MOVIE REVIEW: Black Panther

The Marvel Cinematic Universe hits the jackpot with Black Panther. The choice of Ryan Coogler, who for me directed two of the best films this decade with Fruitvale Station (2013) and Creed (2015) is perfection. He applied the grit and heart that was prevalent in those movies and with some remarkable effects and a great cast makes Black Panther the best among the films produced by Marvel Studios.

Continuing from 2016's Captain America: Civil War when we were first introduced to T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman). The film tackles his return back to his home, the African kingdom of Wakanda to succeed his Dad to the throne after his father's untimely death. His place may look like a poor country on the outside but inside Wakanda is a modern metropolis thanks to the element vibranium which powers the place and its people. Unfortunately, there are forces within the kingdom that want to challenge his leadership.

Black Panther may be a superhero movie but the issues it tackles makes it more human than any other Marvel film. There are some similarities of it with some governments in the world right now. This is also a film that showcase women empowerment at its finest. Aside from having Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o and a nominee Angela Bassett in the cast, there are also female warriors assigned the protect Wakanda's monarch.  Coogler regular Michael B. Jordan playing against type, is commendable as the film's protagonist Erik Killmonger. Movie geeks too will be ecstatic to see both Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Gollum (Andy Serkis) on the same film and on a different cinematic universe altogether. Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Sterling K. Brown (TV's This is Me) and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) are the other members of the acting ensemble.

Black Panther sets the stage for Avengers: Infinity War which comes out in a couple of months. Here's hoping that it continues the pace of T'Challa and company in the MCU.

MOVIE REVIEW: Winchester

I often see the Winchester Mansion in which this movie was based on, every time I was assigned to work in Santa Clara, California. I'd never been inside but I researched on it's colorful, infamous history and the people in it. After the success of The Conjuring films, it's no surprise that someone will make a movie about one of the most popular haunted house in the United States.

The great Helen Mirren stars as Sarah Winchester, heiress of the family fortune. The Winchester family made it big in the sales of firearms and after her husband and child died, Sarah purchased a land in San Jose, California to build a mansion whose history still fascinates people up to this day. The heiress believes that the restless souls of those killed by the rifles still haunt her and her family. Her beliefs resulted in building a house that is continuously being built and having a complicated architecture and interiors.

The film directed by The Spierig Brothers gives a very basic history of the family and the house. The movie is "inspired" by the events. It took the horror route. There are some genuine scares and a beautiful twist inspired by 2001's The Others.

Co starring Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) and Sara Snook, Winchester could have been a better movie but it's still commendable for showing the history of the mansion in basic detail. Now, Il make an effort to tour the mansion once I'm back in the Bay Area.