Happy Birthday Sir Ben Kingsley!

Happy Birthday Sir Ben Kingsley!  Sir Ben started at the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Highly recommended is Playing Shakespeare (1982), a documentary series that is hosted by John Barton and features some of the best actors like Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Patrick Stewart Dame Judi Dench,  and Sir Ian Mckellan, amongst many other incredible actors. It is not only great on Shakespeare and his lays, but also the craft of acting.  He moved to television and then became a sensation playing the lead role in Lord Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982).  The film won eight Academy Ards including Best Actor for Sir Ben.  He later won a 1985 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for “The Words of Gandhi.”  One of his first genre roles was playing Avatar in Steven Linsberger’s Slipstream (1989).  An early voice role was the lead in the animated movie Freddie as F.R.O.7. (1992).  Next, Sir Ben played the instructor to the chess prodigy, Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993).  Then, he played Itzhak Stern, in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993).    

In 2000, Sir Ben was in crime drama Sexy Beast and then the drama, House of Sand and Fog (2003).  He was made a Knight Bachelor in 2002 for achievements in entertainment. Sir Ben starred in the video game adaptation of BloodRayne (2005).  I absolutely love Sir Ben’s performance as Ambrosinu, the mentor to Romulusu Augustus, in The Last Legion (2007) based on the Valerio Manfredi novel.  He followed it up playing Nizam in another video game adaptation, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), I love that film too.   Sir Ben played visionary filmmaker, Georges Méliès, in Martin Scorsese’s fantasy, Hugo (2011), based on the Brian Selznick book.   He entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing actor Trevor Slattery in Iron Man 3 (2013). Sir Ben played Mazer Rackham, who sported interesting facial tatoos, in Ender’s Game (2013) based on Orson Scott Card’s sci fi novel.  Then, Sir Ben played the villainous Snatcher in Laika’s animated film The Boxtrolls (2014).  I was part of the Boxtrolls press roundtables and Sir Ben entered casually; t-shirt and jeans, but he radiated charisma.  I asked him to compare Snatcher with Richard III and was just stunned that he said he never played Richard III and explained his process in approaching a role.  Sir Ben brought an elegance to voicing Bagheera in Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book (2016).  This year, he voiced General Woundwort, in the television animated mini-series Watership Down based on the Richard Adams' novel. Happy Birthday Sir Ben Kingsley!  

#SirBenKingsley, #Gandhi, #IronMan3, #Boxtrolls 

Happy Birthday Caity Lotz!

Happy Birthday Caity Lotz!  Caity started as a dancer and starred in Lady Gaga’s music videos. She made her own music with the girl group Soccx. Caity had a part as a cheerleader in Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006). She had a long running role as Stephanie in Mad Men (2010-2015).  Then, she played Officer Kirsten Landry investigating supernatural cases in the MTV series Death Valley (2011).  Next, Caity starred in the horror movie The Pact (2012). She made the sci fi movie The Machine (2013) playing  the robot named Ava.  Caity began a fan favorite part as Sara Lance, The Canary in Arrow (2010-2014).  

Caity Lotz at the Los Angeles Comic Book And Science Fiction Convention, 2014, photo by the author. 

Caity reprised her role as Annie in The Pact II (2014).  Sara Lance is killed in “The Calm” (2014) episode of Arrow in the third season.  She was one of the astronauts in a simulation in the sci fi movie 400 Days (2015) along with Legends co-star Brandon Routh.  Sara Lance is brought back to life by the Lazarus Pit in "Resotration" (2015) episode of Arrow.  In 2016, there was the launch of the Legends of Tomorrow television show, Caity was a regular actor on the Waverider as the White Canary.  She is currently captain of the ship and leader of the legends.  Happy Birthday Caity Lotz!    

#CaityLotz, #ThePact, #Arrow, #LegendsofTomorrow 

Re:tro Re:view - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom!

Every Jurassic film has a question of why it should exist and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has an answer.  It continues the story from the first Jurassic Park (1993) to Jurassic World (2015).  The screenwriters are Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly.  Both of whom worked on the screenplay for Jurassic World which Trevorrow directed.  This film is directed by J.A. Bayona whose last film, A Monster Calls (2016) was not impressive, but his previous film, The Impossible (2012) was a masterwork.  

Fallen Kingdom ranks at the top of that scale, fun with great tension, all the while moving the Jurassic story forward.  There are moments that are reflective of Jurassic Park, but given a twist.  Next, there are scenes spoiled by the trailers, but the interesting part is they don’t spoil the rest of the scene which is equally tense.  The trailers might make one think that it is centered around the volcano about to erupt and bring down Jurassic World, (this would be heartbreaking to Big Island residents with Kilauea’s eruption, the movie was filmed in Hawaii), but this only covers the first act. It is also interesting that Fallen Kingdom brings sympathy for the dinosaurs as animals.

One of my favorite Dino is the Stygimoloch, nicknamed “Stiggy”, but not by Owen. It cracks its thick, bony skull in what is thought to be mating rituals.  Literal bone heads cracking skulls, which strikes me as hilarious, now given the spotlight here.  So let’s get into it, minor spoilers ahead!, the movie picks up three years after the closure of Jurassic World. We get a two-person bathysphere entering the gated pen with scattered bones.  They discover the skeleton of the Indominus rex on the sea floor and slice a bone from it to send up as a ballon to the stormy sea.  The bathysphere is swallowed up by the giant Mosasaurus.  

The sample is retrieved by a helicopter and one of the mercenary group is trying to close the gate.  The mercenaries in the helicopter scream for him to move and he is chased by the T-Rex, but he is able to reach the ladder dropped by the helicopter. The T-Rex grabs hold of the ladder.  It looks like the dinosaurs are about to break free from the island.  A senate hearing debates over rescuing the dinosaurs now in danger from the volcano.  We of course have the return of Dr. Ian Malcolm played by Jeff Goldblum.  He testifies that there is a danger of unleashing the genetic Pandora’s Box and says that the dinosaurs should be left to be taken out by the volcano.

This is monitored by the office of the Dinosaur Protection Group which is working to rescue the dinosaurs.  Handling the phones and computers are Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) and Franklin Webb (Justice Smith).  I think Pineda’s character is great, headstrong, and important as a paleoveterinarian, being able to give medical care to dinosaurs even though she hasn’t seen one in person.  Webb is expert at tech, but fearful with just about everything, he is still interesting enough to keep the tension.  

They are working for Claire Dearing played by Bryce Dallas Howard, no longer wearing all-terrain high highs, she followed up Jurassic World with the charming remake of Pete’s Dragon (2016).  She is contacted by Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) who is working for Benjamin Lockwood, a former partner of John Hammond, the owner of Jurassic Park. She is driven to the Lockwood estate in Northern California and is met by the housekeeper, Iris, played by Geraldine Chaplin. She has an incredible career in film including Bayona’s The Orphanage (2007).  Iris takes Claire to see Eli in a hallway that is like the Smithsonian Natural History Museum with dinosaur skeletons flanked by dinosaur statues in a window environment.

Eli explains that this was built before Hammond’s Jurassic Park and that labs that unlocked the dinosaur genetic code are beneath the museum.  This film is a paleontologist’s dream and also a nightmare really bringing up the question of if it were possible to revive extinct prehistoric animals out of a dream, then the cost might be too high.  They are introduced to Benjamin Lockwood played by longtime genre vet, James Cromwell, who voiced Robert Callaghan in Big Hero 6 (2014).  Lockwood explains that there was a falling out with Hammond that was reasonable.  

Eli shows Claire that the dinosaurs on Isla Nubar have trackers, which he says can be moved to an island where they can be safe, but they need help with Blue.  Claire goes to find that help of course in the former of dinosaur behaviorist Owen Grady (Pratt).  He is busy working on constructing the framework of a cabin.  She brings up that Blue is in trouble, but Owen is fixated on which one left their relationship. At a bar, Claire laughs off that he was the one who left, and it looks doubtful that he will join the expedition.  The plane is about to take off, Claire meets Zia and Franklin, and then finds Owen waiting for them. 

They land safely at the abandoned park and meet with the mercenary in charge of the operation, Ken Wheatley played by Ted Levine, who is currently in The Alienist.  Still, he may be remembered for playing the serial killer in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).  Here he is ruthlessly efficient and has a habit of ripping a tooth out of dinos for trophies.  In the Jurassic World park, Zia is awed by the lumbering appearance of an Apatosaurus which represents the beauty of these creatures.  Franklin is able to open the door and restore park operations with Claire’s hand print.  

They have found the dinosaurs’ trackers, Wheatley’s team has already captured some dinos by the docks.  At the Lockwood Estate, Eli’s daughter, Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) sneaks in the museum to surprise Iris.  Maisie has all of the cleverness of Bran Stark, slipping in and out of places, though there is a twist to her character.  On the island, Zia goes with Owen to find Blue with Franklin monitoring the trackers from the base.  The saving of dinos is a part of the film, but also exploiting them for money or even more sinister purposes in the form of the new genetically engineered dino using the DNA of the Indominous rex, the Indoraptor, the latest creation of Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong). 

The true purpose of Eli Mills is found in the attention of Mr. Eversol played by Toby Jones. He wants the dinos to put them on auction from international bidders.  Owen and Claire have to deal with the consequences of training dinos and running the park.  They have to find a way to survive the volcano, including using a Gyrosphere from the previous movie, and get past dangers like a dinosaur stampede.  The threat of the volcano is a usual trope of dinosaur films like One Million Years B.C. (1966).  One of the best parts is the twists on the first Jurassic Park with Maisie chased by the Indoraptor and ultimately trying to hide from the Monster Under the Bed.  

I also have to address critics’ disappointment with the story.  If you are not taken into the movie from the island scene, then yes, you may not like the story and characters.  I was and so taken with the tension that I had my hands bunched to my mouth.  There is a short after credit scene, but it is almost left over from scenes shown at the end of the film, not essential unless you want to see everything from Fallen Kingdom.  I didn’t see it in 3D, but there are certain scenes that would be great in that format.  I also loved the score by Michael Giacchino which was running in my head well after the film. This is summer entertainment and a fun entry to the Jurassic movies!

Four Indominus rex Bones out of Five!

#JurassicWorldFallenKingdom, #JABayona, #DaniellaPineda, #IsabellaSermon

Black Mirror, “Bandersnatch”, Review!

I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books starting with the The Cave of Time (1979) by Edward Packard.  I think it was in the time of the early video games where players controlled the game not group play.  I always thought it would be great if somehow this could be brought to movies.  The closest is Clue (1985) with multiple endings.  I can see where a theater has audience members load a program with their phone before a showing.  Then, choices will be shown and each audience member makes a choice and it passes to another audience member.  Sort of a group think of a movie.  Black Mirror is innovative as a sci fi show with twists on dark, obsessive people.  “Bandersnatch” is an interactive episode of Black Mirror written by series creator, Charlie Brooker.  It is directed by David Slade who also directed Hard Candy (2005) and 30 Days of Night (2007).  The episode debuted on Netflix on December 28th and is currently streaming on Netflix.  “Bandersnatch” stars Fionn Whitehead as Stefan Butler who was Tommy in Dunkirk (2017).  Bandersnatch is of course one of the fierce creatures in Through the Looking Glass.  The Alice in Wonderland tropes continue.  

We get the alarm clock going off and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax” plays as we see Stefan asleep with the “9th July 1984” date.  He shuts off the clock next to a copy of the paperback of Bandersnatch.  Then, goes to take his pills.  His father, Peter played by Craig Parkinson who was Shaun in the Misfits BBC show, locks a door.  These are all important later at least according to my story path.  Peter gives him a cup of tea while Stefan is busy going through his copy of Bandersnatch.  He mentions that he has a meeting with Mr. Tucker to show his game design for Bandersnatch.   Peter then says that the book belonged to his mother.  His father offers him the choice between two cereals, this is your first choice, there is a ten second timer and the tempo of the music rises, if you don’t choose it goes to default.  The choice is not consequential, it may be just to get you used to the concept. Peter goes to yell at the neighboring dog that is digging in the garden.  Stefan takes the bus to his meeting, puts on his headphones, and then has the choice of the Thompson Twins’ “Hold Me Now” or Now2, a compilation album that plays the Eurythmic’s “Here Comes the Rain Again.”  Again, not pivotal, but referred to later.  

BLACK MIRROR -- “Bandersnatch” -- ASIM CHAUDHRY, WILL POULTER, FIONN WHITEHEAD -- Stuart Hendry/Netflix. 

Stefan sees Mr. Tucker (Asim Chaudhry) who shows him his plans for laying out the floor with sections for each part of the game development teams.  He also shows the poster of the new game, “Metal Hedd” by Colin Ritman.  Colin, Will Poulter who was in this year’s Maze Runner: The Death Cure, is at his desk with headphones on programming a computer.  Tucker introduces Stefan to Colin.  He shows Stefan his latest game, Nohzdyve, a video game of a falling man who has to dodge objects.  The game freezes and Colin explains the eyeballs have overloaded the memory, this is something that comes in the repeat play that Stefan now knows.  Stefan shows them the demo of Bandersnatch, his maze game that leads to Pax, the demon.  He explains that like the episode you have ten seconds to make a choice.  Colin says he has a copy of Bandersnatch at home and then mentions that the author, Jerome F. Davies, cut off his wife’s head.  Tucker enters a choice, but the game freezes, Stefan explains that he hasn’t finished the game.  The executive explains that they will have to get the game finished and ready for Christmas.  Tucker offers to have Stefan work with a team, an important choice, if he refuses, remember that Stefan is lonely person, so he says he will work on the game, but on his own.  

This way he can finish the game.  Colin respects his decision or your decision and says “madness” is needed to work on a concept game.  Tucker says the game has to be finished by 12th of September.  Colin asks about Stefan’s choice in music, Thompson Twins or compilations, and he has Stefan write down some more inspirational music.  His father is concerned about Stefan working on the game at home.  On a video game review show, Robin (Paul Bradley) raves about the latest Colin Ritman game.  Stefan takes notes and then we see a game design book, Look Door, Get Key, that becomes important.  Then, a family photo of his father, young Stefan (A.J. Houghton), and his mother (Fleur Keith) on a picnic.  Stefan explains the day’s events to his psychologist, Dr. Hayes (Alice Lowe).  He explains that he said no, but doesn’t understand why he made that choice.  Dr. Hayes congratulates him, but he says she sounds like his father and is nervous about the sessions.  She asks if he wants to talk about his mother, an important choice.  He had a toy rabbit and his father took it away, young Stefan tries to look for it, and his mother is delayed for her train trip.  Stefan blames his father and Dr. Hayes reminds him that he knows her number.  

He goes to the record store and reading Colin’s list, picks up Phaedra by Tangerine Dream and The Bermuda Triangle by Isao Tomita, another choice.  Then, he sees a copy of The Lives of Jerome F. Davies.  Stefan is looking through the book and sees Bandersnatch imagery and also the red branching symbol.  He works on the game.  It’s the 17th of July.  Some surreal video game music plays.  Stefan wakes from a nightmare on the 3rd of August.  More time passes and we get the 20th of August.  Stefan sees the path charts on his wall, all of the choices, and buries his head in his hands.  His father interrupts him to invite him to the pub.   This is the important choice that sends Stefan spiraling into the darkness.  On two screens are choices where you can go back, there is a summary of the choices you have made.  There is a breaking of the fourth wall where Stefan thinks he is being controlled by something.  I really like that at some points he resists the choices you made.  Colin can help Stefan through his creative block and even further into drugs and a fatal choice.  There is a VHS tape of Davies’ (Jeff Minster) life about the branch symbol.  We get a further exploration of free will like The Matrix.  One of the strangest choices is you can communicate to Stefan about Netflix.  Characters can appear or not depending on your choices.  On another path, you follow Colin to his home seeing his wife, Kitty (Tallulah Haddon), and his baby girl, Pearl.  This is a dark and innovative episode of Black Mirror.  

Four Nohzdyves out of Five! 

#BlackMirror, #Bandersnatch, #CharlieBooker, #FionnWhitehead.  

Re:tro Re:view - The Incredibles 2!

Incredibles 2 picks up the moment of the last film and takes us on an Incredicoaster ride!  It has been fourteen years since we last saw the Parr family defeat Syndrome in the first movie and we saw the epilogue that ended with the Underminer opposed by the family.  The movie begins with an introduction by Craig t. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brad Bird thanking the audience for watching the movie. Then, this shifts to the animated short, Bao, by Domee Shi.  It tells the story of a lonely woman living with her father.  He tosses some bao into his mouth and runs off to work.  

The woman is about to eat the last bao, but it starts to try as a baby, pop out arms and body.  We see the bao being raised by her.  It is a sweet parable that charmed everyone in the audience.  Minor spoilers ahead!  This is a return for Brad Bird to Pixar and the Incredibles after his brilliant Tomorrowland (2015).  The one part between the first film and the new one is that they are able to have more fun with the titles rendering the castle in retro-60’s promotion art ending with II rather than the standard logo.  The film begins not with the super heroes’ introduction, but the questioning of young Tony Rydinger (Michael Bird), the boy who asked out Violet Parr at the end of the first Incredibles.  

He is questioned by agent Rick Dicker (Jonathan Banks, a new voice actor, who was on Breaking Bad) about what happened up to the appearance of the Underminer and then we shift into the family in action.  We get The Incredibles 2 title.  There is a also an improvement in the animation from less plastic looking skin.  The parents, Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr (Nelson), and Elastigirl (Hunter), Helen Parr, tell Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dash (Huck Milner, new voice for Dash) to stay with infant Jack Jack (Eli Fucile).  Tony scrambling for cover sees Violet without her mask.  They take on the Underminer (John Ratzenberger) with his massive drill machine.  Underminer collapses a bank and sucks up the money from a vault and Mr. Incredible.  They get the help of fellow superhero Frozone, Lucius Best (Jackson).  Still, the day is saved, with the drill machine barely scrapping City Hall.  The police take the Incredibles into custody.  Agent Dicker uses a machine to remove Tony’s memory to protect the Incredible’s secret identity.  They are still in violation of the Super Relocation Act, but have two weeks to stay at a motel after their home was destroyed in the first movie. 

During the confusion, Frozone is able to slip away and is contacted by Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk from Better Call Saul), the owner of DevTech.  The Incredibles settle in the motel and later Bob and Helen are at the pool talking at night when they are joined by Frozone.  He mentions that he checked out DevTech and says they are all wanted for a meeting in their old costumes.  They head over to DevTech and meet Winston and his sister, Evelyn Deavor, played by Catherine Keener who was in Get Out (2017).  She is the brilliant inventor while her brother is the marketer.  Winston is excited singing the theme songs of the super heroes.  He relates that his father was a friend to super heroes, he had a direct line to two heroes, but Winston relates that this ended in a tragic robbery.  Winston believes that it would have never happened if super heroes were not in hiding and hopes to change the public perception of heroes.  Evelyn mentions that her mother wanted them to hide in the house’s shelter.  She has invented tiny body cams to record the heroes perspective of their saving the day.  

Winston has selected Elasti Girl as the showcase hero that will lead the p.r. campaign.  This is especially pointed out to Mr. Incredible with charts showing his destruction.  So this is a reverse of the first movie with Mr. Incredible now Mr. Mom watching over the family and Elasti Girl becoming the hero.  The Incredibles are taken to their new home, one of Winston’s mansions he no longer uses, it is fancy, Dash loves using the remote activating panels.  Elasti Girl is given the awesome Elasti Cycle, it is able to separate, this is one of the best additions and I wanted the toy!  She leaves Bob to travel to a city, New Urbrem, which Winston explains has the highest rate of crime.  Bob finds that being a stay at home dad takes a super hero.  Violet discovers that Tony has forgotten their date.  Dash needs his dad’s help with his New Math book.  Even more, Jack Jack slips out of his crib, he goes to the couch to watch television.  He sees a robber with a mask, turns and then sees a raccoon with the mask-like face!  Jack Jack uses his powers to take on the raccoon.  This is the scene I saw at D23 so it was great to finally see it in the film!  

Elasti Girl has a monorail to save and it slowly becomes apparent that behind it all is the super villain Screenslaver (Bill Wise) who can hypnotize people.  Mr. Incredible has some help from a returning favorite, Edna Mode (Bird).  Elasti Girl is able to save The Ambassador (Isabella Rossellini).  She also finds new heroes gathered by Winston; Voyd (Sophia Bush) who can create teleporting discs, and also Krushauer, super telekinetic, and He-Lectrix, electrical powers, both voiced by Phil LaMarr, Reflux (Paul Eiding), an older super hero who can vomit lava, the super strong Brick, and Screech, an owl-like, flying hero.  The first Incredibles was a mix of super spy and super heroes, but except for a hydrofoil yacht, this film focuses more on the super heroes which I like.  I love the focus of Elasti Girl as a super hero especially since she has such a dynamic and visually  interesting power.  Jack Jack is also a break out character, every time he babbles or cries, the audience laughed.  Incredibles 2 takes the award for the most fun, well written superhero film of the summer!  Does the success of Incredibles 2 guarantee a sequel?  

Four Masks out of Five!

#TheIncredibles2, #BradBird, #Screenslaver, #Voyd

Happy Birthday Stan Lee!

Happy Birthday Stan Lee!  Stan the Man is an icon of Marvel Comics.  He started as an assistant in 1939 at Timely Comics which later became Marvel Comics.  Stan’s first comic story was in a back-up feature of Captain America #5 (1941).  The time of Marvel Comics came in the Silver Age with Fantastic Four #1 (1961) with Stan’s frequent co-creator Jack Kirby.  There was a wealth of characters created from that moment.  Stan created a Marvel icon who was closely identified with the company working with Steve Ditko with the first appearance of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962).  Jack Kirby’s artwork and Stan’s words resulted in The Incredible Hulk #1 (1962), the first appearance of Thor in Journey into Mystery #83 (1962), Iron Man’s debut with Tales of Suspense #39 (1963), all of whom grouped together in Avengers #1 (1963).  He also teamed with Kirby to create the mutant team with The X-Men #1 (1963).  Then, Stan worked with Steve Ditko to co-create Doctor Strange in Strange Tales #110 (1963).  All of these characters appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  He later teamed with artist Bill Everett to co-create Daredevil with Daredevil #1 (1964).  Stan’s thoughts inspired readers with his feature, “Stan’s Soapbox”, and made Marvel fans with the Merry Marvel Marching Society.  

The Lee and Kirby run on Fantastic Four introduced many memorable characters including Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52 (1966).  Also, the Silver Surfer in the “Galactus Trilogy” which begun with Fantastic Four #48 (1966).  Stan profited narration for Marvel Productions animated series starting with Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-1983).  He hosted a reality show, Stan Lee’s Superhumans, from 2010 to 2014.  Stan wrote a number of book on comic books including Origins of Marvel Comics (1974), How to Draw Comics The Marvel Way (1984) with John Buscema, and Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics (2010).  He wrote novels for example Dunn’s Conundrum (1985), an espionage story, Stan Lee’s Riftworld: Odyssey (1996) co-written with Bill McCay and wrote with Stuart Moore the super hero novel, The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence (2015).  Stan made his first superhero cameo in the television movie The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989).  He hosted the show, Stan Lee’s Superhumans, from 2010 to 2014.  Stan wrote and put his own spin on DC Comics characters with Just Imagine… in 2001.  This year we had Stan’s cameos in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War,  Antman and the Wasp, Venom, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.  We unfortunately lost Stan Lee last month.  Let’s leave with Stan’s lines from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: “I’m going to miss him”, he of course means Spider-Man, but it also applies to Stan, “We were friends, you know.”  It seems Stan was friends with everyone.  Excelsior!  

Re:tro Re:view - Deadpool 2!

Deadpool 2 is a refreshing sequel to the first movie of the Merc with a Mouth.  I only saw the end and a little of the beginning of the first Deadpool, so I didn’t pick up some of the character bits.  Still, it was the introduction of Cable (played by Josh Brolin) and Domino (Zazie Beetz) that got me to see this film.  He was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld in New Mutants #87 (1990).  Domino was another Liefeld design with writer Fabian Nicieza.  She debuted in New Mutants #98 (1991). 

The new film has brought in a new director, David Leitch, leaving out Tim Miller.  The original writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, have returned.  It is rated R for violence and language, but not any sexuality.  The film is not a laugh riot, I’m including audience members around me, but the audience did laugh at the unexpected jokes.  Note that some of the jokes, characters, and action are spoiled by trailers and commercials.  It picks up two years after the first film with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) narrating and trying to outdo Hugh Jackman in Logan.  We flash back to Deadpool traveling across the world, Hong Kong, Japan, and New York killing crime lords with some comic flair.

He chases one Meth Boss (Thayr Harris) to his safe room and leaves to make his appointment in the taxi driven by Dopinder (Karan Soni).  Dopinder’s role is expanded slightly in this film wanting to be a contract killer like Deadpool.  Soni’s comedy brings an upbeat cheer to the movie.  Next, we get Deadpool taking off his mask (he has the bald, scarred head part of his mutant transformation in the first film) to return to the apartment of Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), whom he calls Nessa. She brings heart to all of Deadpool's wisecracking mercenary action.  The Meth Boss interrupts them and Deadpool takes care of him and his men.  

Deadpool is later hanging out at a bar with Weasel (T.J. Miller) and also visits with Blind Al (Leslie Uggams).  He is in bad shape, but Colossus (voiced again by Stefan Kapicic) collects him and takes him to the Xavier Mansion.  He still has hopes for Deadpool to be a hero and an X-Man.  Colossus is of course all CG and there is no humanizing part where he has transformed back to Peter Rasputin, but that’s part of the fun?  Also at the mansion is Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand), returning from the first film, and another X-Man, Yukio played by Sioli Kutsuna.  She has the purple hair and otaku girl, cheerful and waving to Deadpool.  Both are cameos and really the only X-Men to deal with some dangerous situations.  The movie deals with the name of the team in a nice jab.

Deadpool is slowly guided to taking a new direction with his life and joins the X-Men to deal with a problem a mutant teenager out of control.  Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), 14 years old, has the Firestarter power and is burning the outside of the Essex School.  Essex is the last name of the X-Men villain, Mr. Sinister.  Dennison is known for Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), but his Russell is just grumpy, excitable, I had no sympathy for his character.  Running the school is the Headmaster (Eddie Marsan). Deadpool learns from Russell that they have been torturing him at the school.  

So the school and it’s workers are the villains, but we don’t really know what drives the headmaster except that he believes mutants are an aberration.  Also, the X-Men seem ok with mutant children trapped and hurt in the school.  Deadpool and Russell are given mutant inhibitor collars that suppress their mutant abilities, it was introduced in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and in The Gifted television show.  They are taken to the mountainous Icebox prison.  We are also introduced to the apocalyptic future with Cable and the premise of Days of Future Past that is more clear here with Russell being responsible for the tragedy in this future.  Cable is part cyborg with arm and left eye, but the story has a twist on the Terminator assassin from the future trying to kill a pivotal figure.

Deadpool is dying of the cancer that is part of his mutant power to heal from any wound and Russell is eager to be a hero, but was rejected because of his weight.  The concept of Russell as abused, wounded, but wanting to get revenge on his abusers is interesting for a superhero film.  They face the brutal Black Tom Cassidy (Jack Kesy), a mutant villain who can send out blasts from his shillelagh. Black Tom first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #101 (1976).  Cable enters the Icebox to get past guards and Deadpool to reach Russell.  Both mercenaries fight and end up tumbling down the snowy mountain leaving Russell behind. Deadpool meets with Weasel to recruit some help to stop Cable.  

Among the recruits are Bedlam (Terry Crews) who can shut down electrical systems, handy against Cable, Domino, whose luck power Deadpool doubts is a real power, Shatterstar (Lewis Tan) from the Mojoverse, he says he can do everything better than Deadpool, Zeitgeist (Peter Skarsgaard) who has acid vomit, and Peter (Rob Delaney) who has no powers, but showed up.  I just love Domino’s scenes where we get to see her powers at work, she has a confidence using her powers that carries her through life.  Still her character and Cable fits into the Deadpool world.  Deadpool dubs this team X-Force, they were the group created by Fabian Niceiza and Rob Liefeld that Cable organized as a counter to mutant threats. They first appeared in New Mutants #100 (1991).  The poking fun of comic book films and universes is fun.  There is a mid-credit scene, but no scene at the end of the film.  Leitch has some good action, maybe a little too violent for me, but a great setup for an X-Force movie and more Deadpool sequels!  Deadpool 2 was re-released as Once Upon a Deadpool which was rated PG-13, was released from December 12th to 24th, some of the profits went to a cancer charity.  

Three Skee-Ball Tokens out of Five!

#Deadpool2, #DavidLeitch, #RyanReynolds, #JoshBrolin, #ZazieBeetz

Trailers and the Films of 2019!

2018 is coming to a close and we have a few trailers showing us the promise of next year!  Let’s start from the bottom and work our way to the top.  Captain Marvel opens on March 8th.  It of course stars Brie Larson who was promoting the role for years, spending time at the Air Force, and at Comic Con.  The trailer was dropped in October and the new trailer this month. It looks promising as a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.  There are fun touches of the 90’s with the Blockbuster Video opening and the pager.  It dives into the early MCU with a younger Fury.  Most likely, Captain Marvel will break Wonder Woman’s box office with the MCU momentum.  Still, what makes MCU films forgettable entertainment is the lack of an emotional core.  Captain Marvel opens on March 8th.  Next, there is Aladdin, I have to say there is a strong connection I make with the movie, I worked at Aladdin’s Oasis in Disneyland, saw the Aladdin parade countless times.  I’ve also seen the show at the restaurant several times a day and was part of the show carrying a tray of food for the “Prince Ali” segment.  It was also the first film I saw at the El Capitan Theatre.  I read the original Arabian Nights tale which focuses on genies in various objects and also his mother.  It was interesting to hear Guy Ritchie announced as director, he is known more for adult fare than family friendly movies, but he is also coming off of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017). 

The teaser trailer was also released two months ago with a moody beginning.  It showed the desert sands, a parrot flying which must be Iago (talking or not), the Cave of Wonders, inside the cave with its treasures, and Aladdin (Mena Massoud) about to pick up the lamp.  Hints of scenes, but nothing stunning.  It seems like it is a musical so there should be a song, not a full song, but a line or two like in Mary Poppins Returns trailers.  We recently we had the Entertainment Weekly cover and feature. It looks promising, I would like to see more in the direction that Ritchie is taking in; magical fantasy or adventure. I’m expecting it to be different than the animated film and I actually don’t want to see Will Smith’s Genie until he is on the promotion part of the film’s release.  Aladdin opens at the box office on May 24th.  How to Train Your Dragon is an interesting series.  I tried to read the first book by Cressida Cowell, but it looks like the filmmakers took the basic idea and character names and told their own story.  I missed seeing the first film in the theaters.  It had what looked like some brilliant use of 3D in the flying scenes. Then, How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) aged up the characters and expanded the Dragon world. Around that time, I was able to see the live action show, with Toothless flying around in person!  The first trailer dropped in June and it is funny, a touch of romance with Toothless and the white Night Fury.  Having to find a new home for the dragons and the beauty of the Hidden World.  The second trailer debuted in October.  I love Hiccup’s destiny told to him by his father, Stoick.  The Hidden World will be opened on February 22nd.             

Shazam! is interesting because I wasn’t too interested in the comic book character, actually his name is Captain Marvel, he was very popular with his title outselling Superman. He was one of the first superheroes on film with the Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), two years before Batman and seven years before Superman.  I was more familiar with the Shazam! television show that ran in the 70’s.  Still, it was the animated movie, Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam (2010) where I understood that the true hero is Billy Batson, not the super powered Captain Marvel.  Then, there was Geoff Johns’ New52 polish of Shazam! Billy was an unlikeable orphan in an orphanage of brat kids that all together form Captain Thunder.  The first trailer dropped in June, it had hints with Asher Angel from Andi Mack as Billy Batson and Jack Dylan Grazer from IT as Freddy Freeman. Billy defends Freddy from bullies and when he transforms into Shazam (Zachary Levi) so he relies on Freddy to help him with his powers.  Fun.  Then, there were the videos by Levi and Angel that made me give it a chance.  The top trailer for me is Lion King.  I remember D23 Expo 2015 that previewed Jungle Book (2016) and it made my jaw drop.  2017’s D23 had the “Circle of Life” scene debut in November.  The music swells, the African animals take notice, the narration by Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and the young Simba putting his paw on his father’s paw print.  The antelope stampede, “Circle of Life”, and then adult Simba roaring on Pride Rock.  This is the same anticipation I felt with Jungle Book upped to eleven.  Will it be entirely computer animated or have some live storytelling segments like I  theorize?  Either way, I just can’t wait to be king on July 19th!      

The honorable mentions starts with Avengers: Endgame.  I look back to Avengers: Infinity War and I only saw it once to see if I was taken with it because of the film or if it was just the hype.  It was the hype.  The Marvel Cinematic Universe factory seems to churn out these movies without heart.  The lone exception is Black Panther. In early December, we got the teaser trailer for Avengers: Endgame.  Post-Snap, Tony records his message to Pepper, with no food and water, then we get Black Widow at the New Avengers Facility telling Captain America that Thanos decimated half of living creatures.  This would technically be trees and other oxygen providing organisms, plankton is also living, or did she mean people?  We see images of Scott Lang, Peter Parker, and Shuri.  Thor is with Nebula.  Steve Rogers talks about all that was lost including family, then we see the hooded Clint Barton, and Scott Lang, who was thought to be lost, wanting entrance to the facility.   As an action movie and superhero film, it might be interesting, but probably in the same mold as Avengers: Infinity War.  I’ll see it, but not thinking about it.  Avengers: Endgame opens at theaters on April 26th, again bypassing Free Comic Book Day, if the MCU leaves that date, I hope DC or another franchise can use it.

Next, Artemis Fowl, the book series is by Eoin Colfer, whom I was able to see at San Diego Comic Con.  The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh of course known for directing fantasy films like Cinderella (2015).  The trailer dropped in late November.  It has the beautiful overhead shot of a forest dissolve to a city, then we see a mass of people on mopeds as the narrator says his people were forced underground, and then a warning.  A boy drops a coin down a hole, it tracks to a hover craft, the Haven City Express, that flies in an impressive underground world.  We get the woman that starts floating, into a fairy I believe, and then Artemis Fowl (Ferdia Shaw) and his bow wielding butler (Nonso Anozie).  Looks intriguing!  Artemis Fowl opens on August 9th.  

Godzilla: King of the Monsters continues the Legendary MonsterVerse with Godzilla (2014) and Kong: Skull Island (2017). The first trailer appeared in July.  Millie Bobby Brown’s character, Madison, is on a rooftop during a stormy day.  Clouds seem to be rolling up and she is able to get into a doorway and close it.  Her mother, Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) explains that humanity is the cause of mass extinction and that the Earth is fighting back with the rulers called the Titans.  We see the shadowy form of Ghidorah, in ice?, Madison reaches out to one, Mothra?  Godzilla rises up from the water and fires his breath, this is the bulky Weird Science creature.  It looks the ethereal wings of Mothra unfolds.  On top of volcano looks like Rodan, his shadow passes over a city, the Washington capital building is burning, Madison says a mother is a monster.  Godzilla roars!  Trailer 2, in early December has Madison trying to contact, as we get scenes of Rodan’s shadow, the burning capital through a jet fighter’s cockpit, then she hears warnings.  A senate presentation is made on the Titans.  Rodan passes over a street.  A massive tail swipes as Ghidorah rises.  Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) says we will be Godzilla’s pet.  We see Ghidorah unleashing a blast.  Mothra shrieks.  Rodan twirls shrugging off rounds sent by the military.  Godzilla stomps across a city to meet with Ghidorah.  All fun scenes.  Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens at the box office on May 31st. 

The first Happy Death Day (2017) was interesting since it was a slasher horror movie with a day endlessly repeated a la Groundhog Day (1993).  I avoided it until it came on cable, I should have known not to underestimate a Blumhouse film, the premise is fresh here and there is enough a twist that will keep you going with this movie.  The protagonist, Theresa “Tree" Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) is completely unlikeable and shallow.  The murders didn’t make me sympathize with Tree, but keep me intrigued.  The trailer for the sequel which has director Christopher Landon also taking writing duties this time dropped in December.   It almost seems like it shifted to the roommate, then it seems the Death Day is recurring for Tree!  Now, it looks like it is not only Tree who is in danger, but everyone she knows.  The new problem is finding out what is causing the Death Days.  I like the assembling of the original cast, the reason behind the Death Days, and Tree facing again the baby-mask killer or killers.  It looks like February 14th, Valentine’s Day, will be another Death Day!  

Lastly, is New Mutants, it assembled an interesting cast, and directed by Josh Boone, who previously directed The Fault in Our Stars (2014).  There were rrumors that the film would adapt the Demon Bear storyline, an intense, very horror based story for the comic book.  Its trailer was released a year ago.  It has Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga) questioning Danielle Monster (Blu Hunt) questions while she is strapped to a chair.  Finally, asking about mutants.  We get quick shots of the characters, then Sam Guthrie (Charlie Heaton) approaches a window that explodes with fire, Sunspot, using his powers?  It seems like there is something in the walls.  Maybe supernatural.  It was intended to be released in April of this year, but delayed until August 2nd next year for re-shoots to heighten fears.  Is this a director unused to big budget special effects productions?  It is interesting that they are upping the frights when it really is the superheroes missing from this superhero movie.  The films without trailers which may be of interest are; Star Wars: Episode IX, rumors, but without more, my interest is at -10 now.  December 20th is the release date for Star Wars: Episode IX.  Spider-Man: Far from Home, yes, we know he survived the Snap, but again the MCU films are heartless.  Spider-Man: Far From Home reaches theaters on July 5th.  There is the Terminator sequel, the director of Deadpool, the Terminator writer’s room, plus James Cameron’s involvement.  The still untitled Terminator film is set for theatrical release on November 1st.  Hobbs & Shaw, Dwayne Johnson is interesting in the Fast and Furious films, so this has some interest.  Hobbs and Shaw opens on July 26th.  Lastly, Frozen 2, there is just built-in hype for this movie, we know we have to ready ourselves that there may not be a “Let It Go” in this animated film.  Frozen 2 hits theaters on November 22nd. 2019 looks like a full year for movies!   

#Aladdin, #Shazam, #LionKing, #HowtoTrainYourDragon3, #ArtemisFowl 

Re:tro Review - Avengers: Infinity War!

Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that have been building to this one film so it worth the hype?  First, if you like the MCU, Infinity War is a movie you should see.  I would sum up the film this way, it is a journey.  There are some dark moments mixed with laughs and ultimately gets into the darker costs of war.  The complexity of so many characters, well handled by the filmmakers, has mentions in the movie, but I would just boil down the must-see MCU films as Captain America: Civil War (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), and Black Panther (2017).  

This is really the merging of the cosmic universe of the Guardians of the Galaxy with the Avengers and protectors of the Earth.  The filmmaking team of this movie, directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have worked on the MCU since Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).  I was wondering if this movie tends towards the narrative brilliance of Winter Soldier or the dialogue clunky Captain America: Civil War (2016).  The answer is Infinity War is between them.  It is a fairly long movie at 2 hours, 29 minutes, but there is no real slow points since it is a dense, but not cluttered film.  Last note before we get to the battlefield, the audience was cheering at every character’s appearance, this may not be with every audience, but note the hype has put the flame to MCU fandom!

From the trailer, we saw that Thanos has taken the Statesman, the ship carrying the refugees from Asgard seen in Thor: Ragnarok.  We find there Loki (Tom Hiddleston) being confronted by Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his henchmen, the Black Order (introduced in the Infinity comic book).  He already possesses the purple Power Stone called the Orb that was in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is confined by the one of the Black Order, Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughn-Lawlor) who can manipulate objects.  Thanos is searching for the Tesseract, the blue Space Stone, which was on Asgard.  

This shifts to Earth with the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his fellow sorcerer Wong (Benedict Wong).  This scene was the beginning of the Infinity Gauntlet comic book.  They get an unexpected guest, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) who warns them of Thanos.  I think Ruffalo is a standout with what he goes through in the movie.  This moves to Central Park where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is talking with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).  Stark goes to the Sanctum Sanctorum and the reunion of Avengers is a bit awkward since Banner wasn’t around for the Civil War.  He doesn’t know why Stark is hesitant to call in the rest of the Avengers or that the team fell apart.  Banner knows the stakes are greater with Thanos behind the Invasion of New York that was in the first Avengers (2012). 

The mad Titan is searching for the two Infinity Stones on Earth; Strange’s green Time Stone contained in the Eye of Agamotto and the yellow Mind Stone powering the Vision who has gone missing.  There is no time to get help with the arrival of the Black Order’s circular ship in New York.  Peter Parker (Tom Holland) on a school bus trip senses the danger so has the help of his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) so he can slip away as Spider-Man!  Stark and the others reach the streets to face Ebony Maw and the brute Cull Obsidian (Terry Notary) after the Time Stone.  Iron Man has to go on a rescue mission with some help.  

Out in space, the Guardians of the Galaxy; leader Star Lord (Chris Pratt), assassin raised by Thanos, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), mischievous Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper), teen tree obsessed with his handheld video game, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), deadly and goofy Drax (Dave Bautista), and empathic Mantis (Pom Klementieff, her character was introduced in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2) are responding to a distress call.  Gamora is of course important as daughter of Thanos and she has to face her father.  They are able to recover Thor who has the team split up to try to stop Thanos with a new weapon for Thor and the others heading to Knowhere to find the Collector (Benicio Del Toro).  The relationship between Thor and Rocket is fun.  Back on Earth we have the Vision (Paul Bettany) and the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) spending private time in Scotland.

They are found by Proxima Midnight (played by Monique Ganderton and voiced by Carrie Coon) and Corvus Glaive (Michael Shaw).  We have the couple later taken by Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Falcon (Anthony Mackie).  They travel to the Avengers Compound to meet with James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) who is dealing with Secretary of State Ross (William Hurt).  Later, Rogers has a place to help the Vision, Wakanda.  They are given sanctuary by Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), his general, Okoye (Danai Gurai), T-Challa's genius sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), and on the battlefield, M’Baku (Winston Duke).  

I absolutely loved the return to Wakanda, the audience was excited with the sound of the drums from Ludwig Goransson’s Black Panther music.  I'll also add that it is great to have the return of Alan Silvestri's music which gives the film an epic sweep and his Avengers theme.  We later have the addition of Nebula (Karen Gillan) who becomes important in this film.  Thanos’ motivation is to eliminate half of the universe’s people to stop the draining of resources by over population.  A few things that I may have missed with this viewing, Ant-man and Hawkeye are missing, I think it’s because of the number of characters.  There is an end credit scene, but not two which had the audience trying to shush everyone like The Quiet Place.  Last note, the film has an ending which you may need to read the Infinity Gauntlet comics by Jim Starlin to understand.

Four Infinity Stones out of Five!

#AvengerInfinityWar, #JoeandAnthonyRusso, #RobertDowneyJr, #ChrisEvans 

Re:tro Re:view - Black Panther!

Black Panther has a visual look that is so expansive, it is worth multiple viewings alone, plus the vibrant action and iconic status of the character.  The world building by director Ryan Coogler and the design team is incredible.  Equally impressive is the cast led by Chadwick Boseman.  He is known for playing Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013), James Brown in Get on Up (2014), and one of his first genre roles was playing the god of wisdom, Thoth in Gods of Egypt (2016).  There is just a taste of his character, Black Panther, in Captain America: Civil War (2016), not in terms of Wakanda, but as a flawed character.  

Black Panther was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four #52 (1966).  He had his own title starting with Black Panther #1 (1977) by Kirby.  The character had a long run in Jungle Action by Don McGregor.  Christopher Priest introduced many characters in the film with his run on Black Panther.  Later, T'Challa was relaunched in Black Panther #1 (2005) by Reginald Hudlin.  There is also Coogler’s favorite actor, Michael B. Jordan from their earlier collaboration, Creed (2015), he also ventured into superhero territory with the Fantastic Four (2015) film.  His Erik Killmonger is complex, Erik’s motivations are not wrong, and it rests in the nature and nurture principle.  The script was written by Coogler and Joe Robert Cole who previously wrote and directed Amber Lake (2011). 

The film opens with a fable about Wakanda with the fall of the Vibranium meterorite.  Vibranium of course is the mystery metal that forms Captain America’s indestructible shield and Black Panther’s armor and claws.  We are told that there were five tribes and the one who eats the Heart-Shaped Herb becomes the first Black Panther.  We shift to Oakland, California in 1992 which is the birthplace of director Coogler and represents potential, but also the loss of identity in an urban environment.  We find some kids playing basketball with a broken box for a basket.  

They notice the building where two men are preparing guns.   This is Sterling K. Brown’s character and James (Denzel Whitaker).  At their apartment door is some bodyguards, the Dora Milaje, and the Black Panther who reveals himself as T’Chaka (John Kani).  Brown’s character recognizes him and bows.  He is also a Wakandan, the brother to T’Chaka, N’Jobu.  This reminded me just a bit of Lion King (1994) with N’Jobu in the role of Scar.  Also royalty living in America is similar to the Eddie Murphy comedy Coming to America (1988) which the cast had fun dressing up in Zamundan royalty in playful photos.  

The identity of the Wakandans are known by pulling down their lower lip to show the blue tattoo on their lip.  T’Chaka is there to take his brother back and the kids outside see the blue engines of the Royal Talon Fighter in the clouds outside of the apartment.  Then, we get the current day above Nigeria with the Royal Talon Fighter piloted by Okoye played by Danai Gurira.  She of course plays Michonne from the Walking Dead, but Okoye is far more deadly as a member of the Dora Milaje and a character of honor.  Her character was introduced in Black Panther #1 (1998).  Okoye is meditating while the ship flies towards a convoy.  

She contacts T’Challa played by Boseman and he manipulates a hologram of the trucks to see his target.  Okoye says she will fight alongside him, but T’Challa says this is his fight, Okoye tells him, “Don’t freeze.”  He notes “I never freeze”, puts on his helmet, and drops from the ship throwing several discs that immobilize the trucks.  Gunmen drop out of the trucks and the Black Panther takes them down.  He is helped by the “captive”, Nakia played by Lupita Nyong’o who has a few Disney credits with Maz Kanata in Star Wars, Raksha in The Jungle Book (2016), and Queen of Katwe (2016).  Now, she gets a strong part as a Wakandan who can’t turn her back from the suffering in other countries.  Nakia’s first appearance was also in Black Panther #1 (1998).  The women of Black Panther are important for the story and formidable in battle.   

This is the central conflict of the film, an isolationist country that is prosperous when the rest of world is troubled.  T’Challa tells Nakia that his father has died and he is to be crowned king.  She agrees to return with him to Wakanda.  We see some herders in this gentle country, but hidden away by holograms, it is revealed to be technological city in harmony with the land.  A hidden kingdom in Africa is one of the mainstays of pulp fiction including She (1887) by H. Rider Haggard.  The Golden City of Wakanda is well constructed and seems more like a real city than Asgard in the Thor films.  

They are greeted by Ramonda, the mother of T’Challa played by Angela Bassett, who has a long genre list with American Horror Story, a comic book role in Green Lantern (2011), and Contact (1997).  She is advisor and support for T’Challa.  Ramonda’s first appearance was in Marvel Comics Presents #14 (1989).  Also, there is Shuri played by Letitia Wright who is also in this year's Ready Player One, she was in a 2017 episode of Black Mirror, and had a role in the UK sci fi series, Humans.  Wright very nearly steals the entire movie, she is a genius level inventor of most Wakandan tech, and her lines got most of the laughs so pay attention to her dialogue.  Shuri was introduced in Black Panther #2 (2005).   

The coronation of T’Challa has gathered all of the tribes to Warrior Falls.  He confides in his advisor, Zuri, about being king without his father.  Forest Whitaker plays Zuri and he’s had a few genre roles including Saw Guerrera in Rogue One (2016), Arrival (2016), and of course played Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (2006) for which he won the Academy Award.  The first appearance of Zuri was in Black Panther #1 (1998).  This also a time when the Black Panther will take on any challengers.  The one standout challenger is M’Baku from the mountain tribe played by Winston Duke.  M'Baku's introduction was in Avengers #62 (1969).

Zuri gives T’Challa a drink that will take away his Panther powers and the two fighters are surrounded by the spears of the Dora Milaje and M’Baku’s tribe slowly closing them to the edge of the waterfall.  M’Baku seems brutal, but there is more to his character.  Later, we see W’Kabi, T’Challa’s good friend and boyfriend to Okoye.  He is played by Daniel Kaluuya who has garnered attention with last year’s Get Out.  W’Kabi tends to a rhinoceros kept in a pen, but is ready to fight.  In London, at a museum, Erik Stevens (Jordan) contemplates African artifacts.  He focuses on an axe which he knows is actually from Wakanda and made of vibranium.  He is also known as Killmonger and first appeared in Jungle Action #6 (1973). 

Erik’s plan to take the axe as a well as an African mask is helped by Linda (Naiyah Be), his girlfriend (she is known as Nightshade in the comics), and the merciless gunman, Ulysses Klaue.  He of course is played by Andy Serkis who was last seen as Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).  We find out later that his arm lost to Ultron is replaced with a sonic weapon.  Klaw is Black Panther’s foremost menace in the comics and first appeared in Fantastic Four #53 (1966).  Erik’s crew will lead to the streets of Busan, South Korea to the overthrow of T’Challa’s rule in Wakanda.  

The trail of the vibranium and the mastermind behind its theft is picked up by Everett Ross played by Martin Freeman.  He was also introduced in Captain America: Civil War (2016).  Ross is closely associated to Black Panther in the comics.  He first appeared in Ka-Zar #17 (1998).  The film stands apart from other Marvel films not from the world of Wakanda, but it’s themes and characters.  Coogler has assembled an incredible team from the costumes by Ruth E. Carter to the production design by Hannah Bleacher that seamlessly blend together.  Rachel Morrison's cinematography is epic sweeping across real and imagined landscapes, powerful action scenes, and strong character moments.  She previously worked with Coogler on his first movie, Fruitvale Station (2013).  The characters have their roots in comic books, but are fully developed here. Still, there is enough action and humor to get audiences booking a return trip to Wakanda!      

Five Heart-Shaped Herbs out of Five!

#BlackPanther, #RyanCoogler, #ChadwickBoseman, #LetitiaWright