Monkey Man

“Monkey Man” is a 2024 action/thriller with producer Jordan Peele. It stars Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Pitobash (Million Dollar Arm), Sikandar Kher (Monica, O My Darling), Sobhita Dhulipala (Major), and Makrand Deshpande (Liger).

A poor Indian man who works at an underground boxing club as the Monkey Man, a man who fights in a monkey mask, works his way up in society to take down a corrupt regime and the man responsible for his mother’s death.

This was a lot different than I was expecting it to be. It’s pretty much a John Wick style movie with a better back story. The first half or so is a little slow with a lot of flashbacks. Which is understandable as it is laying the setting of his current life and his childhood trauma with what happened to his mom. The second half though when it gets to the revenge part of the movie, it takes off hard. It is filled with good bloody fight scenes and unique kill scenes, which I personally love. Overall, it’s a very solid movie that is brought together in the end. The acting is good all-around and it’s worth checking out. I give it a solid 8/10.

Nope

“Nope” is Jordan Peele’s third and most recent horror. This 2022 horror stars Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Keke Palmer (Hustlers), Brandon Perea (The OA), Michael Wincott (What Just Happened), and Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead).

A brother and sister who are taking care of their late dad’s ranch witness something unexplainable. Now they’re determined to bring proof of the impossible.

Jordan Peele is a horror genius and may go down as the greatest horror director of all time. “Get Out” is mind blowing, did he set the bar so high on that one that the rest seem to lack in comparison? Maybe, maybe not. So “Nope” definitely has some pros and cons, it isn’t like his other two films. Let’s get into the cons first. One it’s slower than his other two. It’s over two hours long, and honestly not a lot of creepy things going on here. It doesn’t drag but it doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat either. Two and this is a big one, the alien. The alien looks bad, really bad, it looks like a weather balloon. One thing about Jordan Peele though is everything in his movies have a meaning, every little detail, even ones you don’t notice. He is notorious for Easter eggs in his movies. So maybe, the alien looked like that on purpose for some reason, but I thought it just looked terrible.

Let’s look at the pros. One the writing is brilliant, like I stated before it’s not like his others. This is his “Jaws”. Instead of hunting a great white in the ocean, they’re hunting a much bigger, and deadlier predator in the skies. Kudos to Peele for branching out. Two the acting is fantastic, I love Kaluuya, he’s great in everything he does. So, with all this factored in I don’t think it’s as good as his other two, he doesn’t have the creepiness factor, but it’s still a good story and movie. I give it a 7/10.

Candyman (2021)

‘Candyman’ is the sequel/remake of the 90’s classic horror film ‘Candyman’. This one stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Black Mirror), Teyonah Parris (The Photograph), and Michael Hargrove (The Express)

An Artist who is trying to find inspiration for his upcoming show finds out about the legend of Candyman. He investigates further and unknowingly unleashes Candyman.

So first off It’s a Jordan Peele movie so you know there’s going to be racial undertones. Look at his other two horror films, ‘Get Out’, and ‘Us’. Tony Todd (the original candyman) makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film saying something along the lines of you think the ones I kill are innocent but they’re not. The only ones killed in the film are white people. Just some food for thought.

So it’s not really a remake but kind of is, it follows along the lines of the first one, with someone investigating the legend of Candyman and unwittingly brings him back. This one however, also references the first one and does a great job tying this story in. Honestly it’s better than the first, more action. Abdul-Mateen II does a great job of playing the Candyman role. They also bring Tony Todd in for a scene, you can’t have Candyman without Tony Todd. Candyman tends to get overlooked when you look at the big horror villains Michael Myers, Jason, Leather Face, and Freddy Krueger. Candyman deserves his spot among them, and Jordan Peele did a great job reviving this horror franchise. I look forward to more movies to come. I give it a 7/10.