Black Panther

— In the Marvel film world, superheros either spring into the universe with no backstory and any hint of their history comes through tentative flashbacks or, as is the case with Black Panther, with lavish detail to ensure the right amount of awe and glory. There’s a lot to be said for this film. It refocuses things so, instead of giving us a film about a dumbfounded fellow discovering his superpowers and dealing with them, this is really just about a man trying to become a better king, protect his country, and help those less fortunate around the world. Superpowers almost take a back seat and the positive energy flows everywhere, even in Kendrick Lamar’s sometimes irritating music. The film does a good job of telling the story and certainly presents a positive role model while asking important questions about race and identity, as well as about isolationism and internationalism. It’s a little more earnest than I like my Marvel films to be, but maybe that's just goes along with the burden of trying to be “a defining moment in Black America” (Carvell Wallace, NY Times).

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[2018. 134 min. Directed by Ryan Coogler. Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, and Angela Bassett.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/black-panther-2018

What I'm watching in February 2023:

02/28/23 Mayor of Kingstown, Season 2, Episode 5-7 (Paramount+)

02/27/23 A Paris Proposal (Hallmark)

02/26/23 We Have a Ghost (Netflix)

02/24/23 The Consultant, Season 1, Episodes 1-3 (Amazon Prime)

02/23/23 Blonde (Netflix)

02/22/23 The Company You Keep, Season 1, Episode 1 (Hulu)

02/21/23 Babylon⭐ (Paramount+)

02/21/23 Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song (Netflix)

02/17/23 Will Trent, Season 1, Episodes 1-4 (Hulu)

02/16/23 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney+)

02/10/23 At Midnight (Paramount+)

02/10/23 Your Place or Mine (Netflix)

02/09/23 Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Netflix)

02/09/23 National Treasure: Edge of History, Season 1, Episodes 9-10 (Disney+)

02/08/23 True Spirit (Netflix)

02/07/23 Empire of Light⭐ (HBO Max)

02/06/23 The Last of Us, Season 1, Episodes 2-4 (HBO Max)

02/06/23 Stranger at the Gate (The New Yorker)

02/06/23 The Martha Mitchell Effect (Netflix)

02/05/23 Mayor of Kingstown, Season 2, Episode 4 (Paramount+)

02/04/23 All Quiet on the Western Front⭐ (Netflix)

02/02/23 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Disney+)

02/01/23 Argentina, 1985⭐ (Amazon Prime)

Top 22 of 2018

— Here are my 22 favorite films from 2018:

• "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
• "BlacKkKlansman"
• "Boy Erased"
• "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
• ”Cold War"
• ”Eighth Grade"
• ”The Favourite"
• "First Man"
• ”First Reformed"
• "Green Book"
• "The Hate U Give"
• "Hereditary"
• ”Lean on Pete"
• ”Leave No Trace"
• "A Quiet Place"
• ”Roma"
• ”A Star Is Born"
• ”Vice"
• "Western"
• ”Widows"
• "The Wife"
• "Wildlife"

Had I included documentaries, ”Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” would definitely have made the list, and five more documentaries and quasi-documentaries would also have been in or almost in the list:

• ”McQueen"
• ”The Price of Everything"
• ”RBG"
• ”The Rider"
• ”Three Identical Strangers"

Six other films just missed the list:

• ”Black Panther"
• ”If Beale Street Could Talk"
• "Isle of Dogs"
• ”Mission Impossible—Fallout"
• ”The Old Man & the Gun"
• ”The Sisters Brothers”

Deadpool 2

— If you liked “Deadpool,” you stand a good chance of liking “Deadpool 2”, and I liked both of them. The first one was unexpectedly adult, edgy, bloody, and darkly funny. The second one may be slightly less edgy, but it’s everything else and filled with enough pop culture nods to challenge the most ardent fan of “The Verge” and “Entertainment Tonight.” It’s willing to poke fun at anything and anyone, while everyone’s dying around an anti-hero who can’t be killed. This one works a little too hard to add a sappy love story to the mix, maybe only to remind us that Ryan Reynolds is talented enough to tug at our heart strings for a moment before returning to irreverency. By number 2, it seems a little formulaic, but it also is smart enough not to mess with a good thing. Some of the credit also goes to Josh Brolin and to the choice of music. The Deadpool franchise remains in the top tier of the bloated Marvel universe, along with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, and Black Panther.

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[2018. 119 min. Directed by David Leitch. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, and Zazle Beetz.]
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/deadpool-2-2018