A large amount of the world’s population has been wiped out by the virus created in the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his fellow apes have created a society in the hills by the dam. But when humans arrive, ten years since they last had contact with the apes, both humans and apes feel threatened.
It is most certainly an extremely stunning film, with fabulous effects that worked extremely well in 3D. I’m not sure if it is just me, but I really love a good, big story with some awesome betrayal. Can the two species find a way to live together, or will the betrayal of each side mean the end? And while the story is satisfactorily ended for this chapter, it is way open for another film in a few more years. I hope. With lots of cool battle scenes.
One further note: I think there is nothing quite so cool as seeing Maurice the Orangutan riding a horse.
Will (James Franco) has been trialling a new drug to combat the effects of Alzheimer’s, testing it on gorillas. His boss, Steven (David Oyelowo) is concerned with making money, but when one of the treated animals appears to go crazy and get quite violent, Steven pulls the plug. There is a little baby, Caesar (who later is played by Andy Serkis with a whole bunch of special effects), who Will takes home to his father, Charles (John Lithgow), who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and Caesar is very smart, having had the effects of the drug pass down from his mother. When his renegade use of the drug on his father stops working, Will develops another without realising the danger of it. Meanwhile, Caesar has gone all protective on the evil neighbour who was hassling Charles and ended up in an unpleasant facility run by John (Brian Cox) and Dodge (Tom Felton). Caesar has come to understand that he is not human, and he gathers an army to find his home.
Phew. It’s a big plot, really, and I haven’t even covered it all. There are some truly shocking lines in the story (I think my favourite was “You know everything about the brain except how it works”) and parts are pretty cheesy. But overall, I really enjoyed it, I enjoyed the way the characters interacted and it has set itself up for the sequel, the recently released Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Special Effects.
As a little kid, I loved reading Asterix comics. I know, I know, that’s not Tintin, but they always looked kinda similar – same size and shape, kind of. Yes, I do judge a book by its cover. That’s just me, I’m afraid. When I attempted the Tintin comics, I didn’t really get them. There wasn’t much humour and I wasn’t really interested in the whole mystery aspect. I tried again a few years later and I enjoyed them a lot more – still not as much, but I liked them.
I was pretty concerned when I heard that there was going to be a live action motion capture animation film. Was it going to look as crap as that Tom Hanks Christmas film many years ago? I still haven’t seen that one – Polar Express, I believe. I just couldn’t get over that scary face from the trailer. I still have nightmares.
As it happens, Tintin is the absolutely perfect film for this technology.
Herge creates beautiful characters in his books, often with slightly enlarged features, and live capture animation allows these characters to come alive. If you are familiar with the comics, you will share my delight in seeing these characters brought to life – whether it is the sailors or the absolutely wonderful Captain Haddock.
I find it quite hard to critique the acting in the film as the animation dominates the appearance of the actors, and so I found myself relying on the voice to convey the character. Certainly, Andy Serkis portrayed a marvelous Haddock, and Nick Frost and Simon Pegg gave Thompson and Thomson voices exactly as I’d always wanted to hear them, but how much of the credit of their performances should be attributed to the animators? It’s an interesting thought.
Recently, Tintin won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film, and it was deserving of this accolade. The animation is wonderful, and the story is well created, taking elements from several of the books. It is filled with action and humour and after a first watching, I was more than happy to go again with my nephew. The second watching was even better – oh, and I’d recommend a big screen, go for 3D and sit right at the back. It’s worth it.
The Adventures of Tintin was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score (John Williams)
Starting with a mysteriously un-mustacchioed Bill Bailey setting the scene in Edinburgh, centre of medical study, in the 19th century. Bodies are require for medical studies and the police are carefully monitoring the cemetery for grave robbers. William Burke (Simon Pegg) and William Hare (Andy Serkis) discover that they can make a living providing the bodies – although it may mean they have to start killing them.
The concept is great but the script is average. The characters are over-the-top and the acting is cheesy, but overall, I didn’t mind it. I think it should have been a lot better, with such an amazing cast, but it was a bit of fun.
First, there was a book by Graham Greene then a movie in 1947 and then this, the 2010 remake of the film. It follows a sociopathic gang member, Pinkie (Sam Riley) who marries Rose (Andrea Riseborough), a waitress who witnesses some violent acts. Her old boss Ida (Helen Mirren) sees the danger Rose is in and tries to help her.
I was bored throughout this film. I didn’t find any connection to Pinkie at all, he was just a prick and I wanted him gone. Rose was alright but her naivety annoyed me. And even the violence was tedious. Then only thing I really enjoyed about the film was the set and costume design – Brighton in the 60s looked awesome, and the outfits of the Mods and Rockers were very cool.
Since the days of Alfie, depressing reality has been a regular genre in British cinema, and often the offerings are a representation of a dull and horrible life interrupted by some shocking, over-the-top event that may or may not be resolved adequately by the end of the film.
There’s something different about Wild Bill, and I spent some time trying to figure out what it was. Essentially, I think the difference is heart. The film tells the story of ‘Wild’ Bill Hayward (Charlie Creed-Miles) as he is released from prison and returns home to find his ex-wife has abandoned his two children. The oldest, 15-year-old Dean(Will Poulter) is working and taking care of 11-year-old Pill (Sammy Williams), who is starting to get out of control.
The film is carried by Will Poulter, who portrays the anger and confusion of an abandoned teenager with strength. It’s a serious story with some quite graphic violence, and yet there is also quite a surprising amount of humour.
ireckonthat 