War for the Planet of the Apes Review

Director: Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)

Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn

Plot: The war between the humans and the apes is still raging on. When the apes are attacked by a squad led by Woody Harrelson, they set out to take their revenge.

Review: The new Planet of the Apes trilogy has always been darker than most current summer blockbusters. They are gritty, deal with serious topics, and, of course, have to inevitably end with the apes taking over the world. And War for the Planet of the Apes is probably the darkest one yet. There are plenty of brutal war sequences, and disturbing scenes of slavery. This grittiness works in the movie's favor, creating an intense theatrical experience.
The movie's CGI is impressive throughout, and the apes always seem to be real. But the apes also seem real on a human level as well. Yes, this is a very emotional movie. The main character is driven by grief (over a few shocking deaths early in the film), and there are several other tragic elements throughout.
Woody Harrelson is great as this movie's villain, creating a convincingly evil character. And, as always, Andy Serkis does a good acting job in the motion capture suit.
In conclusion, War for the Planet of the Apes is an intense, emotionally gripping conclusion to what may be one of the best trilogies of this decade.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Spider-man: Homecoming Review

Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Marisa Tomei, John Favreau

Director: Jon Watts (Cop Car)

Plot: Shortly after the events of Civil War, Peter Parker (Holland) is getting used to the high tech suit that Tony Stark (Downey) had given him. He is having a hard time dealing with his powers as well as his responsibilities as a student. In the midst of this, he stumbles across an illegal high-tech weapons selling deal headed by the Vulture (Keaton), and will attempt to take it down.

Review: This is the second reboot of Spider-man, and the third version of him in fifteen years. But this one still manages to seem fresh. Homecoming more closely resembles a high school comedy that happens to be about a web-slinging superhero.
Tom Holland plays the title character as more of a kid than any other incarnation. We see this from the beginning, with video footage from his camera, where he is excitedly recording the events of Civil War. He retains this innocent charm throughout. He's just an awkward teenager, trying to balance his life as a superhero with his normal life.
There is plenty of humor here, often in the style of many teen comedies (including a not-so-subtle nod to Ferris Bueller's Day Off). But there's also a decent amount of action as well. The villain here is somewhat of a sympathetic character, with an understandable motive for what he does, which places him above many similar supervillains.
I'd say this is one of the better Spider-man movies. It is about as good as the first two Sam Raimi movies. I would recommend it as a great superhero movie.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Baby Driver Review

There are movies that play a lot of popular music in the background, and then there's Baby Driver. The vast majority of the movie is set to some kind of music, and much of the action is set to the beat of the songs. This is one of the factors that help Baby Driver to become one of the most fresh and fun action movies in years.

It centers around Baby (Ansel Elgort), a young getaway driver who is in debt to a major heist planner (Kevin Spacey). Ever since his parents died in a car crash, there has been a ringing in his ears, which he drowns out with music. Now, he relies on the music to heighten his awareness as he drives, making him the best at what he does.

The movie is directed by Edgar Wright, who is known for directing Scott Pilgrim vs the World and Shaun of the Dead. He brings the same energy and then some to this project, creating something that remains fun and lively throughout. It is a gangster comedy, much like Pulp Fiction, with smart dialog, and even more dark humor and pop culture references. It is very funny, and very well-written. Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx are the standouts here, but the mostly silent Baby is still an extremely interesting character.

Many of the scenes, especially the action sequences, are choreographed to fit with the rhythm of the music. The action gets more intense when the music speeds up. Machine guns fire off to the beat of the songs. This rhythm gives the movie a unique, music video-like feel, that is unlike anything you've seen in the theater.

Baby Driver is an experience unlike few others. It is proof that movies can be fun and thrilling without sacrificing intelligent writing.

5 out of 5 stars

Okja Review

Okja, the newest Netflix original movie, was the subject of controversy during its screening at the Cannes Film Festival, when Netflix was booed during the showing. Not for the movie itself, but because many felt that movie streaming is killing the theater-going experience. I'm not one to say whether or not this is true, but I will say that the movie itself is worth your time.

It comes from South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, who brought us Snowpiercer and The Host. Now, he has made a satirical science fiction movie, which co-stars Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, and Jake Gyllenhall. But the main character is a little girl in South Korea, who has befriended a genetically modified giant pig. When the pig is collected by the company that created her for food purposes, the girl must save him.

From this summary, it is easy to believe that this will be a family film, but that may be up for debate. While there are far worse movies you could show your children, there is still a moderate amount of f-bombs, and the last act gets pretty disturbing, leading up to a bittersweet ending.

The movie juggles whimsical, lighthearted moments of the girl's friendship with the titular creature, with more serious moments. It has a strong message on the ethics of the meat industry, including topics such as GMOs and treatment of animals. It wears these morals on its sleeve, without being preachy.

The creature often feels like a real character. Like the best CGI characters, she looks realistic, but there is also an essence to her movements and expressions that makes her seem almost human.

In conclusion, Okja is a sweet, sad, yet charming tale of friendship for an older crowd. Its message on the controversial topic of the meat industry may put some people off, but for others, it is an interesting, thought-provoking sci-fi satire.

4 out of 5 stars