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ALSO SCREENING
IN AUGUST
After a decade in development hell, the film
adaptation of Stephen King's magnum opus is
finally here, with Idris Elba as Gunslinger Roland
Deschain and Mattew McConaughey as his
nemesis, The Man in Black. King's ambitious epic
is a mix of spaghetti western, post-apocalypse
fantasy and horror, and fans of the novels can
expect a combination of books one and three to
introduce Roland's world on Aug 17 .
THE DARK TOWER
Steven Soderbergh comes out of retirement to
direct this heist caper set during a NASCAR race,
starring Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, and Daniel
Craig as you've never seen him before! Days of
Thunder meets Ocean's Eleven on Aug 17 .
LOGAN LUCKY
Luc Besson’s latest heralds a return to the
splendidly bonkers territory of The Fifth Element.
Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne play special
government operatives charged with maintaining
order throughout the universe on Aug 10 .
VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF
A THOUSAND PLANETS
The Cruiser is back in the cockpit, this time
playing real-life pilot and drug smuggler turned
CIA operative Barry Seal. This true crime thriller
is directed by Doug Liman and lands on Aug 24.
american made
Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes saw a new energy instilled into
the incredible tale of humanity versus ape-kind.
Does the culmination of the reboot trilogy do this
legacy justice, or does it wobble like so many third
outings?
Rest assured, there’s nothing wobbly here – War
for the Planet of the Apes is magnificent.
A couple of years after the events of Dawn,
Caesar (Andy Serkis) and surviving followers
are getting by in the woods. However, patrolling
soldiers from a military faction called Alpha-Omega
discover them and an intense battle ensues. The
apes capture some of the opposing fighters, but
release them as a sign of goodwill to the humans.
Ah, but Caesar hasn’t encountered A.O. leader The
Colonel (Woody Harrelson) yet. He’s a heartless
war beast, who takes this peaceful act as a sign of
weakness and attacks the apes’ camp.
While Caesar sends the surviving apes on a
quest to relocate across the desert, his heart is
filled with vengeance. Accompanied by the fiercely
loyal Maurice, Luca and Rocket, he sets out to track
down the Colonel and exact revenge, with many
a run-in – friend and foe – along the way. But is
Caesar becoming all that he detests in humanity?
Beyond the incredible action and amazing
score, War for the Planet of the Apes oozes
heart, as well as subtle-yet-substantial insight
into the nature – and ultimate futility – of war.
Then there’s the fact that this is possibly the
greatest special effects spectacle ever to make it
to a screen – there’s no doubting for a moment
that these apes are real (even though they’re not,
obviously). That as humans we still find ourselves
siding with the apes speaks volumes for Weta
Digital’s stunning achievement in (e)motion
capture. Although Woody Harrelson playing an
utter bastard also helps… Amy Flower
Unfinished monkey business.
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
RELEASED: July 27 DIRECTOR: Matt Reeves CAST: Woody Harrelson, Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn RATING: M
Atomic Blonde follows MI6 agent Lorraine
Broughton (Charlize Theron), who is sent to the
divided Berlin to track down a list of double
agents.
Helping her on his German home ground
is David Percival (James McAvoy), whom
Broughton's superiors (Toby Jones and John
Goodman) assure will assist her on her mission.
She must find the agent known simply as
Spyglass and ensure his safe travels through
the Berlin Wall, as he has memorised the
aforementioned list of traitors. Her second MI6
role, however, is to uncover the true identity of
Satchel - the most prominent double agent. Can
she trust anyone in this war-torn city, ravaged by
the imminent fall of the Wall?
Set in 1980's Germany, the soundtrack
is wonderful, featuring everything from 99
Luftballoons to Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This).
The plot timeline switches between Broughton
recalling the events of Berlin in an interrogation
room, and the action actually unfolding in front
of your eyes. Unfortunately, the importance
that Spyglass plays in the story is never really
reinforced, and at some points you find yourself
wondering if he's really worth all this trouble.
That being said, the fight sequences are
extremely well choreographed - perhaps in part
due to Leitch's stuntman history - and Theron is
thoroughly convincing as an undercover agent.
McAvoy reprises his almost-drunk Professor
Xavier persona quite well, and the inclusion
of Sofia Boutella as another foreign agent is a
welcome one - she's everywhere these days.
Despite Atomic Blonde being under two hours,
it does drag a bit towards the end; however,
Leitch's first solo director's credit undoubtedly
has its explosive moments. Alesha Kolbe
She's a Killer Queen.
ATOMIC BLONDE
RELEASED: Aug 3 DIRECTOR: David Leitch CAST: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Sofia Boutella RATING: MA15+
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