Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Any more, films based on a comic book or series isn't exclusively a flick that's shown during the summer film season. As with the point of "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", it is released during the end of the year film season where typically Hollywood brings out the more artistically crafted films 'for your consideration' seeing as 12-31-22 is the Oscar deadline for nominated films. Perhaps Marvel has high hopes for this film that reach higher than just the bottom line. 

Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M'Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Guira) and the Dora Milaje, including Ayo (Florence Kasumba) fight to protect their nation from intervening world powers in the wake of King T'Challa's death. As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and CIA agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda. Without T'Challa at their side, can they survive the peril that has yet to come?

Others to round out the cast are Tenoch Huerta Mejia as Namor, Dominique Thorne as Riri, Michaela Coel as Aneka, Alex Livinalli as Attuma, Mabel Cadena as Namora, Isaach De Bankole as river tribe elder and Danny Sapani as border tribe elder. 

This was directed with such subtle intensity and tenacity by Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station" '13, "Creed" '15, "Black Panther" '18) plus shorts. Although his experience isn't vast, the quality of Coogler's work is undeniable. He's in that 'club' of directors that when you see any film that they have helmed, the bet is that it will be consummate. The connection he created within these characters were amazing--you felt that they knew one another for their whole lives. If you like Coogler's brand of directing, his "Wrong Answer" has been announced. It was surprising written well by Coogler ("Fruitvale Station" '13, "Creed" '15, "Black Panther" '18, "Creed II" (based on characters) '18), and Joe Robert Cole ("Black Panther" '18, "All Day and a Night" '20) plus TV, based on a story by Coogler. I say surprisingly because typically the 'comic book films' are not known for their quality writing as much as for the visuals, photography, sets, costumes, etc. So much of the time, if the script is well written, it becomes a backdrop for the visuals and CGI involved. The things that I can only point out as constructed criticism is that there were a few places of sequence inconsistencies and it was simply too long. Approximately 15-20 mins could've been shaved off the final print and still would've had the same impact. Coogler didn't write "Creed III", however it was based on a story by Coogler, which is in post production. And, as with other big-budget films, the visual effects predominantly designed by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), Cinesite and Digital Domain were stunning and actually enhanced the story. 

I don't think it's a spoiler alert to say that  this franchise will be back since Marvel Studios is the franchise king. I originally felt that they could never pull off a sequel since Chadwick Boseman's demise, but they actually did pull it off. It will be interesting to see how they handle the next sequel. This is worthy of the price of admission if for no other reason than it's so grandiose, that it would be a waste on your TV screen. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                       Rated: PG-13                                       161mins.

Armageddon Time

Hollywood has produced many rites-of-passage films through the years, whether it be through a biopic or someone striving to 'make it' in an otherwise difficult situation. While "Armageddon Time" is a rites-of-passage film, it is basically seen through the eyes of the one going through the process in his life.

This is a deeply personal coming-of-age story in 1980 about the strength of family, particularly that of the Graff family, Irving (Jeremy Strong), his wife, Esther (Anne Hathaway), their son, Paul (Banks Repeta), their other son, Ted (Ryan Sell) and grandpa, Aaron Rabinowitz (Anthony Hopkins), and involving the generational pursuit of the American Dream. This is seen through the eyes of Paul Graff, the 16-year-old of the family as he's struggling to fit in at school, his family and the world.

Others to round out the cast are Jaylin Webb as Johnny Davis, friend of Paul's, Tovah Feldshuh as Grandma Mickey, John Diehl as Fred Trump, Andrew Polk as Mr. Turkeltaub and Jessica Chastain as Maryanne Trump. 

This was grittingly and intensely directed by James Gray ("Little Odessa" '94, "The Yards" 2000, "We Own the Night" '07, "Two Lovers" '08, "The Immigrant" '13, "The Lost City of Z" '16, "Ad Astra" '19) plus TV and shorts. Gray is not only a talented director, but especially with films that are heavy-laden as with this film. Watching these actors is so realistically portrayed that it appears like you're eavesdropping on people living their lives, and that's talented directing. It was also equally well executed by writer James Gray ("Above resume plus "Blood Ties" '13). Although the plot is about the struggles of a family where we've seen films with this premise in the past, the way it's written makes this a cut above films as this. Another film that had a premise we had seen before and after was that of "Kramer vs Kramer '79 with Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. It had a seemingly unremarkable plot, but the way it was written (by Robert Benton),  became this incredible, poignant film that contained so many nuances of subtlety that no wonder it won the Oscar for best writing. This is the same in that the subtlety is amazing in this film--the better part of 2 hours long, it moved right along and this is all about the writing. Other than a couple of very small places of inconsistencies, and I mean very small, this was a spot on script. This proves that even if the premise of a film isn't necessarily original, if it's written with enough pathos, subtlety and finesse, it can excel as a powerful film as with "Armageddon Time".

If intense, powerful, but subtle films are something you like, this is the film for you. It's a small independent film about life from a struggling family. If you're looking for fine acting, look no farther. Anthony Hopkins is stunning as the patriarch of the family and could be courting a supporting actor nod come Oscar time. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                         Rated: R                                                   114mins.

   

Triangle of Sadness

There are independent films, and then there is "Triangle of Sadness". For a relatively simple ship sinking and a subsequent survival of passengers on a desert island, this certainly went into many tributaries for plot and story. I sort of akin this film to those such as "The Lord of the Flies" and "The Beach" when it comes to survival.

In Ruben Ostlund's sardonically funny Palme d'Or winner, social hierarchy is turned upside down, revealing the tawdry relationship between power and beauty. Celebrity model couple, Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an alcoholic, unhinged boat captain named Thomas (Woody Harrelson); a major storm brews and subsequent sickness ensues with the passengers. What starts as an instagrammable time, ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island and fighting for survival mostly with certain crew members, Paula (Vicki Berlin) and Abigail (Dolly De Leon), then with each other. 

Others to round out the cast are Zlatko Buric as Dimitry, Alicia Eriksson as Alicia, Arvin Kananian as Darius, Oliver Ford Davies as Winston, Iris Berben as Therese, Sunnyi Melles as Vera,  Carolina Gynning as Ludmilla and Thobias Thorwid as Lewis. 

This was directed with such subtle intensity by Ruben Ostlund ("Family Again" (documentary) '02, "The Guitar Mongoloid" '04, "Involuntary" '08, "Play" '11, "Force Majeure" '14, "The Square" '17) plus shorts. He has the innate ability to not only get his actors to emit the emotions the way he needs for it to happen, but he also knows how to create that subtleness when it comes to increasing that intensity or other emotion that's involved. It was also executed in an interesting way by writer Ostlund (same as resume above except "Family Again"). The best aspect of this story is that of the premise. Think about it: a luxury cruise filled with spoiled, rich, self-centered passengers ending up on a desert island after their ship sinks, and is put in a situation of total survival mode. It is incredible fodder for a very funny script, however, the delivery just didn't come across as very funny at all. It had some dry humorous parts, but overall, it lacked, and thereby didn't have that punch it could've had. Also, there were some things not explained, such as, what happened to most of the passengers and crew, especially the captain? The assumption is that they didn't make, but that was never mentioned, and with a 147 minute running time, it could've been mentioned. Plus, it was simply too long-in-the-tooth--approximately 20-30 minutes could've been cut and still have the same impact. Was it a total wash? Absolutely not--the acting and character development was fine and creative respectively. Also, it was truly difficult to have much sympathy for these passengers because of the many issues that didn't lead the audience to empathize with. Ostlund will truly receive more work since most of his experience lies in the independent realm, and that carries a whole different audience base.

If you like independent films, you'll love this since it is a quintessential indie film. I just wish it was a bit funnier, because that would've been more captivating--not a physical comedy, but one where the writing would be more satirical in nature. Both Dickinson and Harrelson gave memorable performances which certainly added to that intensity. 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                            Rated: R                                               147mins.

Till

It's amazing how we, as a society, have to showcase films in order to teach us something that we should already know: that we should love and respect each other as we love and respect ourselves. I know, it's the 'golden rule', but it packs such a wallop, especially after seeing a sobering film as "Till". 

This is a profoundly emotional, and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley's (Danielle Deadwyler) relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett 'Bo' Till (Jalyn Hall), who, in August of 1955, was lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi from Chicago. In Mamie's poignant journey of grief turned to action, we see the universal power of a mother's ability to change the world. Others to assist her in her quest was Medger Evers (Tosin Cole), Rayfield Mooty (Kevin Carroll) of NAACP, and her husband, Gene (Sean Patrick Thomas). 

Others to round out the cast are Frankie Faison as John Carthan, Haley Bennett as Carolyn Bryant, Whoopi Goldberg as Alma Carthan, John's wife, Jayme Lawson as Myrlie Evers, Medger's wife, John Douglas Thompson as Moses Wright and Roger Guenveur Smith as Dr. T.R.M. Howard. 

This was rivetingly directed by Chinonye Chukwu ("alaskaLand" '12, "Clemency" '19) plus TV and shorts. Considering the limited experience behind the camera, I was mesmerized by this filmmaker to be able to connect so well with Deadwyler in order to get her to emit the emotions she was able to extract to convince the audience that she was this distraught about losing her son at such an early age. She will continue to go far in her ability to direct quality films. It was incredibly well crafted by writers Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu. What amazes me even more is that two of the three writers here have no other than this film to their credit for feature films (Reilly and Beauchamp)< and Chukwu doesn't have a plethora of experience as well. This tells me two things: either they're all naturals or maybe a good day at at the laptop--not sure, but suffice it to say, this was a dynamite script. The sequence of scenes were seamless and the continuity was spot on. It was a 130 minute running time and it didn't seem, at all, like it, because it was incredibly cohesive, paced and staged. These writers, director and Deadwyler will undoubtedly receive Oscar nods come that time. 

It you're into message-laden films, this is the ticket for you, but even if you're not, the quality directing, writing and acting will woo you into purchasing a ticket. One lesson to learn from this? A mother's love can't be fought against, can't be bought, and should never be toyed with lest you receive the wrath of her. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                          Rated: PG-13                                             130mins.

Ticket to Paradise

The genre of romcoms or romantic comedies are about as common as seeing a drama film in the theaters these days, however entirely different genres. Most dramas are typically well thought out and acted with interesting stories, but romcoms, on the other hand are not. Now, not all romcoms are created equal--some are actually interesting, but "Ticket to Paradise", although has some funny, interesting scenes, is often written in a way where the jokes seem forced and the premise isn't anything original.

David Cotton (George Clooney) and Georgia Cotton (Julia Roberts), two divorced parents who can't tolerate one another, head to Bali after their daughter, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) announces her plans to marry a local islander, Gede (Maxime Bouttier) she just met while on holiday with her best friend, Wren Butler (Billie Lourd) after their college graduation. David and Georgia decide to put aside their differences and work together to stop the wedding, believing that doing so will keep Lily from making a dreadful mistake similar to their own mistake 25 years ago. Will they succeed, or end up wondering if they even made the right decision that many years ago?

Others to round out the cast are Lucas Bravo as Paul, Cintya Dharmayanti as Losi, Sean Lynch as Rob, Genevieve Lemon as Beth-Ann and Nom Gunadi as Losi's uncle. 

This was paced and staged well by director Ol Parker ("Imagine Me & You" '05, "Now Is Good" '12, "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" '18). As with other romcoms, the formula is rather similar so therefore, directing most of these films is like 'paint by numbers'. Surely there were some interesting places where the actors could shine when on the set, but both Clooney and Roberts had to of yawned through their performances. If there's a culprit here, it would have to be the writers which are Ol Parker ("Loved Up" (TV movie) '95, "In Your Dreams" (TV movie) '96, "It Was an Accident" 2000, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" '15, "Mama Mia! Here We Go Again" '18, "A Boy Called Christmas" '21) plus TV, and Daniel Pipski. Parker has the lion's share of the writing, however I'm sure Pipski was pivotal in his ideas. As with previous romcoms, this had the exact same formula: boy meets girl, girl meets boy, they have a dilemma that they must figure out, throw in some parents, friends, co-workers into the mix, and trouble ensues, but not to worry, because the dilemma is figured out and the ending is tied up with a nice big bow. Sound familiar? It's not that this film is poorly written as much as it is not really original. But having both Clooney and Roberts in the lead roles certainly didn't hurt this story, and for that reason, this is why you are there. 

This film is great if you are either a Clooney or Roberts fan, but if not, it will be a fidgety sit. Certainly in a world that is fraught with increased crime, inflation, politics and disease, a comedy would definitely hit the spot, and this is not a total wash, but it would be nice to see something a bit more fresh.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                       Rated: PG-13                                           104mins.

Black Adam

Well, it looks to be that the beginning of the holiday film season is now upon us and what a better way to start it off than with DC Comics' "Black Adam", what with all the adrenaline-ridden action, the grandiose feel and with a story that isn't tough to figure out. Yes, I know that this genre is typically reserved for the summer crowd, but since this is still the 'Indian Summer' time of year, it's still fitting. 

Kahndaq, 2,500 B.C. Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the mighty powers of the Egyptian ancient gods--and imprisoned just as quickly--Teth Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is freed inadvertently by Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) to save her own life, from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world. It turns out that Ismael (Marwan Kenzari), descendent of the evil king of Kahndaq 5,000 years ago, is bent on obtaining the king's crown made of a priceless gem known as eternium which he believes Adrianna and son Amon (Bodhi Sabongui) possess. So as Black Adam (as he's later labeled) make the scene and protect the two, the global justice league which is comprised of Dr. Kent Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Carter/Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Cantineo), come to Kahndaq to arrest Adam for violating peace. Is there any way these people can unify their differences in order to combat the tyranny that is yet to come?

Others to round out the cast are Mohammed Amer as Karim, Adrianna's brother, James Cusati-Moyer as Samir, Jalon Christian as Hurut, Benjamin Patterson as skinny Teth Adam and Henry Winkler as Uncle Al, uncle to Atom Smasher. 

This was directed with that much needed one two punch by Jaume Collet-Serra ("House of Wax" '05, "Goal II: Living the Dream" '07, "Orphan" '09, "Unknown" '11, "Non-Stop" '14, "Run All Night" '15, "The Shallows" '16, "The Commuter" '18, "Jungle Cruise" '21) plus TV and videos. As one might expect, this definitely was adrenaline packed with more explosions and explosive moments one could count. Considering this filmmaker's resume, this probably wasn't much of a challenge for him since he was assuredly in his comfort zone. If you like his brand of directing, his "Carry On" is filming at this time for a 2023 release date. It was written with franchise all over it by Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani, based on characters created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. As with so many other films, this is where the issues ensue. First of all, there are more than two writers on the project which is all too many hands in the pot. Secondly, with the exception of Sztykiel, the experience isn't what I would deem extensive. When a film is dealing with multiple worlds--in this case, two entirely different time periods, it is so easy for the script to become bogged down with a certain amount of choppiness and some issues of continuity--this being the case with this production. The connection with the time frame of today and that of 5,000 years ago wasn't even explained until about mid point into the film. Once the connection was established, the script actually started to find itself and it became the film it was looking for. And, of course, the visual effects predominantly designed by Weta Digital and Digital Domain were seamless. They were used a bit too much, however they were beautifully executed. 

Make sure you stay for, at least, the main end credits since there is a bit of a surprise, although maybe not, in store. Can you say--S-E-Q-U-E-L? I know, what a shock! The franchise must go on. If you like this type of fare, it's presented in an IMAX format to give you than up, close and personal feel. 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                              Rated: PG-13                                           125mins.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

Remember back in the day when movies were created solely for entertainment purposes? Well, with "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile", this is exactly what you get when leaving the theater--hey, you'll feel this way as you watch the film. This is a film that all can watch and should where it's fun, heartwarming, entertaining, all with a great message. 

When the Primm family (Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy and son, Josh, Winslow Fegley) moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All that changes when he discovers Lyle (voiced by Shawn Mendes)--a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music living in the attic of his new home. The two become fast friends, but when Lyle's existence is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman), the Primm's must band together with Lyle's charismatic owner, Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem), to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places and there's nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality. 

Others to round out the cast are Sal Viscuso as the judge, Lyric Hurd as Trudy, Yussie Jupiter as Broadway theater goer and Don DiPetta as paramedic.

This was whimsically directed by Josh Gordon ("Blades of Glory" '07, "The Switch" '10, "Office Christmas Party" '16) plus TV and shorts, and Will Speck (same as Gordon's resume). What with the visual effects, musical numbers, and the actors to work with, this would typically be a logistics nightmare for any director, but these two filmmakers absolutely pulled it off. Their ability to stage, pace and extract the many different emotions from their actors was phenomenal. If you like their brand of directing, their "Distant" is completed for a 2023 release. It was brilliantly written by Will Davies ("Student Exchange" (TV movie) '87, "Twins" '88, "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" '92, "The Real McCoy" '93, "Ghost in the Machine" '93, "Bermuda Grace" (TV movie) '94, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" '95, "The Guilty" 2000, "Ignition" '01, "Johnny English" '03, "Alien Autopsy" '06, "Flushed Away" '06, "How to Train Your Dragon" '10, "Mia and the White Lion" '18) plus TV, based on the book series by Bernard Waber. When I saw the trailer to this film, I thought it looked odd enough for a premise to be decent. Wow, I was way off, because this film was an absolute delight from start to finish. The family was believable, Bardem as Valenti was eccentric, but with a good heart, but the star here was clearly Lyle. He was smart, touching, talented and the creation of him was simply genius. If you like the writing here, Davies' "Blackout" is in pre-production. What also made this movie sing (pun intended) was the musical numbers brilliantly composed by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek ("LA LA Land", "The Greatest Showman"). The music and lyrics in this had that distinct style that you will recognize immediately. 

If you not only like musical comedy, but are a fan of the works of Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, you have got to see this. The film has it all: humor, great numbers, a great message, a terrific story that is tailor-made for all to see. Enjoy this one! I know I did!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                           Rated: PG                                                 107mins.