In which Mosely and I discuss what I’ve been watching — featuring first impressions of Spider-Man: Brand New Day

I have a lot of movie reviews to catch up on here at the site. So I’ve decided to ask for help from the laziest member of my household — FBI Special Agent Alonzo Mosely.

FBI Special Agent Alonzo Mosely (the Overstreets’ housecat):
Seriously, dude — where is your review of The Odyssey? It’s been out since July 17th.

Overstreet:
I saw it on IMAX on Friday night of opening weekend. And, as you can imagine, it’s a complicated film to review.

Mosely (glaring):
But almost all of your favorite film critics have already published reviews.

Overstreet:
Yes. And most of them had assignments to meet that deadline. As you well know, I have no assignments like that anymore. I put in almost 20 years chasing deadlines every week. I’m glad to be able to make my own review calendar now, and publish things when they’re good and ready.

And thank God I didn’t have a deadline for The Odyssey! I would have failed miserably. Since I saw it, I’ve had a rush of disruptions related to family crises, unexpected personal health issues (related to the stress of the family crisis), and some book-promotion events I had to show up for. I do have an Odyssey review in progress. But the draft has grown to more than 8,000 words. I need to revise and condense it into something people might actually read.

Mosely:
It’s funny. Furrr a moment there, I thought you said 8,000 words.

Overstreet:
Most importantly, though — I’m not going to publish something until I feel I have something distinct to contribute to the conversation. Since I started writing my review, several other critics have beat me to it, highlighting what I was eager to highlight, and they have done so powerfully. Some are very positive on the film, others aren’t so much. And I find myself agreeing with much of what they say.

Mosely:
I supposed I should learn to read and get busy. Which reviews do you recommend?

Overstreet:
If you’re eager to read provocative, illuminating perspectives on The Odyssey, I encourage you to check out reviews by

• Georgia Coley (Sojourners),
• Steven D. Greydanus (US Catholic),
• Alissa Wilkinson (The New York Times),
• Justin Chang (The New Yorker),
• and Letterboxd responses from Sam Van Hallgren, and Mitch Capps.

And more than one friend has urged me to check out this essay by Ezra Klein (The New York Times). (I suspect that Klein is going to echo what Coley and Greydanus are alrighty celebrating about the film, but I haven’t had time to read that one yet.)

Mosely:
But you have been watching movies. I know. I’ve been there, scowling at you while you watch them in your home office or while you stay up late making notes on Letterboxd. You know I can’t stand it when your attention is on anything or anyone but me.

Overstreet:
Yes, I’ve really needed movies this summer. I am exhausted. Summer “Break” has, contrary to what I hoped and needed, been much harder work than the school year so far. I’ve been turning to movies and music to help me take my mind off of troubles that I cannot resolve. And movies and music have done much more than that. In some cases, they have helped me find my way toward healing and hope.

Mosely:
I’ve sensed a lot of tension in the house. Can you talk about some of these troubles that have been weighing you down?

Overstreet:
I could, but I won’t. Talking about them right now makes them feel even heavier. I’ll write about them when I have time. And if that writing might serve readers in some way — that’s always a question worth asking (as a lot of writing, in my experience, is needful for the writer but not artful enough for an audience) — I’ll share it.

Don’t take it personally that I’m not asking you about your own troubles, Mosely. But I think I know what you would say.

Mosely:
I want freedom to come and go from the house as I please. There are birds and squirrels and rabbits in the backyard, and they all require my attention.

Overstreet:
Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Do you remember why I asked you to participate in this post?

Mosely (scowling):
Okay — you recently posted about some of the music that has been helping you.

Overstreet:
True. And I’ve already found another long list of recommendations I hope to share here soon.

Mosely (sniffing at the spines of public library DVDS):
What films have you been watching?

Overstreet:
Let’s start with yesterday and work backwards. I don’t have time to give you full reviews, but I can give you some first impressions.

Today, I watched Christopher Nolan’s first feature film — Following. It felt like I was doing homework until the movie actually started. That feeling went away very quickly. And yesterday, I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Before that, I finally saw Soderbergh’s Magic Mike as well as Predator: Badlands from the director of Prey. I caught up with two Criterion classics as well: The Cranes are Flying, which may be the most beautiful black-and-white movie I’ve ever seen, and Céline and Julie Go Boating, which was one of the wackiest I’ve ever seen. Oh, and I watched two Criterion-Collection Westerns that I’ll never forget: first, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and then Buck and the Preacher. I really need to write some of these — particularly those Westerns .

Mosely:
Wait, what? I thought you’d given up on Marvel movies. Why did you go see Spider-Man: Brand New Day? And did it rekindle any interest in the possibilities of the MCU?

Overstreet:
I’ve written in the past about my childhood enthusiasm for Spider-Man, and I’ve enjoyed several of the MCU’s Spidey films to varying degrees. And Into the Spider-Verse is right up there with the greatest animated feature films I’ve ever seen. So the 11-year-old in me is not likely to miss a chance to see a new web-slinging adventure on the big screen.

Do you need a synopsis?

Mosely (grooming indifferently):
Sure — but no spoilers.

First impressions of Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Overstreet:
Okay, but that’ll be tricky.