Movie Review Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) 

Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson 

Written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, David Callahan 

Starring Shameik Moore, Bryan Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Hailee Steinfeld 

Release Date June 2nd, 2023 

Published June 2nd, 2023 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a gorgeous piece of animation. It's a visionary work in the feature animation realm, a treat for the eyes. The innovative style of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse evolves here into brilliant new combinations of art styles and storytelling adventure. It's exciting to watch as the artists behind Spidey press the boundaries of what we can expect from an animated feature. That alone would be worth the price of admission but thanks to the work of writers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callahan, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is far more than just gorgeous to look at. 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens on Spider-Girl, Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld). She misses the friends she made when portals opened between worlds in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Worse however, is the fate of her best friend, Peter Parker, who, Gwen's world was a picked on pipsqueak who tried to change his lot in life through science. Peter dies in an accident at prom after his transformative medicine turns him into a monster and Gwen/Spider-Girl is forced to fight him to protect their classmates. His death happens just as Gwen's cop-dad arrives and sees Spider-Girl standing over Peter's fallen body. He assumes that she killed him. 

This scene is soon followed by the attack of a new and desperately out of place villain, a version of The Vulture, but not one from this universe. Someone or something is tearing new holes in the fabric of the universe and villains are bungling their way through to unfamiliar universes. Unbeknownst to Gwen, Spider-people from other universes are being brought together to try and repair the multiverse and via Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), and the leader of this group, Miguel (Oscar Isaac), Gwen is recruited to help save the multiverse. 

This is Gwen's chance to reconnect with her friend, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). Miles has grown a few inches since the last time they saw each other but other than that, he's the same awkward, sweet, kind and strong young man she first met. Miles is dealing with school and his parents and a new villain who may be the key to why the multiverse is in grave danger. A villain calling himself The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) is found by Miles while attempting to steal an ATM from a bodega. The Spot has the ability to open tiny portals that he can climb through and arrive at different locations. 

Find my full length review at Geeks.Media 

Movie Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) 

Directed by Christopher Miller, Phil Lord

Written by Christopher Miller, Phil Lord

Starring Bill Hader, James Caan, Anna Faris

Release Date September 18th, 2009

Published September 18th, 2009

Sony has been trying to break into the big time of the animation biz for nearly a decade now. They've had modest success with movies like Open Season but no real home run shots like those of the industry standard Pixar. Their latest attempt to hit one out of the park is close, atleast a double in the gap.

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs is a clever, quick witted and imaginative kids flick that never talks down to the target audience and finds more than a few moments everyone can enjoy.

Flint Lockwood (Voice of Bill Hader, SNL) has always wanted to be an engineer. As a small child he invented liquid shoes, a shimmering paste that hardened on your feet. Unfortunately, he could never take them off, but it kinda worked. His loving mom always supported his imagination while his fisherman father James (James Caan) just wanted him to learn to fish.

The island on which Flint was born and raised has long lived on the towns only export, Sardines. Now, Flint thinks he can change all of that. His latest invention converts water into food. While the town is gathered for the latest Sardine related tourist trap, Flint launches his new invention, accidentally, into the sky.

Meanwhile, an erstwhile weather reporter, Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) is desperate for a big weather scoop to make her career. She happens upon Flint and as they are bonding over mutual failure their salvation falls from the sky in the form of a juicy hamburger. Flint's invention is caught in the clouds and turning the rain to food, a major coup for a young weather reporter.

Not surprisingly things start out in fun and games with the town loving all of the new food and Sam getting scoop after literal scoop, Ice Cream snow, all the while falling for Flint and his wild imagination. Then the machine gets out of control and the movie switches to action mode involving a tornado of Spaghetti, a pit made of sharp peanut brittle, and sentient pizza.

The movie is based on a bestselling kids book and translates smoothly to the big screen easily capturing the spirit and good nature that made the book so popular. Bill Hader is terrific as the voice of Flint over and under playing at just the right pitch. Anna Faris's high pitched voice already sounds like a cartoon and she, like Hader, is perfectly at home here.

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs doesn't rewrite the book on digital animation and it may not launch Sony into upper echelon of animation where Pixar resides but it does help further establish a beachhead in what is the most consistent box office segment, kids animated feature.

The key is remembering that just animating a story doesn't make it a hit, you have to  team animation with strong storytelling and great voice talent. Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs does just that.