The Film Scout

August

Okay, so by the time you read this, my birthday will have either just passed or be just a couple days away. That being said, I wanna celebrate my birthday by bringing you the best films, tv shows, and movies that I can find. 

On board? Tight!

The Boys

The Boys is a dark comedy action TV series on Amazon Prime, based on the graphic novel of the same name written by Garth Ennis and co-created, designed, and illustrated by Darrick Robinson. It’s set in a world where superpowered “Supes” work for a shady company called Vought – but most of those “superheroes” are corrupt and dangerous rather than heroic. The show follows two groups: The Boys, who want to take down Vought, and The Seven, Vought’s top superhero team. The show’s appeal is how it’s able to really flip the superhero clichés in such a real way. The show has a stacked cast, with Karl Urban as Billy the Butcher, Jack Quaid as “Hughie” and Anthony Starr as the fan-favorite, Homelander. 

I caught onto this show a little late, so I had a lot to catch up on. I was pulled in immediately. The first few minutes of the show give you the perfect setup to what you’re in for. The blood and guys are in there, but the show really shines with its storytelling. It’s great at making you care about its ensemble of characters while not losing its sense of humor. 

The action in this show is top notch too, and not in a “CW way” – this show gets uncomfortably realistic. You will see some literally jaw-dropping things that will make you wonder, ‘How on earth did they shoot that, and how could they take themselves seriously to do it?’ 

Guys, if you haven’t seen this series or more importantly are into violent political superhero stuff, give The Boys a watch. I’m excited to see the 5th season.

Kinds of Kindness

This film is directed by my favorite weird director, Yorgos Lanthimos. This movie is an anthology film co-written with Efthimis Filippou and starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Willem Dafoe. 

This movie is amazing, but only works if you’re a fan of Lanthimos’ films and his humor. He’s what I would call the Master of Dark Comedy. He’s a French director who makes eccentric films which really push the level. One of his latest films was the Academy Award-winning smash hit ‘Poor Things,’ he’s also had a lot of great movies to his name, like ‘Killing of a Sacred Deer’ and ‘The Lobster.’

I admire Lanthimos because he’s a filmmaker I would want to be like if I made movies. He just has the same dark humor I’m into, and inspires me to always keep thinking of weird stories which can be turned into new creations. This movie did not do well at the box office like ‘Poor Things,’ but that’s because this movie was for his fans..

Like I said, this film is more of a “dark comedy,” meaning there are a lot of very controversial things which happen, but the way Lanthimos is able to write a scene and balance humor with the darkness is amazing. Some people will not like this movie, and I’m okay with that. 

Trap

‘Trap’ is a thriller written and directed by the legend himself, M. Night Shyamalan. It’s crazy that we’ve gotten two Shyamalan movies in one year, with his daughter’s ‘The Watchers’ debuting in June. ‘Trap’ is about a character named Cooper, infamously known as “The Butcher,” who attends a concert with his daughter, only to discover that the event is a police sting operation aimed at capturing him.

Before I start, let’s get this out the way…I’m a Shyamalan fan! Yes, I’m very aware not a lot of people like his films, and I can understand a lot of arguments against him, but if you haven’t caught up with his films lately, you really should. I’ve seen a lot of his more recent films, like ‘OLD.’ The guy has been cracking out some good stuff. Shyamalan excels at building tension in his movies. It’s one of his strongest writing skills and something I’d suggest as inspiration for other screenwriters if they’re looking for something to learn from.

All that to say, I’m so excited for ‘Trap,’ mainly because I didn’t know this movie was even being made until very recently. Shyamalan: a master of mystery both on and off the camera. But secondly, the movie stars Josh Hartnett, whose acting stock just recently went up big time after his appearance in ‘Oppenheimer.’ It’s so great to see him back on the big screen starring in movies again. It’s gonna be interesting seeing him play a role like this, as he normally plays the hero or love interest, whereas this time, he’s playing the antagonist. But then, who knows? It’s a Shyamalan movie.

I’m excited to see what Shyamalan has in store, and look forward to seeing this in theaters on August 2nd, 2024.

By John Houzer