2014 Movie Preview: #3 - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Release date: July 11

Plot summary: A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

My take: Many people were shocked by how much they enjoyed the 2011 reboot of this franchise and you can include me in that group. Now I am really eager to see where they go from here. While James Franco will not be back in this film, the cast has added fine actors like Gary Oldman and Keri Russell. But let's face it, we're all coming again to see the great work of Andy Serkis as Caesar.

2014 Movie Preview: #24 - Robocop

Release date: February 12

Plot summary: In "RoboCop," the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) is a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes their remarkable science of robotics to save Alex's life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before.

My take: The first trailer for this reboot left me believing that this would be a case of another remake tarnishing the good name of the original. The second trailer that was released, however, has given me pause. Given the decent supporting cast, I have belief that this still can work. At the very least it can't be any worse than the Total Recall trailer. Let's just hope they maintain the social commentary that made the original so memorable and not have this be a generic action flick with endless explosions.

Monkey business

As the trailers keep rolling in, we now get our first look at Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to 2011's surprise hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

RBR: Lawless

Somewhere buried inside Lawless, the true story of the Bondurant brothers who ran the biggest moonshine outfit in Virginia during prohibition, is a really good movie. It's unfortunate that director John Hillcoat is unable to get that on screen. For everything going for this film, there seems to be some sort of counteracting element. Tom Hardy, who more people saw as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises this summer, actually gives a more compelling performance here as Forest Bondurant. He is a man of few words and yet you hang on to everything he says. But then there's Shia Labeouf who is completely out of place here. Too much of the film centers around his petulant character that becomes more grating as the movie goes along. Labeouf's hacky performance though is not the only problem with this film. Gary Oldman who plays a Chicago gangster is excellent as always but is severely underutilized. I expected him to play a much larger role, yet by the film's climax he's completely gone. There are also some major pacing issues with the film. The first half of the film feels very choppy and unfinished. Scenes are strung together with no real coherency. At times I felt like I had been drinking moonshine and kept blacking out. The second half of the film turns into a traditional shoot-out that felt needlessly bloody and violent without giving a completely satisfactory conclusion. While I've focused on a lot of the negatives, I don't want to give the impression that this is a film without merit. The flaws of this film are only more apparent because of how close it was to being a great movie. I think if the subject matter is of interest to you, I would definitely recommend checking this film out now that it's available to rent. Though it's not a 100 proof, there's still enough here to give you a decent buzz. Rating: ****

Into the Knight

A staple in comic book storytelling is to stack the odds against the hero so that it seems impossible for him to come out victorious, only for him to do just that. Director Christopher Nolan was placed into a similar situation when tasked with trying to bring his Batman trilogy to a close. After the success of 2008's The Dark Knight, high expectations were set for the follow-up. When you add in tragic real-life events that create an ominous setting around the film, it seems nearly impossible for the film to be well received and yet like any good hero, he found a way to succeed.

The Dark Knight Rises begins eight years after the events of the previous film. In the wake of Harvey Dent's murder, the streets of Gotham have been cleaned up and Batman has vanished after taking the fall for Dent's death. With the Caped Crusader not needed, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) struggles to find meaning in his life and ends up being a Howard Hughes-esque recluse. Of course, this being Gotham, an evil presence is always lurking somewhere. Enter Bane (Tom Hardy), a man with a metal breathing mask who is hellbent on anarchy and destruction.

While Bane is a new character, we quickly learn that his origins, as well as his motives, are strongly connected to storyline elements established in the first film of this trilogy. Nolan and his brother, who co-wrote the script, do a great job of having characters and themes introduced in Batman Begins come full circle here. This is not to say that this film in any way feels like a retread of the earlier film.

In fact, Bane is not the only fresh face that is part of the crowded cast. Joseph Gordon Levitt plays John Blake, a young cop who becomes allies with Commissioner Gordon (the always terrific Gary Oldman). Though a new character to the Batman universe, he fits right in, thanks in part to a great performance by Gordon Levitt, and in some ways serves as the soul of the film.

One of the most heavily discussed additions to this film was the casting of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Fanboys were quick to complain about this decision, but they couldn't have been more wrong. She nails the character and brings an energy to the screen in each of her scenes. You would have thought that after being wrong about casting Heath Ledger as the Joker, people would learn to trust Nolan's judgment. Though I don't believe any plans are in place, I would have no problem if they wanted to spinoff her character into its own franchise.

Despite all of these characters, the film still centers around Batman, even if he doesn't necessarily have a tremendous amount of screen time. Nolan has always been equally interested in both Batman and Bruce Wayne and in this film, we see that before Batman can truly be back, Bruce Wayne has to come back as well. Those looking for endless scenes of Batman fighting bad guys may not appreciate what they get here, but in doling out those scenes sparingly, we get a much stronger payoff by the end. The last third of the movie is particularly strong. I wasn't exactly sure how things were going to play out, but I loved every minute of it. It's thrilling, exciting, moving, and altogether satisfying.

If there's a criticism to made against the film, I could argue that it's not as 'fun' of a movie, especially in comparison to The Dark Knight. That may not be a fair comparison though given the tonal differences between the two films' villains. Plus, Return of the Jedi offers a valid case as to why it isn't a good idea to close your trilogy on merriment. This is a film that's highly ambitious, especially in trying to tackle topical themes like greed, fear, leadership, civil discontent, and corruption. As much as I liked it, I feel that I and a lot of people will continue to appreciate it more on successive viewings.

Commissioner Gordon said that Batman was not the hero Gotham needed, but the hero they deserved. Fans of this franchise deserved a satisfying conclusion to this story. Thanks to Christopher Nolan and his extraordinary cast, they have gotten just that. Grade: A-

RBR: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

I actually saw this film several weeks ago but held off doing my review because I had hoped to watch it again before writing my critique of it. Now I'm not sure when or if I'll see it again, so before it completely evaporates from my memory, I figured I better take care of it now. This is one of those dense films that rewards patient moviegoers who enjoy paying close attention to what they are watching. Based off of a John LeCarre novel, the film focuses on an ex-British spy named George Smiley (Gary Oldman) who's tasked with trying to find a mole. Set during the Cold War, paranoia runs high as anyone and everyone is a likely suspect. From a narrative perspective, this is not an easy film to follow. It plays loose with its timeline and it takes you a long trying to figure out who each character is. Those who aren't willing to put in the effort will likely get frustrated with this film quickly. But if you stick with it, you'll be rewarded with several good performances by the cast. The film also creates an effective moody tone that enables a lot of the scenes to crackle with tension and thrills. Still the inaccessible nature of the film makes it tough for me to completely love the film. If you want a challenge, I would recommend you give this film a try, but this is not a movie for everyone. Right now I feel that this film falls just short of my top ten list, although I may be open to reconsideration if I get a chance to rewatch it again at some point. Rating: ****

Making a good first Depression

Check out the preview for Lawless, a Depression-era drama set to come out this summer. It's an effective trailer for a film that has an impressive cast, even if Shia LeBeouf feels woefully out of place here amongst the rest of the talented actors. This may serve as some effective adult counter-programming among the rest of the blockbusters aimed at younger audiences.