Happy Black Panther weekend, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Instead of writing strictly about Ryan Coogler’s immediately successful, instantly groundbreaking movie, I wrote about Ryan Coogler’s immediately successful, instantly groundbreaking movie in context with Stephen Norrington’s Blade, the first Marvel movie shaped around a black protagonist, and how watching Black Panther reminded me of my experience watching Blade for … Continue reading
I liked Creed. I have Feelings™ about Rocky IV. It stands to reason that I’d feel at least minor trepidation about a Creed movie that addresses the events of Rocky IV, even though down the line the Creed chapters in the Rocky franchise would need to address Rocky IV out of continuity necessity. So consider it a Thanksgiving miracle that Creed II, which opens today, the … Continue reading
Question: Does anyone care if Paste‘s Criterion round-ups publish the month after they’re intended for? This used to bother me just on grounds of professional, writerly pride, but I’m not sure anymore if it’s worth me being bothered by; by the time these pieces land, every release from the preceding month is commercially available, which feels … Continue reading
June has arrived, and also it’s about to end, the month-long worldwide celebrations of my birthday winding down* as I settle into my new age-number and look ahead to the rest of the year**. Thus, this, my Best Things halftime report, expanded once more from merely a ranking of film and TV to include music, … Continue reading
Michael B. Jordan, right? What an actor. What a fire starter, too. The guy loves burning shit. It’s almost his bread and butter, at least in 2018, where his two biggest roles play literally and metaphorically with fire (and sometimes both). See: Black Panther and Fahrenheit 451. (Actually see Black Panther, too. Don’t just consider it as evidence. … Continue reading
It is pretty to think that all of this year’s Oscars outrage might have been avoided with just a few shifts in nominations. In truth, recognition for some combination of Samuel L. Jackson, Will Smith, Teyonah Parris, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, Jada Pinkett Smith, Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Mya Taylor, Aaron Covington, … Continue reading
A Constant Visual Feast 