Devotion

 

My latest foray to my local movie theater had me checking out Devotion.  Starring Jonathon Majors and Glen Powell, Devotion is inspired by the true story of Jesse Brown (Majors) the first African American U.S. naval aviator during the Korean Conflict. Never having read the book, I didn’t know much about the story going in, but the trailers looked promising.

Devotion has a great cast and contains some thrilling flying sequences, but, as interesting as the subject matter is, I confess the 2-hour 19-minute film came up short and sadly fell flat for me.  

The film, particularly the first half is choppy in pacing and thematically underdeveloped causing the narrative to just lay there more often than not. There's just very little spark and a feeling of lifelessness hangs over the story. 

For a biopic Devotion does very little to delve deeply into the characters or what caused the Korean conflict to be called “America’s Forgotten War”.  Everything is addressed superficially with a few “pops” of insight/connection here and there, but all told the gaps between what actually unfolds on screen and what needs/should is too wide.  Emotionally there’s a disconnect that the film simply can’t overcome and left me wanting /needing more and disappointed.

The second half of the film strives for and succeeds more in making for a compelling story, however, it’s just a case of too little too late.  

Devotion had the potential to be an amazing, engaging film that lives up to its title and give Airmen Brown the recognition he deserves.  Ultimately the ripped straight from a high school textbook narrative approach keeps Devotion firmly grounded in the “It’s not bad, but it’s far from great” category.

Devotion gets a 6 from me.

Strange World

 

With the year quickly coming to a close and the holidays upon us, movie releases are picking up in frequency with no less than three major films hitting the big screen today alone.  I decided to check out the latest family film from Disney, Strange World.

Let me start with a WARNING: If the so called “Woke” agenda of inclusivity, acceptance, tolerance, and existing in harmony with your environment is offensive to you, don’t even bother with this one. You will be upset.

Moving on.

Rock solid animation makes the literal world building next level. Strange World is a visually stunning feast for the eyes.  The colors and creatures are a fantastical and imaginative delight to behold and definitely kept the little ones and adults alike engaged. There were a number of 3 to 4-year olds in the audience I watched with and like the older kiddos, none of them got fussy or appeared bored the entire hour forty-two-minute runtime.

At its core Strange World is a coming-of-age film about family with an emphasis on father/son relationships with an adventurous back drop.  Good humor, mostly geared toward the adult audience and nice action sequences that are thrilling but not too scary for the younger kids.  Think of Strange World as Avatar for kids meets Journey to the Center of the Earth/Up with a dash of.... well, I can’t say what movie without giving the twist of this one away.

Overall, Strange World is a fun and entertaining film.  Enjoyable to watch, likeable characters but nothing unique in terms of theme(s). Still a good option for getting the family out of the house for a couple of hours.  

The audience had fun.

I had fun.

Strange World gets a 7 from me.  

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The highly anticipated and somewhat controversial follow up to the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther film Black Panther Wakanda Forever has finally hit the big screen.   I’ve been quite anxious to see this one, both looking forward and dreading seeing it.  I’m still processing this one but here’s my take so far.

In regard to the whole should they or shouldn’t they have recast the roll of T’Challa/Black Panther after the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman in 2020 I’m not even engaging in that noise.  Honestly that besides now being a moot point is/was the Kobayashi Maru test of the MCU.  Didn’t matter which way the decision makers went sadly there was going to be blowback, outrage, and a lot of bitching within in the fandom.  That’s just the nature of things.

Period.

Moving on.

I just wanted a film both worthy of its predecessor and world building.  For my money (and I had little doubt this would be the case) Ryan Coogler has done both masterfully in Wakanda Forever. 

Coogler (the entire production actually) have threaded the needle and delivered a two-hour forty-one-minute saga that pays a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to Boseman and T’Challa without being morose, honors and develops the characters we already know and love, while introducing and expanding the worlds of the MCU in an organic manner that has been rather hit and miss throughout Phase IV.  

Thank you, Ryan Coogler and company.  

Bravo.

Black Panther Wakanda Forever goes beyond the first trailer in terms of tone, thankfully. Yes, I choked up and cried on several occasions, yet there’s also plenty of joy to be had.  A nice blend of laugh-out loud moments. Keep things from getting too sullen often through Dominique Thorne’s Riri.  Loving her and look forward to seeing more of her character, hoping before Avengers: Secret Wars in 2026.  As for the culture not only does Coogler “go there” but slapped hard leaving me snorting with laughter. 

Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, and Martin Freeman reprise their roles and bring all the texture, richness, and character driven action I hoped for.  Newcomers Tenoch Huerta, Michaela Cole, Alex Livinalli, and Mabel Cadena also bring fresh excitement.  

Wakanda Forever delivers on action, cinematography, costumes, direction, and soundtrack.   There’s also some surprises and twists that had me on the edge of my seat as well as a few things that quite frankly pissed me off (all for the good of the movie, but still...).

Black Panther Wakanda Forever has/had big shoes to fill on every level and no doubt haters gonna hate on this one, no surprise there.  Is it a slam dunk perfect 10?  No. But few films are in my book.  However, Panther Wakanda Forever delivers a quality, enjoyable, satisfying movie experience and that’s nothing to take lightly under the best of circumstances.  Given the nearly insurmountable task before it with the unfortunate loss of Chadwick Boseman, such an integral part to the storytelling, makes the fact that Wakanda Forever achieves so much that much more impressive in my book.  I definitely need/want to see this one again and again.  

My immediate response?  Black Panther Wakanda Forever is well worth the effort and needs to be seen on the big screen. 

A solid 8.5 for me.

Oh, as usual, don’t forget to stay for the mid credit scene.  There’s only one, but you know the drill.

Till

Apologies.

This isn’t going to be my “usual” movie review. Instead, I’m just going to offer up a few thoughts/impressions/feelings.

I’m still raw from this one so bear with me.

Going in I was painfully aware of the story of Emmet Till so much so that within the first thirty seconds of seeing the Till trailer the first time I was already teary-eyed and choked with emotion. Barely made it through without full on crying. As a result, I simultaneously didn’t want/needed to see this film. I waffled back and forward on whether to see it at the movie theater or wait and watch at home right up until the movie started. Even then I wasn’t sure I could watch the full 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Not going to lie, Till is a difficult watch. It’s also important, even necessary to do so.

I cried on and off though the entire film. I was overcome with emotion to the point I had trouble breathing. I really wanted to walk out. I didn't though and I'm glad.

Till is a beautiful film, and it hits hard.

Afterwards I found myself needing repeatedly to sit with my “feels” on the way out of the theater. Even with that I still ended up having a much needed ugly/angry cry once I got home and took a shower.

Yeah, it’s that powerful of a film.

It’s also while I felt it important that I saw it in the theater in the first place and watch/experience every single frame of this film. Till is one of those rare films that will undoubtedly stick in my consciousness for some time to come. Perhaps even indefinitely.

Powerful.

Simply powerful.

Danielle Deadwyler delivers a masterful performance as Mamie Till-Morley.

Stories like this need to be told, seen, experienced, and supported. We as people let alone a country need to be reminded just how far we’ve come yet how little we’ve traveled.

I applaud everyone that endeavored to bring Till to the big screen. I also feel rating this one is inappropriate. Just watch this one, or at least try, be it at your local movie theater or when you can watch in the comfort of your own home.