April 21, 2024
THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE
Director: Guy Ritchie
During World War II, the UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) secretly supported a mission commanded by Brigadier Colin Gubbins (Cary Elwes), to be executed by Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill) and his team, along with Special Operations agents Heron (Babs Olusanmokun) and Marjorie (Eiza Gonzalez) . Aside from the danger from the German navy led by SS commander Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger), they also faced arrest by the British navy if they were caught plying restricted areas, as they were not really authorized to be there.
The true-to-life story based on Operation Postmaster, Guy Ritchie as director, plus the array of big-name actors in the cast, made this film very highly anticipated. The true history was modified for more cinematic tension and entertainment value, that's understandable. However, there were times when the comic relief went too far or the espionage details too complex. The massive physique and screen presence of Alan Ritchson (as Danish naval officer Anders Larssen) stole the thunder from his bigger-name glamour-boy co-stars like Cavill, Henry Golding, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Alex Pettyfer. 7/10
Directed by Ben Brewer
In a post-apocalyptic future, Paul (Nicolas Cage) has been raising his twin boys Joseph (Jaeden Martell) and Thomas (Maxwell Jenkins) since they were infants. He had been able to keep them safe for the past fifteen years in his remote farmhouse. It had been their routine to lock and board themselves up in their house when night falls, as there were deadly creatures on the prowl. One day, the impulsive Thomas met and had a crush on pretty Charlotte (Sadie Soverall) from Rose Farm nearby, and he got more reckless, exposing himself and his family to mortal danger.
We never really learn too much about what happened at the beginning to cause the desolate and desperate world there Paul and his sons lived. The film also does not tell us how the black, hairy monsters of the night came to be. The beginning set-up took a bit of time, but once the night-time terror made itself known by the deep scratches it left on walls, director Ben Brewer kept the audience on edge with his brand of tension. The creature design was wolf-like, but with frenetic seizure-like ferocity. Shaky cam was used a lot here, perhaps thinking it would add to the grittiness of the scenes -- I am not a fan. 5/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment