(film review) [STREAMING] - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

I'm reviewing this movie now because I only began watching this movie LAST NIGHT!!!  Yes, I know the movie came out in 2020 and days before Christmas, but I'm going to be real with you...I just wasn't ready.
Viola Davis is one amazing actor and having watched the entirety of 'How to get away with Murder' (a great show might I add), this woman has a lot of range.  But also starring the late and great Chadwick Boseman who is also in this movie, meant that, not only am I forced to watch him play this character by watching it, I am forced to watch his craftsmanship as an actor and the last movie he would ever physically act in and character portray.  Granted there are some Marvel 'What If' storylines in which he had lent his voice before passing but, to physically see him acting in all his splendour in his last film, I knew it was going to break me and I wanted to savour the moment.
But was the film any good you might ask? Yes, yes it was!

In 1927 Jim Crow era, Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) is a black successful and highly regarded Blues singer.  She is well known in the black community and is at the height of her fame.  In a world where racism is high towards black people, she understands her talent and her worth along with what she brings to the table with her singing talents.  Ma Rainey and her Jazz band turn up for rehearsals at Paramount Recording studio in Chicago where Ma's manager Irvin (Jeremy Shamos) has set up a session to record Ma Rainey's song "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom".  However on the day of recording, events unfold surrounding the band and one of their members Levee Green (Chadwick Boseman) who is an overconfident Trumpeter with a very dark past.  On this very hot day, characters are tested, banter turns to anger and with the looming presence of racism and trust ever present, this day of recording does not go as smoothly as it should have.

I will say, I didn't cry like I thought I would have.  I legit thought that seeing Chadwick performing would make me cry, but it was the 30 minute featurette which was obviously done after his passing that got me.  Hearing Denzil and Viola talk about how talented this young man was broke me and I weeped a little.  The exact reason why I didn't want to watch the movie.  That aside, literally...Ma Rainey was a very small production with a small budget which was a very well thought out and acted "stage play" of sorts.  It reminded me of 'American Son' where most of the movie takes place in one area.  Movies that do this tend to be very intimate and when done well, it works, but when executed poorly, it completely crashes and burns.  What I will say is that, this movie is carried by two completely talented actors, one of which GAINED WEIGHT for the role and NOBODY has spoken about her dedication to the craft and the other, who gave his life and soul to the performance, in which would end up being his last acting role ever, due to death.

Music, hair, wardrobe, accents, set design...everything looked amazing.  At a point I thought it was the same lady who was wardrobe designer for Black Panther (possibly due to Chadwick's involvement), but everyone looked the part.  At times I laughed because Ma Rainey depicted in this movie was a character.  She knew her worth and took no shit from anyone.  She was big (some may say butch), a mouth full of gold teeth and she wasn't scared of anybody.  She had a presence.  She had control or demanded control and structure her way.  She stood up for herself and looked out for her band members.  Levee was a character that not only carried the movie, but you could argue that this movie is more about him than any other character.  Like all the characters, we know very little about them, but the film unpacks Levee's past and ultimately sheds a light on the behaviour of the times and how Black people were treated without beating you over the head with it.  It was great to see Glynn Turman in whom I recognised from 'How to get away with Murder' and also Colman Domingo from 'Fear the Walking Dead' (not that I ever kept up with it after the first season, but I do need to go back to it).

I have heard about Chadwick's performance in the last few weeks since this Netflix movie came out and I hope he receives an award.  Not because he has died, but because his performance was outstanding.  Because he deserved an award when he was alive.  If you have not seen Spike Lee's 'Da 5 Bloods', him and Delroy Lindo will have to fight it out for Best Actor, but if he doesn't win for supporting actor in 'Da 5 Bloods', he should definitely win it for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom because he is THAT good.  Not to make this review about Chadwick Boseman and his accomplishments, but to overlook this man's talent in the 15 movies he filmed, 3 of which were biographical, 4 of which were as King T'Challa of Marvel's Cinematic Universe as the character Black Panther, in his solo movie and ensemble cast movies such as The Avengers, a role in which a lot of people know him for, this movie is just another showcase of this man's talent who was taken from us too soon and which of course, makes this movie a must watch.

(trailer review) - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

It was only the other day I found out about this movie.  Correction and let me rephrase, I heard about this movie possibly late last year or early this year, but it was only the other day I was reminded about this movie.  Technically I knew nothing about it other than Chadwick Boseman being in it as the last film he would do, but I had forgotten about that and when his death came, my thoughts were over-shadowed by my feelings of how we lost such a great man, what would happen to one of his most iconic characters, Black Panther and where do we go from here? So even if I did look to see what his last film may have been at that time, as I knew it wasn't Da 5 Bloods, I was caught up in his death for a few weeks so being reminded about this movie was a delight but also very bitter sweet.

Having now seen the trailer and having watched every episode of 'How to get away with murder', I have noticed the greatness in acting calibre that is Viola Davis, so from the jump, I knew this was going to be great.  The picture I saw promoting the film had me thinking that this will be a powerful performance and I may even cry.  But then I noticed Chadwick and that he also had a role in this movie (because I forgot right) and then I knew from that moment, I am likely to cry.  Watching this trailer had me a little emotional, but I will say, I am very proud to see these great actors together on screen and I really hope that a lot of people watch this Denzel Washington produced movie because it looks absolutely great.  Plus it is also a delight to see a number of black actors together in a project.  Having just finished Lovecraft Country, I soo welcome more and more black storytelling.

Directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown

(film review) [STREAMING] - Da 5 Bloods

I think I vaguely remember hearing about Spike Lee doing a film based on Soldiers from the Vietnam War.  But I never heard much else about it until this movie dropped on Netflix.  Now in the midst of a pandemic, people have initially thought that if a film with great actors and a great director, then the reason the film is released on a streaming platform is because either, the film studio behind it didn't like the way it turned out so they sold it onto the streaming service, or the director who was pitching then idea, no studio wanted to buy it so a streaming service stepped in in distribute.  People would have thought that the film would be shoddy or not worth watching, even if it was from a director like Spike Lee.  The general consensus is that, streaming platforms do not have the budget or quality as main studios such as a Disney, Universal and such.  Besides, Spike has had some misses, you know, like most great directors, but this film...THIS film, that was produced by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks (Spike Lee's film production company) was distributed by Netflix and to say that THIS film was shoddy, lacking, or anything negative as to why it was shown on Netflix would be a grave misstep in judgement. This film was amazing.

Da 5 Bloods centres around the friendship of five Vietnam soldiers and their time in the war when they find some gold and decide to bury it.  However, on their return to Vietnam to look for said gold, war secrets become to unfold and be told as not all friends made it back from the war as some of them have still been at war and never left, so the return puts a strain on their friendship as memories off the fallen, choices and the regrets come flooding back to haunt them.

I can't say any more due to spoilers, but I will definitely say this, having just rewatched the trailer, the trailer gives NOTHING away and what you get in the film is nothing short of acting gold.  The music, the cinematography, the aspect ratio, everything is fine-tuned and done in such a way, the film is enigmatic and engaging.  Let me touch on the acting first.  Whilst I couldn't care less about some of the characters in this movie because it wasn't really about them and they played their part in the movie well, they served their purpose, the three main actors are Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman and Jonathon Majors.  Whilst Jonathon was great, it was Delroy who was acting circles around everyone bar one person.  Seasoned actor, Delroy, British born, I remember him from possibly one of the first films I ever first saw him in, also directed by Spike Lee, Crooklyn with Alfie Woodard, a film that made me cry, he commanded every scene.  You felt what he was going through and you could physically see the weight he has carried over the many years.  I guess that's a slight spoiler but I couldn't really think of a way to address his acting without talking about how he made you feel and how his character is portrayed.  Chadwick Boseman...if you didn't think he was that great of an actor and his most notable performance is Black Panther, then you are dead wrong.  Known for playing James Brown, Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall, all in which he played these real life people, Chadwick legit stole every scene in this movie.  When I said "it was Delroy who was acting circles around everyone bar one person" this one person was Chadwick.  His performance is soo good, there is a scene between the two of them and I'm pretty sure I welled up in tears.  Such a powerful performance between the two of them in this movie, if one of them doesn't get a Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor nomination AND WIN (especially considering what has come out this year), this would definitely be a snub.  These guys are soo soo good.
Jonathan Majors, whilst I don't really know him for much, his performance was good, but there was already very high bars to meet.
It was nice to see Clarke Peters as I initially remember him from the MCU Netflix 'Jessica Jones' series and before that, 'Person of Interest' and possibly 'The Wire', but although he was very good, the film did a good job with having him balance and steady the movie out.  The voice of reason in a way.

The music and cinematography is phenomenal and it goes without saying, Spike knew the music he wanted as much as he knew the angles he wanted.  Everything is soo well crafted, this war drama never felt more enriched and entertaining.  This war drama never felt like it was beating you over the head about the war, but more the casualties of war, because War, regardless of what it is for, is a terrible thing to go through and endure.  The different aspect-ratios used highlighted the different places in time we were watching, the war, the modern day, etc and whilst at first, it threw me, I got used to it fairly quickly.  Spike Lee manages to director a film that encapsulates what is happening now in real life and in some places where it is somewhat political, it is very relevant to the now.

I had a great time with this movie and it took me a little longer to write this review due to the current times we are in now, but this movie has a message, I just hope that when you watch it, you are able to pick that up.

(film review) - Avengers: Infinity War

We can only marvel at the marvellous way Marvel have managed to miraculously manipulate us by manifesting and making multiple movies with many mini story-arcs that eventually mount up to a massive match with a force with such the momentum of mammoth-like magnitude, us viewers and heroes alike, will be tested.  Furthermore, Marvel and Kevin Feige will be tested as this has never been done before in history, ever.  It has all been building to this.  20 Films has led us to this point.  How did it fair?

Well, I don't want to go into this soo much as I've covered most of the Marvel Movies since Day 1.  Iron Man (ok, maybe not that one), Iron Man 2 all the way up to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1 & Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther.  The Former being a shot in the dark to the latter grossing $1,346,913,161 Worldwide.  Very pale in comparison to $585,174,222 for Iron man when they first started.  Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe money making machine, all chaperoned by our lord saviour Kevin Feige has a very impressive resume and what he has done, may never be done again, EVER! Or at least in the near future.  Setting trends hundreds of other movie studios have tried to copy successfully and lots of them failing and falling at the first hurdle.  Having a Franchise is ALL the rage right now and this is why.

Our Heroes are now facing the biggest bad they have ever faced, Thanos (Josh Brolin) who is on a quest to meet the goals he has set by collecting all the Infinity Stones to wipe out HALF of all life.  Whilst Iron Man and Captain America are still on the outs, both individuals soon gather their own separate teams to combat Thanos and his forces called 'The Dark order'.  When things start to look dire, our heroes decide to take the fight to Thanos...but do they succeed?

Other than seeing what you saw in the Trailers (if you watched the trailers, of course), I cannot go into any more details without spoiling the movie.  But I've got to say, from the two brothers that has brought us 'The Winter Soldier' (blowing us all out the water! I mean, who is Captain America? Lame!!!), then bringing us 'Civil War' (with the big Airport Scene!) and then this, these guys are definitely on a roll.  And to think they are tidying up the sequel to this movie they have already shot and possibly placing a nice tidy bow over the MCU at this point, we will see, but in short, this movie is great!

The acting, the visual, the scope.  The interaction between the characters and the combinations.  Remember when you saw Spider-Man holding onto War Machine in Civil War as he jetted through the air, yeah, there are similar crazy combinations of characters who wouldn't necessarily cross paths and do.  The interactions between the characters are great and provide good comic relief to a movie that is very dense.

It's really a matter of, we have come soo far in the MCU and The Russo brother have done soo well up until this point, I feel they have stuck the landing.  If you have enjoyed the films up until this point, you ought to love this movie.  Let's just hope Endgame is just as Big and Bad as Thanos in the first 5 minutes of the movie.  If you don't get that reference, go watch it!

(film review) - Black Panther

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, was a great film.  Arguably for me, the best stand-alone movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Captain America: Civil War, was a great film.  My opinion on the Russo Brothers second movie with Captain America comes in as a tie for me with it's predecessor.  I just don't think it passes TWS, BUT it does do a great job in introducing the Black Panther character flawlessly to steamroll right through this movie.  You got to see this character, his values, how he presents himself, part of his story AND a glimpse of his country.  As soon as he arrives, it's absolutely no nonsense and you immediately loved the character and like me, wanted to know more.  Now having his own movie, it is a wonder how this movie will go.  Directed by the young Ryan Coogler, who also directed Fruitville Station & Creed, Ryan does the most masterful job on showing us who Black Panther is and where he comes from, Wakanda.

Picking up shortly after the events of Civil War, The Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to be greeted by his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Sister Shuri (Letitia Wright) and his Royal Guard the Dora Milaje.  Now that his father, T'Chaka (John Kani) is dead, T'Challa must now take up his Kingship and rule his nation of Wakanda as their new King.  With the emergence of a long time enemy of Wakanda Ulyesses Klaue (Andy Serkis), T'Challa must go on a mission to take down this enemy, but when the mission goes wrong on 'Day-One', this sets some uneasiness with some of the locals and also coincidentally brings forth a new foe Erik 'Killmonger' Setvens (Michael B. Jordan), who is a direct threat to T'Challa and the Throne.  T'Challa must overcome these challenges and threats to himself, his people and the throne.

This is a great and very layered film.  From the beginning of the movie until the very end after the Credits.  The Social commentary and political standpoints in this movie are very apparent, but do not beat you over the head with it.  They address current issues in real life flawlessly as well as negating stereotypes and turning them on it's head.  Very culturally aware and without coming across preachy, is able to drip feed a tiny bit of history of the real world, what has been done, what we do as people and what is likely to happen.  Baring in mind that the MCU is set in the "real world", this movie does a lot to change the narrative a little and opens you up to ideas of what could have been, could be and how things should be.

At first, when I heard and read reviews of this film, I was slightly disappointed once I had finished watching it, but then I asked myself, "what could have been done better?" I thought about this long and hard until I decided that although the film isn't perfect and should have been a little longer, ultimately I needed more from the villain.  This made me realise that, not only was the villain great, his story was also great.

The visuals are amazing.  The colours usedThe acting in this movie from everyone was excellent.  Sure some accents were not THAT great, but you understood where they were going with it and what was being said.  The costumes and outfits were amazing and very well realised and detailed.  Pulling a lot of real life culture into this movies and you could see it.  I've not read a Black Panther comic book, BUT the imagery looked as though it was taken directly from the comics.  The fights scenes although, not a lot, were all pretty good.  The mission fight was just excellent in every way and the use of the camera and the angles were great.  The last fight scene was not THAT great, a little CGI heavy, but they were awful and did not take away from the story.  I do believe that Marvel did a better job in giving us what they have done for a few films now, with their bad guy.  Mentioning the bad guy; excellent.  You understood his motives and although sometimes you just want to hate the bad guy and he must be defeated, he makes you feel sympathetic to his cause.  The film is VERY funny in places, may actually make you cry and I walked away from the film ranting and raving about the character M'Baku (Winston Duke).  People will have their favourites but he was mine.

A lot of people may want different things from this movie due to it being a comic book/superhero movie, but this movie is much bigger than that.  The fact that it didn't really feel like a superhero and it feeling different, but still feeling the same was an achievement which walks the same line as The Winter Soldier for me.  A stand-alone movie that raises the bar and connects to the larger MCU story-arc and will definitely get you excited for Infinity War.  Go watch it...you may even watch it more than once because it is THAT entertaining.

(film review) - Captain America: Civil War

So, I've been telling a friend of mine that you need to watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier as it is the best stand-alone Marvel movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date.  I did explain that you would need to watch Captain America: The First Avenger and then Avengers: Assemble to understand Cap's growth from his first film to his second.  His third film, now coming after Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Russo's have done nothing but another superb job.

Captain America: Civil War is a film that has a story which spins off of several story plots and events from various movies which came before it.  It is another Avengers Movie.  It is another Captain America Movie.  And it is a set up movie to help set up the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) along with introducing two brand new character's along with juggling a story, action and screen time for 13 of our heroes and 2 and a half villains.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and the rest of the Avengers is called in by Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt) who wants to discuss the Sokovia Accords due to the major event that took place where a city was dropped from the sky causing hundreds and thousands of casualties.  Accompanied with the Battle of New York and destruction caused in D.C, the newly appointed Registration Act is to be put into place for the Avengers who are to act on behalf of the Government.  However, having different ideologies, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) agree with the rules, but Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) do not share the same thoughts.  Other members of the Avengers start to take sides until things properly kick off.  In the middle of this, The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) is wanted for questioning due to actions carried out causing problems for Steve, but Steve must do everything he can to find and capture The Winter Soldier and get to the bottom of what is really being going on, who is in control and to also be there for his friend.  While Tony and Steve go head to head, a civil war erupts bringing in two newbies and nobody is safe.

This film is excellent.  I am not saying this because I love Marvel films, but I am saying this because the Russo Brothers can direct.  When you really think about it, 13 heroes in a single film and all given adequate screen time to fit the story and let them shine, which was emotional, about revenge and as I said before, a set up for future movies as well as a sequel to two others, there is no doubt that these two are the best directors to do it in the MCU.  This is not at a discredit to Joss Whedon at all, but it is definitely difficult to not hold these two guys, up there as a set of directors who definitely deliver an excellent experience in movies.  Albeit, comicbook movies, but great movies nonetheless.

Every actor was on their A-Game and the performances was terrific.  The fight scenes were excellent.  As I said the bar has been raised AGAIN.  The story was great and this is an all round great movie to watch.  Every hero felt like they needed to be in this movie and their drive was equally met.  But this goes down to the superb directing.  What I will say is that, the special effects were great, but a lot better in 2D.  3D felt odd in some places.  The fight scenes were upped since CA:TWS and the introduction of the two new characters did not feel forced at all.  If anything, the main villain had his reasons but ultimately didn't need to be in the movie at all but other than that, wait until you see the Airport scene.  The single most greatest action sequence in Comicbook Movie history.  Maybe even Movie History.  Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), literally stole the entire film. If you haven't seen Ant-Man yet, I am pretty sure this film will make you want to see it. Spider-Man homecoming is due out in a few years and so is Black Panther, so we do not have long to wait guys.

Enjoy.