Weekend Boost: "Thor," "The Bear," "The Big Lie," and More
The Best Movies, TV, Music, Books, and Comics July 22-24
The Weekend Boost is back today and I’m excited. Once again, I’ve been so busy writing about various political and social issues that I haven’t had a chance to share some good, meaty entertainment with you for several weeks. Well, the wait is over.
Here come the goodies!
WATCH (movies)
Thor: Love & Thunder
The last Thor movie, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), is one of the best, most satisfying, most rewatchable Marvel movies ever. It is the perfect blend of adventure and comedy that we got from the very best of the Indiana Jones series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Director/writer Taika Waititi returns with Thor: Love and Thunder, but this time he pushes the comedy even further. The result is a highly imaginative and fun movie that may not be quite as good as Ragnarok, but is still compulsively entertaining.
This time around, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) reunites with ex-girlfriend Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), whom he met in the first Thor film in 2011. Only now she’s the new Thor, complete with his beloved hammer. Christian Bale plays the villain Gorr who is out to kill all the gods because they are basically a bunch of selfish, pompous asses, though he takes no responsibility for choosing to worship them in the first place.
The plot is fairly inconsequential, with all the fun coming from the very funny banter between Thor and the all the other characters, including the Guardians of the Galaxy, Jane, Korg, Zeus, and even his love triangle with his ex-hammer and his new battle axe. The screaming goats still make me laugh. There’s also lots and action and romance.
This is the kind of summer movie that does everything you want: thrills and delights you while you watch it, and sends you out of the theater with a smile on your face.