Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review

4 Things I Liked About 'Dawn'

1. Andy Serkis - If you know me, you know my love for Mr. Serkis. Caesar is portrayed by Andy Serkis. He gives a brilliant motion capture performance and is best known for his performance capture roles such as Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (2001-2003) and for his portrayal of Caesar in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)." He deserves an Oscar and should be credited for, body language and limited dialogue. FYI -He was consulted on how to give an emotional quality to the character of Godzilla. 5 points for Andy Serkis

2. It centers on peace and conflict resolution (The Ape Camp) – Even though it ended with the beginning of a war. Caesar, portrays an element of concord, reciting phrases such as “If we go to war, we could lose all we've built", "Home. Family. Future” and “Apes together strong”. It has a fantastic voice of reckoning and captivating emotional core. Believe me when I tell you I would bring along Cesar and Maurice to one of my conflict resolution sessions.

3. Computer-generated imagery (CGI)- What firstly needs to be mentioned is what astonishing success 'Dawn' has done when it came to the use of CGI.

I'm normally very critical towards the (over-)use of CGI – but the level of craftsmanship displayed here simply has to be admired. It only took me seconds to forget I was watching digital characters (brought to life through the outstanding motion-capture performances by Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell and Judy Grier – to name but a few), and I can't begin to imagine what a task it must have been for the artists and wizards in the animation department to work on every background and every tiny little detail of every character until this level of seamlessness and reality could be achieved. – Gogoschka-1

4. The story-line – Ten years after the worldwide pandemic of the deadly (known as the Simian Flu), human civilization is completely destroyed following martial law, civil unrest and the economic collapse of every country in the world. Over 90% of the human population has died in the pandemic, while apes with genetically enhanced intelligence have started to build a civilization of their own. The film's insistence on anchoring every event in strong, simple emotions...made [Dawn] surprisingly intimate and wrenching. Caesar was your entry point into the story. You identified with him completely, as you did with King Kong,.... You felt his pain, and cheered when he stood up for himself.- MS

Fantastic movie! Filled with great storytelling, wonderful special effects, and a captivating emotional core. Dawn of the Apes is close to perfection hence it’s score of 9.5/10

Ask Me Anything Movie Review

Britt Robertson, Molly Hagan, Andy Buckley

Release Date: December 2014

Directed by: Allison Burnett

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Katie, a brash seventeen year old is dating, (and then some), her high school boyfriend along with two older men. That is, her boss and an engaged 32 year-old a community college teacher who is living with his fiancé. Her promiscuity is a bit inexplicable- seeing that she knowingly has unprotected sex with her lovers while telling them that she’s “safe”. Only the Lord know what that means.

As the film unravels, I see where the breakdown in her life derives from. Her parents are divorced (her mom has yet to be married), her father is a dying, anti-feminist alcoholic and as a child she was.... you’ll find out when you watch. But the fact of the matter is that she has daddy issues - which is evident in her flashbacks during her sexual escapades - and when a female has daddy issues she’s bound to have man issues. 

To give her life structure Katie starts a blog, suggested by her guidance counselor. However, the only structure the blog has is detailing the different aspects of her life especially highlighting her sexual activities. She becomes famous, not only in her mind as she puts it, but on the internet.

So where are we? She’s sleeping with three men - her boyfriend, a soon to be married man and her boss. During her grieving process when the teacher “dumps” her, the teen becomes distant from her boyfriend and eventually moves onto her boss, a 43 year old man with a wife and newborn.

We come across other characters in the film, like the kind-hearted bookstore owner, portrayed as an advisor, her suicidal schoolmate who I considered her inner-conscience, and even her drug-addicted best friend.

The acting portrayal was...okay. I little strained for some, and confusing for others. In Ask Me Anything, I think Katie really needed to be loved but received it vicariously through sex and that is always a sad case.

It’s an edgy coming of age tale and while everyone can watch, by all means it’s not a family movie. Watch with a friend. I gave it a 5.5/10

***P.S. The ending will blow your mind

Into the Woods Movie Review

Movie: Into the Woods
Release Date: December 2014
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine

Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales in a musical format that follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel-all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

So here’s what I actually liked about Into the Woods:

1. The Music- I was entirely unaware that the film was a musical. I was like, “Word, Meryl and Johnny finna sing?” Lol, I didn’t really say that, in fact I sound weird even talking in such manner. With that said here’s a toast to Stephen Sondheim (music composer); I was tremendously impressed by his work.

2. The Cast- Even though I thought Emily Blunt and James Corden were a quirky pair, (as I did Melissa McCarthy and Jason Bateman were in Identity Thief), they were actually pretty amazing. Can we have three cheers for Tracey Ullman? I haven’t seen Ullman played a role in forever, and to see her portray a grumpy old farmer got me even more pumped to watch.

3. The storyline- Yes! It was drawn out at times, for instance Red’s rant after she was rescued by the Baker and Prince Charming’s constant search for Cindy, but if you follow the movie pretty well there is a hint of dark humor.

I would recommend the film, however to a high-teen audience. I gave it a 6/10

Black or White Movie Review

Movie: Black or White

Release Date: January 2015

Starring: Kevin Costner Octavia Spencer, Gillian Jacobs

Black or White stars Kevin Costner playing Elliot Anderson, a grieving widower who is suddenly left to care for his biracial granddaughter (Jilian Estell). The drama begins when her paternal grandmother (Octavia Spencer) seeks custody, causing the little girl to be torn between two families who no doubt loves her deeply. The root cause of this custody battle is that Rowena wants Elosie to explore the other side of her heritage by spending time with her African-American relatives.


Because its a racially inclined theme, I was a bit skeptical to watch. But, it's clearly coming from a sincere and honest place and not to mention it has an all-star cast.

With the best intentions at heart, both families fight for what they feel is right and are soon forced to confront their true feelings about race, forgiveness, and understanding (Relativity).

The cast did an exceptional job, but the story line rubbed me the wrong way, mainly because I knew Binder (Director) really wanted to touch on the race matter however, was somewhat fearful. Really Binder? We can take it! I think. Honestly, I was irritated at every scene, I kept saying “Are they gonna elaborate on the issue here? Oh, maybe here!...No?”

Black or White is the kind of failure that makes you frustrated and sad rather than angry. Its heart is in the right place, but its mind is confused (MZ). The movie failed to explore and took too many shortcuts, it lost sight of what actually is taking place.

I can’t take away the fact that this film is a decent family movie. I gave it a 6.7/10