O Beijo da Mulher-Aranha

I got lucky at Sundance and caught the second viewing of this gem. I recall the original film with Raul Julia and William Hurt and loved it. This is a whole new approach and it works throughout. I was worried that Jennifer Lopez would steal the show but if anything lead actors Diego Luna and Tonatiuh made it for me. Don't misunderstand, Lopez was wonderful but the the two inmates were incredible in prison as well as in the fantasy film musical. Their chemistry was perfect and their comedic timing of great dialogue made it a joy.

Don't waste any time getting out to see this film as soon as it opens.

Just got out of the first screening for this film at Sundance 2025. I am beyond blown away, the film is such a beautiful rendition of a familiar story, the cinemetography is so grand and upscale and are matched by grand and terrific performances by the films cast but the real start of this film of course is Jennifer Lopez. The choreography, the singing and the character work here is splended. I anticipate this will very likely garner her a 3rd Golden Globe nomination (Hopefully Win!) and hopefully her first Oscar Nomination. After the tumultuous and very forced hate train of last year (Which was clearly orchestrated and manufactured) Jennifer Lopez deserves to have the praise she will without a doubt receive from this role. Bravo!

From the looks of this preview, I can only see that they look to grift off of the likes of "Evita" and other such musicals. But what I don't see in the preview is any evolution of the MAN in the movie. As far as the preview goes, it's all about the WOMAN. Now if the movie is all about the woman, then great, but if it's about the man, SHAME ON YOU!!!!!

Apparently I need another 600 words, I don't know what words they want to fill this review of a preview but by God I will give them their 600 words. As Luney toons will tell you. I'm great at shutting up. No one can shut up as well as I can. In fact. No one is better at shutting up than I can be, that's me, the shutting upister of every shutting uper. Why do I say this. Because Youtube will not allow a very simple, very consise, and very "to the point" review of a preview of a movie. Don't ask me why. I dn'nt know.

... such are the eyes through which we see the world nowadays. Nonetheless, a story of two people catching each other in their own webs and becoming more than just cellmates. Superbly acted and directed, if not a little dated.

We've come a long way since this was written and released, we see the world through different eyes, have different perspectives on what is acceptable and what is not. This film would not be made today, like so many films of the past that had themes that were challenging, but subsequently turn out to be considerably different from what society will tolerate some years later. You decide, read between the lines.

Musicals seem to be having a moment. And not a good one. WICKED (2024) was a slog. Then we had the mediocre BETTER MAN and the skin-crawling JOKER 2. The new KISS OF THE SPIDER-WOMAN is a adaptation of the Broadway musical, itself an adaptation of the gritty Manuel Puig novel. A film about how to survive mentally during oppression and fascism would be welcome now. But this is another "Give me an Oscar, dammit!" plea from JLo. She'll probably get it, since you can assault people at the Academy Awards and still get lauded.

You might think JLo would make a decent Ingrid Luna/Spider-Woman. Her character here is pastiche, which frankly has been the singer-dancer's entire career. But Lopez is so much more a celebrity than an actress that you never forget it's her.

Valentín (Diego Luna) is good as the political prisoner Valentín, who shares a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh), who is a little one note as a window dresser convicted of public indecency.

This film really needed to lean in to the horrors of what was going on in the world outside the prison. That's what we need now. Not another middling musical.

Any fans of the Broadway show should note that many of the songs from the musical have been cut (wonder why?), and the only songs there are take place in the fantasy sequences.