Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

by Nathaniel R

With Sam Raimi's take on Doctor Strange new in theaters, we chose his earlier superhero film Spider-Man 2 (2004) as this week's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" subject. While Raimi directed all three of the original Spider-Man films, Cláudio was right to suggest that the second film could well be considered a "platonic ideal for what superhero movies should be". When the film first opened in 2004 I saw it twice on opening weekend, something I hadn't done since I was a teenager. Not coincidentally it made me feel like a little kid again, pouring over comic books. It was a kind of pop bliss seeing Spider-Man come to life in such a wonderfully judged adventurous, romantic, and thrilling movie. Though that kind of magic has long become normalized, Spider-Man 2 is still a thrill.

Revisiting it was fun though quite surprising in three specific ways...

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Cláudio's Best Shot Pick: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

The next episode of our series, 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot,' arrives tomorrow. It's focused on Spider-Man 2. Here's Cláudio's entry.

Before the plague times we're living in, it was my annual tradition to celebrate my birthday by going to the movies. Indeed, way back in 2004, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 was the picture that marked the occasion of my 10th birthday. It was love at first sight. While the first Spidey flick was good, this sequel seemed perfect to my young eyes, and, as the years went by, it soon became something of a platonic ideal for what superhero movies should be but seldom were. And yet, despite all this love, I think I started to take the picture for granted.

Revisiting Spider-Man 2 for the first time since my teen years was a revelation. I also had a blast…

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Oscar can't quite let that "Popular Movie Oscar" idea go...

While the "Popular Movie" Oscar idea the Academy Awards floated a few years ago was met with immediate backlash, Oscar can't quite let the idea go. Their latest attempt at populism to increase ratings is to incorporate Twitter users into the ceremony via a "Twitter Fan Vote"... and that begins today. Whichever movie gets the most votes with the hashtag #OscarsFanFavoritee will be honored on the Broadcast, though it thankfully won't be getting an official statue. A fan favourite scene will also be played on Oscar night via the hashtag #OscarsCheerMoment. All of which seems like an excuse to show a clip of Andrew Garfield walking through a magical portal into Spider-Man No Way Home which they could do anyway since the movie is up for Best Visual Effects. Plus Oscar ceremonies would always be wise to include a montage of the past year in film.

The second part of this is ultra specific and odd. Three twitter users who vote this year will get an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to present an Oscar at the 95th Oscars in 2023. Why anyone but their family would want to watch three random civilians present an Oscar when we there are hundreds of bonafide celebrities in the room we could be watching instead is beyond us. 

The Case for Andrew Garfield Winning Best Actor

By Ben Miller

Garfield at The Hollywood Reporter actor's roundtableWill Smith has had his name chiseled into the Best Actor Oscar since we first laid eyes on the trailer for King Richard.  It's a foregone conclusion, no need to pay attention to anyone else.  As with Best Actor last season and Best Actress 2018, everyone knows who is going to win, so it doesn't matter who the Academy votes for! If your memory is fogging up, it's because those "foregone conclusion" frontrunners in 2018 and 2020 did not, in fact, take home the trophy.

2021 may well repeat history as Andrew Garfield campaigns, charms, and web-slings his way into the conversation to take home Best Actor on Oscar night.  Let's break down the reasons why Garfield could walk away with the trophy...

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Visual Effects Shortlist - Scene Breakdown

By Ben Miller

The 10 finalists for the Best Visual Effects Oscar were announced last week.  Though once reserved for films that pushed the boundaries of what films could visualize, the Oscars have since gravitated towards spectacle and bombast.  Of the 10 films, none came from an independent studio or had a budget less than $100 million.  That isn't to say their effects should be discounted, but don't expect to see something like Ex Machina or shortlisted documentary Welcome to Chechnya from last year.  This category is usually reserved for outright spectacle, and these shortlisted films reflect that.

Let's focus on one specific setpiece per film that highlights the visual effects artists...

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