Excited for Moon Knight? The directors past movies may show you what to expect

Date:
Sat, 22 Jan 2022 14:00:57 +0000

Description:
Moon Knight directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead have a collection of cult sci-fi and horror movies that you need to check out.

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Are you excited for Moon Knight? You should be. While the anti-hero won't be well-known to many, its two main stars in Oscar Isaac (Star Wars, Dune) and Ethan Hawke (The Black Phone, Dead Poets Society) will be.

But we digress. Moon Knight , the upcoming MCU Disney Plus show , is Marvels latest attempt to create entertainment with a wider range of tones and
genres, and it picked the perfect team of directors to do so.

And, with the Marvel Phase 4 project comprising six episodes, set to land on Disney's streaming platform on March 30, now is the perfect time to see what we can expect from its visually, tonally and stylistically.

Moon Knight's confirmed directors are Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. The former is believed to have directed four episodes, with the latter two working as a duo on two episodes. Although, online rumors suggest that George Clooney has helmed one of the superhero show's entries, too.

Egyptian director Diab is relatively new to western screens, but hes won plenty of awards from around the world, with nominations and awards from film festivals including Cannes, Venice and Chicago. If you want to check out his work, some of his films including Clash and Cairo 6, 7, 8 are on Netflix in certain regions.

The power team were looking at here, though, are Moorhead and Benson, who
have an impressive history of cult-classic films under their belts. The
pair's movies are fantastic at creating eerie atmospheres and plots full of mystery and tension. But their flicks also contain real character stories and stories that are actually resolved, instead of being absolute nonsense like your typical low-budget cerebral-sci-fi story.

The duo are classic do-it-yourself filmmakers, too. They direct, shoot, write
they've even starred in their own work sometimes and often make the most of low budgets, with great location work and scripts that are the stars of the show.

With Moon Knight's release just over two months away, you're best setting yourself up by checking out Moorhead and Bensons back catalog. Below, we run through which movies in their filmography you should check out. Resolution (Image credit: Rustic Films)

Resolution marked the first time Moorhead and Benson co-directed a feature, which was also shot by the former and written by the latter.

Set in a cabin outside San Diego, as well as the surrounding hills and towns, Resolution tells the story of a man who handcuffs his drug-dependent friend
to help clean him up but the friends own self-destructive habits, unfriendly neighbors and a mysterious force make the endeavor a hard one.

Its impossible to explain what makes Resolution great without spoiling the gripping ending. It could be accused of being a slow-burner but, even when
the sci-fi and mystery elements arent present, character development and an uneasily-tranquil tension are a fitting substitute.

As the duo's first film, this is markedly the most low-budget, confined to a cabin and a select few other locations, a limited cast and, for most of its runtime, no special effects. In that way, its a far cry from the
Disney-funded Moon Knight, but certain themes (which we wont discuss, for
fear of spoiling the movie) provide thematic ties. Spring (Image credit: Rustic Films)

Between Resolution and Spring, Moorhead and Benson worked on a few smaller projects, most notably a section for one of the V/H/S pictures, but Spring is the next movie wed recommend checking out.

Spring tells the tale of a bereaved US expatriate who travels to Italy and falls for a local woman. Its certainly not a rom-com though and, as the
movies poster gives away, that woman has a monstrous secret.

This is a great film for fans of the Lovecraftian-style horror aesthetic, especially in terms of monster design. But, beyond it, theres a surprisingly prescient story about finding yourself through other people, and the potentially-damaging problems of a reliance on relationships to do so.

It's also an interesting outlier in the filmography we're exploring. While most the filmmakers' movies explore male relationships The Endless is about brothers, Synchronic depicts co-workers and Resolution showing long-time friends Spring is about a romantic relationship. The Endless (Image credit: Snowfort Pictures)

Speak to most fans of Benson and Moorheads work, and theyll tell you that The Endless was their introduction to the filmography. Its the case for this writer and many other people, as its arguably the duos most popular film.

The Endless is about two brothers, brought up in a cult but left when they were young, who return to the place as adults and notice mysterious aspects
of the group that they didnt before.

As they explore the camp and their understandings of the past, the brothers' relationship begins to break down, before the real forces at play are revealed. Incidentally, the two brothers are played by Moorhead and Benson, showing their acting prowess is as strong as their behind-the-scenes work.

Theres a reason this is considered the entry point into the duos filmography and thats because its an incredible movie. The different aspects of filmmaking, from the script and performances to the shot composition and
audio mix, are all woven with impressive skill to create a story that juggles tension and character development.

Like Resolution, some could consider it slow, but theres enough going on in every scene and shot to keep you guessing. The pay-off, too, is incredibly satisfying, both from a story and character perspective. Seriously, if youre going to watch one movie weve recommended on this list, make it The Endless. Synchronic (Image credit: XYZ Films)

Synchronic felt like a surprisingly big-budget film for Benson and Moorhead when it came out. Now that theyve got Marvel money, it doesnt seem as huge, but it marks a change budget-wise and tonally from previous works.

Starring Anthony Mackie (Altered Carbon, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ) and Jamie Dornan (Billy Elliot, Fantastic 4), its about two paramedics
working in a city which is plagued by a mysterious designer drug which, when taken, has time-skipping effects.

Like Moorhead and Bensons previous works, Synchronic focuses on characters rather than the sci-fi concept being explored. But, while The Endless and Resolution focus on barely-understandable malevolent forces that the characters must grapple with, Synchronic is about a feasible alternative future. For that reason alone, viewers might find it a bit easier to watch.

Tonally, it feels a little different to the duos previous films, but there a
a few nods to previous films present for long-term fans to enjoy. Honorable mentions (Image credit: Rustic Films)

There are many other works by Moorhead and Benson that we'd recommend
checking out, too.

Something In The Dirt is one of those you cant watch this right now because, at the time of writing, its about to debut at Sundance Film Festival. If
youre lucky enough to be attending, though, you'll be able to catch it. And, if youre based in the US there are tickets still available for virtual screenings.

Something In The Dirt seems like a return to the duos roots as do-it-yourself filmmakers: they're the stars once more, with what seems to be a relatively low budget and limited locations. It tells the story of two neighbors who witness paranormal phenomena, whose relationship breaks down as a result the perfect combination of sci-fi and character development that have become hallmarks of the duo's filmmaking process.

Meanwhile, the pair have also produced a few movies, with two wed really recommend watching: After Midnight and She Dies Tomorrow.

The first is a relationship drama-slash-horror, directed by Jeremy Gardner
and Christian Stella, about a man living in the countryside whos tormented by a monster after his partner leaves him. Its an enjoyable story made fantastic by a tense one-take scene near the end, which could well be the best non-horror scene weve ever seen in a horror film.

The latter is a horror character drama directed by Amy Seimetz about a
woman who thinks shes going to die the next day, and the effect this has on those around her. Its a great character story and received enough awards attention to make it worth checking out. How to watch the Marvel movies in order



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