RADIOACTIVE SPOILER-MAN
It's very hard to write about what makes Spider-Man: No Way Home work without it being a spoiler fest (I won't reveal more than the trailers do). Even though I wasn't a fan of [REDACTED], it's good to see [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] back on the big screen. The former gets to be almost a wise sage, while the latter radiates charisma and charm and gets a thrilling redemptive moment when [REDACTED]. Introducing a familiar rogues' gallery into the MCU really livens things up, especially Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus and [REDACTED]. Even the fact that [REDACTED] is Peter's [REDACTED] earned wild cheers from my opening night audience. All kidding aside, No Way Home is a movie packed with humor, and while it can get a bit wonky in the middle, the ending absolutely nails it with Marvel three-point landing precision. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
RISING UP
Jiemei Lin's exhibition Refurnish, at Whitworth University's Bryan Oliver Gallery through Jan. 21, offers Lin's pandemic perspective as both an Asian woman and a young mother. One piece, "Like Air, I'll Rise," is especially powerful. Commissioned by Terrain for Black Lens News' February 2021 issue, its silhouetted figures represent different roles the Black community has taken in the pandemic, says Lin: "caregiver, worker, artist, leader (Kamala Harris in the back)." Absent any facial features, there is a sense of heaviness in the figures, yet richly colored flowers brighten, suggesting hope. "My work always talks about the relationship between humans and plants; the old Chinese philosophy says that a leaf, a seed, a flower make a new world," Lin says. (CARRIE SCOZZARO)
FEELING FREE
This year has marked the reissue of arguably Tom Petty's best album, Wildflowers, via a remastered version, alternative takes of the songs and an expanded box set. This 90-minute documentary, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, debuted at the SXSW film festival last spring and had a one-night theatrical release, and now streams for free on YouTube. For fans of the artist and especially fans of that album, it's a must-watch. Director Mary Wharton had access to tons of archival video of Petty and his Heartbreakers in the studio, and she fleshes out this period of Petty's life with new interviews with producer Rick Rubin and longtime bandmates Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Play this doc loud. (DAN NAILEN)♦
