“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (all week, Point, Eastgate, Star Cinema , Sundance) — In the subgenre of “reboots that are better than they have any reason to be,” the last two “Apes” movies stand alongside the “jump Street” movies. The word on this sequel, set 10 years after the events in “Rise” after a simian virus has decimated the human population, apes and humans find themselves in an uneasy and easily breakable truce.
“The Double” has its Madison premiere on Friday, July 11 at 7 p.m. at Union South Marquee Theatre, 1308 W. Dayton St. as part of the UW-Cinematheque summer series. R, 1:33, three stars out of four. FREE!
Richard Ayoade’s “The Double” has basically the same plot as Denis Villeneuve’s “Enemy,” in which a nebbishy nobody finds he has a an exact twin, a cockier and more successful version of himself. Somebody needs to flip the script and make a movie about an arrogant stud who comes across his own nerdy doppelganger.
Since up to 60 percent of the human body is water, consider the documentary “Watermark” to be something of a self-portrait.
Pick of the week: “Renoir“: My full review is here. The legendary painter in his late years is the subject of this French biopic, but the real star is the colors, the frame dappled with gorgeous orange and vermillion that the artist himself would have envied. Aside from the arresting visual poetry of the film, it’s otherwise an agreeable but shallow look, as the painter’s son (who will one day become “Rules of the Game” filmmaker Jean Renoir) falls for one of dad’s nude models.
“Snowpiercer” is now playing at Star Cinemas. R, 2:09, four stars out of four. The guys at madfilm.org have planned a “Madison Meetup” to go see “Snowpiercer” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Within the space of a 60-foot-by-9-foot train car, “Snowpiercer” packs in more action, inventiveness, energy and ideas than most summer blockbusters that have whole galaxies at their disposal. The long-awaited English-language debut from South Korean writer-director Bong Joon-Ho (“The Host”) is a sleek sci-fi/action epic that has a lot on its mind and an exquisite sense of momentum and pacing. This thing MOVES.
“Godzilla: The Original Japanese Version” (Friday, July 4, 7 p.m., Union South Marquee) — There’s something a little . . . perverse . . . about showing the original 1950 Japanese “Godzilla” on Independence Day, given that the big green lizard’s swath of destruction is a metaphor for the devastation Japan suffered five years early at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And, well, that was us. If you’ve only seen the campy color sequels on Saturday afternoon TV or “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” you should check out this haunting version. FREE!
Ten years ago last week, “The Notebook” opened in theaters, making stars out of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, spawning adaptations of every other gooey romance novel Nicholas Sparks ever wrote, and taking some of the heat off “Love Actually” as the sappiest romance of the ’00s.
At the time, I actually sort of liked it, and thought McAdams and Gosling brought loads of charm to what was a very silly story. But one thing has bugged me ever since about “The Notebook” — the ending. As I was of the theater, I wrote in my head a much better ending to “The Notebook.” one that is even more sappy and sentimental than the original, but more interesting and surprising as well.
“Afternoon of a Faun” — Get out the hankies for this poetic and poignant documentary about the dancer Tanaquil Le Clercq, who served as a muse to legendary choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. In addition to creating dances for her bold, long-limbed style, both fell in love with her (Balanchine married her), but her career was cut short when she contracted polio at the age of 27.
There’s more than a whiff of bitterness to the title of Peter Davis’ landmark documentary “Hearts and Minds,” now reissued by Criterion in a new Blu-ray edition. The phrase refers to a Lyndon B. Johnson speech suggesting that the Vietnam War would be won not just tactically, but philosophically. We could not only defeat the North Vietnamese but turn the Vietnamese people into our spiritual allies, winning their hearts and minds for freedom and democracy.
It’s June 30, the halfway point in 2014. So, although there’s many more movies to come in 2014 (including two I’ve already seen that will almost certainly make my Top 10 at the end of the year), it’s a good chance to take stock of my 10 favorite films thus far.
I’m not including films I saw at festivals, such as “Boyhood” and “Life Itself,” since they haven’t been commercially released yet. I’ve marked the ones out on DVD in case you missed them. Let me know in comments if I’ve overlooked any good ones.
Madison Movie 