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Having reached for the stars and managed to pull down a miracle, thirty something new parents Mac and Kelly Radner (Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne) seem to be off to a great start together in a great neighborhood. But, when the local chapter of Delta Psi Beta moves into the palatial home next door, red flags are raised and immediate concern for family and property is raised to a new level. Before long Teddy (Zac Efron), Pete (Dave Franco), Scoonie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Garf (Jerrod Carmichael) and the rest of the frat are in an all out war for neighborhood supremacy with the Radner family. Only one can survive, family or frat, and what about graduation?Written and directed with a potpourri of humor angles, there’s something for everyone based on the “throw everything at the wall and see if it sticks” mode of operation; however, this approach comes with the expense that not everything ends up being funny– but when the film works, it really works well. Tempered with quality acting from this now seasoned group of young humorists one could certainly do a lot worse. Meanwhile, production levels remain high and cameo value makes for at least a fun matinee this weekend. Neighbors is rated R.

Still troubled by his parents mysterious disappearance years ago, a now college bound Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) attempts to put the pieces together once and for all. Meanwhile an old school friend, Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan), finds himself in a bit of a quandary, he’s just become heir to the throne of Oscorp, the highly experimental and scientific development company; but, Harry also has a debilitating genetic flaw that will take his life at an accelerated rate. Examining Oscorp’s files Harry discovers the key to his survival might exist with Spider-Man. Co-incidentally, electrical genius and mega fan of Spider-Man, Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), has come into super powers of his own. Making matters worse, Peter/Spidey is faced with the emotional strain that girlfriend Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) has put in place. How to keep all parties appeased, it might be too much for Peter to keep unstuck, what will the costs be? Shoehorning what feels like 10 plot lines into one film there are plenty of moving parts to keep track of– story arcs which start with the best intentions, meaty, and rich. But, for all the lengthy setup Director Marc Webb pains himself with on the outset, the film’s pacing seems to lack guidance and comes to an all too tidy bow finish. On the flip side, the cast members are all still strong choices, well considered, and well played. And, special effects look sharp in 3D IMAX technicolor explosions. Even more interesting, Hans Zimmer’s scoring along with assistance from Johnny Marr and Pharrell Williams stands out as a fine blend of contemporary and classical, a cooking method Zimmer has been working at for years, the soup is great chef, nicely spiced! All told, maybe a matinee, and remember this plays out just a few minutes shy of two hours and thirty minutes, go easy on the thirsty two ouncer eh? The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is rated PG-13.