DUBAI: From action-packed escapism to bone-chilling mundanity, here are our picks from this year’s big-screen offerings.
‘The Zone of Interest’
Strictly speaking a 2023 film, but it came out too late to make last year’s list (although not too late to earn the Best International Feature Film Oscar this year). Jonathan Glazer’s extraordinary take on the story of the Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, his wife Hedwig and their family and entourage as they make their home next to the concentration camp where unthinkable horrors are perpetrated contains no scenes of those horrors, but their sounds form a continual backdrop to this subtle portrayal of what philosopher Hannah Arendt famously called “the banality of evil.”
‘Inside Out 2’
Pixar’s summer offering was a delight: moving, silly, and profound. Riley, the young girl who — along with her five personified emotions — was the star of 2015’s beloved “Inside Out,” is entering her teenage years, which usher in a host of new emotions (Anxiety, Ennui, Embarrassment and Envy), disturbing the delicate balance achieved by the veterans Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who must now recalibrate to try and help Riley deal with adolescence.
‘Dune: Part Two’
The second instalment in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi work follows Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalomet) as he attempts to earn the trust of the native Fremen people of the desert planet Arrakis to persuade them to help him take down House Harkonnen, who were responsible for the massacre of Paul’s own house. Love versus duty, religious extremism, and the morality of violence are all explored, but never in a way that detracts from the entertainment, which includes dazzling battle sequences, the love affair between Chalomet and Zendaya’s fierce Fremen woman Chani, and thrilling sandworm rides.
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
It has its detractors, and many of the criticisms are deserved, but this Marvel buddy comedy is great entertainment — frenetic, often hilarious, and pushing its 15 certificate to the limits. Ryan Reynolds’ titular foul-mouthed antihero takes his fourth-wall-breaking meta self-awareness to crazy new levels, and his connection with co-star Hugh Jackman as the reticent, always-anger-adjacent Wolverine is a joy. It’s not going to win any major awards, but it’s a huge amount of fun.
‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’
This prequel and spin-off to the excellent “Mad Max: Fury Road” was a relative flop at the box office, but that’s no reflection of its quality: Anya Taylor-Joy is excellent in the lead role, finding an emotional connection to Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Furiosa in “Fury Road,” and Chris Hemsworth holds nothing back in his performance as the evil warlord biker Dementus. As usual, director George Miller delivers astounding action sequences, but the screenplay also has real depth.
‘Challengers’
Zendaya steals the show in Luca Guadagnino’s spicy sporty drama. She plays former tennis prodigy Tashi Duncan now coaching her husband, Art, after injury forced her retirement. Art is struggling with form and fitness, and must face his former best friend (and former competitor for Tashi’s affections), Patrick (Josh O’Connor). The heated chemistry between its three stars makes “Challengers” a lot of fun.
