BLACK PANTHER: 4 ½ STARS
For those who complain that the recent spate of superhero movies aren鈥檛 about anything other than bombast and reaching into your wallet, I give you 鈥淏lack Panther.鈥� Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman in the title role, it鈥檚 a movie that delivers wham-bam action but serves it up with compelling sides of mythology and social awareness.
The film starts with a quick origin story, detailing the introduction of vibranium to the small (fictional) African nation of Wakanda. This mysterious metal is a wonder. Near indestructible, it can absorb kinetic energy and has imbued a Wakandan flower called the Heart-Shaped Herb with a supercharge that gives superpowers when ingested.
Cut to modern day. After his father鈥檚 death T'Challa (Boseman) is crowned King but just as he is ordained a rare Wakandan artefact made of vibranium is lifted from a London museum by two very bad men, Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) and Erik "Killmonger" Stevens (Michael B. Jordan).
To retrieve the precious metal T'Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther, along with spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and warrior Okoye (Danai Gurira), travel to Korea where the artefact is about to be sold to CIA agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman).
A wild battle ensues to a power struggle that may not only compromise the throne of Wakanda but also threaten the safety of the world.
鈥淏lack Panther鈥� takes place in a couple of time frames鈥擭O SPOILERS HERE!鈥攂ut at its heart it is a timely story about social responsibility鈥攁 wealthy nation state confronting its role in the world鈥攖hat pulsates with smart commentary about race and revolution.
鈥淭he world is going to start over,鈥� Killmonger declares, 鈥渁nd this time we are on top!鈥� It鈥檚 the kind of thing movie bad guys have been saying for years but this time around the villain is so multi-layered and interesting it packs an extra punch. Jordan isn鈥檛 just evil鈥攁lthough he is pretty bad; covered in scars for every person he鈥檚 ever killed鈥攈e鈥檚 a villain with a purpose. His motivations are personal鈥擜GAIN: NO SPOILERS HERE!鈥攂ut when he suggests arming the, 鈥渢wo billion people who look like me all over the world,鈥� with vibranium he鈥檚 not just speaking as a revolutionary but as someone hungry for representation and recognition. It鈥檚 a powerful message and Jordan brings it home in a performance that is both intense and very emotional.
Letitia Wright plays T'Challa鈥檚 sixteen-year old sister Shuri and steals most every scene she appears in. Imagine James Bond鈥檚 Q with a snappier wit and more brains than Tony Stark. She has some of the movie鈥檚 best lines and is destined to become a featured player in future instalments.
Boseman has made a career of playing iconic characters on screen. As sports legend Jackie Robinson in 鈥�42鈥� or James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, in 鈥淕et on Up,鈥� or Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice in 鈥淢arshall,鈥�: he has breathed new life into characters we thought we already knew. Here he takes a well-known comic book character, the first black standalone superhero in the Marvel Universe, and delivers a performance ripe with subtext. His Black Panther is not only capable of fighting the bad guys but is also a vessel for the film鈥檚 study of the importance of legacy and identity.
鈥淏lack Panther鈥� pushes the Marvel Universe past the typical Avengers style bombast fests like 鈥淎ge of Ultron.鈥� This is a breath of fresh air, a warm breeze along the lines of 鈥淎nt-Man鈥� or 鈥淒octor Strange,鈥� films that transcend the superhero genre, pushing the form into new, unexplored territory. It may be a tad too long and slightly uneven in it鈥檚 first hour but with its strong female characters鈥攚ho work together rather than as opponents鈥攁n Afrocentric story and social commentary it feels like the perfect movie for right now.
EARLY MAN: 3 STARS
The stop-motion geniuses at Aardman Animation are the kings of the underdog. They鈥檝e given us stories of chickens rebelling against farm owners, a sheep who takes charge and leads the flock to safety and hapless adventurer Wallace. In their latest, 鈥淓arly Man,鈥� there鈥檚 a Bronze Age twist to the small fry tale.
A prologue informs us that humans survived the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. (Remember, this is all humour, not history.) What good could come out of that life-changing catastrophe? The invention of football. Using stones for goalposts, the prehistoric humans starting kicking the meteorite around to create the game that would become the world's most popular sport.
Cut to a few ages later, near Manchester, around lunchtime. A Stone Age clan, including a spunky caveman named Dug (voice of Eddie Redmayne) and his sidekick Hognob (Nick Park), find themselves rocked by a new era. Bronze Age villain Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston with an exaggerated French accent) has plans to invade Dug and Co.鈥檚 comfortable life, seizing their land to turn it into a mine. 鈥淭he age of stone is over!鈥� he says. 鈥淟ong live the age of bronze!鈥� It鈥檚 up to Dug and his people to protect the interest of the tribe against the more sophisticated enemy, but how? By challenging Nooth鈥檚 best football team, Real Bronzio, to a match, that鈥檚 how.
鈥淓arly Man鈥� is a romp about football, survival and teamwork. It also features some of the best (read worst) Premier League puns. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e playing well, early man鈥� United,鈥� usually delivered by characters speak English and crack wise like British music hall comedians. It鈥檚 silly stuff, part Flintstones, part kiddie 鈥淨uest for Fire,鈥� and while it does contain quite a few laughs it doesn鈥檛 have the same anarchic spirit of earlier Aardman films. It鈥檚 entertaining, good-natured and I think kids will like it鈥攅specially the T-Rex sized duck who is both a menace and a help to the Brutes鈥攂ut it feels like middleweight Aardman.
POOP TALK: 3 STARS
The thing that separates us isn鈥檛 politics, or religion. No, the thing that divides us is our willingness to share our stories from the most secret room in your house鈥攖he bathroom. A new documentary, 鈥淧oop Talk,鈥� presents a cast of luminaries including Adam Carolla, Rob Corddry, Nikki Glaser, Aisha Tyler, Eric Stonestreet, Dr. Drew Pinsky and Oscar nominee Kumail Nanjiani to talk about the most basic human function.
Director Aaron N. Feldman has made a movie for the kind of people who find Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo the funniest part of the festival season. Embarrassing stories about getting caught short, blaming accidents on the dog and cultural differences, abound. Nothing is off limits. Constipation, something called 鈥渉ot bagging鈥� and what it鈥檚 like to be a celebrity and have to go in public are all discussed. It鈥檚 unapologetically gross, often off-putting but occasionally insightful.
鈥淭hey say you can judge a society by how it treats its prisoners,鈥� says Corolla, 鈥渂ut what it s**ts into is probably a better way to do it.鈥�
Pete Holmes, star of HBOs 鈥淐rashing,鈥� says he enjoys privacy鈥攖he stall door all the way down to the floor鈥攂ut adds that, 鈥渨hat makes it better and what is true progress is our ability to talk and even joke about it. That鈥檚 what I want. Give me the God-given right to say, 鈥榃hoa, do not go in there.鈥�
鈥淧oop Talk鈥檚鈥� subject may be universal but it is probably best suited for those who regard the poop emoji as high art.
