style. There’s more of hilarious Jameson the tabloid mogul, and there’s plenty of alluringly geeky Peter Parker to go around, ladies! I couldn’t seem to get enough of Spider-man without his mask on, hair all a-tousled and spandex suit carefully ripped at the biceps. Bob and I spent a good part of the afternoon pondering such heavy issues as "What does Parker see in Mary Jane anyway?" and "Honestly, how could he just suppress his Spider-man powers like he did?" and "Wonder what Mrs. Osbourne’s story was?" and [me] "What they really need to do is have Spidey team up with the X-men! Yeah, two hours of Wolverine and Spider-man (without his mask on) in the same film!" and [Bob] "Naw, but check out all the similarities between Spider-man and Superman…"
Makes me feel quite sad really that I won’t be able to tag along with the brothers this time to the San Diego Comi-con!
I came out of the credits, last to exit the theatre as usual, still glowing and periodically bursting out with, "Wow!" My entertainment value was an exponential plus 10. I do confess to having covered my eyes when Mrs. Octavius was skewered (as well as during the ENTIRE nightmare for a lifetime preview of Anaconda), but then, I don’t endure that sort of detail while others routinely find it delicious. I want to know if you think Auntie has Peter’s act figured out. She did a double take, minute perhaps, at one point when Spidey called out to her in the hanging from the second hand shot, and her advice at the end was pointed. I think she knows. Her getting up stiffly from the table and walking away from him was as poignantly painful a moment as I have seen, his utter anguish multiplied by hers. I wanted to rush into the room and take his hand, tell him that Uncle Ben would be the first to forgive him, and beg Auntie to look him in the eye and offer comfort. The reality was exquisitely effective. The MJ question is understandable; love is not. What do Any of us see in anyone that we love? I appreciate that she is not carefully perfect in classical beauty, that she is windblown and not made up in painted perfection. I could be her is the message. Boys could be Peter. That is a huge part of the appeal of this story. The bottom line is that they share a history together, an endurance of childhood and a common experience, threads that weaves the fabric of their relationship. Any fabric we weave has imperfections, sometimes jagged rents that necessitate some creative patching and stitching. I admire the nerve to offer us a love story with foundations in reality instead of the Pearl Harbor lust and looks veneer. Bring on the Threester. I’m there.
Mum
OK, I have caught up to the May 17 last entry I had read. I have 2 comments: is it possible for you to link the replies reading page back to that entry instead of back to number 1 to avoid having to scroll deep into the many pages to find it again? For those of us who have to read a month at a time…..
And please dig into the fictiotious presidential election for my comment which will otherwise go unnoticed as you’all moved on from there some time ago.
Mum – over on the right side of my web page you’ll find Archives by month. You can use those to jump back quickly (instead of scrolling and clicking "next"). Remember to pace yourself!
Oh, and I get an e-mail notification anytime someone comments on my blog with a link to the new comment (except for some reason the Guestbook entries). So at least I’ll find it if noone else does.
Mum – Aunt May’s got it all figured out. Just like MJ "always knew" after her encounters with Spider-man end of high school.
Now, for Peter Parker I liked the gawky landlord’s daughter or the sharp newspaper secretary (or me, for instance) better than MJ the model/actress. All these women throwing themselves at him and he’s still obsesses on her. He could be a real swinger!
I’m teasing, of course. Key word is "camp".
I personally fail to see how your Spiderman could even compare to Wolverine! Can this man (boy?) even grow chest hair? Not only do I find the shredded-at-the-biceps suit quite similar to a trashy ladies’ evening gown, but none of the slits appear to show anything worth looking at for me. I’d rather check out Angela Basset’s hot superchick muscles. If a man is wearing a torn shirt, there ought to be something peeking out at me in order to intice- more specifically, something to declare his manliness other than silly overgrown biceps and pectorals (signs of Fight Club-scorned "masterbation") which are things that us chicks could grow if we really wanted to. Let’s see some chest hair. Better yet, let’s see a lot. Where are all of these Hollywood she-males coming from? Does the media really expect me to lust after schoolboys like Brad Pitt and (puke!)Ben Afleck?! If a man wants a woman as "the curvier the better" (c’mon, boys, we’ve all seen those breast implants that you fool yourselves into defending as real), then a real woman should be programmed for an almost apely guy. He definately earns brownie points from my troupe if he can at least sport a tuft out of the top of an oxford shirt. Mr. Spiderman has failed the test. How refreshing that Wolverine men (pant, pant!) are even allowed to be in a Hollywood flick these days! I am sincerely ashamed of my brothers and sisters who have been media brain-washed into thinking that EVERYONE ideal of the opposite sex should look like pre-teen boys, be they man or woman. Is this a sign of gay men dominating the fashion world? Attention all ye metrosexual men: If we babes are expected to flash a gratuitous cleavage shot, please be generous in kind; stop waxing and take the oxford shirt down a button or two!
All right, L. Claudia – by request I’ve added a link to Wolverine, chest/neck/ chin hair ‘n all, and biceps too! I had a crush on Superman too as a girl – he had chest hair, right?
Thank you for your tirade. Helps me be more at peace with my hairy self. Oh wait – girls are supposed to be curvy but not hairy?!
Meow! Someone ought to lick that animal’s wounds! Purrrrrr…
Dare I stick my hairy toe into this conversation? Or perhaps to prevent it from being stepped on, I should just keep my comments to myself for a change.
Rats, I can’t help it… Just one thing: I think there still exists a fairly good-sized proportion of the public who hasn’t had their attraction schema Hollywoodized. To them I say, "Stand proud all ye people of zest. Folly is Ken, Barbie, Ben, Jen and all the rest!"
okay so i made myself not read mom’s comment so i didn’t ruin it for me- i admit, i haven’t yet seen spiderman 2. in response to lady claude’s comment, isn’t there a limit to the hairiness appeal- i mean, i don’t like the baby-butt chest either, but every time i see austin powers shirtless i want to puke. and, even though i haven’t seen it yet, of course auntie knows! motherly figures always can figure such things out.
Mr. Powers should have nothing to be ashamed of! As for the limit to the hairiness appeal, the guy would really have to be impressively furry. Even with regards to the presence of apparently so offensive back hair, I personally would have to say that I would be too busy with the hopefully incredibly furry front side to even bother noticing.