Black Panther

Actors: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis
Rating: 10 out of 10, It is one of those rare films that exceeds deafening word of mouth hype. It’s clearly one of the best Marvel films ever which is rarified air for a dedicated geek like me to assign it to. It is well plotted, fabulously acted, and perfectly paced. The cast is the real strength of the movie but not because of the title character. While he is very good, Boseman is probably the fifth or sixth best actor in this movie. The women and Michael B. Jordan dominate! Lupita Nyong'o and especially Danai Gurira were mesmerizing in their roles as key players for the Black Panther. Jordan’s screen presence as the villain is undeniable and he almost gets you rooting for him despite constantly showing you why you shouldn’t; just charisma to spare. The movie takes on a lot of social issues without beating you about the head and shoulders. There’s also a lot of subtle humor, most of it at the Black Panther’s expense. It’s obvious Bosemen wasn’t a prima dona and uniformly gracious in sharing the screen with this fantastic cast. This is a superhero movie with a soul. This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. There was a huge crowd there for a Tuesday night showing mostly African-American which I would definitely recommend as a viewing environment. It was a party as young kids, up well after their bedtimes, devoured this new hero. While everyone wants to make this a socially conscious event it is still a damned fine movie. It says way too much about our movie history of inclusion that it is greeted as such an event in the first place.
MVP: Jordan as Killmonger

Girls Trip

Actors: Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith

Rating: 9 out of 10, I avoided seeing this until hearing some good things and I wish I could hug the recommenders but that would probably be inappropriate. Inappropriateness is what this movie is about and it revels in it. Four college African-American girl friends reunite in their late thirties for a thunder run to New Orleans. This movie is completely stolen by Tiffany Haddish who is hilarious in every scene she blesses with her presence. This is truly an ode to friendship and the audience is brought inside the tight circle of these close friends to be part of their hilarious interaction. I have not laughed this hard at a movie in all too long - almost too funny. Are women the only ones capable of making raunchy comedies funny anymore?

MVP: Tiffany Haddish as the irrepressible Dina- scene stealer extraordinaire

12 Strong

Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, William Fichtner, Rob Riggle

Rating: 8 out of 10, An interesting look at the initial deployment of Special Forces Soldiers into Afghanistan following 9/11. While I’m sure Hollywood took some extreme license with some of the events it seemed to follow pretty much what I knew about the actual timeline. Chris Hemsworth continues to display amazing screen presence in whatever role he pursues and he nails the character of the Special Forces team leader charged with cooperating with an Afghan warlord to take the fight to the Taliban. Hollywood never gets all the military techniques and strategies right but the mission of the SF team rang true due to the solid supporting cast, especially Michael Pena. I’m convinced Pena is incapable of doing anything bad. It was interesting to see a couple of guys I knew from my time in the Army depicted as senior leaders but I’m sure they’re a little pissed the actors didn’t know how to properly tailor their uniforms. If nothing else the film is a fitting tribute to these heroes who started the payback process that unfortunately continues to this day.

MVP: Hemsworth as the A Team Leader in an almost impossible situation