Amazing Spider-Man 2
I doubt anyone here needs them but, SPOILERS.
Ok, then. As anyone with a passing knowledge of Spider-Man comic book continuity over the past 40 years knows, the story of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy doesn't end well, and in this movie, we witness Gwen's tragic death at the hands of the Green Goblin.
Things, of course, don't transpire exactly as they did in Gerry Conway's groundbreaking comic book script all those years ago, but the gist is the same. Gwen dies -- in this telling, quite heroically -- and it's a huge downer. Not to mention a risky way to end a film. I credit the filmmakers for daring not the change things and give us a happy ending.
It's the chemistry and superb acting of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone that makes Gwen's death so gripping and touching. Stone, especially, is such a likeable and vibrant screen presence that it makes you genuinely sad we won't be seeing her as Gwen again.
It occurred to me that this is one of the few, and probably most significant, times we've seen human-level loss in a superhero genre film. The closest equivalent is probably the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents in the Batman films, or the death of Phoenix in the X-Men movies -- but she never stays dead, so that doesn't really count.
All of us have experienced the loss of a loved one, and the pain and sadness Peter Parker feels here is very real considering it occurs in a genre that still, for the most part, traffics in cardboard characters and fantastical situations. Although, there's plenty of all that, here, too.
While the Peter-Gwen story is transfixing and full of heart, the villains of the piece all get short shrift. The story of Jamie Foxx as Electro, a Spidey-obsessed nerd who accidentally gains super powers, is dealt with in a campy, supposed-to-be funny fashion that doesn't really resonate. It comes across like a throwback, in a bad way, to one of the 1980s Batman films. Besides which, Electro is too grade B to be a big screen super-villain.
Meanwhile, Dane DaHaan as Harry Osborn doesn't get enough character development and screen time for us to really get to know and hate him.
The scenes in which we're supposed to gain an understanding of Peter and Harry's friendship are barely scripted, leaving the two talented actors stranded -- all they can do to convey a history and warmth between these two characters is slap one another on the back and chuckle while giving one another crap like a couple of frat bros. It's all very undercooked.
So, an uneven, though moving, second entry in the current Spider saga that sets things up for what is likely to be an epic Spidey-Goblin showdown in number 3. The Vulture and Doc Ock may turn up, too.
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Now playing on Netflix, pop and soul fans will enjoy this examination of the overlooked, but vital, backline: the background singers who helped sweeten and bolster the vocals of countless chart hits.
As is pointed out in the film, many of us, when singing along to a familiar hit, tend to sing the backup parts, which shows how memorable and important these singers are. Yet, not many of us could attach faces and names to these voices.
It's an anonymous and generally thankless job, we learn. And for many of these singers, it's even worse than that. Darlene Love, voice of the Phil Spector-produced classic "He's a Rebel," which was credited to the Crystals, is offered up as a prime example.
Her vocal trio, the Blossoms, sang backup on countless hits by Elvis, Sam Cooke, Sonny and Cher, and a whole Top 100 more. Yet, Spector didn't credit her for much of her lead vocal work, while also keeping her under contract and preventing her from branching out. A singer who could've, should've been a solo star, was kept under wraps for years.
David Letterman should be commended for helping to redress some of the injustice, having invited Love on his show to sing her hit "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" each holiday season since 1986.
We also hear much from Merry Clayton, who sang the unforgettable vocal opposite Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," and who also should've had great solo success, as well as Lisa Fisher, a more recent case of the same story: great singer, troubled solo career.
There's not a ton of analysis of why backup vocals are so important, and what makes the most successful examples so memorable -- that would've been nice. But the documentary humanizes these folks and lets us see their faces and hear their stories, as well as hear their voices and see them in action in a wealth of vintage clips. Maybe watching this film and remembering these singers the next time their voices turn up of the radio is the best way we can provide them with at least some of the recognition they deserve.
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