Tribeca 2023 Unseen Films review: Disney+ documentary ‘STAN LEE’

STAN LEE

This is a Disney+ documentary look at the one and only Stan Lee, largely told in his own words which were recorded during his almost century-long life.
For those who don’t know Stan Lee is the guy who got a job with Timely comics in the late 1930s and ended up staying with the company for decades, eventually rechristening it as Marvel. Along the way, he helped create the Fantastic Four, The X Men, The Hulk, Spiderman, and dozens of other characters.

This is a loving tribute to a man who altered the world with the things he wrote. If you hate the Marvel superhero movies blame Lee for creating the source material. It’s a film that while firmly focused on Lee and the Marvel years (Marvel is owned by Disney after all) clearly gets across how important Lee was to the art form of comics.

While far from complete, his work for anyone other than Marvel is completely ignored, the film does do some things I didn’t expect to see, particularly putting Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko front and center in the creation of many well-known characters. Yes, the film has Lee argue that he created say Spiderman because he came up with the idea, but the film is framed in such a way to make it clear that artists like Kirby and Ditko were as, or if not more important than Lee. It shows that they left Marvel because of Lee’s ego which made him insist he was the guy. I suspect that some people will argue the film doesn’t do enough in this regard and they are probably right, but those battles need a whole film unto themselves, and besides this film’s breezy celebration in Lee’s own words and as such you are not going to find enough material to fight that battle.

Say what you will about comics, this film makes the case that part of the reason comics are what they are today was because of Stan Lee. Lee and Marvel forced the medium to grow up and deal with real people (minorities were represented) and real problems (drugs). Additionally, because Lee was such a good spokesman he ended up altering how people saw comics just by speaking on TV talk shows. While I know many artists hated that Lee was the face of comics, the reality is that he was a good face of the industry and his friendly outgoing nature clicked with the public.

Despite knowing much of this I was moved. For better or worse Stan Lee was a crazy guy you couldn’t help but like.

I truly loved this film.


DIRECTOR
David Gelb
PRODUCER
Jason Sterman, David Gelb, Brian McGinn
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Ernesto Lomeli
COMPOSER
Scott Michael Smith, Michael Dean Parsons
EDITOR
Andrew McAllister, Jamie Garland, James Long
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Jeff Redmond, Andy Heyward, Gill Champion, Jamie McBriety, Sarah Regan
CO-PRODUCER
Lauren Goralski, Andrew McAllister
STORY PRODUCER
Emily Van Bergan
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
T. Hunter McCann
ASSISTANT EDITORS
JJ Degen, Emily Fuller
ARCHIVE PRODUCER
Danny Hirsch
CAST
Stan Lee

You can read more of Steve’s vast film coverage at Unseen Films!




Tribeca Film Festival 2019 Review: ‘Charlie Says’ flips the script on the Manson girls.

 

Charlie Says

Charlie Says, directed by masterful filmmaker Mary Harron and written by Guinevere Turner, tells the familiar story through fresh eyes—those of Manson’s most devoted girls, van Houten (Game of Thrones’ Hannah Murray), Patricia Krenwinkel (Sosie Bacon), and Susan Atkins (Marianne Rendón). Thanks to a devoted prison educator who slowly draws the women out from years of a madman’s mesmerizing and abusive spell (Matt Smith), the women’s story is told in eerily detailed flashbacks, forcing them to reflect on the path that leads them to such unforgivable crimes.

This is not a story about Charles Manson. This is a story about three women who were manipulated by a mentally ill man who convinced them they were loved. Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, and Leslie Van Houten, all came to be followers of Charles Manson because they were lost and looking for someone to make them feel important. It’s the performance from Hannah Murray, Sosie Bacon, and Merritt Wever that catapult this story forward. Wever, in particular, is the heartbeat that guides these broken girls into reality. Bacon represents every girl that needed Manson (played by Matt Smith with a quiet but fiercely alarming power) to be their father figure. Murray, as Leslie, is the audience. You feel for these ladies through intercut flashbacks and prison scenes. Each like a peek behind the curtain and into the insanity of a man who thought the Beatles were speaking to him through the ‘White Album”. These women were brainwashed sex slaves. It wasn’t until a feminist teacher Karlene Faith, with enough empathy to teach these women, did anyone begin to realize that they too were victims alongside those murdered. The film is chilling. The structure is disturbingly effective. You end up caring about these women who history has taught us to loathe. Charlie Says is not about Charles Manson. I’ll say it again. Charlie Says is not about Charles Manson. It is about the victims he kept closest to him.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Mary Harron is the writer and director of films including American PsychoThe Moth DiariesI Shot Andy Warhol, and The Notorious Bettie Page. Her television credits include episodes of The L WordSix Feet UnderBig Love, and Oz, and, most recently, The Following (FOX), Constantine (NBC), and Graceland (USA).

Review: ‘Thank You For Your Service” – Perfect Timing For Veterans Day

Thank You For Your Service

Theatrical Release: October 27, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

Thank You for Your Service follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.

We want to start by saying, everyone should see Thank You For Your Service. In a time where it seems as though our country is falling apart, this movie shows there are brave men and women that are fighting to hold it together. Not just physically, but mentally too. The struggles these soldiers go through with PTSD when they get home are tough to watch and it brings to life how difficult it is for them to get help. Thank You For Your Service is a real eye opener! Miles Teller seems as though he is in every movie anymore, but his role as Adam Schumann proves why he should be. He absolutely steals the show. We actually can’t get enough of Miles and the fact that he is a local from right outside of Philadelphia helps too. Whether you have family or friends who have served, this is a MUST see movie. It will hit you right in the feels and make you want to thank each and every individual who has served or is currently serving. Thank You For Your Service is being introduced into theaters just in time for Veterans Day.

Reel Reviews Over Brews would like to take a minute to thank all of the humans and animals who have served, who are currently serving, or who have given their lives serving… THANK YOU!

 

*Anyone can experience mental health problems. Friends and family can make all the difference in a person’s recovery process. If a friend or family member is showing signs of a mental health problem or reaching out to you for help, offer support.*

Reel ROB Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!

Review: ‘6 Below: Miracle On The Mountain’ Gets 4 Stars

6 Below: Miracle On The Mountain

Theatrical Release: October 13, 2017

Available On Demand & Digital HD: October 13, 2017

Guest review from Reel Reviews Over Brews

An inspiring true story about faith and self-preservation, a snowstorm strands former professional hockey player Eric LeMarque (Josh Hartnett) atop a mountain for eight days, he is forced to face his past and come to terms with his personal demons and rediscover the power of faith within him in order to survive.

Josh Hartnett may not be ranked one of the best actors in Hollywood, but we’ve always liked his movies. From The Faculty to 40 Days and 40 Nights. 6 Below would prove no different. You could have really put any actor in this story and it would have been an incredible story, but Hartnett plays the role well. Really well actually. One of the most impressive acting roles we’ve seen him in. Some could say it helped us rate this movie higher because we are avid snowboarders and love hockey, but we’d like to think that only had a minor impact. Anyone could sit down to watch this movie and become inspired by this true story of struggle and survival in the most literal sense. Not only is Eric LeMarque struggling to survive his addiction, but also the wilderness. We find it hard not to like this inspiring tale. There were some minor splicing goofs that we picked up on, but you can find that in just about every movie. 6 Below gets 4 stars in our book! We think you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.

Reel ROB Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Post Credits Scene: No

We want to thank our friends at Reel News Daily for allowing us to do this guest review for them!