LOST COASTER: "PANTHER" MAKES MOVIE MARK

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

"PANTHER" MAKES MOVIE MARK

          Because we like to see the under-represented and the never-repesented finally get represented, Black Panther scores yet another big Marvel success.
          Chadwick Boseman stars as T'Challa, King of Wakanda. See now, in the Marvel Universe, Wakanda is an African country where thousands of years ago a meteor landed containing the mightiest of all metals, Vibranium. So powerful, so rare, so weird, it's the all-purpose explanation for anything superhero-ish Marvel wants--including Captain America's shield.
          With Vibranium, Wakanda became high-tech long ago. So high-tech, Wakanda looks like Metropolis hidden by an invisibility cloak. Magnetic monorails zip around underground and talking holograms pop up in one's palm.
          To protect all this, T'Challa assumes the duty of all Wakandan kings by ingesting a special herbal medicine which gives him superpowers, and by wearing a Vibranium-threaded suit which gives him even more superpowers.
          The suit absorbs kinetic energy...then releases it back like a karma cardigan!
          When a wrongdoer named Ulysses Klaue (Serkis) does the wrong of stealing a quarter-ton of Vibranium, for the Black Panther, this time it's personal. And increasingly personal when T'Challa learns the identity of Klaue's associate, Erik (Jordan--whom Black Panther director Ryan Coogler directed in the Sylvester Stallone film Creed).
          High-tech tribal being an easier sell in stories set long ago in faraway galaxies, Black Panther entertains sometimes in spite of shiny special effects. There is visual appeal in seeing women win big fights onscreen because we still see it fairly rarely. Also appealing is Boseman's nobility as king. Ditto Andy Serkis (hard to believe he plays Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) as a bad guy without CG. And Letitia Wright, as T'Challa's sister, Shuri, steals every scene she's in.
          Less to the good, depending on one's aesthetic, Black Panther is neither as hip nor as funny as Guardians of the Galaxy or Deadpool. Like with a lot of other superheroes, we don't really know the character. Whereas Stephen Strange undergoes a dramatic character change, and Peter Parker has relatable problems, T'Challa is more one-dimensional.
          But hey, trained rhinos.

BLACK PANTHER
Starring Chadwick Boseman,
Michael B. Jordan,
Letitia Wright,
Lupita Nyong'o,
Danai Gurira,
Forest Whitaker,
Angela Bassett,
Andy Serkis,
Martin Freeman,
Florence Kasumba
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Written by Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole
Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Runtime 134 minutes
Rated PG-13

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Terry LaBarba's Review of DRIFTING ROOM

STORYTELLING THAT'S WILDLY POETIC

The story takes place in the small town of Madrani in the redwood forest. There were strange things going on that kept me engaged, the reason partly being due to the interesting narration and the main character’s voice. It reminded me of the descriptive ramblings of Arlo Guthrie doing "Alice’s Restaurant," only with higher octane.
It’s a casual read and then again it isn’t. The eventful but not overly complex story uses descriptive word groupings that, in itself, entertains. You will want to take your time and let the verbal constructs take hold. There were “caves of problematical intricacy,” and a trek through the forest mentioned trees with “boughs outstretched like gem-laden supplicants bearing offerings before the ancient giants.” Truly poetic.
When I read this mastery of words, I had to wonder if it easily flows to the author or does he take the time to labor over the most creative way to put together a concept or description? Stewart Kirby’s literary work comes across as play, seeming natural, yet brilliant. As far as being creative, the funny but creepy little twitching doll in this book is a good example. The names of the local businesses in this town were a hoot. There was also some twisted humor when one character builds the perfect, dirty sandwich (with not so nice intentions). It had me laughing out loud as the deed progressed.
The plot moved forward without a dull moment. I’m looking forward to the next book of “uncanny tales of the redwoods in the hugely Hippie haven of Humbaba County,” as Kirby calls them. I suspect it is just as campy, witty and fun as this one.