issue 27] // volume 44

arts // no. 7

 

A Marvel film that’s not just for MCU fans

> ‘Black Panther’ review

Jillian McMullen
Staff Writer

 

have a confession: I'm not really a

huge follower of the Marvel Cinematic
Universe. | mean, it's definitely
entertaining, but | find the plots
repetitive and the acting underwhelming
across the franchise as a whole.

In spite of my apprehensions, the
recent release of Black Panther, and
all of the social commentary that has
come along with it, prompted me to
give the filma shot. | haven't seen a
Marvel film since Captain America: Civil
War, so | walked into the theatre on
Cheap Tuesday concerned | wouldn't
be adequately caught up on the Marvel
universe and therefore wouldn't enjoy
the film. However, | walked out of the
film satished with the experience.

I'll start off with saying that the
biggest success was the visuals—the film
is totally gorgeous. | don't normally enjoy
watching movies in 3D because A) | wear
glasses and wearing one pair over another
is weird, and B) | find it is often done in
gimmicky ways. Much to my surprise,
the effect was used incredibly tastefully.
Orange and pink sunsets extend across
lush jungles ina manner that really
fives a sense of scale, an impression of
the vastness and abundance that the
fictional country of Wakanda enjoys.
The vibrancy of the colours also adds a
lot of richness to the world created by
cinematographer Rachel Morrison.

The 1mportance of art

Although I did feel like some of the
dialogue of Shuri, who is protagonist
T'Challa’s younger sister, played a little
too much te the joke (a “What are
those?" reference particularly sticks out
in my mind), most of the acting was
uncharacteristically good. While Marvel
heroes often feel affected and over-acted,
I found subtlety in Chadwick Boseman’s
portrayal of T’Challa, especially in his
seenes with his father or Nakia, played by
Lupita Nyong'o. | would argue that the
calibre of acting in this film versus other
Marvel films is improved because this film
features objectively better actors then,
say, the last film | saw in the franchise.

I've heard some complain about
the meaning people have attached to
Black Panther, that they're reading too
much into it, that (hat’s not what the

> ‘Faces Places’ film review

Jerrison Oracion
Senior Columnist

 

kKkekkk

Ww" happens when you have the
actual person whe pioneered
the French New Wave working with
one of the most famous photographers
in France? You pet Faces Places,

This documentary, which is
nominated for Best Documentary in
the Academy Awarels this year, is an
unusual homage to art, Director Agnes
Varela and photographer JR goon a tour
around France and install art exhibits in
various villages, When they install them,
Varela and JR receive a lot of attention
from the residents of the villages and the
residents are amazed by the exhilsits,

The film begins with Varela anel
JR mecting in the countryside and we
learn about the pair, The documentary
is presented in the style of Varda’s films,
which look like educational films that

youd see in school, During their tour, they

drive ina photovan which also includes
avery big printer that JR uses to print
pictures that he will use for the exhibits,
Atone stop, they puta picture of a
harefoot woman with an umbrella, which
shows the history of the village, and its
residents are excited by that and they take
pictures of the art to post on social media,

At another stop, the residents of another
village have their pictures taken and put
ona wall to create a collage of faces.
The documentary also talks a bit
about Jean-Luc Godard, who made the
French New Wave go mainstream and is
very close to Varda, and who is also still
alive, It also references Godard’s film
Bond of Outsiders, and there is a scene
where Varda and JR parody the scene
in Bond of Qutsiders where the three
main characters run across the Louvre.
At some points in Faces Places,
random things happen, which is one
of the details of the French New Wave.
Some examples of this include a scene
in the beginning where we see JR and

 

movie is about. The comic was released

before the black nationalist group which

bears the same name was founded,

so the here's name wasn't inspired by

it. However, for modern audiences

the connection is definitely relevant,

particularly because the antagonist

grew up in the same town in which the

movernent bepan—Oakland, California.

In addition, pretty much all of antagonist

Killmonger’s goals echo what the real-

world Black Panther movement was trying

to accomplish—albcit by very different

means. It is impossible, then, to take the

story out of a black liberation narrative.
The problem | have with this is

the film pits two black men against

each other who act as stand-ins for civil

rights leaders: T’Challa, the pacifist, the

modern Martin Luther King Jr, is put up

Varda dancing ina club, a random person
explaining something instead of the two
narrators, and Varda getting eye surgery.

The art exhibits wow everyone who
sees them and teach people the history
of the villages, and some of them are very
close to Varda and JR. The exhibits alsa
show that art creates attention and people
talk about them by sharing them on social
media, Art preserves history, and it will
be displayed for future generations,

One interesting thing about the
documentary is that it is crowdfunded.
In the opening tithes we see a list of the
people who donated to the documentary,
which is how | found out about it,

Faces Places is ane of the most

Promotional image of 'Black Panther’

By
against Killmonger, a “real” Black Panther
who advocates for violent liberation,

By confusing those bwo movements,
you foree aucicnees to choose one
path for liberation over another, which
[think might undercut some of the
social commentary it could have,

Black Panther has everything you
would normally expect with any Marvel
film: Explosive fight scenes, farnily
seercts come to light, and a love interest
with a complicated history, In terms of
its social importance, it fills the need
for black characters that break from
the “inner city thug” stereotype often
put forward in Hollywood narratives,
For the very fact that it has started a
meaningful conversation, | would say
that it’s definitely worth sceing—even
for Marvel nen-follawers like myself,

 

.
au
o
=
Ee
—
au
we
td
Ls
va
mS
u
a
Ld
=
S
c
5
7
o
E
o
=
a

talked-about documentary of last year
and it could very well win the Oscar for
Best Documentary, Te fully appreciate
the film, there are two films you should
watch heforchanel: Bond of Quisiders,
and a short film that Varda made which
is alse referenced init, The Fiernces
of the Bridge Mac Donald, both of
which are included in the Criterion
Collection release of Bond of Outsiders,
Faces Places is an unusual and fun
documentary about the teaching power
ofart, Ifyou did net get.a chance to
sce it when it was shown in the Vancity
Theater, you can watch it when il is
released on DVD ancl Blu-ray, likely
ina Criterion Collection release,