Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of those movies that I wanted to see in theaters, but never got around to seeing until just recently. As has been one of the recent trends in Hollywood the origin story is told here for how the apes come to be in control. That is what I thought the story was going in, but really this only ends up being a very small part of the story. The real aspects of this movie ends up being about the relationship forged between Will and Caesar the chimp he secretly saves only to find out that the Alzheimer's drug he had been working on, had been passed down to Caesar from his mom, not only making him super intelligent, but he shows an ability to reason and learn. While Rise of the Planet of the Apes was for the most part an enjoyable movie throughout,but in the end if I had to sum it up in one word it would be that it was underwhelming.

The star of the movie is Caesar our CGI chimp whose movements were made by Andy Serkis. Serkis is brilliant with the movements, every movement is precisely what we would expect from the way a chimp to move to even how they would act. Everything about Caesar is perfectly put on screen because even though he is CGI, it is so seamless that we actually believe Caesar to be an actual chimp on screen with everyone else. Caesar gives the performance in such a great way that the audience ends up feeling the emotion that Caesar is going through with everything that goes on. James Franco in the role of Will Rodman does what we need from him. His relationship with Caesar is really what moves this movie and drives it. Franco does such a great job at playing such a driven scientist who truly wants to cure Alzheimer's not only for the world, but to save his father from the disease. Franco brings the same amount of emotion that we also see from Caesar, which only endears us to both characters more. The supporting cast do a great job as well, particularly Lithgow in the role of Will's father. He plays the confused moments of the disease so well that it is truly believable. He helps forge that emotional connection even stronger that the audience feels toward Caesar.

The story for Rise of the Planet of the Apes is about 95% toward being perfect. The buildup made made for this story built so well and so strong that for me it was precisely what I expect in a movie. Everything built toward not only a strong climax, but a fulfilling conclusion. This building truly made for great pacing and movement. I felt this pacing worked so well because they did not have moments that were only in the movie for filler, but each moment and scene served an ultimate purpose. When the story finally got to where the build up went, it was at that point where the story fell short. Where the pacing had been perfect, it felt very rushed at the climax. After investing the time in the story as it is moving along I want the conclusion not to be rushed. While I do not want to go into it and to spoil anything for those who may have not seen it yet, but one of the big plot points, the conclusion of this plot point felt very much like a cop out way to tie up this part of the story.

The special effects used in Rise of the Planet of the Apes were not only a necessary component, but a huge key to this movies success. The biggest part of the special effects were the CGI chimps and gorillas. With a huge part of the cast being the different apes it was key that they looked like actual apes and not just computer made. They were able to be successful and the realism of the apes in turn helped make some of the human characters the villains necessary for the audience to be more fully behind the apes and care even more about Caesar. The only thing I would have liked would have been more development of other apes so we could care even more for the exploitation and hardships the apes have gone through. Even though I would have liked more development with the CGI apes, the CGI was simply perfect and worked so well to supplement most of the story.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes truly had a lot of potential to be great, but because of the underwhelming conclusion it really hurt the film. Serkis's work he did worked well and it is truly quite a sign to his hard work when his face is never shown onscreen because of the CGI. Rise of the Planet of the Apes had some very strong CGI and even though it had its weaknesses I am giving Rise of the Planet of the Apes three buckets of popcorn out of five. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a movie that ended up being worth the rental price.

-The Movie Man

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of those romantic comedies that while you know it will have those romantic moments the comedy fuels it throughout. Upon seeing the trailer and knowing Steve Carrell was one of the main people in it, I knew it would be one that I would greatly enjoy because of the comedy and how funny I find Steve Carrell to be. After having had his heartbroken when his wife asks for a divorce, Cal Weaver (Carrell) goes to a bar to drown his woes. So after several nights of this, he is approached by player Jacob (Gosling) who offers to take him under his wing and to help him get over his wife by learning how to be a player too. While Jacob is the teacher he learns a lot form Cal as well.

Steve Carrell in the role of Cal Weaver, he plays the role so well that we truly feel the pain he is going through as the divorces process proceeds. Carrell plays the role so straight that it works absolutely perfect. His awkwardness in the role not only played well for laughs, but it is also a way that we have all gone through and been at, at one time or another in our lives. Ryan Gosling in the role of Jacob works great as well. The confidence he exudes in the role and the ease that he plays the role makes you feel like he has the ability to do anything and that he will be successful at it. The chemistry between Carrell and Gosling works perfectly as they are truly on opposites ends of the spectrum from their fashion sense to their ability to chat with women. In the two main supporting roles Emma Stone and Julianne Moore shine and are truly able to be strong characters. Stone continues to be a strong upcoming actress who is definitely becoming an "A-list" actress. Stone has really shown an ability to make each role her own. Moore's character is an interesting one in that initially she is an antagonist character to us for wanting the divorce from Carrell's character, but as the movie progresses we root for her to get back together with Carrell by the end of the movie.

The story for Crazy, Stupid, Love is not exactly what I was expecting for this romantic comedy. The story had truly a great flow to it, I did not feel bored or even find myself wondering where the movie is going. The interesting dynamic was the two main characters being Carrell and Gosling, which made the story interesting in that the romantic interests were in supporting roles. The story in my mind is a fresh twist on the romantic comedy because of the twist of our two opposite male leads and in the end they learn form each other just enough so that they are no longer opposites, but versions of their best selves. There is a great twist that happens in this movie that I did not see coming, but that is what allowed it to work because it was completely not expected in a romantic comedy. The story was intriguing to me since the movie in the end is truly about Carrell's character and Gosling's character in their journey to finding their true selves. The relationships they go through are only a subsidiary to the story.

The strong acting and good story would all be for naught if the comedy aspect of the romantic comedy was not there. Crazy, Stupid, Love was successful at being funny throughout. The timing between Carrell and Gosling worked worked so well that you instantly take a liking to them and laugh through their interactions from hitting on women to Gosling taking Carrell to buy a whole new wardrobe. Emma Stone brings a strong comedy sense to this role just like she gave in the movie Easy A. With the comedy it was great to see them be able to have funny moments in the trailer to gain interest, but once in the theater the funny parts were not just in the trailer.

Crazy, Stupid, Love is a movie that is not like other romantic comedies. Carrell and Gosling give great performances and the chemistry between them works really well. As a romantic comedy they are not only able to give us a romantic comedy with a twist that is far from expected. Crazy, Stupid, Love was a movie that was well worth the time to watch, which is why I am giving Crazy, Stupid, Love three and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that is great to watch with a loved one that you can cuddle up with throughout.

-The Movie Man

The Switch

The Switch is a movie that I knew I would eventually end up seeing, since it is a romantic comedy. So of course being married it would only be a matter of time before we ended up renting it. The Switch gives us the story of Wally and Kassie, best friends for years, where Kassie has decided to have a baby without a man in her life. Wally does not love the idea because he is in love with Kassie, but has not yet allowed himself to admit that to himself. So after getting way too drunk and finding the sample at the insemination he can not remember what happened, and Kassie moves out of the city because that is no place to raise a son.  While all of the aspects for this seem that they would make for a great comedy, yet for me it really ended up falling flat and really fell short of where the initial concept could have gone.

Jennife Aniston plays the role of Kassie and while she has been very hit and miss lately, this endeds up being another miss for Aniston. Her character really, never goes anywhere, si i never ended up caring much for her character. When her character has no depth Aniston's acting simply goes to being the "Friends" Rachel character. Jason Bateman in the role of Wally does an okay job. i liked his character a lot more then Aniston's. The writing for his character actually seemed to have a personality and his own quirks that help the audience acutally find him likable and want things to go right for him in the end. The interesting aspect for this was I felt that the chemistry was almost non-existent between Bateman and Aniston. This lack of chemistry almost sank this whole movie. Thomas Robinson in the role of Sebastian, the son of Kassie through articial means and unbeknownst to anone else Wally's son as well, prevented this movie from beina  complete failure. I am not sure how old he is, but he is playing a six year old in the role and he hangs in there with all the other older actors. Not to mention playing the similar quirks and personality traits like that of being a hypochondriac is not easy to do, but he plays these aspects with a great ease and smoothness. The chemistry between Bateman and Robinson is really what ends up working in this movie.

The story for The Switch just ended up not working very well for me. I understand that they were trying to put a whole new twist on the girl having the guys child, and it being surprised on him that he is a father. For some reason the twist was not intriguing to me and I think they big reasoning is that Aniston's character moved out of the city becasue it was nowhere to raise only to move back into the city when he is six. I know they had to have her leave then come back for the story to work, but I think they would have put together a better way for her to leave and then come back. The story from Bateman's and works well, but it is the same story you see for the guy as he slowly comes to realize that he is in love with the female lead.

The comedy part in this romantic comedy faltered quite a bit. While with most of the moments they were trying to have these funny moments they just fell flat to me. Even when Bateman's character is drunk and the switch happens it was played for laughs, but for me it was kind of stupid, because the whole set up of having the artifical insemination party, I thought  it to be stupid and not even unrealistic in a funny way. The comedic moments that hit the mark and made me laught were the interactions between Bateman and Robinson. The part that made thes interactions was simpy seeing the quirkls of the two of them coming out and then seeing Bateman's reactions as he starts to see the similarities and the night he can't remember starts to beome clear to him.

The Switch is a movie that seems initially it could be a new twist on the romantic comedy, yet the execution of the movie just did not connect with me. while Aniston struggled in her role and Bateman was just okay this really hurt the movie because the two leads are what carry the romantic comedy. Robinson in the role of Sebastian was a hurge redeeming factor for The Switch and I would have liked an even greated use of his role in the movie. His interactions with Bateman made for the best comedic moments in the movie, I am giving The Switch two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. this is a movie that could be funny if in the right mood, but one I would avoid most of the time.

-The Movie Man

Warrior

Warrior brings to the table the world of mixed martial arts, where punches, kicks, holds, and everything else goes. The inception of new international tournament "Sparta" puts on a collision course Paddy (Nick Nolte), Brendan (Joel Edgerton), and Tom Conlon (Tom Hardy), all part of an estranged family torn apart in the past by abuse, favoritism, and abandonment. What pulled me into the movie at first was the trailer. The trailer didn't have hardcore rock or scenes of "You're not the best around here you can't beat me" shenanigans. It had the sense of two brothers trying to solve their own problems while trying to deal with each other and their former alcoholic father through the use of a huge MMA tournament named Sparta. In which revealed in the trailer they eventually have to face each other. The fantastic thing here is two protagonists entering the same tournament. Each brother has his own respectable reasons for fighting, a fact that is sure to divide the audience when it comes time to choose which one to root for.

Tom Hardy in the role of Tom Conlon is amazingly perfect. He brings a great moving and emotional performance of a man who has suffered greatly from the ones he loves, from the things he has seen on the field of battle, which is an all to reality for today. The interesting aspect for him as being one of the lead roles is truly how minimal the dialogue he has through the entire movie. With so few lines the power of his performance relies strictly on the emotion he is able to portray. Hardy's character uses his straight up outright power and strength to make his way through the tournament. While the younger brother Tommy suffered seeing the loss of his mom firsthand, Brendan still has his own demons that he struggles through life as the bank is threatening to take away his home. He has put together the life every man dreams of with his family and a home, but it is still his past that seems to resurface in his life. To contrast his brother Tom, Brendan is the complete underdog that throughout the entire tournament has to dig deep and rely on his never quit attitude to keep him striving to survive with his family. Nick Nolte as the estranged father delivers a great strong performance of a man that is completely broken by his past and his desire to try to make right with his sons. It is amazing the anguish that we feel from all three of these characters and wanting those things that are troubling them to find a way to work out.

The story truly is gut-wrenching powerful and presented in an engaging fashion. Little by little through the film's dialogue, we are allowed a glimpse into the past hardships of the Conlon family, and the characters' motivations for retaining such hatred are revealed gradually. The fighting in the movie is almost an after thought. What the movie is really about is a broken family trying to get on with their lives. You have a recently sober father trying to earn the forgiveness of his sons for destroying his family years earlier, one son trying to provide for his wife and children, and the other son trying to earn money for the family of his friend and fellow Marine who died overseas. All of it comes together seamlessly and provides for a truly gripping movie. While many may say this storyline has been used in the past, I found it to be a new look onto it with having two protagonists that were on a collision course to meet and not knowing who to root for.

While there have been other movies that have dealt with the MMA fighting style, this go around is the first time I have seen in which the movie doe not deal with the over the top moves throughout the entire film. Warrior gives a great action choreography that makes us actually feel like it is an actual true MMA fight we are watching. Also I loved how the fights brought you right into the feeling of being actually their ringside watching the tournament. The great aspect that helped this work even better is the simple fact of using Nate Marquardt (UFC), Anthony Johnson (UFC), Erik Apple (Strikeforce) and Kurt Angle (TNA). The use of these real fighters, they were able to use their athletic abilities and ring know-how to take the fighting sequence to the next level. The fighting, though it is very well acted and shot, is not about fighting. It is the physical representation of the struggle between the three men, the struggle to forget and forgive and to move on. The demons that possess all three of these men are of such great proportion, the only way they can be relinquished is for them to come together.

Warrior was a great movie watching experience for me. Tom Hardy showed the great power that he has and I think he has truly moved to superstar status, while Edgerton and Nolte brought amazing performances that the chemistry between the three really made the movie work. While there are those that will contrast this movie against Rocky, I feel like while they are both fighting movies they are both vastly different in so many ways. The only complaint I had about the movie was the ending was a little underwhelming as it ended fairly abruptly and after investing the time into caring about the characters we want to know how things turn out for them. While I would have liked to see more of a stronger conclusion, the last line of dialogue really in a way sums up the entire struggle the family is going through and the resolution they were able to come to through the fighting in this tournament. I am giving Warrior three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one movie that we have added to our movie collection and this is a movie that I would recommend just about anyone to watch.
-The Movie Man

Vampires Suck

Vampires Suck is another one of those parody movies that takes shots at anything and everything they can. Vampires Suck is done by the same guys that have done all the movies with "Movie" in the title. While there are those who the that Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg are two of the worst film makers for all these movies, but a completely stupid movie like the parody movies they make, will make you laugh when you are in the right mood. Vapires Suck though is a lot different then the "Movie" movies of the past. In this go around the focus is on simply the first two movies in the Twilight Series.

Jenn Proske in the role of Becca Crane does a great parody job of Kristen Stewart's, Bella Swan. She has all the quirks and mannerisms of Stewart down perfectly. Honestly, I think you could slide Proske into the role of Bella and the audience would truly not tell the difference. Matt Lanter in the role of Edward Sullen like Pronske hits the parody of Cullen perfectly as well. He plays the booding, shimmery vampire great. The ability they both have to parody characters so spot on and while it can both be a great talent as well, it is something that could peg them into smaller movie type roles, it will be intersting to see what they both can do with their future careers. The supporting cast all do admirable jobs and you get exactly what one would expect in one of these parody movies. Chris Riggi in his parody role for Taylor Lautner, while not really playing the role with the mannerisms as much as he is making fun of Taylor Lautner as being simple tennage girl eye candy. The best way they do thisis with him actually taking off his shirt and misting himself with a water bottle while stating that it is in his contract to have his shirt off every few minutes. I think one of the stronger casting aspects of this film was the simple fact that they did not cast Carmen Electra like they have in just about every other parody movie.

The story for Vampires Suck was pretty simple vecause they basically took the first two Twilight movies and condensed the stories into one script that took the outlandish aspects of the Twilight series and just took them even farther. I do not know if it is that Seltzer and Friedberg are learning that they do not have to parody an entire genre while also throwing in a pop culture reference every fifteen seconds or if my expectations have just been supremely lowered, but I felt in this go around they managed to keep most of the jokes focused on the Twilight series and kept the pop culture references to a minimum. An aspect that definitely works in the favor of a parody movie is that of the special effects. Since most of these movies do not have the budges for over the top seamless special effects, they use this to their advantage by making the effects super cheesy and even corny that it ends up making the movie funnier.

Vampires Suck is nothing special of a movie. Even though it had its moments that made me laugh throughout they ended up being few and far between. While the parody was much more focused then past parody movies, they had some great source material in the Twilight series that I think they ended up falling short of the potential this movie could have had. I am giving Vampires Suck two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. I would recommend Vampires Suck on a night when you are in the mood for a senseless, stupid parody movie that will make you laugh from time to time.

-The Movie Man