17 / 107
ALSO SCREENING
IN
JULY
Following his introduction in
Captain America:
Civil War
, young Peter Parker (Tom Holland)
balances school and learning the superheroic
ropes from his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert
Downey, Jr). Then there's bad guy The Vulture
(Michael Keaton), who's scavenging old Avengers
bits and bobs to create new weapons. The good
news is we won't see Uncle Ben die... again!
Slinging webs on
July 6
.
(See page 8)
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
The latest from
Shaun of the Dead
director
Edgar Wright embroils talented young getaway
driver Ansel Elgort in a doomed heist. Jamie
Foxx, Jon Hamm and Kevin Spacey are also
along for the ride on
July 13
. (See page 12)
BABY DRIVER
"I did not start this war. I fight only to protect
apes." It's Caesar vs. Woody Harrelson's crazed
Colonel in the third (and possibly final) chapter in
the new Apes saga. Will it all end with the Statue
of Liberty buried in the sand and some Chuck
Heston-like rage? Find out on
July 27
.
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Interstellar
director Christopher Nolan returns
to earth for the story of the 1940 evacuation of
Allied soldiers from the titular French city by the
British. Spitfires take flight on
July 20
.
DUNKIRK
Pixar are having a midlife crisis – and they’ve
decided to share it with us. Well, the plot of
the visually unsurpassed
Cars 3
could easily be
taken that way. Lightning McQueen (Wilson)
is busy doing his thing – winning races – until,
well, he isn’t. There’s a new breed of racer in
town, using technology and crunched numbers
to gain an advantage and win those shiny
cups. Jackson Storm (Hammer) is fast (literally)
becoming the new king of the racing ring, and
McQueen isn’t sure how to deal. His sponsors
have a plan though, selling out to mudflap
money man (and number 95 fan) Sterling
(Fillion), who builds an institute to train up-and-
coming racers – and (ostensibly) help Lightning
McQueen regain a competitive edge. It’s here
that our fave red racer is allotted a trainer in Cruz
Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo). They do the initial rub-
each-other-the-wrong-way thing, eventually bond
after a few drives along the beach, and go on
to inspire each other to reach greater heights.
In particular, Cruz dreamed of being a racer, not
a trainer. Can she find some dream fulfilment?
Essentially
Cars 3
is a Rocky movie, just with
more stickers. The ageing champ is on his way
out, a new breed is coming through, the older
guy doesn’t want to quit, but he needs to find
a way to compete... Should he continue on,
or realise that his competitive days are over
and mentor the next generation? The allegory
with Pixar’s situation should be obvious –
other studios such as Illumination and Blue
Sky are invading their formerly unique kid/
adult space, and claiming it for their own with
some truly superb animated fare. With several
emotionally-resonant adult themes running
through its fuel lines,
Cars 3
is a very good
movie. We’re just not sure it’s necessarily a
very good kids’ movie.
Amy Flower
Lightning McQueen and Pixar face stiff competition.
CARS 3
RELEASED:
June 22
DIRECTOR:
Brian Fee
CAST:
Owen Wilson, Armie Hammer, Nathan Fillion
RATING:
G
Tupac Shakur – or 2Pac – was one of the prime
exponents of hip hop during the 1990s, enjoying
phenomenal success and multi-platinum album
sales before his death in a drive-by shooting
in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, aged 25.
Taking its title from Tupac's fourth studio album,
this sprawling biopic from director Benny
Boom charts the rapper and sometime actor's
rise from his turbulent youth and formative
years performing with Digital Underground, to
a controversial solo career full of incendiary
lyrics, accusations of misogyny, and multiple
arrests. With his bling growing in proportion to
his success, Tupac emerges as a young man
driven by a resolute desire to change the world,
imbued at an early age by a stepfather with
revolutionary ideals. It's a life story related to a
journalist while Tupac is doing time in '95, but
this superfluous framing device is dispensed with
following his release and subsequent signing
with the portentously named Death Row Records
– an association that would propel him to
superstardom and music immortality. Committed
newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr. attempts to
give us Tupac and not a performance, but it's
more his physical resemblance that sells it. The
standout here is Danai Gurira as his volatile,
activist mother, channelling Viola Davis, Alfre
Woodard, and her
Walking Dead
character
Miccone into a fiery combination. At two hours
and twenty minutes,
All Eyez on Me
is certainly
thorough in presenting the facts surrounding
this hip hop icon, but it never truly gets under
the skin of its subject. When Tupac is sentenced
to 18 months for sexual assault, he berates the
judge for not once looking him in the eye and
seeing the person, the man, behind the lyrics
and gangsta lifestyle. It's an accusation that can
also be levelled at this film.
Scott Hocking
Just the facts on 2Pac.
ALL EYEZ ON ME
RELEASED:
June 15
DIRECTOR:
Benny Boom
CAST:
Demetrius Shipp Jr., Danai Gurira, Kat Graham
RATING:
MA15+
REVIEWS
CINEMA
017
