Categories
Actors Andy Serkis box office results Dawn of the Planet of the Apes fantasy Hollywood Movies Review Rise of the Planet of the Apes science fiction

Review: DAWN of the Planet of the Apes + Commentary on RISE

BY: GURU JAY

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes SPOILER ALERT
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is now playing. The second installment is an absolute must-see summer fun movie. I highly recommend you see Rise of the Planet before Dawn.
I reluctantly went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes three years ago. It wasn’t on my radar at the time. Still, the Planet of the Apes proved to be worthy of our recognition.
I’d never seen another movie like it. I couldn’t criticize this if I’d tried. I gave Rise five stars because six is an anomaly.
Rise Vs. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Whoever says Dawn of the Planet is the best is sadly mistaken. Have you seen the Rise of the Planet? You can’t make this comparison unless you’ve seen them both.
Watch Rise again before you pick sides. Maybe, you can build a better case for Dawn. I’d like to hear it.
Here are the official trailers for both movies. Which movie is your favorite- Dawn or Rise? It’s a clear choice for me.

Rise had more power to its punch. The human actors were more talented. The script was flawless. The story was spotless. I feel Dawn had too much speed and no haymaker.
I give you that the apes were more believable in Dawn. I won’t argue that point because Koba ruled with an iron fist. It’s a damn shame that Koba killed Ash.
Luckily, good won over evil. Koba got what was coming to him. In the long run, things fell apart and came together.
I’d like to combine Rise and Dawn into one. Rather than choose one over the other, let’s view the two installments as a single unit. Planet of the Apes is a powerful plot.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes the torch and lights a fire. It is an outstanding interpretation of the original. Unfortunately, the writing was lackluster.
I loved everything about Dawn except the writing. At times the apes were incoherent. In the original they spoke like English professors. Now, they speak like two year olds.
My advice is to stay true to the script. Don’t leave any areas open for interpretation. Next time aim for precision.
Dawn begins with little explanation of events. They give us snippets aka ‘tokens of depreciation.’ Blame screenwriter Mark Bomback. Mark did not participate in Rise.

While it’s easy to point the finger, Director Matt Reeves is the boss. So, let’s be fair to the screenwriters. The nature of show beast aka business is cutthroat and coldhearted.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has been number #1 at the box officefor 2 consecutive weekends. If the song of the summer is “Fancy” than the movie of the summer is Dawn.
Keep in mind the frontrunner Transformers: Age of Extinction had a $210 million budget, while Dawn spent $170 million. Dawn is more successful in my book. The marketing was more assertive and less aggressive.
Plus movie executives saved $40 million. Profit is the bottom line. Dawn appears to be more profitable than Transformers. We’ll wait and see what happens.
SPOILER ALERT
Koba stole the show. Call him a gorilla because this chimpanzee acts like King Kong. Koba reminds me of a ruthless being like Frank Underwood from House of Cards.
I wasn’t surprised he shot Caesar, because Koba got his ass kicked by the Emperor in the beginning. Karma comes back with a vengeance. So Caesar made a crucial mistake.
The Emperor had it coming. Koba saw an opportunity to defeat him; and he pounced on it like a cougar. Here is where I thought the movie could have been better.
Koba tricks the apes into thinking a human killed Caesar. But, is Caesar really dead? Read on for more.
Koba ruled for a split second. From this point on, the movie moves too quickly. To sum it up, Dawn progresses too slowly and ends too abruptly. Blame Bomback and Reeves.
Andy Serkis performed brilliantly in both Riseand Dawn.  He is the key to their success. It was great to see his return.

If James Franco embodies the art of acting, Andy Serkis is a mad scientist. Take a look behind the scenes.

During Dawn the apes evolve while the humans devolve. It is actually the apes that are more civilized. It is the humans that want to go to war and annihilate all the Little Caesars.
Caesar’s son -Blue Eyes-  is the last hope. While chaos erupts, Malcolm informs Little Caesar that his father is still alive. Blue Eyes goes bananas when he sees his dad.
Caesar calms him down, and tells his son the truth. After speaking the facts, father and son concoct a scheme to reclaim their throne. Fortunately, the plan works.
Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman work well together. If Clarke is Houdini, Oldman is David Blaine. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a magical experience.
It is rare to see a sequel achieve great critical and financial success. For that reason, Dawn is the movie of the summer. Although the film is a remake, it is by no means a copycat.
I give the film four stars. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes was better. Still, Dawnis an exceptional motion picture.
Planet Hollywood
Hollywoodgets a bad rap. Think about it for a minute. Can you imagine how hard it is to produce an original movie?
Give the Dawn the benefit of the doubt. Steven Spielberg is a juggernaut, so he is an easy target. Check out his filmography at IMDB. Whether we like it or not, directors rule Planet Hollywood.
Dawn of the Planet director Matt Reeves dropped the ball. Yes, he was above average. But for a movie of high caliber Planet Hollywood demands greatness.
The Hollywood landscape never stops changing. The stars constantly shine. Blockbusters are the new normal. Nowadays, you need at least a $50 million budget with 3D in order to compete.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes beat their competition like the heat. I am a Movie Analyst not a Movie Critic. Despite my rants, Dawn is still the movie of the summer.
This is The Guru Jay launching off to outer space in 5-4-3-2-1. Feel free to comment and ask questions. Thank you for reading and sharing. Meet me @ Mars.

Categories
4th of July Beyonce Knowles box office results fireworks Hawaii Independence Day Jimi Hendrix Katy Perry Men in Black Movies Terminator Tom Cruise Tom Hanks Top 50 Transformers Will Smith

Top 50 Independence Day Weekend Movies

BY: GURU JAY
Top 50 Independence Day Weekend Movies

Happy Independence Day! In honor of the 50 United States of America, I present to you the Top 50 Independence Day Weekend movies.


Hawaii is the 50th American state.

Photo By: dbking

Photo By: Paul Dexxus

Photo By: Paul Bica

Katy Perry’s Firework is a suitable start to this special occasion. Check out Beyonce’s God Bless the USA and Jimi Hendrix’s Star Spangled Banner @ Woodstock.




How many hot dog eating championships does Joey Chestnut have left in him? 

In my previous article, I said Rotten Tomatoes and movie critics are pointless. As you can see, Rotten Tomatoes gives Problem Child 2 a 7 % rating. But wait, the movie is 50th all time in box office receipts.

So you think you can be a movie critic? Go ahead and dance instead.

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkledebuted when I was a child. I couldn’t believe they got Robert De Niro to star in the film. I wished my grandma were alive to watch it with me. Rocky & Bullwinkle was her favorite cartoon.

Photo By: FlickR

I am impressed by the success of the Katy Perry and Kevin Hart specials. But the Karate Kid Part II clearly belongs in the top 50. I like it better than the new Karate Kid. The first franchise is forever legendary.


License to Wed
starring Robin Williams and Mandy Moore also receive 7 % from Rotten Tomatoes. O.k. from now on I refuse to mention the smelly website.


Any movie with Robin Williams automatically earns a 50 percent cushion. The comedian is half man, half crazy (I mean comedic genius, laugh out loud). I recommend you go to IMDB for more reliable ratings.

Back to the Future deserves a place in the Library of Congress. Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd created a masterpiece. The film is one of the best time travel movies in existence. It is an absolute must-see summer fun movie. See if you can watch it tonight.

South Park and Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers make the top 40. I remember seeing South Park late at night. And, Power Rangers came on in the morning just before school started. It’s pretty cool when television shows get made into motion pictures.

My jaw dropped as soon as I saw Larry Crowne at #36. But then again, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts blend so well together. They’re like a strawberry mango smoothie with extra ice on a sweltering hot summer day.

Tom Hanks is the #1 all time movie star. And, at 46 years old Julia Roberts makes $10 million, which is unheard of for a working actress. So, Larry Crowne is a logical winner.


Have you seen Savages (2012)? You can’t go wrong with Oliver Stone and John Travolta. Of course, Blake Lively is a tasty ingredient to any Rachael Ray recipe.

A League of Their Own is #32 all time. The movie premiered in 1992. Think about that for a minute. How high would the film rank if these numbers were adjusted for inflation? I think it is easily in the top 10.

Sequels seem to do strikingly well on Independence Day weekend. Scary Movie 2 and Legally Blonde 2 are prime examples. Both movies make you cry from laughter. Credit goes to Wayans and Witherspoon.

Reese plays your typical blonde with a tequila twist. Ironically, she is a brainiac in the movie. Of course, Marlon Wayans is a maniac in all of his movies. In addition, Die Hard 2: Die Harder is #27 all time.

There is not a Sixth Sense blockbuster without Die Hard. Bruce became BRUCE WILLIS by starring in the Die Hard series. He is one of the greatest action heroes in history because of his earlier career success. 

Let’s jump down 1 on the list. Look at #25. I had Pre-Law as an elective in high school. Our class watched The Patriot starring Mel Gibson. He gives a heartfelt performance. What is more, the film is based on the American Revolution.

Public Enemies, Apollo 13, The Firm and The Devil Wears Prada round out the top 30. I’ve seen all four and enjoyed each one. I’ll string together a few words: Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep. When you get top talent like that, it pretty much begins to sell itself.

Photo By: Anna Altheide

Photo By: Vanessa Lua

Will Smith highlights the top 20. I’ve watched these three movies and give them all good grades. #20 Wild Wild West, #12 Independence Day, and #11 Men in Black The moral of the story is to release a Will Smith movie on the 4th of July.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger holds the 18th and 13th spots. Now answer me this: Would you have elected Schwarzenegger if you didn’t fear being terminated?


He’ll be back…

As I conclude, do you see how the best summer movies open on Independence Day weekend?

Men in Black II ranks 10th all time. My pet peeve is the debut date. Fans should never have to wait 5 years for a sequel. That’s why I have doubts about Avatar 2.

At #9 and #8 are Superman Returns and the Amazing Spider-Man respectively. Hancock is 7th all time. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse takes the 6th spot like a vampire at night in Kristen Stewart’s room.


War of the Worlds is alive at #5. Who would have thought the man born on the 4th is President Jefferson in the flesh via Tom Cruise’s body. Is he on every top 5 list ever created?


Photo By: Georges Biard

And now the Mount Rushmore: #4 Transformers. The 2007 film is the 1st installment of an incredible franchise. #3 Despicable Me 2…1 word: Happy. 

#2 Spider-Man 2 I still believe Tobey Maguire is the best Spider-Man. But, in fairness to Andrew Garfield I need to see the new installments.

Send me a DVD please. Really Garfield, do you pretend to own Facebook? On a serious note, Transformers Dark of the Moon is number 1. The Transformersseries is virtually unstoppable. It’s Michael Bay’s way or the highway, people.

Click here to see what’s playing now. Go to the matinee. Tell them The Guru Jay sent you.

This is The Guru Jay launching off to outer space in 5-4-3-2-1. Feel free to comment and ask questions. Thank you for reading and sharing. Meet me @ Mars.


11. Men in Black
1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon


Photo By: bdesham
Exit mobile version