Dawn of the Planet of the Apes movie review.

In 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes became the biggest pleasant surprise of the summer. It was a fantastic new take on the worn out mold of the previous films, and breathed new energy with new concepts behind it. Naturally, with its sequel, we all became ecstatic for how it would continue the new story, and for a summer movie season that has finally started to show some great life as of recent, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is by far one of the best films not just of the summer, but of the year in general.

Ten years after the events of the first film, mankind is all but extinct, with a select few humans in hiding, while the apes take conquest of the surrounding forests. Eventually, desperation forces some of the humans to rely on the help of the apes in order to preserve their colony, and provide electricity through a dam in the apes’ territory. However, treachery begins to arise in so-called friends, and with tensions bubbling to their boiling point, it could lead both humans and primates into all out war.

Double summer review - Snowpiercer and Transformers: Age of Extinction.

I finally got around to a couple more summer releases this year, both films of which being complete opposites catering to two different audiences. One a character driven journey with brutal thematic allegories, and the other a bombastic sights and sounds extravaganza. So here are my thoughts on both of them…

Life Itself movie review.

On April 6^th, 2013, just two days after his passing, Roger Ebert’s final review was published, that being for Terrence Malick’s To the Wonder. Oddly enough, the title of Malick’s film is the perfect way to bring the legacy of Ebert’s career full circle. A man full of wonder and energy beyond description, Ebert’s passion for cinema, as well as his eloquent writings and collaborations with Gene Siskel, have justly cemented him as the greatest film critic of all time.

Almost a year and a half has passed since his death, and the sting isn’t even close to receding. Ebert kept us coming back, time and time again, but it was his passion for life itself that made him such a fascinating individual. Taken from the title of Ebert’s memoirs, and directed by Steve James of Hoop Dreams (one of his favorite films), Life Itself is a film that shows us in unflinching detail the struggles, triumphs, and bumpy circumstances of Ebert’s long, celebrated career. Simply put, the film is fantastic.

Double summer review - Maleficent and Edge of Tomorrow.

The summer movie season, aside from being a slow one for me, has also been very weak. Unlike most years, I have trouble thinking of any movies that I’ve liked, aside from How to Train Your Dragon 2 that is. So, it’s been about a month since the official releases of both films I’m reviewing today, Maleficent and Edge of Tomorrow. I decided to give both movies a go to see if they would make any impact on my thoughts on the summer, and here are my thoughts on them.