The Amazing Spider-Man.

In August 2011 it was exactly 50 years ago that Spider-Man made his first ever appearance in a Marvel comic and by the look of his latest reincarnation in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) he’ll still be going strong in nine years time when he’s entitled to claim the American equivalent of his Bus Pass!

The Sam Raimi trilogy (2002 – 2007) was to be followed by Spider 4 but the studio decided to reboot the complete franchise, starting with the origins of the character and set at the time of Peter Parker’s High School days. Rooky director Marc Webb was brought in following the success of his 2009 debut feature film, the relationship drama (500) Days of Summer, although many Spider fans did not see him as the ideal person to handle the comic book adaptation, but fortunately their worries were unfounded.

Peter Parker with his first love Gwen Stacy.

In this latest version we also have a new actor in the main role, a great new villain, and a new love interest. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network 2010) although a little old for the part at 29, makes a reasonable job of the Peter Parker/Spider-Man character, Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy, Parkers classmate and first love and the film’s villain is British actor Rhys Ifans (Anonymous 2011) who plays the one armed Curt Conners, a mad scientist with a Jekyll and Hyde complex. 

Doctor Curt Conners.

I would say that it was not quite up to the standard of the Marvel Cinematic Universes latest picture Avengers Assemble (2012) but its still a well-acted, exciting and fun film for all age groups to enjoy. 

Never Let Me Go

Are we living in a society that’s inherently bad, do we recognise the underlying warning tones, are we all living in a negative utopia characterised by an authoritarian form of government, are there repressive social control systems in place that restrict our individual freedom? That’s the power of cinema: you trot along to the RBC Film Club on a Monday night and you end up spouting unintelligible rhetoric!

Cathy, Ruth and Tommy

Do movies really reflect the time that they were made, if true, then how will future generations view the dystopian drama Never Let Me Go (2010)? Kazuo Ishiguros a Japanese author, who was brought up in England, wrote the novel, that the film is based upon, in 2005. It was adapted for the screen by fellow novelist Alex Garland who was responsible for the novel The Beach and the original screenplays for both 28 Days Later (2002) and Sunshine (2007). It is set in a post war Britain in which the mayor scientific break-through is in genetics rather than nuclear physics, a society where human cloning is an accepted fact. These clones are created for the sole purpose of donating their vital organs to enable the life span of the “humans” to exceed the100 year mark. Young people would complete (die) in early adulthood after a second or third extraction. The children, who unconditionally accept their fate without the slightest hint of rebellion, are brought up in what closely resembles a 1950’s boarding school. The story centres on three of the children we first see at Hailsham School in 1978. Kathy H falls for Tommy but Ruth highjacks their relationship and forms a strong attachment to the emotionally fragile young boy that lasts well past the time all three leave the boarding school. Kathy eventually becomes one of the privileged clones acting as a carer, a position that will prolong her life beyond the normal expectations of a clone! Directed by Mark Romanek, who spent the previous twelve years making music videos for such well-known rock artiste as REM, Nine Inch Nails, Madonna and Michael Jackson and starring Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield who superbly play out the the grown up version of the children.

The viewer is restricted to what Kathy allows us to see through her narration giving us what is probable a blinkered view of her peripheral world. The film really makes you question our inability to escape the human lifespan what ever period were allocated be it 100 years or 100 days in fact do we really accept that our time is truly limited? Still just like the film, is life not just an attempt to love and be loved?