225 – Life After Beth (2014)

Life After Beth had me conflicted before I even entered the theater. On the one hand, I think Aubrey Plaza is a really strong comedic actress, and I support all of her endeavors (except for the one that I don’t). On the other hand, this thing stars Dane DeHaan (you know, from The Amazing Spider-Man 2). He’s the broodiest creepazoid this side of angst-ville, and I’ve never enjoyed that persona in any of his projects. But I have an inexplicable need to see as many movies as humanly possible, so I’m not going to turn this one down.

124 – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

When The Amazing Spider-Man was released in 2012, many cried foul the fact that it had only been 5 years since the last Raimi/Maguire. It was too soon, people said. Regardless, that uneven movie managed to entertain, mostly based on the performances by Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man/Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Peter’s first true love from the comics. I remember thinking that the movie was rough (possibly due to last-minute edits that excised a lot of backstory), but that it ended with a lot of potential for the future. Sony clearly agrees, hoping to build an entire Avengers-esque mega-franchise around the character. Does The Amazing Spider-Man 2 deliver on the promise that the studio has (and more importantly, that I have) built up for it?