Today, from my point of view, was a big day for entertainment. So I’ve been kind of anxious to write about it since this morning, but let’s proceed with order…
First thing this morning, I saw the new new trailer of the new new Spider-Man, and already there a bit of wow effect. Double wow effect when you watch it posted by Roberto Recchioni (an Italian cartoonist and cinema critic, with whom I don’t always agree with, but still consider an entertainment luminary), and reading the comments have confirmation that #theydontwantustoknow 🤣🤣
So let’s just make a tiny-trailer-breakdown of some striking point (I state that I’m no professionist and it makes no sense to write after I went to see other people’s breakdowns, so take it as it comes):
- Doc Ock and Green Goblin are confirmed, no surprise there, but: Doc Ock seems not to be a real villain, seemed to me there were two different Goblins (Hello James?), Jamie Foxx’s Electro, Sandman and Lizard confirmed too (uncertain cast but should be respectively Thomas Haden Church, although the face in the sand seems Foxx’s to me so I am confused, and Rhys Ifans or Dylan Baker the second?);
- I don’t know enough things about the comic to understand what the black suit means, the only reference I have is Spider-Man 3 but I don’t think it has shit to do with that, I’ll go ask around;
- There’s a falling MJ scene that painfully reminded me of Amazing Spider-Man 2, one of the few I saved from that movie, when Gwen Stacy dies and you get your heart broken in tiny little pieces… If they kill Zendaya, I swear I’ll make a mess…
- …I don’t think they’ll kill her because… drum roll… Either Lizard has a shitty aim or something has removed from the trailer a couple of details, named Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield (who, by script, will save MJ from retracing the fate of Gwen?). They’ve made a much dirtier work in Brazil, where apparently came out a cut of the trailer where you see Lizard punched by Susan Storm… BTW here’s a slide to clarify:
Still remains the big question of whether or not there will be Matt Murdock, which I admit, it would give me more hype than all the Spider-Men put together. Anyway the concept of the plot I think will be Peter who goes to Strange, together they perform a Clatoo, Verata, Nicto and…. Good morning Multiverse!
And in spite of the fact that so many people are pissed about it, I like the concept of the Multiverse, ’cause it unlocks a lot of possibilities, and plus, I’ve already said that I don’t give a shit about comic books resmblance.
Let’s move on to the second highlight of this day…
Yesterday (but considering the time zone, for me is still today, or at least was when I started writing) was the 28th birthday of my dear Pete Davidson. I have not abandoned my “Project NYC”, nor the subject he inspired me, which I am continuing to work on, taking the time it takes to ensure that it is a less airy stuff and more of a well assembled thing to present to some production company.
Last year I had already dedicated a post to him (Happy birthday Mr. Davidson and thank you!) and this year too I want to dedicate a thought to him, because if I managed to fight my depression and decide to go back to writing, producing 3 movie plots, I owe it mostly to him.
I’m so glad I can keep seeing him on SNL and I’m super thrilled to read about all the new projects he’s working on:
- Worst Man: rom-com with friend and colleague Colin Jost
- I Slept With Joey Ramone: biopic with Pete as main character
- American Sole: youth drama that revolves around a sneakers resale start-up
- The Things They Carried: war experiences from a group of young Vietnam soldiers, with a stellar cast (in addition to Pete there will be Tom Hardy, Bill Skarsgard, Tye Sheridan, etc…)
- Bodies bodies bodies (rumored): slasher movie with plot kept under wraps, despite being already in post-production;
- Meet Cute: a “deconstructed rom-com” on love stories what if’s, that will star Pete together with Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory, The Flight Attendant);
- Good Mourning With a U: I haven’t found much info on the plot, it should be a “stoner comedy”, the point is that it will be the director’s debut of Machine Gun Kelly (and Mod Sun) and so how could the cast miss his princess Megan Fox and his best friend Pete Davidson? Me so curious about it!
As you can see, there’s a lot going on for him! And if that’s not enough, even his love life seems not bad at all, first Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) and lately a lot of rumors about him and Kim Kardashian (suck it Kanye!), and who wonders how does a guy like him (ugly according to many, I think he’s a hottie!), to have such success, I’d say by now you had to realize that he might be a really nice person?? He’s also a hottie and you know nothing -_- Jokes aside, I think he really deserves all the good in the world!
And by the way, if you haven’t already, check out the new Suicide Squad movie, ’cause it’s really dope!
Then again it’s always nice to see him appear at random next to Nathan Fillon also in The Rookie, (another highly recommended series!).
And let’s move on to the most pressing point of this day: the release of “Tear Along the Dotted Line” on Netflix!
“Tear along the dotted line”, for those who live outside Italy, is the first and new series by Italy’s best-selling graphic novel artist Michele Rech, nicknamed Zerocalcare, written, directed and dubbed by him in the Italian version. I had already talked about it here: Rome – Day 2, since I had the pleasure to see in preview the first two episodes at the Rome Film Festival, and since Zerocalcare it’s simply one of my favourite persons on the planet.
A month later, I finally know what happens next… As I though, I devoured it in just over an hour and a half (it’s formed by 6 episodes, between 15 and 22 minutes each). I want to talk about it in its entirety, so I set up a big
SPOILER ALERT from here on!
It begins pretty easily, with laughes and jokes, although there is always a subtext of reflection with Zero, a G8 reminiscence thrown here, a beating with cops there, as they should be. There’s his cocky imaginary friend Armadillo, dubbed by Valerio Mastrandrea, the original Armadillo as Zero would say, while all the other characters are dubbed by Zero himself. And then there is that empathy of which he declares himself incapable of, but which actually takes all us awkward bunch involved. I could say we of the ’80s generation, but I think that even people born after, (or maybe even before) can recognize themselves in his writings. There is the anxiety of carrying the weight of the world, the weight of others’ expectations, following a sort of line, tearing along the edges in an orderly way towards our destiny, until someone puts us in front of the fact that we are only blades of grass, and so we are free…
So we moved slowly because we though that, as long as you tore along the dotted line, life would take the right shape…
There’s a teenage Zero who meets Alice: they like each other, and even though he’s the usual screw-up, I think “it’s cool, finally maybe Zero can be with a girl”, mindful of the stab in the stomach from his first novel “The Armadillo’s Prophecy” and his well-known awkwardness with the fair sex, I thought it was time for some sentimental joy , wouldn’t it?
In the “present”, Zero has an appointment with his friend Sarah: they have to pick up Secco, his best friend, and take a train, it’s not clear to go where, but this will be the horizontal plot of the series: between improbable clothes-change in public bathrooms, ground tires and polar-level air conditioning, in the fourth episode I understand that the beating will come, inexorable…
And it actualy arrives, but not before letting you see Zero and Alice, who after years of friendship in which they come closer, giving each other support in the dark moments, finally having their moment!
Embraced on the couch , a millimeter from the kiss and Zero, of course, has cold feet!!! All right, you say, we’re here, next round we’ll make it… But there’s no next round, ’cause Alice is dead, suicide.
We find that Zero, Sarah and Secco were on the train to Alice’s hometown, for her funeral.
And it’s The Armadillo’s Prophecy all over again, I’m choked up, feeling totally emptied…
Maybe it’s because I’ve been Alice, and I’m actually not so sure I’m not anymore. And here, in episode 6, there was a speech that I just thought: “Finally someone who explains it”.
Why do people kill themselves? And Sarah got it right: there are no simple and linear reasons and answers, but a tangle of reasons that you lose track of… And even Alice’s mother is right: we are not victims, we are people who are also sick, but not only that, our lives are not reduced to that. At least that’s what I would like people to say about me if I ever lose the fight.
And Zero takes on himself the weight of the world again, convinced that maybe he could have saved her, if only he had caught the signs, and Sarah takes him back to earth again, just like when he was little.
But this time with “her” voice, yes ’cause from the minute 11:24 of the last episode, Michele stops dubbing the other characters, and there a big change of tone, as an awakening. A really inspired choice that makes this epilogue even more epic, and on the notes of “The Funeral” from “Band of Horses”, our protagonists move towards the rest of their lives, with one less wound, one more scar and the new awareness that maybe you do not need to “tear along the dotted line”…
If it wasn’t clear, I loved it… Leaving aside the very good animations, the thousand quotes from Mao to Game of Thrones, the awesome music of Giancane (but not only) all included ad hoc, and the laughter that I expected to do. I loved it especially for what I did not expect, it was like talking to a friend you’ve known for years, thinking you know all about him and yet he still manages to surprise you, remembering why you’re so fond of him. And so Zero, Michele, a big thank you! And thanks also to all that parade of people who worked on it, from Sandra Pascuzzo to Monica Manalo, through Vittoria Martini, Elisa Biagioni and all the others. Because I remind you that every entertainment product is a “group effort” and it would be nice if you stopped to read the credits once in a while…
It’s 5 am here in Italy, I would say that for today we can close… Good night and see you soon!