Black Panther   Movie Rating: PG-13

By Max Schwartz

  I think the main problem with all of the Marvel movies is the fact that there have been so many.

  I for one, like the movies, it’s just that the Marvel name has gone down due to the over saturation.

  But just as my faith for Marvel was all but dead, Black Panther was released.

  Oh my god. This was a movie and a half.

  As a liberal, I was especially fond of the fact that the cast was 90% people of color. That was sick.

  This movie opened in inner city Los Angeles, one of the hardest places on earth with an immediate ’90s nostalgia rap.

   I immediately see some gangsters, and then BAM, Wakandan warriors.

  Although this part of the plot confused me, it was a really cool thing to see the juxtaposition of the two.

  God, I hated typing that sentence. The more and more I write in this section, I become so snobby.

  What the hell was that?

  ‘Juxtaposition.’

  Anyway, that soundtrack, ohmygod.

  There were frequent appearances from RBE X SOB, Kendrick Lamar, and many other hip-hop giants.

  The fight scenes were incredible, and I mean very good. They were well executed with excellent camera work that really added some je ne sais quoi.

  The story was terrific, although I was frequently upset that Killmonger was able to come in and just dethrone T’challa like it was his job, and have the entire audience think about that — its permanence.

  As I am writing this, I think that the movie did something really smart with the plot. Killmonger was from the streets, he saw the inequalities with race in America. He wanted to save the marginalized people of the world who aren’t blessed enough to be in Wakanda.

  This brought the right message to the audience that it is essential to notice privilege. I’ll be honest it wasn’t entirely what I wanted to say about it, but I have run out of space.

  The man next to me ( Spencer Cova) and I have a podcast called the spencerandmax show. We will pick up this topic later on in the podcast.

  Is it racist to not like Black Panther? Yes. Wakanda forever.

Ant-Man   Movie Rating: PG-13

By Spencer Cova

  I feel the same way about Marvel as I do quarterback Tom Brady and rapper Drake: I respect their talent and greatness but their omnipresence is invading my personal space. Please retire and allow something new to come in.

  Marvel sits on top of the sci-fi throne, as nearly every single sci-fi blockbuster that comes out is produced by the movie factory Marvel.

  I can bash Marvel all I want because I hate the idea of the company, but will I still be the first in the movie theatre for every grand opening of any superhero movie? I don’t care if I’m deaf, blind or dead, I was going to watch Ant-Man.

  I will probably target the wrath of a legion of fan-boys, but I took CP Physics and I know well enough that the concept that a miniaturized man, were such a thing even possible, could exert the same moment and force as a full sized person would make Newton spin in his grave.

  That’s right Mr. Phillips, I really did listen in your class.

  But it’s science FICTION so I’ll let that one go.

  Even with that, I can summarize the whole movie in a couple lines: Paul Rudd (“Friends”, “Anchorman”) plays ex-con Scott Lang who is recruited by brilliant scientist and would-be superhero Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his gorgeous daughter Hope to steal a jacket. (No, really).

  The owner of said jacket, albeit a high-tech jacket, is businessman and all-round bad-guy Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), with evil intent. (You can tell he’s evil by what he does to a cute little lamb – this is the worst viewing for sheep since “Far from the Madding Crowd”.)

  By miniaturizing Lang and securing the help of an army of ants, the stage is set for a heist of a most unusual kind.

  So… how does this all come together. There is one answer: Paul Rudd.