Brehs, we present to you a new episode of the CYPHER AVENUE PODCAST where you’ll hear us give updates, engage in heated topic debates, interviewing interesting homosexual men of color and us verbally adding on to the articles posted on the website. The episodes will be available in four ways: You can listen to them on the site, watch on YouTube, download a MP3 version or subscribe to us on iTunes or YouTube for automatic updates!
Ocky Williams and Nick Delmacy return to podcasting to catch up on topics they missed while away. In this first of two “catching up” podcasts, the finally fellas discuss “Black Panther,” they ask if Michael B. Jordan is overrated as an actor, if Cardi B could have done better when choosing a baby daddy, would they themselves date guys who dressed really lame and share details on a certain Black Gay Filmmaker starting legal beef with them.
MP3 VERSION:
DOWNLOAD LINK:
LP be like
So you just gone put my press release that I sent you on your website with my press release that I sent you on your website?
:dead1::mjlol:
Can yall do thesw live? I had so much to say
I wanted to say so much while listening to this, but I was driving. The things I remember wanting to chime in one, as far as animation versus live action, I think Nick was referring to story telling while Ocky was referring to Film making. Some films are loved because of the story they told, like Titanic. And some films are big because of the way they were done, like Avatar.
I do think Black Panther had an initial impact upon a first viewing. I will admit I was even in awe a seeing a scene like Korea where there’s so many black people starring in a great action sequence. It resonated. The film doesn’t hold up as well on a second viewing though.
MBJ is a serviceable actor. He excels in roles that don’t require much like The Wire and Chronicle. It was just him playing a regular dude and he’s a great regular dude.
I can’t remember the rest, but that’s what I got.
Hannibal, LOL I figured you’d have an opinion on MBJ and the LP topics…I haven’t seen BP for a second time yet, it was aight tho. I’ve seen Infinity War twice in the theaters already so that shows which film I enjoyed more.
Kilmonger was problematic. I’m still confused as to why people think he was the best marvel villain. If his issue would simply have been that he was mad at Wakanda for abandoning him, cool. I felt that. But then they made him a super pro-radical out of the blue and he lost me.
Agreed. The film has many issues that many critics were too afraid to comment on…I saw a similar fear when it came to reviewing A Wrinkle in Time.
you think so? this must be the impact of one's individual social network (social media and real-life circles) b/c i was inundated w/ analysis, thought pieces, and film critiques of black panther. and a lot of centered around the problematic politics of killmonger. now mainstream (aka popular white film critics) may be a different story.
if folks need to see some of the criticism, let me know. i can dig up at least a dozen. the grapevine even has an interesting discussion online about it.
Was overwhelmed by the “think pieces.” I think way too many people read into the film what it is culturally and politically NOT, and forget what it is; just good corporate product. Agree with Ock and Nick putting the film on the right level, i.e. good action film, but not status of deemed worthy of cultural preservation by Library of Congress.
Summation of podcast thoughts:
– Agree with Ock and Nick’s take on BP, and glad there is a black web site that doesn’t interpret criticism of the film as race betrayal (like the writers at The Root website).
– Agree on assessment of MBJ. His acting chops are not Denzel Washington or Anthony Hopkins level, hopefully he gets there. With his current level of success, he probably will develop to that in the future. The Will Smith comparison is apt.
– Don’t understand the defamation claim, as a former journalist, or an artist myself. I’ve always thought CA critiques were fair, though with entertaining humor. I’ve never once felt that a CA series or film review sank to the bitter troll level of the two most well-known gay film critics, Rex Reed (see his petty review of Melissa McCarthy) or Armand White (self-hating black queen that goes out of his way to denigrate any black film and filmmakers for his white readers, the Kanye of cinema reviews). Black folk really need to learn to take constructive criticism.
– Actually wish Ock and Nick would do just a separate film review podcast/YouTube channel, I think y’all have the ability to achieve Siskel/Ebert status on an Internet level.
Sorry for the tldr, the “new, returned” me is trying to be pithy, but just coming off my Internet fast so…
Its quite possible that my social media feed was skewed. I do feel like many white critics put their kid gloves on it, especially when the film made so much money. Then again, I also attribute this to Disney influencing the reviews of the Marvel and Star Wars films. I have no proof of this but I do feel like they coerce critics to lean towards positive reviews for continued access to press interviews, set visits and red carpet premiere screenings.
Michael B Jordan is completely overrated, especially in Black Panther. His acting wasn't strong enough for the role – he lowkey came off as corny. Matter fact, to be completely honest, he's not that great of an actor to me period.
In terms of the quality of BP itself, I think folks forget that it is primarily a superhero flick. By those standards, it did what it was supposed to do, I guess lol.
This is the first time I heard someone else agree with me about Michael B. Jordan’s role in Black Panther. I loved the movie, and I do like Michael B. Jordan, but I don’t feel as though the role was right for him.
Nick, you articulated it perfectly. I don’t feel like he has, or at least currently has, the charisma or intimidation factor to completely bring the role to life. Honestly, for me, part of it is the tone of his voice. I just had a hard time believing him as being the villain. He did a good job though for what it was.
I enjoyed this. You all need to be more consistent on these. LOL 🙂
New episode already recorded, dropping early this week!
A lot of IMDB reviews are pretty good in handling criticism of the movie's shortcomings without descending into racist alt-right blathering.
I guess I just don't understand what ppl wanted out of MBJ. I'm no one's comic book aficionado, so maybe my acting expectations were alrdy low or nonexistent. Overall, it was enjoyable enough for me, but Im not pressed to see it again.
I agree w @OckyDub abt Cardi and Offset. At worst, they're evenly matched. I think Offset is far from a bad looker imho.
@Nick Delmacy u aint shyt for rushing ocky off the line like that. I was ready for more and he was trying to hang up on ppl. Who you had a hot date/smash planned w that night?
But yea, it was good to hear yall back at it again. Stop acting like yall have other shyt to do and make these happen w/o 3 month gaps!
Maybe folks were looking for nuance in the acting, I dunno. For instance, Angela Bassett almost always brings her A game go any role. So even though it's a comic movie you kind of at least don't want people phoning it in. It's like how Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, and Sean Connery are basically the same fucking character in every movie they appeared after they hit it big. That's the vibe I got from MBJ. If youve reached the level of a Connery, folks cut you some slack for laziness (e.g. playing a Greek king and not even trying to hide that Scottish broque) but MBJ hasn't reached the status that allows for phoning it in.
In fairness to MBJ, it could have been the directing. Chadwick Boseman's subdued performance of T'challa had already been established in the last Captain America movie. So Ryan Coogler (or the studio) may have told MBJ to act over-the-top to contrast the hero of the film.
Let's not forget the accent. Ya'll know ppl lose their minds whenever a blk person uses an accent, so Chadwick was golden from jump lol.
Yea, Im not saying I think MBJ is some great actor. I agree w @Nick Delmacy when it comes to him overall. If this were the 90s w blk films being common, he'd just be another blk actor in the mix. I feel like because 1, he's one of a small handful of consistently working young blk actors, and 2, because he's not 'classically handsome' allowing ppl to consider him just 'another pretty face', ppl want him to be a bigger deal than he is. That's def no slight against him. He does a perfectly fine job. People just want a new Denzel, but don't realize that you also have to give ppl the ingredients to make that happen.
Yeah, a directors choices can have a good or bad effect. Personally, I could have gone with Sterling Brown as Killmonger, but that probably would have been too cerebral for Disney moviegoers .
A villain doesn't have to be 180 degree different in order to have interesting drama. I'm thinking of Telly Salavas's portray of Bond nemesis Blofeld (as opposed to the cartoony interpretations in other Bond films, including Spectre). It stood out that his Blofeld was as smart and suave as Bond, which made for a more interesting movie,
As opposed to the usual Batman/Joker-type total opposites trope. In that interpretation of a villian, you get such a ridiculous portray folk like Mike Myers can make a whole franchise mocking the directors choice
A little late in getting to this. A lot to digest. I was more positive about Black Panther than you, but it’s all a matter of taste and expectations. That leads to the longer discussion about Lamont Pierre. I watched Freefall based on your recommendation, a recommendation that was essentially a review that urged us to make up our own minds. I read most everything you put up on Pierre’s work and agreed with it – bad audio, too much green in the first (really second I guess( season. I picked up other stuff – Dark Skin, Kaleidescope. But everything just sort of petered out (sorry(. Then I listened to your long pod with him and thought that you did a solid for him, letting him explain himself, his views on his work and your commentary. I get your bewilderment at this launching a copyright action. I mean, WTF, you probably gave him more time than he deserved, you most definitely brought him a bunch of eyeballs. This seems an open and shut case of a nuisance suit. And a desperate cry for attention, which you gave him. All he’s proved is that he has a lot to learn about copyright law, probably as much as he has to learn about filmmaking.