Saturday, February 10, 2018

"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.

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