Movie Review: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Nick Thurston, Judy Greer

2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes ended with the apes attacking the Golden Gate Bridge. The movie as a whole was rather dull and full of bad acting, but it culminated to a rather intriguing ending that left me wanting more. I was optimistic that this series still had some life left to it. Ten years have passed since those events and the Simian flu has wiped out a majority of the human population. There is a small group of humans that are immune and sequestered in a small colony in San Francisco. The exact opposite has happened to the ape population. They have grown, evolved, and populated. Caesar (Serkis) is seen as the authority figure amongst all of the apes. They believe the humans have been destroyed as there has been no trace of them since the outbreak of the virus. While walking through the forest, Caeser’s son Blue Eyes (Thurston) encounters a small group of them who have entered the ape territory.

It’s not long before Malcolm (Clarke), Ellie (Russell), and the others are surrounded by a legion of apes. Malcolm learns right then and there that the apes are far more advanced than they had expected. Caesar demands that they leave and never return. Back on the colony, Malcolm informs their leader (Oldman) that the apes can talk. The humans are in a bind as they are running low on energy and there is a dam in the ape territory that could be resourceful. Malcolm decides to face Caesar again and claims he only wants peace between the humans and apes. They come to an agreement, and Caesar allows Malcolm and his small crew to use the dam. Some of the apes including Koba (Kebbell) are not so pleased with Caesar’s decision to trust the humans. He proceeds to betray Caesar and disrupts the peace that has been building between both sides.

In a way, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is like X-Men: Days of Future Past or The Amazing Spider-Man 2. You could consider it a sequel to a reboot or just look at it as the latest in a longer series of movies. It definitely feels like the second part of what will end up being a new trilogy as Rise of the Planet of the Apes set the groundwork for this storyline. With the time frame jumping ahead ten years, we get a whole new set of human characters played by Jason Clarke, (Zero Dark Thirty), Keri Russell (Felicity), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight trilogy), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In). With these new characters, I would have liked a bit more in terms of character development in the script. There is a bit of background given in random lines just to add a bit of context, but it is sparse. Am I asking for too much here? I suppose so as the story really belongs to evolution of the ape characters. The team of screenwriters including Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver continue to push the line of how advanced the apes are and how they are continually becoming closer and closer as a species to humans. I was intrigued by the choice to have the language of the apes be a basic form of sign language with broken English added into it as they continue to learn how to communicate.

The use of motion capture technology brought a whole new vision to the series as we no longer had actors in ape costumes. The actors wear full body suits with censors and cameras to capture the actor’s complete performance including their movements and emotions. In post-production, Weta Digital uses those images and replaces the CGI ape design over it. It’s a technology that continues to evolve and is proof that you can have a CGI driven film but still capture the acting and emotional arch involved. The technology has come so far that the actors can shoot their scenes on location with the other human actors involved instead of being stuck in a studio or sound stage. Every ape character seen in the film has a human performance behind it. While it may be easy to think of Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, or Gary Oldman being the faces of the movie, the true life and breath of the movie belongs to Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell (Wrath of the Titans) as Caesar and Koba, respectively. Serkis was the perfect actor to bring Caesar to life. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he is a master craftsman. He has been a leader in this work ever since using it as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He should have been given some sort of award for his work in that series, and he continues to prove he’s more than just that character. These reboots wouldn’t be the same without him. There is a cartoonish feel to the other movies, but he brings a depth and emotional connection to Caesar like he would for any other human character he would play. I have never seen Toby Kebbell in anything else, and I was mesmerized by the menacing qualities of Koba and how truly evil he becomes toward the other apes.

Director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) keeps the pace and action up throughout the whole movie. I thought the first one was a bit slow, but that is not the case this time around. The central conflict between man versus ape and ape versus ape is set in place fairly early on and the tension continues to escalate until the final battle. That battle is epic and quite frightening at times. The camera is kept pretty panned out throughout a majority of the action scenes which gives a clear scope and magnitude of the bigger picture at hand. I get so sick and tired of action films that are shot so up close and fast that you can’t see what’s going on. I think it proves far more stunning and visually cinematic seeing the hordes of apes ascending into the colony and fighting with a wide shot. Michael Giacchino’s score is present and drives the intensity even further. There is a vintage feel to it which is an interesting juxtaposition to the futuristic world of the movie.

When a film series continue on and on you sometimes get a bunch of movies that are rehashes of the same crap we’ve seen before (ahem Transformers: Age of Extinction). They are made with the pure intent of making money over quality. I think there was a lot riding on this movie to keep the series going by pushing the boundaries in a thought provoking way. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a pleasant surprise by doing just that and rises to the pile of being one of the better movies of the summer. The closing shot of the movie is the perfect bookend for how the movie opens. It makes me even more excited to see what direction they take the next film.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Who would have expected that the eighth movie in the Planet of the Apes series would be so riveting?

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Review: WHITE HOUSE DOWN

WHITE HOUSE DOWN
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Joey King, James Wood, Richard Jenkins, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke

Sometimes a mindless silly popcorn action flick is just what you need after a long week. John Cale (Tatum) is hoping to gain a position as part of the US Secret Service. His relationship with his daughter Emily (King) is strained as she lives with her mother. She is book smart, good with technology, and is fascinated with President Sawyer (Foxx) and everything else White House related. John takes Emily with to the White House in order to gain some cool dad points with her.

John's interview with Secret Service Special Agent Carol Finnerty (Gyllenhaal) does not go as well as he was hoping for. They are former college acquaintances and she does not think he has the motivation and hard work ethic for the job. John can't bear to tell Emily the bad news, so they decide to go on a White House tour. A bomb explodes at the U.S. Capitol building and the White House is put on lock down. John and Emily ended up getting separately and now she's left alone in the bathroom while he is with the group. Posing as a repair service, a group of men led by Emil Stenz (Clarke), take the tour group hostage and start killing off members of the cabinet in order to get to the President. John escapes the tour group in attempt to find his daughter. At different times, both John and Emily have first hand encounters with the terrorists. Emily is able to record their actions on her phone and posts them on her blog. The video goes viral instantly and the faces of the terrorists are broadcast all over the news. Even though John is able to rescue the President from the leader of the terrorist group, their escape reaches quite a few road blocks as they realize the terrorist group is far more advanced than they realized at first.

When you go into a Roland Emmerich film, you should probably already know the quality you are getting yourself into when you buy your ticket. It is time to leave your brain at the door and grab a bucket of popcorn. You will be in for a massive action movie that will most likely have cheesy dialogue, implausible situations, massive explosions and some destruction of national monuments. What else would you expect from the filmmaker of Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012?

White House Down has all of that and knows it. I think Emmerich knows what kind of film he is making and makes the most out of it. The story goes to the extremes and is quite laughable at times due to how much these terrorists get away with. The number of explosions and times Channing Tatum dashes across a room of flying bullets is insane, but that is part of the fun. His guns never seem to run out of bullets either. The dialogue is always so serious that it deserves a couple of good laughs. It also helps if you bypass the fact that the casting of Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx is a little unconventional here. While they have both done action movies before, I would not say that this genre is their forte. Tatum seems a bit too young to play the dad to Joey King's character. Foxx also seems a bit too young and hip to play the President. Toward the beginning of the film and before the shit starts to hit the fan, he seems to be trying to pull of his Obama impression a little too much. In all reality, who really cares. The action kicks off into full gear early on and never lets up until the end. In order to like this movie, you have to go in looking to have a fun time and forget about three dimensional characters, a unique plot, logic, reason, and Academy worthy acting. Did I mention Channing Tatum spends good quality time running around in a muscle shirt?


RATING: ***1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: THE GREAT GATSBY

THE GREAT GATSBY
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, Isla Fisher


When you think about it, The Great Gatsby has all the ingredients to be a fantastic movie. Fitzgerald! Baz! Leo! The Jazz Era meets Jay-Z! Somehow this recipe does not quite turn out like the masterpiece I hoped it would be. Nick Carraway (Maguire) is spending time in a sanitarium for depression, anxiety, and being morbidly alcoholic amongst other things. He starts to tell his psychiatrist about the time he spent in New York and how a man named Gatsby (DiCaprio) had a huge impact on his life. Being unable to fully express his thoughts, his psychiatrist suggests having him write it all down as a memoir.

When Nick arrives in New York he settles in at a little cottage next door to a sprawling luxurious mansion. This elusive Jay Gatsby character owns the place. He throws the grandest parties filled music, alcohol, fireworks, and beautiful women. He is world renown yet maintains a mysterious air about him as few people ever seem to meet him face to face. Directly across the bay from the Gatsby mansion lives the beautiful Daisy (Mulligan) and her brutish husband Tom Buchanan (Edgerton). Daisy just happens to be Nick's cousin and Jay’s former lover. Nick learns the hard way that Tom is by no means a faithful husband when Tom takes him to a secret place he goes to cavort with his mistress, Myrtle (Fisher). Nick receives an invitation to one of the infamous Gatsby parties and actually meets the host. Jay gets Nick to host a tea party the next day in order to reconnect with Daisy and potentially rekindle his romance. Jay’s feelings for Daisy have never dissipated over the years. His mansion and parties were all a way to gain her attention in hopes she would stop by to see him again.

There is no denying that Luhrmann has a distinct style and vision. The world he has created to represent the vision of author F. Scott Fitzgerald sits right alongside Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge! Extensive choreography, music infused with various genres, and elaborate costumes by Catherine Martin are all present and from the outside can be a feast for the eyes. As a whole picture, Luhrmann relies too heavily on these theatrical moments to get his story going instead of trusting the characters and original source material. The cinematography and editing are so fast paced in the first part of the movie in hopes of capturing that vibrant rush that comes along with the party lifestyle. Luhrmann has brought in Jay-Z to blend the sounds of jazz and hip hop. There are fabulous moments and scenes in his previous movies where the musical elements really drive the scenes and intensify the emotions between the two lovers. I never felt that concept successfully worked in this case. It just plays as gimmicky and distracting.

When the camera slows down and the 3D special effects are not popping out at us, the story starts to take shape. Luhrmann has cast a strong ensemble willing to tackle on such well-known figures from the literary world. DiCaprio, as always, knows how to command the screen and can very easily bring out the multiple sides of Gatsby that show off his true personality. This role seems to fit him like a glove. It is probably a good thing the movie finally got made as he is getting too old to play a part that he was born to play. Edgerton and Mulligan are just as impressive as the tough, forceful husband against her beautiful, light, and airy qualities of Daisy. I cannot forget to mention Jason Clarke and Elizabeth Debicki who are equally fantastic in smaller roles. Maguire was the only negative standout which is a big problem being the narrator of the story. He lacks any sort of emotional connection and vibrancy that Nick should have toward the romance between Daisy and Jay.

I adored Lurhmann’s fusion of styles and tones in Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge! but he cannot seem to make it work for The Great Gatsby. Throughout the whole movie, I was baffled by how inconsistent Luhrmann was in approaching this story. The character and dialogue driven scenes were simple and effective while the lush, CGI heavy party scenes were explosive and over-the-top. The two different styles never worked well together. He seems to trust the actors and the Fitzgerald language but feels the need to Luhrmannize any transitional type moments. The film was shot for a 3D release, but the effects came across as fake and phony like those recent Disney adaptations of Alice in Wonderland and Oz, The Great and Powerful. He easily could have made a lavish artistic movie that conveys the world of the Fitzgerald novel with real sets and effects without giving into CGI pressure. Luckily DiCaprio, Mulligan, and Edgerton are strong enough to make a portion of the movie work.

RATING: ** 1/2 (2.5 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: ZERO DARK THIRTY

ZERO DARK THIRTY
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton

"When you lie to me, I hurt you."

I always applaud movies that are based on actual historical events that still manage to keep you completely engrossed and on the edge of your seat. Kathryn Bigelow's latest film after winning the Oscar for The Hurt Locker is just that kind of movie. Fellow Oscar winner Mark Boal's screenplay takes off early on as the torture scenes paint the picture for the kind of story about to be told. These scenes open the movie as Dan (Clarke) is a seasoned interrogator who has no qualms about his line of duty. CIA agent Maya (Chastain) follows him to black sites as he interrogates a man going by Ammar who has potential connections to Saudi terrorists. Dan uses very physical torture methods like water boarding to get information out of him and other couriers regarding the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

The film is told in linear form spanning the years from September 11, 2001 to May 2, 2011. The whole story centers on Maya's firm affirmation that bin Laden is hiding in plain sight. Her determination about the location leads to the eventual raid of his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Many did not want to believe he would be hiding in such an open area. It was easier to believe he was hidden deep in a desolate location. Many of the real life people the film is based on are still in hiding so we do not know much about their backgrounds or personal lives. The personal sides of these characters are very limited in this story. The only information we know about Maya and the rest of the CIA agents or the Navy SEALs is how they are in this moment of hunting for bin Laden. There is no exposition or sides stories that are told outside of the hunt.

The film is getting mixed reactions regarding the use of the torture scenes. People have questions on if it glorifies them or gives an opinion on if they are necessary or not. These scenes are raw and gruesome to watch. Isn't that the point though? I do not want some tamed down, syrupy, or simplistic approach to actual historical events. The final raid on the compound is intense and nerve-wracking. Despite knowing the ending, the rest of the audience and I watched without blinking or making a sound as if it was all coming at us for the first time. The action and suspense is filmed so intricately as if you are right there in the compound compared to watching it as an observer from the outside looking in.

Kathryn Bigelow has proven yet again she is a master filmmaker who is unafraid to tackle such heavy-hitting material. There was bound to be controversy regarding a film about the hunt for bin Laden. Her work with screenwriter Mark Boal is uncompromising and unapologetic. She casts an exceptional acting ensemble that asks them to go to very dark places. Jessica Chastain continues her streak of creating a diverse palette of characters so different from the last. She was Oscar nominated for her work in The Help last year and these two characters could not be further apart. Zero Dark Thirty is not an easy film to watch, but it is an important film that deserves attention.

RATING: **** 1/2 (4.5 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: LAWLESS

LAWLESS
Director: John Hillcoat
Starring: Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman

Bootlegging was the term for the illegal smuggling of alcohol during the Prohibition era. The Bondurant Brothers left their mark on Franklin County, Virginia as moonshine bootleggers. Forrest (Hardy), Jack (LaBeouf), and Howard (Clarke) have their turf and are not to be messed with unless you want to end up a bloody mess. They are known to have an "invincible" status. A group of lawmen led by Charlie Rakes (Pearce) from Chicago have stepped in and threaten the brothers in an attempt to share in their moonshine profits. While the brothers and the rest of the locals are living a shabby, dusty, and dirty life, Rakes comes in dressed in his finest clothes, gloves, and finely styled hair. His eyebrows have been so finely plucked they are barely noticeable.

Your standard bar brawl turns vicious one night at the Bondurant's saloon. Forrest wins the fight between the men and drags them out of the saloon. Along with his bar maid, Maggie (Chastain), he closes up the saloon for the night and heads out to his car. The gentlemen from the fight retaliate by attacking him and slashing his throat. Maggie happens to drive back to the saloon not knowing the fate of Forrest and gets bruised and beaten herself. Forrest stays true to his invincible self and survives the attack. Jack vows for revenge on the men and Rakes all the while trying to carry on the family business and wooing the local preacher's daughter (Wasikowska).

The movie is based on the book "The Wettest County in the World" by Matt Bondurant who is the grandson of Jack Bondurant. Like most movies based on real life figures, there is an antique photo of the real brothers that starts the final credits. Singer/Songwriter Nick Cave wrote the screenplay and composed the score for the movie. The storytelling is a bit choppy at times. The beginning of the movie feels very slow. It seemed as if Cave didn't know how to set up the characters or how to start the story before the catalyst that drives the rest of the movie happens. I get irritated when I feel like I don't know where the story is going. There could be far more depth and urgency with the story as well as the characters. The characters could have been written with more specificity instead of seeming like stereotypes. You've got the strong but silent brother, the young anxious brother, the flamboyant villain, the Tommy Gun toting gangster, the bar maid, and the quiet church girl.

Despite weak writing, the acting is fairly strong overall. I am not sure if Tom Hardy filmed this before or after The Dark Knight Rises but he still has his Bane body and uses that to embody his invincible status. Guy Pearce borders on over-the-top at times as the flamboyant Charlie Rakes. You definitely grow to hate his character. Gary Oldman is a perfect chameleon of an actor. Unfortunately, he is in the movie all too briefly. I would have loved to see more of his character. Hillcoat has directed a very violent and grisly movie. The added sound effects make every gun shot and throat slashing all the more graphic. While the movie has some good things going for it, it is done on a very simple surface level.

RATING: *** 1/2 (3.5 out of 5 stars)