Baby Driver

The second day of the double-header brought a slightly more satisfying film (though both were enjoyable). Baby Driver is the film Edgar Wright got stuck into after his Ant Man debacle. Apparently, he's been planning this film for a good while, even before he made the clip for 'Blue Song' by Mint Royale in 2003 (starring Noel Fielding in the driver role, and Nick Frost, Julian Barrat and Michael Smiley as the bank robbers).

It's bags of fun, as technically adept as you'd expect from Wright, full of visual flourishes - the steady-cam coffee run and the foot chase are notable sequences. The pictures almost take a back seat to the soundtrack here, which melds everything together. This is where the energy lies in the film. The titular Baby has tinnitus and needs to listen to his pod most of the time, especially when driving. I have to say, though the system worked well, I didn't like any of the music, aside from the brilliant Queen track, 'Brighton Rock'. This is the third Queen song Wright has used, after 'Don't Stop Me Now' and 'You're My Best Friend' in Shaun of the Dead.

A word or two on the cast. Kevin Spacey and Jon Hamm are fantastic but it's Jamie Foxx who steals the booty here. He's better than I've ever seen him before - properly menacing and funny but not too many eggs in the pudding. The 'leads', Ansel Elgort and Lily James on the other hand, were pretty underwhelming and did just enough to hold the focus until the action or other cast members took the reins again.

It goes without saying that the driving was..........but I reckon the dialogue was the star of this caper. There are a multitude of witty lines and one or two scenes that rival Tarantino and the Coens. The four way face off in the diner was one of the tensest nail-biting moments I've seen in a long time.

One slight issue I had was with the final 5 or so minutes. For me, the ending betrays what came before it a bit. Too sappy and moral, I thought. It was probably the most logical ending but I didn't think it was necessary to show us the nuts and bolts of Baby's penance. At any rate, a new Edgar Wright film is one to mark in the calendar. More please. Listen to "ep001 Baby Driver" on Spreaker.

Spider-man: Homecoming

The first of a double header last weekend. This was fine, not outstanding, but better than the other Spider-man films. I reckon this is due to the fact that Marvel have been allowed to bring Peter Parker into their fiefdom though it's a bit of a double-edged sword. Tom Holland is pretty good as the new Spidey but the air is pregnant with the possible entrance of some Marvel icon. In fact, Tony Iron Stark bails out the hero a couple of times and there are one or two other neat cameos.

I quite liked the story line of the working stiff - Michael Keaton - getting stiffed, as it were, by the 'higher-ups' and then plotting to get something back. Understandable and nice of Marvel to attempt this foray into critiquing 'disaster capitalism' but ultimately, we all love Stark. Rich white guy - Huzzah! Working class white guy who turns into giant metal bird - Booo! It was a nice touch, though, to surround Spidey by non-white characters, especially as the love interest, Liz and assorted friends. The scenes with Peter getting used to the functions in his new suit (voiced by Jennifer Connelly) are light and fun and there are some other amusing scenes, especially with Stark in his mentor role. The action scenes, which aren't that frequent, are pretty tense and well-shot too.

Here's a small gripe. That's how I like my gripes, small and purple, if possible. Anyway, this film has similar issues to other Marvel scripts - that of highlighting winks to other pop culture refs where, actually, the characters most likely wouldn't have any idea what the fuck. In this film it's Spidey jumping through backyards (ala Ferris Bueller). So far, no worries. But they actually have Spidey run past a huge TV showing Ferris Bueller's Day Off and saying, "Great film." A film released in 1986, about 15 years before Spidey would have been born. Sure, he may have seen it, but let's assume he hasn't and just leave the references to the viewers who may spot them, and not illustrate the shit out of them. Thanks for humouring me.

And one more item to note. Was the obvious vacating of the Avengers Tower in New York a political nod? Best to not risk any comparison to another rich, white, powerful man with a giant phallic tower on the New York skyline. Overthinking?