Tag: james

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Martyn reviews: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

'Planet of the Apes', now I'm sure you've heard of it, is the classic featuring Charlton Heston with a strong feeling of isolation and xenophobia. Now, it is not important however, to have watched the 1968 film to enjoy and understand the smash hit of the summer, yet the added context of the original does enhance the experience. However, Rise of the Planet of the Apes in my eyes, is where Hollywood gets it right. It literally takes what you expect from the story, and runs with it, beautifully. The film follows scientist Will Rodman, brilliantly played by James Franco, as he struggles to come to terms with his father's Alzheimer's disease. The cure he works on is tested in the lab on chimps, and when the project is sabotaged, Will is left with the task of putting down a baby chimp. Deciding instead that the life of the baby is his responsibility, he raises the chimp, called Caesar, at his home with his father. Without divulging anymore information, I can tell you that the film took the conventions of the mainstream film, and just knocked it up a notch. The brilliantly told story of heartache and desperation told through both Will's and Caeser's eyes hits all the right spots. Its a brilliant, and somehow believable ordeal, with a cast of characters and narrative to really take you along with it. The film's digital effects team work wonders on the animals, with close up shots of faces displaying stunning realism, which when mixed with the brilliant motion capture performance of Andy Serkis, you're treated with the suspension of disbelief. All in all, without boring you any further with the details, the directing is spot on for the standard, the acting is brilliant, the story progresses beautifully, and the film is just a good, old fashioned, get your popcorn and watch romp, whilst retaining the important element of making the audience think. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, gets an 8/10 from me, and if you haven't watched it yet, I seriously recommend it.

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Kazed Reviews: Super 8 (2011)

So it's a little unfair how the US got to see this baby over two months before the UK folk did, but hey, whatever. It just means that this review is meaningless over in the US, right? Maybe. From the outset, the performances were above spectacular, and I was surprised to find that these were from the children, who led the rest of the cast with their brilliant portrayals of their on screen counterparts. Throughout the film they didn't fail to impress. The first scene in which the kids were rehearsing their little film was amazing. I'm referring to the performance of Elle Fanning, who played Alice Dainard. The reactions to her performance by 'Joe' (Joel Courtney), 'Charles' (Riley Griffiths) and the rest of the crew was the same reaction I had after witnessing that wonderful performance by the young lady. Speaking of the cast, the chemistry between the Fanning and Courtney was incredible; to have such chemistry on screen at such a young age isn't something that you see much these days. The story itself was great. J.J Abrams did a great job of keeping everything under wraps until close the the final quarter of the film when everything was revealed. This, was where we saw the full extent and beauty of the production value of Super 8. It was so beautifully done; nothing over the top, it seemed just the right amount of destruction, chaos and death and all that. There were slight touches of E.T. and Close Encounters tucked away amidst everything, but there were obvious inspirational nods to Spielberg's classic flicks. Abrams delivered an impeccable film with so much packed in it; nostalgic moments, spectacular action scenes, and of course the customary emotional stuff. The references to Cloverfield, Star Trek, and even Lost he put in the film gave me a chuckle, but they provided a sense of "hmm-yeah-that's-cool". Performances: 9/10 Plot: 8/10 Visuals: 8/10 Dialogue: 7/10 Overall: 8.5/10

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New X-Men: First Class clip: 'Magic Trick'

Is this The Dark Knight? What is this? Magic Trick? What? ...makes sense. Kazed

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Teaser for Rise of The Planet of The Apes (2011)

Here's a new trailer for The Rise of The Planet of the Apes of the of the. Trailer courtesy of ComingSoon.net Looks pretty cool. The effects come from the WETA workshop, the same dudes behind the Avatar VFX, so hopefully we'll see some awesome visuals (with a better story). The Rise of The Planet of The Apes is scheduled to be in theatres this summer. Kazed

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Kazed Video Reviews: Your Highness (2011)

Kazed