Captain Marvel (2019)

Marvel's first movie to feature a female hero is a trip back to the 90s. 90s nostalgia is apparently in right now following Bumblebee. The 90s music was a really nice touch--of course there is some Gwen Stefani. The use of music is actually reminiscent of a movie I think they were indeed trying to emulate: Top Gun. Our hero is an aspiring air force fighter pilot (they didn't let women fly back then). And the cat is named Goose, like the character from Top Gun.

Brie Larson is phenomenal. The movie fortunately does not fall into the trap of many an action movie. There is no love interest. I think it is telling that the first Marvel movie with a female hero does not focus on romance. The Bechdel test is passed in the beginning of the movie. And Samuel L Jackson's supporting part is a lot of fun. We're familiar with much of the Avengers lore, but this movie brings us back and fills in some of the gaps we didn't know existed. And Jackson is a great singer too.

Incredibles 2 (2018)

What do you do in Bangkok? Go see a 4D movie! The 4D is super unnecessary, but it was kind of novel. During the Bao short and the first thirty minutes of the movie, there are 4D effects that are unexpected because they are mundane, but that kind of makes it fun and funny. It did make me smile. The latter half of the movie did not have as many effects. They and we maybe forgot about it.

The movie is brilliant. It is a modern day superhero movie. We needed to wait over a decade for this movie and it was well worth the wait to see our contemporary debates featured prominently. There is a dining table argument the family has over civil disobedience. A main theme of the movie is body cameras, a contemporary policing/vigilante proposal. And of course, you can't ignore the working mom and stay-at-home dad narrative. To top it off, the movie is hilarious. Brad Bird is an excellent director. But this film doesn't feel like a Pixar movie (nothing wrong with that) because it never reaches that emotional climax (nothing wrong with that either). The movie does throw a curveball by casting Bob Odenkirk, whose most famous role leads us to believe he was typecast. Spoiler alert, he's not. Michael Giacchino's music is lots of fun, kind of jazzy.

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

I saw an advance screening of The Hitman's Bodyguard. It's decently funny but not nearly as funny as the loud man in the movie theater would have you believe. It kind of works. Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds have this buddy chemistry because this genre of film, that is ridiculous action comedy, suits them both. Ryan Reynolds will never get away from this genre post-Deadpool. And Samuel L. Jackson is well known for yelling profanities in a forceful manner thanks to Quentin Tarantino. It's funny enough to be entertaining and bloody violent. We're in a John Wick-era of violence nowadays--it's becoming rather normalized I think.

The film does do a ridiculous disservice to international law. It has a terrible understanding of the purpose of international law, which I took some offense to as a student of international law. It also does not feature the actual ICC, which I went to in the Hague. The real deal has much more intense security than the movie version I know it's not the point of the movie, but they could've done some research.

Do the Right Thing (1989)

Do the Right Thing is just as important and poignant today as it was in 1989. Obviously, nothing has changed. Race relations are still tense and police brutality is still rampant. This didn't all of a sudden come out of nowhere and Barack Obama was not a cure-all. Spike Lee sends a powerful message to America.

It's a scorcher. The coloring of the film is tinted a hot red. Everyone is feeling agitated and you feel it too thanks to the reds and oranges. You know that someone is about to erupt. But let's start from the beginning with Rosie Perez dancing the opening credits to an aggressively bold Fight the Power by Public Enemy. Her moves are sharp, sensual, expressive, and absolutely magnetic. It does not glorify violence. But it does beautify it--beauty and fighting are not mutually exclusive.  Violence can be justified, it can be the titular right thing. It's a little more Malcolm than Martin.

Samuel L. Jackson is the radio host who acts as a narrator of sorts. We set the scene in Bed-Stuy on a street shared by African Americans, Puerto Ricans, a Korean grocery and an Italian pizzeria. This itself is beautiful. Not everyone necessarily gets along, but Brooklyn is such a uniquely American locale that all these different cultures could have the opportunity even to clash here. There is the very famous scene of the character staring down the barrel of the camera yelling racial slurs and insults. Even though they are pitted against each other, they are written in such a rich and complete way that the audience can empathize with all of them. We get it. We understand where they're coming from.

Spike Lee is a student of film. There is a very obvious allusion to Night of the Hunter directed by Charles Laughton. Radio Raheem wears LOVE and HATE knuckles and recites Robert Mitchum's monologue. Radio Raheem is perhaps the most symbolic character--his knuckles, his boom box (symbolic of his culture which he wears for all to hear unabashedly), and the ultimate fall of a strongman.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't address the ending. Does Mookie do the right thing? The privileged may see incitement of a riot. But that is wrong. Mookie starts an uprising. Think of the 2015 Baltimore uprising. An oppressed people rising up in self defense a la Malcolm X. Oppression: Why do the majority African American and Puerto Rican population not own any of the businesses on their street? They point out the Koreans are new immigrants and yet they somehow opened their own business. It's not personal. And we see in the final scene that Sal understands that. Sal feels betrayed, but he reconciles with Mookie. The movie is so powerful because it's so real. And it's so real because it is drawn from real society experience.

I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

I am very proud of Italy for screening this film at the Cineteca di Bologna. And there was surprisingly a very good turnout. At first, we thought we must've had the wrong theater. We walked in on a silent short film featuring no black people. So we walked out and the ticket taker informed us it would start after the short.

There have been a lot of race conscious documentaries lately. But this was by far the best. It's not an easy film. If you're looking for an easy film that is clear and concise backed by institutional evidence and factual arguments, watch 13th. This movie requires you to think, about race, about America, about yourself. Using James Baldwin's writings and speeches ostensibly centered around the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers, Raoul Peck weaves together a powerful documentary. I first encountered Baldwin in sophomore year. I don't know why he isn't assigned earlier. His name should be one put up right next to MLK and Malcolm X in middle school. He is eloquent and incisive and provocative and his words have power and depth. In my studies, I have come to recognize Malcolm X for the hero that he is, as opposed to the violent radical he is depicted as in our history textbooks.

There are a lot of great ideas in Baldwin's writings. He is not particularly an optimist. It's by no means an uplifting film, but it is really thought provoking. And it is very well made and well researched. He emphasizes the importance of film and television in representation of people of color. Peck must've searched through hundreds of hours of clips to curate the ones he included in the film. And each one is chosen and cut perfectly for the line of Baldwin. The black and white graphics and the anxious music fuel the anger and disappointment. I left the theater with feelings. And it made me want to go back and read more Baldwin. I think I will.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

I think the perfect word to describe this movie is self-indulgent. For one, it is way too long, clocking around three hours. And when your movie is so long, it can't be so slow--I kind of fell asleep a little in the middle. The story is told in several distinct chapters, which enhances the epic grandeur that Tarantino tries to evoke. And I understand that the first few set up the story, but they are too long for just setup.  There is the usual gratuitous amount of hyperbolic graphic violence and lots of inappropriate language. I'm all for free speech, but Tarantino  is a little too comfortable using the N-word. The most problematic aspect of the movie: no likable characters.

That being said the movie does some things very well. The storytelling is strong. I am surprised that Tarantino wasn't nominated for his screenplay. The story is mostly told linearly, but there is one chapter of flashback to make a crucial revelation that totally turns the story on its head. The last half of the movie is significantly better than the first. Most of the movie takes place in a single room, and we change perspectives in this one room. Some chapters also use narration, which is out of place since it is only present in some chapters, but it somehow works. The cinematography is also pretty incredible. The white snow is expansive and there is a great shot that is half pure white and half pure blue sky. But the very best aspect of this movie is Ennio Morricone's score. It is quintessentially western. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

The Avengers seems to get more and more confusing with each film in the series. This is mostly because they keep adding more characters. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The movies are trying to get closer to the source material comic books, which are quite convoluted. There are so many characters in the Marvel universe, and by that standard, the movies actually only feature a small fraction of them. And Gwyneth Paltrow and Natalie Portman weren't even in this one.

The Avengers has always been about action first and comedy second.  Compare that to last year's Guardians of the Galaxy which is just one long joke.  The Avengers does have its comedic moments. The best is Hawkeye acknowledging his uselessness.  That is a brilliant moment of self awareness, and the joke is ongoing.

The central plot of Age of Ultron revolves around artificial intelligence.  Artificial intelligence is interesting because it isn't just a technology/engineering feat, but there are philosophical and ethical issues that are addressed as well.  Avengers doesn't dive very deep into these debates, but it is an interesting plot point that provides for a formidable foe for the Avengers.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

Kingsman is to spy movies as Guardians of the Galaxy is to superhero movies.  It is raucous fun, pure action, and unapologetic in its parody of 007.  It is slick and stylish and fraught with graphic comical violence.  Amidst the slew of spy movies we get nowadays (though admittedly not in quite the numbers we get superhero movies), it is refreshing to find a film that can poke fun and lighten the mood of the typical modern spy movie a la dark and serious Daniel Craig.  The interplay between Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson is so over the top.  You must take the movie for what it is and just enjoy.