benwasserman.bsky.social
@benwasserman
Writer, film critic, aspiring cosplayer. Your expert on all things Star Wars: The High Republic, Percy Jackson, and more.
When the cats surround you, then make camp near your office.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an entertaining, if imperfect, return for Tom Holland after five years, Great fights, solid emotional drama, but it feels overstuffed at times compared to past MCU films. Loved the Peter/MJ scenes, as well as the Spidey/Punisher love-hate dynamic.
When you get to see Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is a crowded theater. Really annoyed it’s not a nationwide experience.
Remembering Makoto Iwamatsu (aka Mako) on the 20th anniversary of his death. An incredible actor who people my age likely remember for his voice work as Iroh and Aku.
People seem to forget two things about Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. 1. He's a really, REALLY good actor. And 2. If you take that Downey charm and merge it with the pettiness of his Oppenheimer role, you essentially have Doom: equal parts charismatic, powerful, and egotistical.
I know George C. Scott hated how Stanley Kubrick tricked him into giving a more over the top performance in Dr. Strangelove. But I love how it produced absurd moments like this. Just the way Buck’s face morphs from overjoyed to horrified is hilarious.
Finally reached the big part of Enies Lobby. Worth the wait for Luffy and Robin.
Looks like critics and audiences are unanimous on this one. So expect the grifters to either lie about The Odyssey’s success or pivot and claim it’s secretly anti-woke.
So yeah- The Odyssey is amazing. I’m surprised I need to say that about a Christopher Nolan film, but the man has done it again.
Ignore Elon Musk’s online freakouts - The Odyssey lives up to the term Epic. Christopher Nolan successfully adapts Homer’s tale into a powerful, melancholic journey of one man’s struggle to return home, battling the wrath of Gods, monsters, and man (plus his own guilt) along the way.
RIP Sam Neil - thank you for making us believe in the wonder of dinosaurs.
The room where it happened in Philadelphia. Happy 250th Independence Day!
The best cheesesteak I’ve tried in Philadelphia is Angelo’s. Forget Pat’s and Geno’s - you’re going here and not ordering the pizza! Worth the long lines.
250 years ago today, the Founding Fathers officially voted for American independence in Philadelphia. Regardless of what you think about (gestures to everything happening now), that legacy remains an important one for history and the world.
Happy 100th birthday Mel Brooks. One of the funniest entertainers to ever live - only 1900 years to go before he can truly be the 2000 Year Old Man.
Onigiri vs. Caterpillar. Which is the most comfortable way to relax?
Supergirl is carried by an engaging performance by Milly Alcock, so it’s a shame the rest of the film doesn’t match her energy. Despite some good effects a perfect Lobo casting, this True Grit/ Mad Max plot is too familiar and incoheisive for its own good. It’s half entertaining, half frustrating.
Haven’t been to Colorado in over a decade - really missed these sunsets.
My Adventures with Superman is the perfect DC appetizer before Supergirl hits theaters next week. Especially with Kara in her “cinnamon roll Android 18 era.”
The Furious is action cinema’s spiritual successor to The Raid: Redemption, delivering the best action choreography you’ll see all year. It’s enough to forgive the pedestrian story and characters, though I wish the third act didn’t feel so padded out. Loved the final brawl though.
Disclosure Day is another return to form for Steven Spielberg, and a reminder that few do original summer blockbusters as well as him. Loved the performances, cinematography, score, and set pieces, though DD juggled too many ideas and I don’t think it gave them all equal resolution.
People showing up to The Last Jedi in Concert negates so many haters’ outrage talking points. Still a fantastic experience.
Looking at 007 First Light and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, it’s wild to see just how far licensed games have come. I still remember when Batman: Arkham Asylum proved you didn’t have to wait for a movie release to rush these games onto shelves.
Tonight, Stephen Colbert signs off with The Late Show’s final episode. But his humor, political observations, and status as a Montclair icon will never go dark.
Replaying Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. I’ll never not be giddy at how the tutorial was Raiders’ intro sequence, but playable. Definitely the third best Indiana Jones film.