Dunkirk

The evacuation of Allied soldiers in the harbor city of Dunkirk, France was an amazing feat of military strategy. It was a plot point in Atonement and it's the plot of Christopher Nolan's latest epic, Dunkirk.

Nolan's screenplay divides the story from three fronts. They unfold in a non-linear fashion and without the aid of extraneous dialogue. The plot is pretty comprehensible except for reasons I'll get to later on.

1. THE MOLE. Privates Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) and Alex (Harry Styles) are among the many British troops stranded in Dunkirk. Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) is supervising the evacuation on the stone pier, the "mole" of the title. U-Boats and the German Air Force surround them. They need help.

2. THE SEA. Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) is here to help. He's one of many mariners who've set out to deliver the troops their salvation. His son, Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney), doesn't think they have a chance and teenage George (Barry Keoghan) is here for the ride. They save a shell-shocked soldier (Cilian Murphy), who's really desperate not to go back to Dunkirk.

3. THE AIR. British pilots Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden) are here to provide some air support. They'll have to do what it takes to make sure the evacuation succeeds.

The film runs at a surprisingly short 106 minutes considering its scale. But it makes every minute count. Its opening scene shows the eerie desolation of Dunkirk as photographed by Hoyte van Hoytema. The production design is also praiseworthy. The ocean scenes are also spectacularly filmed. Its sound team follows tense silence with piercing sound effects. It also helps that editor Lee Smith paces the action wonderfully. And finally, Hans Zimmer's score is another memorable soundtrack.

What gripes exist? There's one and that's the non-linear structure. It can really throw off viewers as they try to piece together the plot. You really don't know how the pieces go together until the end. I'll give you a hint: "The Air" storyline unfolds in an hour before the ships come in. You might end up drawing your own wild conclusions before the finale. I know I did. Fortunately, as with Nolan's other works, this is a problem that can be fixed with repeat viewings.

Which performances stood out in the shifting crowd? Rylance as Mr. Dawson was the best of the bunch. He has to convince his son and himself that going to Dunkirk is the right thing. Another highlight was Gibson (Aneurin Barnard), a British private with a secret. Both Hardy and Lowden were also great in their fronts. There's also a welcome cameo from Michael Caine as the radio communicator to Farrier and Collins.

Dunkirk is another movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen. You can see it regular, IMAX or on 70 MM film if you live close enough. Whatever format you choose will do the spectacle just right. It's both an outstanding war movie and an outstanding summer blockbuster. It truly feels like an event movie rather than an every week occurrence. But see it in on the big screen.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

This post was previously published on July 26th, 2017 at 12:40 am. It was inexplicably flagged for sensitive content on February, 12th, 2017. Why? I'm re-editing it to see if it will make it better.

One's a space cop and the other's a time-displaced peasant girl. Together, they fight cosmic crime. They're Valerian and Laureline, the eponymous stars of Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christin's space opera comic book opus. Its trippy visual style has influenced other sci-fi works such as Star Wars and The Fifth Element, the latter of which had Mézières as a concept artist.

And now, the director of The Fifth Element, Luc Besson, brings the space-faring duo to the big screen for the first time in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. It's a pity that it might be the only time given the way the box office is looking so far. A few story details are hard to follow, but its wackiness makes it a winner.

The film starts with the history of Alpha, the eponymous City of a Thousand Planets, as it grows from a humble Earth space station into a massive intergalactic colony. 400 years later, special agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) maintain peace in the universe for the Intergalactic Human Federation. Their latest mission is to go to an inter-dimensional mall called Big Market and confiscate a rare creature called a Mül Converter. These critters shed copies of what they eat.

After a narrow escape, the duo heads off to Alpha to deliver the Converter to Commander Filit (Clive Owen), who we find out too early isn't a nice man. He oversaw an earlier space battle which nuked Planet Mül, the Converter's home world, into oblivion. The survivors want their Converter back, so they crash a meeting and take the Commander captive. Our heroes, who don't know he's a creep yet, head into the heart of Alpha to rescue him. What starts off as a simple rescue mission ends with the revelation of a sinister conspiracy.

So, what about Besson's screenplay? It crams in a lot of intergalactic exposition that flies by pretty quickly. The worst offenders are the numerous aliens whose names you'll spend a while to learn. Our heroes' backstories are more comprehensible in comparison. The film also impedes its mystery plot by telegraphing its twists ahead of time. Its first scene is of Mül just before the end. Commander Filit spends an early scene torturing a Mül survivor. You can pretty much tell why they attacked the meeting. But their end game was a nice surprise.

Let's talk about the direction. The tone circles around from serious to cartoonish, though not in the same scene. The Mül apocalypse is tragic even without some initial context. Our heroes' escape from Big Market ends with their bestial pursuer falling back to earth like a Looney Toon. It at least knows what it wants to be when it wants to be. The silly scenes in particular were actually entertaining.

What about its characters, whether alien, human, digital or real? DeHaan is a capably smug Valerian, while Delevingne is a capably serious Laureline. Their chemistry isn't outstanding, but it gets the job done. The best character is the shapeshifting dancer alien Bubble (Rihanna), who is unfortunately taken out of the movie far too soon. Ethan Hawke and Alain Chabat provide one-scene comical wonders to the mix. Commander Filit makes for a brutal villain with almost sympathetic motivations.

The film's technical marvels are plentiful. The production, costume, makeup, and alien designs are just as elaborate as those in The Fifth Element. The CGI, cinematography by Thierry Arbogast and editing by Julien Rey complete the film's visual life. Alexandre Desplat's score and the sound design add the aural touch to the film's universe.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a delightfully weird space odyssey which is mildly hampered by its clunky exposition. It's a trip that's unlike a lot of summer films out there these days. But this deserves to be seen on the big screen first. Its 137 minutes will go by quick if you're in the right mood.

War for the Planet of the Apes

It's time to go ape again. Fox's rebooted apes are back again for their trilogy-capper, War for the Planet of the Apes. It's a way to go for these darn, dirty apes.

Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his clan of intelligent apes are still fighting armies of angry humans. One army, Alpha-Omega, even has turncoat apes in its ranks. One night, Alpha-Omega pays an unwelcome visit to Caesar's home base and their leader, the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), kills Caesar's wife and eldest son. Caesar decides to get back at the Colonel while the apes trek to a safe haven in the desert. A few apes join Caesar on his quest.

The brain-boosting virus that enhanced Caesar and the apes now has the opposite effect for humans. One such victim is Nova (Amiah Miller), a human girl they adopt into their clan. An eccentric chimp hermit, Bad Ape (Steve Zahn), leads them to Alpha-Omega's base. The Apes are there, prisoners of the Colonel, who demands they build him a wall without food or water. Caesar has to stand up to the Colonel to get his Apes out of there before Alpha-Omega's human enemies do (long story). But he worries about succumbing to the dark side like Koba (Toby Kebbell), the vengeful ape who haunts his dreams.

The motion capture effects continue the visual standard of the series. The apes still don't look out of place interacting with real people and environments. Their textures are indistinguishable from real apes. Each individual ape stands out even in a crowd of 50 chimpanzees or gorillas.

While some may wonder if this will finally get a visual effects Oscar for the new, improved Apes series, my question is "will this get an Oscar nomination for something beyond visual effects?" There's much to admire in the technical department. The sound designers crafted a bunch of fierce Ape screams and shouts, explosions and other powerful sound effects. Michael Giacchino has another memorable score, one which starts off with an eerie rendition of the Fox fanfare. Michael Seresin's cinematography and William Hoy & Stan Salfas' editing also enforce the moods. The production design is also awards worthy.

The acting also works, again. The motion capture apes feel as alive as the humans who played them. It's especially so with Caesar, who struggles to do the right thing throughout the movie. Zahn as Bad Ape provides much needed comic relief with his odd quirks. So what about the human villain? Harrelson's Colonel does some vile things but his last moments leave him a pitiful wreck. That's quite an accomplishment.

War for the Planet of the Apes is advertised as the finale of this rejuvenated story. It ends on such a strong note that you'll wonder where they'll go from here. I'm kinda into seeing a redo of the original Planet of the Apes with the new trilogy's motion capture apes. But how will they work stuff like time-travel into this setting? I hope whatever they do has the same story quality as this trilogy did. That's what helped it earn its second cinematic life.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

So The Amazing Spider-Man wasn't amazing after all.

Sony's second attempt at a Spider-Man film series short-circuited after two movies. So they worked out a joint custody agreement with Marvel Studios for a new cinematic life. Their newest webhead appeared in the form of Tom Holland in a glorified cameo in Captain America: Civil War. He returns in his latest solo movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The aforementioned Civil War had Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) recruit Peter Parker to help him bring in Captain America (Chris Evans) and his fellow rogue Avengers. Peter starts the film by vlogging about his adventure, which includes getting a new high-tech suit from Tony. He goes back to Queens after the ensuing battle physically roughs him up. He still wants to be an Avenger but Tony doesn't think he's ready. He'll have to be a local "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" for now.

Meanwhile, salvager Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) finds his business threatened by Tony's new Department of Damage Control. He decides to sell his souvenirs from superhero battles on the black market to pay the bills. He even fashions a winged suit from alien technology to become The Vulture. His workers accidentally draw Spider-Man's attention and he decides to deal with them before they cause trouble. Tony, meanwhile, tells Peter to stop before his recklessness causes trouble. After all, Peter's got a lot to deal with in Home and High School. What if the wrong people knew who he was?

Six writers, including director Jon Watts, worked on the screenplay. The end result is still a comprehensible teen superhero story. Peter's upcoming Homecoming dance is just as important as stopping the Vulture. We even see that these plot threads are closer than we realize at the end. There's even a few great gags ranging from a series of corny Captain America videos to Spidey's far-too effective suit. It's barely interested in setting up the next installment but its last scene is an hilarious game-changer.

This version of Spidey is still as delightfully enthusiastic as in Civil War. His wisecracks are as fun as always and his desire for respect is understandable. Then again, starting a fight in a populated ferry wasn't a wise choice. He still learns from his mistakes which earns the audience's respect. Jacob Batalon provides great comic relief and battle support as Peter's best bud, Ned Leeds. Michael Keaton makes for a formidable villain with understandable motives as The Vulture. Among the supporting cast, highlights include Tony Revolori as Peter's High School nemesis, Flash Thompson, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Jennifer Connelly as Peter's suit AI "Karen" and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

The technical Marvels work their magic once again. Spidey's web-swinging is still cool after all these years. His youthful inexperience comes into play a few times as it adds to the tension. This is best exemplified in the rescue scene atop the Washington Monument. The Vulture's demonic suit adds to the character's ferocity. His gang's weaponry melds great CGI and sound design together. Michael Giacchino's score is a nice listen and its highlight is its rendition of the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon theme. Only the climactic fight with The Vulture was a bit hard to follow but the rest of the movie was nicely edited.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fresh start to a new Spidey cinematic life. It doesn't have the baggage of an oft-told origin story or a convoluted story wrapped in conspiracies and sub-plots. It gets things moving for a nicely paced 133 minutes. It's an exciting, funny, and meaningful superhero adventure that's sure to leave you excited for, not resigned to, Spidey's next adventure.

Its prerequisite mid-credit scene does hint of future villains for Spidey to face. The end credit scene is one more for the Captain America running gag.

Baby Driver

I'm sure a title like Baby Driver makes one imagine a few possibilities. Who'd ever imagine that the end result is an action thriller? Or one of the best original summer films from a major studio in years?

"Baby" (Ansel Elgort), as he's known, is the getaway driver employed by Atlanta crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey). His parents were killed in a crash which left him with tinnitus, which he drowns out with music. But he can still evade the cops like the best drivers. Baby proved his worth by stealing from Doc, which is why he works for him. The debt is now paid and Baby can go straight.

Baby meets a waitress, Debora (Lily James), with whom he plans to head out west. Unfortunately, Doc abruptly renews Baby's contract for a Post Office job. His crew includes the psychotic Bats (Jamie Foxx) and married crooks Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza Gonzalez). Baby looks for his exit from the underworld while Bats' attitude derails the operation.

Writer/Director Edgar Wright and his crew never slow down during the film's 113 minutes. The film's action is edited by Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss in-tune with a collection of standards and Steven Price's original score. The car chases zoom with clarity and style. The dramatic revelations hit like an oncoming semi. Cinematographer Bill Pope gets points right off the bat for filming in Atlanta and in locales I recognize, like my Alma Matter, Georgia State University. The cinematography itself exemplifies the moods from dread, to action, to even the scale of the city spectacularly. The sound designers make Baby's tinnitus loud and clear; it especially affects him in the climax.

There's not a single miscast character here. Elgort is a great lead as Baby and James is fine as Debora. Spacey is threatening as Doc, but we see he legitimately cares about Baby. Foxx and Hamm are formidable villains, the latter even more so in the climax. Amongst the supporting cast, there's Brogan Hall as Doc's surprisingly polite nephew Samm, CJ Jones as Baby's deaf foster father Joseph and Paul Williams as an arms-dealer called The Butcher.

Baby Driver finds time for a few fun laughs in all the excitement. It's still a serious story with an off-beat title. It works because its lead is likable, his goals are understandable and the screenplay knows how to raise the stakes. The final resolution is sweet and satisfying. What's more to say. Apparently, a lot, since there's already talk of a sequel. Let's hope that a potential next one is just as memorable and stylish as this musical caper.

Despicable Me 3

Gru and his yellow Minions have returned for more animated mayhem in Despicable Me 3. This installment shows that this franchise hasn't lost its touch after seven years. 

Gru (Steve Carrell) and his wife, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), are agents of the Anti-Villain League. The biggest thorn on their side is Balthazer Bratt (Trey Parker), a former child actor who never outgrew his kid supervillain role from his 80's show, Evil Bratt. Gru and Lucy stop Bratt from stealing a large diamond, but he gets away again, which gets the two fired. All but two of the Minions walk out on Gru when he won't turn bad again. Bratt also makes off with the diamond in another heist. Gru also finds out he has a long-lost twin brother, Dru (also Carrell), who's a seemingly wealthy pig farmer in Freedonia.

Dru levels with Gru when they meet. Their late father was a legendary supervillain and Dru wants Gru to teach him the tricks of the trade. Gru decides to bring Dru along to steal back the diamond from Bratt. Gru wants to bring back the diamond to the Anti-Villain League and get his and Lucy's job back, but Dru doesn't know that. Bratt wants to use the diamond to bring one of his TV plots to life. The Minions get in their own adventures. What's a Gru to do?

Its story goes along nicely for 90 minutes. The writers find time for the characters to have their own adventures. Whether it's Lucy asserting herself as an adoptive mother, Gru and Dru bonding as brothers, or youngest daughter Agnes looking for a unicorn, the subplots are simple and to the point. There are some questions, like why the Minions walked out now instead of earlier, but they're minor.

Carrell has great chemistry with himself as Gru and Dru. They're both distinctive characters that have an actor between them. The Minions, who are still indistinguishable as usual, pull a catchy rendition of I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General at one point. Bratt is an entertaining villain who gets serious at the end. Of all the returning cast members, it was great to hear Julie Andrews as Gru and Dru's mother.

The visual design is still bright and colorful. Bratt's gadgets are a delightful array of weaponized 80's items, like a sonic keytar, a dye-pack rubix cube and an army of living dolls. My favorite bits are the scenes of Evil Bratt, complete with extensive special effects failures. Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams' score and the sound design is also appealing. 

Despicable Me 3 is still a nice summer matinee. It's fun, exciting and even meaningful. I just wonder what they'll do after the ending they pull. It's an unexpected twist except that it's not. But it's a way to go.