Pick of the week
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
For all the attention it gives to Marvel and Pixar, perhaps the best corner of Disney+ is the one with all the Planet of the Apes films in it. They’re all there, from the Charlton Heston original and its increasingly unhinged 1970s sequels to the more sombre new additions. And now the collection is up to date, thanks to the addition of this year’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Set 300 years after the last movie, Maze Runner director Wes Ball’s adventure serves as both a gripping and grownup exploration of political tribalism and a bridge to a potential full Planet of the Apes remake. Maybe not the most essential instalment ever, but it’s still pretty darn great.
Out now, Disney+
***
Mission: Impossible
Given the all-out bombast of the most recent sequels, revisiting Tom Cruise’s first outing as Ethan Hunt in 1996 feels a bit like travelling back to the distant past. This is a much slower film than you might remember, filled with tension and intrigue rather than pure spectacle. Still, it isn’t hard to spot the green shoots of the formula. More than once, Brian De Palma’s direction carefully introduces you to a plan then gleefully flings a bag of spanners at it. The iconic CIA headquarters break-in may still be the most meticulously formulated set piece of the entire series.
Sunday 4 August, 10.15pm, ITV1
***
Concrete Utopia
Consider Concrete Utopia an overlooked banger. Set in a post-apocalyptic Seoul that has levelled all but one skyscraper, this film is about the efforts of the residents not to be overwhelmed by the surge of outsiders looking for shelter. As far as issues go, the film is not afraid to gun for as many targets as possible. It’s about the housing crisis and the dehumanisation necessary to maintain anti-immigrant rhetoric. But the plot moves at such a crack, and the performances are so electric, that it never feels as if you’re being force-fed your vegetables.
Sunday 3 August, 12.20pm, 9.45pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
***
Honey Boy
Given the accusations of abuse levelled against him, it never feels right to praise Shia LaBeouf for anything. That said, you’d have to be a monster not to be moved by Honey Boy. LaBeouf loosely based his screenplay on his own childhood, and the PTSD it gave him. Lucas Hedges essentially plays LaBeouf, and LaBeouf plays a version of his father that pulsates with toxic fury. There’s no doubting that the film has heart – its sincerity is full-throated – but you can’t help wondering how much of it was made to explain the worst elements of LaBeouf’s personality.
Wednesday 7 August, 2.45am, Channel 4
***
The Instigators
Matt Damon has been quietly making a name for himself as king of the dad film. This is a new comedy thriller (reuniting him with his Bourne Identity director Doug Liman) about a mismatched pair of crooks who have to outrun various forces when a heist goes sideways, dragging their therapist along for the ride. The movie has a pleasingly old school sensibility – you sense that Midnight Run was a touchstone – and a stacked cast includes Casey Affleck, Hong Chau and Ving Rhames.
Friday 9 August, Apple TV+
***
Self Reliance
If ever there was a film that deserved to be seen by more people, it’s Self Reliance. Written and directed by its star Jake Johnson (still probably best known for New Girl), this is a comedy thriller that – unusually for this sort of thing – manages to be funny and thrilling in equal measure. Johnson plays a man who agrees to be hunted by strangers for a dark web reality show. If he wins, he gets a million dollars. If he loses, he dies. It’s an unbelievably self-assured directorial debut from Johnson, full of tremendous set pieces, and points to a bright future. If you liked The Game, you’ll love this.
Friday 9 August, Paramount+
***
Children of Men
You can only pray that Children of Men will eventually stop being timely but, nearly 20 years since its release, that day has yet to come. Alfonso Cuarón’s film is set in a post-pandemic London where mass infertility has transformed the country into a police state. Clive Owen’s sadsack bureaucrat is dragged into a battle against authority after witnessing a miracle. Owen has never been better on film, and Cuarón used the movie to pioneer a style of film-making full of long shots stitched together with invisible cuts that still feels revolutionary today.
Friday 9 August, 11.05pm, BBC Two
