by Michael Parnell | Feb 23, 2018 | Opinion
The character of T’Challa / Black Panther has existed in the canon of Marvel Comics since his debut in Fantastic Four No. 52 in 1966. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created him as the first black superhero in the Marvel Universe. They did so with a clear vision of...
by Michael Parnell | Feb 2, 2018 | Opinion
The narrative of history provides many a story worthy of capture on film. It is a rare narrative moment that provides for two stories to be placed on the screen, but the events of May 8 to June 4 in 1940 have yielded two best-picture nominees. Christopher...
by Michael Parnell | Jan 26, 2018 | Opinion
It is hard to describe “The Shape of Water.” On one level, it is a horror movie, with a character that looks like the Gill Man from those “Creature from the Black Lagoon” movies. Then it looks like a fable about a scrub woman, a la Cinderella,...
by Michael Parnell | Jan 12, 2018 | Opinion
A first word: This movie is not like how it is advertised. It looks like a comedy, but the comedic elements are really more of the dark variety. You may have seen the trailer for this film and thought, “Oh, milk chocolate.” But what you get is dark...
by Michael Parnell | Dec 8, 2017 | Opinion
A college class on the psychology of family taught me a parent often has more trouble with a child of their gender. That dynamic is clearly on display in the wonderful movie, “Lady Bird.” The title refers to the name that Christine McPherson (Saoirse...
