The Lost City Of Z
Charlie Hunnam (Sons Of Anarchy, Pacific Rim) stars in James Gray’s new film, along with Sienna Miller (American Sniper) and Tom Holland (Captain America: Civil War). The film greatly captures the feeling of curiosity and adventure that Percy Fawcett had envisioned.  Grey gets stellar performances out of the actors as well. But that’s not even the best part. The beautiful jungle setting, combined with Darius Khondji’s fantastic cinematography creates one of the most visually stunning films in recent memory.

Life
Life is at its best with the design of the creature “Calvin” and its opening scene (I’m a fan of long take scenes). Aside from that, the film disappoints.  The talented cast feel underused, despite their best efforts. And while the movie does defy the cliché of “the crew making dumb decisions,” it still doesn’t make up for the barebones story – which is a shame, because the film had potential to be a good series.

Fast 8
Fast 8 (I refuse to call it by its actual name) is a very mixed film. Sometimes it’s an enjoyable film, with the stunts that make the series well-known and the always good cast. But then there are parts such as a scene where a torpedo is moved by a human hand that is ridiculous even by the series’ standards. Even despite that, it was a worthwhile experience… mainly just for Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell and Helen Mirren (yes, THAT Helen Mirren). I would highly recommend seeing it in IMAX.

Colossal
The trailer for this new Nacho Vigalondo’s is slightly misleading, as it is not as comedic as the marketing would tell you. That doesn’t make the film any worse, though. Anne Hathaway’s character is very funny and sympathetic, with Jason Sudeikis and Tim Blake Nelson also holding their own. It also brings back a long-lost part of cinema: the opening short. Trust me, you’ll want to get to the theater early to see this short in particular.

Reviewed by A.D. Beal