Jul 21 2017

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Many years in the future space station Alpha, the home to species from a thousand planets, finds itself threatened by a mysterious growing radioactive core; as a result, government agents Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are tasked with a top secret mission to identify a strange intruding species, saving Alpha, and saving the Universe….easy stuff. Directed by Luc Besson and based on the comic books of Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières this ridiculously packed cosmic adventure rockets into orbit with massive ambition warping the viewer through thousands of years of space history, unapologetically moving from one wild space odyssey to the next at a pace that might even raise the eyebrow of the most attention deficit viewers. It’s as if Besson thought creating the equivalent of a Soda Graveyard with Sci-Fi elements would be the mega payoff that audiences are hungry for, instead he’s created a hanging mobile with so many moving parts that sadly a number of the really great elements are eclipsed by the flash boom bang, voiding the film of its strategic impact. End result, there’s a ton going on here, not all of it works, but, just enough does to illicit a few laughs and entertain for almost the entire 2 hours and 17 minutes run time, just remember to mainly check your brain at the door, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is rated PG-13.


Jul 21 2017

A Ghost Story

Searching for meaning, an artist, C (Casey Affleck), is suddenly killed but refuses to pass on to the other side until he connects with his ex-wife, M (Rooney Mara). Trouble is, he’s a ghost in search of an existential truth and further meaning about his own legacy as well. Coming to grips with his own life will take some effort. Written and Directed by David Lowery this semi silent exploration of humanity, ego, the self and grief is told at a deliberately measured pace that may prove to be trying for viewers expecting a whiz bang film. Instead, this thoughtful piece gives the viewer ample time to let bigger concepts and ideas move in to fill the void through unspoken observation, a directorial move creating what could be one of the more polarizing films of 2017. For Affleck and Mara it’s these unspoken passages that still speak volumes and bring out fantastic performances from both, fans of art film this is your winner this weekend. A Ghost Story is rated R.