Movies: Spring 2022

Monarch Movie Recommendations

The Batman
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Barry Keoghan, Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Colin Farrell

At this point, anyone who does not know the Batman origin story must be living in a Batcave. So we are glad to say that this Batman will not be an origin story. This film is more of a psychological exploration of the corruption behind Gotham City, displaying the intersection of politics, crime, and crumbling trust in the government. Robert Pattinson plays a younger Batman, not only in physical appearance but in gadgets and approach to crime fighting. Although the film does not retell the murder of Bruce’s parents, it does reveal how he became the world’s best detective and arguably one of the world’s best fighters. The Batman boasts the longest running time of any solo Batman film. The Batman is rated PG-13 after much debate over an R rating for the grisly subject matter.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Director: Tom Gormican
Starring: Niccolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris

Nicolas Cage portrays himself as creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin who must accept a $1 million offer to attend the birthday party of a dangerous superfan. Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones.

Easter Sunday
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Starring: Jo Koy, Lydia Gaston, Brandon Wardell

Stand-up comedy sensation Jo Koy stars as a man returning home for an Easter celebration. Set around a family gathering with a riotous bickering, eating, drinking, laughing, loving family, this is his love letter to his Filipino-American community.

Morbius
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jared Leto, Michael Keaton, Adria Arjona

Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Michael Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.

The Pink Cloud
Director: Iuli Gerbase
Starring: Renata De Lelis & Eduardo Mendonca

In this Brazilian domestic drama with a helping of science fiction, starring Renata de Lélis and Eduardo Mendonça as two 30-somethings, Giovana and Yago have a one-night stand and wake up the next morning to find a mysterious pink cloud hanging over their city, killing anyone who breathes it for ten seconds. The government orders a nationwide lockdown, and the two of them, alone together, are suddenly forced to reckon with a potential relationship. Like other works of prescient sci-fi, The Pink Cloud forecasts an eerie funhouse-mirror image of our present lives.