The Green Knight

 

 

Have you ever gotten so far down that you thought life could not get any worse?

Then, you haven’t seen Writer/Producer/Director David Lowery’s The Green Knight. Just when you thought it couldn’t get more terrible…it did!  It’s a “film” that could be shown to plague victims to help them feel their plight wasn’t the most horrible.

The definition of cinematic masturbation only needs the words “Green Knight.”

True, nothing could be all bad.  (Though this “film” could be an argument against that.)  There was some beautiful scenery and a very cute fox was in part of it, until it went psycho. (Animals have an acute sense of smell.)

Dev Patel used to be a good actor.  Did this film suck the life out of his ability?

And, what of Alicia Vikander?  Was her family held hostage to get her to participate in this travesty?  (Alicia, I think the family would have understood that you had to maintain your dignity.)

 Do you get the idea that I thought this “film” was crawlingly bad?  Bravo!

 

I had thought I might give it a Zero rating, but there was the fox.  So, I’ll just give it a .5 out of 5.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

Writer/Director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is, so far, the most exciting and well-made thriller of the year!

At a young age Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) escaped from his terrorist father Xu-Wenwu (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), holder of the ten rings that grant immortality. 

Xu-Wenwu had been tamed by his wife Li (Fala Chen) until she was killed and he reverted back to his criminal ways.  

Believing his wife is still alive, Xu-Wenwu arranges for his son and daughter Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), who had also run off, to have their magical jade pendants stolen and returned. These pendants will lead him to the magical village Ta Lo, where Li’s family have been keeping the Dweller-in-Darkness, the eater of souls, sealed in a cave for over a thousands years.

It is the Dweller that has been causing Xu to believe his wife alive.

It is up to Shang-Chi and Xialing to stop their father and his forces from unwittingly freeing the Dweller-in-Darkness.

Everything about this film is first-class and I urge even those who are not usually into action films to see it.  I give it a 4.9 out of 5.

 

The Protégé

 

 

 

Thanks to a slick script by Richard Wenk and both Maggie Q and Samuel L. Jackson, Director Martin Campbell’s The Protégé is one of the best thrillers in a long time.

Jackson plays Moody, the Assassins’ Assassin, who rescues Anna (Maggie Q) as a child and raises her to have all the skills of his younger self.

When Moody is terminated, Anna goes after the man whose identity has been hidden since his own childhood.

Finding him and dealing with his army of killers takes all of Anna’s skills and nearly ends her life.

It’s the surprises along the way that make this film outstanding for thriller fans.

Rupert Parkes‘ music, David Tattersall’s cinematography and Angela M. Catanzaro’s editing give excellent support to the action.

I give The Protégé a 4.9 out of 5 and look forward to seeing it again.