BLACK PANTHER

[Vic Sage]

Did you see it yet?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Yes. I liked it a lot. (Gave it four stars.)

[Edgy MD]

His interpretation of the character was a real departure from the Peter Sellers version.

[Vic Sage]

well, you know, you have to change with the times. Just like new baseball uniform designs, panthers sell better when they're black, not pink (unless it's breast cancer awareness day or mother's day).

[dgwphotography]

I thoroughly enjoyed Black Panther, but it had better theme music when it was pink.

[Vic Sage]

dgwphotography wrote: I thoroughly enjoyed Black Panther, but it had better theme music when it was pink.

agreed. Mancini over Lamar!

[Guest Mets Willets Point]

Vic Sage wrote: Did you see it yet?

When questioned about a panther, don't anther.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Really, really, REALLY liked this one.

#killmongerwasright
#wellsorta

[MFS62]

How was the sound?
Seriously.
I've seen brief clips (including the lead actor and actress in a car commercial) and I can't understand what they are saying because of their accents.
I spend all day on the phone and can understand callers from all over the country, but can barely discern what I've heard from the movie.
I don't want to go and find out its like that all the way through.

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I had no problem understanding the dialog, but if you have issues understanding African accents, then maybe you should skip it.

I remember when I was in Africa, we were on a shuttle with a couple of other people, and although they spoke English, and the driver spoke English, they couldn't understand anything he was saying. It was in the strange position of translating English to English.

I can understand where you're coming from. I have similar problems in the Deep South. One time in Alabama, I blew out a tire and we stopped in a repair shop. I couldn't understand what the guy was saying and my wife had to translate.

Also, I sometimes have to turn on closed captioning when I'm watching a TV show from the BBC.

[MFS62]

Thanks, Ben.
I only have one trouble spot in the USA - a 50 mile radius in West Texas.
One time, I had to ask a woman how to spell the name of her street and she said "M-a-i-n".
And I barely understood that.

Think I'll miss the movie.

Later

[Vic Sage]

i had no problem with the accents. I wasn't even aware of them after a while.

[dgwphotography]

Vic Sage wrote: i had no problem with the accents. I wasn't even aware of them after a while.

What accents? They were speaking proper English. I found it quite refreshing when I noticed that T'Chala does not use contractions

[Guest 41Forever]

I thought it was good! Orgin stories can be tough. But I liked it better than the Thor movies.

Hawkeye needs his own movie!

[metirish]

Lorcan saw this with his mom and cousin at the Alamo in Yonkers, absolutely loved it ...and loved the Alamo theater

[Frayed Knot]

41Forever wrote: Hawkeye needs his own movie!

There have been several:


[fimg=200]http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/37200000/Nathaniel-Poe-Hawkeye-the-last-of-the-mohicans-37205875-500-575.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=300]https://www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com/static-assets/images/articles/background/2014/07/2-k5uf9x.jpg[/fimg]

[Centerfield]

So let's predict the demise of this franchise.

Black Panther 2 will be met with initial enthusiasm and do well on its first weekend. Then crowds will thin as it becomes obvious that the plot sucks and this is a terrible movie. Debates will rage whether we have a social responsibility to support the movie anyway, or whether we should recognize it for the subpar movie it is.

Black Panther 3 will have early obstacles as none of the original cast will sign on to return. The resulting movie thus becomes a prequel, and though better than 2, it will fail to live up to the success of the first one.

Black Panther 4 will be a comedy. Kevin Hart is cast as the Black Panther. He now has a sidekick named "White Hippo". Played by Kevin James.

[metirish]

Centerfield wrote: So let's predict the demise of this franchise. Black Panther 2 will be met with initial enthusiasm and do well on its first weekend. Then crowds will thin as it becomes obvious that the plot sucks and this is a terrible movie. Debates will rage whether we have a social responsibility to support the movie anyway, or whether we should recognize it for the subpar movie it is. Black Panther 3 will have early obstacles as none of the original cast will sign on to return. The resulting movie thus becomes a prequel, and though better than 2, it will fail to live up to the success of the first one. Black Panther 4 will be a comedy. Kevin Hart is cast as the Black Panther. He now has a sidekick named "White Hippo". Played by Kevin James.

That's damn good

[RealityChuck]

Saw it last night. I wasn't impressed and it didn't come close to its hype. I was expecting something more than just a routine superhero film.

I found the fight scenes overlong and boring. The chase scene might have been good if it had been an actual chase scene instead of one that was CGI enhanced. Aside from one twist, the plot was completely predictable, by-the-book filmmaking.

Wonder Woman gave me hope that a superhero film could be something important (even if the final fight scene was a mistake). After hearing the reviews, I thought this might be going down that path. Alas, it went right for the cookie-cutter.

[Centerfield]

RealityChuck wrote: Wonder Woman gave me hope that a superhero film could be something important (even if the final fight scene was a mistake). After hearing the reviews, I thought this might be going down that path. Alas, it went right for the cookie-cutter.

Agreed. Completely cookie-cutter. I mean, once you've seen one movie that celebrates black and African culture, smashes stereotypes, features a minority lead, with a minority-led cast, portrays its black characters as compassionate, powerful, educated and sophisticated rather than two dimensional stereotypes, empowers a generation of African-American kids who no longer have to be told "You can't be Superman, he's not black" and shoots down the idea that a movie with a non-white cast can't be a box office smash, basically you've seen them all.

[Vic Sage]

Centerfield wrote: RealityChuck wrote: Wonder Woman gave me hope that a superhero film could be something important (even if the final fight scene was a mistake). After hearing the reviews, I thought this might be going down that path. Alas, it went right for the cookie-cutter. Agreed. Completely cookie-cutter. I mean, once you've seen one movie that celebrates black and African culture, smashes stereotypes, features a minority lead, with a minority-led cast, portrays its black characters as compassionate, powerful, educated and sophisticated rather than two dimensional stereotypes, empowers a generation of African-American kids who no longer have to be told "You can't be Superman, he's not black" and shoots down the idea that a movie with a non-white cast can't be a box office smash, basically you've seen them all.

What you're talking about is the social, political and cultural importance and value of the film, which i agree with you about wholeheartedly. But what i think RC is reacting to is the film just as a narrative work in a particular genre, where it's not really breaking any new ground. Which i also agree with.

But i don't think you can judge the film as a narrative in a vacuum; its cultural context is essential to appreciating and understanding it. To dismiss or ignore that context is to be the guy who said "other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

[Centerfield]

Agreed. What spurred the post was use of the word "important".

Boring...formulaic plot...really a long lost brother? Sure. Look, I enjoyed it a lot, but everyone's entitled to their opinion. But to say it wasn't important....

To the extent any superhero movie can be "important", I think this one fits the bill.

[Edgy MD]

Narrative-wise, it has a lot in common with a Bond film, mostly in the first half.

[*:j5vag2bk]the "check out your new gadgets" scene, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the operation in a foreign capital surrounded by wealthy and beautiful swells dressed fabulously, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the casino, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the breakdown of the operation setting up the rest of the plot, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the super-professional female agent who is just so over the way you boys think you can charm and bullshit your way through everything, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the car chase with really high-end brand cars from manufacturers that paid to be in the movie, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the surprising tech unveiled during said car chase, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the grudging alliance-of-convenience with a foreign operative/rival that ultimately proves fruitful and puts a crack in the ice of international distrust,[/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the villain having a crude and sadistic heavy that's disfigured but has a signature way of killing people, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]weaponry that works like a video game, [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]a last-act battle scene where everybody comes out of the woodwork in the name of patriotism, and [/*:m:j5vag2bk]
[*:j5vag2bk]the world is saved at the last possible moment.[/*:m:j5vag2bk][/list:o:j5vag2bk]
It just doesn't have the whole swing-dick thing or an intrigue-filled Shirley Bassey song.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Instead, it substitutes a crazy amount of filigreed world-building, actual female characters (a couple of whom are the best things about the BP, and one of whom-- Shuri-- is maybe the best character in the MCU), and a sympathetic villain with a rational, arguably-noble motivation.

Part of the reason I like Black Panther as a character, going forward? He's got his head screwed on straight, and a superdeveloped sense of conscience/responsibility (even for a Marvel hero). In other words, he's pretty take-no-bullshit, but with a sense of mild amusement that you don't see in, say, Batman. IOW, T'Challa is a perfect foil for cartoony, jumpsuit-wearing or Jaws-style villains. "Get a load of this guy" wry humor, but underlaid with the sense that he's here to HANDLE this charismatic imbecile.

[metsmarathon]

my one problem with Black Panther is... ok i get it, killmonger is a terrible person, but was he not then the rightful king of wakanda, having defeated t'challa in ritual combat?

i guess t'challa didn't fully and irrevocably die, through intervention of others. but doesn't that then circumvent the ritual and the succession rites as well?

admittedly, i've only yet been able to watch the movie on the back of the seat in front of me during a recent cross-country flight. but still i have these questions...

overall, though, i thought it a terrific movie. i wished killmonger could've been fully redeemed, though his demise was of course the inevitable end of his tragic path. alas, he burned all the flowers (that we know of)

[RealityChuck]

Centerfield wrote: RealityChuck wrote: Wonder Woman gave me hope that a superhero film could be something important (even if the final fight scene was a mistake). After hearing the reviews, I thought this might be going down that path. Alas, it went right for the cookie-cutter. Agreed. Completely cookie-cutter. I mean, once you've seen one movie that celebrates black and African culture, smashes stereotypes, features a minority lead, with a minority-led cast, portrays its black characters as compassionate, powerful, educated and sophisticated rather than two dimensional stereotypes, empowers a generation of African-American kids who no longer have to be told "You can't be Superman, he's not black" and shoots down the idea that a movie with a non-white cast can't be a box office smash, basically you've seen them all.

Yes, it's great to see black actors as superheroes; that's why I gave it a 3 instead of something lower. But the writers stopped thinking after that and just ran out the cliches.

It's just another superhero film, just with a black cast. Completely by the numbers, even when it made no sense to go that way (did anyone really think he was killed by that fall?).

Wonder Woman at least tried to say something. There was nothing close to the "no man's land" scene in Black Panther, just the same story that's been done a million times. Hero emerges, fights villain -- once to a draw, the second time losing, and the third time winning (with, of course, the people who refused to get involved show up at the last minute to save the day). It's one reason most superhero films are boring. The fight scenes were tedious (the first one in the pool was a complete waste of time -- was there any doubt as to how it would end? -- and terribly contrived ("Let's take away his powers for a few minutes so we can stage it!")) and went on far too long and so CGI laden that nothing's at stake.

You want to see the concept done with some imagination, watch Black Lightning, which deals with real issues, both socially and in the realm of character development.

[Edgy MD]

We need more black superheroes without "Black" in their names.

[Vic Sage]

Here are some superheroes that were conceived of as black characters (without the word "Black" or "Dark" in their names)
Luke Cage
Cyborg
Vixen
Static
Steel
Spawn
Bishop
Blade
Falcon
Cloak
Deathlok
Misty Knight
Storm
War Machine


There have been many other superhero characters who were originally white that were later rebooted or reimagined or had spinoffs with black characters, including Green Lantern (John Stewart) and Spider-man (Miles Morales).

[Benjamin Grimm]

Marvel's first black hero, T'Challa, was from Africa, and their second (or third?) was a jive-talkin' guy with a chain for a belt. (I think Falcon debuted before Luke Cage, but I'm not sure.) While it was great that Marvel was introducing black characters, it's unfortunate that they were based on how white people view black people. (They're either from Africa or from the ghetto.) I guess it's not too surprising that it started out that way, but fortunately they've moved beyond those initial stereotypes.

[Centerfield]

I'm still waiting for an Asian American super hero.

I think we had Samurai on SuperFriends as a kid. Can't think of anyone else.