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Andy Serkis, whom you probably know better as Gollum) who became extra-sentient, rounded up a bunch of other apes and then moved into the woods to ape it up and live peacefully. Humans, of course, couldn’t jive with this plan, especially since the rise of apes brought with it a horrible virus called the Simian Flu. What few humans remained became understandably bummed, and by the time we catch up with everyone in War for the Planet of the Apes, things have become pretty rough. Caesar and his pals are holed up in a hidden fortress beneath a waterfall, but this doesn’t sit well with The Colonel (Woody Harrelson), a Kurtz-esque army dude who’s basically gone nuts, defected from the skeletal government and kills or imprisons any ape or virus victim he comes across. Caesar isn’t down, but he’s been through the shit already and just kind of wants to move to the desert with his family … y’know, to find himself and maybe take up painting. But when The Colonel just won’t let it go, Caesar and his ape pals Maurice, Rocket and Luca set out to even the score and ensure the safety of their kind. Serkis is, as always, fantastic, both as a voice and motion capture actor, and the CGI of Apes is so phenomenal it’s practically indistinguishable from the real thing. Harrelson, however, is underused, showing up only to make jerkish comments and shoot apes now and then. Still, despite a clunky middle section that drags on entirely too long, the battle sequences and subtle nods to classic cinema do make for a riveting film. Steve Zahn as the comedic Bad Ape kind of makes it worth it alone, even if he diffuses heavier moments before they’ve had a chance to land. Regardless, the series of reboots (or is it prequels?) brings up some good points about the uglier parts of humanity and how fear can drive the worst of us to commit unspeakable acts. Apes indeed becomes better than one might assume, though unless you were already planning on being there, you can probably just wait and watch it at home. (ADV) Regal, Violet Crown, PG-13, 140 min.
THE BIG SICK
7
++ ROMANO AND HUNTER ARE GENIUSES -- A BIT TOO LONG FOR WHAT IT IS; NANJIANI NOT THERE YET
Stand-up comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani steps out from his Silicon Valley ensemble duties for The Big Sick, a tale loosely based on his nontraditional courtship with his real-life wife Emily Gordon (played here by Zoe Kazan), with whom he also co-wrote the script. Nanjiani plays himself, a middling Chicago stand-up who is heckled one night by a young woman and is in a relation-
Woody Harrelson just ain’t having it in War for the Planet of the Apes.
ship with her shortly thereafter. Sick follows the likes of comedian Mike Birbiglia’s 2012 autobiographical Sleepwalk With Me, though Nanjiani himself has admitted to taking artistic license from the actual events that led to his marriage. As a young Pakistani man, Nanjiani is supposed to accept an arranged marriage situation. But when Emily is placed in a medically induced coma to combat a lung infection, he slowly realizes he’s in love with her despite his parents’ wishes. Along for the ride are Emily’s parents, played fantastically by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter, both of whom outshine Nanjiani at every turn; it isn’t that he’s not talented, nor does the script fall short per se—it’s really more like he’s just not there yet as a dramatic actor, and it’s never more apparent than when he shares screen time with the veteran actors. Romano provides the best performance of his career as a lovably goofy father grappling with the aftermath of his own infidelity and the frantic emotions of having a sick child. Hunter is, as always, incredible (find us a film where she isn’t—we dare you) and often it seems like scenes without them are simply eating up time before they return. Support from SNL’s Aidy Bryant and consummate weirdo stand-up musician Bo Burnham is much appreciated as well, though both hardly feel as well-used as they might have been. It is, after all, Nanjiani’s life story—or some of it, anyway—but Bryant and Burnham are both so funny in their own right that it seems a misstep.
The rest starts to drag toward the end and there are only so many “my culture is different” jokes that can land with enough oomph. Regardless, The Big Sick is a perfectly fine first step for the relative newcomer Nanjiani and boasts enough laugh-out-loud moments to justify itself. Direction from Wet Hot American Summer alum Michael Showalter follows a relatively familiar indie-esque bent, but make no mistake—this is a Judd Apatow film (he produced it). It comes complete with the Apatow “will they/won’t they/they did!” formulaic cuteness we’ve come to expect from the Knocked Up director/producer. And that’s fine. Just fine. (ADV) Violet Crown, Regal, R, 120 min.
SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING
8
++ PROPERLY EMBRACES THE SOURCE MATERIAL
-- MARVEL IS NEVER PERFECT
Marvel Studios’ interconnected superhero universe keeps kicking ass with Spiderman: Homecoming, the third reboot in the franchise, now with newcomer Tom Holland as the titular Spidey. The what’s-right elements of the film are many: no tired origin story, superior cast (including an actually young Peter Parker, because wasn’t Toby Maguire, like, 37 and who the hell is Andrew Garfield anyway?), a healthy mix of humor interspersed throughout the melodrama and, most importantly, summer fun. We follow Spiderman as he desperately tries
to win favor with Tony Stark/Ironman (Robert Downey Jr. himself) and, by extension, the full-on Avengers. Our hero is just 15, so he’s obviously brash and impatient. But he still acts as the hero of Queens, curbing crime and flinging all over the damn place with his web-shooters. But when a one-time salvage crew foreman (Michael Keaton) is screwed out of a job by some covert and newly founded government/Stark Industries alien collateral damage joint cleanup department, the class of criminal in NYC shoots up into the super-villain strata, whereupon Spiderman is also tangled up in the high-stakes world of alien techpropelled murder and mayhem. Keaton is a goddamn treasure as The Vulture, an everyman father-type pushed to extreme measures—and a pretty nifty flying super-suit— because of class warfare or something. Holland excels as well, providing a perfect balance between petulant youth and accidental hero; the quieter, tenser moments between the two are superb, especially in Keaton’s more restrained “Imma kill your ass!” scenes. Overall, the story (from Freaks and Geeks alum John Francis Daley) provides more complexity than we’re accustomed to from the Spiderman world, and director Jon Watts makes sure the dramatics never quite reach overthe-top. He prefers instead to zero in on the wise-cracking, web-dangling, lady-saving Spidey we’ve come to know and love over most of our lifetimes. Is this high cinema? God, no—but you’ll have a blast and a half the entire time, and that’s not nothing. (ADV) Regal, Violet Crown, PG-13, 133 min.
THE HERO
9
++ ELLIOTT IS SUPERB -- WRAPS UP A LITTLE FAST; WE DIDN’T LOVE PREPON
Sam Elliott gives what may just be the performance of his career in The Hero, a painful yet ultimately hopeful look into the side effects of fading stardom and the hard knocks of aging. Elliott is Lee Hayden, a one-time Western film star in the twilight of his existence. As Lee faces a grim medical diagnosis, he begins to reconsider his legacy and tries to patch things up with his family, but as his unresolved emotions begin to pile, he grapples with whether or not he’s led a life worth living. Lee spends his days getting stoned with his former costar Jeremy (Nick Offerman, who previously starred alongside Elliott in the sitcom Parks and Recreation), providing voiceover work for commercials with his deep, booming voice or trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Krysten Ritter). When he starts dating a much CONTINUED ON PAGE 101
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