Jon Crunch: July 2019

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Movie Review: “Spider-Man: Far From Home”

“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” — Nick Fury, “Spider-Man: Far From Home”

I’ve been wondering lately how the vaunted Marvel Cinematic Universe will fare now that “Avengers: Endgame” majestically wrapped up a decade’s worth of superhero movies in a neat, heroic bow. (Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen Endgame, see it, then come back and read this.)

With “Spider-Man: Far From Home” spinning a web at the box office, the future of the MCU starts to take shape.

I really enjoyed the first Tom Holland-led Spidey movie when “Spider-Man: Homecoming” debuted in theaters two summers ago. In my review of that movie I wrote, “it was nice to see something that had the tone and heft of pink bubblegum.”

My enjoyment of “Homecoming” left me with fairly high expectations going into the latest web-slinging adventure featuring “our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

This time out, Queens teen Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and a group of his classmates from Midtown School of Science and Technology are headed to Europe on a summer trip.

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” takes place after the events in “Avengers: Endgame,” so the school had to restart its academic year to accommodate the students who “blipped” (a term the students use to refer to students who disappeared during the events of “Avengers: Infinity War.”)

Those who “blipped” are the same age. Those who didn’t are five years older.

Parker longs for a return to normalcy after his heroics in the two most recent “Avengers” movies.

He hopes the class trip will allow for a much-needed break, and present an opportunity to further his relationship with classmate MJ (Zendaya). He doesn’t even want to bring his Spidey suit along, and has been “ghosting” calls from Nick Fury.

Unfortunately for Peter, the class trip experiences an attack by a water creature (an “Earth Elemental”) while they are visiting Venice, Italy.

Peter — sans Spidey suit — leaps into action, and meets a new superhero wearing an outfit that looks like it jumped out of Thor’s Asgard — with a helmet that’s a cross between a crystal ball and a snow globe.

The students are stunned, but impressed, with the mystery hero. As classmate Brad (Remy Hii) declares, “he’s kicking that water’s ass.”

Our webbed crusader soon finds himself back in the S.H.I.E.L.D. fold — working with Agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and the new superhero whose name is Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) — dubbed “Mysterio” by Peter’s classmates as a result of an Italian media reference.

Beck claims to be from an alternate reality, suggesting there are multiple parallel universes.

Before we know it, Peter and his friends are twisting around Europe (S.H.I.E.L.D. starts to influence the group’s itinerary) so Spider-Man can help thwart the threat of other Elementals wreaking havoc.

Things aren’t as they seem, though, and there are some pretty decent twists and surprises in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”

Peter has to come to terms with his role as a superhero, his relationships with his friends, and his desire to move forward after the loss of mentor Tony Stark in “Avengers: Endgame.”

Peter laments, “I didn’t think I was gonna have to save the world this summer.”

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is far from perfect, but I had a terrific time watching it.

I started writing this review on July 2 (when I first saw the movie). In the intervening days, I’ve seen the movie two additional times. I’ve enjoyed it more on subsequent viewings.

“Far From Home” is directed by Jon Watts (who directed “Homecoming”).

There are some uneven moments in this latest Spider-Man adventure, and I thought Gyllenhaal’s role could have been developed a bit better.

The Quentin Beck character is pretty interesting. It’s kind of a shame they weren’t able to integrate Beck into earlier MCU movies as a bit player. If they had, I think his character’s arc could have developed in a “slow burn” fashion leading up to “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” giving “Mysterio” greater depth.

Marvel also seems committed to the “Iron Spider” concept of making Parker the heir apparent to Tony Stark. We are treated to more scenes between Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) and Parker in “Far From Home,” including questions about Hogan’s feelings for Peter’s Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).

(I really like the wit Favreau brings to the role. I think he’s a grounding force in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”)

Peter’s friend and sidekick Ned (Jacob Batalon) is another bright spot in the film. His charm and affable demeanor adds dimension to Parker’s. The character’s role in the story is something akin to Luis (Michael Peña) in the “Ant-Man” movies.

Overall, I had a fun time watching this movie.

It was a smart move for Sony and Disney to finally find a way to integrate this character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (after the Sony’s “unconnected” Spider-Man films starring Tobey Maguire and Alex Garfield).

One of the little moments I enjoyed in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is a sequence where Parker is presented with a gift from the late Tony Stark (there are monuments, shrines, and tribute videos dedicated to the character strewn throughout this movie).

The stylish sunglasses serve as an “AR tactical intelligence system,” allowing our hero to connect to a digital assistant named E.D.I.T.H. The acronym stands for “Even Dead I’m The Hero.”

In a cinematic universe where things are not always as they seem, I still believe we haven’t seen the last of Mr. Stark.

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” is the cinematic equivalent of chasing down a bag of Doritos with a cold can of Mountain Dew. It might not be fancy cuisine, but it sure tastes good.

P.S. — Be sure to stay through the ENTIRE end credit scroll. You know the drill — all the way to the end. There are some “easter eggs” that have a pretty significant bearing on the events in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” — and upcoming films in the MCU.

Previous post: Book Review: "True Believer" By Jack Carr

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Book Review: “True Believer” By Jack Carr

By Jon Brooks

“Take a breath, look around, make a call.”

One of my favorite books of 2018 was former Navy SEAL sniper Jack Carr’s debut novel “The Terminal List.” In my review, I referred to the book as “a story that stings the throat and clears the sinuses — bold, brutal, and unwavering.”

I had the distinct honor of being able to read an Advance Reader's Edition of his latest thriller “True Believer” (on sale July 30, 2019).

Carr continues his hero’s journey in “True Believer.”

Former Navy SEAL James Reece is back in action.

“True Believer” begins with our protagonist in the aftermath of the events in “The Terminal List.” Having satiated his need for revenge, Lieutenant Commander Reece is sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on a 48-foot yacht called Bitter Harvest (which he procured in the first novel).

Reece is still haunted by the tragic events that befell his wife Lauren and daughter Lucy in the first book. He lives a rudderless existence — waiting to succumb to a brain tumor discovered in “The Terminal List.”

He is also a wanted man.

But sometimes fate has a way of changing course.

Reece sails to the coast of Mozambique. Richard Hastings — the uncle of Reece’s SEAL brother and former college classmate Raife Hastings — runs a safari operation called RH Safaris in the Niassa Game Reserve.

Reece ends up helping out the operation, putting his military skills to use tracking down poachers. The work gives our hero a sense of purpose.

During these sequences the author serves up interesting factoids about the Rhodesian Bush War as well as modern-day geopolitics influencing east Africa.

(I also enjoyed Carr's references to Toyota Land Cruisers — vehicles the author and his protagonist both love.)

While Reece is living under the radar, a series of terror attacks put the intelligence community on high alert.

Carr’s attention to detail in the novel is excellent, and his life as a former special operator lends authenticity to the story.

James Reece isn’t able to stay incognito forever, and is eventually rousted from Mozambique.

He soon finds himself in the employ of the U.S. government. His past connection with intelligence asset Mo Farooq — who is suspected of being behind the attacks — puts our hero back in the game.

As you can imagine, things aren’t quite what they seem. A whole host of players — including an ambitious Russian named Vasili Andrenov — are moved deftly around the chessboard by Carr.

Carr’s globetrotting adventure has a flavor similar to thriller masters like Brad Thor and Vince Flynn.

For those who enjoyed the author’s intricate descriptions of weaponry in “The Terminal List,” ample attention is paid to the “tools of the trade” in “True Believer.”

The story is also well researched.

Once again, Carr includes “redacted” passages (blacked out words) in “True Believer” that the DOD Office of Prepublication and Security Review flagged (due to the security clearances the author held when he was a Navy SEAL). It is something unique to Carr’s fiction thrillers, and adds to the authenticity.

The early parts of “True Believer” are reminiscent of Tom Clancy novels of yore — with multiple story threads twisting between time and place from England, Mozambique, Belgium, Switzerland, Nicaragua, and Washington D.C.

Carr talks about his writing process (and how he got published) in a recent episode of the “Jocko Podcast”:

The podcast — which clocks in at nearly two-and-a-half hours — features a wide-range of topics with the author.

Carr talks about how he had seven different novel synopses before he picked one and wrote “The Terminal List.”

He says the other synopses are “turning into these next novels, even though I might have different characters or whatever, I can morph those ones. So I have about seven different novels in the pipe, ready to go.”

As I listened to the podcast, I realized just how many of Carr’s real life experiences (personal and professional) are woven into “True Believer.” Give it a listen — it’s well worth your time.

“True Believer” is more cerebral than “The Terminal List,” and Carr pours a fine foundation for more James Reece thrillers in the future.

Reece comes to terms with his past and evolves into a more nuanced hero. He is a well-oiled operator — locked, loaded and ready for action.

The little moments are some of the best in the novel. For example, there is a sequence at the beginning of Chapter 37 that reminded me of Thomas Magnum recalling childhood memories with his father in the 1983 “Magnum, P.I.” episode “Home From Sea.”

“True Believer” helps establish Jack Carr as one of this generation’s preeminent thriller writers.

Highly recommended.

Order your copy of "True Believer" here.

P.S. — Be sure to read the “Glossary” section at the end of Carr’s novels. In addition to providing interesting bits of trivia, he throws in some humorous remarks.