“BLACK Panther,” the fi rst black standalone Marvel superhero movie, won rave reviews Tuesday with critics praising both its adven-ture and its portrayal of a majestic Africa.

Directed by Ryan Coogler and featuring a predominantly black cast including Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Angela Bassett, “Black Panther” was hailed by the Daily Beast as “a love letter to every black person” and “a correction for years of diversity neglect” by Roll-ing Stone.

The Disney movie, opening worldwide next week, tells the story of T’Challa, the newly crowned king of the fi ctional, technologically advanced African nation Wakanda, who is challenged by factions within his own country.

The movie arrives after years of criticism about the under represen-tation of actors and fi lmmakers of color in Hollywood, including the #OscarsSoWhite campaign that prompted the Academy of Motion Pictures to increase diversity in its predominantly white, male mem-bership.

It got a rare 100 percent rating from review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com and analysts expect it to bring in some US$150 million at the North American box offi ce on its opening weekend.

(SD-Agencies)

16 x entertainmentCONTACT US AT: 8351-9409, YWENNSONG@HOTMAIL.COM

Thursday February 8, 2018

THE creators of the “Game of Thrones” TV series are to make a series of fi lms for the rapidly-expanding “Star Wars” universe.

David Benioff and DB Weiss will begin work on “Star Wars” when “Game of Thrones” ends in 2019, Lucasfi lm announced.

Little is known about the project.But it will develop a story separate from

the current series, and also from a trilogy planned by director Rian Johnson, who was behind 2017’s “The Last Jedi.”

“In the summer of 1977 we traveled to a galaxy far, far away, and we’ve been

dreaming of it ever since,” Benioff and Weiss said in a joint statement.

“Game of Thrones,” known for its violence and nudity, is markedly differ-ent from the more family-friendly “Star Wars” fi lms.

But Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfi lm, said the pair “are some of the best storytellers working today.”

Some have criticized the announce-ment, pointing to a lack of diversity among key fi gures in the “Star Wars” franchise.

Since Disney purchased Lucasfi lm, and the accompanying rights to “Star

Wars,” it has ramped up production of new additions to the series.

This year sees the release of spin-off fi lm “Solo,” the fi nal part of the recent trilogy due next year, while there are other TV projects planned.

It is not the fi rst tie-up between “Game of Thrones” and “Star Wars.”

Gwendoline Christie — who plays Bri-enne of Tarth in the TV franchise — took on the role of Captain Phasma in both “The Force Awakens” and its sequel, “The Last Jedi.” Her “Game of Thrones” co-star Emilia Clarke will also play a leading role in “Solo.” (SD-Agencies)

'Game of Thrones' creators handed 'Star Wars' project

DB Weiss (L) and David Benioff will get their own “Star Wars” fi lm as soon as “Game of Thrones” ends. File photo

DIRECTOR Quentin Tarantino said a car crash that seriously injured Uma Thurman on the set of “Kill Bill” was one of “the big-gest regrets” of his life, but denied that he forced the actress to carry it out.

Thurman, who appeared in three Taran-tino movies, told the New York Times in a Saturday article that she felt Tarantino had tried to kill her in the 2003 crash, which crushed her knees and left her with a concussion.

Thurman also released video of the crash from the set of the martial arts movie, leading to harsh criticism of Tar-antino on social and mainstream media.

Tarantino, responding in an interview with Hollywood website Deadline.com Monday, said Thurman’s car crashed because there was an unseen curve in the road.

“It was heartbreaking. Beyond one of the biggest regrets of my career, it is one of the biggest regrets of my life,” he said.

Tarantino denied ignoring Thurman’s anxiety about driving but acknowledged he had been mistaken about the safety of the road. “I didn’t force her into the car. She got into it because she trusted me,” he said.

Tarantino said he and Thurman recon-

Tarantino says Thurman movie car crash among ‘biggest regrets’

ciled years ago and had talked since the New York Times story was published.

“Uma was in turmoil about the upris-ing against me this weekend. ... She never meant this to roll over onto me,” he told Deadline.

The Oscar-winning director also said that incidents when he spat on Thurman and choked her with a chain were part of the fi lming process for “Kill Bill” and were carried out with her consent to make the scenes realistic.

Thurman said on her Instagram

account Monday that she was proud of Tarantino for making the crash video available to her after 15 years, saying he did so “with full knowledge it could cause him personal harm.”

Thurman’s account of the car crash overshadowed her accusations of sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein, who produced “Kill Bill” and “Pulp Fiction.”

Weinstein’s lawyer Saturday acknowl-edged the producer “making an awkward pass” in 1994 but said Thurman’s accusa-tions were false. (SD-Agencies)

Director Quentin Tarantino (L) and actress Uma Thurman pose on the red carpet ceremony at the 67th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes on May 23, 2014. File photo

‘Black Panther’ gets superhero reception

from critics

KYLIE JENNER, the youngest of the celebrity Kardashian clan, revealed Tuesday that she had named her new baby daughter Stormi, and posted the fi rst pic-ture of her.

Jenner, 20, posted a close-up photo on her Instagram account showing a baby dressed in pink clasping her pink manicured thumb.

Jenner announced Sunday that her child with rapper Travis Scott was born Feb. 1 and apologized for keeping her pregnancy secret from her 101 million Instagram followers and other fans.

Jenner has parlayed her family’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashi-ans” reality TV show into a lucrative cosmetics line.

Stormi is the second of three additions to the Kardashian clan this year. Half-sister Kim Kar-dashian and her rapper husband Kanye West announced in January the arrival of their third child, a girl they called Chicago, who was born to a surrogate. (SD-Agencies)

Kylie Jenner introduces baby

Kylie Jenner