Planet of the Apes

So over the last week or so I’ve been watching the original Planet of the Apes in preparation for Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Saturday. So far I’ve watched the first 3, Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes and Escape from the Planet of the Apes. To be quite honest I am absolutely loving these films. The costume design in them is very realistic for a trio of films made in the late 60s/early 70s and each storyline has been closely weaved together. The first ended brilliantly (and I would have been shocked if I hadn’t known the ending already) and I wasn’t expecting the sequel to lead straight on. I do admit however that I fell asleep in the last 10 minutes of the sequel and after reading the synopsis it seems a lot was dealt with in those last scenes so I’ll have to rewatch it.

The third, which I’ve only just finished watching had one of the best storylines of the series so far. The underlying themes in each of the films are good but this was better. The fact that the Humans now knew of their impending doom and slavery and how they acted upon it was handled brilliantly and, in my opinion, realistically.

Now I’m nearing the end of the originals. The fourth film will be the first time I encounter Caesar, the main ape in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and I’m very much looking forward to it. Although I expect it will be a completely new direction for the series, the continuing storyline which has gone on throughout the first 3 has well and truly ended and I welcome Caesar with open arms.

The Bounty Hunter

Nearly 2 hours is wasted on this film which really could've been far better. Apparently its a comedy and, although there are a few giggles here and there, there are no belly laughs that leave you gasping for air.
Gerard Butler plays Milo Boyd, a bounty hunter whose latest target is his journalist ex wife Nicola (Jennifer Aniston). he becomes ecstatic when he finds out that he has to find her and bring her to jail but soon he finds out that the reason she skipped bail was to follow a story which has cover-up written all over it. he decides to help Nicola piece together the story and in the process, falls back in love with her. The first part is quite funny with him rejoicing merrily in the knowledge that his ex wife is now his target.
However, when the story becomes more complex it begins to drag on a bit. The acting on Butlers end is superb whereas Anistons acting is nothing we haven't seen before. Of course Anistons acting is good but it's nothing new. As the second half drags on it seems to take an age to get from one scene to another and when the ending arrives (finally) it is done so quickly. All the loose ends are tied up quickly and you're left staring at the screen in disbelief that after the long-winded story with few laughs, the ending you get just doesn't lift the film at all.
Dont get me wrong, if you're a fan of rom-coms you'll probably like it but theres not much of rom or com in this and it seems the story focuses a bit more on action than anticipated.

The Lovely Bones

I may or may not have made a mistake when I saw The Lovely Bones. I'd heard from other people that it wasn't as good as the book and so in the hopes that I wouldn't be put off, I decided not to read the book before I saw the film. I'd hoped that if I had nothing to go by, I wouldnt be expecting anything. However, when I saw the film I realised it probably would've been best if I'd read the book first as the story was just plain confusing!
The film is centred around Susie Salmon, a 14 year old girl who is murdered by a paedophile neighbour. This splits her parents up as all her mother wants to do is try to get on with life whilst her father is determined to find the killer. To be honest the film could have worked better with just that as the story, but when the in-between world, a world where Susie stays after she dies, is introduced, it messes up the whole film. Susie decides not to go to heaven just yet as she watches her father try and uncover the mystery surrounding her murder. The acting is superb, with Stanley Tucci stealing the show as Mr Harvey, Susies killer, a performance which could very well be oscar worthy. As well as this Susan Sarandon adds humour to what would otherwise be quite a depressing film.
Peter Jackson also does a good job at directing, although the scenes in the in-between world are a bit too detailed. With the Lord of the Rings trilogy certainly putting a high bar for him to surpass this doesn't even get near the excellence of Middle Earth. A good film, in all, but a bit too confusing and long-winded.
Next up is a review of The Bounty Hunter starring Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler.

Crazy Heart

I'm ashamed to say that this, unfortunately was the first Jeff Bridges film I've ever seen. I'm ashamed because I've heard so much about what a great actor Bridges is and yet I hadn't (and still haven't) seen any of his other movies. And it was unfortunate that this was the first of his movies I've seen as it doesn't give much evidence for him being a great actor. Granted, his singing is great for the movie, with a proper country sound to his voice, but when he starts speaking it seems as though he mumbles throughout.
Direction is great and acting is average, the storyline, however, doesnt fit. It's nothing new. A country singer, Bad Blake, is broke and alcoholic but when he meets a reporter/single mother, Jean, he falls in love with her and plans to change his ways for her and her son's sake. Whilst he gets gigs at little bars around America, a big step down from the massive popularity he used to have, Bad begins to have a purpose in life, seeing Jean regularly and helping her raise her son, Buddy, whom he vows not to drink in front of after Jean asks him. Things start going down though, when he is out with Buddy and decides to go to a bar. Buddy soon gets lost and Bad's relationship is torn apart.
In all, the film is basically Walk The Line with a few names changed and other parts added to the story and instead of a drug addiction its drink. although the songs make up for the mediocre acting, its not enough to make up for the whole film. Not really a film worthy of the big-screen, Crazy Heart might have been better suited as a straight-to-DVD film as it was planned to be before Fox Searchlight stepped in and decided to bore us after about an hours worth of watching a frankly foring movie.

Valentines Day

There's not much to say about this film... well not much good things to say anyway. the cast is filled with great ators and actresses from Jamie Foxx to Julia Roberts, with a couple thrown in, it sems, purely for their popularity, such as Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner. The story is simple, a look at a handful of LA couples' life on Valentines day. Although I say the story is simple, it does add a good sense of uniquity to any other rom-coms I've seen.
Firstly, it doesn't just focus on one couple but many which makes the scenes short and sweet but with little to hold onto and the changes do become quite annoying after a while. Secondly, the stories seemed to connect together as if it were a puzzle. The only really good thing about the film, however is the connections made between each character. The rest of the film is your average rom-com although it seems with this film as though they've made a lot of rom-coms, jumbled them all up with each other and added a crossover at the end.
Although its good enough, it's not a movie which really stands out from all the other 'love-is-so-simple' rom-coms out there. you could probably get the same enjoyment, or even more enjoyment, out of watching an old one, like Love Actually, again.

Legion

A nice little apocolyptic movie, it focuses less on the world ending and more on the humans being 'extermnated' . With a storyline thats sure to make a termnator fan tremble with either delight or anger, it centres around a woman, Charlie, who's 8 months pregnant and as God sends his angels down to earth to exterminate the human race one angel, michael, goes rogue-agent style and, against Gods wishes, protects Charlie in the hope that she gives birth to her child, the one person that can save humanity.
Armed with gazillions of ammunition and whatnot, Michael joins Charlie in the middle of nowhere at a sleazy restaurant and helps her workmates, customers and mor importantly herself, survive the hordes of angel/human enemies that come for the unborn child. Acting wise its not bad but not great either. Truth be told, its in the middle. Location wise however, it is excellent. the majority of the film is set in the restaurant where the tv, radio and phones are all out and no one knows what's happened. there is no view of what the cities are like now with their new arrivals which is great.
With an excellent fight scene between two angels and a great cameo by Gabriel, the only angel known by us humans, this film differs from any other apocolyptic movie I've seen, focusing on religion a bit more. definately worth a watch.

Case 39

With a story that's sure to get plenty of shocks, Case 39 was not as good as it could've been. Renee Zelwegger plays Emily Jenkins, a social worker who saves troubled child, Lilliths life after her parents try to kill her. Taking more responsibility than necessary for Lilly, Emly adopts her and plans to keep her in the safe environment she deserves. But things happen and it seems that Lilly isn't the kind little girl Emily thought she was.
The first half wasn't very good when watching it. After seeing the trailer I was hoping for more jumpy moments than there were. Although the first half sets the story (at a snails pace) it does include some poor attempts a making us jump. most of which are hardly scary at all. Lillith hardly says a thing throughout this first part which isn't odd after all she's been through, but rather annoying.
Put aside the poor acting from Zelwegger (it's clear she should just stick to rom-coms and leave the horrors alone) and you will find a movie worth watching. Although the first half is quite long and boring, it lulls us into a false sense of security for the second half when we find out the truth about Lillith. She suddenly becomes over-confident and very creepy. Great acting is done by Jodelle Ferland (Lillith) which suggests we may be seeing more of her soon.
With a great storyline (even the first half is good when you look back on it) and an even better actress in the form of Ferland, Case 39 is definately worth a watch.