Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of Fitzie’s Film and TV Reviews, where your hoddler-in-chief reviews what he’s lately seen on the big and small screens.
We’ve watched a fair amount of film lately. Most of this is while we wait for the latest series of Ludwig to pop up on the Britbox. At the same time, I’m also withholding my judgment on the new Taskmaster until it’s a few episodes in.
Solo Mio: This is a straight-forward rom-com starring Kevin James, who was left at the altar
in Rome. It follows the pattern you’d typically expect in these kinds of films where man meets woman, they get along, there’s some hiccup and then they live happily ever after. But when they’re done well, they’re a lot of fun to watch. And this one was done well, and it’s nice to see Kevin James in a more mature (but still funny) role.
4 out of 5 Fitzies
Spiderman Brand New Day: One of two blockbuster films featuring Tom Holland (and Zendaya) (and John Bernthal) in this summer. It’s easy to think they’re saturing the biggest movies of the year, but the newest Spiderman was very enjoyable. The new Spiderman arrives a few years after Dr Strange wiped the memory of Peter Parker’s friends and loved ones (and the entire world) to save the world from something. This one is a little bit more mature than previous installations, but it’s nice to see Holland growing more into a role that he already excels at playing.
4 out of 5 Fitzies
Coyote vs Acme: I cannot believe the fight this film had to go through to make into the cinemas. It stars Will Forte, a lawyer who mostly settles cases for cartoon careers who get hurt using faulty Acme products, and stars opposite John Cena, the chief legal counsel for Acme.
Forte’s world is turned upside down when Wile E. Coyote shows up into his office one day, demanding a serious trial against Acme following his repeated failed attempts to capture the Road Runner.
This might be the best cartoon/live action film since Who Framed Roger Rabbit (unless we’re counting Paddington, which I’m not here). The cartoons and real-life characters blend together perfectly. During the film I found myself criticizing how unrealistic one scene during Congress was, while at the same time accepting a reality where cartoons co-exist alongside humans. So I shelved that complaint.
This is a very fun film and animated brilliantly. There was one chase scene where it felt quite obvious a green screen was being used, but other than that I greatly enjoyed it and thrilled it made its release.
4.5 out of 5 Fitzies
Fitzie’s track of the day: Love Takes Miles, by Cameron Winter
And now for your links:
The Athletic ($$): “In raising their technical ceiling, Tottenham have left themselves short of physicality”
Fightful: “Cody Rhodes Explains Why He Supports Preston North End”
The Telegraph: “Martin Odegaard bails out comically wasteful Arsenal”
BBC: “Prince William launches sport mental health toolkit”
