RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
(Fox)
PG-13
RUSS
“The Planet of the Apes” franchise began in 1968, and the original Charlton Heston hit spawned four sequels, two TV shows and a 2001 remake. The big-budget prequel, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is a well-produced action movie that gives us insight into how the apes began their dominance over mankind.
SHAWN
How did I miss the brilliance of “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” when I first screened this movie in the screening room back in August. I’m glad I took a second look look because my initial review was flat out wrong. I can admit it. Heck I’m only human. So is Andy Serkis who provided the lead ape Caesar with all of his movements and facial expressions via motion capture techniques. Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar nomination. What he does is flat out remarkable. It’s one of the best performances ever. No real apes were used. This is movie making technology at its best. Yes, CGI has evolved.
RUSS
Instead of relying on makeup, the apes come to life through motion capture animation. Other than that, there’s nothing new in story or execution and the movie lacks the sociological subtext that gave the original it’s gravitas. Still, it’s a modestly entertaining bit of Hollywood escapism for the rest of us simians.
SHAWN
James Franco and Freida Pinto star and really who cares. both are adequate but the real star of this flick is the Oscar-winning visual effects team that also worked on the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Avatar.” Both the regular DVD and Blu-ray version areloaded with cool extras including a featurette called “Studying the Genius of Andy Serkis. Please give this man the Oscar. Deleted scenes and ape facts. Yes, I blew this one back in August. This is one of the best movies of the year.
ADDITIONAL EXTRAS
Extras on the Blu-ray release will include a commentary by Director Rupert Wyatt, a second commentary by Writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, 12 deleted scenes, featurettes (“Pre-vis for The Future”, “Capturing Caesar – Script to Screen”, “Studying the Genius of Andy Serkis”, “Multi-Angle: Rocket Cookie Scene”, “A New Generation of Apes”, “Breaking Motion Capture Boundaries”, “Breaking New Sound Barriers: The Music and Sound Design of Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), Ape Facts, a Character Concept Art Gallery, and Three Theatrical Trailers.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 4 Popcorn Bags
KUNG FU PANDA 2
(Paramount)
PG
RUSS
This beautifully animated action comedy is visually stunning and provides enough slapstick and dizzying action to please the kid. The flashback sequences are extremely creative. The script, however, is strictly standard fare and lacks the clever spark that made the original so memorable.
SHAWN
“Kung Fu Panda 2” is the perfect combination of fun and dazzling animation. For my money this franchise features some of the sickess animation ever. I just wish the story was a little more thought out. It’s more basic Saturday morning cartoon than Pixar deepness but I’m complaining just saying.
EXTRAS
Extras include Kickin’ It with the Cast, Deleted Scenes, Filmmakers’ Commentary and World of DreamWorks Animation featurette.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
FRIGHT NIGHT
(Disney)
PG-13
RUSS
“Fright Night” is a minor classic from 1985 that managed to be both scary and funny. The remake ups the raunchiness and isn’t quite in the same league as the original. Still, it’s campy fun thanks to Colin Farrell’s pitch-perfect performance.
SHAWN
I found “Frigh Night” to be a weak wannabe in the now hot vampire department. there are so many other vampire movies and TV shows that are way more satisfying than this low-rent entry. Colin Farrell does his best to keep things afloat just nothing really there for him to sink his teeth into. It’s a very forgettable movie despite the awesome cast. There are a couple of cool moments here and there but it’s ultimately an empty, soulless remake.
EXTRAS
The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes the film in Blu-ray and standard DVD, with both discs containing bonus features. The Blu-ray disc contains about 5 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, including: a 2-minute “Peter Vincent: Come Swim in my Mind”, which is a brief “sit-down interview” with Peter Vincent (Tennant in character) talking about his fake Vegas stage show; the “Official ‘How to Make a Funny Vampire Movie’” Guide is an 8-minute, not-all-that-funny doc on the making of the film; the full, hilarious 3-minute “Squid Man” backyard homemade movie Charley made with Evil Ed; plus about 3 minutes of blooper footage and a music video.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags
