Captain America: Civil War

**Spoiler Alert**

Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo/Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Don Cheadle, William Hurt, Daniel Bruhl, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland and Frank Grillo

Geez, the cast list alone for Captain America: Civil War could almost be a posting in itself. It's fairly impressive. All those bodies have to share screen-time, which makes the film's 146 running time an imperative.

Watching the latest Captain America movie, the audience might be deceived into thinking the latest Avengers was playing instead. If I'm not mistaken, more superheroes have been assembled for CA: CW than all other Marvel adaptations, including the X-Men movies--and I'm not even factoring in Thor and Hulk, who are absent from this story. No fewer than twelve superheroes fill the screen for directors Anthony and Joe Russo's dizzying but entertaining action extravaganza.

In the opening scenes, we find Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Secretary of State, Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) gathered at the Avengers complex to listen to Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) discuss the issue of vigilantism. As Ross explains, the U.S. government and world leaders are concerned The Avengers have become a destructive force operating without oversight and without restraint. Citing The Avenger's operation in Sokovia (remember The Avengers battle with Ultron?), which caused untold carnage and death, Ross proposes the crime fighters deploy only with UN consent; an idea Iron Man and most of the gathering are receptive to with the exception of Captain America, who finds the proposal unreasonable. The plan is formalized in what Ross explains is the Sokovia Accords; a proposal that grants the UN the control they seek, thus preventing unnecessary destruction and loss of life. Following Ross' departure, the members discuss the issue further as Iron Man and Captain America lock horns in a disagreement over whether the Avengers will cede control of their organization.

During the Sokovia Accords, which take place in Vienna, the King of Wakanda addresses a gathering of world leaders. Unbeknownst to the attendees, a terrorist act takes place outside the building, which comes to the attention of the King's son; T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Powerless to stop the bomb detonation, the blast destroys much of the building and takes the life of T'Challa's father. Blame for the blast is assigned to Captain America's old friend; Bucky Barnes or as he is commonly known; The Winter Soldier; a Soviet-trained assassin and soldier. Aware of the shoot-to-kill order issued in the manhunt, Captain America finds his friend; hoping to save his life. After a scuffle, The Winter Soldier loses his friend on a motorcycle chase through the city streets. As Captain America follows in hot pursuit, he finds someone else has joined the hunt; a character known as Black Panther; T'Challa's alter-ego, who wants nothing more than to kill Winter Soldier to avenge his father's death. The violent chase, which takes place on the city street, is kind of an all-against-all fight; each party trying to stop or destroy the other.

But Captain America's effort to save his friend is complicated by the Accords he has violated, which make him an international criminal in the eyes of the law and the other Avengers. Shortly thereafter, Iron Man manages to catch up with Captain America with the intent of bringing his friend to justice. Iron Man finds the plan is easier to conceive than execute.

Another party interested in Bucky's capture is a shadowy figure by the name of Zemo (Daniel Bruhl); who is after information regarding Winter Soldier's training; a special project conducted by the Russians in the early 1990s'. How and why the project is of interest to Zemo is revealed later.

Before long, tensions between Captain America and Iron Man escalate, which draws Avengers members loyal to each side into a war of sorts. Black Panther joins the fray on Iron Man's side; his commitment to the Accords his father helped establish being one of his motivations. A surprise visit to Queens by Tony Stark brings another fledgling superhero into the fray while Ant Man (Paul Rudd), is brought into the fight on Captain America/Steve Roger's side. The ensuing battle is a carnival of mayhem as a dozen superheroes unleash their powers, weapons and martial arts skills on one another in exciting and sometimes humorous ways.

In time we learn Zemo has been searching for the location of five other Winter Soldiers; a secret he manages to pry from Bucky. We also learn of his culpability in framing Bucky for the Accords bombing.

A showdown with Zemo and a brutal battle between Iron Man and Captain America makes up the film's third act. The end doesn't come with a neat resolution but minor dissent within the hero ranks. No rapprochement but no permanent split either.

Amid all the noise and destruction and the film's breakneck pace is the issue concerning the moral and ethical applications of power and how its unbridled use can be as pernicious to the world and society as the destruction unleashed by criminals. The film's perspective on this issue is hardly black and white. Various shades come into play as Stark realizes power cannot always be contained and can be a detriment even in the service of good while Rogers sees the the application of power as a positive absolute if used for the greater good. Stark has firmer argumentative grounds. Early in the film, he meets a mother whose done died in the Sokovia operation; a loss for which she holds The Avengers culpable. The Sokovia incident is also the catalyst for Zemo's wrath, for he too blames the costumed crime fighters for the destruction visited upon his country.

Captain America: Civil War is an entertaining movie and a comic book geek's delight. Crowding the screen with superhero bodies is a great way to keep the fans turned on and a sly way of introducing characters who are sure to have franchises of their own, like Black Panther.

The story isn't bad and action is guaranteed every few frames so there isn't much to gripe about, though there isn't much that resonates either. What more can one say about a Marvel movie? It delivers what we've come to expect and leaves room for more, which is sure to come.

Get on Up

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Tate Taylor/Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Ackroyd, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer

It's hard to imagine that James Brown, The Godfather of Soul, has never really been the subject of a noteworthy feature film--until now. Tate Taylor, director of The Help and producer Mick Jagger bring the legendary performer's life to the big screen and in doing so, they enlist the considerable talents of Chadwick Boseman (James Brown) and a fine supporting cast. Taylor manages to tell a compelling story while avoiding the cliches that often ensnare biopic narratives.

Eschewing chronology, Taylor's film begins with an incident from Brown's later life then leaps backward in time then forward, then back again without narrative entanglements.

We learn something of Brown's boyhood in the deep south of the 1940s', where the future performer and his mother (the exceptional Viola Davis) desperately cling to straws to survive in a decrepit shack that lacks even the luxury of windows. Though we see his mother playing with James in the woods, she also introduces him to the visceral realities that accompany deprivation. She persuades him that his physical hunger is just a spiritual one, as a basic necessity like nourishment is hardly a given in their world.

Unable to sustain a home with the frequent absence of her husband, James' mother leaves when her husband returns one day. As she recedes into the woods, the boy watches her walk away with tears in his eyes. If that isn't disturbing enough for the young boy, his father joins the military, forcing him to leave his son in the care of James' Aunt Honey (the always terrific Octavia Spencer), a Madame who runs a local brothel.

While James learns to procure for his Aunt Honey, he earns a dollar or two for every GI or john he directs to the brothel. In doing so he learns some self-reliance and earns the respect from the tough but compassionate Madame.

In scenes of his earlier life, not only do we see the brutal lash of poverty in the deep south but also, as we might expect, the racism that often blossoms violently. As we move forward and backward in time, we see how poverty and racism shape James' personality. In one scene, the young James removes the shoes from a lynching victim hanging from a tree and in another, we see black boys James' age forced to box one another blind-folded for the amusement of rich, white people at a party. And later, as an older James is arrested for stealing a suit; his wildly unjust 5 to 13 year sentence serves as a stark example of the capricious and draconian justice often meted out to blacks by the southern, white judicial system.

While in jail, the inmates are entertained by a group of visiting gospel singers, whom James finds moving, but an altercation with a fellow inmate lands him in the infirmary, where he makes the acquaintance of a singer named Bobby Byrd (Nelsan Ellis). The chance meeting will form the foundation of a lifelong friendship and musical collaboration; one with conflict and acrimony.

The two men form a gospel-inspired R&B group known as The Famous Flames. Their funky rhythms and crowd-rousing music draws the attention of an aspiring performer named Little Richard (Brandon Smith) at a small dance club. As Little Richard himself stands at the threshold of fame and stardom, the meeting is educational and inspirational for James. Little Richard encourages James to make a record which he can solicit to local DJs' and industry people. The advice proves invaluable.

While on the road, James and Bobby stop in a diner to have coffee and a donut--a luxury that taxes their meager resources. Unable to convince the waitress The Famous Flames are of any importance, James and Bobby sink into the booth when a white man they believe to be law enforcement enters the diner, inquiring about their whereabouts. When they hear the man mention recording, they eagerly approach him, learning he represents the prestigious label King Records.

Though success seems assured, it doesn't come without its costs, for the record company management tells James it is his voice and music in demand. As the management renders his band expendable, the news is naturally met with disappointment by the group. While some quit, a few remain--including Bobby--as they retain a strange but understandable allegiance to James.

As the embrace of fame and fortune welcomes James, we get a glimpse of his shrewd business acumen. Sitting with his manager Ben Bart (Dan Ackroyd) at a southern roadside food place, he boldly proposes they circumvent steep promoter fees by promoting themselves, utilizing DJ's in every city and by hiring locals to paste posters, thereby allowing the band and Bart to retain the earnings.

We also get a sense of James' natural ear for rhythm and songcraft during a hotel rehearsal in New Orleans. As the saxophonist Maceo Parker (Craig Robinson) struggles with the arrangement of a song, James suggests that every instrument in the band is a drum and if the song seems to be off in rhythm and beat, how it feels is of paramount importance. We can understand how he became The Godfather of Soul.

I came to Get on Up with few expectations but was impressed with the performances. That Boseman could duplicate Brown's moves and mannerisms as well as his sometimes unintelligible raspy voice is amazing enough but he also gives the audience a sense of his ferocious self-reliance and self-respect, both earned at considerable costs. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that Boseman could deliver a tour-de-force performance; he had already distinguished himself playing Jackie Robinson in 42.

Though it sometimes seems comically over-the-top when Brown refers to himself in the third person, much about Brown was over-the-top--like his extravagant brushes with the law and the violent episodes in his domestic life. The film manages to avoid the tabloidy aspects of his life without conferring sainthood on him. Instead, we get historical context; Brown insisting on playing to U.S. troops in Vietnam and being a voice of calm in the riotous aftermath of Martin Luther King's assassination.

But Boseman doesn't go it alone. Nelsan Ellis also gives an affecting performance as Bobby Byrd, a man blessed and cursed by his friendship and collaboration with Brown. Ellis captures the resentment and regret Byrd must have felt, sometimes being blanketed in Brown's shadow. It is particularly painful to watch Brown venting his rage on the band and Byrd, knowing how much the two men overcame to achieve success.

Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer make big impressions with little screentime. Davis shines in a scene where Brown's mother shows up unexpectedly backstage at the Apollo after years of absence, while Spencer's moment, where Aunt Honey first encounters the abandoned Brown, poignantly shows the woman's pragmatic compassion.

I would have liked to know more about how Brown's most famous songs were conceived and written but at least we get a semblance of his electrifying showmanship. We also get a sense of his political concerns in a scene where young blacks join Brown for the song Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud .

No biopic can ever really be a complete portrait but Get on Up satisfies our curiosity to know something of the man who seems well-known. Nothing we learn seems all that surprising--even the racism he encounters seems a given, considering his origins. But what emerges are his contributions to pop music; the trademark funk, the grooves, and his incomparable dance moves, and that's enough.