Tuesday, October 08, 2024
Planet of the Apes - Tim Burton's 2001 Reboot
- Commentary: Under construction.
More, likely much more, later. This is, after all, the one installment out of the movie franchise that Mom and I went to see in the theater. See here for earlier reference to this.
Apes Character Table
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Tim Roth General Thade Helena Bonham Carter Ari Michael Clarke Duncan Colonel Attar Paul Giamatti Limbo Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa General Krull David Warner Senator Sandar Lisa Marie Nova Glenn Shadix Senator Nado
Human Character Table
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Mark Wahlberg Cpt. Leo Davidson Kris Kristofferson Karubi Estella Warren Daena Erick Avari Tival Luke Eberl Birn Evan Dexter Parke Gunnar Freda Foh Shen Bon Chris Ellis Lt. Karl Vasich Anne Ramsay Lt. Col. Grace Alexander Michael Jace Maj. Frank Santos Andrea Grano Maj. Maria Cooper Kam Heskin Friend at Leo's Party
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2001
Directed by Tim Burton.
Labels: cgi-animation, super-hero3
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Commentary: Under construction.
OF COURSE I'm adding a copy of this movie to my collection! In memory of The Mom and for me. I mean, who knows, maybe she'll be able to watch it over my shoulder. I hope so. She'll be sorely pissed if she misses any of "the Apes" movies!
Anyway, I'll watch the movie, later, and write it up, as much as I do, which means it might be awhile before I comment on it. I mean, I don't even have the physical movie yet!
Apes Character Table
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Owen Teague Noa Kevin Durand Proximus Caesar Peter Macon Raka Lydia Peckham Soona Travis Jeffery Anaya Sara Wiseman Dar Neil Sandilands Koro Eka Darville Sylva
Human Character Table
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Freya Allan Mae William H. Macy Trevathan Dichen Lachman Korina
Additionally, I plucked an interesting retrospective of the entire Planet of the Apes franchise up to this point: Ape Shall Not Kill Ape: A Look at the Entire Ape Francise by Gerardo Valero. If you're at all invested in the Apes series, for whatever reason, you might find it worth a read.
[In my case, as I mention above, my reason is that my mother was enthralled with each movie as it was released, except the Tim Burton 2001 reboot; my mother was so excited about that movie we actually went to the theatre to see it during its initial release, after which my mother said something along the lines of, "Well, that was unnecessary." I think I recorded her actual comment somewhere here, but I haven't found it, so I'll look for it "later". Needless to point out, that was one Apes film we didn't add to our collection.]
You know, I probably should create a Planet of the Apes label, considering how many of these movies I've added to the collection and, reportedly, this iteration won't be the last installment. Remind me to do that, will you?
Yep, I just checked and I have all the Planet of the Apes movies in my collection (minus the animated and TV series productions) except the Tim Burton one. My collection also includes a documentary hosted by Roddy McDowell about the making, and success, of the initial five films.
Well, I just checked and I found a relatively cheap DVD copy of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes effort, the one my mother (and I, and, it seems a lot of other people, including fans of this franchise, frankly) didn't care for. So, Dear Reader, I ordered it. The more I thought about it while writing this post, the more it occurred to me that I really ought to have the entire compliment of the original franchise that my mother so enjoyed and that, now, so do I, which is why I keep up with the franchise even though my mother died at the end of 2008. This edition includes several special features about Tim Burton's production, as well. They should be helpful in my understanding of why this attempted reboot pleased neither my mother, nor me.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2024
Directed by Wes Ball.
Labels: cgi-animation, super-hero3
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- Commentary: This is the first movie in the Planet of the Apes Reboot series, and it's a honey of a movie. It's one of the best super-hero origin stories I've seen. Andy Serkis, an extraordinary actor, plays the role of Caesar, the chimpanzee who is born into super-hero ape status.
My mother, who was famous in our family for her love of the original Planet of the Apes series, did not live long enough to see this reboot. I think she would have loved it, even though there are several differences, the first and most significant being that the apes don't speak English, they speak Ape. There are a few words they pick up, here and there, most significantly, the word, "No!", but communication between apes is handled so well that a watcher is never in doubt as to what is communicated. Really a magnificent reboot of the series. I often hope, as I watch each of the three reboot movies, that, if there is a survival of consciousness after death, my mother is watching over my shoulder as I watch these movies.
Update 6/9/2022: This post was originally published on 1/16/2021 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role James Franco Dr. William Rodman Freida Pinto Dr. Caroline Aranha John Lithgow Charles Rodman Brian Cox John Landon Tom Felton Dodge Landon David Oyelowo Steven Jacobs Andy Serkis Caesar Karin Konoval Maurice Terry Notary Rocket/Bright Eyes Richard Ridings Buck Devyn Dalton Cornelia Christopher Gordon Koba
Here is the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
This Wikipedia article provides an excellent overview of all the Planet of the Apes movies. It also hints at a fourth installment of the Reboot series.
Release Date: 2011
Directed by Rupert Wyatt.
Update 8/27/2024: I've actually had this movie for quite awhile but the post became corrupted and I had to salvage what I could, repost, redate it and re-enter it into my Alpha List. It seems to be okay, now.
Labels: action2, adventure2, andy-serkis, animal, biography1, cgi-animation, drama2, fantasy1, political1, reflective, science-fiction1, super-hero1, tragedy1, violence1, war1
Sunday, October 01, 2023
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Commentary: This, the second installment of the Planet of the Apes Reboot trilogy. essentially defines and exacerbates the conflict between those humans who have not been wiped out by the Simian Flu Virus. Caesar, throughout most of the movie, remains hopeful that apes and humans can separately and peacefully coexist. Bad actors on both sides, though, due to both human and ape nature, make this impossible.
This movie has very sad undertones. It, essentially, sets up the large scale conflict between apes and humans that plays out in the final Trilogy Reboot.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Andy Serkis Caesar Toby Kebbell Koba Judy Greer Cornelia Nick Thurston Blue Eyes Terry Notary Rocket Karin Konoval Maurice Doc Shaw Ash Lee Ross Grey Jason Clarke Malcolm Gary Oldman Dreyfuss Keri Russell Eli Kodi Smit-McPhee Alexander Kirk Acevedo Carter Jon Eyez Foster Enrique Murciano Kemp Keir O'Donnell Finney
Update 6/9/2022: This post was originally published on 1/16/2021 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Update 10/1/2023: This post was originally published on 1/16/2021 but, yet again, it disappeared itself from public view. I am now re-reinstating it.
Here is the Wikipedia write-up of this movie.
Release Date: 2014
Directed by Matt Reeves.
Labels: action2, adventure2, andy-serkis, animal, biography1, cgi-animation, drama2, fantasy1, political1, reflective, science-fiction1, super-hero1, tragedy1, violence1, war1
Thursday, June 09, 2022
War for the Planet of the Apes
- Commentary: This final Planet of the Apes reboot is probably the hardest to follow. Apes and humans have engaged in an all out war. The war, itself, is blamed, simultaneously, on bad human actors, bad ape actors and, well, inevitability, which is what mars the events portrayed in the film. About half the war is between two arms of the military against one another, one of which is holding the apes captive. It is hard to determine, frankly, if the second branch of the military is ape friendly or if that even matters.
At any rate, Caesar's dies at the end of this movie, thus bringing his biography to an end, as well. The apes as a group, however, survive and look forward to continued existence.
There has been talk about a fourth Planet of the Apes Reboot film. I'm not sure this is necessary, or even desirable. It will have to be a damned good one, taking a completely different trajectory, thus requiring some super thoughtful creativity. If you've watched the initial Planet of the Apes Sextilogy, you'll know that the movies declined in quality and thoughtfulness as the stories continued. I hope that isn't the fate of this Planet of the Apes Reboot.
Finally, once again, here are the results of my search crawl on RogerEbert.com for, simply, "Planet of the Apes movies". It pulled a lot of material, continuing on to a second page. Go ahead. Click and try it yourself. I'll bet there are even more articles on these movies than there were on 8/7/21, when I performed my crawl. These movies, the old ones, the middle one by Tim Burton, the "new" ones seem to be endlessly fascinating to our species, even as we are creating them, ourselves. Ver-r-r-r-(roll that "r")y Inter-r-restingk!
Update 6/9/2022: This post was originally published on 1/16/2021 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Andy Serkis Caesar Woody Harrelson The Colonel Steve Zahn Bad Ape Toby Kebbell Kobo Gabriel Chavarria Preacher Judy Greer Cornelia Karin Konoval Maurice Terry Notary Rocket Michael Adamthwaite Luca Ty Olsson Red Devyn Dalton Cornelius Sara Canning Lake Aleks Paunovic Winter Amiah Miller Nova Max Lloyd-Jones Blue Eyes Roger Cross Rod Wilson
Here's the Wikipedia write-up on this movie.
Release Date: 2017
Directed by Matt Reeves.
Labels: action2, adventure2, andy-serkis, animal, biography1, cgi-animation, drama2, military, popcorn-and-soda1, science-fiction1, super-hero1, tragedy1, violence1, war1, woody-harrelson
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Joker
- Commentary: Yes, yes, yes! Spectacular film!
Truth is, I'm not heavy into super-hero-comic-book movies, but there are a few I favor, and when I favor them, I really favor them. I'd seen trailers of this movie and my curiosity had been piqued, but, with 100 holds on the movie at the library the day it was released, and a pretty-penny-purchase-price, I knew it would be awhile before I even saw it, let alone considered owning it. My Florida Sister, though, had seen the same trailers, been similarly intrigued, and, instead of buying the movie for herself, she pleaded her work schedule, which wouldn't allow her to see it for awhile, and sent the movie to me!
Yes, it's dark as fuck. Yes, it's not only an origin story that adds to the plausibility of The Dark Knight (which I immediately rewatched after viewing Joker for the first time; yes, Virginia, I finally did watch the entire The Dark Knight movie, thoroughly enjoyed it and have watched it twice since the first viewing just to revel in Heath Ledger's performance), the pleasure of watching Joaquin Phoenix's performance was sooo satisfying. The man, literally, danced through the story, sometimes explicitly, always implicitly. I've since read reviews of the movie and they are maniacally mixed (except for reviews of Phoenix's performance). While there were many accolades, some considered the story unforgivably incendiary. Some considered it scattershot, too obvious, and/or boring. Almost no one acknowledged the obvious connection between Gotham's Joker by Heath Ledger and Joker by Joaquin Phoenix.
Speaking of critical constroversy, although Roger Ebert didn't live long enough to see this movie, reviewers on the site wrote not less than four pieces about the film. The initial review granted it only two stars, but, then, a second, then a third, then a fourth piece followed. Extraordinary.
Although I am a thoughtful fan of super-hero/super-villain movies, don't own many and have seen only the few I own, I have to say, this movie renders the madness of Joker and the madness of Gotham so immediate and real that it makes me wonder, how many Jokers are out there, around the corner, in our confusion of Gothams, just waiting for an accidented (yes, Virginia, accidented) chassis to place them on the world stage?
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Joaquin Phoenix Arthur Fleck/Joker Robert De Niro Murray Franklin Zazie Beetz Sopie Dumond Frances Conroy Penny Fleck Brett Cullen Thomas Wayne Carrie Louise Putrello Martha Wayne Douglas Hodge Alfred Pennyworth Dante Pereira-Olson Bruce Wayne/Batman
For the curious, here's the Wikipedia write-up for this film. Not surprisingly, considering the controversy that erupted around the film, it is a much extended piece, including the usually threadbare Critical Response section.
Release Date: 2019
Directed by Todd Phillips
Labels: action2, adventure2, cgi-animation, coming-of-age1, dance, drama2, fantasy1, film-art1, horror1, joaquin-phoenix, political1, robert-de-niro, satire1, super-hero1, violence1
Confucius
- Commentary: I almost didn't acquire this movie. I found out about it, looked for it at the local library, couldn't find it and figured, well, I don't want to take a chance on it if I can't pre-view (yes, the dash is intentional) it. I mean, I'm familiar with some of Chow Yun Fat's work, martial arts stuff, find him riveting as an actor but knew almost nothing about Confucius except for the dubious details that our culture pawns off on us. When I discovered the movie, by accident, I was intrigued enough to go looking for information on the man, himself. It was this research, which is voluminous, that whetted my interest in the movie. There is a great deal of information on Confucius, but the most intriguing bit of information is that there is some (little) historical doubt as to whether he or his renowned teacher, Laozi, even existed in anything other than legend. Regardless of whether either figure actually existed or were combinations of several Chinese philosophers and legends, the impact of both figures on both Chinese and global society cannot be denied.
So, based only on Confucius' impact, my appreciation for Chow Yun Fat's work and finding the movie, new, at a good price, I decided to purchase it.
I'm pleased I did. Whether Confucius is legend or fact, the movie is so well done and very involving. It swept me up and delivered me into a life full of action and intrigue. Extraordinary man. His life, legendary, actual, whatever, was a touchstone. If such a person hadn't have lived, he surely would have been invented, by the best minds of his day and the days to come.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Chow Yun-fat Confucius Zhou Xun Nanzi Xu Huanshan Laozi Yao Lu Duke Lu Dinggong Ma Jingwu Duke Jing of Qi Bi Yanjun Duke Ling of Wei Wang Huichun Li Chu Li Huan Kuai Kui Chen Jianbin Jisun Si Lu Yi Jisun Fei Wang Ban Shushun Wu Wu Liansheng Mengsun He Kai Li Lady Qiguan Qiao Zhenyu Kong Li Chen Rui Kong Jiao Ren Quan Yan Hui
In case you're curious, here's the Wikipedia page on this film. It's a sad affair, especially since most of its wordage is about (some) of the controversies surrounding the film. The review linked to the title of this post is from ScreenAnarchy and, I think, is a much fairer representation of the film, including the constroversies it stirred. Don't be surprised if I link to more of their content in the future.
Release Date: 2010
Directed by Hu Mei.
Labels: §2, action2, adventure2, biography1, cgi-animation, drama2, female-director1, historical1, period1, political1, reflective, spectacle1, spiritual1, war1
Mulan: Rise of a Warrior
- Commentary: I didn't know this movie existed until recently. Yes, I enjoy the Disney cartoon version of Mulan, I have it in my collection. When I discovered that this live action version existed, though, I immediately checked it out of our library system and watched it. Although it dramatizes many of the same themes, including romance, although a thwarted one, it is a much more serious take on the legend, especially since any comic elements this one contains (and, there are a few soft moments that could be considered comic) do not have anything to do with Eddie Murphy or a dragon and a chicken. However, there is a striking parallel between the portrayal of the Mulans.
Much to my surprise, I'm not sure which version I prefer. Immediately after I watched this version (when I initially checked in out of the library), I found myself hankering to watch Disney's version ... and I did. Both movies have such a high degree of respect for the heroine that I find them both satisfying, and mutually complementary. Which is why I now own a copy.
You'll notice the number of tags I have attached to this movie; and the fact that the same number is not attached to the Disney version of Mulan. I think all the tags I've attached to this version could apply to the Disney version, but I think this movie had more of an impact on me than the Disney version. Truth is, I'm curious about the 2020 live action Mulan put out by Disney. At some point I'll check it out of the library and watch it, but I'm not sure I'll purchase it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Zhao Wei Hua Mulan Chen Kun Wentai Hu Jun Mendu Jaycee Chan Fei Xiaohu Nicky Lee Hu Kui Liu Yuxin Rouran Princess Yu Rongguang Hua Hu Vitas Guide
If you feel the need, here's the sparse write-up on this film at Wikipedia.
Release Date: 2009
Directed by Jingle Ma.
Labels: §2, action2, adventure2, cgi-animation, coming-of-age1, drama2, fantasy1, father-daughter-dynamics, gender-bender, historical1, military, period1, political1, romance1, spectacle1, tragedy1, war1
Tuesday, November 05, 2019
The Lion King 2019
- Commentary: I confess that I have not yet seen this movie. When I picked it up at Costco I was delighted I was finally able to purchase it, remembering my pleasure in the 1994 (and original) version of this story.
I haven't yet watched this movie. Suffice it to say, I expected to watch it the day I purchased it. Then, I looked up the Wikipedia article about this version and completely confused myself with the stridently divided critiques of it. While praising the voice acting, critics simultaneously called the movie various versions of "soulless". How is it possible for excellent voice acting to render a "soulless" movie, I wonder? Maybe some critics had a problem with the cgi-animation. Frankly, I love cgi-animation, so, we'll see. Soon.
Maybe today.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Donald Glover Simba Seth Rogen Pumbaa Chiwetel Ejiofor Scar Alfre Woodard Sarabi Billy Eichner Timon John Kani Rafiki John Oliver Zazu Beyoncé Knowles-Carter Nala James Earl Jones Mufasa Florence Kasumba Shenzi Keegan-Michael Key Kamari Eric André Azizi
In case you're curious to see what information Wikipedia has to offer about this latest film rendition of the story, here's the link.
Release Date: 2019
Directed by Jon Favreau.
Labels: §, adventure2, animated, cgi-animation, coming-of-age1, kids, musical1, royals
