With animated fare, while The Monkey King Reborn is indeed a 'cartoon', albeit one glimmering with all the digital wonderment that CGI Now, the kind of funny and possibly ironic thingĪbout all of the above linked films is that they are all live action, and yet attempt to deliver the kind of over the top lunacy that is often associated Kingdom, Monkey King: Hero Is Back, The Monkey King 3D and The Monkey King 2 3D. The West: Conquering the Demons, The Forbidden Years, and as I've mentioned in some of the reviews of those films, other 'monkey king' outings have also been part of my viewing fare, 'monkey king' movies have been (and evidently will continue to be, as I'll mention below): The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven's Palace, Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, The Monkey King 2, Immortal Demon Slayer: The Legend of Wu Kong and The Monkey King 3 have all crossed my review queue over several previous While nowhere near the fullĬomplement of such films, just the following list of items I've personally reviewed may be enough to highlight what a kind of amazingly huge Yeah, yeah, yeah, the title references a monkey, but some wise soul may caution curious types to be careful of falling down a rabbit hole whenĪpproaching any film with either 'monkey king' in its moniker or just such a character among its cast. It’s a radical film meant for the base, who see America always moving in the wrong direction.Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, November 29, 2021

When Jacobs brings energy to the screen, he evokes his favorite artworks ( Moby-Dick, Freaks, Greed) and his soul-mate artists (Max Beckmann, Maya Deren, Fats Waller). It compares America to an empty Brillo box.

It’s a relentless bohemian attack on America for throughout its history worshipping a false God in its search for endless wealth and mediocrity. It delivers a bitter anti-patriotic rant to a figure looming as The Monkey King, the idol of greed worhipped in America. The theme, coinciding with the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations, is one of revolutionary anti-capitalism. The background music is from a raucous J.G.

It takes on the colors of deep blue and amber. The imagery is served from close-ups of crumpled metallic foil. It’s a trippy film about anger and frustation over the American exploitative system. Ken Jacobs (“Window”/”The Guests”) directs this amazing avant-garde agitprop short. Thirlwell/Manorexia cast: Runtime: 40 MPAA Rating: NR producer: Ken Jacobs Anthology film series 2011) (director/writer: Ken Jacobs cinematographer: Ken Jacobs editors: Nisi Jacobs/Jason Drakeford music: J.G.

The monkey king film series