TEXAS, USA —
THE MARVELS
Remember a time when a Marvel movie was an event we looked forward to? You might have to go back to "End Game."
Blame the oversaturation of Disney+ programming and big screen content, too. It's with that lack of anticipation that "The Marvels" hits theaters. The movie checks the boxes for more females in film ... with all three leads and director Nia DaCosta.
We know Brie Larson as 'Carol Danvers' aka 'Captain Marvel.' We met 'Monica Rambeau' (Teyonah Parris) as a little girl in the 2019 movie. Now, she's grown up. Teen superhero 'Miz Marvel" (Iman Vellani) is the third in a trio.
Together, they try to take down female villain 'Dar-Benn' who rips a hole in space and wants to draw their superpowers from them. The movie features lots of body swapping and cats who can ingest things (including people). A Streisand version of 'Memory' from "CATS" plays during one of said sessions. Samuel L. Jackson’s ‘Nick Fury’ is there to direct traffic.
Like several Marvel movies before it, you need prior knowledge of a couple of streaming series to get the full benefit - in this case "Wanda Vision" and "Mz. Marvel." The movie’s ending brings in another female face from Marvel. That's a nice surprise. And the mid-credit sequence (spoiler) loops in the X-Men franchise recently acquired by Disney. An even further extended Marvel Universe - can’t wait. But maybe Disney should!
(Walt Disney Studios. Rated PG-13. Running Time 1 hr. 45 mins. In Theaters Only)
THE HOLDOVERS
Now to a reunion we truly welcome! It's been nearly 20 years since Paul Giamatti starred as a wine lover in the critically acclaimed "Sideways," directed by Alexander Payne.
Now, the two team up again in "The Holdovers." Set in the 1970s, Giamatti plays a prep school professor who draws the short straw to stay on campus for the holiday with the kids who can't go home. He and a bright student with a troubled home life and a knack for acting up form a bond ... along with the school's cook, who's mourning the loss of her son in Vietnam.
Giamatti is absolutely perfect as the curmudgeon professor, and he should be, Payne wrote the role for him. (And no, it’s not set in Payne’s native Nebraska, it’s New England.) Newcomer Dominic Sessa plays the student chosen after an extensive search. Sessa was a senior at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and makes his film debut. He's quite good, but to my mind, looks too old. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is wonderful as the wry but heartbroken school staffer.
This is one of those movies that even feels like it was made in the '70s. Great characters. Old-fashioned storytelling. I could see a handful of Oscar nominations including for Giamatti, Randolph and Payne's screenplay. To the top of the class!
(Focus Features. Rated R. Running Time 2 hrs. 13 mins. In Theaters Only)
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