MA RAINEY’s BLACK BOTTOM REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The news of Chadwick Boseman’s death from colon cancer on August 28th shocked the world because he kept his illness private. It was revealed that Boseman’s final performance would be in George C. Wolfe’s adaptation of August Wilson’s play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which has just been released on Netflix.

Tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). Late to the session, the fearless, fiery Ma engages in a battle of wills with her white manager and producer over control of her music. As the band waits in the studio's claustrophobic rehearsal room, ambitious trumpeter Levee (Boseman) – who has an eye for Ma's girlfriend and is determined to stake his own claim on the music industry – spurs his fellow musicians into an eruption of stories, truths, and lies that will forever change the course of their lives. Levee's ambition to start his own band also has him soliciting the managers and producers, requiring him to relive previous traumas.

With Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Wolfe has created a compelling drama filled with fascinating and memorable characters. It also serves as a perfect swan song for Boseman who delivered one of his best dramatic performances that is sure to see him recognised by the Academy when nominations are announced next year. Although the film is titled Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, it’s Levee who has the most screen time and is the most interesting character as he’s ambitious and charming, however, he’s experienced trauma in his childhood. In a moving monologue, Levee opens up about the time he was attacked by a white man with a knife. Whilst delivering the monologue, you can see tears in his eyes as he’s remembering the horrific ordeal. Although I know that a lot of people aren’t interested in watching films that are based on stage plays, however, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is entirely worth watching just for Boseman’s powerful and unforgettable performance. Davis’ performance is also worth mentioning as, although Ma Rainey isn’t the most likeable of characters, she captures the singer’s bossy and diva-like personality and steals almost every scene she appears in. Most of the drama comes from Ma Rainey’s demands and her insistence that her nephew, Sylvester (Dusan Brown), introduce the songs despite his stammer. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is at its best when it’s focusing on Levee and Ma Rainey as they’re the most fascinating characters. 

This marks the second time that one of Wilson’s play has been adapted into a feature film with the first being Fences, which was released in 2016 and directed by Denzel Washington. It also starred Davis and earned her her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. I watched Fences and, although I liked it, especially the performances delivered by Davis and Washington, I found it a bit long, with a runtime of 139 minutes. Fortunately, runtime isn’t an issue with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, as it’s only 94 minutes and makes for a quick and easy watch. Those who enjoyed Fences will almost certainly like what Wolfe has created with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, as both films are compelling, character-driven dramas. I haven’t seen Wilson’s play so I can’t say if Wolfe’s film is faithful to its source material, however, judging from the film, I can understand why the director wanted to bring the play from the stage to the screen as it offers viewers, who aren’t familiar with the original play, to experience it in the form of film. Because I hadn’t seen the original play, I didn’t know what to expect from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Fortunately, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 

Usually, this time of year sees the release of Oscar-worthy films which are those that have the potential to be nominated by the Academy next year. I can’t imagine Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom going unrecognised as it’s the type of film that gets noticed and that’s one that features strong performances and tells an original story. Although it’s almost certain that Boseman will be nominated, there’s been a debate over whether he should be nominated in the Leading or Supporting category. Many believe that, because he has the most screen time, Boseman should receive a Leading Actor nomination, however, there are those that are worried that he’ll have less chance of winning due to ongoing buzz surrounding Anthony Hopkins’ performance in the upcoming The Father and Delroy Lindo’s performance in Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. Although I haven’t seen the former, I recently watched the latter and was impressed by Lindo’s performance and can understand why he’s receiving so much attention. While I think Boseman’s performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is more of a leading role, due to his commanding presence, I think that he might have a better chance of winning if he’s in the Supporting category. I also think that, if he does end up winning for Leading, there will be those who think he only won due to the tragic circumstances rather than his performance and will think that Lindo should have won. However, this is just my opinion.

Aside from the two brilliant performances by Boseman and Davis, another impressive aspect of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the make-up and costume design. A lot of hard work has gone into transforming Davis into the glamorous Ma Rainey. 

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom also introduces viewers to the legendary "Mother of the Blues", Ma Rainey herself. Because she's portrayed as a perfectionist, it's clear to see that Ma Rainey has a love for blues music and is only interested in recording with the band if they do it her way. This leads to a conflict between Ma Rainey and Levee who has his own ideas. Fans of blues music will almost certainly find Ma Rainey's Black Bottom to be a fascinating watch as they learn about its origins. 

Although Netflix provided its subscribers with escapism through entertaining films and binge worthy series, however, their recent releases have consisted of serious films that have Oscar potential including Da 5 Bloods, Aaron Sorkin's courtroom drama, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and David Fincher's biopic, Mank. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom isn’t the best of the latest films to be released on Netflix, however, it’s worth a watch, mainly for Boseman's unforgettable performance and for those looking for a compelling drama to watch.

8/10

AVENGERS: ENDGAME REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become one of the most successful franchises, with the majority of their films impressing both critics and at the box office. Based on the comic books by the late Stan Lee, each film has provided entertainment for fans of superheroes. Avengers: Assemble, which was released in 2012, saw the titular team appear on screen for the first time and the result was successful as it earned over a billion dollars at the box office. Featuring a team of memorable characters, including Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Chris Evan's Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, and exciting action sequences, Avengers: Assemble proved to be one of the greatest superhero films. Three years later, its first sequel, Age Of Ultron, and, while it wasn't as good as its predecessor, it was still a solid successful and it was great seeing the Avengers team up again. It wasn't until 2018 when a second sequel, Infinity War, was released and it was a huge improvement over its predecessor, in terms of story, character development and action. The film saw the characters face their biggest threat yet in the form of Thanos (Josh Brolin) who wants to restore balance in the world by destroying half of humanity. However, he can only achieve that by collecting the Infinity Stones. The majority of Infinity War focuses on the characters trying to stop Thanos, unfortunately, they are unsuccessful, leading to a shocking and emotional cliffhanger.

Avengers: Endgame sees the remaining characters dealing with the aftermath of Thanos' actions. After an unsuccessful attempt to reverse his actions, they are left hopeless, until Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) turns up after being trapped in the Quantum Realm for five years. He reveals there may be a way to bring everyone back, however, the plan requires bravery, teamwork and personal sacrifice in order to succeed. Together, the remaining team, which includes Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff (Johansson), Bruce Banner (Ruffalo), James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Rocket the Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Nebula (Karen Gillian), become determined to succeed in their plan and bring everyone back. However, the plan is easier said than done as it involves time travel. 

Creating a conclusion that satisfies fans and meets their expectations was always going to be a challenge, fortunately, the directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, have succeeded. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with what they've created. Together, the brothers have created four of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Endgame, Infinity War and two of the Captain America films, The Winter Soldier and Civil War. They clearly understand what each of the characters have been through, making them the best choice to direct the final two films in the Avengers franchise. With Endgame, they've created a satisfying conclusion that is, at times, emotional and full of action.

The majority of Endgame focuses on the main characters as they travel to different points in time to collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos does. In this sequence, we return to events we've already experienced and view them from a different perspective, which made for a fun watch. In one scene, we see Stark, Rogers, Banner return to New York in 2012 with Lang when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) caused havoc with the Tesseract. This is also one of the more lighthearted scenes in Endgame and is full of comedic potential, especially when Rogers accidentally encounters his past self, leading to a fight between the two. It's during the time heist, as the characters call it, where Endgame is at its most entertaining. Another scene sees Thor finding closure with his late mother, Frigga (Rene Russo), in a moving scene. However, as mentioned earlier, the plan requires personal sacrifice. After Romanoff and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) arrive on Vormir in order to retrieve the Soul Stone, the pair are surprised to discover that a sacrifice must be made, leading to a tragic death. This scene is similar to one in Infinity War, where Thanos sacrifices his adopted daughter, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), to retrieve the stone.
With most superhero films I've watched, there doesn't seem to be much at stake and I've always found the stories to be lacking in tension, as it's obvious that the superhero will save the day. However, with Infinity War and Endgame, there's a lot of stake, with half of humanity having vanished from existence. With so many superheroes teaming up together to defeat him, you'd be forgiven in thinking that Thanos would be an easy villain to defeat. However, Infinity War proved that theory wrong and that he's stronger than a team of superheroes. In Endgame, Thanos still threatens the Avengers, even after his death early on in the film. This is because a past version of Thanos learns, through Nebula, of future events, leading him to become even more determined to defeat them, making their plan even harder to successfully achieve. While there have been a lot of villains in the MCU, Thanos is, undoubtedly, one of the best and is portrayed brilliantly by Brolin.
The most impressive aspect of Avengers: Endgame is its ensemble cast, which consists of the most talented actors working in Hollywood. The stand-out performance comes from Downey Jr. who gives his best portrayal of Tony Stark yet. In his first appearance in Iron Man, the character came across as a cocky billionaire. However, since then, he has developed into a more mature person. In Iron Man 3, we saw Stark suffering from anxiety, following the events of Avengers: Assemble. I thought that this was Downey Jr.'s best dramatic performance yet, however, with Endgame, he has improved and has developed Stark into a true hero. Like Logan did with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Endgame provides a farewell to a beloved character. The MCU started with Iron Man, it's only fitting that it should conclude with him as well. While I think that every actor involved did a great job with portraying their characters, I think that Downey Jr. deserved a special mention.
While I enjoyed the time heist sequence, I thought that Avengers: Endgame was at its best during yhe final battle sequence, which is exhilarating throughout. The sequence sees the lost characters successfully return and team up to defeat Thanos once and for all. With so many characters featuring in the battle, it was always going to be difficult to make sure they all each get their time to shine, however, the Russo brothers succeeded. With her film, Captain Marvel, having recently been released, I was expecting Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) to have more screen time, however, she's only seen in the beginning and during the final battle sequence. Despite her limited screen time, she still leaves a lasting impression and I can't wait to see more of her in future sequels.
While Endgame may be the final Avengers film, the final scenes hint at future films, including the upcoming Spider-Man sequel, Far From Home, and a third Guardians of the Galaxy film. While I doubt any future film in the MCU will ever come close to matching the emotions that Endgame leaves you with, I'm still looking forward to future instalments and seeing what direction the story goes in, following the events of Endgame.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame is a successful conclusion to over a decade's worth of films and will satisfy fans.
8/10

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Since the release of Iron Man a decade ago, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has gone on to be one of the most successful franchises ever. Each film released in the MCU has received impressive box office results and received a lot of praise from both critics and audiences. Infinity War is the third film in the Avengers trilogy and is the nineteenth film in the MCU, however, does it live up to the expectations its previous films have set up for us?

There's a lot going on in Infinity War, however, the plot basically surrounds the main villain, Thanos (Josh Brolin), whose plan is to steal all six 'Infinity Stones' so he can become incredibly powerful and destroy half of humanity in order to restore balance to the universe. This leads to the majority of the characters returning from previous MCU films and teaming up in order to stop him.
Infinity War was a lot better than what I expected it to be. I wasn't a huge Marvel fan, mainly because when I was in high school, I studied the superhero genre and, after two years of watching and studying them, I'd grown a bit bored of them. However, I'm glad that I decided to start watching them as I understand what the hype is about now. After watching the majority of the films in the MCU (excluding Ant-Man), my excitement for Infinity War grew and, fortunately, it didn't disappoint. It tells a compelling story that features a lot of exhilarating action and a emotional climax that will leave viewers in shock. Most superhero films tend to follow the same path of having the main protagonist defeat the villain which makes it predictable, however, I had no idea Infinity War was going to end the way it did. Because it ended on a cliffhanger, viewers will be left in suspense until the release of the untitled Avengers sequel which is due to be released in May next year.
What I liked about Infinity War was its portrayal of the superheroes. In previous films, we've seen how strong and brave they are, however, with Thanos becoming increasingly powerful, the superheroes become weaker and more afraid. At first glance, you would expect that a team of almost 20 superheroes would easily be able to defeat Thanos, however, the film clearly shows that he is stronger than all of them, which is why he's easily the best villain. Brolin proves he's the best choice to portray the villain and uses both voice acting and motion-capture for his performance.
 Fans of the MCU will be happy to see their favourite superheroes teaming up on the big screen, however, they may be a bit disappointed that some characters don't get as much screentime as others. For example, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) receives the most screentime and we see him team up with Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) to create a weapon that will hopefully defeat Thanos. I was also surprised by the lack of Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), considering he appears on the poster, however, despite in the first Avengers film where he says that he's 'always angry' before transforming into the green monster, Bruce Banner finds it difficult to become the Hulk. This leads to Banner fighting in Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) anti-Hulk armour. I liked this, as judging from its appearance in the trailer, I assumed it was Stark fighting in the armour so I was very surprised to see Banner fighting in it.
One of the main problems with films that feature a lot of characters is making sure they all get enough screentime. Fortunately, directors Joe and Anthony Russo make sure that every character makes a contribution to the story, rather than just making an appearance. All of the superheroes work well together and are divided into different groups across the universe. One of the most memorable fight sequences takes place on Wakanda and shows Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Banner, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and War Machine (Don Cheadle) all fighting alongside the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and his tribe. Vision (Paul Bettany), an artificial intelligence being created by Ultron the villain of the previous Avengers film, has one of the Infinity Stones located in his head, leading to Thanos sending his army to try and steal it. This leads to an action-packed battle between the two armies.
As for the performances, they're all impressive. Brolin is the stand-out as he makes Thanos an intimidating villain and someone who is incredibly tough to defeat. While there's not a bad performance to be found, I found Hemsworth, Evans, Downey Jr. and Tom Holland to be the most memorable. They all handled the action and dramatic aspects of the film really well. Holland further proves why he's the perfect choice for Spider-Man as he captures his upbeat tone and bring comic relief with a few quips. I also thought that Zoe Saldana was great as Gamora, Thanos' adopted daughter. Since her first appearance in Guardians Of The Galaxy, she's been one of my favourite characters in the MCU. There's a scene involving her and Thanos that is heartbreaking. Elizabeth Olsen was very good as Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch. Since Age Of Ultron, she has bonded and formed a close relationship with Vision and, in one scene, we see her making a tough decision in order to save the universe.
It's not worth watching Infinity War if you haven't seen any of the previous films in the MCU as the story expects you to know who these characters are and what they've been through. I would suggest watching both of the Avengers films, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians Of The Galaxy, and Black Panther. In my opinion, they're the best films in the MCU and gives most of the characters that feature in Infinity War a backstory and sets the story up.
The films in the MCU are known for their post-credits scenes. Some of them hint at the next film. I do think that it's definitely worth waiting until the post-credits scene as it involves Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smaulders).
Overall, Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant blockbuster that realises its huge ambitions.
8/10