thewatchmovies-17

Where have you gone, analog Spider-Man? You know the guy. Worked as a photographer, got chewed out by his crusty boss but loved the girl named MJ with all his teen heart. He got picked on at school, too, and his high jinks were wildly relatable. He’s gone, for good, according to “Spider Man: Far From Home.” That’s no knock against Tom Holland, still a marvelous choice to play Peter Parker. It’s just a sign the MCU is depositing Spidey into increasingly strained scenarios. It’s not a good look for the web slinger, or a franchise stumbling into a new phase. Peter Parker can’t wait to go on a European field trip with his high school chums – especially the inscrutable M.J. (Zendaya). He’s had enough super-heroing for a while. Now, he just wants to be an ordinary high-schooler and woo the girl of his dreams. Nick Fury has other plans. The one-eyed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, as cool as ever thanks to Samuel L. Jackson, is tracking a new threat to the globe. He wants Spider-Man to ...

Choosing the best movies of the year in June is silly on the surface. The bulk of Oscar-bait fare arrives after October, with some entries hitting theaters as late as Christmas Day. Clearly, any “Best of” list assembled now will be incomplete. The same doesn’t hold true for the year’s worst films. Hollywood often dumps contenders for this dishonor in January and February. Others haunt theaters during the summer blockbuster season. These duds hope to capitalize on our lust for air conditioning. Case in point: 2019. We’ve already seen enough terrible films to flesh out an annual “Worst Of” list. Can the next six months compete? Let’s hope not. Serenity Two beautiful Oscar winners. A strong supporting cast. And a release date that shifted more times than Joe Biden on abortion. “Serenity” isn’t just a terrible movie. It’s a budding cult classic in the grand “Troll 2” tradition. It’s that laughable. The high seas drama isn’t as amateurish as that 1990 stink bomb. In ways it’s ac...

“Framing John DeLorean,” the new documentary by John Argott and Sheena M. Joyce, presents the infamous story of the automotive innovator in a manner that is positively nutty. The narrative of DeLorean’s early days as an automotive innovator, his radical approach to creating the car baring his namesake and his spectacular downfall is presented in a straightforward, polished manner. News clips, archival and surveillance footage, audio recordings and home movies create a picture that is clear and brisk. Then, there’s the decision to stage reenactments of DeLorean’s life, with the man played by Alec Baldwin , who also appears out of character to discuss his process in finding DeLorean. This out-of-left-field inclusion to an already tight work isn’t always effective but man, is it fun. DeLorean’s wild story offers drastic dips into peaks and valleys, particularly during the dramatic second act of his life. While living with his picture perfect family of four on a New Jersey farm, he...

Jim Gaffigan’s “Being Frank” is a dramedy that’s hard to forget, for all the wrong reasons. It’s impossible to convey how horribly both the writer and director fouled up the tone of this film. Not only was it aggressively unfunny, but it toyed with serious issues like a nine-year-old plays with matches. Viewers will have to carry the charcoaled remains in memory for some time. The story is a compelling one: Philip ( Logan Miller ), the teenage son of strict, emotionally distant father Frank (played with near-malevolent glee by Gaffigan), sneaks away for a wild Spring Break vacation. He discovers his dad has an entire second family, complete with wife, house and two other kids. This discovery, and the antics that follow, comprise the remainder of the film. This might have worked as a black comedy, something along the lines of “Very Bad Things” in tone, if not events. Or it could’ve been a wrenching family drama, conveying the terrible cost of such an elaborate deception. Maybe...

On-screen chemistry is the elixir Hollywood would kill to reproduce. Bogie and Bacall. Roberts and Gere. Hanks and Ryan. It comes along once every generation, sometimes less, but the results are pure movie magic. The stars of the Netflix rom-com “Always Be My Maybe” boast anti-chemistry, the kind that makes you wonder why they’re sharing the same space for an entire film. “Always Be My Maybe” is so toxic, so full of clumsy moments, you half expect Kate Hudson to enter the frame. She doesn’t, but Keanu Reeves does. That bit of stunt casting is the very best thing about a very, very bad movie. Ali Wong and Randall Park star as Sasha and Marcus, two childhood chums who broke up after an impetuous sex session. Their history, and the calamitous fight in question, are both handled with an amateurish sheen.  The fight makes little sense, for starters. Nor do we see why these two click so completely. It’s a sign of things to come. Flash forward to present day San Francisco, ...

“No Safe Spaces” reveals the Left’s plan to squash free speech as we’ve known it for 243 years. That’s not hyperbole.  The evidence speaks for itself over and again in 90 riveting minutes. “No Safe Spaces” could have gone on for another hour, maybe two, had all the free speech attacks made the final cut. The film will be released in the Fall, but one thing stands true following an early preview. It’s hard to imagine a more vital film hitting theaters by year’s end. “No Safe Spaces” starts slowly, and that’s being kind. We’re introduced to stars Adam Carolla and Dennis Prager , our guides through the collegiate chaos. The tone is light, the spirit teetering on self-promotional at times. The film is clearing its throat and establishing the key players and themes. We’re soon knee deep in shocking tales of campus culture gone awry. Threats. Violence. Destruction. Despair. Careers destroyed. Arrogance. Immaturity. Hate. Oh, lots and lots of hate. It’s hard to recognize this co...