8 minute read
Films
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 3 Stars
Messy, overstuffed and without the same cohesive vision as the original, this sequel coasts by on memories of the first film, and touching tributes to Chadwick Boseman.
JACOB RICHARDSON
THE death of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) throws the geopolitical sphere into disarray. While Shuri (Leticia Wright) retreats into herself and her technology, Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett) fronts the UN accusing the nations of the world of increasingly brazen attempts at securing Vibranium from Wakanda.
Little does she know that there’s another party concerned about these attempts; the centuries hidden aquatic race of Atlanteans, led by the superpowered Namor (Tenoch Huerta). Shuri’s initial attempts at diplomacy are scuppered after a violent incursion and tragedy. Now, Shuri must find a way to resurrect the Black Panther and protect her people - and she might just lose herself in the process.
Directed once again by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was always going to have to overcome the tragic passing of the man who made Black Panther what it is today, Chadwick Boseman. The film bookends itself with touching tributes to the late actor, and indeed winds T’Challa and Boseman’s presence throughout.
There’s also some great acting on display here. Huerta is spectacular as Namor, and indeed the entire mesoamerican sub-aquatic species is rendered in beautiful interpretation, stunningly realized without a shred of fear to shooting endless underwater scenes. It’s a bold vision for the comic book character, but one that comes off extremely well.
Then there’s the action. Despite a briefly brilliant fight scene on a bridge with series standout Okoye (Danai Gurira), and occasional flashes of iconic work with Namor, the rest of the CGI-heavy battle sequences feel flat, dull and frankly more than a little disappointing.
The final battle suffers from Waterworld-esque ocean action issues, and relies way too heavily on CGI suits, flying around and poorly choreographed set pieces.
Script-wise too there is a distinctly underwhelming feeling. For a 2-hour 41 minute film, it’s shocking how much here is just completely irrelevant. The original Black Panther had broadly sweeping emotional beats that felt taut, and paid off. Here, those beats are more ethereal, less formed.
It would be trite to blame all of the issues of this movie on the passing of the original lead. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does great work in building up Namor and his people. But it loses so much of what gave the first film an identity. And while you could easily make the case that Wakanda Forever is much better than a lot of the superhero fare we’ve had in the last few years, it also doesn’t even come close to holding a candle to the original.
Reviews by Jacob Richardson Creative Director | Film Focus www.filmfocusau.com
The Menu - 5 Stars
Delectable satire melds the salivating cinematography of Chef’s Table with the thrill of Midsommar and the satirical comedy stylings of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.
JACOB RICHARDSON
TYLER (Nicholas Hoult) is a food snob, who takes Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy) to a super exclusive restaurant on an island. The degustation experience doesn’t appeal to Margot, but it does to the chef-obsessed Tyler, along with the array of wealthy diners along with them - food critic Lillian (Janet McTeer), a fading movie star (John Leguizamo), wealthy older couple Richard (Reed Birney) and Anne (Judith Light) and finance bro trio Bryce (Rob Yang), Soren (Arturo Castro) and Dave (Mark St. Cyr).
They are excited to be entertained culinarily by famed Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes), but the Chef has something else in mind for the group. That is, at least, until he discovers that Margot was never meant to be there - a spanner in his otherwise flawless plans for the murderous evening.
Directed by Mark Mylod (of Succession fame), The Menu is a beautifully poised, perfectly positioned piece of satire for the Chef’s Table generation. It’s an eviscerating, eat-the-rich take on haute cuisine, that also frequently lambasts social media, cuisine and tech bro culture.
Frequently laugh out loud funny, but also shocking, surprising, beautifully performed, action-filled and thrilling, this plays as the perfect combination of a disparate array of ingredients that have so often been put together with less efficacy and taste in recent years.
The movie frequently has you howling with laughter - not just from the impossibly good dialogue, but even from the spot on menu descriptions on screen, or the sheer ludicrousness of it all.
On a performance level, we’re looking at a Michelin star treat here. Anya-Taylor Joy is fantastic as the main protagonist, and her dining and acting partner Nicholas Hoult is pitch perfect as the whiny, chef-obsessed social media hound.
Ralph Fiennes, however, steals the show with a truly wonderful performance. His slightest nuanced gesture or facial tick conveys so much, and he seems to be having an absolute blast with this slightly absurdist role.
The film chugs along nicely at a wellpaced 1 hour and 47 minutes. There isn’t an ounce of this movie that you would drop without losing something fun, witty, shocking or essential. There are a few plot threads that perhaps are dropped, or at least don’t make complete sense.
But this is absurdist satire, couched in a gorgeous meal and stunning food cinematography - the odd narrative misstep must be forgiven.
At the end of the day, The Menu is a fully satisfying dish from a satirical messaging perspective, from a comedy perspective, and most importantly from an entertainment perspective.
DECEMBER – JANUARy 2022 | 31
YOUR WEBSITE’S TERMS AND CONDITIONS Privacy and legal obligations are very important in terms of protecting a business owner’s interests
KATHERINE HAWES
FOR one, it ensures that you place a disclaimer on the limit and coverage of your liability in case something goes wrong.
Second, it allows you to fully dictate what you are as a company and what you do. Finally, it is the first legal defense that you have in terms of lawsuits.
With the recent GDPR developments, a lot of business owners are now asking this one question: What should my website’s terms and conditions say so I can stay protected for a long time?
The answer is not in just one thing. Your terms and conditions should reflect much more than just what is dictated. It should be flexible and ever changing. It should always adapt to the governing law and whatever law has jurisdiction over the business.
For full protection, it must include and say the following items: Who is covered by the Terms and
Conditions of Use? Your websites
Terms should provide who is covered by it. In Australian law, this would include the users, customers, and the subscribers of the website.
a. It should cover your customers because it offers protection of the business in case of liability and in case problems should arise. b. It should also cover your visitors, users, and subscribers to protect you from any person who would try to copy the content of your website. Plagiarism is a very serious matter. Your terms and conditions should show a governing law. A governing law is the general law that would cover the business and in case there is a problem with the product or service you offer. Generally, the governing
law is the place of registration of the business. It is advisable to only apply other laws, including international law, when the business has already grown to scale. You should also provide whatever is required by law. For Australian businesses, the Australian Consumer
Law should provides that the following items must be in the terms and conditions: a. A statement that you comply and follow the Australian Consumer
Law; b. A statement on how the company is going to detail with product defects and when it would need to do a refund, some repair, or when replacement becomes necessary; c. A statement explaining information about your guarantee; and d. The details of your warranty. Other details that are necessary to be placed on your terms and conditions are the following: For those who are selling a product, it is important to provide details of the products, the expected delivery times, the terms of payment, and the kinds of payment that the company would accept. a. A cancellation policy should also be provided.
b. If the company offers a subscription, the terms and conditions of such subscription should be included here. The privacy of your clients is also important as well as other legalities should be in this document, they are the following: a. Limitation of your liability as a company. b. Notification that you are using data collection policies compliant with the requirements of your country and compliant with the requirements of international law when it comes to data privacy. c. A warning on plagiarism and liability for copying. d. All other Terms that are required of you.
Now that you know the items that should be include in your company’s Terms and Conditions, it is important to always be updated with all of the latest requirements of your government and governing law.
Your Terms and Conditions should be the most flexible part of your website just so you can protect yourself with any kind of liability.
