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A Hard Day's Night (1964)
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
1964 | Classics, Comedy, Musical
8.0 (9 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"These are all films vying for my favorite film. The thing I love about all the films I chose for the list is that they still feel extraordinarily fresh, as if they were made yesterday. There’s a timeless quality to them and a vibrancy and an energy to all of them, but particularly A Hard Day’s Night really struck me, being a huge fan of rock and roll. It’s a film that really defies any sort of — it’s difficult to put it into a specific genre — it’s a rock and roll film, right? It’s also sort of like a documentary of the early years of Beatlemania, and it’s also comedically like a Marx Brothers film. I just love the combination of all of those things, which give it an intense vibrancy and charm. Also these are five films that I watch at least once a year. I always come back to them and the Criterion collection just restored [Hard Day’s Night]. It was a marvel to see it restored and how beautiful a movie it is."

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Black Panther Vol. 1: A Nation Under Our Feet
Black Panther Vol. 1: A Nation Under Our Feet
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So what can I say? I liked it, yes. A bit dry in spots, felt like a bit of a slow burn in the very beginning, but really quite liked how Coates wrapped up the first arc of his run. Only thing not likable in this collection was the Jonathan Hickman-written material from NEW AVENGERS 18, 21, and 24 (if wasn't for this inclusion, I would have given it 5 Stars). Other than that, good stuff, great handling of the socio-political aspects of Wakanda. Looking forward to starting the 4th volume this week!

One concluding thought I want to put out there.. Don't go into Coates' BP run expecting a Marvel "paint by numbers" superhero book. This series is so much, offering a solid interpretation of the character. Coates has incorporated so much of what is going on in the world today, bringing into the comic, as well as stirring in Wakanda's rich historical background as well as the Wakanda pantheon of gods! If you go in with the approach I am recommending, you, too, will love Coates' BLACK PANTHER run!
  
Marshall (2017)
Marshall (2017)
2017 | Drama
Marshall is the biopic of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, and it focuses on one of the first cases of his career.

I was enthralled by this film. It popped up on my listings and I went to it without knowing anything more than the fact it was a biopic. Just like Hidden Figures, this was an interesting, heart-breaking and moving tale.

Chadwick Boseman, who some of us will know as Black Panther in the Marvel Universe, was a brilliant lead. Josh Gad felt like such an odd choice, I've only ever seen him in comedy films or staring as our favourite feathered or Frozen friends, but the two of them together brought this powerful story to life on the screen.

There aren't many films where I come out knowing that I didn't miss a second of what happened, but this one had me on the edge of my seat. Not so much for the guy across the aisle though, I'm fairly certain that he was snoring at one point.
  
Venom (2018)
Venom (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
It's... Ok, I guess...
There's not really much to say about Venom to be honest. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, it just sort of exists.

It's a pretty by the numbers origin film, that veers fairly sharply from the comics due to there being zero Spider-Man.
If you've seen the trailer, then you know the plot. There are no surprises (with the exception of an extremely on the nose tease for future installments near the end).
No one in the cast seems to be too bothered that they are there either, with the exception of Tom Hardy, who does a pretty sterling job of playing Eddie Brock - the dialogue between him and Venom is pretty entertaining throughout.

Surprising absolutely no one, the films climaxes in a CGI heavy face off, with both parties being dark grey in colour - making for a pretty bland showdown.

Venoms ok, worth a watch, even if it's just the one time - the Marvel nerd in me just really wishes that these characters were under the same MCU umbrella (one day... One day)
  
The New Mutants (2020)
The New Mutants (2020)
2020 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Absolutely the last gasp of the original X Men movie franchise essentially gets a dump release, which to be honest it deserves. Five young people with burgeoning mutant powers are confined in a spooky old hospital; they variously squabble and bond while creepy things happen around them.

Interesting idea to do a horror movie using Marvel characters: the problem is that this one isn't very frightening (flat characters and too much bland CGI); the script and performances aren't strong enough to support the introspective tone and inert feel of the movie. Plus, the story is built around a conceit which is very, very easy to guess if you're familiar with these characters. A couple of half-decent performances and the climax (when it most resembles a conventional superhero movie) acquires a certain momentum, but it feels very drab and pointless. Maybe the corporate politics that have kept the film stuck on a shelf for years haven't helped, but I doubt this could ever have been much more impressive.