Seen in August

The gentleman of the Ministry.

I feel as though there should have been more than one summer blockbuster on this month's list, yet there is the modern theatre goer's dilemma (also the theatre owner's dilemma) - why go out, when you can stay in? In Toronto, I can say that your reasons for not going out are plenty, as are your reasons to stay in (the increasingly poor service of the TTC, the increasing cost of film going, the weird hours of showtimes, the dearth of content available, the breadth of content available to stream, etc.). Here it is, with only one film seen in a theatre.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Prime Video
A fantastical retelling of one of the early missions of the British Special Forces and the men (and women) who combined spy craft, intelligence gathering and strategic guerrilla-style strikes that circumvented typical wartime tactics. As this is a Guy Ritchie film, it is full of his typical male "badassery" that leans toward the hyper-masculine. Characters based on real people are given the full Hollywood treatment here with actors such as Henry Cavill (the actor who played Superman and The Witcher) and Alan Ritchson (the mountain who plays Reacher in the Amazon series). These chaps, as charming as they may be, are equipped with the kind of biceps you only get from spending time with a trainer, for hours at a time, not from hanging about in the arena of war. That said, no one is here for a PBS docu-series about the SAS so sit back and enjoy watching bad guys put in their place.

The slightly more gentlemanly SAS officers.

SAS Rogue Heroes
Prime Video
A limited dramatic series on the creation of the British Special Air Service that at times seems far fetched but we are assured the more unlikely the event may seem, the more likely it is to be true. The common thread throughout is that the Nazis weren't fighting "by the rules" so why should anyone else and that the SAS was created to counter Nazi efforts, particularly in North Africa. The rogues that make up the initial service are played by accomplished British actors who revel in the rebellion of these British soldiers, and the fairly long leash they had been given. There is one scene, repeated in this series that was also depicted in Guy Ritchie's The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare wherein an SAS officer opens fire in a mess hall of unarmed, unsuspecting German pilots that looks awesome in a movie trailer, but if true may have been a war crime (killing unarmed combatants rather than taking them prisoner). The nervousness of the accompanying Brits gives the scene that complicated examining eye that is missing in Ritchie's film. The series is highly entertaining though, which is why you shouldn't consider it your history lesson on the battles of the war in North Africa.

Trevor Noah: Where Was I
Netflix
As funny as this stand-up special is, I'm not sure it felt very "cutting edge" or even original at times. We became accustomed to Noah's political re-framing of serious issues and to seeing the humour in them as host of the Daily Show, but this felt like it had less of a bite than it needed. It also felt like he was choosing easy and common targets rather than seeking out more complicated or nuanced things to talk about.

The bandits.

Time Bandits S01
Apple TV+
I'm undecided whether this serial version of the Gilliam film will last with me as the original did. This version feels tamer somehow and aimed at a younger audience or maybe it is treating its younger audience more carefully. There were also some odd plot holes that looked more like continuity issues than any sort of time portal (in particular, the disappearance of a character was a thread left dangling and never resolved). It's still a pretty fun time and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Poker Face S01
CBC Gem
Natasha Lyonne is Charlie Cale, a woman with a preternatural gift for telling when someone is lying or telling the truth. At some point in her life, she made money at the tables in Las Vegas and ran afoul of one of the casino owners. This is how she ended up working as a cocktail waitress and living in a trailer (or something). It's also the premise of this show, as Charlie hits the road, on the lamb, hoping to avoid this particular casino owner who has it in for her. At each stop along her journey, she takes on work, paid in cash (how a small time mob has access to bank records is unknown) and not unlike Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote or the dog in The Littlest Hobo, Charlie solves a murder. This kind of murder mystery show can be fun, formulaic or a bit of both, which is where this show sits. I wouldn't mind if for just one episode the crime wasn't a murder or maybe the protagonist is wrong but that isn't going to happen. Also, by the end of the season, I was tiring of Lyonne's "tough-talking broad" schtick, which worked so well in another of Lyonne's shows, Russian Doll (Netflix), but if that doesn't bother you, strap in for a sort return to those 1970s cop shows or movies that show creator Rian Johnson has such an affinity for. Maybe I buried the lede here, but yes, another reason to check this series out is the involvement of Rian Johnson, director of the Knives Out films as well as Looper and Brick.

Mustard and ketchup together at last.

Deadpool & Wolverine
It's getting harder and harder to describe the plot lines of these Marvel films where a primary part of the premise involves the "multiverse". In other words, Marvel films exploit the idea of infinite parallel universes to explain away inconsistencies in their canon. It's even harder to explain a character such as Deadpool who, in the comic books addresses the reader, and in the films addresses the audience in more than just "a knowing wink" kind of way. Yet, here goes: in this third installment of the Deadpool films, Wade Wilson AKA Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is facing the collapse of his universe, the one with his friends and loved ones, because Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is no longer in it. In an overly simplistic logic, Deadpool uses some sci-fi magic to travel to different universes to find a Wolverine who can help him. There are so many cameos, in-jokes and absurdities it would be impossible to explain here but let's just say this movie walks the tightrope of fan service, and making fun of itself while remaining an entertaining film. I suppose it would help to have watched a couple of dozen Marvel films, read all the comics and followed the recent series Loki on Disney+ but the gains would be considered marginal at best.