Monkey Man.

Review #2197: Monkey Man.

Cast: 

Dev Patel (Kid/Bobby/Monkey Man), Sharlto Copley (Tiger), Pitobash (Alphonso), Vipin Sharma (Alpha), Sikandar Kher (Rana), Sobhita Dhulipala (Sita), Ashwini Kalsekar (Queenie), Adithi Kalkunte (Neela), and Makarand Deshpande (Baba Shakti) Directed by Dev Patel.

Review: 

“I think the action genre has sometimes been abused by the system. I wanted to give it real soul, real trauma, real pain and you guys deserve that. And I wanted to infuse it with a little bit of culture.”

Really, for once you have to thank Netflix. No, seriously, this was a film that could have been relegated to the lands of streaming, because they bought the worldwide rights to the film when it was completed in 2021. Fortunately, they didn't have the guts to actually release it because it turns out calling it "John Wick in Mumbai" is not giving the movie the credit it deserves in reaching audiences. Jordan Peele saw the film and helped to get it released under Universal Pictures in acquisition. Of course, all of this undersells the toughness that came in actually filming the movie, where Patel broke his hand on the first action scene filmed, which was one of a string of injuries to befall the production. Patel wrote the story for the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Angunawela and John Collee. I should have figured that Patel had an appreciation of Enter the Dragon before seeing this film, because it does become apparently by the end that Patel wanted to make a movie that meshed the wide variety of old movies (such as the aforementioned Bruce Lee classic) he had seen to go with inspiration from the Hindu deity Hanuman and tales his grandfather had told him about as a child. So yes, you can thank Netflix for having no guts to release a movie so that better people can swoop in and believe it would work in a theater instead. 

Sure, there is probably something to be said about the film in its ideas on certain types of living when it comes to India that relates to now or something, but the film's heart is entirely on making a kickass movie of the underdog. At a crisp 121-minute runtime is an achievement by Patel as director and actor that shows worthwhile passion in the right places that has the marking of one's soul to make for a distinct action experience. There is that certain look one sees when it comes to his eyes and expression for a good part of his scenes, regardless of if it involves a fight scene (there are a few of them, but the major ones are spread out) or not. That look is one of drive, one that is ready to take whatever hit he thinks is coming next, which is plenty of them when considering the scenes spent with a monkey mask and the eventual turn into mythic hero (really that turn of hero among the underclass could be seen in films beyond action flicks with the genre of the Western, arguably). In a film packed with seemingly everyone wanting to make a hustle, his hustle is all-consuming vengeance that is quite believable when it comes to a head. His pursuit is our pursuit, and the action that comes with it makes it all the more entertaining because it is paced so effectively. Copley is only in the film for those scenes involving fights in the ring, but even with that he is quite enjoyably in his showmanship charm. Kher and Deshpande each make for compelling threats in terms of the power they represent in their public face that aren't merely just people to be taken down in a single swoop. Their presence in power and how they convey it makes the film all the more involving when it comes to the pursuit of ass-kicking. The rest of the actors do pretty well to fill the landscape of manipulators and the manipulated that make for a worthwhile environment to watch the furor take place, whether that involves a bit of a relief from Pitobash or that quiet tension in Dhulipala. In the film's eyes, when it comes to the structure of power, the one big threat to that is someone with none of it left to lose. When the action sequences come into focus and blast one's senses away, it reminds one that the movies really can be fun when one sees the soul behind it in execution and intent, particularly with its ending that makes it come full circle with the best of respect. Regardless of what Patel plans to do as a director (in terms of genre), that buildup of tension and intensity is one to see for itself in a theater. All in all, Monkey Man is a wonderful winner for the viewer and for the ones who get to see it, particularly in a theater.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

District 9.

Review #1959: District 9.

Cast: 

Sharlto Copley (Wikus van de Merwe), Jason Cope (Christopher Johnson / Grey Bradnam / Speaking Alien Voices / Cameraman Trent), David James (Colonel Koobus Venter), Vanessa Haywood (Tania Smit-van de Merwe), Mandla Gaduka (Fundiswa Mhlanga), Eugene Wanangwa Khumbanyiwa (Obesandjo), Louis Minnaar (Piet Smit), Kenneth Nkosi (Thomas), William Allen Young (Dirk Michaels), Nathalie Boltt (Sarah Livingstone), and Sylvaine Strike (Katrina McKenzie) Directed by Neill Blomkamp.

Review: 

"I don't know whether the film has that feeling or not for the audience, but I wanted it to have that harsh 1980s kind of vibe—I didn't want it to feel glossy and slick."

The important thing to say about this film by Neill Blomkamp is that it was his very first one. He was born in Johannesburg in South Africa, and his studies at Redhill High School in the city led him to meet Sharlto Copley (who had graduated from there a few years earlier). Blomkamp had a passion for 3D animation and design from a young age, and he struck a deal with Copley to do 3D work for pitches on projects for Copley's production company; Blomkamp moved to Vancouver to study at Vancouver Film School at the age of 18. Beginning in the late 1990s, he did a variety of animation work for various television shows and films, such as lead 3D animator for 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001). He also shot commercial work and shorts when not working, and it was a reel of his work that got the attention of Peter Jackson. One of those shorts was Alive in Joburg, which was a mockumentary short about aliens marooned in Johannesburg (Blomkamp asked questions to black South Africans about how they felt about Nigerians and Zimbabweans, which is where the idea came from about what would happen if there were aliens living in South Africa). Jackson soon tapped Blomkamp to try and direct a film adaptation of the Halo video game series; the result was nothing short of failure, but Jackson was willing to work with Blomkamp on something else in mind, with Jackson serving as producer. Blomkamp wrote the film with his production partner and wife Terri Tatchell. Since the release of this film nearly fifteen years ago in August 2009, Blomkamp has directed three further films with Elysium (2013), Chappie (2015), and Demonic (2021).

The film takes inspiration from "District Six", an actual residential area in South Africa (specifically Cape Town), which had seen thousands of people be forcibly removed beginning in 1966 during the apartheid era of the country to make way for white people (this was a country that had three different Group Areas Acts that dealt with racial groups living in certain places only); a museum resides in the area, along with a plaque. The film even had shooting done in an area that just saw people moved from an area of impoverished housing (Chiawelo, in Johannesburg). As such, Blomkamp has made a film that shows the effects of social engineering within communities that basically turns into hell. In that sense, one could argue it is not only a science fiction action film but also a horror feature. After all, there is a considerable body-count that comes from the consequences of trying to segregate others. Xenophobia action films that also feature a mechanized battle suit and booming alien weapons make for a neat combination. The aliens in the film remind one of crickets, and the phrase used to refer to them is "prawn". Granted, prawns are actually small species of sea creatures, but the Parktown prawn (also known as the African king cricket or tusked king cricket) is a species of cricket that is generally held in low regard in Africa. Of course, not everyone was big on this film. Did you know Nigeria banned the film? Apparently they took it really seriously that Nigerians would eat aliens, proving that there are people easily irritated by any sort of slight anywhere (this also works for so-called most "white savior" articles). Simply put: it's a movie about seeing just how folks all around the world could unite in their hatred of the other and the result of when push comes to shove.

For the "documentary" sequences, Copley (who had never acted in a professional feature before) ad-libbed all of his lines, and Cope did improvisation as well, specifically with the eviction sequences. Copley does well within the reaches of the performance requires, which desires someone who can pull off a growing sense of humanity even when he starts to look less like it. He has the timing to pull it off, endearing in both sides that come from this personality, whether that is the bumbling bureaucrat or the frenzied creature on the run. Cope accompanies him with varying levels of performance that is meant to strike a different chord from the usual alien visitor on the run type, which works to the idea of the film of portraying creatures that are murky in their own motivations (i.e. they seem both humane and disgusting). Grimy aliens and slimier humans is a worthy path to see in a film, you know. James and Khumbanyiwa both play the dark side of absolute belief in what they want (which involve the creatures, obviously), which makes their eventual fate all the most satisfying since they make quality adversaries. The rest of the cast is fine, even if they come and go within the bits and pieces of "found footage", but one is here for the 112-minute runtime in seeing quality CG effects go together with a fairly compelling story. The third act involving a round of shoot-out action is probably the most standard part of the film, but it is always nice to see visualized pushback within an inevitable closing point for a sci-fi film (in other words, action doesn't stifle my excitement for material as long as it is done right, as opposed to just being a bland puddle). A sequel has been teased for years (the ending of the film sort of teases an idea or two, in a messy sort of sense) but time will tell if there is a return to a district of creatures of aliens and humans that may be more alike than they believe. As a whole, it is a worthy first start for its director in terms of quality storytelling filled with wrenching imagination that is executed with most of the right beats for entertainment.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The A-Team.

Review #049: The A-Team.

Cast
Liam Neeson (John "Hannibal" Smith), Bradley Cooper (Templeton "Face" Peck), Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (B.A. Baracus), Sharlto Copley (H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock), Jessica Biel (Charissa Sosa), Patrick Wilson (Agent Vance Burress/Agent Lynch), Brian Bloom (Brock Pike), and Gerald McRaney (Russell Morrison) Directed by Joe Carnahan.

Review
The film doesn't do much to be like the classic 80's show (which I should see) The film has loads of action, all in silly fun (especially the Tank flying through the sky). While the film isn't exactly good, it still manages to get your attention with some memorable things (that thing I just mentioned a line ago) If you want something to spend your time on that while not making you think (it's an action film), it will entertain you.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.