—–THE ESSENTIALS—–
—–JEFF’S PICKS—–
BLADE RUNNER 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)
The rare case when the sequel holds its own against the original. Ryan Gosling is a worthy successor to Harrison Ford (who is in this too!). World-weary and weather-beaten, he carries on the private dick ethos established in the ’82 version. Dark and mood-drenched, the film manages to captivate for its entire length (164 min.) Ana de Armas shows us why she was meant to be a star.
DUNKIRK (Christopher Nolan)
Christopher Nolan always swings big. Does he ever miss? Here he tackles the perilous WWII evacuation of Allied soldiers in Dunkirk, France in 1940. There are multiple stories and time shifts a la Nolan, all the better to move the narrative. Land, Sea and Air. All have stories to tell. Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Barry Keoghan and Mark Rylance are the faces and the bodies. Hans Zimmer’s score, the cinematography and the sound design do the rest. Another Nolan triumph.
