TV-Series: Spider-Noir

I don't often watch television series. Even when I do, I don't write about them in my blog. I've made a few notable exceptions, such as "Smallville" and "The Sopranos", but even with those two series I didn't have the energy or the patience to continue until the end. The reason is that I have so many films I want to watch, and let's face it, may passion is films, not TV series.

However, when "Spider-Noir" was announced, I knew straight away that I had to watch it. The main reason was that Nicolas Cage was playing the title character. That guarantees quality, in my eyes.

I'll just tell you what the series' premise is. Ben Reilly was an American soldier who gained super-powers in Germany at the end of World War One. He acted as a super-hero called the Spider in New York for ten years. Then he retired after his girlfriend died, and he became a private detective. The series takes place in 1933. While investigating a case he's reluctantly tempted to use his super-powers again. He's out of practise. He's neither as strong nor as skilful as he used to be.

The series was filmed in black and white, but an alternate version has been made in full colour. As I understand it, the producers want the series to be watched in black and white; the colour version is only intended for younger viewers who need colour. I started watching in black and white, then switched to colour for comparison. Black and white is better. Believe me. Here are some comparison shots.

I deliberately picked this scene as something where the colour version might look better. But check the night-time scene below.

The BW version is far superior. But it's not just about the picture quality, it's about the atmosphere. The series is based on the film noir films of the 1940's and 1950's, even though it takes place earlier. Nicolas Cage may be a reluctant super-hero, but he plays a detective in the style of Humphrey Bogart. To get the full impression of the series, it has to be watched in black and white.

I watched all eight episodes in three days. It's worth a binge.

City of Angels (5 Stars)

"City of Angels" is a remake of a German film that's so well made that most people don't even realise it's a remake. It's a rare Hollywood remake that completely understands what it needs to change. Rather than trying to imitate "Wings of Desire" scene for scene, it transforms the original's philosophical melancholy into something more openly emotional and romantic. If Wim Wenders' film is about observation, loneliness and the burden of eternity, "City of Angels" is about feeling; immediate, painful, human feeling.

It can be summed up in one sentence: "Wings of Desire" is a film for the head, while "City of Angels" is a film for the heart.

Wenders fills Berlin with angels who listen silently to the thoughts of strangers. His film drifts through divided Germany like a poem about history, memory and alienation. The angels are fascinated by humanity but remain detached from it, and the black-and-white photography creates the sense that they're trapped outside life itself. It's a deeply intellectual film, one that asks what it means to exist rather than merely observe.

"City of Angels" strips away much of that philosophical weight and replaces it with romantic tragedy. Nicolas Cage plays Seth not as an abstract observer, but as someone already emotionally vulnerable before he falls in love. His relationship with Meg Ryan becomes the centre of the film in a way that the romance never entirely does in Wenders' version. The remake isn't concerned with the political or spiritual condition of a city; it's concerned with the intensity of human connection, and the pain that inevitably comes with it.

That's why Los Angeles matters so much as a replacement for Berlin. Wenders' Berlin is haunted by history and division. The Los Angeles of "City of Angels" feels weightless by comparison; full of sunlight, hospitals, beaches and empty freeways. The angels no longer wander through a wounded nation wrestling with memory. Instead, they float through a city obsessed with youth, beauty and mortality. The shift changes the entire emotional temperature of the story.

The remake also embraces sentimentality in a way Wenders carefully avoids. The soaring score, the soft golden light and the naked emotional sincerity all push the film towards melodrama. Yet that's exactly why it works for so many viewers. It isn't trying to provoke philosophical reflection as much as emotional catharsis. The famous tragedy near the end would feel manipulative in "Wings of Desire", but in "City of Angels" it feels completely consistent with the film's belief that love and loss are inseparable.

What makes the remake interesting is that it doesn't diminish the original by being simpler. It merely aims at something different. Wenders asks whether eternal beings would envy humanity. "City of Angels" answers immediately: of course they would. Human life hurts, but the pain is preferable to endless detachment.

Viewed that way, the two films complement each other surprisingly well. One contemplates existence; the other embraces it.

Success Rate:  + 1.6

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Kick-Ass (5 Stars)

Kick-Ass – A Bloody Love Letter to Comic-Book Culture

Tone, Premise, and Subversion

Kick-Ass, directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, adapts the Mark Millar / John Romita Jr. comic in a way that both celebrates and satirizes superhero tropes. Rather than giving us gods or mutants, we get Dave Lizewski, an ordinary teenager obsessed with comics who decides, “Why don’t I become a real-life superhero?” That childlike, fanboy impulse is the film’s emotional core; Dave isn’t doing this because of a tragedy or responsibility, but because he’s enamoured with the fantasy.

This setup allows Vaughn to play both ways: he delivers gloriously over-the-top violence, but also underlines how absurd and dangerous it would actually be for a normal person to try to live in a comic book world. Critics have noted that the film doesn’t simply lift comic book characters into reality; it “rips out comic-book pages and pushes the real world inside the gleeful chaos” of pop-violence. 

Characters and Performances

Dave / Kick-Ass (Aaron Johnson): He’s likable, naïve and badly out of his depth, but Johnson gives him enough sincerity that we root for him. Vaughn and Goldman don’t make him a parody; he’s a genuine wish-fulfilment figure, but one who pays a heavy price for his idealism. 

Hit-Girl / Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz): Arguably the show-stealer. Despite being an 11-year-old child, she’s a trained, ruthless killer, spouting profanity and executing her targets with lethal precision. Her performance is shocking, morally dissonant and deeply rooted in comic-book fantasy. She’s what happens when the pages come alive, but without editorial restraint.

Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage): A vigilante father with a clearly twisted philosophy, he’s reminiscent of Batman-ish figures, but not without his own emotional baggage. 

Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) & Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse): They provide the criminal opposition, with Red Mist’s turn especially resonating in the film’s blending of comic-style melodrama and real-world danger. 

Violence, Ethics and the “Comic-Book Fantasy”

One of Kick-Ass’s most provocative aspects is its use of violence. It’s graphic, gleeful and unapologetically cartoonish, but it’s also grounded in a world that, for the main characters, is very real. While the violence feels stylized, the characters’ emotional stakes remain believable. 

This tension between fantasy and realism is central to the film’s commentary on comic book culture. On one hand, it’s a cathartic expression of fan-power fantasy: costumes, vigilante justice, “saving the innocent.” On the other hand, it doesn’t shy away from the darker side: what if real people got hurt, or worse? Kick-Ass scratches the itch that a lot of comic fans have – the dream of being a hero – but it also warns that the dream comes with real risk.

The film also taps into the modern, Internet-inflected superhero culture. Dave’s early vigilante efforts go viral, and his fame spreads online. This reflects how, in the real world, superhero fantasies and cosplay are deeply intertwined with social media and celebrity.

Impact and Legacy

Kick-Ass hasn’t just remained a cult favourite; it also helped pave the way for more irreverent, R-rated takes on the superhero genre. Its willingness to lean into adolescent boredom, fanaticism and violence resonates with fans who grew up loving comics but also craving a more adult, subversive spin.

In some ways, Kick-Ass is a paradox: it’s a celebration of the fun of comic books, but also a critique of their fantasy escapism. By putting “real people” into these absurd situations, it highlights both the joy and the danger of wanting to be more than human.

Importance of Comic-Book Culture in Kick-Ass

1. Inspiration vs. Reality: Dave’s journey begins because of his love for comics. This is not just surface-level, it’s his framework for understanding heroism. The film explores what happens when “comic-book logic” is applied to the real world.

2. Satire and Celebration: The film simultaneously pays homage to superhero violence and mocks it. It leans into gore, exaggerated fights and “superhero theatrics,” but never loses sight that these are real stakes for real (non-superpowered) people.

3. Vigilantism and Fan Fantasy: Kick-Ass taps into the fantasy many comic-book fans harbour: putting on a costume, righting wrongs, being a hero. But it also raises ethical questions about vigilantism: what is gained, and what is lost.

4. Internet & Meme Culture: By making Dave’s exploits go viral, the film mirrors how modern “heroes” might arise not from secret lairs but from YouTube, social media and viral videos. It’s a reflection on how comic-book culture intersects with 21st-century pop culture.

5. Subverting Traditional Superhero Morality: Unlike classic superheroes who often have strict “no killing” codes, Kick-Ass’s protagonists do kill. Hit-Girl especially embodies a darker, more pragmatic (or nihilistic) interpretation of superhero justice. Despite her young age, she's the most deadly character in the movie; she kills 42 men, more than the kill count of Kick-Ass (4 kills) and Big Daddy (23 kills) combined. This subversion is part of what makes the film feel more “for grown-up comic fans.”

Conclusion

Kick-Ass is a bold, audacious film that wears its comic-book influences on its sleeve; but it isn’t just fan service. It interrogates the fantasy of heroism by placing it in a gritty, often brutal real world. Through its characters (especially Hit-Girl), it asks: what does it mean to live out comic-book violence? What do we sacrifice when we chase that dream?

The high kill counts underscore that this isn’t a sanitized, family-friendly superhero story. It’s violent, morally complicated and deeply rooted in the darker corners of comic-book imagination. For fans of comics and cinema alike, Kick-Ass remains a provocative, unsettling and strangely cathartic ride.

Success Rate:  + 1.4

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Wild At Heart (4 Stars)

Last week "Lost Highway" was shown in the cinema, but I couldn't go because it was sold out. I had mixed feelings. On the one hand I was sad, because I've never seen "Lost Highway" on the big screen. On the other hand, I was glad that so many people wanted to see such a wonderful film.

Tonight "Wild at Heart" was shown, also a film I've never previously seen in the cinema. It was a tribute evening to David Lynch. Two short films were shown before it started. The first was a tribute to David Lynch, a montage of short clips from his films and television series. The second was a collection of clips of things he said over the years, mostly taken from interviews. 

Nicolas Cage plays Sailor, a naive young man. He's dating Lula, played by Laura Dern. Lula's mother doesn't approve of him and hires a man to kill him. There's a fight, in which Sailor viciously kills the man with his bare hands. As a result he's sent to prison for two years, but Lula faithfully waits for him. Her mother is furious. She thought Lula would change her mind after having time to cool down.

Lula picks Sailor up from prison, but instead of going home they decide to drive all the way from North Carolina to California. That would be 2600 miles if they drove directly, but Sailor makes a detour through Texas to visit an old friend in Big Tuna, population 603. Meanwhile, Lula's mother has hired an assassin to find and kill Sailor. Since she doesn't trust him, she hires a second assassin, her former lover. (Or maybe he's still her lover, it's not clear).

Sailor drives through the barren landscape, not fully aware of what's happening around him. He's in love, which is all that matters. Nicolas Cage's acting is the opposite of his later performances. In this 1990 film he isn't at all over-the-top, he's supremely laid back.

It's an incredible film. The only thing that disturbs me is the amount of smoking. It's not just an occasional cigarette, Sailor and Lula are smoking in almost every scene. On occasions Sailor even has two cigarettes in his mouth. Maybe David Lynch meant this to be significant, but it's not attractive. In fact, it's repulsive.

Success Rate:  - 0.5

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The Surfer (5 Stars)

This is the ninth film in the Stuttgart White Nights Festival.

Even before seeing the film, I expected it to be the best film in the festival, and I wasn't disappointed. Nevertheless, I wasn't prepared for what awaited me. The film's premise is simple, but it develops into a Kafkaesque nightmare.

In best Kafka mode, the main character isn't given a name. He was born in a beachside house in Australia, but when he was 15 his father died and his mother took him to live in America. All his life he's longed to return to the place where he enjoyed surfing. Now he finally has a chance. The house where he used to live is on sale, and he wants to buy it, however much it costs.

He isn't welcomed when he arrives. The locals tell him he isn't allowed to surf. They repeat the slogan, "Don't live here, don't surf here". He tells them he intends to live near the beach, but they still don't accept him. They become increasingly violent. They bully him, and his whole life is torn apart. They steal his surfboard, his phone, his watch, his car, his shoes. He becomes a vagrant, living close to the beach. He hardly knows what's happening around him.

And that's just the beginning.

Be sure to watch this remarkable film when it's shown in the cinema.

Seeking Justice (3 Stars)

This is a 2011 action thriller that takes place in New Orleans. Will Gerrard is a meek English teacher. One evening his wife is raped on her way home. In hospital he's approached by a man who says he knows who the rapist is and can deal with him. It's not certain that the police will find him, and even if they do it will mean a harassing trial for his wife, and he might not get more than a year in prison. The stranger, who introduces himself only as Simon, says that the rapist is currently on parole after a previous offence.

"Deal with him"? The word "kill" isn't used, but it's obvious what he means. After short hesitation Will agrees. As a condition he has to agree to do a favour at some time in the future. So there's a catch? Never mind, Will wants justice for his wife.

We see a man shooting the rapist at home. Gradually the plot unravels. Simon runs an organisation that seeks justice for rape victims. A man is sent to kill a rapist. Next time there's a rape, the victim's husband is asked to kill the criminal. It's a chain of killings. The killer can never be found, because he has no connection to the rapist. The person who has been wronged always has an alibi.

Six month's later it's Will's turn to kill someone. He's given the photo of a paedophile and told to kill him.

By this point, I was having problems with the film's premise. It's very infeasible. Will isn't a killer. Probably many of the other men in the chain weren't killers. The film made me think about myself. I'd be happy if someone came to me and offered to kill my wife's rapist. He deserves to die, doesn't he? But if someone asked me to kill a rapist, I couldn't do it. I'm not a killer.

Will only consents to commit a murder after his wife is threatened. So Simon isn't such a good guy after all. After killing the man he finds out that he wasn't a paedophile, he was a reporter who was gathering information on Simon's gang.

This is a strange story. I kept shaking my head as things were uncovered. I just couldn't believe it. I enjoyed Nicolas Cage's acting, but a good actor doesn't make a good film. In fact, all of the main characters are played well, but the story still doesn't hold up.

Success Rate:  - 2.2

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Kick-Ass (5 Stars)

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is currently the favourite actor to become the next James Bond. That must mean he won't be picked, because the favourite actor never gets the role. The studios like to keep us in suspense. He was interviewed for the role over a year ago, but nothing has been revealed.

"Kick-Ass" is in 98th position in my top 100 list. Only 98th? Don't say "only". Every film in my top 100 is a work of genius. I don't know how many films I've seen in my life, before and after I started writing my blog. It must be thousands. So putting a film in 98th place is a great honour indeed. It's impossible to say how many full length films have been made since 1915, when "Birth of a Nation" was released. The consensus is that about 500,000 films have been made worldwide, but that's a very rough estimate. Accepting that estimate, "Kick-Ass" is in the top 0.02%.

It's a film that's grown on me. The first three times I watched it, I only gave it 4½ stars. My tastes have changed? Maybe. Looking back, I don't know why I didn't give it five stars from the beginning.

Size matters?

Not always. Mindy Macready might be a small girl with small guns, but she always finishes on top. You know what they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Success Rate:  + 1.4

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Prisoners of the Ghostland (3 Stars)

I gave this film a good rating the first time I saw it. Now I have to change my mind. I was biased towards it because it was made by my favourite director, Sion Sono, and it starred Nicolas Cage. Another positive factor is that it features two of the world's most beautiful actresses, Sofia Boutella and Yuzuka Nakaya, pictured above.

The strength of Sion Sono's films is that they're mad, but they always make sense. Maybe 54 schoolgirls hold hands and jump in front of a train, but there's a logical explanation. Maybe a serial killer replaces his victims' limbs with mannequin limbs. There's always an explanation. Except in "Prisoners of the Ghostland". It's a post-apocalyptic film, and in post-apocalyptic films ridiculous things are thrown together. People are holding on to the hands of a clock because they think they can prevent a catastrophe by stopping time.

Sion Sono faithfully follows the rules of the genre. But it's a genre I don't like. Nicolas Cage called "Prisoners of the Ghostland" the wildest film of his career. Maybe it is. But it's not his best film, and it's one of Sion Sono's weakest films. I doubt I'll watch it again.

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Mandy (5 Stars)

When I watched "Mandy" last month I mentioned that a friend of mine had told me it's a film that only looks good on an OLED television. I tried desperately to find a friend with an OLED television for me to check it out, but none of my friends who live locally have such a television. The Amazon Prime Day Deals were coming up, so I waited for a special offer, and I found one.

This is the television I chose, an LG OLED48A29LA, reduced from 1549 Euros to 717 Euros. That's a price reduction to be taken seriously. As I've said in the past, I only buy LG television sets. I believe my brand loyalty is justified. Samsung televisions are slightly cheaper, but they don't live up to the same quality. The only other brand that comes close is Philips.

The first picture was a catalogue picture. The second is a snapshot of my new television on my desk. Doesn't it look beautiful? It's thinner than my old television, only 6 inches instead of 8.5 inches. Despite being so thin, the sound from the internal speakers is adequate. I wouldn't say it's good enough for listening to music, but it's more than sufficient for a typical film. I have a BOSE soundbar, so I shan't be using the internal speakers often, but I'm still impressed.

I received the television on Saturday evening, but I didn't have time to unpack it until Sunday after coming back from "Das Fliegende Klassenzimmer". By the time I was finished I was too tired to watch a film, so I just watched a short video, the one pictured above. Does anyone recognise the young lady? This morning I watched "Mandy". My last viewing was recent enough for me to be able to tell the difference.

Wow!

What else can I say?

Wow!

Non-OLED televisions corrupt the picture. I can see that now. I might not have immediately seen a difference with other films, but "Mandy" has special cinematography that needs a special television. If any of my readers are unsure whether the extra price of an OLED television is worth it, watch "Mandy". I'm still able to compare. My 32 inch computer monitor (LG, naturally) is good quality, but not OLED. I watched about ten minutes of "Mandy" before I started this review, flicking forward from scene to scene, and it looks disgusting in comparison. "Mandy" needs OLED.

I'm sure that cinephiles will notice improvements with other films. Subtle improvements. But "Mandy" is the best film for a direct comparison. Maybe you have a bigger room than me and have space for a 65 inch television. I would have bought a bigger television if I'd had a better room. The experts say that the ideal distance from a television is 1.6 times the size of the television. That means I should be sitting 77 inches away from my 48 inch television. I actually sit 74 inches away, which is close to the optimal distance. I'd have to sit 104 inches away from a 65 inch television. I don't have enough room.

Success Rate:  - 5.5

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Mandy (5 Stars)

I've mentioned a few times that I was disappointed with this year's Fantasy Film Festival. It wasn't always like this. "Mandy" was the opening film in the 2018 Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival. It's an incredible film on so many different levels. The cinematography is brilliant, and so is the music. I strongly recommend turning the volume up as loud as you can. Headphones are okay, but it's better to play it over loudspeakers so that the music envelops the room.

Recently a friend (who doesn't live in Germany) told me that "Mandy" only looks good on an OLED television. I wish I knew someone with a television like that locally so that I can make a comparison. I've been reluctant to buy an OLED television because they're too big for my room. I sit only 185 cm (73 inches) away from my screen. I measured it. According to the "experts", the ideal distance for sitting from the television is 1.6 times the size of the screen. i.e. if you have a 43" screen, you should be sitting 69 inches (175 cm) from the screen. The smallest OLED screens used to be 55", which would be 88 inches (223 cm), but I've read that there are now 48" screens (77 inches, 195 cm viewing distance). That would be almost right for me. I need to check them out in the stores. I usually watch television by myself, directly in front of the screen, but OLED is supposedly better for watching at an angle when I'm watching with my son or my grandchildren.

Or maybe I should get myself a bigger room.

Success Rate:  - 5.5

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Sympathy for the Devil (4½ Stars)

This is the 23rd film in the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival.

The yearly Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival is never complete without a film starring Nicolas Cage. In the film shown today David Chamberlain is a man who lives in Las Vegas. He drives to a hospital where his wife is about to have a baby. He parks his car, but before he can get out an unnamed man played by Nicolas Cage climbs into the car and threatens him with a gun. The credits list Nicolas Cage's identity as "The Passenger". This year it's common for many of the film characters to be unnamed.

The Passenger orders David to drive him to Boulder City. When David asks how long the journey will take, the Passenger replies, "Why do you think you're ever going home"? The film turns into a terrifying road trip with the Passenger killing several people on the way. Nicolas Cage's performance is what we've grown to expect from him: over-the-top insanity. He's an actor that people either love or hate. I've witnessed this in the online discussions about "Renfield". Half of the people say that Nicolas was awful as Dracula, and the other half say he was brilliant. Today's cinema audience was biased. After the film everyone was gushing with praise. Including me.

The films in this year's festival have been weaker than usual, but this was the best film so far. I'm hoping for better films in the last two days.

The Flash (3 Stars)

"The film is considered one of the biggest box-office bombs of all-time, with expected losses for Warner Bros to be as much as $200 million".

So it wasn't just me who didn't like "The Flash"? DC Studios are obviously jumping on the multiverse bandwagon. If Marvel can do it, so can they. The comparisons weren't lost on the others in the audience. When I was walking out I was following two DC fans in their thirties. One of them said, "It's a better multiverse film than Spider-Man", and he pointed to a poster of "Across the Spider-Verse", which is also showing at the moment. That's a bad comparison, putting two average quality films side by side. They should have compared it with "Spider-Man: No Way Home", which is a much better film.

Even as far as the subject matter is concerned, "The Flash" is more similar to "No Way Home". Barry Allen (the Flash) meets three different versions of Batman, played by Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and George Clooney". If DC insists on changes in their version of the multiverse, they should have changed the actor playing Barry Allen. In the TV series the Flash is played by Grant Gustin, who's a terrific actor. In the film Ezra Miller is awful. But let's be fair to him. Maybe he's okay as an actor, it's just the way he was told to play the role. He's an idiot, making one clumsy mistake after another. That's not the Flash that we know in the comics.

The only part of the film that I liked was the two minutes when Wonder Woman appeared. Gal Gadot is a beautiful actress. We should have seen more of her and less of Batman. And less of the Flash.

I haven't written anything about the plot. Go and see the film yourself. Or don't bother. If you're a big DC fan, like the two men in my cinema, you might like it. The other 95% of the world can give it a miss.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (4 Stars)

Netflix Thursday #31

Any film starring Nicolas Cage is a pleasure to watch. He's often accused of over-acting, but that's exactly what I like about him. He's been criticised for the way he yells "Not the bees" in "The Wicker Man", but people just don't get it. He delivers the line in a way that only he could deliver it.

In "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" Nicolas Cage is making fun of himself. He even references the Not-The-Bees line. He plays himself at a period of crisis in his life. Other reviews claim he's playing a fictionalised version of himself, but that's only partly true. He's playing himself as others see him.

Nick Cage, as he calls himself, is convinced of his own talent, and he's disappointed that others don't recognise his talent. After being turned down for a major role he decides to quit acting. His agent persuades him to accept a one million dollar offer to appear at the birthday party of the billionaire Javi Gutierrez in Majorca. Easy money?

When Nick arrives he finds out that Javi is a big fan of his. He's written a screenplay, and he wants Nick to star in the film. Nick finds the script amateurish, but he becomes close friends with Javi and feels tempted to accept the offer.

Unknown to Javi, Nick is approached by two CIA agents. They tell him that Javi has become rich from arms dealing, and he's kidnapped the daughter of an anti-crime Spanish politician to persuade him to drop out of an upcoming election. They want him to spy on Javi, but Nick refuses to believe that his friend could do something like this.

The film is twisted, not really a comedy, but full of irony. If you're a Nicolas Cage fan you'll love the film, and if you don't like him you'll love it even more.

By the way, it really is Thursday today!

Success Rate:  - 1.0

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Renfield (5 Stars)

When I first heard that Nicolas Cage was going to play Dracula, I had my doubts. Even the first trailers for "Renfield" didn't reassure me. He seemed to be playing the role as a comedy figure. Then I saw the film today, and I was knocked off my feet. We can't rely on trailers. They often include footage that's not in the film, and that's the case with the "Renfield" trailer. In the film itself, Nicolas Cage is stunning. I don't know why I ever doubted him. Dracula, in all of his major screen incarnations since 1931, is a pompous, overbearing character. That's the sort of character that Cage plays best. Especially his monologues as Dracula are convincing. He's a madman who wants to conquer the world, and he has the power to do it.

Nicolas Cage bases his performance on Bela Lugosi. As is often said, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. After seeing "Renfield" today, I'm hoping that he'll make another dozen Dracula films.

But the film's main character is Renfield. It's good to see him projected into the limelight, and who better to play him than Nicholas Hoult? He's been a background character ever since Bram Stoker's original novel. Some of the film adaptations have omitted him altogether. When he's shown he's a madman who's desperate for Dracula's attention.

The Renfield that we see in the new film isn't mad. He's Dracula's trusted servant. He goes out in the daytime to find fresh food for Dracula. If Dracula says he wants a busload of cheerleaders, he goes out and gets them.

Robert Montague Renfield, to give him his full name, is immortal. This was never stated in Bram Stoker's novel, but we can read it between the lines. He's been serving Dracula faithfully for 90 years, even though Dracula is a cruel boss who frequently beats him. Renfield gains strength from eating insects, and he's healed by Dracula's blood.

Renfield's strength makes him a skilled fighter, able to take out dozens of armed opponents with his bare hands.

Apart from Dracula and Renfield, the main character is the New Orleans traffic cop Rebecca Quincy. She sees the good in Renfield and helps him rebel against Dracula. Awkwafina plays the same sort of character that she did in Marvel's "Shang-Chi". I like this character. She's jovial and lovable, the sort of person I'd like to sing karaoke with. In the film she's a counterpart to the serious characters around her.

A terrific film. I can't wait to see it again.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (3 Stars)

My personal definition of a good film is that it's a film that I want to watch at least three times. Please don't misquote me. I didn't say that it's a film that I've watched three times, it's a film that I want to watch three times. There are many films that I like a lot, but I haven't had time to watch them more than once. There are also films that I've watched three times, but if I saw the film today for the first time I wouldn't want to watch it another twice. "Into the Spider-Verse" is such a film. I rated it four stars when I watched it in the past, but after watching it today I dropped my rating to three stars.

I was being generous. I'm biased in favour of Marvel films. When I go to the cinema to see a Marvel film I want to like it. After watching "Into the Spider-Verse" twice already, I'm finally able to watch it with an open mind. It's not a good film. It's too silly. The whole way that Marvel handles the multiverse in its films is nonsensical. Added to that, the film has scenes that hurt my eyes. Either the colours are too bright, or the picture is blurred.

Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Spider-Man is Peter Parker.

I'm not so fussy about villains. I don't mind Olivia Octavius taking the place of Otto Octavius as Doctor Octopus.

But I don't want to see Peni Parker ever again. Or is her name Penny Parker? Or Peeny Parker?

I've been told that this is the first film in a trilogy. I hope the sequels are better.

Success Rate:  + 2.2

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (4 Stars)

I didn't intend to buy this film, but when I saw the 4K disc in Amazon's Early Access Sale for 6.95 Euros I couldn't resist the temptation. I have no idea what the sale was about – early access for what? – but it was a good price. Today, as I write this review, it costs 12.99 Euros, almost double the price.

It's a weird film, messing around with Marvel's concept of a multiverse three years before the topic was picked up in "Spider-Man: No Way Home". Evidently the critics like the film more than me. It has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest rating of any Marvel film so far, and it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film in 2019.

So the film has six Spider-Mans, or should I call them Spider-Men. It's always a problem with the plurals of proper names. But I can't call them Spider-Men, because two of them are women. So they're Spider-People? Not quite. Spider-Ham (on the right) is a pig, so they're Spider-Things. This is getting confusing.

There are attempts to be humorous in the film, but only one thing made me chuckle: Spider-Man Noir takes a Rubik's Cube back to a black and white universe. Isn't that the same sort of thing that happened in "Pleasantville"?

In my eyes the film isn't bad, but it's not great. If I had to name three things I particularly like about "Into the Spider-Verse" I'd say:

1. There's an animated Stan Lee cameo.

2. In the final scene Miles Morales captures the essence of Spider-Man by talking like Peter Parker.

3. Ummm... I can't think of anything else.

Success Rate:  + 2.2

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Knowing (4 Stars)

"Knowing" is a science-fiction thriller directed by Alex Proyas. The story starts on 13th October 1959. The children in a junior school are asked to draw pictures of what life will be like 50 years later. The pictures are put in a time capsule and buried in front of the school to be opened in 2009. As is to be expected, most of the children draw pictures of robots and space ships. Only one girl, Lucinda, does something different. She writes two pages of random numbers.

On 13th October 2009 the capsule is opened, and the pictures are handed out to the children at random. Caleb Koestler is given the paper with Lucinda's numbers, which is a disappointment, compared with the pretty pictures that his friends get. He gives the paper to his father, an astrophysics professor at M.I.T. John Koestler examines the numbers, and he realises that they're the dates and locations of every major disaster for the last 50 years, including the latitude and longitude. The last three numbers are in the future.

The following day there's a plane crash, with the exact number of deaths that was listed, so John decides to do his best to prevent the other two disasters. He tries to contact Lucinda, but she's been dead for years. Lucinda's daughter Diana helps him, because her mother had often talked about the future. Among other things, she'd predicted that Diana would die on 19th October 2009.

That plot would be enough to carry the story, but there's more. A group of thin men with blond hair are stalking Caleb. They whisper to him when no one else is listening. Were they attracted by the sheet of paper with the numbers? That's part of the mystery.

This is a very good film with a strong performance by Nicolas Cage as John Koestler. At the beginning of the film he holds a lecture on randomness and determinism. This is a theme that runs through the whole film. Was John pre-determined to be given the sheet of paper? That's difficult to accept, and the theme becomes even less feasible when Biblical prophecies are introduced into the film. There's too much fantasy for me to give "Knowing" a top rating.

Success Rate:  + 1.7

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Prisoners of the Ghostland (4 Stars)

I've been waiting a long time for this film. It should have been released in 2020, but it was delayed by the Corona pandemic. Now I finally have the Blu-ray disc in my hands, almost two years later. It's important enough for me to interrupt my true stories film marathon.

"Prisoners of the Ghostland" was announced as Sion Sono's first English language film. That's stretching it a bit. The film takes place in Japan, and there's a mixture of English and Japanese. I estimate that the languages are evenly distributed. Even Nicolas Cage speaks Japanese in some scenes.

The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, or at least a post-apocalyptic Japan. Unlike other post-apocalyptic films, the action takes place soon after the catastrophe. It's not stated how long, but it can't be more than ten years.

The wealthy and relatively healthy people live in a place called Samurai Town. It's ruled by a man called the Governor, who has chosen to model the town on an old wild western town, complete with cowboys and saloons. There's a nearby settlement called the Ghostland, where the poor and physically deformed live. The Governor keeps a harem of young women that he calls his granddaughters. They're actually sex slaves. His favourite slave, Bernice, flees to the Ghostland. The Governor asks an unnamed convicted murderer to fetch her back. As the film progresses this man is given the name Hero.

Nicolas Cage says this is the wildest film he's ever made. Yes, it's wild, but if you take it in the context of post-apocalyptic films it's very normal. It follows the rules for the genre. It's a society that has descended into chaos, with snippets of past cultures thrown together, because nobody understands their context. Religion and superstition are side by side. There are many precedents in film history. While watching it I was reminded of "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", although it's most similar to the Axa newspaper strip. I used to have a collection of the Axa cartoons in book form, but it was stolen by Thomas Kuzilla of Dearborn Heights, Michigan.

It's no secret that I don't like post-apocalyptic films. The chaos and the anything-is-possible scenarios disturb me. Nevertheless, Sion Sono has done a good job, making "Prisoners of the Ghostland" a welcome addition to the genre. I'll watch it again soon, probably as soon as I've finished my true stories film marathon.

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