"Dunkirk", Christopher Nolan (2017) and "War of the Planet of the Apes", Matthew Reeves (2017). Movie reviews.

"Why so serious?" is the omnipresent question that every filmgoer must do to to the less talented brother of Michael Bay: a guy called Christopher Nolan.  "Dunkirk" is all problematic show, no substance.  A couple of scenes of grandeur does not save this movie from the smart-ass approach to the segmented narrative and the shallow level of characterizations.  As with almost all Nolan films, "Dunkirk" has an artificial heart, a few fake feelings that do not make up for the simulacra of great cinema.  Nolan is such a fascist that even the Nazis are not named.

"War of the Planet of the Apes" is a technological marvel that mixes Trump´s America War on Foreigners with the tale of Moises, the Egyptians and the Exodus, adding sprinkled scenes from the Vietnam War and Amon Göth.  The movie has its share of issues: resolution is swift as accustomed in modern blockbusters, ponderous scenes try to lend gravitas to otherwise popcorn entertainment, comedic character appears out of nowhere as a mean to let the audience escape gas, and trails for the sequel/remake of the sixties´ classic are too explicit to appear organic.  However, "War" is a step above its comic-book siblings by believing that its audience deserves a film and is smart enough to understand a story told by images other than colorful explosions.  The "Apes" series is what should be the baseline for mass entertainment, and we should only chose upwards as we buy movie tickets.

"Altered Carbon" (2018), Netflix, various directors. Capsule review.

Despite some middling reviews this Blade Runner-ish series is quite well constructed, from the neo-noir proceedings to the increasingly deranged ideas that come from its timely device. The rich can live forever, and immortality (as Asimov noted on one of his trilogies) provokes the stagnation of a reified social body and its decadence, both upstairs and on the smelly basement of human society. The tone is not for everyone, and the dystopian ambiance is a staple of the commentary on the current disarray. Still, it is said that the decline of a civilization stirs the waters of creativity. From a simple child´s song in Tim Minchin´s "Matilda" to a detective story set in the far future, artists use the oppressor´s own funds to scream that we must rebel in the end if we intend to survive. Is this a sublimation of our own desires, made to maintain us quiet? Or are these works of fiction the first salvoes on the liberation war to come?

"El Verdugo" (The Executioner), 1963, Luis María Berlanga. Capsule review.

A true masterpiece of black humor, this Berlanga piece is much more than it meets the eye. Done during the dictatorship of Franco, the movie is full of little details and commentary on the dichotomy of life under the iron hand of the "Caudillo". A man must take an immoral job to preserve his family´s living situation, and he will not go quietly to the guillotine. Popular and burgeois happiness are all over the place, but our hero has something more sinister in his mind. A must-see.