Monkey Man

By

⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Beans)

This is a revenge action movie starring the heart throb Dev Patel who also happened to direct it! Love seeing him do well in the world cause I think he deserves it.

This movie is wild. Somehow it’s rated 14+ but should for sure be R. You see him bite someone’s nose off at one point - it’s amazing. This very much felt like a Bollywood film with some western direction. I can see people compare them to John Wick but this was marginally better.

I loved the setting, loved the different characters and sets. And I thought the music was pretty good! During action scenes and training montages it had good pump up music.

Two things I kind of wanted to talk about regarding this movie is how Patel is an English Indian often playing Indian roles set in India. I think it’s dumb to say he’s appropriating Indian culture cause he is one, and yet I know he didn’t experience the Indian lifestyle growing up in Harrow, UK. I don’t know exactly how I feel about it, and I don’t know if I’m even allowed to feel anything, but it kind of feels inauthentic sometimes.

The second thing is how this movie spotlights a group of people in India that are really oppressed and marginalized. We might say it is a group of trans people, but India has different terms that kind of translates to third gender. Really cool subplot of meeting these people and connecting with them. It felt very natural and unassuming, yet significant at the same time. I thought it was a very bold yet noble choice.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

By
⭐ 6.5/10 (Originally written by Tim) Watched this for the first time because we wanted a comedy, and it was fine. I laughed a couple times, mostly at Paul Rudd, whose character was amazing. Otherwise its just a 2000s raunchy comedy. These Apatow movies are way too long for comedies, and the feel-good endings take too long to get to. I liked the idea of a fake NBC show that Kristen Bell stars in, and those clips made me laugh. Jason Segel is fine, and he fits the depressed guy thing they are going for here. I will never understand why the two women in this movie are so beautiful and the two guys are pudgy idiots. I guess I do understand, given the target audience for these movies. Another thing, they clearly were in Hawaii for filming a bunch of this, but then there are a couple scenes that are clearly using a green screen for the background. Pretty weird, since I assume they were in Hawaii, so maybe reshoots? Felt kinda cheap. Anyways, good for a couple laughs, don't ever nee...
Read more

July Reading Favourites

By
Image
Look at that cover! This is a YA horror book written by a trans Canadian author that knocked my socks off. A small town has secrets it's trying to hide, and after the death of a boy and a newcomer arriving, things start slipping out of control. It's a book about being trans or queer and living in a small town, and how a community creating a facade of a perfect town can backfire. Also maybe closing your eyes to anything that's "not your business" is not good actually! It's violent and full of rage, and I loved the way it played with time and perspective. Check the triggers, but if you're interested in reading it, I'd recommend going in blind without looking at reviews or a longer description! This is a short book of essays about ableism and disability justice, specifically relating to technological advances for disabled people. Most of the essays focus on a different type of technology for different disabilities (prosthetics, hearing aids, cures for aut...
Read more

Magdalene's Favourite Books of 2024

By
Image
In 2024 I read another ABSURD amount of books, and I will not be commenting on what that says about me, my decisions, or the state of my mental health. So I'm just going to go straight into my favourite books of the year! I've posted about a lot of these in my monthly faves, but now you get to see which ones made it to my favourites of the year list! They're in no particular order. A Pacific Islander-inspired fantasy with unique, refreshing vibes. Hanalei returns to her home island, Her childhood best friend is looking for a dragonfruit to heal his mother, and Hanalei will use her connection with the seadragons to help. Lucier has a pretty simple way of writing, but the story was fun and beautiful, and it really took me on an adventure. Sid is a Korean adoptee living in a very white town that is over a crack where magic can get through. One day a Guardian falls, releasing magic and zombies, and it becomes a fight to survive. This is such an interesting blend of fantasy and ...
Read more