20s Movie Review - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Director: George C. Wolfe
Genre: Drama/ Music
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Michael Potts, Jeremy Shamos, Jonny Coyne, Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown, Joshua Harto, Quinn VanAntwerp, Chloe Davis, Mayte Natalio, Johanna Elmina Moise, Onyxx Noel, LaWanda Hopkins, Sierra Stewart, Malaiyka Reid, Catherine Foster

Description: During a recording session, tensions rise between Ma Rainey (Viola Davis), her ambitious horn player (Chadwick Boseman) and the white management determined to control the uncontrollable ‘Mother of the Blues’.

Review: Levee Green things he’s quite a star. The record producer for Ma Rainey, the great frontwoman of his band, has picked his swinging version of her most famous song to record. He also wants to put a few of Green’s own songs on record. But when Ma herself shows up at the studio, she quickly puts an end to Levee’s arrogant illusions that “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” will be played in any way other than she wants. Certainly Levee’s splashy intro is going to be on the upswing, because that’s where he nephew gets to do some speaking. Only problem: he stutters like crazy.
These circumstances mainly set the stage for the subcutaneous tension between the old guard in 1927 blues music and the wave of swinging newcomers, as well as those between black musicians and the bosses who control the music world. At the center of it all is the fictional Levee, the very last film character that actor Chadwick Boseman played, who died in 2020. We see how he easily bends scenes his way, even though he is surrounded by numerous talented actors. Boseman charms the camera. A shot where you can only see him listening is already a feast for the eyes. He absolutely steals every scene and was the highlight of the film.
Ma Rainey is anything but fictional. However, this is a film adaptation of a play of the same name centered around the historic blues singer. She was one of the very first black performers of significance, an exception in the US of the 1920s. Levee is a creation of writer August Wilson, symbolizing the black artist on the margins, with all the talent and ambition in him. As a swinging trumpeter with the sound of the future, he is well ahead of his time. And what does that mean for a black man at this juncture.
Viola Davis doesn’t have to show a whole lot of acting range for her title role, but she does o deep in intensity. One look from Ma Rainey pulverizes. And under the thick layer of makeup, the actress is made almost unrecognizable.
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is a movie not a lot of people would turn to, but with Chadwick Boseman’s death, a lot more eyes are on this film than id he had lived. This film is good because of his fantastic, flawless performance.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - 21 Bridges

Director: Brian Kirk
Genre: Drama/ Action/ Crime
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Sienna Miller, J.K. Simmons, Stephan James, Keith David, Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Siddig, Louis Cancelmi, Victoria Cartagena, Fary Carr, Morocco Omari, Chris Ghaffari

Description: An embattled NYPD detective (Chadwick Boseman) is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy.

Review: If your father is a cop, you probably will be too. This is a fact in many cop movies, including “21 Bridges”. The father of detective Andre Davis was also a cop and was killed on he job. That didn’t scare Andre because he is determined to put every criminal behind bars.
He shows that in everything he does. When a robbery gone wrong and eight cops are killed, it’s up to Davis to catch the perpetrators. In order to make sure the killers don’t flee, he closes all the 21 bridges that connect the island Manhattan to the mainland. With the help of his colleagues and the FBI, he has four hours to catch the criminals. But nothing is as it seems.
“21 Bridges” is a fierce action film, with some moments that get you on the edge of the seat. The story isn’t very unique or original, but because of the fast pace and the shorter runtime the film entertains from start to finish. Chadwick Boseman, who we lost way too soon, is very strong in the lead.  It’s a solid action film with some nice twists.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Movie Review - Da 5 Bloods

Director: Spike Lee
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 154 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mélanie Thierry, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Walter Hauser, Jasper Pääkkönen, Johnny Nguyen, Jean Reno

Description: Four African American war veterans battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Review: Spike Lee goes in search of the African-American experience of the Vietnam War. The result is and extremely subversive film that turns the genre upside down. At the same time Lee manages to shed light on the underexposed history of many young black men who fought for America in several wars. “Da 5 Bloods” is a strong indictment of imperialism, capitalism and institutional racism in the United States. Which make this film extremely topical and it looks like Lee made this film only last week.
At the end of his previous film, “BlacKkKlansman”, Spike Lee drew and emotional parallel with the United States of the present with his bizarre historical narrative. In “Da 5 Bloods”, Lee does the opposite; the film is set in the present, but goes back to different figures and events from the complicated past of the U.S. in “Da 5 Bloods”, four African-American veterans return to Vietnam to collect the remains of Norman, their squad leader for the soldiers at the time. It soon turns out that the four men have yet another motive to visit the jungle of Vietnam. During the war they found a chest of gold bars, which they buried in the jungle. The prospects of the riches threatens to drive the group apart more and more.
“Da 5 Bloods” is a wild journey through the jungle. The aspect ratio changes several times during the film. Again and again this results in a different aesthetic experience. The ratio changes for the first time during a flashback shot with an old camera. The nice thing about these flashbacks is that the actors play their younger self, but they don’t use any rejuvenation effects. And it works very well. Archival footage is used several times as well, for recorded speeches of people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Each time a historical figure is discussed, it is highlighted with a photograph.
Do not expect an epic “Apocalypse Now”-lie tale of the war. The film contains action scenes, but it focusses more on the characters and the story. The strength of the film lies in the depth the film seeks and the great acting. Especially Delroy Lindo is great, as the war traumatized and guild-ridden Paul. One of the highlights is seeing Paul trek through the jungle with a Trump cap on his head, while he increasingly loses himself in paranoia and delusions.
“Da 5 Bloods” is not an easy watch and a long sit. There are some moments that are hard to stomach. Specifically one archive photo of an infant, that will definitely stay with you for a while. Lee doesn’t hold back and show everything. And aside from “Da 5 Bloods” being a really good film, is had humor, fantastic cinematography and exciting scenes. And Lee wouldn’t be Lee if he didn’t use his political agenda, which also happens to be a strength of the film. “Da 5 Bloods” is therefor an important film that offers a different perspective on the Vietnam War. Or as Paul puts it: “we fought in an immoral war that was not ours, for rights we didn’t have”.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

Movie Reviews - Black Panther

Director: Ryan Coogler
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 134 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurai, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis

Description: T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), the King of Wakanda, rises to the throne in the isolated, technologically advanced African nation, but his claim is challenged by a vengeful outsider who was a childhood victim of T'Challa's father's mistake.

Review: In “Captain America: Civil War” we saw how the king of Wakanda dies, due to a bombing. Wakanda is a country, secluded from the rest of the world. Son T’Challa is the rightful heir to the throne, but there are people that think otherwise. Because of this battle, Wakanda’s well-hidden secrets could be out in the open.
Wakanda looks like a normal third world country, but when you dig deeper you step inside a hidden world. Wakanda is far ahead when it comes to technology and it’s a very advanced nation. Their country is build on land filled with Vibranium (which is also the metal where Captain America’s shield is made of).
Gangster Klaue is one of the only outsiders that ever managed to enter Wakanda, which is also protected by the Black Panther. The second role the Wakanda king has.
Most Marvel film have loads of humor, which works for the most part. “Black Panther” doesn’t use it and that’s a good thing. It wouldn’t fit here. It’s basically limited to T’Challa’s siter Shuri and tribe head M’Baku, who steal the show comedy wise.
Chadwick Boseman fills in his role as Black Panther very well. “Black Panther” is the last piece of the puzzle, before “Avengers”Infinity War”.

Rating: 4 / 5