Black Panther

            The long anticipated Black Panther movie has arrived and it doesn’t disappoint. I have to confess, given all the hype that has led up to this film, it had me nervous, but Director/Writer Ryan Coogler has an impressive record with ‘Fruitvale Station’ and ‘Creed’ and I felt that, given he is also a comic nerd, Black Panther would deliver.  There’s always a fear that after so many super-hero movies the format will become stale and worn down, but ‘Black Panther’ does what super hero stories do best:  Introduce excitement and action along with fresh perspectives and viewpoints.   Coogler deftly balances everything that makes superhero movies magic and delivers it in a satisfying action adventure.  He is also able to delve into the world of politics and social justice without alienating anyone in the audience.  No easy feat in today’s polarized world.

                The Black Panther is being hailed as the first major super hero movie helmed by an African-American character (it’s not, there are many examples, most notably ‘Blade’), which is appropriate as The Black Panther was the Comic World’s first African-American superhero, created and first appearing way back in Fantastic Four #54 in July of 1966.  Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced T’Challa as the powerful and regal King of the fictional land of Wakanda.  An isolated, yet technologically advanced society powered by the mystical substance known as Vibranium.  While Lee and Kirby exploded American stereotypes of previous comic book characters of color, they also embraced African stereotypes which would be embarrassing by today’s standards.  Still, for the time period of the tumultuous sixties, it was truly revolutionary to create such a powerful and dominant figure as the Black Panther.  What was equally ground breaking was that he was embraced by all comic nerds and was not only welcomed, but sought after in the Avenger’s world.  Chadwick Boseman’s portrayal of the Black Panther is able to capture all the character’s regal power and bring to life a character comic book fans have been waiting for since the inception of the MCU.

                Comics have always been a platform for examining societal issues and Coogler’s updated take on the Black Panther legend is no different.  The interweaving of modern issues of American social injustice into the pageantry and color of the fictional Wakanda is skillfully done, but Coogler did not stop there.  He injected international spy intrigue as well as cool future tech on par with any Ironman movie.  In addition, it has not been overlooked that the strongest characters in this film were women and each one could merit a movie in their own right.  The true break out star is Shuri (Letitia Wright), who plays T’challa’s sister and tech guru.  She is the ‘Q’ to  T’Challa’s James Bond.  She dominates every scene she is in and I can’t wait to see what the MCU has planned for her.  Oscar winner Lupita Nyung’o is Nakia, T’Challa’s love interest.  While not the warrior that he is, she is by no means the “Damsel in Distress”.  Strong and independent, she is T’Challa’s moral compass.  In terms of sheer badassery, Okoye (Danai Gurira of ‘Walking Dead’ fame), is the head of T’Challa’s Royal Guard and is peerless in her fighting skill.  While she deeply respects and loves T’Challa, her first loyalty is to Wakanda and she serves her country unwaveringly. 

                The entire cast consists of an almost ‘who’s who’ of black actors in Hollywood.  Everyone from veterans Forrest Whitaker and Angela Basset to newcomers Daniel Kaluuya and Winston Duke, there are no small parts in this film.  Of course, the most important thing in any super-hero movie is the villain and ‘Black Panther’ is no different.  Michael B Jordan brings T’Challa’s arch-nemesis. Kilmonger to life as an emotionally damaged America ex-special forces soldier of Wakandan heritage.  Kilmonger’s singular focus of wresting control of the Wakanda throne from T’Challa in order to enact revenge upon the world makes him a formidable foe.  Of course, what makes a cinematic villain great is not just his fearsome abilities, but the ability of the audience to have some measure of sympathy for him as well.  While we may not agree with Kilmonger, we can certainly understand the events that have shaped his life and perspectives.  As much as we want our hero to win and Kilmomger to lose, we empathize with his plight and pain.

                It takes a gifted Writer/Director to give us both meaning and emotion alongside of action, adventure, and spectacle. Superhero movies at their best give us that, something elitist movie snobs will never understand.  Powerful and meaningful stories do not have to come at the expense of fun and excitement.  Black Panther once again proves that there is still plenty of life and freshness in the superhero genre and whets our appetite for the upcoming ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ finale coming up in May.  Some people say it’s about time the Black Panther movie finally happened, I say that it was well worth the wait.  I can think of no other Director I would have rather handled this film that Ryan Cooglar.  If you can fight through the opening weekend crowds put this film on the top of your list.

I give this film **** ½ stars out of five.

Black Panther Trailer

Darkest Hour

I always like to be upfront with my biases as I realize that even though film reviews are subjective by definition, I try to be as objective as possible.  I have a strong resistance to ‘made-for-Oscar’ movies and performances. ‘Darkest Hour’ falls squarely in that category.  Few would argue that Gary Oldman is one of the finest (if not the finest) actor of his generation. ‘Darkest Hour’ is a case where the performance is better than the film #Mark Swelstad.  I will go a step further and say that the film was made as an excuse for Gary Oldman to give a performance designed to have him rack up a bunch of gold statues.  I would further argue that World War II is a topic that has been thoroughly exhausted by TV and film.  The story of Dunkirk is an exception, but that story was already told (and far better), by Chris Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ earlier this year.  While ‘Darkest Hour’ isn’t directly about Dunkirk, it is the backdrop which it uses to frame the ascendance of Winston Churchill.  

The transformation of Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill is remarkable. Oldman impressively captures the man’s mannerisms and stature, but it comes as no surprise as Oldman’s acting ability is beyond reproach.  What I found tiresome is the film sacrifices story and originality by delving into every great man biopic cliche there is.  Given the fact that even a viewer with a fundamental understanding of history knows where the story is going, the build up of false tension fell flat and each scene felt like a chance to give Gary Oldman over the top dialogue and attention seeking performances.  I prefer films, especially biopics, to have more nuance (again, I recommend ‘Dunkirk’), than just showcasing a series of events that lead to an inevitable outcome.  At least Quentin Tarantino changed history in ‘Inglorious Basterds’ to throw us for a loop.  

I almost didn’t write a review for this as, other than just tell you the complaints I listed above, I didn’t really know what else to write about this film.  I know this film will be considered for the Oscar on multiple levels based on Oldman’s performance alone, but nothing new or interesting is explored here.  Oldman’s performance will probably long be remembered as the definitive Churchill performance long after the film itself is forgotten.  The film’s tight and lingering camera shots that reveal nothing lies in pale comparison to ‘Dunkirk’s’ majestic vistas and landscapes. Given all of that, if you are a fan of fantastic performances and wish to have a rather dry history lesson of World War II, then there are worse ways to spend your time.  I think Gary Oldman is too good of an actor to need his ego fed this way.  I’ve always thought of him as great and I still do.  ‘Darkest Hour’ is just nothing I will really remember.  

I give this film **1/2 stars out of five 

Darkest Hour Trailer

The Disaster Artist

        I had always heard of a movie called ‘The Room’, but I didn’t know much about it.  Arguably considered one of the worst movies ever made, it has gained such a cult following over the years that it regularly sells out midnight showings.  James Franco has an obvious affection (borderline admiration) for the story and man behind this train wreck of a film.  He brings the behind-the-scenes story of the mysterious and weird author/writer/actor Tommy Wiseau to the screen in ‘The Disaster Artist’.  The result is a thoroughly entertaining film about the magic of movies and the beauty of artistic creation, even if the results aren’t always attractive. James Franco shows that he isn’t afraid to put himself out there either as an artist in a story about the beauty of pursuing your dreams no matter how unlikely.  

In 1998 aspiring baby faced actor Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) meets the mysterious (creepy) Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in an acting class and the two almost immediately form a unique friendship over their dreams of success in Hollywood.  Everything about Tommy sets of red flags with Greg.  He has an incredibly thick unidentifiable vaguely eastern European accent, yet insists he is from New Orleans.  He drives expensive cars and has multiple apartments, yet has no discernible source of income.  He also claims to be about Greg’s age, which is 19, but one can see that he is obviously not, even though his age is indiscernible.  Despite all of this, Greg finds Tommy’s confidence and complete lack of fear in pursuing his dreams mesmerizing and he agrees to follow him to LA.  Both struggle to find work, but Greg’s all American good looks at least provides him with limited promise of success.  Tommy is just too far out there to be taken serious by anyone.  That’ when inspiration hits.  Tommy decides he needs to make his own movie.

At one point, I thought that James Franco’s portrayal of Tommy Wiseau went overboard.  That is until the after credits that shows the two acting side by side in split screen.  Franco nailed not only Wiseau’s unidentifiable accent, but his mannerisms as well. While it was enjoyable seeing the behind-the-scenes making of ‘The Room’, I wish they would have tried to explore Wiseau’s mysterious past more. How does one, who is seemingly unemployed, come up with 6 million dollars to put together a movie?  Tommy is only briefly pressed on this.  I’m sure Franco thought that part of the artistic beauty of Wiseau was his mysterious past, but I felt a little more light on what drove him other than “his dreams” would have enhanced the film.  Wiseau’s vision of himself as an All-American hero (always named ‘Johnny’)  rather than allowing himself to be pigeoned-holed into foreign villain roles is inspirational. I would have enjoyed seeing where this drive came from.

That is a small critique in an otherwise completely enjoyable film.  While Franco’s performance is Oscar worthy, I don’t feel the film rises to that level.  However; I am completely glad ‘The Disaster Artist’ was made.  It has the feel of a film that only a true Hollywood insider could fully appreciate and unfortunately I am not one.  That doesn’t mean it’s not a fun and even inspirational film despite all of it’s weirdness. For those who enjoy movies and the beauty found in creating art, I highly recommend this film.  Kudos to Franco and friends for bringing this story to life.

I give this film *** stars out of five.

The Disaster Artist Trailer

Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Montana

       ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri’ caught me off guard.  I had seen all the great reviews, but during the season most Oscar movies are released, many smaller low budget movies are over blown and over advertised in hopes of garnering Oscar attention.  Usually, I end up being disappointed.  Judging from the trailers, this just seemed to be another pretentious dark comedy despite it’s impressive cast. I had no intention of seeing this film, but so many friends and colleagues, whom opinions I respect, recommended this film to me that I thought I should reconsider.  Then when I saw that it was written and directed by Martin McDonagh of ‘In Bruges’ fame, I couldn’t resist.  ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri’ is low-key, thoughtful, insightful, and an amazingly powerful film despite the simple dark comedy the trailers suggest.  I’m amazed an Englishman like McDonagh can so effectively capture  such a nuanced piece of Americana as small town life in rural Missouri, but he does it with the deft skill of a master filmmaker.  While not perfect, I give ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri” my highest recommendation

The movie starts off in the rural life of Mildred (Frances McDormand) a year after she lost her daughter to an unsolved rape/murder.  Despairing that no justice has been found for her daughter and frustrated with the silence from the local police, she decides to rent three billboards calling out the Police Chief for his lack of action.  Police Chief Willoughby (played to perfection by Woody Harrelson) could have been portrayed as a two dimensional villain as small town police often are.  Instead, Harrelson gives a nuanced performance of Police Chief Willoughby who wrestles with his failure of not solving the case, but even more as he faces his own mortality as he is dying of cancer.  Nothing is done over the top or overly morose, rather it is a calm examination of the dynamics between these two people.

McDonagh definitely inserts some of his political agenda into the story, especially when examining the abusive and racist Deputy Dixon (another great performance by Sam Rockwell), but he could have made him much more of a characature than he did.  Dixon is not bright and definitely an abusive and racist person, but McDonagh is able to explore his character from less of a judgmental point of view and more of exploring his humanity.  I don’t say that it’s a forgiving exploration of his humanity, but more of an understanding of him as a person and what drives him, misguided as we may think it is.

There are no easy answers in this film.  Stories tend to be crafted to have a virtuous protagonist and evil antagonists.  As we delve deeper into Mildred’s story, we never once lose our sympathy or empathy for her pain of losing her daughter, but we do gain insight into that she has made mistakes along the way as well as her coming to understand that Police Chief Willoughby did not fail to solve the case  because of apathy.  Like I said, no easy answer on who is right and who is wrong.  It comes to a point where Mildred goes overboard and while we understand why and have little sympathy for those affected by her actions, we find that we cannot stand steadfastly by her.

I would be remiss if I didn’t call out the performances of James (one of my favorites, Peter Dinklage) who is the local dwarf who longs for Mildred and Charlie, (played by the under rated John Hawkes), Mildred’s abusive ex-husband who left her for a 19 yr old vapid girl.  They say in Hollywood that there are no small roles and this proves the adage.  While not primary to the film, both characters add to the rich tapestry of life in Ebbings, Missouri.  Both characters help us understand Mildred more as a person and relate to the demons that drive her.

I don’t believe there is enough buzz around this film for it to do exceptionally well at the Oscars, but it’s a shame, because this falls into one of my best films of the year, if not the best.  It is definitely Martin McDonagh’s best film to date (and that’s saying a lot).  I wish this film much success and I hope you find time to fit this into your busy Holiday Season schedule.

I give this film **** stars out of five.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbings Missouri trailer

The Shape of Water

       What do you get when you cross a B-movie Creature from the Black Lagoon with a Grimm’s Fairy Tale with a 1960’s Hollywood musical?  The answer is: “WOW!”.  Director Guillermo del Toro has long been known for his unique macabre visions in film, but with ‘The Shape of Water’, he has produced the best most unique film of his career.  As bizarre as the set up sounds, it will garner multiple Oscar nominations this season, if not actual wins.  ‘The Shape of Water’ has the feel of a 100 million dollar blockbuster, but del Toro made this for under 19 million.  Forewarning that ‘The Shape of Water’ plays out like a fairy tale, but it is R-rated with several scenes causing discomfort to the viewer.  Don’t let that scare you away though as this is a film worth exploring the edge of your comfort zone for.

Set in 1960’s Baltimore, mute cleaning lady Elisa (Sally Hawkins), leads a quiet life of longing (for what she doesn’t know) in the Baltimore slums.  Her only friends are her co-worker, Zelda (Octavia Spencer), who often interprets her sign language for her, and her elderly artistic neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins).  Her job at a government research facility provides her little excitement until one day the appearance of a team of government scientists arrive transporting a cylinder containing something they only refer to as ‘The Asset’.  Leading Security of the project is an intense zealot of a man named Strickland (Michael Shannon adding to his long list of memorable baddies).  Elisa and Zelda try to steer clear of the menacing Strickland, especially after hearing the unearthly screams that come from the research chamber, but one day when Strickland emerges from the chamber bloodied  and injured, Elisa and Zelda are tasked with the clean-up.  It is then that Elisa discovers that ‘The Asset’ is an aquatic man-like creature captured by the Government.  For some reason, unbeknownst to her, she is immediately drawn and fascinated by the captured creature.  In return, the creature seems to be equally captivated by her quiet presence.  

Elisa can’t get the creature out of her mind and as the top secret project’s cleaning duty has been assigned to her, she takes every opportunity she can to make contact with the creature.  This proves difficult as security is incredibly high for fear of the Russians infiltrating the facility to secure knowledge of the creature.  Strikland’s almost religious fervor for his role, in addition to his sadistic attitude towards the creature deters Elisa, although she does manage to provide the creature a daily routine of leaving hard boiled eggs.  Ever evading Strickland’s watchful eye, Elisa looks for any occasion to connect with the creature who constantly occupies her thoughts.

Reading what I have described would hardly want to make anyone rush out and see this movie as it seems cheesy from an era long past.  The genius of this film is the execution of Guillermo del toro’s execution.  Much like del Toro’s classic ‘Pan’s Labrynth’, he finds beauty in the macabre and forces us to see it as well. Much like we found Grimm’s fairy tales horrifying yet enthralling as children, del Toro is able to recapture that magic at an adult level while still keeping the child like charm and wonderment.  I can’t count how many ways this film could have gone wrong, but under del Toro’s direction he weaves a beautiful artistic tapestry of an unlikely love story.  

Ever the visual artist, del Toro tells most of his story through images that allows the viewer to be swept in and interpret what they are seeing.  One of the most profound scenes involves Elisa going home on the bus and moving her fingers along the beads of water on the window.  The camera lingers on her gazing at her tracings and while I couldn’t tell you what it was meant to represent, I felt it was full of meaning.  Equally, the musical dance sequence with the creature (yes, you read that correctly), seemed a bizarre choice to fit into the film, but it not only worked seamlessly, it actually enhanced the already incredible film.

There is no way around that this is just a weird film.  I won’t even try to deny that.  What is also undeniable is that you will walk out of the theatre marveling at its’ artistic accomplishment.  I haven’t seen all the Oscar contenders this year and ‘The Shape of Water’ has no real political agenda or social message that would make it an Oscar darling, but I want to go on record that I think this will be a highly buzzed about and controversial film come nomination time.  I predict nominations in all the major categories and from what I’ve seen so far this season, merits the Best Picture and Director spot.  

I give this film **** 1/2 stars out of five.

The Shape of Water trailer

Justice League

10 years and $300 million dollars in the making, ‘Justice League’ hits the screens with a giant “meh”.  I’m not going to go so far to say that I didn’t enjoy it or thought it was bad, rather I’ll just say it was just ‘okay’.  Director Zack Snyder has been a controversial figure whose vision has been the core of the DC movie universe.  Critically unsuccessful, but financially viable, many had trepidations when it was announced that Zack Snyder was once again called upon to assemble the League.  There was a glimmer of hope as last summer’s ‘Wonder Woman’ (ironically directed by Patti Jenkins and not Zack Snyder) that seemed to finally get the formula right.  However, a lot of behind the scenes drama, including extensive re-shoots and another Director being brought in to finish ‘Justice League’, caused everyone to hold their collective breaths as release date approached.  The result was a respectable $90 million opening weekend, but given the immense budget and mixed reviews, it has to be yet another disappointment for the Warner Bros executives.

If it sounds like I am beating up on this film, well…I am.  That doesn’t mean there weren’t many things that I admired and even liked from a fanboy perspective.  I am actually a fan of Zack Snyder’s video noir style (can I coin that term?).  The opening montage of the world post-Superman was beautifully shot with the haunting melody of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Everybody Knows’ sung by Sigrid.  It set the tone for the movie and actually made me quite hopeful at the beginning.  The introduction of the villain Steppenwolf (an unrecognizable Claran Hinds) is where it started to go south for me.  I was actually quite excited when I heard the lesser known villain from Jack Kirby’s Fourth World would be in the Justice League (a warm up to Darkseid), but the CGi was so extensive and the evil was so generic that it overwhelmed any real connection to the him.  The secret of a great villain is that he/she has to be somewhat sympathetic, otherwise it is a fairly boring good vs evil which has been seen countless times before.

The goal of Steppenwolf is to gather three Mother Boxes (objects that weren’t very well explained unless you know the story from the comics)  and unite them into one earth dominating force.  He failed at this mission millennia ago because o the combined forces of Earth and the Gods united against him and drove him away. Now with the death of Superman, Steppenwolf believes the Earth is unprotected and seeks to conquer the planet once again.  Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) uncovers clues to the upcoming invasion and uses his new found friendship with Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to seek out other individuals of “extraordinary abilities”.  Superheroes are loners by nature so it is no easy task to gather the others (with the exception of The Flash who is eager to join right away).  Both Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) are powerful additions, but it doesn’t take long for Batman to realize that they are still hopelessly out powered by Steppenwolf and his army of para-demons.  They need Superman.

The plot holes are many and the pseudo science is head scratching, but they do manage to effectively bring the team together despite an overall cartoonish feel.  There are a lot of awkward political themes shoehorned into the story, but conversely a lot of easter eggs for the comic book readers of things that are to come.  The most exciting of which is the first glimpse of a Green Lantern in this version of the DCU.  All this being said, I’m not going to list this film as another DC failure, however, it is not the victory that the WB execs were hoping to score riding on the momentum of the highly successful Wonder Woman movie of last summer.  It’s a fun time at the movies for sure, but it will also be a highly forgettable time at the movies as well where I’m not really looking forward what’s next.  A skill that Marvel mastered from film one.

I give this film **1/2 stars out of five.

Justice League Trailer

Thor: Ragnarok

         In ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, New Zealand Director Taika Waititi gives us a version of Thor that is much more brightly colored, loud, retro, and overall just a lot of fun.  I’m not jumping on the bandwagon and saying this is the best Marvel movie to date, but I will say it is a thoroughly enjoyable time at the movies.  The Thor franchise has been critically the weakest in the Marvel stable, so I’m glad that Marvel was willing to take a chance in this third outing and change the tone and direction of the series.  Taika Waititi is an inspired choice as his comedic background wouldn’t, at first glance, seem to be a fit for the Shakespearean tones of the mythological world of Thor.  For me, the key to Marvel’s success in the superhero genre was the ability to balance the humor and the gravitas in the preposterous world of super-heroes. If ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ makes any mistakes is that the pendulum swings too far to the absurd, but given the nature of Norse gods in space, one can’t complain too much for the attempt.

While Wapiti’s retro 80’s feel and comedic overtones are unique to the Marvel cinematic Universe, the story he tells in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ is less so.  During the eighties, legendary comic writer/artist Walter Simonson’s stint on Thor was considered the gold standard and to this day considered some of the most definitive Thor stories ever.  The whole Ragnarok storyline is directly influenced by many of Simonson’s story arcs as well as many of the characters he introduced.  In addition, one of Marvel’s most popular storylines; ‘Planet Hulk’ was shoehorned into this film to combine two classic story arcs into one geek spasm inducing film script. The film works, but only if you don’t take it too seriously.  It’s fun and comedic and an adventure ride in outer space, but don’t expect to much literal drama which balances many Marvel films.

The story in a nutshell revolves around the Norse myth of Ragnarok, which is the Scandinavian version of Armageddon where Asgard is destroyed and all it’s warriors are sent to Valhalla.  The film opens with Thor wresting control of Asgard from Loki and then setting off to Earth in search of the All Father Odin.  On Earth, Odin reveals that the All Powerful Hela: Goddess of Death (played with relish by Cate Blanchet) will return from her confinement in the underworld to destroy Asgard.  Despite his power, Thor is unable to stop Hela and is banished to a gladiator planet of Sakkar to fight for his survival.  Sakar is ruled by an Elder of the universe named The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum channeling his best Jeff Goldblum impersonation).  Thor is captured by an exiled Valkyrie from Asgard (the beautiful Tessa Thompson) who hands Thor over to The Grandmaster who recognizes Thor’s talent as a “contender”.  Thor is pitted against Sakkar’s champion who just so happens to be “a friend from work”, the long missing Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).  We finally get the long awaited rematch to the Hulk/Thor fight from the first Avenger’s film.

Taika Waititi creates a planet that reminds one of a Star Wars bar scene and mixes his film's canvas with the bright colors and synthesized music of eighties B-movies.  I never thought that would be an effective mix, but it is.  Waititi himself voices a CGI rock character named Korg and gives him an amusingly gentle demeanor along with a comedic kiwi accent. Korg is Thor’s sidekick and comedic relief in the Gladiator pits, but soon proves his value.  As all our characters reluctantly come to together, Thor convinces Valkyrie, Hulk, and even Loki that they must escape Sakkar and return to what’s left of Asgard to prevent the ultimate Ragnarok.  

I’m not saying there are no thoughtful or dramatic moments in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’.  Odin’s passing of the torch to his children as well as Thor and Loki’s realization that the All Father was not perfect are truly moving.  Even Thor and Loki coming to a fraternal reconciliation, no matter how tenuous, all help keep the film from becoming just a slapstick comedy.  I think one could still label it a comedy, but as I stated earlier, I applaud Marvel’s willingness take the franchise in a different direction when they didn’t have to.  

As always, stay for the ending credits (I’m always amazed when people leave before that) as it sets up the up coming mega movie event; ‘Avengers: Infinity War’.  One more film before that as all geeks await the arrival of ‘The Black Panther’ in February.  Kudos to Marvel for keeping their films fresh and producing an action film that the whole family can see and enjoy.  Go and have a good time.

I give this film *** 1/2 stars

Thor: Ragnarok trailer