WARWICK SHOWCASE

THE KING’S MAN
* * * ½
(Prequel to popular series)

Ralph Fiennes stars as the hero in this prequel to the Kingsmen series which takes place during World War I.

The writers have rewritten history with a bit of tongue-in-cheek British humor and lots of adventures that end with the formation of the spy agency located in a tailor shop.

Fiennes battles the likes of Kaiser Wilhelm and Nicholas and other bad guys as the British seek the help from other allies.
Rhys Ifans as Rasputin steals the show as he spoofs the vulgar bad guy.

Lots of rewritten history, battles against the enemy, and overdone satire, separating it from the tone of the previous movies in the series.

Rated R with a bit of profanity, sex and violence.

SHOWCASE & NETFLEX
MATRIX-RESURRECTIONS
* *
(Gobbledegook)

Three generations of the Fowler family sat in front of grandson Alex’s big screen, surround sound TV to watch Matrix-Resurrections.

Four of us I agree: This is all gobbledegook. It makes no sense. It is two and a half hours of noise and mindless action.
Anyone who thinks they “get it” is either kidding themselves or has an intelligence far beyond us.

Keanu Reeves reprises his role as Neo, aka Tom Anderson, a troubled man who lives in two realities.
He takes pills to enter a world that is filled with violence and characters from his past that he may or may not remember.
Amidst all this confusion is Trinity, who has another name and existence. They connect and we get a love story that is as confusing as the rest of the movie.

Neo is faced with many choices which take the story in circles that make little sense and mind games that are mindless.
Special effects at times appear to have nothing to do with what is supposed too be a plot. That never ends.

The final scene lives us open for yet another Matrix.
God help us!

NETFLIX
DON’T LOOK UP
* * *
(Dark Political Satire)

A comet is six weeks away from destroying earth and every living creature on it.
Discovered by an intern (Jennifer Lawrence) and confirmed by her professor (Leonardo DiCaprio), the disaster is denied by the president (Meryl Streep) and her top aide (Jonah, who is also her son) and the press.

As the comet gets closer and the professor and his staff make a case for the reality of the situation, people start to panic.

This dark and often hilarious spoof makes a strong case for seriousness of climate change, while ridiculing the government, the military, the media, big business, and people in general.

Inept rockets and drones are sent to destroy the comet by a greedy businessman who secretly wants the comet to land so he can mine its precious minerals.
The professor pleads for the public to look up and see the comet as it speeds closer to earth, while the president tells them “Don’t Look Up”.

This in-your-face satire hits some sensitive points while at times being just plain silly.
The acting is good, including two short appearances by Trinity actors Richard Donelly as a presidential staff member and Stephen Thorne as a citizen. Donelly even gets to light the president’s cigarette in the Oval Office.

Part of the movie was filmed in Boston.
I watched it on Netflix. It came to the area and disappeared quickly. This is one of those movies that will draw a variety of reactions. While I liked it, I did find it a bit over the top.

There is a poignant ending, but if you stay through the credits (twice) there are a couple of situations thrown in at the end.
Rated R.