In the latest episode of the Substandard (Subscribe! Leave a review!), we discuss Black Panther (which is good, a film that’s firmly in the second quartile of MCU movies) and JVL explain why he gets a bit crotchety at forced enthusiasm for pop cultural objects that don’t really need any extra hype. Send him your complaints, people.
Anyway, we didn’t spend too much time on this, but I think it’s worth discussing just how big a hit this movie has been so far. After the embed, a few thoughts on Black Panther‘s monster opening.
As a film critic of medium-low importance, one of my most sacred duties is participating in the Washington Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) year-end awards extravaganza. During this hallowed time of year, I watch dozens of movies and mine my own recollection of the good, the bad, and the ugly to determine what, precisely, the best films of the year were. At the end of this grueling process—this death march through endless stacks of DVDs, searching for the rarest pearl in an ever-increasing sea of muck—we WAFCA members nominate up to five films/people in each category. The five films/people who earn the most votes in every category are then voted upon by the whole of the membership, the winners are chosen, the press release is sent out, and blessed, blessed relief descends upon us as we put the exercise to rest for 11 months.