Personal lives help ‘Spider-Man’ sequel shine

“Spider-Man 2” is clearly the summer blockbuster everyone expected it

to be. The special effects reach a new state of the art that keeps

viewers dizzy, rocking and rolling with Spidey through the concrete

canyons of the big city. The spectacular comic book format is sure to

please the adolescents among us, but director Sam Raimi adds another

dimension that offers something to older members of the audience.

In this sequel, Raimi has clearly developed a more mature take on

the whole superhero genre. While there is no denying the impact of

the incredible special effects, this movie’s focus is on the personal

lives of the hero and his close circle of family and friends. A

teenager in the first film, Peter Parker is now a young adult in

college, with as much self-doubt and insecurity as anyone his age

might have. This film gives more than equal time to the private

problems and crises that give reality to his character. When have we

ever seen a superhero who loses his day job and gets behind in his

rent?

Tobey Maguire is excellent as the split personality that is both

Peter and Spider-Man. Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson plays his

love interest with depth and verve. Alfred Molina obviously enjoys

himself as the scientific genius whose fusion experiment goes awry

and causes him to become the evil Dr. Octopus. His bio-robotic arms

have so much life of their own that they almost function as separate

characters unto themselves.

At more than two hours, “Spider-Man 2” does spend too much time

milking the anxiety in the love relationship between Spider-Man and

Mary Jane. A tighter edit down to about 90 minutes would have better

served the material. Nonetheless, “Spider-Man 2” is less cartoonish

and more grown-up than any of its predecessors.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.

A psychological ride into ‘The Clearing’

Arnold Mack is an ordinary guy, quietly getting ready for his

workday. He lives in his father-in-law’s modest house with his wife,

who dutifully kisses him goodbye. Just another day in his routine,

only today’s agenda includes kidnapping and violence.

In the more upscale part of town, Eileen and Wayne Hayes are also

starting their day. An attractive, affluent couple with two grown

children, they have settled into a comfortable, if rather impersonal,

relationship.

When Wayne (a very craggy Robert Redford) does not show up for

dinner that evening, Eileen (the always elegant Helen Mirren) is

clearly vexed. As the night progresses with no sign of him, however,

she is convinced something is wrong and notifies the authorities.

Wayne’s car is found with his shoes inside. Eileen tells her son that

the police are preparing to drag the river for him, but she worries

that her old fear has come true and that Wayne has left her. Then she

gets a note saying her husband’s been kidnapped and the FBI moves

into her home.

Through flashbacks, we see how Wayne was tricked and kidnapped by

Arnold (an unusually low-key Willem Dafoe), who had worked for

Wayne’s former company and was laid off years ago. Wayne is forced to

trek handcuffed through the woods at gunpoint to an unknown

destination.

A smart, self-assured and self-made man, Wayne tries bonding with

Arnold in an attempt to talk him into setting him free. We learn

about their lives, their marriages -- the good and the bad -- and

learn, in the process, what is most important to them. Wayne rattles

Arnold the most when he finally tells him what a loser he is -- that

Arnold won’t have the guts to run away with the ransom money and will

continue to live in his “house of disappointments.”

Meanwhile, Eileen tries to maintain a semblance of control and

normalcy, even throwing a birthday party for her grandson. There’s a

great scene when she’s informed that her husband may still be seeing

the woman he’d had an affair with and later, she bravely goes to see

her. As she and her children sit and wait, Eileen re-examines her

marriage and wonders if her husband still loves her or, indeed, if he

ever did.

“The Clearing,” the first film directed by producer Pieter Jan

Brugge (“The Insider”, “Heat”) is more psychological drama than pure

thriller and is twice as engrossing for it. The atmosphere is so

intimate, and the performances so good, it’s as though you’re

catching a glimpse of real people’s lives, and it is both painful and

moving to see.

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.