Song of the day:
Let’s start with Wakanda…aka the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
I saw the new movie Thursday night and again Sunday afternoon. I’m glad I booked tickets for both dates early on because I needed time between them to process and definitely needed a second viewing to fully process everything.
After the first viewing I couldn’t articulate how felt, wasn’t actually sure what I thought, but mostly felt overwhelmed and emotional. It was obvious from the first preview that it was going to be an emotional ride but I was not fully prepared. After processing things for a couple of days I decided that I was emotionally spent and exhausted after the first viewing.
Without spoiling anything for those of you who haven’t yet seen the movie but plan to at some point, I will say the following:
The movie is beautiful from the story to the costumes to the worlds in which it’s set
Angela Basset is brilliant and deserves all the awards for one specific scene alone (if you’ve seen it already, you know which one I mean)
It’s a lovely tribute to Chadwick Boseman and honors him fully
It’s intense and sad and a phenomenal view of grief and what it can do to a person
The new world and people that are introduced are complex and intriguing
The mid credit scene is amazing and perfect
All that said, I felt like there were a few scenes that ran a little long, as well as a few that weren’t necessary and didn’t really advance the story (but probably advance the further world of the MCU). Still though, it was really good and you should absolutely see it.
Also, I got to wear my Black Panther sweater which I’ve been saving since December of last year.
Now let’s talk about Bono…
Bono. Lead singer of U2. Author of a new book called Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. Singer, songwriter and story teller. And for two hours on Saturday night he did all the things. I honestly don’t even know how to explain it because it was such a cool experience, and there aren’t any photos because they weren’t allowed, but suffice it to say, Bono told us stories both verbally and through song for a solid two hours. He was on Colbert a few days ago and performed a portion of what’s in the show…maybe that will give you a better idea what it was like.
He talked about his wife a lot, how she saved him, and how he owes her everything. He talked about his dad and how their relationship was always rough but how they regularly met for a pint once a week and how he lost him a few years ago. He had three musicians with him (that were not members of U2) and the songs sounded amazing with the stripped down arrangements. And his voice was strong and perfect, and he truly captivated us the entire time he was on stage.
I’m looking forward to digging deeper into the book to learn more stories. And if I ever get the chance to do something like this again I will jump on it. I suggest you do the same.
Video of the day: