Dunkirk
Telling three interconnected stories, Dunkirk focuses on the 1940 evacuation of British and French troops as the German army advances closer.
Christopher Nolan’s latest has it all. The entire cast (from the heavyweights like Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance to the newcomers like Fionn Whitehead to Harry Styles) work great whether on their own or together, despite very little dialogue. The film goes at a breathless pace that constantly keeps you at the edge of your seat. It’s one of the best looking films, with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema (Interstellar) providing some of his best work yet. It also helps that the film was shot on film, and I highly recommend you find a theater playing it in 70MM.
The Dark Tower
Based on the novel series by Stephen King, The Dark Tower focuses on the quest of the last remaining Gunslinger, Roland, and Jake, a boy who sees visions of The Man In Black, to stop him from destroying the title tower.
I’ll be upfront: I haven’t read any of the Dark Tower books prior to the film, so I’m judging it on its own. And to be fair, director and co-writer Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair) did do an okay job with what he had. Idris Elba and newcomer Tom Taylor work well together as Roland and Jake, respectively, and the film does have some nice cinematography. However, the film’s plot reeks of cliches, and I felt that the film doesn’t feel very grandiose, despite the story they were trying to tell. Also, shame on this movie for wasting the talents of Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) and Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road).
Annabelle: Creation
Annabelle: Creation focuses on a couple that bring in a group of orphans, but find that something that could be their long dead daughter is haunting the girls
Between Annabelle: Creation and Ouija: Origin Of Evil, I like this trend of prequels to bad movies that are far superior. Director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out) shows his talents in building suspension and giving of genuinely effective jump scares (even if they do go a bit overboard). Most of the performances, from Janice (Talitha Bateman) and Linda (Lulu Wilson) have a believable friendship, to the Mullins’ (Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto) and Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman), do give the sense of dread that the film is going for. The film does cleverly tie into the first Annabelle despite mostly being a standalone film (and also justifies a plot point the first film that always bugged me), though how would be veering into spoiler territory. Also, stick around until the end credits to get a small peek for what The Conjuring universe has next.
Wind River
When a teenager is found murdered on a Native American reservation, a tracker (Jeremy Renner) and an FBI agent work together to find her murderer. Taylor Sheridan, writer of Sicario and Hell Or High Water, proves his talent in directing as well with this film. Despite the film’s nearly two hour runtime, the film never feels like it’s dragging. It pulls no punches, and the main characters are flawed, but you feel sympathy for them. I really can’t say much more, you just have to see it.
