My Favorite Films of Summer 2017

With an end to the 2017 summer movie season, it’s time to round up my favorite films of this summer.  While I was credentialed for both the Chicago Critics Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, and remotely covered a few films selected for the Flyover Film Festival, I am not including any of those films unless they’ve been released in theaters, video on demand, or Digital HD. I’ll start with the documentaries.  I’ve seen…

"My Favorite Films of Summer 2017"

Summer Winner: Original Summer Content

Another winner this summer was original summer content that came in the form of Baby Driver, The Big Sick, Dunkirk, and Girls Trip.  47 Meters Down also makes the list given how much it made at the box office against its budget. Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver opened in late June to an opening of $20.5 million.  Wright’s film used a musical soundtrack in ways that the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise may never reach.  The…

"Summer Winner: Original Summer Content"

Michael Caine makes voice cameo in Dunkirk

Michael Caine has been a veteran of Christopher Nolan films for many years dating back to Batman Begins in 2005.  As such, it came as a surprise that the veteran actor wasn’t listed in the credits for the recently released Dunkirk. Nolan, however, was able to sneak the acting veteran into the film with an uncredited voice cameo addressing Tom Hardy’s Royal Air Force pilot, Farrier, while in the air.  This enables the actor to…

"Michael Caine makes voice cameo in Dunkirk"

The Impact of Dunkirk on the British

The evacuation of Dunkirk is one that has had a huge impact on the British.  If not for the evacuation, there’s no guarantee what would have happened if not for Operation Dynamo. It’s far more than just a British story. “It was a massive event that still has international significance, says Joshua Levine, author of Forgotten Voices of Dunkirk, and a historical consultant on the film.  “Everything that’s celebrated about World War II—in Britain, in…

"The Impact of Dunkirk on the British"

Dunkirk: An Event Film That Should Be Seen In 70mm

Based on an inspiring true story, Dunkirk delivers a film that should give Christopher Nolan a long-overdue Oscar nomination for outstanding directing. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the war film stars Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy and Barry Keoghan, with Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy.  Nolan veteran Michael Caine sneaks in with an uncredited voice cameo talking to Tom Hardy’s Royal Air Force…

"Dunkirk: An Event Film That Should Be Seen In 70mm"

Director Christopher Nolan declares war on Netflix

Director Christopher Nolan, whose new film Dunkirk hits theaters on Friday, had some not-so-nice things to say about Netflix and their aversion to theatrical releases. Nolan spoke with Indiewire this week in an interview. “Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films,” Nolan said in an interview this week. “They have this mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released, which is obviously an untenable model for theatrical presentation. So they’re…

"Director Christopher Nolan declares war on Netflix"