rate the last movie you saw

[jkholm]

I agree the sequels aren't great movies by any means, but they are watchable and interesting for what they are. However the new APES movies have the chance to be much better sci-fi than any of them (save the '68 original, though I felt RISE was very good indeed).

One thought I had while watching the APES films is that there is so much potential for great storytelling but the sequels were only sporadically successful at reaching that potential. BENEATH in particular surely was not what audiences were expecting and I can see why ESCAPE begins the way it does. Another problem is too much focus on making the movies politically and socially relevant to the time. But as an example of pre-Star Wars franchise entertainment, they work quite well.

[AndyDursin]

I agree the sequels aren't great movies by any means, but they are watchable and interesting for what they are. However the new APES movies have the chance to be much better sci-fi than any of them (save the '68 original, though I felt RISE was very good indeed).

One thought I had while watching the APES films is that there is so much potential for great storytelling but the sequels were only sporadically successful at reaching that potential. BENEATH in particular surely was not what audiences were expecting and I can see why ESCAPE begins the way it does. Another problem is too much focus on making the movies politically and socially relevant to the time. But as an example of pre-Star Wars franchise entertainment, they work quite well.

That's how I view them also. There aren't a lot of long-running, serialized sci-fi series like the APES movies (and never had been before them), and even if they are less than successful, they are also compelling and were groundbreaking for their time. It's interesting to see how they worked themselves out of BENEATH's ending and also compare the different scores in each film.

Really I think BENEATH was the real big problem, with as Eric said, the producers listening to Heston and ending the film that way simply because he didn't want to make any more! lol. That would never happen today, needless to say, but it's such a downbeat, ridiculous film -- more effective as unintentional humor than a serious social statement.

[mkaroly]

I got the PLANET OF THE APES Blu-ray box set a few months ago and finally watched all of the movies. I've seen the first one several times before but it's been forever since I've seen the sequels (except for the fifth which I don't remember ever watching).

PLANET... 9/10
BENEATH... 6/10
ESCAPE... 7.5/10
CONQUEST... 5/10
BATTLE... 6/10

Despite my relatively low rankings for some of the sequels, this is still an enjoyable franchise. As for the newer entries, I don't remember much about the Tim Burton version. I thought RISE... was terrific and look forward to DAWN...this summer.

Are either the live-action or animated TV series worth watching?

Of the five "classic" movies, my guilty favorite would be CONQUEST. BATTLE is probably my least favorite, then BENEATH, then ESCAPE, then CONQUEST (guilty favorite!!), then POTA. There is something about the backstory and filling in the gaps of how they got to be where they were that I really enjoyed (and continue to enjoy every time I watch it). The animated TV series is kind of boring - it's that Pink Panther cartoon art, but every now and then I will put it in and watch the episodes more for nostalgic purposes than anything else. It has been a long time since I watched the TV series; I was planning on revisiting it this summer after my school quarter ends. POTA was one of my favorite things growing up, so there is a lot I forgive about those movies and TV shows. To be honest, I could easily watch any of them and find something to enjoy about them despite their flaws.

I am extremely excited about DAWN as I loved RISE. Let's hope they do as good of a job on the sequel!!

[Eric Paddon]

The TV series IMO suffers from a flaw that also doomed "Logan's Run". They could only come up with a warmed-over "Fugitive" type premise of being on-the-run with a convenient gimmick of what to be searching for (some computer that might help them how to get home; much in the same way that "Logan's Run" had the "Sanctuary" gimmick), and then all you had was endless meandering around the California desert which made no sense because if you were really on the run and trying to get away to safety you put as much distance as you can from where you got started! Yet, every week the astronauts are still in close proximity to Ape City and on "Logan's Run" they were still in proximity to the City of Domes. Frankly, you couldn't sustain a premise like that beyond half-a-season without shaking things up.

[Eric Paddon]

And speaking of bad 70s TV sci-fi......

Planet Earth (1974) 1 of 10

-The first version of this "Genesis II", despite some overly pompous speeches at least had a competent enough premise and some good acting (and Mariette Hartley's two navels!). This rebooted second pilot with John Saxon in the lead is awful beyond belief. It shows Gene Roddenberry at his worst. No network executive would have looked at this ridiculous plot involving a group of uber-feminists who have enslaved the men that Saxon must infiltrate, with him doing a bad Kirk impression as he gets Diana Muldaur drunk and loosened up, and figured you could squeeze a weekly series out of it. And then we had to have a laughable narrator at the beginning and close who rips off the famous "Naked City" by going "There are over a thousand stories in this new world, this has been one of them." Just beyond awful on all levels.

[AndyDursin]

SORCERER
8/10

A notorious box-office flop that signaled a fast downward spiral in director William Friedkin’s filmography, SORCERER has been resurrected by Warner Home Video in a gorgeously restored – albeit extras-free – Blu-Ray digibook release this week. For fans of the movie who’ve had to make do with a litany of faded old video transfers over the years, the disc’s new 1080p transfer should prove to be a revelation, offering bold colors and almost three-dimensional detail.

Friedkin’s film is a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “The Wages of Fear,” scripted by Walon Green from Georges Arnaud’s novel and primarily shot in the Dominican Republic. As with the prior picture, it follows a group of disparate men placed into a desperate situation – having to transport a deadly cargo of nitroglycerin across the rugged terrain of the South American jungle – but with an added emphasis on the respective individuals running from the past. In Friedkin’s version, the protagonists include Roy Scheider as a NYC mobster wanted for his involvement in a heist that killed a crime boss’ brother; Bruno Cremer as a Paris banker about to be sent to prison for fraud; and Amidou as an Arab terrorist who escapes from authorities after detonating a bomb in Israel. Along with Francisco Rabal as a mysterious individual who joins the quartet, the men are tasked with transporting the dangerous cargo across hilly, rocky terrain with thick underbrush. The occasional vestiges of civilization – poorly marked roads, faded signs and indications of previous, failed excursions – aid them only to a point, most notably when both trucks are forced to cross a rope bridge that even Indiana Jones would wince at.

“Sorcerer” was beset with difficulties, ranging from Friedkin having to work with Paramount after Universal backed out of fully supporting a picture minus a commercially attractive cast; replacing cinematographer Dick Bush with John M. Stephens; and later suffering a catastrophic defeat at the box-office, coming just a few weeks after the release of “Star Wars.” The movie has never been given a proper rendering in the home video realm, most recently appearing on a 1998 Universal, full-frame DVD release.

Thanks to fan interest and the release of Friedkin’s essential “The Friedkin Connection” memoir (a highly recommended read), the director was able to convince Warner Home Video to restore the picture for both Blu-Ray and DVD. The result is a disc that features a smashing new transfer, one that’s as film-like as any catalog release I can recall, with perfectly rendered colors, deep blacks, and fine detail. On the audio end, the 5.1 DTS MA mix features some occasionally effective surround work (particularly when Rabal’s laugh echoes through the rear speakers in the concluding moments), along with a Tangerine Dream score that ranges from pulsating to plodding as it underscores the action (one can sense this film was a heavy influence on Michael Mann’s early work).

“Sorcerer” isn’t a classic, but it’s certainly a well-made and compelling thriller that Friedkin enthusiasts should savor. Coming after his “Exorcist” and “French Connection” triumphs, its failure drove a stake through the heart of Friedkin’s career, something reinforced by a bevy of flops and critically lambasted films that would follow (“Cruising” and “Deal of the Century” among them). Yet, “Sorcerer” itself is undeserving of its formerly stained reputation, marked by exciting moments that linger in the memory long after the picture has concluded.

Warner’s Digibook release offers excerpts from “The Friedkin Connection” and several pages of glossy photos – but considering the deluxe treatment Friedkin’s classics have received on home video, the lack of a commentary and deleted scenes (some European prints included numerous alternate scenes) comes as a disappointment.

[Paul MacLean]

“Sorcerer” isn’t a classic, but it’s certainly a well-made and compelling thriller that Friedkin enthusiasts should savor.

I entirely concur. My main criticism of the film is that it could have trimmed maybe ten minutes from its running time (particularly in the early scenes of Scheider and the others in the jungle village). A stronger score certainly would have helped as well (I've always found TD the weakest of the "synthesizer specialists" who worked in films).

More effective to me were the few scenes tracked with Keith Jarrett's "Hymns/Spheres" (and album of pipe organ improvisations he made in the 70s).

[Eric Paddon]

The Bible (2012) 6.5 of 10

-I finally got around to going through this 10 part series produced by Roma Downey and her husband. I appreciate the sincerity of the project, but its mostly a misfire IMO. Too often, there is a conscientious copycatting of moments as more famous Biblical epics have done them, and not just the copycatting of POTC for the Crucifixion scene with too little blood. I also spotted "King Of Kings" copycatted for the introduction of Pilate, "Greatest Story Ever Told" for the ominous Satan figure present at Pilate's judgment. Then, on top of that some scenes were acted out just plain ludicrously like Herod the Great's over-the-top reaction to the Magi when they come looking for the infant Jesus (which is also false according to the Scripture where Herod is shown feigning interest in wanting to know where the child is so "I might too come and worship him"). The earlier Abraham sequence pales before how the story was dramatized in Huston's "The Bible". The only areas that I felt succeeded were those parts that have never been dramatized before like the failure of King Saul, and also strong was the Book Of Acts material in the final segment.

-This project works better as a Sunday school study guide ultimately than as a truly effective dramatization.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) 9 of 10

-This film, along with POTC (which will be viewed on Good Friday evening) are the ones I now insist on seeing every year at this time. As I've said before in previous years, other films show their flaws more and more as the years go by (KOK, The Robe) but this one just improves with age.

[AndyDursin]

“Sorcerer” isn’t a classic, but it’s certainly a well-made and compelling thriller that Friedkin enthusiasts should savor.

I entirely concur. My main criticism of the film is that it could have trimmed maybe ten minutes from its running time (particularly in the early scenes of Scheider and the others in the jungle village). A stronger score certainly would have helped as well (I've always found TD the weakest of the "synthesizer specialists" who worked in films).

More effective to me were the few scenes tracked with Keith Jarrett's "Hymns/Spheres" (and album of pipe organ improvisations he made in the 70s).

Those scenes stood out like a sore thumb Paul! You could tell the difference.

I agree also on the running time. That section between when they first get to the village but before they embark on the trucks seemed a bit long -- very little happens of consequence, so it could've been tightened up.

[Eric Paddon]

Watched "Barabbas" again last night which has now become a kind of must-title every year as opposed to one of those titles I might go a couple years without seeing. Tonight, was the annual Good Friday tradition of watching "Passion Of The Christ" but for the first time ever, I watched Gibson's re-edit (you have to access it under "Special Features"). The obvious edits took place during the scourging sequence and I think the one moment cut from the Crucifixion I remember most was when the cross is turned so that he's facing downward before its lifted up. One violent moment left in is when Jesus' side is pierced after his death, chiefly I think because there was no way to edit around it plausibly.

Is this more "viewer-friendly" version a less effective film than the one I'm used to? I have to say to a small degree, yes. The original version of the scourging sequence demonstrated the sadism of how Roman guards could be and how Jesus' suffering was deep long before He took the cross, and when you show the over-the-top reactions and mockings of the guards without giving us the fullness of the violence they were capable of inflicting it loses something in the translation. Perhaps I would have reacted differently if I'd seen this re-cut version first, but overall I have to say that while I appreciate Gibson's answering the requests of those to create a more "viewer-friendly" edition for others, for me personally, the original cut is the only one I will ever watch again in the future. Not because I prefer more violence but because the truth communicated to me in what the standard cut depicts is made more evident and that I am moved to much deeper personal introspection as a consequence.

Not impacted by the re-edit is the brilliance of the performances. I have written before my feeling that this film was shafted of Oscar nominations, but the one who was shafted the most was Jim Cavaziel, who had to take on the challenge of the most difficult role to portray on screen and in the most difficult way possible (and having to speak not one but TWO dead languages in the process convincingly) and who succeeded in striking the necessary chord with the viewer in understanding the suffering and the burden being assumed. How this couldn't merit a nomination at the very least is beyond me.

[Monterey Jack]

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): 7/10

Hey, a Wes Anderson movie that didn't irritate the hell out of me! Easily his best live-action movie (although Fantastic Mr. Fox remains his best overall film), with a bit more characterization as opposed to his usually wide-eyed mugging and a delightful Alexandre Desplat score. I still didn't laugh out loud, but my polite chuckles were more frequent than usual.

[Jedbu]

CAPTAIN AMERICA-THE WINTER SOLDIER: 8/10

A terrific combination of spy thriller, Marvel Avengers canon addition and just really good action film, this sequel to the first CAPTAIN AMERICA film is easily one of the best of the Marvel films. Anchored by really good performances by Chris Evans, Robert Redford and Anthony Mackie and a bit more substantial role for Scarlett Johansson than she seems to have had in previous films, this is a bit darker in tone than your usual superhero movie. Captain America/Steve Rogers (Evans) questions the motives of SHIELD, the security agency he is a member of, after a rescue mission he leads turns out to have an even more covert side to it. After his boss, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is taken out of the picture and he is suspected of not being a "team player" by the government overseer of the program (Redford, who looks like he actually is enjoying himself in role for the first time in a while), he finds himself on the run with Black Widow (Johannson) and a veteran, Sam Wilson (Mackie, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite living actors), and finding out things about SHIELD and both its roots and its motivations that have him making some hard decisions, not to mention his meeting up with the other title character-the Winter Soldier, who turns out to be a major link to his past and the key to what is transpiring throughout the film, with the underlying theme of trust nobody, unless they are a true friend.

I enjoyed this film immensely-one of the few 3D conversions that actually works and considering how long it is, it never SEEMED long to me. The action sequences were nicely done (the fight scene in the elevator for me was reminiscent of the train compartment scene in FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE in that we didn't have to keep being told where it was taking place-it just took place there and was terrific) and the final section with the three SHIELD behemoth gunships was truly epic, with the fight between the two title characters having a great buildup, and even though you know that whole finale was CGI, it was directed well enough that I was totally caught up in it. There were two in-jokes-one involving Redford and the other Jackson, which I will not spoil here, just to let you know that they were so fleeting that I think I was the only one that got them (like what happened when I saw GREMLINS years ago) but not so heavy-handed that they were like the final curtain line from a Moore/Dalton/Brosnan Bond film.

Was this film as good as THE AVENGERS? Probably not-I would probably rank this in the same group as the 3rd IRON MAN and the first THOR films: almost as good but not quite...but that is still pretty damn good, and I cannot wait to see where this storyline takes us.

[AndyDursin]

USED CARS
8/10

Although they were years away from their breakthrough hits (“Romancing the Stone” and “Back to the Future”), Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale made an immediate impression on a young Steven Spielberg back in the ‘70s. In fact, the wunderkind had enough faith in the duo to not only hire them to pen “1941,” but also produce their first two features.

Neither movie was a hit: 1978's “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” disappeared from theaters quickly, and 1980's USED CARS became a movie that few viewers outside its cult following would ever talk about. That said, it’s also an often uproarious comedy that’s ripe for rediscovery on Blu-Ray.

Kurt Russell essays a young used car salesman who works for one half of the Fuchs Brothers – a pair of polar opposite siblings, both portrayed in vastly different comic stylings by the great Jack Warden. Russell’s boss, Luke, dies early in the picture, forcing the would-be senatorial candidate to try and keep the dealership afloat – both away from Fuchs’ arrogant brother Ray, who runs a rival lot across the street, and with increasingly wild advertising techniques. Some of the latter involve renegade broadcast transmissions that interrupt, among other things, local Arizona St. football games and even a Presidential address from then-POTUS Jimmy Carter.

“Used Cars” has some notably funny moments – especially during its first hour – all of which are punctuated by a handful of memorable comic performances. In addition to Russell’s energetic starring turn, Zemeckis and Gale pepper the film with zany roles written for Gerrit Graham, Deborah Harmon and Al Lewis, plus recruited a number of familiar faces from “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “1941" (Joe Flaherty, Frank McRae, Dub Taylor, Wendie Jo Sperber, Marc McClure) to round out a fine comedic ensemble. As Julie Kirgo points out in her booklet notes, Zemeckis and Gale’s original script connects all the dots so that seemingly random narrative elements come together in a very satisfying conclusion – even if the final 20 minutes seem to run on a good deal longer than they should have.

A cult film that’s sure to sell some Blu-Rays for Twilight Time, “Used Cars” is anything but a digital lemon: Sony’s 1080p AVC encoded transfer is filled with detail, and the 5.1 DTS MA audio is surprisingly robust. Interestingly, both the movie’s score by Patrick Williams and an “Unused Score” track – which doesn’t mention composer Ernest Gold by name – are both included, giving film score fans the rare opportunity to choose between the two on the fly. After just a few minutes it’s easy to hear why Williams was brought into re-score the picture – Gold’s score is overly serious and lacks the swagger of Williams’ more “contemporary” outing, missing the self-parody that Elmer Bernstein expertly brought to his score for “Airplane!” that same year.

Other extras include goodies carried over from the DVD: commentary from Zemeckis, Gale and Russell, a gag reel and outtakes, radio interviews, and the original trailer.

[Monterey Jack]

Under The Skin (2014): 5/10

Visually sensuous (yes, the much-hyped Scarlett Johansson nudity was well worth the wait ) yet dramatically inert science-fiction(?) thriller is like Species remade by David Lynch and edited by Stanley Kubrick...all glossy surface affectation with nothing below except glacially-paced art-house pretentions. What the phuck does it all MEAN?!

[Monterey Jack]

The Rocketeer (1991): 9/10

Nearly 25 years on, The Rocketeer seems even more quaint and retro than it did at the time (which is undoubtedly why it underperformed in theaters, with all of the "cool kids" flocking to the groundbreaking F/X of Terminator 2), but in today's climate of superhero movies serving as dour, pretentious metaphors for the real-world evil we go to these type of films to escape from for a few hours, its sunny, cornball enthusiasm is like a tonic. Joe Johnston's beautifully-produced period piece is chockablock with amusingly stilted rat-a-tat 30's dialogue delivered with a minimum of self-aware irony ("Yer buddy is bein' fitted fer a pine overcoat"), but the movie is so breathless and charming you end up not minding. Bill Campbell is rather bland in the lead role of Cliff Secord, but its in keeping with the tradition of the jut-jawed heroes of old pulp adventure serials, and the game supporting cast (Timothy Dalton as a smarmy villain, a delightful Alan Arkin as Cambell's befuddled mechanic, Paul Sorvino as a Goodfellas-lite gangster) make all of the clichés go down easy. Plus, James Horner's rousing score is amongst his best, the ILM effects were state-of-the-art for the day and are still fairly impressive, and, man-oh-man, young Jennifer Connelly...





Still a great movie. I have to introduce this to my fifteen-year-old nephew one of these days (he loved Johnston's Captain America and the other current Marvel films, which share a similar, "Hey, this is fun!" spirit). I'm sure seeing Connelly will put some hair on his chest...