We’re almost at the end of summer and before you know it, certain things are going to happen. They’re going to yank my favorite beer, Sam Adams Summer Ale off the shelves by the second week of August and replace it with GARBAGE Octoberfest. A full month and a half before the actual Octoberfest and no one, repeat NO ONE, likes this beer. It will also be time for me to take the annual trip for me to go Vegas for week 1 of the NFL. And of course, it’s going to be soon enough when Hollywood drops a plate of continuous garbage into the theaters until November. I did catch a few new films and I’m more than happy to tell you about them.
Let’s be honest, it’s John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws) and then everyone else for film scoring. But Hans Zimmer (Batman trilogy, Inception, Lion King) is a SOLID number 2. I went to see Hans Zimmer at Radio City last week. He played for 3 hours and all of the hits. If you don’t know him, he’ll be on the Mt Rushmore of cinematic composers. Being Zimmer is Nolan’s go-to guy for film score, he also does the latest Nolan joint. As I’ve said before, no one bats 1.000, not even Babe Ruth. But Hans Zimmer is perfect in previous attempts and this is no exception. Zimmer does such a job that it will be a bigger fix than the 1919 Black Sox if he doesn’t get the Oscar this year. The score AND sound make will send shivers up your b-hole and if doesn’t, you ain’t alive.
Now let’s talk about the actual film. Nolan tells 4 different stories at the same time with some familiar faces from previous Nolan films, Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy. The story of Dunkirk is the Brits and French (further perpetuating stereotypes) have been pushed to the shores by the Nazis (pre-USA intervention) and are looking to retreat via the sea. But those pesky Krauts drop bombs and send torpedoes (actual torpedoes, not Sofia Vergara’s luscious cans) on the British naval ships that attempt to bring the soldiers back. Harry Styles (of One Direction fame; note that not one of their songs is on my phone. Not even as a guilty pleasure) plays the son of a former British soldier that takes his boys toward Dunkirk toward the rescue effort.
There are problems with this film. One, with the exception of Styles, his brother, and father off to help the stranded; there aren’t any characters that you feel any relationship with. Cillian plays a pilot that is shot down and rescued by Styles’s father but you don’t get a feel for his character. Same goes for fellow flyboy Tom Hardy. Another group of soldiers that are holed up in a ship are another group you feel nothing for. Secondly, there is no need for the roundabout fashion in which Nolan tells the story. Some people complained that it was difficult to follow; I didn’t feel like it was but there were a few moments where you have to mentally jump back and forth. Lastly, this film is 110 minutes but I felt it DRAGGED at times. My friend Ryan made a great point about not having any relationship with the characters; being that this films was simply about survival and didn’t need to be a nationalistic film with sentimentality. Fair points but this film didn’t grab me.
I just didn’t feel that invested in the story nor the characters. However, it is beautifully shot and as I previously said, the score adds fantastic gravitas to the moments. The dogfight scenes are amazing. And this is also EXACTLY what I said about Nolan’s previous film, Interstellar. Is Dunkirk as bad as I thought Interstellar was? No, but it’s also not much better. I think this is the film that may get Oscar noms when virtually every other Nolan film should have been honored. Why? Because it deals with history and we all know that as well as social issues are cheese in the mouse trap to get nominations. Here’s something else about Interstellar that applies here: If you have any desire to see this, make sure you see it in the theater. Because seeing it at home won’t give you the experience and you’ll dislike it even more if you’re watching on anything less than a big screen and 4dx sound.
I give it a 5.5 out of 10
Atomic Blonde has been garnering comparisons to John Wick. Yes, the fight scenes were choreographed by the same guy. But it’s definitely not 2 hours of ass kicking, gun-fu. There’s a story line here, much more involved than a guy hunting down the Russian mafia who killed his wife and dog. And I loved John Wick and liked John Wick 2. But this is deeper.
Let’s go back to November 1989, a few days before the Berlin Wall comes down. Charlize Theron (never on anyone’s top 10 hot list but she should be) is an MI-6 operative who is sent to Berlin to find out why her fellow compatriot was gunned down by a Russian assassin while hiding a list of agent code names as well as their real names. And the game is afoot the second she touches down in Berlin; as she uses her stiletto shoe to thwart attackers in a moving car. James McAvoy (Professor X in the recent X-Men films as well as the schizophrenic in that AWFUL film, Split) is a man who can get his hands on anything on the black market and his especially interested in getting that list or the man who memorized that list.
The action scenes aren’t as many as Wick but they’re really good. There’s one scene where Theron fights off 4 attackers in a continuous shot. The camera work is amazing, you get a “Bourne Ultimatum” feel with some of these sequences. And as an added bonus, you also get some quick shots of Charlize Theron’s boobs when she submerges in ice baths. There’s even a lesbian sex scene with her and a French spy. An enthusiastic thumbs up from this reviewer. Lastly, you’ll totally dig the 80’s soundtrack playing throughout the film as well as footage from news organizations covering the events leading up to and the destruction of the Berlin Wall.
This film was a pleasant surprise on many levels and it’s a little more than just a typical summer action blockbuster. It didn’t make big money on opening weekend but doesn’t that mean the audiences guessed right by passing on it. It’s quite enjoyable with a few nice twists and Theron proves that women can kick ass without it being a forced feminism agenda. You hear me, female Ghostbusters reboot?
I give it a 7/10
Last and certainly not last, I saw Spiderman: Homecoming a few weeks ago but was lazy and never wrote the review. This is the best Spiderman film of all time. Tom Holland crushes it as Peter Parker, he gives the role a lot more fun as well as that nerdy aspect to it. It also doesn’t hurt having Downey Jr in it a few times, reprising his role as Tony Stark/Iron Man who gives Parker an upgraded suit. And let’s not forget Michael Keaton who is having a resurgence for the ages. I liked Birdman, LOVED the Founder, and he’s fantastic as the Vulture. This film doesn’t miss on any aspect and has a fantastic twist in the third act with one of Peter’s classmates. I eagerly anticipate anything Spiderman in the future as Holland did a great job of erasing any memory of Andrew Garfield and also nicely scrubbed Spiderman 3 from my cerebellum.
I give this an 8.5/10
Kevin Gootee 