History is, basically, the stories we tell ourselves. Fact is muddled somewhere in it, but it is some human element that binds it together. Much of historical dramas operate on this principle. No film could completely depict the events as they unfolded. However, we don’t expect it to be created from whole cloth either. A balance is struck between the machine of Hollywood filmmaking and the adherence to the truth. In some ways, this can yield middling results. Much of Netflix’s latest Operation Mincemeat falls into this region.

Well for those who saw the last film I reviewed, you might need a much needed break from brutality. As good as The Northman was, it’s not a film to easily shake off after viewing. As I saw the box office numbers come in, it was both disheartening and understandable the weak totals that Viking epic brought in. A needed dose of mirth is just what the doctor would order. With the wealth of options what does one choose? And, after all, humor is highly subjective. In my fumbling way, let me guide those over to HBO Max for a couple choice program to get your yucks in.

Mythos and their power over us have been in the zeitgeist in the last decade. A glut of superhero films continues to fill multiplexes, our modern equivalent to ancient tales. It is enough to take them for granted as base culture. However, this was not always the case. Equal parts anthropology and religion, these tales passed down were inspiration for many writers going forward. No greater motivation has ignited plots as revenge. And no grander presentation has graced the screen as Robert Eggers’s latest.