Dunkirk

Actors: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy

Rating: 9 out of 10, Chris Nolan does a fabulous job bringing the epic story of the miraculous survival of the British Army in the opening stages of World War 2. It wouldn’t be Nolan if he didn’t throw a few curve balls at the viewer though as the story is told through three intersecting story lines, each operating over a different time span, a week versus a day versus an hour. The bleak outlook for the remnants of the British Army at the outset are offset by simple heroic actions. Nolan exhibits his usual fine touch of not trying to pummel you into seeing his vision but allowing it to unfold. The cast, especially Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance, shine although the story of the Soldiers on the beach was a little confusing. I was brought up in a generation that venerated the significance of Dunkirk which allowed Britain to survive until the US could enter the fray. It would be a much different world today without Dunkirk and I’m glad such a fine film has been made so current and future generations can understand what we owe to the heroes of that conflict.

MVP: Hardy as heroic Spitfire pilot Farrier

Geostorm

Actors: Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Abbie Cornish, Richard Schiff, Alexandra Maria Lara, Robert Sheehan, Daniel Wu, Eugenio Derbez, Andy García.

Rating: 7 out of 10, The latest in the genre where CGI artists get to wreak death and destruction over large parts of the globe. The two male leads struggle mightily to mask their British accents. Gerard Butler is the fiery inventor of the massive satellite system to control the weather that’s been hijacked by nefarious forces. His milksop of a brother recruits him to fix the problems before the earth is destroyed. The scenes up on the space station were very enjoyable but unfortunately the filmmakers decided to invest in the very earth bound and patently ridiculous goings on earth side. Abbie Cornish dominates as a secret service agent but she was the only thing remotely entertaining during the all too much time spent on the groundside melodrama. I enjoyed this a lot more on a second viewing, especially Miss Cornish

MVP: Abbie Cornish as Sarah, a very dangerous Secret Service Agent

Power Rangers

Actors: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks

Rating: 7 out of 10, I went to see this mainly in ode to my son since I remember him raging about them when he was very young. I invested a lot of money in action figures without ever being brought into the mythology. Given that, I had no preconceived expectations about the movie which I found very entertaining. The group of teenagers drafted into roles in a galactic war were all appealing and well-conceived. Elizabeth Banks steals each and every scene as the “bad guy” named Rita Repulsa (I’m serious). It takes a while for the action to heat up but this movie works on a number of levels. The last thirty minutes are some of the loudest I’ve ever experienced in a movie theater which came in handy to drown out the annoying group of teenagers a couple rows back intent on demonstrating their immaturity.

MVP: Naomi Scott as the pink Ranger, obviously