Cyrus in the bag

For your weekend steppe Mongol (actually Saka) barbarian fix. This is an actual Kazakh movie. Much war and intrigue and the central character (Tomiris) is a female warrior queen who actually bagged Cyrus the Great - ie stopped the Persian advance into the Steppes circa 500 BC by decapitating him and putting his head in a bag (this is historically accurate). This is Game of Thrones pre-Ghengniz edition. On Amazon Prime 

16.5/20

All is Fair

It begins as a clandestine romance between Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehlenreich), analyst colleagues at hedge fund One Crest Capital. But while Emily is destined for greater things - a promotion just post engagement - Luke gets no such breakthrough, and what was a passionate relationship becomes a cesspool of toxicity - suspicion, playing the game, incessant screaming - culminating in some memorable scenes at office and at an engagement party. Fair Play is the intensity of the TV Series Industry with some great emoting by Emily.. and will leave you shredded and torn 

16.5/20

Creating a Better World

It is a year post an apocalypse - Nomad led by the US fights the Nirmata of the AI led New Asia. In fight sequences that are reminiscent of US overreach in Vietnam the American soldier Joshua (John David Washington) finds himself with his loyalties entirely subsumed by simulant wife Maya (Gemma Chan) and Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). In a movie that takes on the best of Dust, Chappie, District 9 and the likes of Terminator, The Creator is bit of an unsung hero among post apocalyptic thrillers. While I'll desist from calling it a must watch, if you have spent time on Oppenheimer this year this is a better use of your time

 

15.5/20