Wednesday, July 26, 2017 THE KERSHAW NEWS-ERA Page 7

By Brett AndersonEntertainment Writer

Films about war have been a sta-ple of cinema since the beginning.But as time goes on, and filmingtechniques improve, these filmsbecome so realistic and so intensethat it’s almost as if you are therewith the soldiers on the front lines.Saving Private Ryan is a great exam-ple of this, and almost certainly aninspiration for what ChristopherNolan has created with his newestfilm, Dunkirk.

Dunkirk, based on real life events,is the story of a group of British,French, and Belgium soldiers whohave been forced to the coast byGerman forces during World War II.Surrounded, and being picked apartmethodically, the British are in a raceagainst time to get their men off thebeach and home safely before they areall killed.

It’s hard to say what my favoriteChristopher Nolan film is. They areall great, aside from The Dark KnightRises, which in my opinion is hisonly misstep, albeit a very small one.But Dunkirk stands out to me simplybecause it is the first time that Nolanhas dealt with true events. Personally,I knew very little about the events ofDunkirk. Everyone, especially in theUS, knows what happened on thebeaches of Normandy. It’s beeningrained in our minds in everythingfrom the history books you studied inschool to the many films made about

that particular event in history. But asfor what happened on the beach ofDunkirk, it is something that I wasmostly unaware of. Because of that,and I can say this with all honesty, itmade this film that much moreintense. From the opening scene, Iwas on the edge of my seat and myheart was racing. These soldiers werein a literal race against time with theodds stacked against them, and Nolancaptured what that must have felt likenearly perfectly. After each actionbeat, you as an audience member aregiven moments to catch your breathbefore your heart is pulsing all overagain, hoping that help arrives beforeit’s too late.

Much of the credit should also go

to Hans Zimmer for his incrediblescoring of this film. If you listenclosely as you’re watching, you canhear a ticking clock that runsthroughout the score, which furtherintensifies some of the most realisticdepictions of war that I’ve ever seen.As much as I don’t mind gore, andlet’s be honest, war produces some ofthe most horrific images you can pos-sibly imagine; I found it ratherrefreshing that Nolan and his produc-ers didn’t rely on gore to display thehorrors of war, giving this film thatneeds to be seen a chance to reach abroader audience. Also, the castdeserves a ton of credit. There wasreally no standout performance,because everyone was great. MarkRylance, Kenneth Branagh, and TomHardy provide a few familiar faces,but everyone else just blends inadding to the realism by not being adistraction. Even Harry Styles waspretty impressive despite it was hisfirst role. This isn’t a showcase filmfor any particular actor, but rather ashowcase of the story itself, amoment in history where everydaypeople risked it all to bring their boyshome.

During the summer, it’s rare thatwe are given a film of this nature.Most of what we see in these monthsis just CGI popcorn fun. Dunkirk ismuch more than that; it is an experi-ence, one that will stand the test oftime and in the end, be considered oneof the best war films ever.

Dunkirk

Director:Christopher Nolan

Cast: Tom Hardy, KennethBranagh, Mark Rylance, Harry

Styles

Runtime:1 hr, 47 mins

Rating: PG-13 for intense warexperience and some language

Grade: A

War for the Planet of the ApesThursday - 7:00

Despicable Me 3Wednesday, Thursday - 1:30

The Emoji MovieThursday - 7:10

War for the Planet of th Apes10:20am, 12:20, 12:50, 3:45, 4:15, 7:00,7:30, 9:45, 10:15

Girls Trip12:15, 1:00, 4:00, 4:30, 7:05, 7:35, 10:05,10:35

Dunkirk10:45am, 1:30, 4:25, 7:15, 10:00

Spider-Man: Homecoming10:40am, 12:45, 4:10, 7:20, 10:25

Wish Upon1:40, 4:50, 7:40, 10:35

Dunkirk is rare gem in midst of summer CGI flicks

Answers:1.D, 2.B, 3.D, 4.C

Disney responded to all those rumors regard-

ing problems securing a cast for the upcoming live-

action remake of Aladdin by releasing the confirmed

actors over the weekend.

Naomi Scott, who recently worked on last

year’s Power Rangers movie, will star as Jasmine.

Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud has been cast

to play Aladdin, despite only having a few TV and film

roles to his credit.

The big casting news is Will Smith, who has

agreed to step in the large shoes of the late Robin

Williams and play Genie.

WO R D O N T H E ST R E E T. . .

War for the Planet of the ApesNightly - 7:00

Despicable Me 3Nightly - 7:10

The Emoji MovieThursday - 7:10