From 87North’s Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, producers of bare-knuckle hit films such as Bullet Train, Nobody, John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw comes “Violent Night”, a holiday action-comedy that says you should always bet on red.
Starring David Harbour (Stranger Things) as Santa Claus and as a surprise combatant who’s about to prove why Nick is no saint when a team of mercenaries breaks into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve and takes everyone inside hostage. “Violent Night’s” Santa Claus is the real Santa, but in a way that we’ve never seen him before. This Santa is a protector and a warrior with some seriously bad-ass skills, but in the film, he’s become slightly bitter and tired about the otherwise merry holiday.
Jonathan “Jojo” Eusebio, a Filipino stunt director who has worked with 87North on various projects, including on the John Wick franchise delivers the action as the second unit director in Violent Night. “Jojo was one of the original members of our choreography team, so we’ve been working together a good 20 years,” producer Leitch says. “The talent that’s gravitated to 87North is beyond the physical. There’s a common work ethic and desire to make movies, and Jojo has always had that same drive in him. I have so much respect for him and love the work he’s been doing, both with 87North and without.”
The success formula for 87North includes having stunt teams that are better than anyone else in the world at their craft. “Jojo had the desire to be challenged and he was inspired by the Christmas backdrop,” producer McCormick says. “He brought a team together that had amazing athleticism and skill, and I think they all learned a lot about blending the wit and comedy with the action in the film along the way.”
David Harbour trained intensely and extensively for the role, which allowed for more specialty shots, long takes and big movements that wouldn’t have been able to be done safely without that hardcore training.
Harbour’s work added depth to Santa’s backstory and allowed the audience to find a deeper connection and empathy with the character. “When we meet him in the film, Santa is a curmudgeon who doesn’t like Christmas anymore, but underneath that, he’s a broken man,” Leitch says. “It gives the character humanity and makes him relatable, and that came from suggestions from David.”
For his part, Harbour wasn’t initially sure about the role when the idea of the film was first explained to him. “I first heard the pitch from my agent, who told me, ‘It’s a violent Santa Claus movie,’” Harbour says. “My initial response was, ‘What are you talking about?’ But then, they told me the filmmakers wanted to talk to me about it. So, they called me up and told me the general idea, and it sounded so hilarious, fresh and different.”
A Universal Pictures International feature, “Violent Night” will open in PH cinemas on November 30. Rated R-16 by the local censors board.
Enter a shocking and grisly culinary experience like no other with Searchlight Pictures’ The Menu, now showing in Philippine cinemas.
In “The Menu,” Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) travel to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises. Watch the trailer below.
Directed by Mark Mylod (Game of Thrones), “The Menu” is a dark comedy horror film set in an exclusive restaurant headed by a reclusive world-renowned chef.
Joining Margot and Tyler on the occasion are three drunk tech bros, Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro) and Dave (Mark St. Cyr), repeat clients Anne and Richard (Judith Light and Reed Birney), renowned restaurant critic Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer) and her magazine editor Ted (Paul Adelstein), and a famous movie star (John Leguizamo) with his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero). Hosted by general Elsa (Hong Chau) who leads an immaculately dressed front-of-house staff, the evening slowly escalates and unfolds, as each course becomes more bizarre, and guests’ secrets are revealed. All these lead to a series of violent events that is part of Chef Slowik’s elaborate menu, culminating in a shocking finale that no one expects.
“The Menu” is now screening in the following theaters nationwide.
Join the conversations online by using #TheMenuPH and following 20th Century Studios Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube for updates.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day 2023 comes the third installment of the blockbuster “Magic Mike” film franchise, the musical comedy Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Check out the film’s official trailer.
Trailer Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The creative team behind the first film “Magic Mike,” which garnered praise from critics and audiences alike, has reunited to create the magic again in “Magic Mike’s Last Dance”: Channing Tatum reprises his role as Mike Lane and Steven Soderbergh returns to the helm with a script from Reid Carolin, who also wrote the first two films. And starring alongside Tatum is Salma Hayek Pinault (“House of Gucci,” “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”).
“Magic” Mike Lane (Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite (Hayek Pinault) who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse…and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, once Mike discovers what she truly has in mind, will he—and the roster of hot new dancers he’ll have to whip into shape—be able to pull it off?
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The film’s producers are Nick Wechsler, Gregory Jacobs, Tatum, Carolin and Peter Kiernan. Julie M. Anderson serves as executive producer.
Also starring with Tatum and Hayek Pinault are Ayub Khan Din (“Ackley Bridge”), newcomer Jemelia George, Juliette Motamed (“We Are Lady Parts”) and Vicki Pepperdine (“Johnny English Strikes Again”).
Soderbergh’s creative team behind the scenes includes production designer Pat Campbell (“The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself”), costume designer Christopher Peterson (“The Irishman”) and music supervisor Season Kent (“KIMI,” “Let Them All Talk”), with choreography by Alison Faulk and Luke Broadlick, both part of the “Magic Mike” franchise.
A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” slides into theaters across the Philippines beginning this February 2023.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #MagicMikesLastDance
From its premiere last year with QCinema, How to Die Young in Manila by Petersen Vargas is about a surreal meet-up amidst a violent setting.
The film, which has been exhibited in Busan, LA Outfest & Singapore, stars Elijah Canlas where he portrays a teenage boy following a group of young hustlers, thinking one of them may be the anonymous hook-up he has arranged to meet for the night. As he anxiously finds a way to get closer, each of the other boys inexplicably turn up as dead bodies strewn in pavements, until only one of them is left.
The third short film by Cinemalaya Best Director awardee Gabriel Serrano is loosely based on a lost silent film by Jose Nepomuceno that reimagines classic Philippine folklore into a contemporary diptych of feminine bodies, rage, and freedom. Dikit portrays a young woman with a monstrous secret and she desperately longs for a different body. When a new couple moves in next door, she sees her chance to finally get one.
Another silent short similarly explores queer horror elements. Alingasngas ng Mga Kuliglig by Vahn Pascual, which is a product of the Mit Out Sound Lab last year, shows a young man who is coerced by his father to become the next folk healer of their town. Things do not go as planned when he falls in love with a tikbalang.
Young filmmaking duo, Kaj Palanca & Celeste Joven, won the 2016 QCinema Audience Award for their debut short, Contestant No. 4. A young boy, who frequently visits an old man who lives alone, chances upon the latter watching a dated clip of himself as a cross-dressing boy. As the movie progresses, the two main characters gain a richer understanding of how the weight of life and identity should be carried.
Two other QCinema shorts complete the program that offers contrasting glimpses of queer experience. Isang Daa’t Isang Mariposa, by Norvin de los Santos, was nominated as Urian Best Short Film in 2019. A religious 100-year-old trans woman visits her ex-lover’s son to bail him out of jail. She uses her P100,000 government award for centenaries for one last chance at love.
Focusing on a gay teenager who develops an anonymous sexual affair with a mature man online, i get so sad sometimes by Trishtan Perez won the Best Short Film at QCinema last year. When the stranger finally promises that he’ll reveal his face the day after, the former couldn’t contain his excitement but must only keep it to himself.
Catch these remarkable collection of shorts on QCinema’s theatrical venues as well as via Vivamax VOD streaming platform.
The official trailer for the upcoming action flick John Wick: Chapter 4 is here!
Keanu Reeves is back in action as the feared assassin John Wick, who has found a way to freedom and must defeat all sorts of enemies from around the globe in his mission to take down the High Table. Watch the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4 below:
In his latest crusade, John Wick must challenge Bill Skarsgård’s Marquis de Gramont in single combat for him to finally earn his freedom. The trailer also gives us a glimpse of Reeves’ fight scene with Donnie Yen, and of course, John Wick’s brutal scenes as he takes down his enemies with nunchucks, an axe, guns, and more!
Directed by Chad Stahelski, John Wick: Chapter 4 also stars Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, and Ian McShane. It is set for a US release on March 24, 2023.
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In line with its goal to bring world cinema to the Philippines, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is set to screen Cannes Film Festival official selection titles in the QCinema International Film Festival from November 18 to 25.
Fresh from this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Return to Seoul by Davy Chou and Corsage by Marie Kreutzer, both from the Un Certain Regard section, will be part of the 10th year edition of QCinema under the Asian Next Wave, the festival’s main competition section, and Screen International, respectively.
Return to Seoul by Cambodian-French filmmaker Chou is about a twenty-five-year-old French woman Frankie who returns to South Korea for the first time to where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. In her hopes to find her biological parents, her journey takes a surprising turn. Return to Seoul was nominated for Best Film at the 2022 Sydney Film Festival.
Patrick Brzeski of The Hollywood Reporter describes Return to Seoul as “expressive,unpredictable, feminist and fun, Freddie is a vibrant beam of searching, semi-wounded humanity.” For Clarence Tsui of South China Morning Post, Chou’s film surpasses its basic premise, he said: “Though Chou is neither a woman nor a Korean, nor an adoptee, he has managed to find something in Return to Seoul that he clearly connects with and that resonates with anyone else looking for their own place in the world, too.”
Austrian director Kreutzer’s Corsage is a film about the late years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria played by Vicky Krieps who bagged the Un Certain Regard award for Best Performance. Empress Elisabeth ‘Sissi’ is idolized for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends. But in 1877, as she celebrated her 40th birthday, she must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset tighter and tighter.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian commends the Corsage star Vicky Krieps for her performance as Elisabeth, “Vicky Krieps puts in a star turn. An exhilaratingly fierce, uningratiating performance.” Stephanie Bunbury of Deadline also praised the actress, “Vicky Krieps brings great complexity to her portrait of the empress.”
Cannes 2019 Best Screenplay winner and Golden Globe nominee, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a French film by Celine Sciamma, is also returning this year in cinemas under QCinema’s Rainbow QC section and is being co-presented by the French Film Festival and the QCinema LGBTQIA+ Program. The film also won the Queer Palm at Cannes, making it the first film directed by a woman to win the award. Rainbow QC showcases the distinctive portrayals of the LGBT experience in varying periods and settings.
Aside from Return to Seoul, Corsage, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the FDCP also is bringing other top-notch international films to the Philippines including Celine Sciamma’s latest feature Petite Maman, Joachim Trier’s Oscar-nominated (Best International Feature and Best Screenplay) film The Worst Person in the World where actress Renate Reinsve won Best Actress in Cannes 2021, and 2021 Cannes Un Certain Regard film, Women Do Cry, by Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva.
FDCP’s latest acquisition, Léonor Serraille’s Mother and Son, was nominated for Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or under the In Competition section. It won the C.S.T Young Film Technician Prize for the film’s production designer Marion Burger. For more information and updates, follow QCinema’s social media pages and FDCP’s official pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
SCREENING SCHEDULE Return to Seoul Nov 18 Friday 9:25 – 11:15 pm Gateway Cinema 2 Nov 19 Saturday 6:25-8:20 pm Gateway Cinema 2 Nov 22 Tuesday 1:30-3:10 pm Gateway Cinema 2 Nov 23 Wednesday 8:40-10:40 pm Trinoma Cinema 1
Corsage Nov 19 Saturday 3:15-5:15 pm Gateway Cinema 5 Nov 24 Thursday 1:00-2:55 pm Trinoma Cinema 1 Nov 25 Friday 8:45-10:45 pm Rockwell Cinema 6
Portrait of a Lady on Fire Nov 22 Tuesday 1:00-3:05 pm Trinoma Cinema 1 Nov 25 Friday 1:00-3:05 pm Gateway Cinema 1
I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Academy Award® nominee Anthony McCarten, produced by legendary music executive Clive Davis and starring BAFTA Award® winner Naomi Ackie, the film is a no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind The Voice. From New Jersey choir girl to one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time, audiences are taken on an inspirational, poignant—and so emotional—journey through Houston’s trailblazing life and career, with show-stopping performances and a soundtrack of the icon’s most beloved hits as you’ve never heard them before. Don’t you wanna dance?
Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Anthony McCarten, produced by Anthony McCarten, Pat Houston, Clive Davis, Larry Mestel, Denis O’Sullivan, Jeff Kalligheri, Matt Jackson, Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill, Thad Luckinbill, Matt Salloway, Christina Papagjika.
The film stars Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams and Clarke Peters.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #IWannaDanceMovie
The International Film Industry Conference (IFIC), an international platform hosted by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) geared towards bringing together international and local industry professionals to share and discuss the latest trends, developments, and cooperation opportunities, will be holding its sixth edition in hybrid format from November 18 to 20 at Novotel Manila Araneta Center in Quezon City and online via Zoom and Facebook.
This year’s IFIC is in partnership with QCinema International Film Festival and Full Circle Lab – Philippines, a capacity-building program from the partnership of FDCP and Tatino Films. IFIC will feature six free public sessions, three masterclasses, and a workshop series.
This year’s IFIC will offer free public sessions on documentary filmmaking, global trends on film distribution and exhibition, incentives and grants for Filipino filmmakers, and funding opportunities. As IFIC continues to promote regional and international synergy in the filmmaking industry, the IFIC public sessions for this edition will include a roundtable discussion with the ASEAN-Republic of Korea film commissions and agencies on accessing global opportunities for the Southeast Asian film industry and a session on international co-production in Asia.
The masterclasses in IFIC are recommended for film industry professionals and enthusiasts who would like to gain more knowledge on specific topics namely co-production with other countries, models of film distribution, and marketing films in the global market. Registration fee for one masterclass is PHP 1000 or USD 17, while a package of all three masterclasses is PHP 2,500 or USD 42.
The workshop series on dossier-making and pitching is exclusive to the FDCP’s selected CreatePH grantees.
Interested participants to the free public sessions and masterclasses for both online and onsite events are required to register at the IFIC website. Log on to fdcp.ph/ific to secure a slot to the country’s premiere film industry event. Registration is open until November 14, 2022. For more information and updates on IFIC 2022, visit their official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IFICPHofficial.
Lineup of Activities for IFIC 2022:
Day 1 – November 18, 2022 (Friday)
● Keynote Address: Addressing the Philippine Film Industry
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Speaker: Chair Tirso Cruz III | Chairperson and CEO, Film Development Council of the Philippines
With cinemas opening their doors as the pandemic eases, developments in the status of the film industry have been positive. This keynote address from FDCP’s Chairperson and CEO addresses this rapid development and lays out how the Agency will support the Philippine film industry in the years to come.
● Session 1: How Dokyus Make a Difference: Creating and Funding Impactful Documentary Films
1:45 PM – 2:55 PM
The complete set of speakers will be announced soon.
Creating an impactful film that transcends its narratives to a wider audience is a challenge in itself but securing funding for a documentary film is a different feat. From a country with diverse meaningful stories, Philippine documentary filmmaking has been thriving despite these challenges through the years. In this panel session, we learn directly from experts how filmmakers can further elevate their knowledge of documentary filmmaking and collaborations that can help their projects further.
● Session 2: Let’s Create Together: Funding and Incentive Opportunities for Filipino Filmmakers
3:10 PM – 4:20 PM
Panelists: FDCP/FilmPhilippines Representative Wilfredo Manalang | Producer, Blue Room (CreatePH Grantee) Bianca Balbuena | Producer, Nocebo (FilmPhilippines Grantee) Jun Juban | Producer, Survivor Philippines (FilmPhilippines Grantee) Agathe Vinson | Consultant, Film Development Council of the Philippines
Moderator: Madonna Tarrayo | President and CEO, Unitel Productions, Inc./Straight Shooters Media
With the goal to support more Filipino film projects and collaborations, the FDCP initiated CreatePH Films and FilmPhilippines programs. Since its launch last 2021, it has produced several grants and co-production incentives that have allowed film projects to be produced and screened locally and internationally. This panel will discuss and inform on how to get these opportunities with the programs’ grantees.
Day 2 – November 19, 2022 (Saturday)
● Session 3: ASEAN-ROK Roundtable: Mapping Global Opportunities for the Southeast Asian Film Industry
11:00 AM – 12:10 PM
Panelists: Mr. Tirso Cruz III | Chairperson and CEO, Film Development Council of the Philippines Mr. Sirisak Koshpasharin | Vice President, The National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations Mr. Park Ki-Yong | Chairman, Korean Film Council
Moderator: Ms. Lorna Tee | Producer
In recent years Southeast Asian cinema has been making its mark on the world stage. With the immense talent in the region, industry support from the ASEAN and ROK film commissions has been outpouring. This panel session will highlight the state and plans of film commissions to support their film industries to reach global opportunities.
● Session 4: Producing with Asia: Success Stories of International Co-Production
12:25 PM – 1:35 PM
Panelists: Chie Hayakawa | Producer, Plan 75 (Japan) Makbul Mubarak | Director, Autobiography (Indonesia) Sorayos Prapapan | Director, Arnold is a Model Student (Thailand) Bianca Balbuena | Producer, When The Waves Are Gone (Philippines)
Moderator: Lorna Tee | Producer
With the Asian region having rich stories that are deserving of a worldwide audience, the brilliance of its cinema, through the years, has been shining brighter. With challenges in production and the financial aspects of producing a film, co-productions have been a vital part of these stories coming to life. This panel, powered by QCinema International Film Festival, features Asian filmmakers who will share their success stories and experiences in co-producing with their international partners.
● Session 5: Streaming Now: The Rise of a New Era of Film Exhibition
2:05 PM – 3:15 PM
Panelists: Quark Henares | Head of Originals, Asia Pacific, Amazon Prime (Singapore/US) Joyce Villaflor | Content Manager, iWantTFC Ronan De Guzman | Chief Operating Officer, Vivamax Corinna Vistan-Takahashi |Head of Content Development, Viu Philippines
Moderator: Monster Jimenez | Producer
This panel features the current streaming companies present in the Philippines. Get to know them as they discuss the impact that streaming video on demand has had on the global market and on the audiences, and how this will likely affect the dynamics of independent producers and distributors with VODs in catering to the demands and needs of the industry and the audiences.
● Session 6: Global Industry Trends on Film Distribution
3:30 PM – 4:40 PM
Panelists: Samuel Javier | Festival Director, New York Asian Film Festival Menina Wesmurti | Festival Director, EuroCinema Jakarta & Manusia Film Festival Agathe Vinson | Consultant, The Greenhouse
Moderator: Jo Andrew Torlao | Manager, UniPhilippines
With the developments in distribution platforms and consumer behavior, producers and distributors have been on the lookout for best practices in bringing their films to the world. This session features a panel of experts ranging from festival directors to international distributors who delves into the evolving practices of film distribution and shares new strategies and opportunities to reach audiences.
Day 3 – November 20, 2022 (Sunday)
● Masterclass 1: This or That: Co-producing With VS Within the Region
1:00 PM – 2:10 PM
Speaker: Meiske Taurisia | Producer (Indonesia)
With the co-production deals and programs all over the world, the Asian region has been competitive in providing opportunities to its filmmakers. Co-production has been made easier and better with the different options to co-produce within your own or with neighboring countries. In this talk, an expert in international co-productions from Southeast Asia will talk about the similarities and differences through her experiences in producing with and within the region.
● Masterclass 2: A Closer Look at Film Distribution Models
2:40 PM – 3:50 PM
This session with an award-winning distributor with experience in international co-productions delves into the different models of film distribution. Ranging from the traditional to newer distribution trends, learn new strategies as we adapt to changes in platforms and audience behavior.
● Masterclass 3: Master Your Strategy: Marketing for the Global Marketplace
4:20 PM – 5:30 PM
Speaker: Ewa Bojanowska | New Europe Film Sales (Poland)
Just as the script and directing, marketing can also make or break your film. It is essentially the key to promoting and bringing in audiences for your film. A tailor-fit approach is best when creating a strategy to market to your target audiences. This session will delve into mastering your strategies for successful and effective marketing.
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is a movie about loss and grieving. The loss of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa feels, in the movie’s reality, like the loss of a certain sense of nobility and grace that lit up this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wakanda is grieving. This movie is grieving and it is ambitious in how it takes all that grief and turns it into this epic movie about moving forward from loss, a movie about leaders and rulers of superpowered nations during this dark and turbulent era of human civilization.
Make no mistake, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ still continues its dialogue about imperialism and the threat of colonialism but this time pushes it forward about discussing the concept of retaliation.
Running at 161 minutes, almost three hours long, the film’s first two hours is an exploration of the fictional kingdom of Wakanda at a state of loss. T’Challa has passed and his mother Queen Ramonda (played with such a commanding presence by Angela Basset) has reclaimed the throne in the absence of a ruler. His sister Shuri (played by Letitia Wright) is dealing with her grief by turning towards her technology. As Queen, Ramonda must push back against other countries, who want access to Vibranium, the precious resource that has made Wakanda into the advanced nation that it is in that world. Shuri, on the other hand, must rationalize how all her intelligence and affinity to science were not able to save her brother’s life.
Photo: Marvel Studios
In the middle of all of this, the search for Vibranium outside of Wakanda goes into full swing and what it uncovers is another nation altogether with access to the precious mineral, one that is just beneath the surface and equal to (or maybe even more powerful) than Wakanda in strength. This is the nation of Talocan, under the rule of Namor (played with great duality by Tenoch Huerta) and he has kept his underwater nation secret for hundreds of years and this sudden global interest in Vibranium has forced Namor’s hand.
In 161 minutes, the film must deal with the state of Wakanda without a Black Panther and the pressure from other nations to gain access to Vibranium, but it also introduces us to the enigmatic Namor and the nation of Talocan and how they deal with Wakanda, the only country that shares their fears and anxieties. The film also has to introduce a new character, Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a brilliant young scientist who is a parallel to Shuri’s story in every way, and Shuri’s own way of reconciling her loss.
Photo: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer
What unfolds is an epic-scale story about rulers and superpowered nations and how the choices of one person can lead to the ruin of so many. As seen in the trailer, the film leads up to a battle (let me say this: it’s not just a battle, it’s a war) that shapes and molds the return of a new Black Panther and what it means to protect a powerful nation.
Pervading through every scene is a commentary on imperialist states like America and France, bringing to mind their imperialist history and the pressure that they (and other world leaders) are pressing on Ramonda, Wakanda, and inadvertently Talocan, the dialogue regarding colonialism returns. What are other nations to do in the face of such pressure?
Photo: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer
This is not just a superhero movie. Just like the previous film before this sequel, this is an image of fighting back against colonial power (it’s no accident that Talocan, which was called Atlantis in the comics, was inspired and based on Meso-American culture; they speak the Mayan language and interpolate Meso-American design and culture) and it is also a character study. Shuri, Ramonda, M’Baku (Winston Duke, who does an amazing job of adding more layers into his character), Okoye (Danai Gurira, who is given enough screen time and narrative elements to add new dimensions to Okoye), and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o, whose presence adds a profound depth to the story) all must deal with their grief and use the superhero narrative as a means to channel that anger somewhere.
It’s when the film reverts back to its comic book genre that it slows down and unravels. There is a mighty battle scene at the end that feels like it is a necessary item on a checklist for MCU movies that can undermine the heaviness of the themes of the film. It would have worked better had the film been PG-13 (or even R-13) so that the violence can be justified by how much stronger it could amplify the geopolitical ramifications of these two nations coming to war.
Photo: Marvel Studios
This is a dark film with dark themes and it could have really dug itself into that mold more (and there would have been an appropriate space for it) if it didn’t have to be so family-friendly.
Its ties to the MCU is what holds back Ryan Coogler’s vision and ambition of channeling the loss of such a figure like the fictional T’Challa (or the real-life Chadwick Boseman) into a commentary about how dark and greedy this world has become and how one moves forward from it.
Nevertheless, as MCU films go, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is another testimony that superhero films can, every now and then, feel important and relevant. It is proof that you can step out of the formula and still deliver something that is mainstream and enjoyable.
Catch the most-anticipated movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe capping the year 2022 in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – now showing in cinemas nationwide!
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the long-awaited sequel to 2018’s Oscar-nominated “Black Panther”. The story follows as Wakanda enters a new era after the passing of King T’Challa. Without their king, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), Shuri (Letitia Wright), M’Baku (Winston Duke), Okoye (Danai Gurira), and the Dora Milaje (including Florence Kasumba), move to protect their nation from the invasion of an undersea kingdom led by Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía). Together with allies old and new–War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Everrett Ross (Martin Freeman) – will the Wakandans be able to successfully fight for the future of their nation?
Directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige and Nate Moore, Wakanda Forever also introduces new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe starring Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía), Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), Aneka (Michaela Coel), Namora (Mabel Cadena), and Attuma (Alex Livinalli).
Recently, the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By soundtrack dropped, featuring over 40 international artists recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, Mexico City, London, and Los Angeles. Featured artists include Rihanna, Burna Boy, Tems, Fireboy DML, OG DAYV Ft. Future, CKay Ft. PinkPantheress, E-40, Alemán Ft. Rema, Blue Rojo and many more. Rihanna’s newest lead single “Lift Me Up” has shattered records with the biggest debut in U.S. history. The soundtrack is executive produced by Ryan Coogler’s Proximity Media, produced by Ludwig Göransson, in collaboration with Archie Davis, and Dave Jordan.
Fans can check the cinemas nearest them to book tickets or to keep on checking movies.disney.ph/black-panther-wakanda-forever for available showtimes.
Witness the next chapter of Wakanda and get your tickets now. Join in the conversations online using the hashtag #WakandaForeverPH. Follow Marvel Philippines on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
