The #newsdesk recommends films that are much talked about and rated high on the critics’ scale. It’s the weekend! Check them out right away!

MONKEY MAN  

Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meagre living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him

Directed By: Dev Patel

Written By: Paul Angunawela, John Collee

THE FIRST OMEN  

When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of an evil incarnate.

Directed By: Arkasha Stevenson

Written By: Tim Smith, Keith Thomas, Ben Jacoby, David Seltzer, Arkasha Stevenson

THE PEOPLE’S JOKER

A painfully unfunny aspiring clown (Vera Drew as Joker the Harlequin) grapples with her gender identity while unsuccessfully attempting to join the ranks of Gotham City’s sole comedy program in a world where comedy has been outlawed. Uniting with a ragtag team of rejects and misfits, Joker the Harlequin forms an illegal anti-comedy troupe that puts her on a collision course with the devious caped crusader controlling the city. 

  

Directed By: Vera Drew

Written By: Bri LeRose, Vera Drew

SCOOP

How the BBC obtained the bombshell interview with Prince Andrew about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein  

Directed By: Philip Martin

Written By: Geoff Bussetil, Peter Moffat

GIRLS STATE  

Teenage girls from wildly different backgrounds across Missouri navigate a week-long immersive experiment in American democracy, build a government from the ground up, and reimagine what it means to govern.  

Directed By: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss