The 'Black Panther' article I posted yesterday was shared by more than 1k people on social media. My basic conundrum had to do with Ryan Coogler‘s film being legitimized as a serious Best Picture contender by Disney and Marvel campaigning. Given the current zeitgeist, I still wouldn’t be surprised if it lands a Best Picture nomination, but it doesn't deserve it.
Ethan Hawke too seems to be having the same problems that I am in regards to Marvel/DC movies. Superhero movies being considered as 'art' is a risky proposition for the 47-year-old actor, who spoke to The Film Stage‘s Rory O’Connor about James Mangold's "Logan" and how it isn't necessarily a 'great' movie but rather a 'great superhero movie.'
“We have the problem that they tell us Logan is a great movie. Well, it’s a great superhero movie. It still involves people in tights with metal coming out of their hands. It’s not Bresson. It’s not Bergman. But they talk about it like it is. I went to see Logan ’cause everyone was like ‘this is a great movie’ and I was like really? No, this is a fine superhero movie. There’s a difference but big business doesn’t think there’s a difference. Big business wants you to think that this is a great film because they wanna make money off of it.”
Hawke is having a great year with his triumphant turn in Paul Schrader's "First Reformed," no mistaking that film for anything but art, and his feature directing debut "Blaze," [review] which tackles the life of late great unsung country musician Blaze Foley.
As for 'Logan,' I really liked it. Yes, it had some of the flaws most Marvel and DC movies have, but less than usual. The action, acting, and directing was a notch higher, but the ending was still a problem. The last 15 or so minutes felt like an R-rated version of "Hook." Nevertheless, fantastic action sequences and that R-rating did indeed do wonders for the film's intensity and visceral nature.