(2017) Reviews, Topher Allen
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- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsFionn WhiteheadBarry KeoghanMark RylanceAllied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.I believe it was at the premiere of "Dunkirk" where the film's director Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight," "Interstellar") essentially said "Do not try to 'enjoy' this film, rather, try to experience it."
Being a World War II film that takes place on the beaches of Dunkirk, featuring much aerial battle as well as bombings of ships on the waters, I have to bring up another film with similar action: "Pearl Harbor." Hear me out.
From the initial trailers of "Pearl Harbor," there was no Ben Affleck or Josh Hartnett. There was no love story. There were no seemingly made-up characters that meant to detract from the true subject of the film in exchange for narrative. I remember thinking that it was going to be a new kind of film with no central characters, and that Michael Bay was the visual story teller to do it. How wrong I was, but my disillusionment didn't last past the second trailer for "Pearl Harbor."
"Dunkirk" opens with little text telling us all we need to know. At one point in the Second World War, many allied troops were united to be evacuated in a strategic attempt to escape an overwhelming surge of German forces. What makes this film so American (an element that will be lost on audiences) is this sense of unity between the British and French and others. What will be remembered of the film is the fear of Germans and the confusion of the narrative, like several Nolan films ("Inception," and "Memento" at least) which creatively manipulate time itself. Here, the distortion is almost forgotten as the intercutting seems to suggest that history repeats itself even though the three story lines only take place over the course of a week. The Mole, the location where the stories come together, is where the evacuation is taking place. Tired soldiers standing in line to be rescued from the insanity of war who want nothing more than to never hear the sounds of German engines again.
This sound, the sound of fighter planes coming to bomb ships and kill allied soldiers, acts as the "Jaws" theme. Reminiscent of "Saving Private Ryan," one of Spielberg's several World War II films, one scene in particular shows not the planes approaching, but a crowd of soldiers as one turns his head and then another, with fear on their faces, and suddenly every face turns before havoc breaks out. Christopher Nolan has been called "Spielberg for smart people" as he explains everything visually, and this film is a stunning example. It plays like a silent film where even the limited amount of dialogue is almost unimportant.
Reflecting on the film, my favorite scenes were with Mark Rylance (who won an Oscar for a Spielberg film, "Bridge of Spies"), who plays one of the many civilians who took it upon themselves (as they did in reality) to rescue as many troops as they could. In the war at the time, it wasn't just battle ships that sought to help them. It was even mere fishing boats like this one depicts. This particular story-line (although all story is blurred by the events of the film) serves as an allegory for needless death, fear, and suffering. Within the limits of a PG-13 rating, the film still feels unlimited in exemplifying the horrors of war. Has Zimmer's score is in a constant state of intensity to see to that as well.
No scene is stronger in terms of cinematic precision than the opening, where a small group of faceless soldiers are shot at and picked off by invisible German forces. The three segments ("The Mole," "The Sea," and "The Air") are introduced as time intervals immediately showing the effects of war and the exhaustion one week can bring.
The film is not meant to be entertaining (although there hardly seems to be a comfortable moment to even blink), and Christopher Nolan seems to be taking a departure from the joy of his near-perfect filmography to make a statement about war itself. Here we have men in the midst of battle trying to escape, and this desperation is felt. Many might complain that there is no character development (no Batmans in the form of Christopher Nolan's dark knight or Ben Affleck's caped crusader), but heroes are all we see. Heroics will be constantly overshadowed in reality, as they are here.
"Where were you?" one soldier asks of another who finally joins up with his comrades. He has no response.
"These men know where you were," Rylance's character reminds him. This bit of dialogue may be the most heroic act in the picture, as he was on a rescue ship (the fishing boat) and they saved many lives.
In the end, we have the speech from Winston Churchill, read by one of the soldiers as no external characters are given screen time. It should be noted that no "leaders" (men who send others off to war are what I call "leaders") are shown or talked about...only those who took part in the horrific events. His speech was meant to give details of the horror and fear of the Nazi invaders...and yet sounds like an inspirational victory is about to take place. (Spoiler: SKIP to the next paragraph...You'll see a newspaper article fulfilling the dream of one of our "heroic characters" that proves him to be a hero when we as the audience knows he literally died for nothing. His death was the result of an unfortunate accident.)
The lies that are told about war keep us fighting...
...they help us sleep at night, supposedly, and keep us positive in the morning. "My son died for my country," many proudly exclaimed during World War II...and later, Korea, and then Vietnam, and they're saying this even today...
...and there is no end to this... - DirectorEdgar WrightStarsAnsel ElgortJon BernthalJon HammAfter being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsAndy SerkisWoody HarrelsonSteve ZahnAfter the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHarrison FordRyan GoslingAna de ArmasYoung Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.A spoiler-free commentary...
"Enjoy your movie," said the bartender as I walked away with a good portion of a good portion of ribs still in my teeth. After playing with a toothpick for what I measured out to be a parking-lot-and-a-half, I pondered all I could remember of the original "Blade Runner," which showed to empty theaters in 1982 (although the reviews were good even then).
"Cyberpunk" is one aspect, and you'd recognize the concept from countless places such as "The Matrix" and anime shows like "Akira." It started with Blade Runner, a moniker for the assassin played by Harrison Ford, who really exemplifies a private detective in a noir film.
"Noir," meaning black, is the color of (as you know this, as you'll notice) death. These films are dark, and not just in thematic material. When good guys were police, now we have corrupt cops and villains with a soul. And that's where "Blade Runner" is most philosophical.
"Androids," as in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" the Phillip K Dick novel which inspired the original flick. ("Minority Report" and "Total Recall" are also inspired by this one author) Here we have robots, a word that evolved from another word that meant "slave," and slaves is what the world needed, apparently (still a prominent idea in the world today). The androids in "Blade Runner" were given some form of free will, a philosophical concept...and a debatable one at that.
"Enjoy your movie," he told me. As if I have a choice. As if I have the free will to do so. I can't choose to be entertained or bored, nor can I choose to be emotional. I just am. For I am human. For many, this lack of free will is weakness. The androids in "Blade Runner" (1982) also have weakness, the capacity for emotions, bringing into question...what does it mean to be human? Do they count sheep as they fall asleep? (Do they dream of electric sheep?)
Irrelevant...as a movie goer. These questions are maybe for a second viewing...but as for the first...I will continue this writing after having seen "Blade Runner: 2049" . . .
12 hours later...
Ryan Gosling's "K" (full name: K and some serial numbers, establishing him as another generation of android) is on a mission of self-discovery...so, clearly, he does have free will...but how does he know? In the world of private detectives, badges are taken in, and that's when the detecting can really begin. That's when it's personal. Denis Villeneuve sets a beautiful scene, and seems to easily beg for wonder from the audience, taking his time as did Ridley Scott for the original "Blade Runner." It isn't just personal to "K," however, because this particular trajectory eventually leads him to another being who has the free will to be alone...
Rick Deckard.
The best scene in the movie is one that comes at the apex of our wonderment (quite a while into the film), and our lead character enters the remains of what I believe was a casino. A grand nightclub, for sure, full of empty bottles of liquor that hint at our hard-drinker from Blade Runner (1982). Deckard, a former blade runner, is now in hiding...from the world. Seemingly trying to live in the past. A place where holograms of famous singers of old, even to us in 2017, are flickering in the background. Haunting, though it may want to be, it feels welcome in the film. Recognition is sparse in this futuristic California, but...that's a good thing, considering WALL-E is a necessary reality (don't worry, unlike Star Wars, Disney has no involvement in this R-rated reboot) in this world (we do visit a garbage dump in the hazy outskirts of L.A./San Diego).
This film is about the world, but...not about the politics or philosophy of the characters. Maybe this is a detective's story...We are given a glimpse (running at nearly three hours, the film feels to be...about three hours) into the atmosphere (beautifully created by amazing sets and the glorious photography, courtesy of Roger Deakins, who should take home some awards for this one) and into the lifestyle of our characters...
...but character development is not to be expected. Not in a world of artificial intelligence, anyway. This creates for a hollow experience, one full of answers, but not asking the right questions if you ask me. A worthy follow-up to one of the most influential films of all time (one I don't particularly love, honestly, but it asks good questions). Unfortunately, in the present-day reality of franchises, this one begs the question..."Must we revisit this bleak vision?"
What's missing?
Look for it, and you'll have everything you hoped for in a film about blade runners...where the first one was about death, this breathes life into a bleak world...but it's still hard to see...hazy at first, this allegory. - DirectorRian JohnsonStarsDaisy RidleyJohn BoyegaMark HamillRey develops her abilities with the help of Luke Skywalker, as the Resistance prepares for battle against the First Order.Spoiler-Free Commentary:
There's a trick used by many filmmakers, experienced and amateur, known as the montage. The trick is simple: When one story feels too diminished in it's value of entertainment, switch to another story to continue audience engagement. "The Last Jedi" relies heavily on this technique, but so much so in the first act that it feels like a mess.
The truth is, there's a lot of concept to cover. We have to meet the end of when The Force Awakened, and we have to re-introduce our hero from the original Star Wars trilogy. Also, this is a war movie, so we are constantly swept up with our characters in their turbulent time. This turbulence may be what the editor is chasing, unfortunately.
As for concept, although interesting and quietly relevant to themes of war, the Jedi itself was founded on unread scriptures to become a religion much resembling our current ideas of Buddhism. The force is the energy felt between birth and death, and not exclusive to Jedi. Or is it? The Buddhist inspiration is not a foreign concept to the universe of Star Wars, but there's a simple wisdom shared that is not so accessible...
...until...
...We are visited by an old Jedi Master. Lest this not be spoiled, this one scene is worth admission into the movie. It's almost a dream-like sequence, really.
This is a turn for the audience, because we finally arrive into recognizable territory. Nostalgia hits us like a warm hug, and then all our characters are back on track. This is when the film becomes a Star Wars movie.
The universe is expanded, but do our characters grow?
Rian Johnson, the man behind "Looper," one of my Sci-fi favorites from the past few years, writes and directs. His efforts went into a more natural look rather than relying so heavily on computer-generation, but his strengths are taking characters from the previous installment, definitely keeping the comedic value, and adding something new (like a James-Bond-casino planet) and fitting (the "fun" of "Return of the Jedi" and the darkness of "Empire") into the Star Wars universe . Twist after twist, inspiring several audience applause moments, we question the morality and motivations of our main characters.
Unfortunately, I believe this film was only meant to be viewed once. While "The Force Awakens" stands alone like "Star Wars" (1977), this film is no "The Empire Strikes Back." As much as I would suggest not missing it in the biggest theater possible, perhaps it would be a most necessary viewing only for the inevitable third installment of this trilogy. Many loose ends are tied up, but the questions of "The Force Awakens" are mostly answered.
Perhaps the Star Wars universe movies will allow us stand-alone entries, but back to what I was saying about the art of montage...this one unfortunately feels like a movie trailer. - DirectorLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsBrooklynn PrinceBria VinaiteWillem DafoeSet over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsFrances McDormandWoody HarrelsonSam RockwellA mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.
- DirectorJordan PeeleStarsDaniel KaluuyaAllison WilliamsBradley WhitfordA young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point.
- DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsGal GadotChris PineRobin WrightWhen a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
- DirectorChris McKayStarsWill ArnettMichael CeraRosario DawsonA cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan who wishes to become his sidekick.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsEthan HawkeAmanda SeyfriedCedric The EntertainerA minister of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.
- DirectorScott CooperStarsScott ShepherdRosamund PikeAva CooperIn 1892, a legendary Army Captain reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory.