Andy Serkis stars in War for the Planet of the Apes |
From our friend, Arch Campbell...
The Big Sick - 4 Stars. Pakistani comic Kumail Nanjiani hits the sweet spot of tension between culture, generations, and romance in a serious rom-com about his relationship with his wife. Charming!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - 3½ Stars. Delightful follow-up to the original summer blockbuster action movie starring Chris Pratt. Funny, ironic and a lot of fun.
Baby Driver - 3 Stars. "La La Land" as a crime story. Ansel Elgort drives a getaway car, listening to nonstop music (the film is shot to fit the music, rather than the other way around.) Violent, but exhilarating.
Arch with Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis (r) |
Wonder Woman - 3 Stars. Gal Gadot makes a thrilling debut as the iconic superhero. A super script combines origin story, humor, and superhero action.
Best New Bet > War for the Planet of the Apes - 3 Stars. This series continues to turn out surprisingly good (and even thoughtful) stories, based on intelligent apes taking over the world from humans.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - 3 Stars. Easy-to-like reboot of the comic book character, thanks to Tom Holland's delightful take on the superhero as a high school geek, and Michael Keaton's delicious villain.
Beatriz at Dinner - 3 Stars. Healer/therapist Salma Hayek winds up at a dinner party for the one percent, and exposes the ugly side of wealth & privilege, in unexpected and even otherworldly ways.
The Book of Henry - 3 Stars. Impressive story about a genius kid, his single mom and brother, the bad guy next door, and directions from beyond the grave. Excellent!
Norman - 3 Stars. Richard Gere as a New York sharpie. A brilliant character study in the style of "Being There," about a guy who just has to be in the action, and the price he pays,once he gets in it.
My Cousin Rachel - 3 Stars. Old school thriller romance. Rachel Weitz plays the widow of a young man's guardian. Did she do him in? The plot thickens, as the kid falls for the older woman.
Paris Can Wait - 2 Stars. Diane Lane travels the French countryside with Arnaud Viard, while her husband (Alec Baldwin) goes to Budapest for business. Will she or won't she?
Cars 3 - 2 Stars. Great animation and voice work in a totally unnecessary sequel.
The Exception - 2 Stars - Christopher Plummer as Kaiser Wilhelm exiled during World War 2, with Lily James as a servant/spy. Interesting historic sidebar, but stretches things just a tad too much.
The Beguiled - 1 Star. Sophia Coppola remake of early 70's Clint Eastwood thriller about a Union soldier taken in by a Confederate girl's school during the Civil War. Slow and never believable.
Rough Night - 1 Star. Girls gone wild in Miami, with Scarlett Johansson looking very uncomfortable.
Transformers: The Last Knight - Zero Stars. Long, loud and lousy.
Visit Arch's website for his (unrivaled) take on movies. He remains the only other (we're not self-hating) critic, whose opinion we admire and respect.