I rated Atomic Blonde (2017) 7/10 #IMDb

Better than I expected. Lots of action, some intrigue, a period sound track, good costumes, and evocative of 80s Cold War culture.

The oddest thing was that the first few scenes I wondered if I had 3D glasses in they’re so dark. Either I got used to the grimy appearance or it got brighter later.

It’s a typical Berlin spy story. A mole. Limited trust. The Berlin Wall. And some urgency.

Surprisingly violent with some intense fight scenes for Charlize Theron. This is worth watching if you like grimy spy/action thrillers.

I rated The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) 8/10 #IMDb

A slightly odd mix of serious material, violence, love, and comedy. Despite looking like it was shot on VHS at times this was real fun to watch.

A formerly successful bodyguard is tasked with getting a wise-cracking hitman to The Hague by his former girlfriend who is an Interpol agent.

Brilliant chase scenes on canals and narrow Dutch roads. Some shockingly violent fight scenes. And some genuinely hilarious exchanges. This is worth watching.

I rated Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) 6/10 #IMDb

It has more of the effects and spectacle of ‘the fifth element’. It just lacks the stellar characters. Sure, valerian and laureline are credible sci-fi special agents but there’s not much to them in this. All other characters are similarly OK, if a bit lacking depth.

It is l o n g. With snappier editing, some of the simplicity of the characters might have worked OK. As it is, they all get a lot of screen time to show that there’s not much there.

Despite some reasonable moralising and an attempt to contrast the human vs Alien morals and methods, the story doesn’t have much sophistication. Which is a shame. I’d rather have fewer FX and a better story with deeper characters.

See it if you liked fifth element and want more Alien FX. It’s a simple story told with simple characters in a beautifully illustrated world at great length.

I saw it in 3D. Like all 3D movies it adds nothing but a few jazzy FX.

I rated Cars 3 (2017) 6/10 #IMDb

A bit obviously worthy compared to the first movie. Mainly enjoyable if a bit long and drawn out in places.

Lightning McQueen needs to give way to a new generation of racing cars. After a few false starts he does this on his own terms.

Some of the steps on this quest are funny (the wreck race), and some are poignant (catching up with Doc Hudson’s contemporaries).

After Cars 2, this is a return to form.

I rated Dunkirk (2017) 7/10 #IMDb

A mundane and shocking beginning to a dramatic, disturbing, gut-wrenching, and emotional movie. Its drawbacks are that it seems too long, it is chopped up, there’s far too much exposition, and it fails to effectively show some of the dissonance between the patriotic action and the deadly hanging around.

The loud and disturbing sound effects and the gripping Hans Zimmer soundtrack combine to lend empathy and emotion to a greater extent than the dialog and acting convey.

Poor Kenneth Branagh is under-used. Being either a narrative device, or a foil for other commentary.

Most gripping are the RAF scenes. The technical flying details and the combat render these credible and engaging.

The principal small boat scenes are good and create their own story in the whole. Though again, there’s a bit too much saying rather than showing.

Overall, it’s well worth seeing for its illustration of the deadliness of war and the lack of separation of heroes and regular men with regular concerns. ‘Men’ because there’s a mere handful of women in the whole picture.

I rated War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) 6/10 #IMDb

It stands up as a good planet of the apes movie.

Though the scope of the movie at its outset is limited: some renegade general sees he needs to destroy the apes, it turns into an existential battle.

The political parallels are perhaps a bit unsubtle at times but put those aside and you have a reasonable revenge thriller that transforms into a biblical tale.

Some of the dialog is a bit weak but all the characters do their job in a mainly male-driven plot.

Some of the destruction is surprisingly epic and accompanied by some inhuman acts of cruelty.

Worth a watch if the planet of the apes is of any interest to you at all.

I rated Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) 7/10 #IMDb

Some real fun in this rebooted, post-avengers Spider-Man movie.

Great that it avoids yet another tedious origin story for Spider-Man. I think his super power origin is dealt with in one line exchanged with his high school friend.

The Tony Stark involvement works really well. Tom holland does the awe struck teenager really well. And Robert Downey Jr just is Stark in the movies. Suitably irreverent yet serious.

I think though that the best thing this movie has over previous Spider-Man ones is the excellent portrayal by Michael Keaton of Toombs the ‘vulture’. His introduction and genesis are both fantastical and credible. No mutating gases, no experiments gone wrong. Just an aggrieved and disenfranchised worker taking a criminal route. Toombs and his gang have a well-balanced blend of menace and comedy that makes their criminal escapades credible in the context of the movie.

With its action scenes this movie even manages to overcome the overwrought video-game CGI of previous outings. Sure, some of the things look not quite convincing but then this is a teenager with super powers movie.

The balance of the action, drama, and mundane works well and I’d recommend you see this movie if you’re after some entertainment.

I rated Despicable Me 3 (2017) 6/10 #IMDb

Another despicable me movie. More of the same and nicely done. While Gru and Dru have some fun capers I thought the stuff that Lucy and the girls get up to was more entertaining and richer in its content.

All in all though, this is a well put together feature-length animated movie that has some real fun in it and keeps you entertained with only a couple of lulls.

I rated Baby Driver (2017) 7/10 #IMDb

A slick and stylish movie directed by Edgar wright.

The scenes are masterfully matched to the soundtrack. In particular the foot chase scene.

So many parts of the movie reminded me of other movies that it was almost like a dizzying montage of references at times. Testament to Edgar Wright’s magpie talent that these fit really well into a relatively simple tale that is well-told and despite repetition builds to an inevitable climax and outcome.

Well worth watching if you haven’t already made the trip.

I rated Churchill (2017) 6/10 #IMDb

A richer Churchill story than I’d expected. It tells the tale of the days leading up to D-Day/operation Overlord.

It shows Churchill in various emotional states as he comes to terms with his past and its bearing on current circumstances.

Brian Cox does a good job, and the rest of the cast make this credible and engaging.

Worth seeing.