Hawkeye (2021)

Jeremy Renner finally gets his due. Is a 300 minute miniseries more prestigious than a feature film nowadays? Maybe. I think he probably got a longer end of the stick than Scarjo did with Black Widow. In the grand scheme of the Marvel Universe, this is probably not that important, but I think that's what's so refreshing about it compared to the complex Loki. They can go small. What they created is a Christmas movie, or an extended Christmas episode. It's designed just to make you smile and it does the trick. Christmas in New York is magical, isn't it? Hailee Steinfeld is fabulous as Kate Bishop, the rare Hawkeye fan who was inspired to pick up archery and becomes something of a hero in her own right. There is a deaf played by Alaqua Cox. Following the success of The Sound of Metal and CODA, it was a pleasant surprise to see a deaf character thriving in the hearing world, and multiple hearing characters signing to her, entering her world, handicapping themselves for her benefit. There is also a pretty good gag (prediction?) about a Marvel musical. Maybe they forgot about the Spiderman musical. The song and choreography are painfully accurate; I can see it transitioning to Broadway for real and succeeding.

Bumblebee (2018)

I'm happy to say that Bumblebee is actually an enjoyable Transformers movie. It's an homage to the eighties, full of eighties music and design. Is it kind of cheesy? Sure, but eighties nostalgia is going to be kind of cheesy. It's undeniably fun. Hailee Steinfeld is a refreshing lead in a series that once featured Megan Fox and Shia Labeouf. Why not have a brave, independent female lead with a penchant for cars? Don't let her pop star turn make you forget that she is Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld. The ending is really unique. The charming love interest tries to make a move and he is rebuffed. She evidently doesn't dislike him but she's not ready. And that's that. It's not creepy and he doesn't make a big deal about it. On the surface it appears anticlimactic, but the movie is not actually about them. Her transformation comes through her friendship with Bumblebee, not the boy. The studio must have made them add in the boy, but the filmmakers showed 'em just whose movie this is.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse (2018)

The critics have been saying that this movie totally reinvigorates the superhero genre. They're not wrong. But moreover, this movie takes the broader genre of animation to places it has never been before. Perhaps more than any other movie, it makes innovative use of its medium to depict a moving comic book in a way that only animation can. I want to say this is the first western-style anime in the sense that anime animates manga. And it pays homage to anime in a very obvious way. The style is so refreshing and invigorating, I hope it gets recognized for production design.

Don't let the cheesy title deter you, this is an excellent Spiderman movie .Spiderman is an iconic character, you didn't think they had anything new to say. He's you friendly neighborhood Spiderman, hailing from Queens. Queens is such an essential part of who Peter Parker is. But our Spiderman in this film is not Peter Parker, but Miles Morales, who hails from Brooklyn. This movie makes a clear distinction between Peter and Spiderman. It sends the message that Spiderman is a persona; that anyone can be Spiderman, that we're all Spiderman. It is an empowering message that we needed to hear.

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

I am not a huge fan of a capella in the first place, but I was at least able to enjoy the first one.  On the other hand, the sequel just was not that funny.  Rebel Wilson is more naturally funny in a self deprecating way, and she gets most of the comedic lines.  Perhaps some of the magic has worn off this time around. At least the last one painted a plausibly honest picture of college life.  This one was just ridiculous and unrealistic.

As for the music, Anna Kendrick has a bizarre, interesting, genuinely enjoyable duet with Snoop Dogg singing Christmas carols.  The original movie had a huge hit in the song "Cups" which is reprised in this film with less fanfare and notably without the eponymous cup.  In the sequel, I think the audience was supposed to latch onto the song "Flashlight" by Jessie J, which is posed as an original written by Haley Steinfeld's character.  However, the song just isn't as catchy as cups and lacks the novelty of the percussion.  Haley Steinfeld proved that she could sing in last year's Begin Again, but she really did not stand out singing in an a capella group.

Begin Again (2013)

Begin Again is filled with good music.  Keira Knightley's singing voice is surprisingly pleasant.   Her singing is notably better than Adam Levine's acting.  Mark Ruffalo, as always is phenomenal.  The two leads have excellent chemistry.

However, the star of the film is definitely the music.  Gregg Alexander, John Carney and Glen Hansard have composed a solid soundtrack.  The song Lost Stars is sure to be a front runner for Best Song at the Oscars.  Carney is known for making movies about music, and he succeeds at integrating the songs into the plot.  The film must be compared to Once, and the fact of the matter is that Once is a better movie.  Begin Again seems to lack the emotional depth and the authenticity that Once has.