Brawl In Cell Block 99

Written and directed by S. Craig Zahler, Brawl In Cell Block 99 is a character driven action drama about a working class guy making the wrong decisions which land him prison.  Starring Vince Vaughn, it is arguably his finest dramatic performance as the menacing and driven character of Bradley Thomas.  He is so realistically portrayed by Vaughn and the brutal fights done by him and the actors are an action highlight that more than most action movies, are very character and story fed.  These aren't just believable fights, but insights and revelations into the character.  Vaughn, who is obviously known for his very capable and quick comedic skills (and now, his onscreen fighting), dials it down for this dark, slow burning drama but even then still manages to insert an element of subtle deadpan humor into the mix. It's all an interesting and entertaining ride with great performances, including the supporting cast of Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, and Udo Kier. 

Black Panther

For African Americans, Black Panther feels like another big stride breakout moment in that our time has finally come being actualized on screen.  In these challenging and divisive times in the 21st century, Black Panther is the most thought provoking and socially responsible Marvel film to date that just happens to have a nearly all Black leading cast and behind the camera in the likes of co-writer and director Ryan Coogler.  There is a talented and diverse cast of Black actors in Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong'o, and Danai Gurira with special appearances by Andy Serkis and Martin to tie it into the overall Avengers story.  The set pieces and costumes taken from a variety of African influences are stunningly amazing in creating the mysterious country and culture of fictionalized Wakanda.  Black Panther is a story that holds it's own irregardless of seeing any previous Marvel films, with a Shakespearean like origins plot that celebrate African diversity and the women are given equal weight in whatever role they choose from kick ass regal warriors to brilliant tech scientist.  I had to prior to writing, see this film twice already, it's such an important and aspirational film both on screen and what it means for so many of us off screen as a sign, a signal, a beacon, an important moment and hopefully continued movement of the new standard in taking seriously excellent African American filmmakers, the rich legacy of our creative storytelling in whatever genre.  Less we also not forget, the audiences of color that are often taken for granted and bet against in supporting only a certain type of "Black" genre.  Black Panther is so many things that it's hard to just touch on one, because it's a transcending hybrid of conscious/woke, progressive, cool, and themes of unity and empowerement encapsulating the best of African American and African motifs in such a different and progressive package than any other Marvel film. Like Obama, it's that film that many of us African Americans have been waiting for.  All this is not to say, that it doesn't have it's deficiencies, as it certainly isn't the most action packed and I do think that the story could have been fleshed out more into 2 films.  But the weight of it's previously mentioned merits certainly overshadows that, as well as responsibly echoes the challenges we face now in the real world.  An Afrocentric point of view in a major motion picture and invested in every aspect of the film...  How often does that happen in our Eurocentric west?  Enough said. When talented diversity meets big scale opportunity, gems like Black Panther are inevitable and fine examples of how well made films can be a beacon of change and possibilities for everyone.

Dunkirk

Director, writer, and producer Christopher Nolan certainly knows how to setup and create atmosphere in his films and he does no less than a great job here in Dunkirk.  How to undertake this harrowing true account of history. Well, Dunkirk is told in several stories that converge in different moments in time and intersect in exacting ways.  However, it's beyond that and I believe that what equally, if not more, shines in the brilliant storytelling of it besides a great cast, is the cinematography and soundtrack editing element.  Those elements lend so much to putting the viewer right in the middle of the suspense of these tales as much as any film. Lest I not acknowledge and admire the sheer coordination of creating a historical recreation of war on air, land, and sea; and the logistical coordination of that endeavor or the amount of people involved. The most immediate film that comes to mind in recent history is The Thin Red Line, both of which highlight little known aspects and tales of the Second World War.  What I also liked about this film is that besides the obvious settings and scope involved, was that it felt organic like old fashioned film making with minimum cgi or other technology.

The Hero

The Hero is basically a homage to character actor Sam Elliot as much as it purports to be Sam Elliot in a different sort of role.  Well.., actually it's both and who really gives a shit.  Elliot just goes beyond the range of his notorious tough guy roles in moments that you can't help but to be amazed and moved by.  Basically, an aging actor known for one action film, is forced to confront a crossroad in his life in dealing with his daughter, his own mortality, and the trajectory his career has been on. It's not that much of stretch for Elliot given his own career and the roles he's portrayed for so long, but at 70+ years old he's given a chance to stretch his acting chops and with a great supporting cast in Lauren Prepon, Krysten Ritter, and Nick Offerman, The Hero blossoms into something special.

Wolf Warrior 2

I have to admit that I didn't know Wu Jing directed and I didn't see the first Wolf Warrior.  However, this is the first Chinese movie that I've seen done in Africa and for that alone, along with an international cast including a menacing Frank Grillo , it should be noteworthy.  It's not lost upon me and should be noted, that it's a very political film.  Pro-China is not exactly subtle here and their international involvement on the African continent is just being echoed here onscreen.  Irregardless of that, the action sequences are hard and nonstop and the accolades and big budget for that also, make quite a mark.  I kept thinking The Expendables and every other over the top action blockbuster in recent history.  Yet, with all that said and acknowledged, it unavoidably suffers from a lack of finesse, pacing, and character development.  This is certainly not to let the plot off the hook either.  As long as the viewer knows this going in, it's all fine; as Wolf Warrior 2 is certainly entertaining and action packed.  Wu Jing put in a lot of work for sure as director and star.  The African scenery is incredible and I applaud the use of an African cast.  How they fit into the plot and just their general portrayal definitely needs work though.

Justice League

If you grew up in the era when I grew up reading more DC than Marvel comics and was always looking forward to watching the Superfriends animated series on Saturday mornings, then you can understand how that just the very fact of their being finally a movie about all of them in one place, the Justice League itself, is such a big deal and is finally here.  That fact alone is and will have to be satisfying enough, because the Justice League film does disappoint.  What I took away from Batman vs Superman, despite it's own flaws, was that at the very least it was a precursor to Justice League and anchored by the presence and performance of Gal Gadot.  However, this film is obviously bigger than a redeeming Gadot, as there are 3 new characters being introduced or shall I say for audience purposes, being brought forth (with the exception of Cyborg).  Personally, I still feel the grief of the Green Lantern film fuck up of 2011, so at least they didn't foolishly try to jam him in this rather lack luster film.  Honestly, the trailer is more satisfying and if you keep your expectations at the level of Batman vs Superman, you won't be disappointed that much.  Frankly, even most of the humor of the film were in the trailers.  How to introduce a team, gel them together, resurrect Superman, and save the day is certainly enough to cram into any movie.  But these challenges have been done before.  There are film templates of success for it, the most obvious example being the Avenger films or even the early Transformer movies.  We certainly can't blame Affleck as Batman for this one.  In the midst of that challenge, the story was just badly written and not portrayed as urgent.  It's a shame because there were certain interesting points, not given enough emphasis.  For example, how there was a historical unity against this present threat of power in between Aquaman's, Wonder Woman's, and us regular human being's ancestors. The Flash was pretty much the equivalent of Spiderman inserted into the last Avenger film and Aquaman could have easily just been any other loud mouthed, testorone driven character in any other action film except he uses a pitchfork instead of a gun.  The most interesting character this time around was Cyborg, yeah the Black guy who was very instrumental to the story.  He's been around the comic world since 1980 and can arguably be seen as DC's attempt to update their diversity (think Marvel's Black Panther).  The Cyborg movie is set for 2020.  The villain, a character called Steppenwolf (lol, I kid you not) is like a fucked up looking Loki character from Thor, but without the charisma.  There's a decent exchange of him battling the Amazons early on, but that's about it.   But somehow Superman has to be resurrected to help take care of this threat and lead the Justice League.  That aspect also felt a bit forced on us.  Like, you mean these other superheroes could not get their shit together enough in time to coordinate all their unique powers to stop this guy?  I didn't buy it and neither did I think the audience. DC is just so damn far behind Marvel in film development and generating something other than disappointment. At least Batman vs Superman had some appealing  air of mystery in Superman's death and the notion of the other 3 superhero characters that would follow. DC is just so damn far behind Marvel in film development and generating something other than disappointment.  For sure, I'll watch Justice League again on dvd. I'm still a  DC fan and this movie has been a long time coming.

Kong: Skull Island

Here we have just a contrived remake retrofitted with the Vietnam era in a Jurassic Park is sort of way; the former providing some lift to the action sequences headed up by a war crazed Sam Jackson. Even with the weak facelift, Kong: Skull Island struggles to balance humor with the violent gravity of their predicament. More importantly, it's plagued by a sea of character cliches, if not fully lacking characters including the major character himself. Have very low expectations if there is any enjoyment to be had.