Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed By: Rupert Wyatt
Written By: Pierre Boulle and Rick Jaffa
Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow and Freida Pinto
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: A

This is the much needed resurrection of the Planet of the Apes films.   After the 2001 version with Mark Walhberg and Helena Bonham Carter we so needed this one.

In this modern day version of Planet of the Apes James Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist working at a company called Gen Sys (pronounced genesis).  Gen Sys is a genetic therapy pharmaceutical company doing tests to try come up with new drugs to help with some of humanities illnesses.  One of the experiments involves ALZ 112 and a chimpanzee nicknamed "Bright Eyes."  The ALZ 112 increases the ape's intelligence and could be a cure to Alzheimer's, among other brain disorders.  But just as the scientists are ready to introduce the new drug "Bright Eyes" breaks loose at Gen Sys and seems to go crazy, killing employees and destroying things, until she is taken down herself.  Later Will Rodman (Franco) learns that "Bright Eyes" had a baby that no one knew about and her mistaken rage was really motherly instinct.  The ALZ 112 project is shut down and the orphaned chimp now needs a home.  Will (Franco) steps in as a temporary solution and takes the baby chimp home to meet his father Charles (John Lithgow) who is suffering from Alzheimer's.  Will and Charles get attached to the baby ape and name him Caesar (Andy Serkis) and so the journey begins and leads to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Man oh man this movie was great!  First off let me say that Andy Serkis is BRILLIANT at what he does!  He has to be THE BEST motion capture performer there is!  Also hats off to the special effects team that pulled this off!  I mean wow!  I am very critical when it comes to special effects.  I feel like special effects should seamlessly fit into a film, adding to it, not distracting the audience from the story and Rise of the Planet of the Apes accomplishes this and then some.
I was not looking forward to this film actually because I'm getting tired of the remakes but thank god this movie revived the classic tale.  The story was great!  I love how the writers intertwined the traditional story with our modern day struggles with issues like Alzheimer's which effects so many people today.  They also brought heart to the apes of the film.  I cried three times during this movie and held back tears in a lot of other scenes.  But don't mistake this for a sad tale.  It has humor, lots of action, drama and of course great special effects.  Anyone would enjoy this movie.  I saw a man sitting a few seats down from me, on the edge of his seat through the entire film and that summed up how I felt while watching this movie.  There was not a dull moment.  Also it was great to see John Lithgow and he was wonderful in his role as the dad suffering with Alzheimer's.  This movie was near perfect to me.  They better win some awards for the special effects. 
Now my only issue was with the script towards the end.  I don't want to give anything away but I felt a piece was missing with Will (Franco) when he had to deal with some issues with Caesar (Serkis), who by that point was like a son to him.  I just felt like they could've added an extra couple of minutes to show him "dealing" with things and it would've made the film that much better for me.  But aside from that this was a great movie! 

So of course I say this is definitely worth seeing!  Skip Cowboys and Aliens (sorry) and go see this!

Cowboys & Aliens

Directed By: Jon Favreau
Written By: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: B -

This film takes place in 1873 in Arizona Territory.  Daniel Craig plays a man who finds himself in a strange town with no memory of how he got there or who he is.  To add to his confusion he has a strange contraption strapped to his wrist that is a clue to his mysterious past.  While in the town of Absolution Jake (Daniel Craig) and the townspeople experience terror when they're attacked by an object from the sky.  People go missing and Jake's strange bracelet seems to be a clue.  So a group led by Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) sets off into the dessert to find their people before it's too late.

This was a solid movie for me.  I was definitely entertained!  They focused more on the western aspects of the film rather than the sci-fi and that held it's weight for the story.  I found myself involved in the characters and emotionally attached to a few which means a pretty good script.  There also was plenty of action and good ole western brawls.  Then of course there's payoff when we finally get to see those aliens.  I won't say much but if you're a fan of alien movies then you'll enjoy what Jon Favreau did with these.  The special effects were great!  I was not disappointed in this area and that's big for me.  There were some holes in the Ella Swenson character played by Olivia Wilde.  From her first appearance on screen she seems out of place.  As you go further into the film you learn more about her but you're still left with questions.  I also wasn't feeling the chemistry between her and Jake (Daniel Craig), it was just okay. 
Looking for Harrison Ford to be some kind of Indian Jones character?  Not this time around.  His job was to be mean throughout most of the film intimidating other characters yet he hardly did anything but talk so towards the end of the film I was a little annoyed by him.  There's also a point where a tribe of Native Americans enter the story and at first it's a little weird but later their presence is justified and adds to the story.  The film felt a tad bit long with a running time of 1 hour and 58 minutes, but only by a little bit.   

Bottom line you don't go to see this type of film for top-notch acting and writing.  There were a couple of over-the-top moments but that's what you expect in a film like this.  Cowboys & Aliens delivered exactly what it was supposed to - a clear, easy to follow storyline, great action, some suspense and great special effects.  The costumes and set design were great too!   
So because these characters had weight and there actually was a real story I'd say this was one of the better action movies I've seen this summer. 

I'd say you should definitely see it but there's no rush.

Super 8

Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Written By: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney and Riley Griffiths
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: A-

It was refreshing to see an original, creative story.

Super 8 follows a group of kids who are using their summer vacation to make a zombie movie to enter into a film festival.  Each child has their role behind the super 8 movie camera and in front of it.  While shooting a scene for their film they witness a train crash and start to question what's going on in their town.  Soon after, strange things start happening and it becomes clear that they are dealing with something out of this world. 

This film has a lot, suspense, drama, comedy, action and even a little romance.  It does not disappoint.  I could not believe that for the majority of the child actors this was their first film.  These kids were great!  J.J. Abrams was able to pull such natural, authentic performances out of them.  He also did a great job creating childhood nostalgia.  You find yourself back at a youthful time and can't help but to feel what these kids feel.  J.J. Abrams is brilliant! 
I was a little disappointed by the alien but just a tiny bit.  It was pretty good but not vicious enough for me.  Then again how scary can it be in a PG-13 movie?
Super 8 is like a cross between "The Goonies," "E.T." and "Signs."  The beginning is "The Goonies," the middle is "Signs" and the end is "E.T."
So if you're looking for a great alien film that will make you laugh, hold your breath, gasp, jump out of your seat and even cry then this is the movie to see. 

(Note to Parents: This film is not for children under 13, there is a lot of profanity.) 

I definitely say see it, see it!

Green Lantern

Directed By: Martin Campbell
Written By: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong,
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: C+

After much anticipation Green Lantern the movie is finally released.  Could Ryan Reynolds fill the green suit?  Hmmm possibly.

I'll try to break this complicated story down as best as I can.  Basically the Green Lantern Corps are comprised of different races from the universe who are to protect our galaxy.  Think of it as the United Nations but on an intergalactic scale.  Enter in the villain Parallax (voiced by Clancy Brown) who threatens to destroy the Universe with the power of fear, the opposite of will (Green Lantern Corps' power).  At the same time a well respected Green Lantern dies and a hole needs to be filled to help save the universe.  Enter Hal Jordan your typical egotistical, successful, flying by the seat of his pants kind of guy who doesn't take life seriously.  He also happens to be a test pilot (not sure how this helps the story) and out of every human on the planet "the ring" chooses him to join the Green Lantern Corps.  So then we watch Hal Jordan learn to master his new power of willpower while learning to fly and maneuver between his old life on earth and his new superhero life.  Of course he needs a leading lady, childhood friend Carol Ferris played by Blake Lively.  While Hal deals with his new identity Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard), also a childhood friend of Hal's, is going through his own transformation as Parallax tries to use him in his attempt to destroy the universe with fear.  Can the Green Lantern Corps stop Parallax and save the world before it's too late?  Dun dun dun ... what do you think?

Okay so I was entertained by the special effects and vibrant colors.  Seeing it in 3D and IMAX was a nice touch but not worth the extra money.  Where is the 3D in these new 3D movies?  Anyhow, I loved how Ryan Reynolds played the role.  He definitely brought a strength, humor and sensitive side to Hal Jordan.  However the story was just too much for me.  Trust me I simplified it as much as I could.  I mean I found it easy to follow but it just had too much going on for me.  I also found many things so unbelievable, not counting all of the superhero factors (flying, super powers, a costume that doesn't cover much of the face but somehow no one knows who it is).  The script just felt rushed and could've used more editing.  Some things could have been taken out while others could have been developed more.

But let's face it, you don't go to this kind of movie for a strong storyline or Academy Award winning directing or acting.  You go for some good old fashioned action, comedy and special effects and this movie pretty much delivers all of that.  I still prefer Iron Man but this wasn't half bad either.

I say see it but don't rush.