Now i do. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Also taking award for this years worst movie title) is a fantastic movie. It manages to serve up quality on so many levels. Andy Serkis as the leading Ape Caesar steals the show with only his expression and body language. Modern day effects make the apes do things that seem both realistic and frightening. On top of that members of the supporting cast deliver, the only one i wouldn't call perfect is Franco if only becuase hes hard to take seriously. The effects are dodgy in shots with both real human actors and C.G.I. Apes but its never bad enough to tear you away from the experience that serves as a perfect prequel to an age old the franchise that i hope returns with more movies.
I padded that first part with an arbitrary story becuase there isn't much to say about this movie. It's a fantastic, creative, and damn thrilling Sci-Fi movie. It has some of the most interesting looking aliens in a movie since the xenomorphs from Alien, and it has characters that you can identify with but aren't sick of seeing in every other movie with reckless teenagers that have each other's backs. But that's all i really wanna say, it will having you laughing at very British humor and it might even have you tearing up as the characters develop. If you have the opportunity watch it go for it. Its a great movie for everyone.
This movie is genius, it tempers real history with that alternate history fiction of the X-Men franchise that we all love without leaning too heavily on either one. I was worried that its basis in reality would make both a too serious superhero movie and a too silly piece of historical fiction but as it would seem I was dead wrong. It's one of the few ensemble casts where everyone goes above and beyond what they're asked to do, bringing new life and realism to the origins of these well known comic book icons, with special mention of Michael Fassbender as Magneto and Kevin Bacon (The true american hero) as the villain Sebastian Shaw. You could make an argument against the dodgy effects which looked like no one had put any love or care into them at all but it never ruined the movie. It does show how rushed parts of the production were though.. Of all the super hero movies this summer, this was 2nd only to one other. But we'll get to that later..
The Tree of Life is deceptive. It switches perspective constantly, its typically grounded fragments of memories belonging to children growing up in the 1960's, but it also deals with those people's lives as they are today and frankly (If i was looking at what i think i was looking at) the best depiction of both the beginning and the end of world. I'm not kidding, Tree of Life might have the most to say about the universe than Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. But it also has so much more to say about all life on earth since the dinosaurs, and up to whatever will inhabit the earth at the end. I won't spoil anymore but it gets a spot here for its visual ascetic and some superb editing that really makes the movie what it is. Though i don't have much to say for the acting. It's great, but ultimately doesn't affect the overall product which is damn good.
Melancholia stars a whole gaggle of talented-but-not-exactly-popular-at-the-moment actors. Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, Stellan Skarsgård, and Alexander Skarsgård. And to their credit they are what bumps the movie from a weird idea with a good ascetic to a great movie with an interesting set of thoughts in its head. And the plot is what it sounds like, there's a wedding going on and two sisters who've been on and off as far as good terms go. And as they start considering being closer, a new planet turns up and scientists think it's headed to destroy the earth. And that's it. It's not a perfect film, its very stylized and some of the effects don't even seem like they're supposed to look realistic but when you get right down to it, Melancholia is a unique character drama and i highly recommend it.
The thing that sets Captain America apart might turn some people away, even though its actually quietly genius. It actually plays out more like a world war two epic that just happens to have a super heroic lead. This is most evident in the two gorgeous montages. The first showing Captain America traveling around the states promoting war bonds, doing what they let him to help out, but the second is him traveling around with his personal elite squad, tearing through enemy ranks. Theses aren't too long, and allow the movie to take place over many more years. Making it feel bigger, grander, and more impactful. Beyond that the acting is great and by the time the story ends it gives you a perfect desire to see the future of the Avengers. And that's what the film is all about. Considering that's all it had to do, it more than delivered. All three of my thumbs up.
To list them in order of importance you've got a grand master director who's skills seem to know no bounds, he made the story about the origins of FACEBOOK interesting. FACEBOOK. I wouldn't say this is David Fincher's best piece (Zodiac and Fight Club are still tied for first there) in fact one could argue it's a little bland, like a master returning to something relatively basic but it still delivers. Every shot is dense with meaning, an empty room in which three people try to enjoy a meal can speak volumes about all three characters the way Fincher sets up a shot. Next i would have to say the casting plays a significant role. Not the acting itself as much as how each member of the cast really brings to light the little nuances in each character almost exactly as they were portrayed in the books. Daniel Craig's character who's supposed to be smart and passionate but kind of a wimp, while Mara Rooney as the lead is supposed to be kind of strange and off putting so that when she turns out to be so tough we can find ourselves relating to both of them as one balanced entity. Finally the score. I'm not a musical expert, but its hours and hours long and it's incredibly atmospheric. Don't miss this movie. Read the book, watch the original film, and watch this one. It's not the best story in the world but the films tell it well.
I already made the Bourne Comparison (Conspiracy joke) but the style this film bleeds really drives that point home. Similar camera work, similar bleak but real settings, similarly badass leads characters. That's where the comparison ends though; As opposed to Jason Bourne's mysterious pseudo spy-sassin character who sometimes seem less like an actual person and more like a deadly robot, Hanna never has that problem. I won't spoil it, but her character just seems like a very VERY sheltered young girl that gets hit by the real world all at once as shes already on a quest to find out who she is. She's also on the run from a large organization that wants her dead, and trying to make sure her only living family is safe. Lots of pressure for one little girl. Oh ya, did i mention shes a little girl? Cuase she is. I think this movie works for a lot of the same reasons Kick-Ass did, just on a more realistic level. Young kids being put into situations way above their own head coming into their own and learning about responsibility. In Hanna you get mystery, brutal action, a lot of heavy accents, superb acting from a small cast of experts and a story. A good story. Not many movies have that ya know.
2. The Adjustment Bureau :When people look back on 2011 a few things are probably going to be said besides "We still believed in that 2012 crap back then ya know." But one of the important things i hope people remember is this film. A film marketed so well, cast with immense talent, and written to be both exciting and engaging i hope no one soon forgets this little gem. A damn good masterpiece where a weird idea came together with the right director and the right actors, things like this often flop for being too silly but Adjustment Bureau shines.
I'm sure if you care, you've probably already seen it but i must throw up a little spoiler warning to talk about something in the movie that makes it such a crazy gamble. Ready? Eyes properly averted? Okay good. When the trailers first started coming out no one really knew the main plot secret, only that a mysterious shadow organization secretly controlled everything and manipulated events to work out a certain way. Matt Damon played a conservative politician, and being so young was pulling far ahead in a historical presidential campaign. Until he met a women played by Emily Blunt, a free spirited but incredibly talented young dancer who began freeing him from his constraints the moment they met. But that wasn't supposed to happen and the mysterious organization tries to stop them.. but through a weird series of small errors fails to stop things from happening. And the whole movie from there basically follows them as their fates begin to unwind at he behest of the mystery G-Men. The secret twist? *Spoiler Warning*
The men aren't aliens or an evil branch of the government, the movie quickly establishes that they're fracking angels descended from on high, and get all their orders though tiny black notebooks created by god. Ya. I know.
This movie by all rights should've had most people leaving the theater laughing half way through. But it didn't. And I'm glad. Becuase the two leads deliver one of the strongest performances I've ever seen, displayed real characters we rarely see together in a movie, and playing the hell out of their forbidden love. Using the story to emphasize just how forbidden it all is. It's not perfect, the movie seems to think its plot is very twisty, but by half way through you can pretty much see whats going on very clearly, and some scenes in the middle where they justify the angel's power get s a little long. But still, by the end of this movie you'll feel different. You might even question your entire belief system. You might not. Who knows? Just watch it, of all the films iv'e ever seen this is one of the few that managed to be deep and emotionally affecting (without being preacher or taking cheap shots i might add) while still being exciting. Its one of the best of 2011 for sure. And i only saw one movie i thought was better...
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