Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Cowboys and Aliens a bloggers catch up

Well after two weeks of silence, I finally caught up with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and came away loving it. I'm an Apes fan, who hated the Tim Burton reboot. The only good thing about that sorry effort was Rick Bakers Brilliant makeup. I'd been watching the production news for the latest addition to the franchise and I was sort of fearing the mo cap system being used to bring more Ape like characters to the screen. I needn't have been. This is a first class tale, with Weta Digitals efforts coupled with the efforts of Andy Serkis bring class to the whole enterprise.
The story thematically fits in with the originals, there are neatly hidden easter egg references to Planet of the Apes. I was about to give up on summer but this film has restored my faith so hats off to director Rupert Wyatt for delivering a great film that hit this viewers sweetspot.

Cowboy & Aliens I saw last week, I sort of had to psyche myself up for it after reading some of the bad press this film was generating. I could write war and peace about this film, but the bottom line is yeah its not perfect, didnt like the last third of the story, it just got a little clunky and didnt gel. I found myself questioning certain essential points of the plot, disliked the alien designs which bore too much similarity to Super 8's alien .

But there are some outstanding character actors in this film and for the first two thirds the movie kinda works for me as a western. It was great to see the Kurgan (Clancy Brown) and Sam Rockwell is just great. Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig play well its just all that effort is lost in the last 25 minutes.
Its not a travesty but its not the best film of summer either.
Westerns can make for great horror tales but not great sci fi and this film just proves the point.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Weta Featurette

Heres a little look in on the creative porcess for Rise of the Apes. Two days and I will be in the cinema watching this and after looking at this feeling the excitement grow.

Captain America Review

Well this has been Marvels year so far, its release schedule preparing the way for next years Avengers. Joining 2011 lineup Captain America. Now to save you reading further I'll say it out loud, if you enjoyed Thor you will enjoy this film. It performs its function and it does it in an entertaining way. Its a little different from the other Marvel character debuts in that its a period film taking place in the Second World War. Joe Johnston delivers a good solid debut for in my opinion one of Marvel's less interesting characters.( Sorry but I'm a brit and as portrayed in this film he is a little less charasmatic than his fellow Marvel brothers).
 The film has great design, a great villain as portrayed by Hugo Weaving and a great cast of character actors who deliver the goods. But for me this story suffers a little from streamlined  and rapid pacing at the expense of character and story. For example, he has his own band of merry men, and if I was an avid comic fan I might get there place in his universe. But in this film they are hollow sketches , set dressing and too thinly written to make enough of an impression on this viewer. Hell walking out I couldn't even remember their names.
    There are some great action set pieces and a cool musical number composed by Alan Menken, and character beats, but some of the tale is told very economically at the expense of engaging this viewer. It didn't help that certain reviewers referred to the film in the same breath as Raiders so my expectations were set high. Johnston gave us the brilliant Rocketeer, he also had a role in the design process forRaiders, Star Wars etc. but he also delivered the lousy Wolfman.
    Thankfully this is no Wolfman, and its not a bad film, its just after Thor , Green lantern, I'm all superheroed out. The one highlight was the Avengers trailer posted onto the end credits.
    Captin America is a fun 2 hours but its no Iron Man and it certainly aint X Men First Class. Its a quality movie, it entertains but just lacks that factor X marking it out as a special edition to the Marvel movie line. But it does set up the Avengers nicely and it doesnt embarass itself.
  In closing I saw this in 3D and as a post conversion it was very effective and did not feel out of place.
I dont think you'll miss much seeing it 2D but the 3D serves its function so its a matter of choice.

Round up of the past weeks

Well just a few quick recommendations things are picking up down under in Wellington. The film festival is about to kick off with another year of excellant selections which will apeal to all from art house to genre films with the added mix of youth orientated animation that challenges the norm.
Particular stand outs are Submarine which I hope to see. I just got this years guide and its a book of delights. One film that stands out for me is the Battleship Yamoto so I might try to catch that particular film when it shows at Wellington's Paramount cinema.
Another film that appeals in Take Shelter due to Michael Shannon presence. This guy has yet to deliver a bad role, he was standout in Board Walk empire and I can't wait to see him in Zack Snyders Superman in which he has been cast as General Zod.
The festival will run from Friday 29th July -Sunday 14th August and brochures are available around Wellington and their website is up an running so go take a look and see what grabs your attention.


    On the satellite front I have managed to catch some real gems , which I sadly missed on the big screen. Two particular stand outs currently showing on our Rialto channel ( our art house provider) was the amazing Animal Kingdom. An australian film that explores a young mans nightmare experiences with his family of career criminals. Its a film full of supprises an express train into the darker side of humanity with a stand out performance from Jacki Weaver as the young mans grandmother Smurf. A woman truly to be feared. This a bleak tale that unfolds with pace and which takes you on a very dark journey.
    My next recommendation is Bick Hicks American


Bill Hicks hit the UK like a tornado, I was young and this guy made an impression because not only was he a great comedian sadly lossed to us in his prime. The guy put idea's out there and using humour made us question a lot of things about life, the states, and events unfolding. He was ahead of his time but just as recognition for his genius was taking hold he was sadly taken from us. This doco is a must see, with highlights of some of his work and through animationa and talking heads this is is a stand out doco and if your in New Zealand you can catch it on the Rialto channel. Highly recommended.
Lastly Joan Rivers A Piece of Work

This is another doco this time a year in the life of Joan Rivers a fly on the wall doco that follows her through one year and is at times a touching, and others downright hilarious exploration of the woman that lets it subject do all the talking. I enjoyed it and again its currently showing on our Rialto channel.

Transformers Dark Side of the Moon Review

You know reviewing something like Transformers is an exercise in futility. Did I love it uh no, did I hate it? Uh no.  It is what it is, for two hours twenty minutes in totally glorious 3D I was plunged once again in that destruction derby style conflict between the Auto bots and the Decepticons.

Part 1 introduced the characters; part 2 was a storytelling mess all rapid cuts, explosions, and mayhem with a few suspect sexual references. Unwelcome in a franchise that’s a kiddy cash in.  

So I guess I’m pleased to say part 3 Dark side of the Moon is the series charmer. Robots are front and centre, there is a story and guess what it makes sense. The 3D presentation curbs some of Michael Bay’s excesses and makes the battles easier to follow and as a result much more involving. This is the best of the series with some amazing edge of the seat action scenes and that allows Optimus Prime a chance to shine front and centre stage. Megatron is the poor presence in this sequel but there are some nice cameos and for two hours and twenty minutes I was absorbed by the screen. Not once did I glance at my watch not once did I get bored.

This is not Shakespeare but it is the best example of 3D since Avatar and that says a lot. You won’t feel cheated and you’ll have a good time and the 3D effects will have you hanging on to your seat. It’s the Transformers movie that Parts 1 and 2 should have been and for that alone its worth recommending.