(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

While I may be a little iffy when it comes to the films of Martin McDonagh, his latest, “The Banshees of Inisherin” is pretty great and my favorite film of his to date. It’s McDonagh’s most intimate, most soulful, and most mature movie, yet it still features many of the trademarks his fans (and critics) will look for. It’s built on the back of one of the best screenplays of the year – one that ushers us down a dark and twisted path, yet has us laughing every step of the way.

McDonagh reteams with two of his favorites, a sublime Colin Farrell (what a year he’s had) and Brendan Gleeson, one of the most reliably great actors working today. The two stars were a fantastic pair in McDonagh’s 2008 hoot “In Bruges”. Together again, they make for another captivating duo in “Banshees” and once again they’re in perfect sync with McDonagh’s mordant sensibility.

“Banshees” is a movie that lives and breathes in the mundanity of life. It examines humanity through petty grievances. It pits the desire to be alone against the need for companionship. It asks the strangely fascinating question – what’s more important, being nice or being remembered? Why not be both, you ask? That’s a question never posed on Inisherin, a small fictional isle sitting close enough to the Irish mainland to see and hear the sounds of civil war, yet sits far enough away to feel like a world all its own.

Set in 1923, McDonagh greets us with a stunner of an opener as his camera introduces us to Inisherin, with its lush green grass, jagged cliffs, long sandy beaches, endless stone fencing, and handful of cozy rustic cottages. And of course there’s the hub of all social activity – the local pub, where everything can be celebrated, mourned, or hashed out over a pint of Guinness. Well, almost everything.

In this small, tight-knit, and delightfully eccentric community, Pádraic Súilleabháin (Farrell) and Colm Doherty (Gleeson) have long been best friends. But something has changed, quite literally overnight. Colm comes to the conclusion that he no longer wants to be friends with Pádraic. “I just don’t like ya no more,” is the only explanation he gives. But that’s not enough for Pádraic, an all-around nice guy who’s perfectly content with his simple, unremarkable life on the island (so much so that he’s earned the reputation of being a bit dull).

But the older Colm has found himself in an existential malaise. Convinced he hasn’t much time left (12 years to be exact), Colm has dreams that reach beyond Inisherin – not far beyond, but beyond nonetheless. He wants to do something people will remember, and sitting around listening to Pádraic ramble on about donkey manure isn’t helping him reach that goal. So he ends their friendship and trades his best friend for his fiddle.

But the earnest and genuinely perplexed Pádraic keeps coming around, sure that his former friend will eventually snap out of his funk. Fed up, Colm does what any of us would do if we existed in a Martin McDonagh film. He warns that every time Pádraic bothers him, he’ll hack off one of his own fingers. You’d think that would be a deterrent, but (again) this is a Martin McDonagh film. So the story takes a darker turn, and what started as simple spat soon spirals completely out of control.

Pádraic tries to fill his best friend vacancy by hanging out with Dominic (a perfectly cast Barry Keoghan), the simple, girl-crazy village outcast. He’s been tossed aside by the townsfolk, yet he may be the most honest of the bunch. Keoghan’s line delivery and mannerisms are so precise they make Dominic one of the funniest, definitely the saddest, and in many ways the most tragic figure in the film.

Another key player is Pádraic’s loving yet long-suffering sister, Siobhán (a stellar Kerry Condon). She lives with her brother and his miniature donkey named Jenny, looking after him and taking up for him. Empowered by Condon’s warmth and vigor, Siobhán’s motherly bond with Pádraic is both sweet and constraining. Opportunities for a richer life are calling her from the mainland. But how does she leave behind her dear brother and only sibling?

There are so many other quirky and colorful community members who’ll show up from time to time. But it all comes back to Pádraic, Colm, and the two Oscar-worthy performances behind them. Farrell with his perpetually furrowed brow, sad eyes, and whimsical charm. Gleeson with his world-wearied face, stoic gruffness, and melancholy gaze. They have a beguiling chemistry, and together they imbue this proudly Irish production with an acerbic wit and a firm gut punch that you’ll be feeling for days after. “The Banshees of Inisherin” is now showing in select theaters.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe veers off in countless strange and indulgent directions, the DC Extended Universe sits suffering from a glaring identity crisis. What exactly is the DCEU? Who’s running the DC ship? Is there a roadmap? Which movies and what characters are a part of it? There was a time when I could answer those questions, but not these days. It’s all so convoluted and confusing, which is frustrating considering the iconic characters in their catalog.

Zack Snyder had a well defined blueprint he was following. Unfortunately, his vision was “too dark”, “too gloomy”, and “too serious” for many who cut their teeth on the MCU. That, along with the Joss Whedon debacle and a considerable amount of studio meddling, insured that Snyder’s vision would never be fulfilled. So here we are, still wondering where they go from here. Sure, DC Films has put out some incredible movies (“The Batman”, “Joker”, etc.) that aren’t connected to their extended universe. But what about the DCEU?

Enter Dwayne Johnson and “Black Adam”, a pairing that attempts to bring balance and (more importantly) direction to the DCEU. The engrossing superhero epic “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” aside, “Black Adam” is the first DCEU film since 2018’s “Aquaman” that genuinely feels a part of something bigger. I’m not knocking smaller and more individual projects, but a sprawling universe needs interconnectivity and continuity. With “Black Adam”, it looks like the DCEU is finally ready to deliver that once again.

One of the film’s biggest strengths was also one of its biggest question marks – Dwayne Johnson. The wrestler turned movie star brings loads of influence and notoriety to whatever film he’s in. But he also has a truly larger-than-life personality which begs the question: would we be able to see beyond Dwayne Johnson to see Black Adam? The answer turns out to be a resounding “Yes”, and it’s in large part due to Johnson himself who gives a lights-out performance. He’s surprisingly restrained, intense and menacing, and slyly funny in some good moments of levity.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by the trio of Adam Sztykiel, Rory Haines, and Sohrab Noshirvani, “Black Adam” quite intentionally avoids heavy exposition within its origin story framework. The most we get comes in a prologue where we’re taken back to 2600 BC. In the country of Kahndaq, a despot named Anh-Kot enslaves his own people, forcing them to mine for a mysterious metal called Eternium. The corrupt king wants the metal to forge the powerful Crown of Sabbac, but the people revolt. Legend says a champion named Teth-Adam was granted the power of Shazam which he used to kill Anh-Kot and free Kahndaq.

In the present day, Kahndaq is oppressed by a high-tech organized crime syndicate called Intergang who are seeking the location of Crown of Sabbac. Knowing the dangers if Intergang gets its hand on the Crown, archaeologist Adrianna Tomaz (Sarah Shahi) tracks the artifact to a secret chamber deep in a mountain. It also happens to be the tomb of Teth-Adam. When she and her team are ambushed by a squad of Intergang soldiers, Adrianna recites an inscription that summons Teth-Adam himself (Johnson), an incredibly powerful being who immediately slaughters all of the Intergang soldiers.

With Adam’s arrival, the people of Kahndaq believe they have finally found their champion. But his powerful presence is discovered by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), a ruthless government official who dispatches the Justice Society of America to apprehend him. With a team consisting of the Nth metal empowered Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), a master sorcerer Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), the wind controlling Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), who can grow enormous heights by manipulating his molecular structure, the JSA set out for Kahndaq.

A big chunk of the movie operates within an interesting moral gray space as it wrestles with the questions: is Adam the hero longed for by the people of Kahndaq, or is he a dangerous villain who needs to be taken into custody? They’re questions that shape the very battles between the JSA and Adam as well as their inevitable team-up later on, once a more sinister threat arises. The movie offers no easy answers. Adam’s willingness to brutally kill his enemies clearly poses a problem for the JSA who are much more by-the-book. But where were the JSA and earth’s other heroes during Kahndaq’s centuries of oppression? This opens up some of the film’s deeper themes. And things only get more complicated as facts of Adam’s past come to light.

All of that makes for the kind of compelling dynamic that superhero movies rarely engage these days. But make no mistake, this is a popcorn genre film through-and-through. “Black Adam” is the epitome of ‘action-packed’ with Collet-Serra putting together several terrific set pieces. Every character gets their moment to shine, with Hodge’s Hawkman and Brosnan’s Dr. Fate making intriguing new additions. But this is Black Adam’s show. Johnson energizes things with his magnetic antihero grit and gnarly kills which push the PG-13 rating, yet are still very much in tune with his character.

In its noble effort to avoid the usual origin story trappings, “Black Adam” bypasses a lot of meaningful backstory, leaving us with a few too many questions. I was hungry to know about the Justice Society, and what is Waller’s connection to them? That said, “Black Adam” does a admirable job introducing new pieces and charting new courses for the DCEU, all within a mostly self-contained story. Obviously those quick to roll their eyes at franchise-building or DCEU movies in general will find plenty to nitpick. But “Black Adam” accomplishes everything it needs to. It offers big action and cracking new characters. It puts its own unique stamp on the superhero origin story. And it sets the DCEU on an exciting new trajectory. “Black Adam” is now showing in theaters.

VERDICT – 4 STARS