My take on the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars incident

Happy April, everyone! I simply wanted to provide my thoughts on a now-infamous moment from this year's Oscars ceremony:

For those who have been living under a rock for a week, actor/comedian Chris Rock poked fun at Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head (a byproduct of the alopecia the latter has), jokingly calling her 'G.I. Jane'. Moments later, Jada's husband, Will Smith, marched up to where Rock was standing and slapped him, as pictured above, before returning to his seat. Rock subsequently tried to poke fun at what happened, light-heartedly declaring, "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me!" Smith wasn't finished, though, as he shouted for Rock to keep Jada's name "Out your F***ING mouth!" not once, but twice, with the second instance being much louder and angrier-sounding. Despite this, Smith would ultimately take home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his lead role in King Richard, though what would normally be a triumph for most actors would become sullied by what he'd just done prior.

I think it's safe to say Will Smith could've handled this a lot better than what we witnessed; for instance, he could've waited until after the Oscars ceremony finished and met with Chris Rock one-on-one to explain how the latter's attempt at humor was hurtful to Jada. Heck, if all Smith did was shout out (as described above) at Rock without the physical contact, I'm willing to bet this incident wouldn't be anywhere as talked about as it currently is. On the other hand, I can empathize with what motivated Smith to do what he did. Granted, he may have been chuckling at Rock's humor before seeing that Jada did not feel the same way about this ad-lib as Smith did, but if someone said something about, for instance, my little sister in an attempt at humor that was hurtful to her, I for one would make it very clear to said individual that their 'joke' was in poor taste (albeit with words). Not to mention, alopecia, while thankfully not deadly, is something many people could be insecure over (given the hair loss resulting from the condition); as such, Rock arguably went a bit 'further' (verbally) than necessary, even if it was for the sake of comedy. Now, I know some people might say that no one is safe when it comes to who comedy 'jabs' at, but at the same time, there should be some standards to prevent comedians from going too far!

While Will Smith should certainly be called out for his ill-advised conduct at the Oscars, I can't help but feel as though his behavior that night is being overplayed; after all, it's not like he did anything on the level of O.J. Simpson, for crying out loud! And, unlike someone like Kanye West, Smith hasn't exactly been a controversial figure up to this point (not counting the questionable decisions his kids have made that've previously gained coverage), so people shouldn't unanimously turn on him for a single lapse of judgment. Heck, Smith issued a public apology for his actions on social media the very next day, and recently it was revealed that he's voluntarily stepped down from his position at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This establishes that he clearly acknowledges he was out of line and is willing to own up to what he did, so let's cut Smith a bit of slack, dang it! On the other hand, while Chris Rock more than likely had no ill intent when he poked fun at Jada Pinkett-Smith's lack of hair, it could nonetheless still be viewed as insensitive given that Pinkett-Smith didn't exactly ask to have alopecia in the first place; despite this, it's still commendable how Rock doesn't seem to be ruminating on what transpired, and I hope both parties can reconcile with one another so everyone can move past this (though the memes of 'the slap' that've been spreading like wildfire can stay/keep on coming, as I find them to be smile-inducing at worst, and downright hilarious at best)!

In the Heights review

Is this 2021 flick a worthy adaptation of the Broadway musical it's based off, or is it no better than the infamous 2019 rendition of Cats before it? Time to find out as we take a look at:

I've been appreciative of songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda since I first got a taste of his work in 2016's Moana, which blossomed into full-on fandom following my listening to the album (and later seeing the recording of the play itself on Disney+) for the beloved smash-hit musical Hamilton (which had introduced mainstream audiences to Miranda in the first place). As such, the fact that In the Heights was based off a 2005 musical that'd also been the brainchild of Miranda and which he was involved in as a producer caught my attention & interest. Having finally seen it, I'm more than happy to say this is yet another hit from Miranda and co; let's find out what makes it deserving of such praise!

 

In the Heights follows young bodega owner Usnavi de la Vega, who’s been saving up the money he makes at the shop his late parents started in the Washington Heights community of New York; he hopes to accrue enough to one day return to his parents’ home country of the Dominican Republic and revitalize the store his dad ran there (prior to coming to the U.S.). However, Usnavi is far from the only one with dreams pertaining to the future, as his old friend Nina, having recently returned home from Stanford University, is conflicted over continuing her college education, while fashionista Vanessa (whom Usnavi has an infatuation for) seeks to finally move out of Washington Heights and to the downtown part(s) of New York in order to follow her dreams in fashion design (to name a few individuals). Will these (and other) characters be able to fulfill their dreams, or will life end up throwing them a curveball (as what often happens in reality)?

One area I have to give the filmmakers credit for is assembling a cast of lesser-known actors and actresses for this project, especially given that the powers at Warner Bros. could’ve easily pushed for a cast of big-name stars; heck, out of the main cast, only 3 names initially stood out to me: Anthony Ramos (who'd previously collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda on Hamilton as both Philip Hamilton and John Laurens), Corey Hawkins (aka Dr. Houston Brooks in 2017's Kong: Skull Island), and Jimmy Smits (aka Senator Bail Organa in the Star Wars prequel trilogy). It wasn't until the middle of watching the movie itself that it was brought to my attention that Stephanie Beatriz (who would go on to work with Miranda again in Walt Disney Animation Studios' Encanto as the voice of main protagonist Mirabel Madrigal) was also in this movie (albeit in a supporting role)! Miranda himself even makes a recurring cameo as a local piraguero salesman, and I thought he stole the show whenever he showed up simply by virtue of Miranda playing him, bringing the same spirited fluidity to his portion of the film's musical numbers that he contributed to his prior role as the title character of Hamilton! Besides Miranda, the rest of the principal cast do a commendable job in playing their characters, and the enjoyment they're having is palpable in their onscreen performances, which in turn helps to keep viewers invested in the characters' stories throughout In the Heights' 2-hour, 23-minute runtime!

 

Being an adaptation of a pre-existing musical, it's practically a given that the songs from the source material would show up in this film, and I am pleased to say that they make up arguably the best facet of the entire movie, with the main highlights for me being the opening song titled, you guessed it, "In the Heights", as well as "96,000" and "Blackout". The musical numbers manage to be both captivating and entertaining, with engaging beats accompanying the songs along with wordplay (lyrically speaking) that has Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical fingerprints all over it; one of arguably the most noteworthy instances of this songwriting has to be part of the first third of "96,000": "As for you, Mr. Frodo of the Shire - 96 Gs ain't enough to retire!" 

While the lyrics and background beats accompanying them practically guarantee a good time when it comes to listening to the songs, they're bolstered by director Jon M. Chu's (best known for helming 2018's Crazy Rich Asians) creative visuals; for instance, during the first 3rd of the song, viewers are treated to Usnavi, Benny, Sonny, and 'Graffiti Pete' conjuring up such imaginary sights as an elongated Pinnochio-esque nose, a lasso, and even a Star Wars lightsaber (complete with the igniting and deactivating sound effects associated with the iconic weapon), all of which correspond to lyrics sung by the characters. Later in the same song, Chu even treats viewers to an underwater view of the dancing pool-goers, providing a neat visual perspective of the festivities unfolding. In addition to fun visuals like those described, I have to give major kudos to dance choreographer Christopher Scott (who previously worked on the show So You Think You Can Dance), as he managed to produce dance sequences that succeed in being engaging entertainment without detracting from the songs they’re accompanying. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s songwriting, combined with Chu’s directing and Scott’s choreography, ensure that if there’s anything to watch In the Heights for, it’s the musical number sequences!

 

Despite underperforming during its theatrical run (which could arguably be blamed on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as the decision to release the movie on HBO Max at the same time as in theaters), In the Heights is yet another triumph for Lin-Manuel Miranda as well as Jon M. Chu, as it has an uplifting narrative about finding appreciation for your community and the people in it, enjoyable characters who aren’t difficult to root for, and enthralling musical numbers that reinforce why Miranda is such a beloved artist and why Chu is a director who deserves more attention from mainstream audiences. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I strongly recommend checking this flick out, especially if you’re a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work; just sit back and prepare to have a heck of a time “In Washington Heights”!

Spider-Man: No Way Home review

Does this third installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU for short)-based series of Spider-Man films finish the divisive trilogy on a high note, or is it no better than the likes of Spider-Man 3 or The Amazing Spider-Man 2 before it? Time to find out as we take a look at:

Happy (late) New Year's everyone! This may be an unpopular opinion, but I've managed to find quite the enjoyment in the Marvel Studios-produced Spider-Man solo films; 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming was one of my top favorite films of 2017 and while I thought 2019's Far From Home was something of a downgrade, I nonetheless was able to find multiple things to like about it. As such, I was excited for No Way Home, a feeling that was exacerbated who-knows-how much when previews confirmed online rumors that villains from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb-directed Spider-Man film series would be returning to the big screen for this movie; this, combined with rumors/leaks that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield (the two actors who previously played the webslinger on the big screen) could be making their triumphant returns made this arguably my most anticipated film since Avengers: Endgame! Having finally seen it, I can say No Way Home is a heck of a ride that's definitely worth seeing on the big screen! Let's go into depth as to why this is!

Spider-Man: No Way Home takes place practically immediately following the events of 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, as the sociopathic illusionist Mysterio has posthumously not only framed Spider-Man for the former's terrorist activities from the previous movie, but also revealed the wall-crawler's secret identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. With his life, as well as those of his loved ones, turned completely on its head, Peter turns to fellow hero Dr. Stephen Strange for a means of undoing the damage Mysterio has done. However, thanks to some imprudent input from Peter, the spell Strange was preparing to wipe knowledge of Peter's secret identity from everyone's minds ends up going wrong, resulting in several villains from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb Spider-Man movies ending up in the MCU. Can Spider-Man round up these invasive foes with help from close friends Ned and MJ, or will getting things back to normal not be as straightforward as initially thought?

Despite the sheer number of characters involved in this multiverse extravaganza, this movie, like numerous previous Marvel Studios productions, thankfully manages to avoid becoming bogged down by its proverbial baggage, giving most of its characters enough time to avoid coming off as living 'filler' while progressing the main narrative and subplots in a way that feels rather organic. In addition, the majority of the cast members do solid-to-excellent jobs portraying their characters, whether they be Alfred Molina playing Doc Ock for the first time since the beloved Spider-Man 2, Jamie Foxx as Electro (who is handled considerably better here than in his debut movie, 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2) Zendaya as Michelle Jones, aka MJ, Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, or Benedict Cumberbatch (aka Smaug in The Hobbit movies) as Dr. Strange. However, there are some actors who stand out more than others, namely Willem Dafoe, aka Gill in Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Vulko in the DCEU film Aquaman, who makes his triumphant return as the iconic Spider-Man foe known as the Green Goblin (real name: Norman Osborn).

Suffice to say, Dafoe jumps back into the role as if almost two decades never even passed since he first played the character (back in 2002’s Spider-Man)! One of, if not the most, impressive facet about this role reprisal is that Dafoe only agreed to play the Goblin once again if he’d be allowed to do the character’s stunts and action sequences himself, all while being 66 years old (by the time the film was released)! This passion and dedication is most certainly to be appreciated, and it shows in the finished film, as Dafoe is just as, if not more, chilling (yet engaging) than he was in Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy. This is in part thanks to the fact that Dafoe's face is unobscured by any mask/helmet for a majority of his screentime. Although I personally wish Green Goblin’s helmet was shown/used onscreen longer than what we got (for instance, it could’ve been incorporated into the more comic-accurate look he gains later in the film, such as what's depicted in these artworks), No Way Home shows viewers that you don't need the leering, inhuman visage provided by the helmet to invoke chills or general unease in viewers, as Dafoe being unmasked allows him to completely cut loose on an array of unsettling facial expressions that effortlessly illustrate the kind of sadistic and ‘ax-crazy’ maniac the Goblin is. As someone who considers this villain to be one of my top favorite cinematic Spider-Man antagonists (in terms of the webhead’s previous movies), it was a real treat having Willem Dafoe back as the character, and while he once again did well as Norman Osborn, Dafoe stole the show as the Green Goblin, and has rightfully earned his place up there with the likes of Loki, Killmonger, and Thanos as one of the MCU’s best villains to date!

Of course, this is still a Spider-Man movie, and Tom Holland is once again on point as the title character, with his passion for playing the iconic hero arguably on full display throughout No Way Home. While Holland still nails Spider-Man's energetic aura with little effort and seems almost equally at home bringing Peter Parker (who, to put it simply, is put through the wringer over the course of the film) to life, in this movie, he's given more opportunities, at least compared to his previous solo outings, to showcase his emotional range as an actor 

WARNING: SPOILERS! with two key scenes being the death of Aunt May and the final confrontation with the Green Goblin. In the first scene, Holland conveys Peter's alarm and emotional devastation to an impressive degree, to the point that viewers can readily 'buy' how distraught the young hero is by the end of the scene. When it comes to the climactic showdown, on the other hand, Holland manages to leave little doubt as to just how incensed Peter/Spider-Man is at the Goblin for the latter's role in the untimely demise of Aunt May, especially when the webslinger gains the advantage in the one-on-one throwdown and attempts to use the Goblin's own glider to put a permanent end to the depraved lunatic. As Peter’s older Raimi-verse counterpart attempts to stop the former from delivering the killing blow to the Goblin, Holland manages to depict his character’s vengeful fury (in terms of facial expressions) in a way that feels very palpable. END SPOILERS 

In general, Tom Holland did an impressive job as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and I consider myself incredibly excited to see where he goes next as the wallcrawling superhero! 

Finally, it’s time to discuss one of the worst-kept secrets in recent Hollywood history: The return of Tobey Maguire (pictured in the first photo) and Andrew Garfield (in the second photo), both of Tom Holland’s successors as Spider-Man, on the big screen as their respective versions of the webslinger!

It’s safe to say that the two of them and their time onscreen comprise among the best parts of the entire movie, in part due to the nostalgia of seeing them as their incarnations of Spider-Man once again, as well as (and perhaps more significantly) them and their younger MCU counterpart all sharing the same screen! Like with the aforementioned Willem Dafoe, Maguire and Garfield slip back into their roles with little-to-no discernible effort and one could argue it's clear they aren't 'here' (for lack of a better term) just for the paycheck, which Tom Holland himself corroborated in an interview following No Way Home's release, in which he described Maguire as "Really excited to be back. You could tell it really meant a lot to him. Him putting the suit on again. Us getting back together. It was awesome.” Regarding Garfield, Holland added, “I think this film was his way of making peace with Spider-Man. It was such a privilege to work with him. I know that it meant a lot to him.” If that wasn't enough, according to one of the screenwriters behind No Way Home, Chris McKenna, Garfield and Maguire, "Had great ideas that really elevated everything we were going for and added layers and an arc and we really actually started honing into the idea that these two guys were really helping Tom’s Peter on his journey to becoming who he ends up becoming. There’s a crucial, moral moment that they help him get through in the climax of the movie. So much of that was brought by Tobey and Andrew’s ideas and shaping of what they thought their characters could bring to this story.” It's difficult not to feel appreciative of just how passionate Maguire and Garfield clearly are about their roles, which makes their returns all the more enthralling! While both previous Spider-Man actors are great individually, it's how they bounce off each other and Tom Holland where they really shine! The onscreen relationship between the 3 Spider-Men is fun to watch in multiple ways, whilst also being meaningful as well as endearing/wholesome (e.g., when Garfield's Peter positively compares his Raimi and MCU variants to having brothers). The fact that the filmmakers were able to acknowledge the 'multiple Spider-Men pointing at each other' meme not once, but twice during the Spider-Men's time onscreen together and in a way that didn't feel forced is just icing on the cake! I'd argue the dynamic of the Spider-Men is comparable to that of seeing the Avengers interacting with one another for the first time back in the original Avengers film from 2012 in terms of how surreal, yet engaging, it is!

Michael Giacchino, who produced the scores for the previous 2 MCU Spider-Man movies, returns as composer for No Way Home, and while he did a satisfactory job, the score for this movie felt like something of wasted potential; Giacchino's theme for the MCU Spider-Man is still good and suits this incarnation of the webslinger (special notice going to the new renditions the theme gets this time around), but there are multiple instances where Giacchino could've made more use of musical themes originating from the previous pre-MCU Spider-Man films (given the presence of characters from the earlier continuities); granted, there are instances of pre-existing themes being used, such as a soft reprise of a portion of Doc Ock's Spider-Man 2 leitmotif following his arrival, a few notes of Electro's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 theme seconds before he attacks the webslinger, or a very poignant version of the "Responsibility" theme from the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy (originated by Danny Elfman) that's heard at one point during the climax (to avoid going too far into spoiler 'territory'), but otherwise, it's hard to name any particularly memorable pieces of music from this movie. Several 'moments of awesome' in No Way Home could've been amplified if musical pieces such as Sandman's Spider-Man 3 leitmotif or the more bombastic parts of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's respective Spider-Man themes were incorporated into the appropriate scenes; then again, I haven't taken the time to listen to the majority of the soundtrack by itself, so maybe my mind will eventually be changed in the near future!

If you've comes to see this movie just for the action sequences, you're in luck, because Spider-Man: No Way Home manages to deliver in this regard! From Spidey and Doc Ock's first showdown on a bridge, to the webhead's encounter with Electro and Sandman, to a faceoff with Dr. Strange outside of the Sanctum Sanctorum and spilling into the Mirror Dimension, this film has quite the variety of set pieces. However, the real highlights have to be the condo throwdown with Green Goblin (which comes off as more gritty in contrast to the showdowns with the main villains of the previous two MCU Spider-Man flicks) and the climax at the Statue of Liberty, which serves as something of dream fulfillment for longtime Spider-Man fans thanks to the presence of all 3 Spider-Men, along with, of course, villains from the previous 2 cinematic iterations of the wallcrawler! While the sequences succeed at being entertaining, and both Green Goblin confrontations have the most noteworthy choreography (to the point that some on social media have favorably compared some of Tom Holland's Peter's moves to those seen in the 2018 Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 video game), I personally wish the filmmakers took a page from Captain America: The Winter Soldier's book and included one additional face-off with the Green Goblin earlier in the movie, when the latter had his full Raimi-trilogy getup on (as pictured above). That way, we could have at least 1 fight between him and Spider-Man with both parties masked up (in contrast to the battles we got); besides, I kind of feel we could've gotten more in the way of screentime of the Goblin using his iconic glider in battle, so an early match between him and Spidey could've 'scratched' this 'itch'. Then again, this is more of a personal preference on my part, so 'your mileage may vary' (as the saying goes) regarding this critique. On another note, while the Doc Ock bridge fight wasn't bad by any means, I nonetheless feel as though there was some room for improvement regarding how part of the battle was shot (specifically, after Spider-Man deploys his Iron Spider armor's 4 pincers) as the portion involving Spider-Man's pincers being used against Doc Ock's signature mechanical arms could've been shot better to allow viewers to more clearly make out the fight choreography unfolding for that part of the skirmish. In addition, the Lizard (hailing from the Marc Webb-directed Amazing Spider-Man movies) could've had a sequence to shine, since otherwise, all he has in terms of action screentime is the climax at the Statue of Liberty, where he has to share the limelight with the rest of the major characters, thus reducing the amount of time he has to leave his 'mark'. Finally, as much of a delight as the finale may be, I can't help but feel somewhat irked by the number of times the Spider-Men's masks are removed/left off (to the point that it feels almost gratuitous), especially when it comes to Tom Holland's Peter's final 1-on-1 with the Green Goblin (which I'd also argue could've been a tad bit longer, e.g., the length of the first half of the final duel from the original 2002 Spider-Man). This may be yet another nitpick, but I feel as though it'd have been sufficient if the amount of time the Spider-Men spent masked up was equal to (or slightly greater than) the time spent unmasked during the climax. Gripes/nitpicks aside, Spider-Man: No Way Home succeeds in continuing the Marvel Studios tradition of delivering enjoyable action for viewers of all walks of life!

When it comes to visual effects, there's not too much to say about No Way Home that deviates from Marvel's usual standards of impressive (albeit not perfect) VFX work that enables fantastical elements from the comics to be brought to life on the silver screen, with the standout visuals being Spider-Man's signature web-swinging as well as how the Mirror Dimension that first appeared in 2016's Doctor Strange is once again realized in all its trippy and psychedelic glory for Strange's chase/fight with Spidey! However, the unsung highlight in terms of visuals for this movie is definitely the de-aging effects utilized on Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn/Green Goblin and Alfred Molina's Doc Ock to make them appear virtually identical to how they previously looked in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 (respectively). It's pretty difficult to tell that any digital effects have been applied to Molina and Dafoe's faces unless one takes an extremely close look, which is testament as to how Marvel Studios have mastered the art of this type of visual trickery (which was previously used in films such as the Ant-Man duology and Captain Marvel). Suffice to say, kudos to the VFX wizards at Marvel Studios and Sony for creating such seamless illusions of Dafoe and Molina's likenesses from the Raimi films, among several other digital creations for this film!

In general, I'd say Spider-Man: No Way Home is not just one of the top movies of 2021, but is also a heck of a triumph for Marvel Studios; not only did they manage to win over numerous viewers who may not have been the biggest MCU Spider-Man fans beforehand, but the filmmakers managed to do so through a well-paced and enthralling narrative that actually does the almost universally-despised "One More Day" comic storyline better than the source material, a likable and compelling array of characters brought to life by a seriously talented cast, well-written and engaging character interactions, commendable visual effects, and action that's arguably the definition of crowd-pleasing. I definitely recommend checking this movie out ASAP, but suggest familiarizing oneself with all 3 cinematic incarnations of Spider-Man beforehand (in some capacity); the film arguably serves as something of a celebration of the webslinger's nearly 2 decades of big-screen exploits, so the more familiar one is with the Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland flicks, the more rewarding the experience will be when watching No Way Home!