Monkey Man

 

    Actor Dev Patel has been busy. He has written the story, co-written the screenplay, produced, directed and is starring in this new action adventure.

    Integrating Indian culture and mythology into a "John Wick" type revenge story, Mr. Patel shines as the protagonist in this violent, bloody film but the story does have it's problems. Flashbacks in this case should be used sparingly but Mr. Patel finds it necessary to return much to often to memories of his mother and what led to his choices in the present. It does work as a stopgap between all the violence in the present but it also tends to slow things down too much. The motives for the people that rescue him at one point are not that clear and why they don amazing costumes to help him fight the villains is also unclear.

    Mr. Patel's co-stars include Sharito Copley as Tiger, a sleezy fight promoter,  Pitobash as Alphonso, Vipin Sharma as Alpha, Sikandar Kher as Rana, Sobhita Dhulipala as Sita, and Ashwini Kalsekar as Queenie Kapoor.

    The action scenes are well choreographed with some original moves (a scene in an elevator is remarkable in it's sadistic violence). The climatic fight scene between Mr. Patel and Mr. Kher starts out as the brawl we've been anticipating but ends much too quickly and what follows is a bit of a surprise.

     Credit Mr. Patel for creating a familiar story in a fresh new setting. As an accomplished actor, he shows promise in his new roles as a writer and director.

  

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

 

     Co-written and directed by Guy Ritchie, this untold story of World War Two is based on a true story. Apparently Winston Churchill recruited a small team of mercenaries for an unsanctioned mission to destroy German U-Boat supplies in the North Atlantic.

     The team consists of Henry Cavill,  Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. Also working undercover with them on the island where the supply ship is docked, are Eiza Gonzalez and Babs Olusanmokun. Co-starring back in England are Cary Elwes, Freddie Fox and Rory Kinnear. The main villain is played convincingly by Til Schweiger.

     The dialog can be silly at times and also repetitive (the mission is repeated multiple times in case we didn't understand it the first time). It's a lighthearted script (a bit odd for a war film involving Nazis) and although there is not much suspense (the Nazis all die very easily), there is plenty of action and entertaining enough without straining your attention. 

     Mr. Ritchie has a knack for these kinds of films and I wouldn't be surprised it there is a sequel.

Civil War

 

        The title of this new film, by writer/director Alex Garland, is completely misleading. The trailer, as well, leads you to believe this will be exciting modern day war between the states. While it is true there is a civil war going on, the film is much less about the war than it is about the journalists and photojournalists covering the conflict.

         As the film opens, the war is already going on. California and Texas have succeeded from the rest of the country and have formed the Western Forces (highly unlikely in a real scenario). The film follows a small group of war correspondents as they drive from New York to Washington D.C. through a hostile America.

          Kirsten Dunst plays Lee Smith, a renowned  war photojournalist traveling with Joel, a reporter for Reuters, played by Wagner Moura. Their companions are Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) a veteran reporter for the NY Times, and Jessie, a young aspiring photographer (Cailee Spaeny),  Lee reluctantly takes under her wing. Nick Offerman co-stars as the President and Jesse Plemons has an uncredited and chilling one scene cameo.

        Ms. Dunst is excellent as Lee, stoic and numb from all the horrors she has witnessed. At first, I thought Ms. Spaeny was miscast but she successfully grows into the role. The rest of the cast is solid.

        As they travel the country, they bear witness to atrocities on both sides, navigating dangerous situations to get their photos and stories. Jessie matures quickly as she is thrown into the horrors of war. Mr. Garland doesn't take sides. Nor does he explain how the conflict started. The film is their story. It's all about the press and how they put their lives on the line to report what they see. 

        Based on the title, the film is a missed opportunity as it tells a very different story from what you would expect but once you realize the direction it takes, it does become riveting in its own way. 

            

Arcadian

 

     Nicholas Cage stars as Paul, a father of two teenage boys living in an isolated rural area, in a post apocalyptic world.  During the day the they look for food and salvage materials. The older boy, Thomas, played by Maxwell Jenkins,  when he can, visits a farm of other survivors a few miles away. It is there that he enjoys the company of Charlotte, played by Sadie Soverall, a girl his own age. The younger son, Joseph, played by Jaeden Martell, tinkers with projects and builds useful things for the family's survival.

     At night, the three board up their house, securing all the locks to protect themselves from strange creatures that started appearing after the apocalypse. The creatures only appear after dark so it's always a race to return home at sunset to protect themselves.

     The three leads are very good with Mr. Cage giving a stoic performance, stepping back and letting the boys handle most of the plot's heavy lifting. The film is well paced, suspenseful and builds to a strong third act. The creatures are original and quite menacing, a combination of CGI and puppetry.

      It's a better than average take on a well worn plot.

Wicked Little Letters

 

      Based on a 1920's true scandal, this black comedy is a period piece that follows the investigation of crude and insulting letters sent anonymously to various residents of a small English town. 

      At first a number of letters are only sent to Edith Swan (played by Olivia Coleman), embarrassing Edith and enraging her domineering, controlling and religious zealot father, Edward Swann (played by Timothy Spall) but soon other residents of the town start to receive letters as well.

      Edith and her father are convinced the author of the letters is their next door neighbor, Rose Gooding (played by Jesse Buckley), a single mom who smokes, drinks and swears openly and is living "in sin" with her boyfriend, Bill (played by Malachi Kirby). With just the accusations and little hard evidence, Rose is arrested for libel. PC Gladys Moss (played by Anjana Vasan) is the only one who thinks Rose may be innocent but being the only woman on the town police force in 1920, her suspicions are ignored.

     The film also co-stars Gemma Jones as Edith's mother, Victoria, Joanna Scanlan as Ann, Lolly Adefope as Kate, Eileen Atkins as Mabel, Alisha Weir as Nancy Gooding, Hugh Skinner as Constable Papperwick and Paul Chahidi as Chief Constable Spedding. 

     It's a wonderful cast anchored by the marvelous Olivia Coleman, Jessie Buckley and Timothy Spall. It's a comedy of very bad manners (with a serious undertone) that is very enjoyable. Be warned though, the language is deliberately most foul.

The First Omen

 

     The original "The Omen" scared me so much in 1976, I needed a stiff drink after seeing it. Now 48 years later, we finally have the prequel, explaining Damian's birth.

      Pregnant novitiate nuns seem to be the rage right now and this film, while not great, is far superior to the recent "Immaculate". That was so bad, I didn't even bother to review it but rather I'm trying to forget I even saw it.

      This story introduces Novitiate, Margaret (played by Nell Tiger Free) in Rome to perform her vows while working at an Orphanage. Of course things turn sinister in time and people start to die. There are a few deaths that attempt to copy the novel deaths of the original but the shock value just isn't the same.

       Sinister nuns abound and there is lots of chanting and blood flows freely but I can't say I was actually scared. The film builds its suspense slowly but ramps it up in the third act. Ms. Free is convincing as Margaret, becoming more and more unhinged as she unravels the mystery and her involvement. 

       The film co-stars Sonia Braga as Sister Silvia, Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan, Billy Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence, Tawfeek Barhom as Father Gabriel, Maria Caballero as Luz, and Nicole Sorace as Carlita. Charles Dance has a quick cameo as well.

        There have been many films in this franchise. I would recommend watching the original after seeing this one. It still holds up.

In the Land of Saints & Sinners

 

          The year is 1974. Liam Neeson stars as  Finbar Murphy, a hitman for hire at the end of his career, living out his life in a quaint, but remote Irish village. When four IRA terrorists end up hiding out nearby, a confrontation becomes inevitable. 

          Kerry Condon plays Doireann McCann, the leader of the terrorists, in quite a change from her usual roles. The film also co-stars Ciaran Hinds, Colm Meaney, Jack Gleeson, Sarah Greene, and Desmond Eastwood.

          The film reflects a true Irish nature in it's visual beauty and authentic cast. The setting and pace are different from most of Mr. Neeson's action films. The suspense only builds after a murder leads to more violence as the peaceful village comes under the ire of McCann and her men.

          While we've all seen films similar to this, there are enough unexpected moments to keep the story fresh. It would make a good double feature with "The Banshees of Inisherin".