Black Panther

I was a BIT late to see this film (went about two weeks ago), BUT (luckily) was NOT spoiled on everything. Whew, what a relief- some twists and relationships weren’t discussed in my movie podcasts!  Fans of This is Us and Get Out will get pleasant surprises. I really enjoyed this comic book movie (rare for me); the chemistry between the actors was great. I’d never seen much of the actor who played Tchalla (Chadwick Boseman) who’s almost 40 (WOW)! Michael B. Jordan is his baddie foil (yet NOT an unsympathetic character). My friend esp. liked Letitia Wright (who is a Brit) who played Shuri, Tchalla’s spunky scientist sister.  How rare is it to see a young black woman as a scientist in a mainstream Hollywood film! There are other great female supporting characters: Tchalla’s former gf, Nakia (Lupita N’yongo), his mother Ramonda (the timeless/regal Angela Bassett), and captain of the royal guard- Okoye (Danai Gurira, also a celebrated playwright). Everyone is in incredible shape; even Martin Freeman looks better (trimmer and w/ a stylish haircut). Check this movie for yourself ASAP!

A Quiet Place

Whoa, who knew John Krasinski (most known for The Office) would be such a good director! He takes on the lead also in this sci-fi/thriller style movie (which my friend though was genre-defying). Krasinski’s real-life wife, Emily Blunt (a Brit who I always enjoy watching), plays his wife here. They have a family (a teen daughter and two younger sons) and live in a rural, perhaps post-apocalyptic, world. The key to their survival- being as quiet as they can be while going on about their daily lives. Why is this so crucial? You must see the film to find out! It’s NOT going to be everyone’s cup of tea, BUT I found it quite compelling. It has received many positive reviews and the box office results are (unexpectedly) good. One media critic described this movie by saying: “It’s what I would’ve expected if M. Night Shamylan hadn’t gone downhill.”