The Unofficial Ongoing Current Movies in Theaters thread

[Supermoon]

Atomic Blonde

[dookeyXXX]

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
3.5 / 5
Tom Holland is the best cinematic Spider-Man yet (imho). He manages to catch all the awkwardness, faux bravado, and mid-level-cool guy-in-high-school-who-doesn't-know-that-he's-kinda-cool ambiance that was missing from the Toby McGuire and Andrew Garfield ventures. Still a little too much over-the-top destruction and fighting for my taste, but then that was prevalent in a lot of the comics. Bottomline is that Holland owns it as Spidey.
Michael Keaton was cool as The Vulture, even if the treatment of the character was waaaaay off from the classic comics (ditto for Bokine Woodbine as The Shocker...Yo, Hollywood, why don't you use Bokine more? Dude is dope). Marisa Tomei may be the hottest aunt out there, too.
The Tony Stark/Iron Man stuff was a bit forced and some of the comedy was a bit over-the-top (the whole Captain America stuff), but overall this is probably the best Spidey-on-the-Big Screen effort yet.

[dookeyXXX]

saw the trailer for this before Dunkirk the other day. Looks kinda gonzo.

[dookeyXXX]

I'm pretty sure I'm just not a Nolan appreciator: Dunkirk was OK, appreciated the spare style up to a point but thought the characters were kind of empty, and the forward-backward jumping between character plot lines is just annoying.

Just saw it yesterday with the rents (and my dad is a history buff). I dug the blue hues and the overall visual tone-poem feel of the movie. I dug the timeline jumping at first, but upon post-viewing reflection I found a lot of gaps in it that didn't make sense. I would agree that the sparseness of the characters didn't leave you feeling much for them, but the detached element of the film made it interesting on other levels (see my aforementioned "tone-poem" comment).

I liked the direct, cliche-less style of Dunkirk. It was about survival, dealing with a problem and moving on to the next problem. I thought it was great that there were no generals looking at maps, or war-department secretaries typing sad letter, or wives at home worrying. Just some poor bastards trying to live.

I would concur.

I also found the aerial elements to be well filmed and exciting. It looked like they used actual planes instead of copious CG. Ditto for the boat sequences.

I thought Hans Zimmer's score was alternately immersive and annoying; it definitely built up tension, but at times it was also a bit overbearing (it never seemed to let up).

In the end, as with Baby Driver and Atomic Blonde, it's a film I would consider seeing a second time to really get a grasp on it. This has been an interesting summer for films (at least for me) in that those 3 films didn't resonate with me immediately, but simmered a bit post-viewing, enough that I would consider sitting through them again to really figure out my take on them. That doesn't (or at least hasn't) happened to me in a long time (i.e. wishing/needing to see a movie a second time).

[NoPostholio]

enough that I would conside(i.e. wishing/needing to see a movie a second time).

that seems like a first world / shortage of super silver haze problem

[dookeyXXX]

that seems like a first world / shortage of super silver haze problem

you seen VALERIAN and the CITY of a THOUSAND PLANETS?

weak story, stiff characters, BUT visually stunning (a definite silver haze approved cinematic experience). i'd see it again, because from a visual aspect, it was mind-numbingly cool.

[PB]

Unfortunately, for me, chemical augmentation isn't selective enough - while improving the good stuff (mostly visual but not always), it also seems to heighten my awareness/dislike of the weak elements. I need better drugs.

[dookeyXXX]

WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
3 / 5


I'd say the title is a bit of a misnomer (wonder why they didn't go with Battle For The Planet Of The Apes?), since it's more like a couple of skirmishes in lieu of a full-blown war.
The opening sequence in the woods is solid. And the whole middle part, which is a journey. is beautiful and majestic in terms of the scenery (wide, rocky beaches, tree-lined mountains, etc.).
There's a ski resort segment (sadly, no skiing apes), which, according to this website, was filmed here: http://www.atlasofwonders.com/2017/0...locations.html

Woody Harrelson's character was a composite of just about every power-hungry, deluded war commander you can think of (serious nods to Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now), so he was a bit cliche. The "twist" was okay, but ultimately predictable. The pacing was decent.

Overall, I'd say that it is easily the best of the three newer PotA flicks (rumors abound that a fourth installment is in the works, btw).
Despite the solid FX, I still have a problem watching a film where 90% of the actors are CGI created entities. The FX folks also seemed to make a lot of the apes appear more human than they would naturally look, too, which is a bit disconcerting (then, perhaps, that was the intension).

Worth a matinee. And worth seeing on the BIG screen, just for the opening two battles alone.

[Diamond Joe]

I'd go 4/5 for War for the POT.

I love the CGI and am always amazed by it. The apes are given human eyes to underscore the fact that apes and humans are now (should be) equals. Even more amazing is that there are human actors portraying all those apes, before the CGI ape skins go on. Andy Serkis is yet again brilliant in playing Cesar. Woody Harrelson was ok, they coulda done better for psycho bad guy I think... saved some budget there. If you liked either of the two previous movies, you will like this one. I agree it is the best of the trilogy.

[dookeyXXX]

ATOMIC BLONDE
3.5 / 5

The trailers are a bit misleading for this film. It’s less of a high-heels-to-the-nutsack-bone-crunching-action bonanza and way more of a slow-boil, Cold War espinage thriller. That’s not to say that there aren’t some gonzo action sequences (there are), they’re just sandwhiched between lots of brooding, sinisterly nuanced, double-crossing, spy shenanigans (i.e. lots of back-stabbing and talking and shadowy deals with nefarious and seedy looking individuals, etc.)
The production captures the late ‘80s nicely via sound and vision (amazing soundtrack) and Charlize is stunning as the bad-ass femme fatale lead. The supporting cast is top-notch, as well, although ultimately severely underused (I would almost dig seeing a spin-off that focuses on the exploits of Til Schweiger’s “Watchmaker” and Bill Skarsgard’s Merkel characters (these were very similar to the ancillary characters in the John Wick films; interesting characters that you wish you knew more about) .
The pacing, as alluded to above, can be a bit wonky; long, dry spells of intrigue broken up by flash-bang action sequences (sadly, if you’ve watched any of the trailers, you’ve pretty much seen all of the action sequences already). One of the pluses from all the action is that the characters end up bruised and battered and having to take a breather; lottsa close-ups of bruised skin, bloodied knuckles, and overall body trauma (when was the last time you saw that in an action film?).
The ending of the film is a little simplistic or convoluted, depending on your outlook (in many ways, upon further reflection, it kind of really doesn’t add up).
While not entirely what I expected from the trailers, the film is still mesmerizing (the soundtrack, especially) and one of the several films I’ve seen this summer that left me needing to see it again to let it fully sink in (see above comment about the ending).
If you go in knowing that it’s not non-stop action for the entirety, then you might be ahead of the game.

[detrusor]

You left out the hot girl on girl sex scene. Rawr

[dookeyXXX]

You left out the hot girl on girl sex scene. Rawr

spoilers, man, spoilers!

[dookeyXXX]

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS
3 / 5

This film is visually stunning. Dunno if it needs to be seen in 3D, but definitely on the BIG screen for sure.
That said, the core of the story is kind of ho-hum and the bulk of the acting is stiff, not to mention the main characters, especially the two leads and the villain, are pretty one-dimensional.
To wit, I learned that Rhinna may have a great singing voice, but she ain’t that great of an actress (at least not with the material given her here). Additionally, our heroes--played by Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne--have almost zero chemistry and play their parts with so much deadpan as to come off like they are imbued with more ennui than anybody in their profession as Special Ops agents has the right ot be imbued with. DeHaan actually seems to be channeling Keanu Reeves, which works great for Keanu, but not so much for DeHaan. Meanwhile Delevingne (you may recall her as the evil witch in Suicide Squad) just seems bored with the whole affair.
In fact, the two best scene-stealing performances in the film come courtesy of a bit player (Eric Lampaert) and an uncredited cameo by Troy Dyer, the latter of whose performance one critic from The Guardian regarded as being “phoned in” (it’s brilliantly scene-chewing and over-the-top, which is exactly what this movie called for, in all honesty).
The sheer eye-candy special effects are what really drive this film, making it a somewhat vapid exercise in visual excess, but my oh my what excess!

RIYL
The Fifth Element; Jupiter Ascending; John Carter; Baron Von Munchausen (if only for the visual lunacy).

footnote:
FWIW, the following article also compares it to Sucker Punch and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/201...ion-film-flops

[dookeyXXX]

Brigsby Bear
4/5

Imagine a slightly off-kilter After School Special combined with a long lost pilot to a Sid & Marty Krofft show that never aired.
That gives you an ever-so-slight inkling of what this film is like. Oh yeah, it was produced by The Lonely Island crew, and features members of The Upright Citizens Brigade, Good Neighbors, and SNL.
While the innocent-man/child-thrust-into-the-real-world scenario is a bit old hat, here it’s delivered with just enough quirk to make it work.
The cast is great (Luke Skywalker sans lightsaber and Greg Kinear doing a bit of winking at the audience out of the corner of his eyes, for starters) and the Brigsby Bear elements are pure genius.
Lo-fi, just-left-of-normal, and filled with the right amount of treacly strangeness to make it a winner.

RIYL
Swiss Army Man; Safety Not Guaranteed; Lars and the Real Girl (or any other movie about a weird white guy with a heart-of-gold and a dream).

[PB]

Wind River: spare, emotionally powerful, with one glaring technical error, but since it's not a fantasy will let it slide .....

[Marshall Tucker]

wifey asked me to go to "the big sick" and i was very plesantly surprised. chick flick, but very, very funny.

Nobody does pissed off southern redneck like holley hunter.

[dookeyXXX]

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 40th ANNIVERSARY

Apparently coming to theaters Sept. 1st for 1-week (can't find what theaters it's screening at as of yet on the webz, though).

I've got a soft spot for this flick. I remember digging it more than Star Wars when it came out and probably saw it at least 3 times in the theaters when it was first released. Seen it a few more times on VHS, TV, and DVD over the years, but am kinda stoked to see it again on the BIG screen (if it's showing anywhere near Tahoe, that is).

[Grange]

I went to watch Birth of the Dragon with some of my martial arts partners and left underwhelmed. Bruce Lee felt like a secondary character rather than the main character and the actor didn't give Lee much depth. The fight scenes were OK, but nothing great compared other movies in that genre.

[dookeyXXX]

WIND RIVER
3.75/5



As the directorial debut of Taylor Sheridan, the screenwriter of Sicario and Hell or High Water, this film's dialogue wasn't as sharp and snappy as those films, in fact, the film, overall, is more somber and taciturn in mood. There were long, slow periods of almost no-action that were alternately shattered (loudly) by bouts of hyper violence and white-knuckled intensity; lots of ebbing and flowing. But then the atmosphere played expertly to the location of the film: outback Wyoming in the dead of winter.

One could easily view it as a "Great White Savior" film, given the juxtaposition of the white characters and the native american characters, but I saw it more as a "white people cleaning up their shit" type of movie, at least thematically speaking.

Jeremy Renner is solid, with an understated and brooding performance, while Elizabeth Olsen portrays a green, yet ultimately strong FBI agent. It's all rounded out by a great supporting cast.

RIYL:
Winter's Bone; Thunderheart; Hell or High Water; Sicario

Wind River: spare, emotionally powerful, with one glaring technical error, but since it's not a fantasy will let it slide .....

Only "technical" errors I caught were that the film takes place in Wyoming, but was filmed in Utah, and the director used a really unsteady handi-cam in several close-ups; quiet scenes where the characters were sitting and talking and the jittery camera action made the scenes, well, shakey and distracting.

[dookeyXXX]

LOGAN LUCKY
4/5



Perhaps the most (and best) Coen Bros. film not written or directed by a Coen Brother.
Steven Soderbergh returns to the Silver Screen after his 2013 "retirement" from filmmaking (https://www.theguardian.com/film/201...ires-from-film) with this bofo, light-hearted ensemble caper film.
This redneck romp prominantly features Channing Tatum, an actor who is perhaps one of the great chameleons of Hollywood (he's totally wooden is some films and then totally brilliant in others). Here, well, he's f@#king brilliant, in no short terms. He absolutely shines as a down-and-out West Virginian who cobbles together a rag-tag crew to rob a massive NASCAER race. Adam Driver is off-the-nuts as his deadpan (and perhaps a bit clueless) wounded warrior brother, and Daniel Craig erases years of James Bondness in a single swoop as convict Joe Bang. The rest of the supporting cast sizzles and the pacing and dialogue re crisp and swift. Oh yeah, the ending is brilliant.

There's a bit of controversey surrounding who may or may not have written the script (https://www.bustle.com/p/is-rebecca-...-mystery-77340), but honestly, who cares? It's a great script and Soderbergh delivers a fast-paced, goofy, and well-crafted heist film.


RIYL
Oceans 11; The Italian Job (2003)

[PB]

WIND RIVER
3.75/5

....

Only "technical" errors I caught were that the film takes place in Wyoming, but was filmed in Utah, and the director used a really unsteady handi-cam in several close-ups; quiet scenes where the characters were sitting and talking and the jittery camera action made the scenes, well, shakey and distracting.

Final justice for the last, baddest guy: frozen lungs on a warm sunny day in corn snow i.e. well above freezing.

[dookeyXXX]

Final justice for the last, baddest guy: frozen lungs on a warm sunny day in corn snow i.e. well above freezing.

oops!
i did wonder about that, then shrugged it off as it didn't bug me as much as the shaky cam close-ups!

[powdrhound]

I worked with Jeremy Renner's mom for a while. Jeremy was always a real nice guy when he stopped in. Local kid does well.

[dookeyXXX]

INGRID GOES WEST
3 / 5

So, Ingrid Goes West was basically Single White Female for the social media set (f@$k, they even name-dropped that 1992 flick). That said, I kinda enjoyed it.
Found it interesting that all the female characters were shallow and/or crazy (it was written by a coupla dudes, fwiw), and all the male characters were kinda spineless and enablers of the crazy females.
It also seemed to promote suicide as a means to gaining notoriety/fame in the Instagram age, which was kinda wack, imho. It may very well have also been a critique of the American health system's inability to deal properly with psychiatriac and psychologicaly damaged folks (much in the same way that Swiss Army Man may have been a critique of this).
I found the film to be kind of cliche whilst watching it, but the post-viewing resonance is interesting.
Elizabeth Olsen slays as a vapid LA tastemaker (this role is the complete anti-thesis to her performance in Wind River, btw). Audrey Plaza is freaky, but her performance is rather subdued, which is kind of cool as her character never goes completely off-the-rails as one would expect.
Overall, makes me glad that I still have a flip phone (seriously).

RIYL
Single White Female; The Cable Guy; films that skewer the vapidity of Los Angeles celebrity society



PS
also reminded me a bit of this Gilligan's Island episode http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1335108/ a little bit.

[sally]

Wife and I really enjoyed Mud

I married a hopeless romantic who would rather watch Lala land We are complete opposites of each other. Sometimes i am happy , sometimes not. Especially in times where i wish my partner would accompany me to watch Mud!