The Man Who Would Be King..."Black Panther"

Black Panther (2018)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker

Directed by Ryan Coogler,

The Story:

T'Challa (Boseman) is crowned the King of Wakanda following the passing of his father. However an outsider (Jordan) threatens the entire fate and kingdom of Wakanda in a bid to release vibranium weapons on a global scale.

Welcome to your spoiler-free review of Black Panther.

It's movie number 18 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe corner of your local movie-plex, and I think it's about time we come to a few facts:

1) These movies aren't going away anytime soon.
2) Fans should be glad of that.
3) Audiences apparently aren't suffering from superhero fatigue like critics seem to think every time a new superhero movie is released.

And I think it's time to start honestly talking about when will the Academy take MCU films seriously and consider them for ...

dare I say it...

Academy Awards.

Last year the big ground swell was Patty Jenkins deserved it because Wonder Woman was "amazing". (Meh...I wouldn't go that far, but still, if it furthers the superhero cause, I'm in) and because she's a woman.

Again, I hate the affirmative action take on it, I would hope it's based on merit, not gender or...

Color. 

Which brings us to Ryan Coogler, who has in the eyes of critics AND fans, yet to deliver a bad movie.

Here, he takes Wakanda and delivers the sum total history of an isolated African nation from the dawn of time to present day and given it the rich backstory it deserves.

He also populates it with some of the best second and third-tier characters in any Marvel Studios franchise.

He also delivers the Wakandan equivalent of a James Bond movie interlaced throughout the film as well.

Pick anyone from the cast, and odds are by the end of the movie, if not long before, you're slightly itching to see that character, or characters, receive their own MCU film from Marvel Studios in the near future.

So if you weren't part of the history-making audience that made Black Panther # 1 at the world-wide box office, smashing all sorts of February records along the way...

Don't delay, you'll want to see this one on the big screen.

Final Grade: A+

The War In Afghanistan..."Whiskey Tango Foxtrot "

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Rated R

Starring Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, Alfred Molina, Christopher Abbott, Billy Bob Thornton, Nicholas Braun, Evan Jonigkeit

Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

The Story:

In 2003, the war in Iraq has pulled all of the world's major journalists there to cover the story. Turning to whatever resources they have left, new reporters are sent to Afghanistan to cover that story. Kim Baker (Fey) is selected and heads to Afghanistan even though she's never worked in front of the camera before. However, her inquisitive nature and determination help her immensely as she befriends her colleagues, the military and the Afghan locals.

Yes, this is a true story.

And while there are many amusing things that happen, this falls more along the dramedy realm than a straight up zany Tina Fey movie.

So make sure you know that going in, or you too may think..."Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!?!"
Or some equivalent.
:)

Had Tina Fey written it, it's likely it would have been even funnier, but sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and there is plenty of that to go around in the film.

She's surrounded with some wonderful supporting characters, especially Christopher Abbott as her interpreter and Billy Bob Thornton as General Hollanek.

Along the way, Kim uncovers the cold truth about the war: while Americans love and support the military, they just don't want to see it, or the harsh realities of war played out on the television nightly.

That was true then in 2006, when everyone was tired of it.

A decade later, it's sadly even more true.

Final Grade: B

This Movie Series Is Dragon On And On... Get It? "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Rated PG-13 for violence

Starring:  Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans

Directed by Peter Jackson

The Story:

Bilbo (Freeman), Gandalf (McKellen) and the Dwarves continue their push back to the Dwarf homelands, defeat Smaug (Cumberbatch) and reclaim their lost treasure and kingdom.  By the end of the movie, the Dragon is angry and about to go on a rampage at the nearby village.

I can't help but think if they would have trimmed  some of the first and added parts of this one into the first Hobbit, they could have made this a pretty good trilogy.

But at this point, pushing for a 4th movie is just plain greedy, and it feels like padding.

So I take it on this installment, that otherwise was more action oriented than the previous installment.

The cast beefs up with the arrival of an old friend, Legolas (Bloom) who you must remember we are seeing for the first time... and female elven warrior Tauriel (Lilly) whose crush on Legolas is about to go out the window before this film is over.

Luke Evans comes aboard as a mysterious entity in the human outpost of Laketown.  It seems like he is fated to make up for a family mistake of not killing Smaug when they had the chance.

Really, like killing dragons is easy.

Finally, I must commend them for the barrel riding sequence for being a great action chase scene with quite a bit of humor interspersed with all of the action.

Good stuff.

So complaints of padding aside, I'll still sign up to see the next installment on DVD when it comes out.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor - I didn't feel the same charm as the first part of The Hobbit with this one.  While heavier on the action, at closing in on 3 hours, these films become a labor to watch on repeated viewings.

Seems Like Old Times..."The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

There and back again...

The Story:

Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) decides it is time to recount the epic story of his journey years prior with Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and a group of dwarves who set out with Thorin (Richard Armitage) to reclaim their abandoned kingdom that had been overrun by the dragon, Smaug.  The movie then flashes back to young Bilbo's (Martin Freeman) adventures in the wild.  Naturally, the adventure is only halfway done by the time the credits roll...

Could it have been told in one movie? Yes.  I see what they are going for here, besides the money, they are trying to recapture the majesty and triumph of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and on that note, they succeed.

Back in the director's chair, after claiming he wouldn't, is Peter Jackson.  Really, if you're going to wrap up the Tolkien series with a big fat bow, you might as well bring the guy with the vision who did it all already, back to the fold.  That and he brought back a whole host of characters from the trilogy to make a cameo or extended appearance including Frodo (Elijah Wood), Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Gollum (Andy Serkis) and Saruman (Christopher Lee).

Which is both interesting, and annoying, at the same time.  Naturally, as I lamented when it first came out, I would have preferred that the Hobbit had been filmed first since story-wise it came first, so that when you meet these people, it would have been for the first time.  But alas, what can you do at this point?

Very nice that they were able to all come back and reprise their characters, though not having read the book in 25-30 years, I can no longer remember if all of the scenes they were in were even in the book.  My first thought is no, and this was simply a further means to tie the Hobbit closer to the Rings trilogy...

: )

The cinematography once is again is spectacular as Middle Earth comes to life by way of New Zealand.  The movie is a bit long, with many extended sequences of walking (marching) through the wilderness that could have been trimmed for time... but when you're going in planning on making a 2 parter, I suppose you pad for the sake of making it worth our time and money, and not stretching too far that you turn it into a trilogy!

Anyway, I quite enjoyed the return to Middle Earth, and I look forward to the epic conclusion.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Low.  I own the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have never watched them again since the first time.  Hard to work in such a massive time consuming epic into a busy life.  Though given the choice, I would prefer to watch this over the Trilogy any day.  Just like the book.