Black Panther

I detect a metaphor, one that relates to a similar metaphor that first showed itself in...Casablanca? For sure, this is a radically different movie from that earlier production, but there is at least one element that unites the two stories: the question of whether isolationism is or is not a practical policy in today's world. I can't say this film answers that question definitively; all I can say is it gives you something to think about. Indeed, the thinking parts of this movie are its strengths; the contemplative stuff works, and makes a lot of the nonsense a little more human. The action stuff is the usual hodgepodge, and at this point has grown unimpressive. This film certainly gets credit for being visually stylistic and impressive; there's good world-building here, in fine detail all over the screen. And overall, it remains entertaining and holds the interest throughout. But then again, I walked away from the movie appreciating it, but also feeling thankful that I didn't pay to watch it. So good, sure, but nothing close to the masterpiece it was made out to be.

42

The great strength presented by this film is its dogged determination to be authentic. The recreations of the old stadiums--based upon images that hardcore baseball fans such as myself have seen dozens of times--look to be spot on and pixel perfect. Several of the actors turn in performances that are less acting and more meticulous impressions of the real-life characters they are portraying...or at least they seem that spot on, given what we know today about the people being represented. This is especially so for some of the supporting cast, in particular John C. McGinley, who does an uncanny impersonation of Red Barber's old radio calls. Certainly, Harrison Ford submerges himself in the role of Branch Rickey, in one of the finest performances of his career. Ironically, the one actor who winds up not being the spitting image of his character is Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson; Boseman lacks Robinson's high-pitched voice and thus doesn't quite fit the bill. Which is not to say that he does a poor job in the role; Boseman was asked to perform the almost thankless task of portraying an icon at his most iconic, and he acquits himself well at the job. All in all, the result is a fine sports drama that tells a great story without falling too far into the well of sports movie cliches. If it's not a home run, this movie at least comes out ahead at the end of the game.

Gods of Egypt

If you’re expecting top-notch scholarship in Egyptology, you’re probably going to be disappointed in this flick. But if you approach this with the right frame of mind--namely, it’s a popular story using the familiar characters of the Egyptian mythos, in much the same way that Greek and Roman myths have been mined for movie materials for decades (think of all the iterations of Hercules in film)--then you may have a chance of seeing this film as a fun bit of entertainment. Nothing wildly great, and certainly with its flaws, but not much better or worse than the kinds of stories people have been telling each other for thousands of years...or at least since movies were created. It’s splashy and entertaining, and that’s really all one should ask from this kind of movie. It works.