Monkey Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

Monkey Man isn’t afraid to fight dirty, using brute force to overpower its simple narrative structure. This high octane revenge thriller will leave you breathless in the wake of the the beatdown it inflicts.

Marking the directorial debut of actor Dev Patel, this movie is hopefully a sign of great things to come. Patel served as writer, director and star, which I can’t imagine was easy given how physically demanding this performance is. It’s a fairly standard revenge story, but Patel ensures it’s kicked into overdrive with how gritty and brutal the action gets. The story also has a nice emotional core, both surrounding Patel’s past and some companions he meets along the way.

It’s rough around the edges, but the guerrilla style cinematography gives it a beautiful kind of chaos that heightens the intensity of the action. There are a handful of scenes where the camera work is a little too unwieldy, not allowing you to get a proper grasp on what’s happening on screen. The action still kicks like a mule, but I wish I could’ve gotten a cleaner look at it. People are drawing comparisons to John Wick, but beyond the revenge element, it’s a totally different kind of movie. Whereas John Wick offers gorgeously choreographed “action ballet”, Monkey Man’s action is messy and chaotic, giving it a more realistic feel. Like I said, this movie is not afraid to fight dirty.

Monkey Man amplifies its straightforward tale of revenge with relentlessly chaotic action. Dev Patel’s ferocious directorial debut is rough in all the right ways, making it a must see for any action junkies out there.

4/5

Review by: Benjamin Garrett

Boss Level Film Review

Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation. Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...

Better Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

What at first feels like a CGI gimmick allows Better Man to climb and swing it’s way beyond standard biopic conventions. This larger than life musical is worth a watch even if, like me, you needed to ask “Who the hell is Robbie Williams?”. A pop icon in the UK who didn’t quite make a household name for himself in North America, Robbie Williams bares his life (the good the bad and the drug fueled ugly) in this dazzling account of his rise to fame. Musician biopics often focus too heavily on the creation of the artist’s work, and not enough on the actual artist. Better Man gives audiences a sobering portrait of the man behind the monkey, with his songs placed in pivotal life and career moments to move the narrative forward. This works especially well if you aren’t entirely familiar with Williams’ work, because you won’t find yourself waiting to hear specific needle drops. Instead they flow organically into the story, with gorgeously choreographed musical numbers. And bo...

Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day | Review by: Stefano Bove

Four close friends and renowned filmmakers in 1959’s Yugoslavia are out to make a feature film of the war. They have a unique perspective and are able to discuss the war as decorated war veterans. Lovro, Nenad, Stevan and Ivan use film to express themselves and criticize society but that doesn’t sit well with the Yugoslavian Communist Party. As The Party steps in to control the film for propagandistic reasons, the four filmmakers fear it may be to gain insight on their sexual orientation. Emir Hadžihafizbegović is entrusted by the head of the Communist Party to oversee the films production but is also told by the party to sabotage the film by any means necessary. Emir as well as our four filmmakers are all exceptional in this film. The dynamic between these five actors is a wave of emotions as Emir hides his true intentions and the filmmakers hide their sexual orientation from the world. The film is in a gorgeous black and white and boasts absolutely stunning cinematography from ...

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