IN THE EARLY DAYS of this blog seven or eight years ago, I noted the rising trend of films  about women, directed by women, and likely featuring strong women as protagonists or antagonists as the case may be. The trend has strengthened with the many new series out now.

Dune: Prophecy

IF YOU ARE PREDISPOSED to watch fantasy or Sci-Fi and already know of the Dune franchise, you should enjoy Dune: Prophecy, a prequel by ten-thousand years of the  two earlier segments. In the Dune universe of the first two, there is a powerful group of mystical robed and hooded women who have supernatural powers. These are the Bene Gesserit and while they at first  hint at  something akin to the witches of Macbeth, their background leaves them less benign and more compelling. These episodes are such stuff as Dune: Prophecy is made on.

The actors is superb and you get a few from the UK’s acting royalty in Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, and then Mark Strong. I am enjoying it, though it’s hard to imagine how ten thousand years can go by between the two settings–I would have to reread all the books for an explanation.

Silo

THE FACT THAT I USUALLY ENJOY post-apocalyptic fare might have set a low bar for me with this series, but Rebecca Ferguson is fabulous here. I am quite certain that she will rank high as a nominee for awards (along with the two women from DP above. The premise is compelling and much along the lines of Snowpiercer: the new reality is confined by the need to create life-supporting systems against a poisoned planet. In Silo, there is a touch of 1984 at work: the leaders or founders of the enormous underground structure, decades ago crafted a culture that keeps the society and things (like the Truth) under control.  The contained (or constrained) society  includes class structures, systems of government, and other recognizable features of, for example, a town of several thousand.  The looming question driving the drama in this series is: “What is the Truth about what happened and what is outside?”

The Agency

THIS IS THE NEWEST of the group with only three episodes thus far. I really enjoy Michael Fassbender’s work! I also like spy tales. Jodie Turner-Smith showed up in here right after I finished watching her shine in Bad Monkey (reviewed here below). Spy tales can confuse even the most focused viewers because you’re never sure who the bad folks are and spies can not be trusted to say what they really mean or know. This cast also includes Katherine Waterston (whom I adore) and Richard Gere, who hasn’t seemed to have lost any of his cachet.

It’s always of interest to see how the “spy” game has changed from that genre’s films of twenty or thirty years ago.

Bad Monkey

VINCE VAUGHN STARS as a Florida Keys detective who talks a blue streak (in an amusing way) and gets wrapped up in a zany scheme that showcases the diverse remnants of island culture (e.g. “voodoo”) on one hand and the intrusive and corrupting influences of development on the other. The cast is a strong mix of characters from Turner-Smith as a the Dragon Lady to a wild Meredith Hagner as Eve. Michelle Monahan  plays some refreshing new notes with her troubled character. Oh, and there is a real monkey who is only “bad” in the 1980s sense of the word.

Refreshing setting and a good balance of the serious and the wacky based on the novel by Carl Hiaasen.

The Penguin

THE MARVEL FRANCHISES (for me) have nearly exhausted their appeal. That said, the Penguin origin story was a worthy production that unfolded in a completely unpredictable way. Colin Farrell was utterly unrecognizable visually and audibly in his lead role. I challenge anyone who doesn’t know in advance to detect and identify the actor beneath the character. There were some very strong acting jobs aside from Farrell’s.  Cristin Milioti and Deirdre O’Connell stood out. Some other familiar faces in here round out a fine cast

The scene is set for another season if Farrell survives the makeup job and  the  pronounced limp he is forced to produce for his character,  He has to be nominated on the basis of transformation alone!

The Day of the Jackal

THE ORIGINAL BOOK by Frederick Forsythe came out in the ‘seventies. They made the original movie in 1982 when the titular assassin was (in keeping with the book) out to kill DeGaulle. Now, the Jackal is out to get a popular tech figure whose new software threatens the status quo of the power elite (eerie parallels to today’s recent news?) You get Eddie Redmayne and a strong supporting cast of fellow Brits as MI5 agents  as well as a solid production that bounces you around Europe during the cat and mouse game.

In keeping with the book, the Jackal is expert at changing his appearance and has concealed his identity as a world-class sniper and elite killer for hire. I only have one more episode for this season.

Landman

I”VE BEEN a Billy Bob Thornton fan since Sling Blade ages ago. This film gives him a role that plays to his past strengths (Goliath, Bad Santa, e.g.) as a rough and roguish type.  He gets some lines that are almost too good at times, but the Permian Basin oilfields are a rugged and intriguing new venue for me (I have only driven through them in Texas and Wyoming). I can’t decide if the movie is meant to be apologetic  for the oil industry and the culture surrounding it, or whether it is only a necessary realism that creates the conviction of the main players that they are only supplying a ravenous demand for a product that permeates (pun intended) the day-to-day existence for billions of consumers.  Demi Moore and Jon Hamm are part of the cast.

The first season is halfway over.  I you are sensitive to inappropriate speech and behavior, you might pass on this. If you are curious about what is probably an exaggerated peek at the people who pump the oil we can’t wean ourselves off of, give it a try.

WRH