THE RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES 3.3 ****

To begin with , this is a prequel to the Planet of the Apes movies and, as such, offers a fascinating and believable explanation as to how the apes became intelligent and a threat to mankind.. The story focuses initially on James Franco, who plays Will Rodman, a brilliant scientist with a breakthrough drug that just may cure Alzheimer's. Rodman and his team are using chimpanzees to test this new drug and in the process find out that the drug not only repair cells in the brain but also dramatically increases intelligence. One of the test chimp subjects gets loose in an intense sequence and ultimately is put down. It turns out that this chimp had just given birth to a baby chimp who inherited this new "altered intelligence" gene. Rodman decides to take the baby chimp home while a co-worker tries to find a sanctuary. But once Rodman finds out that this little ball of fur has the intelligence of a human child twice it's age he decides to keep and raise the chimp. As Caesar grows older and smarter, he becomes more aware, questioning who and what he is. After a disturbing incident in the neighborhood, Caesar is taken from Will and put in a special chimp/ape sanctuary. Feeling abandoned, and then being badly mistreated at the shelter, Caesar feels hurt and confused. Mainly confused because he is amongst other chimps and apes and doesn’t at first understand why they are so dumb and he’s so smart. Once he figures it out and “smarts them up” by using the drug he steals from the lab, Caesar begins plotting for revenge in what leads to a war for primacy.

By the way all the chimps and apes in the movie are CGI created.. that’s computer generated images. Despite that, their bodies and especially their eyes look amazingly normal, with depth and personality, and along with their body language and facial animations, you really do forget they are CGI. The star of the film is Caesar (whose emotions are brought to life brilliantly by actor, Andy Serkis) . Cesar is by far one of the best animated characters in recent years.. His facial expressions tell it all! You feel his rage, his fear, and his child-like innocence through his wonderfully animated eyes. You will go through all of those emotions yourself as you witness his journey. You understand what Cesar is feeling and why. The invisible character of the film is humanity itself, and at times, it feels like a study of human nature.

If you're like me, you will be fascinated by the story which is an excellent prequel. . You get to see their origins, how the apes develop and evolve as a united group. It is quite well done with intelligence and care. The story is smart, compelling, exciting and emotionally touching.

Clark

CRAZY STUPID LOVE 3.5***

“Crazy, Stupid, Love”. is not really crazy or stupid, but it does speak eloquently of love and relationships with a honesty sorely lacking in most romantic comedies these days. The film is a refreshingly honest glimpse of love and all its complications with just the right amount of humor and pathos. .I couldn't be more happy with this film! The story is so grounded in reality. And it is a nice break from all the big action films that have been dominating the summer. True, it is a rom-com, but it is one I believe that most guys will enjoy just as much as the gals.

Even the most serious of moments in this film are dashed with a flavor of quirky comedic relief.. the kind that life so graciously grants us so that we don't totally fall apart in a horrible situation. I also liked the fact that this film not only explores the topic of aged love many years after the couple had fallen for one another, but it also looks at that first time a guy really falls for a gal because it is like he is seeing women for the first time. Or the first time a young person develops an big crush for someone much older than they are. Everyone can relate to this film.

Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) have hit a rough patch in their long-time marriage, and Emily totally shocks Cal when she announces to him in a restaurant that she wants a divorce. Down and depressed, Cal starts drinking away his sorrows at a local “hot & happening” singles bar. . Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a professional playboy bachelor, takes notice and makes it his personal mission to help Cal get over his wife, and become a new man.. make that become a real woman’s man.. In the process, It’ll remind you a little of Will Smith in “Hitch” but here Jacob is the ultimate lady’s man/pick-up artist.

Acting wise, the film is excellent. Carell gives one of his best performances to date. As Cal, he effortlessly moves between depression and humiliation, and touching and hilarious. The film stretches his dramatic muscle more than most. The expressions on his face are just devastating in some sequences, and then the wonder on his face in other scenes is ridiculously hilarious. . Gosling plays against type, and gives an absolutely hysterical performance. He shines brightly in every scene, nailing every line and mannerism, while making this scumbag of a lothario become someone we end up really caring about. He exudes chemistry and helps make everyone else's performance better. Julianne Moore and Emma Stone also give great performances, easily balancing the humor with the drama. . But it is Marisa Tomei who steals the show from everyone, playing one of Cal's conquests. She is dementedly unhinged and ridiculously over-the-top, but never falters. Her performance may be one-note, but it is easily the most memorable thing about the film.
It's definitely a film that you don’t want to miss! Truthfully, I fell in love with it! When it comes to romantic comedies, I don't often find one that I really like, but this is just a delightful film!
It is Rated PG-13 for coarse humor, sexual content and language.
Clark

COWBOYS and ALIENS 2.0*** (but barely)




I went in with little expectations on this one. I expected Cowboys & Aliens and that’s all I got. What more could I ask for right? I could ask for a coherent semi-intelligent story with a point to it which this movie did not come close to delivering. I wasn't so much disappointed with the cowboys, but the aliens were another story and turned out to be the dumbest “high intelligent” aliens I’ve had the pleasure or displeasure of watching … they were just ridiculous. The movie never explained why they were on Earth except for wanting all of Earth’s gold. But why ???? There was no reason for this movie to be made other than to take my money and dupe those wanting something new and different from the standard conventional western or sci-fi movie. This movie was pretty much two hours of cowboys riding around on horses. Occasionally interrupted by battles with the aliens and their super-duper spacecrafts, rocket propelled fire bombs and lasso devices that would snatch up the poor westerners and zip them off to the spaceship. Never an explanation for the abduction.s

This film is botched by horrible writing and not because the genres do not mix. Science Fiction and Cowboys have been around before. Do you remember a certain Yul Brynner film ( “Westworld”) and what about the exciting conclusion to the "Back to the Future" trilogy, but those films had imagination, consistent and talented writing.

Also, and unbelievably, there was not one character in the movie that said... "Holy Cow. Look at that! Wow! Did you see those ugly and creepy creatures . AND THEY CAN FLY!" All the characters underplayed their reaction to something that would scare the hell out of us modern day folks. But the cowboys stuck to their tough, rough rider exteriors as if they were used to seeing such things as just some ornery cattle rustlers to contend with. Let me say again, these aliens are lightning fast, bigger than a horse, creepy and terrifying as hell and shoot rocket propelled grenades off their arms while the cowboys, on the other hand, were constantly emptying their six shooters and rifles at them getting off some of the most lucky shots imaginable. I know, it's a movie. But come on now.
With stars like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford, it was a real disappointment. The story begins when a man (Daniel Craig) with no name and no memory wakes up in the middle of the desert. He has no idea how he got there but it appears he has been in some sort of violent situation and there is a metal bracelet attached to his wrist. The stranger unluckily attractst attacks from a multitude off unsavory characters, and then along come the aliens. He’s allowed to join up with a posse headed by Harrison Ford which rides around a lot pursuing the aliens . No-name Craig may not remember his past, but he certainly remembers how to fight and shoot. He’s a one man army against far superior weapons … but remember in our minds he’s James Bond … just transported by time to the 1800’s.

If I was you, I’d hop in my car and ride off into the sunset to find a better movie.