Film reviews

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review

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The warrior we all know from the Marvel franchise, T’Challa, was played by Chadwick Boseman. Sadly, Boseman passed away in 2020. But despite this tragedy, the Marvel universe is still strong and the continuation with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is fierce and faithful in the foundation that was created before his passing.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has an array of characters and dynamics. This is a Marvel film with spot on writing, the right setups, and the right characters to continue the legacy of T’Challa. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is one of the Marvel films that tops the charts of awesome superhero movies this year.

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever the chaos has risen rapidly after King T’Challa’s death. An army comes from miles out at sea and it’s up to some brave women to protect the world of Wakanda. These tough ladies include Ramonda (played by Angela Bassett), Shuri (played by Letitia Wright), Nakia (played by Lupita Nyong’o), and Okoye (played by Danai Gurira). These women have the power to take over Wakanda and protect its people, but the problems around them may be more powerful than they anticipate.

As I watched Black Panther: Wakanda Forever I could see that they wanted to take a different direction after Chadwick Boseman’s death, but the film also has a nod of appreciation for what Boseman gave the franchise. They have created a universe more meaningful and vibrant, and they are seeking the right path of victory. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever takes the Marvel franchise to a whole different level, and it shows that the franchise can continue to rise despite the death of Boseman.

My one minor issue with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was I felt that it was a little too much like Avatar (2009) which, ironically, has the next film in the franchise, Avatar: The Way of Water, opening next month. This reason it resembled Avatar was because the warriors are blue, like Avatar, and many of the warriors are underwater in an Atlantis-like setting. So I found myself wondering whether the film was trying to feel like Avatar? But this similarity didn’t detract greatly from my enjoyment of the film and, otherwise, the film is top-notch.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is grand in its direction. The scenery is vast and brilliant, the action is fun, and the development of its continuity after Black Panther from 2019 is right on target. Three and a half stars for Black Panther: Wakanda.

Film reviews

Armageddon Time Review

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Armageddon Time is a powerful film set during a time of discrimination and racism. The film features domineering parents, which adds to its seriousness. It doesn’t necessarily focus so much on racism as it does on where families fall in terms of low, middle, or upper class.

Armageddon Time takes place in New York City in 1980. The film focuses on the Graff family, including Irving Graff (played by Jeremy Strong), Esther Graff (played by Anne Hathaway), and their son Paul Graff (played by Banks Repeta). There is also Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz (played by Anthony Hopkins). Paul is close to his grandpa, but he struggles with meeting the expectations of his parents.

Paul has a friend, Johnny Davis (played by Jaylin Webb), who is Black. Johnny gets lots of negative attention and he gets blamed for many minor issues because of his race, which only causes him to be more vocal and angrier. Paul makes some bad choices with Johnny, and after the two friends get in trouble with drugs Paul’s parents send him to private school, which separates Paul from Johnny. But they continue to be friends in secret.

Paul and Johnny both have aspirations. Paul wants to become an artist and Johnny dreams of working for NASA. But they both feel they are limited in their ability to achieve these goals because they don’t have the support they need to develop their interests.

Paul you has a strong connection to his grandpa in Armageddon Time, and there are numerous heartwarming moments between them in the film. Hopkins plays a grandpa who is wise and supportive, and he always has Paul’s back. Paul vents to his grandpa about how he feels segregated from Johnny, and his grandpa reminds him to not let bad influences get him down. He wants Paul to have the best life he can have, and he doesn’t want racism or segregation to keep Paul from being happy.

Strong and Hathaway’s roles as strict parents hit close to home for me. I was someone who also had issues with schooling. From my experience I realized that Paul’s problem was how he thought he needed to act around kids in his social class. I could relate to that because in my younger days I felt limited towards who I could socialize with, although I wasn’t necessarily shy as a young man.

Armageddon Time is an enticing look at a challenging time for our country and its school systems. Paul and Johnny are treated differently due to their different backgrounds, which was a function of the times. But all they really want to do is just be friends. It’s hard, but it just meant that they would need to learn to navigate the dynamics of their homes, schools and parents better, and they didn’t let the difficulty stop them from being friends. Three stars for Armageddon Time.

58th Chicago International Film Festival, Film reviews

58th Chicago International Film Festival: Raymond and Ray Review

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Films that gear on siblings and struggles appeal to me deeply. They typically involve elements that are either harsh or easy to dismiss. Raymond and Ray are focused on brotherhood. It is a touching and inviting comedy which does not shine a light too brightly on its dark subject matter. I found it to be a compassionate film about two brothers reconnecting.

Director Rodrigo Garcia knows how to challenge culture and family dynamics in Raymond and Ray. His authenticity in directing correlates with his HBO series In Treatment (2008-2021). Garcia directed many of the episodes of In Treatment back when Gabriel Byrne was the main psychologist. Garcia always knew how to capture what hurts people. The concept of challenging truths of family and their underlying issues is where Garcia pinpoints the central struggles with Raymond and Ray.

In the film, Ethan Hawke is Ray and Ewan McGregor is Raymond, and their father has died. The main characters are half-brothers. They come together to get the funeral for their father set-up. The funeral must be carried out according to their father’s wishes. With the difficult task of having to dig their father’s grave, the brothers find themselves struggling with frustration and hatred towards their father.

The performances of Hawke and McGregor are surreal and touching. Hawke’s character is about having his cultured musical side, but sadly he could not hold down a job. McGregor’s character is an individual with a DUI record and issues with his wife and kids although those issues do not enter the film very much. The film focuses primarily on the brothers and how they deal with the funeral. The way the movie portrays them coming together to deal with an issue that is sad, stressful, and emotional makes Raymond and Ray especially powerful. The fact that life is not fair is a fact that both brothers grapple with.

Raymond and Ray will make viewers laugh and cry. While there is some resolution in the film, the major flaws of both brothers are a difficult subject matter. The film is dramatic throughout and despite its sadness, it has meaning. Three and a half stars.

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