War for the Planet of the Apes Movie Review

When the ‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise restarted in 2011, the focus was on how the apes got started and how humans lost control of the planet. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” focused on Caesar (Andy Serkis) who become a genetically-enhanced ape. Then in 2014, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” moved forward with a large group of very intelligent apes fighting off the remaining humans, who had been killed off by a world-wide simian flu. The next movie is “War for the Planet of the Apes” and it brings the human/ape conflict to breaking point.

In this movie, the apes are gaining much more control. But there is a breakaway Army group that has a blood-lust for killing every last ape. Caesar is still in control, and the splinter military group is led by The Colonel (Woody Harrelson), a sadistic monkey-killing machine. The Army group invades the apes’ nesting area, and Caesar’s wife is killed. He goes to seek revenge on The Colonel with his friends Maurice (Karin Konoval) and Rocket (Terry Notary). They meet up with an orphaned human girl, and decide she can come with. They call her Nova (Amiah Miller).

On the way they meet an escaped monkey from a zoo, who calls himself ‘Bad Ape’ (Steve Zahn). Bad Ape knows that The Colonel has camped in an abandoned weapons depot. The military has captured all the apes from Caesar’s village and are holding them as prisoners. Caesar is caught also, and he meets The Colonel who explains his plans. All the apes are used as forced labor to rebuild a defensive wall around the depot to protect the soldiers. Caesar correctly guesses that the wall is not being built to keep out the apes. The Colonel is building the wall to keep out the actual military, which are after The Colonel and his extremist ideas – and his radical followers.

The tiny group of apes outside the compound finds a way to get into the compound. Soon they are breaking out all the imprisoned apes, and even Caesar is let free, but first he must confront The Colonel one last time. He regular Army attacks, and all hell breaks loose. The apes have beaten the humans, and it may not be the last time…

This movie is the exciting conclusion of the rebooted ‘Planet of the Apes’ trilogy. The story is sleek and streamlined, with many references to other movies. There is a little bit of “Apocalypse Now”, “The Great Escape” and “Stalag 17”, along with shades of the Moses story from the Bible. Even with diverse sources, the movie ties it all together with a single sang. The motion-capture work done by the actors to play the apes is incredible. Andy Serkis would be an Oscar winner if they would give them out for “Best Performance as a Different Species”.  Woody Harrelson is perfect playing a bat-crazy loon that happens to control a large cache of Army weapons. Steve Zahn does a great job being a bit of humor relief in a tense and serious movie.

The direction is direct and to-the-point, and gets you into the story with no problem. The cinematography is beautiful in the wide-open shots, and it can be frantic and driven in the battle scenes. The movie score is quite good and does not overload the action on screen. But the way the actors can make a fictional ape come alive with all the feelings and emotions, well — that is worth even a second viewing.

The original plan was to make these three movies for the ‘Planet of the Apes’ reboot project. But seeing how much better each movie has become, and how polished the story is progressing – it would not be a surprise to hear of a new effort in a short while. So if you are interested to see if the third picture is a series can be any good, then see this. There are no little yellow minions and no little cartoon cars. There is only a great story with an amazing amount of acting that is CGI-enhanced.

“Atomic Blonde” Featurette #2 – Fight Like a Girl

ATOMIC BLONDE – In Theaters July 28

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Oscar® winner Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors. 

The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission.  Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies. 

A blistering blend of sleek action, gritty sexuality and dazzling style, Atomic Blonde is directed by David Leitch (John Wick, upcoming Deadpool 2).  Also starring John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones, the film is based on the Oni Press graphic novel series “The Coldest City,” by Antony Johnston & illustrator Sam Hart.  Kurt Johnstad (300) wrote the screenplay.

                 

Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella and Toby Jones

Directed by: David Leitch

Screenplay by: Kurt Johnstad

Based on the Oni Press Graphic Novel Series “The Coldest City,” Written by: Antony Johnston and Illustrated by: Sam Hart

Produced by: Charlize Theron, Beth Kono, A.J. Dix, Kelly McCormick, Eric Gitter, Peter Schwerin

Executive Producers: Nick Meyer, Marc Schaberg, Joe Nozemack, Steven V. Scavelli, Ethan Smith, David Guillod, Kurt Johnstad

Wish Upon Advance Movie Screening

Movie Screening Summary: In the latest thriller from the director of ANNABELLE, 17-year-old CLARE SHANNON (Joey King) is barely surviving the hell that is high school, along with her friends MEREDITH (Sydney Park) and JUNE (Shannon Purser). So when her dad (Ryan Phillippe) gifts her an old music box with an inscription that promises to grant the owner’s wishes, she thinks there is nothing to lose. Clare makes her first wish and, to her surprise, it comes true. Before long, she finally has it all: money, popularity and her dream boy. Everything seems perfect – until the people closest to her begin dying in gruesome and twisted ways. Now, with blood on her hands, Clare has to get rid of the box, before it costs her and everyone she loves the ultimate price.

Be careful what you wish for.

WISH UPON Official Channels
Website: www.wishuponmovie.com
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Phoenix, Arizona

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Tuesday, July 11
Location: Harkins Tempe Marketplace
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Las Vegas, Nevada

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Movie Screening Date: Tuesday, July 11
Location: AMC Town Square
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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To redeem a pass, simply click the Get Passes button. You will taken to our movie screening partner site (where you can sign up for a free account). Once you’ve done so, you’ll be able to print out your pass and bring it with you to your screening or event.

Admittance into a screening or event is not guaranteed with your pass. Events and advance screenings are filled on a ” first come, first served ” basis. To ensure that you stand a good chance of being admitted, we recommend that you show up 30 minutes to one hour early.

The number of admissions that are permissible for each pass are printed clearly on the ticket that you print out. You are allowed to bring as many guests as is indicated on your pass. For example, if your pass is for ” Admit Two, ” you can bring yourself and one guest. If you have an ” Admit One ” pass, you can bring only yourself.

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The Journey Movie Review

This is an incredibly fascinating film.  It’s about the past without showing too much of it visually.  Their past is that the Catholics want Northern Ireland to be independent of England and the Protestants approve of England ruling over them.  The war that has been going on has caused many deaths due to bullets flying by and bombs going off.  Even children aren’t immune to the carnage.  Times have changed and the new Prime Minister of England Tony Blair (Stephens), wants to work to end this fight once and for all.

The Journey stars Colm Meaney, as former Irish Republican Army (IRA) leader, Martin McGuinness, who plays the role of the Protestant.  Meaney has worked in the film business since 1981 and in television before and since.  He has 117 acting credits which is quite a feat.  You’ve seen him in such films as The Dead, Far and Away, The last of the Mohicans and Layer Cake among others.  The man opposite him, playing the profoundly conservative British loyalist or Catholic, Ian Paisley, is Timothy Spall.  Spall started work in the entertainment business at virtually the same time as Meaney.  He has a few more credits than Meaney has though you may recognize him most for his work as Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter franchise.  He has worked in films such as The Missionary, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Series of Unfortunate Events and did voice work in Chicken Run and Alice Through the Looking Glass to name a few. 

These two people primarily carry the entire film without dropping character once.  The Journey is a story of two strong-headed men who have been keeping a civil war going on now for almost forty years. 

When they were younger, they were called as The Troubles; now they are referred to as politicians.  It’s 2006 and time to engage in what comes to be known as the Northern Ireland peace talks.  Maybe this war for Northern Ireland can end and if so, these two men are a big part of making that happen smoothly; if it can happen at all.  Getting them in the same room together is hard enough but, ‘talking’, as well?!?  That’s a ludicrous notion but it’s worth a try.  These two could continue a war or end it with just a simple handshake.  What happens once they’re in the limo together, however, is quite riveting indeed.

All of the performances in The Journey are outstanding but these two stood out because they were such a big part of the script.  I’d guess that at least ¾ of the film is just these two talking but don’t let this scare you away.  They’re so good that the dialogue they speak, how they’re delivering it and the information they’re serving you will have you feeling as if you had just been in an entertaining lecture.  It was mastery the way the story of these two men unfolded and I’m here to be a voice for a film that I might not have noticed by just the title.  I don’t want you to miss it.  Don’t be frightened by the fact that they are alone most of the excursion.  They’re absorbing and move everything forward with skill and precision.  I’m not certain, had the roles gone to other actors that it would have turned out as good, to be honest. 

Looking at the work they’ve done in the past might give you a sense of how good they are in this and thusly how good the movie will be.  If you like history, as I do, I’ll ask you to trust me about this and be sure not to miss this well-crafted gem.  Some history buffs may not appreciate exactly how the two characters get together because they weren’t going for historical accuracy but that aside, how their relationship unfolds is of little consequence when put next to the larger picture of the ultimate prize.  I don’t want to say what happens in the end in case you don’t know but do watch the credits for pictures of the real Martin and Ian.

Spider-Man: Homecoming Movie Review

Live-action Spider-Man films have been around since 2002. The first set of movies starred Toby Maguire, and then later Andrew Garfield. But what did these five movies lack? They were not created with the involvement of Marvel Studios, as part of their ‘Cinematic Universe’. These other ones also did not have Tom Holland in the role of Peter Parker. Now things are getting better and better…

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” starts with a direct nod to “The Avengers” (2012), with the aftermath of the fight over New York City against the alien race of Chitauri. The clean-up crew is led by Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), and when he is pushed out of the job by the government, he takes much of the alien technology. Eight years later, he and his crew have an underground network of alien-based weapons sold to the highest bidder. Toomes has created a flight suit and calls himself the Vulture.

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is in high school, and with no specific back story, he is an amateur crime-fighter called Spider-Man. He is noticed by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and he joins Stark on a mission in Germany. For details on that, see “Captain America: Civil War” (2016). Stark gives Peter a Spider-Suit upgrade. It is very high-tech, but it is limited by the “Training Wheels Protocol”.  Peter keeps his secret identity hidden from his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). But by accident, his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) finds out.

Peter and Ned attend a science-based high school in New York, and they are part of the Academic Decathlon team. Also on the team are Liz (Laura Harrier) and Michelle (Zendaya). Peter attempts to live as a secret superhero while also navigating high school. Peter wants so much to be part of the Avengers. He calls and reports in daily to Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), so that Happy will report this to his boss Tony Stark. Peter decides to live a little dangerously, and he and Ned disable the “Training Wheels”.

Perter Parker as Spider-Man has a couple of run-ins with thugs that have the Toomes alien-tech weapons. He even has a run-in with Toomes (as the Vulture). He tries to get the attention of Tony Stark, and he wants to let him know that bad things are afoot. There are some pretty decent fight scenes in a New York bank, and then at the Washington Monument. Spider-Man has a number of high-tech tricks up his sleeve, even when he meets up with the Vulture on the Staten Island ferry. However, things get out of hand. Iron Man has to come to the rescue, and Peter Parker gets demoted.

But later, when he gets a date with Liz to the school Homecoming dance, he finds that the danger has only begun. Peter Parker will need his strength and his will to beat the Vulture in a final fight. Little does he know that his school life and his secret Spider-Man life are about to cross paths. The events that lead up to this are a bit of a surprise, so you can find out when you see what happens…

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” is a welcome change to the Spider-Man movies, and now that it folds into Marvel’s Universe, that makes it even better. The addition of Tom Holland as Peter Parker is terrific. He is much more in line with what a high school nerd kid should look like. Just because he has super Spider-Strength and Spidey-Senses, he still is awkward asking a girl out to a dance. Or even worse, learning to slow dance with his Aunt May…

All the casting is brilliant, especially Michael Keaton as the Vulture. The Toomes character does not get much in the way of development, but Keaton is great with a sarcastic line or a flinty, squinty sneer. All the high school related characters are fine, and the criminal gang of Toomes is also pretty good. Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau are again doing the roles that they do so well. Marisa Tomei does not have a lot of time in the movie, but she still makes an impression…

Overall, because there were six writers, I guess that some ideas did not have time to get fleshed out. Adrian Toomes goes from a blue-collar worker to an underground super criminal in a matter of minutes. Peter Parker’s experience with the radioactive spider is glossed over, so you can watch other movies to get into his back-story. Because Peter is a high school kid, he does not have a car, so getting around is more difficult. But he does make it to where he needs to go.

However, the overall attitude of the movie is refreshing and self-referential. It is almost like a PG-13 version of “Deadpool”. It has a humorous side, but it also gets into a father-figure situation between Peter Parker and Tony Stark. Plus there are some nice little cameo performances every once in a while: Chris Evans as ‘Steve Rogers: School Fitness Adviser’ on the school TV. Also, there is cute segment with Gwyneth Paltrow again playing Pepper Potts, helping Tony Stark announce the latest Avenger.

It’s enough to make your Spidey-Senses tingle…

Dunkirk Advance Movie Screening

Movie Screening Summary: Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, Canada, and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh
Dunkirk is in theatres March 3, 2017

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Phoenix, Arizona

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Monday, July 17
Location: Harkins Arizona Mills IMAX
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Tucson, Arizona

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Monday, July 17
Location: Century El Con
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Las Vegas, Nevada

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Monday, July 17
Location: Regal Red Rock IMAX
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Albuquerque, New Mexico

Advance Movie Screening Details

Movie Screening Date: Monday, July 17
Location: Regal Winrock IMAX
Movie Screening Time: 7:00pm
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Advance Movie Screening Information

To redeem a pass, simply click the Get Passes button. You will taken to our movie screening partner site (where you can sign up for a free account). Once you’ve done so, you’ll be able to print out your pass and bring it with you to your screening or event.

Admittance into a screening or event is not guaranteed with your pass. Events and advance screenings are filled on a ” first come, first served ” basis. To ensure that you stand a good chance of being admitted, we recommend that you show up 30 minutes to one hour early.

The number of admissions that are permissible for each pass are printed clearly on the ticket that you print out. You are allowed to bring as many guests as is indicated on your pass. For example, if your pass is for ” Admit Two, ” you can bring yourself and one guest. If you have an ” Admit One ” pass, you can bring only yourself.

If you have any other questions or comments, please contact us.

The Last Face Movie Review

I’m giving this film probably more praise than most because in its heart is such a good message and the performances are marvelous.  It’s so well cast.  Some scenes, though not many, are done staggeringly well.  Theron knocks it out of the park as an international aid organization director, Dr. Wren Petersen.  She hits a home run in this role!  She’s a scene stealer more than once when she shows how vulnerable she is yet how powerful she can be when pushed.  It’s downplayed but Bardem is sexy as Dr. Miguel Leon, a relief-aid doctor who has equal heart and hormones to give.  When Wren sees this dark haired, male version of everything she has always wanted to be, she has to know him. 

Sean Penn, two-time Academy Award® winner and the director of the film, loves a cause and this certainly fits the agenda, however, some of its significance may have been lost due to confusing the narrative of humanitarians and their work with a love story that seems out of place.  Don’t fret.  By the end of the movie, it does seem to come together but one shouldn’t have to put so much work into something to keep track of what the theme is. 

It’s beautifully shot and is compelling; this story of international aid relief, but it seems to fall apart structurally.  With this director, I can’t figure out why.  Perhaps because you can’t fit a love affair into the middle of a ferocious battle of a Liberian Civil War.  Are you losing your vision?  Yes, I believe it’s possible to fall in love in any circumstance but maybe when we want to make a certain statement, stay the course rather than wander off into La-La Land. 

When it’s on topic, this movie is brutal and hellish.  Penn doesn’t pull any punches when he aims for the target.  War is savage and in this very graphic film, he wants you to see it and maybe, for once, realize this is what people are living with every single day of their lives.  It’s quite shocking to see an infant killed in front of its mother for no reason, villagers running for their lives, with bullets ripping through bodies of the people they are trying to outrun and babies die because they dare be born.  It’s also horrific to see young soldiers being brainwashed and turned into monsters who can do despicable things without a thought. 

No training prepares doctors for what they’ll see in Africa but they try to only see that they are needed and Penn wants you to see that they are always needed.  Compassion is needed.  People are starving.  People are dying.  People should be able to just be… like we can.  Well, same goes for these two lovers.  With their work keeping them apart, they want a chance to just keep this incredibly difficult relationship alive while staying alive themselves.

So, it may be almost impossible for some to keep up with the back and forth between past and present with these characters.  The, ‘are they or aren’t they?’ gets a bit old when you aren’t 100% sure of the timeline you’re in but I think it’s worth a watch.  Is it a theater watch?  No.  Wait for VOD.  It’s worth it to see if this couple is a casualty of war. 

Despicable Me 3 Movie Review

Despicable Me 3 is fun in that it keeps with the theme and the intent of the original… Good vs. Bad and that sort of thing but it lost one key element that is so very important to the big picture; The Minions!  DM3 centers mostly around Gru and the girls.  One could argue they all do but not to this degree.  Minions have a finger on the pulse of why adults AND the children get tickets to see these films and to a large extent, they were absent from the third installment.  They did get their own movie so maybe they were out spending lavishly and weren’t quite available, but I asked their publicist and this wasn’t the case.  They weren’t included much, outside of Mel, for unknown reasons at this point.  Illumination and Universal Pictures would have done better to have had more Minions in the film.  They’re present, just not enough and at the end of the day, that’s the big takeaway here. 

However, do not fear!  DM3 is still very good.  Gru and his new wife Lucy are fired when they are unable to stop, Balthazar Bratt, a former 80’s child star who hit puberty and was never heard from again, from stealing a very big pink diamond.  Bratt is angry he has been thrown away by Hollywood and vows revenge.  He has a good catchphrase, is a good villain and is often followed by some ‘neato’ 80’s tunes that he likes to dance fight to.  The Minions would most likely take his side in a fight.  Hmm… maybe they do?  You’ll have to see.

The movie is full of cute and, of course, villainy.  The girls, Agnes, Edith and Margo are very much a part of the story with Agnes and Margo having more focus than Edith.  She pretty much ends up being more of the Jan Brady of the Trio.  Adorable Agnes’ story centers on her finding a real unicorn and Margo has her first taste of boy troubles.  The real meat of the yarn is Gru finding out he has a twin.  There was a custody battle with his parents and his mother, who had lied to him about his father’s death, got the rotten end of the deal.  Harsh.  Poor Gru. 

This angle smells of desperation a bit but it works and, to be honest, I’m looking forward to part four.  I’m thinking they’ll have a few things ironed out, get all the Minions back on and signing new contracts and settle into what works best with films like this… the extraordinary.  Give the people what they want!  They don’t necessarily want NICE all the time.  It’s cute when a Minion is sweet but let’s see the little stinkers for who they really are used more.

A Bad Mom’s Christmas Trailer

A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS

Genre: Comedy

Cast: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Jay Hernandez, Cheryl Hines, Peter Gallagher, Justin Hartley, David Walton, with Christine Baranski, and Susan Sarandon

Writers/Directors: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

Producer: Suzanne Todd

Release Date: November 3rd, 2017

A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS follows our three under-appreciated and over-burdened women as they rebel against the challenges and expectations of the Super Bowl for moms: Christmas.  And if creating a more perfect holiday for their families wasn’t hard enough, they have to do all of that while hosting and entertaining their own mothers.  By the end of the journey, our moms will redefine how to make the holidays special for all and discover a closer relationship with their mothers.

 

A BAD MOMS CHRISTMAS Social Handles:

Facebook: /BadMoms

Twitter: @BadMoms

Instagram: @badmoms

#BadMomsXmas

In Theaters November 3rd

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The Greatest Showman Trailer

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

Director:  Michael Gracey

Story by Jenny Bicks

Screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon

Producers: Laurence Mark, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping

Cast: Hugh Jackman; Zac Efron; Michelle Williams; Rebecca Ferguson; Zendaya.

 

SYNOPSIS

Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business & tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.


THE GREATEST SHOWMAN Official Channels

Website: TheGreatestShowman.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/GreatestShowman

Twitter: www.twitter.com/GreatestShowman

Instagram: www.instagram.com/greatestshowman

 #GreatestShowman

In Theaters December 25th

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