This weekend at the movies, we have Christopher Nolan at war (Dunkirk, starring Fionn Whitehead and Kenneth Branagh), Luc Besson in space (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne), and four ladies on an R-rated excursion (Girls Trip, starring Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith). What are the critics saying?
World War II has been used as the backdrop for so many movies that at this point, it can be tempting to believe we’ve seen it all and know the whole story. Yet in the right hands, there are still compelling, unique, and impactful tales of the conflict waiting to be told — and with this weekend’s
Dunkirk, critics say Christopher Nolan delivers on all three counts with a film that might be considered an all-time classic of the genre. Starring Fionn Whitehead and an ensemble that includes Kenneth Branagh,
Cillian Murphy,
Mark Rylance, and
Tom Hardy, the story dramatizes the mission to evacuate surrounded Allied soldiers during the spring of 1940 — an incredible undertaking that saved hundreds of thousands of troops through the efforts of a coalition that included soldiers and civilians. Reviews describe a harrowing yet ultimately inspiring experience that honors its heroes with gripping suspense, immersive drama, and thrilling spectacle, as well as another impressive chapter in an increasingly acclaimed filmography that looks likely to be a major awards season contender.
What’s New on TV
Ozark hasn’t yet reached the same level as the classic crime dramas to which it will inevitably be compared, but its satisfyingly complex plot — and a gripping performance from Jason Bateman — suggest greater potential.
Also Opening This Week In Limited Release
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, an animated drama about a girl whose father sells her to the Devil, is at 100 percent.
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The Untamed (2016)
86%
, a dark blend of sci-fi, horror, and social commentary from Mexican filmmaker Amat Escalante, is at 92 percent.
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, starring Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot as women bound together by their shared bond with a man they loved for very different reasons, is at 91 percent.
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Kékszakállú (2016)
93%
, in which director Gastón Solnicki takes loose inspiration from the opera Bluebeard’s Castle while observing young women coming of age, is at 89 percent.
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The Fencer (2015)
85%
, a fact-based Finnish import about a beloved teacher whose dedication to his students is complicated by secrets from his past, is at 88 percent.
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Santoalla (2016)
86%
, a documentary look at the conflict between two neighboring families in a remote Spanish village — and a man’s disappearance in its aftermath — is at 88 percent.
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Killing Ground (2016)
73%
, about a couple whose weekend retreat turns into a panicked fight for survival, is at 85 percent.
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, about the unlikely friendship that develops between a young DJ and a reclusive woman, is at 70 percent.
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, about two sisters grappling with the discovery of their father’s infidelity, is at 68 percent.
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Kuso (2017)
32%
, a surreal look at the aftermath of a catastrophic earthquake in Los Angeles, is at 45 percent.
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, a fact-based drama about the life of the last king of Punjab, Maharaja Duleep Singh, is at 20 percent.
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, starring Hayden Christensen and Bruce Willis in a crime thriller about a Wall Street broker who is dragged into bank heist when his son is kidnapped, is at zero percent.
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, a found-footage horror movie about vacationers trapped in the aftermath of a meteor’s impact, is at zero percent.
