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Movie Review: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Yesterday, I took my brother to the movies, something I enjoy doing on Friday when new movies come out. The movie he wanted to see: Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Now, going into this, my expectations were honestly not that high. I was not the biggest fan of Planet of the Apes for some reason so I thought this would be the same thing.

I was wrong. This movie was GREAT and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The story revolves around two characters: Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco) and the chimp Caesar (Andy Serkis). Rodman created what he thought to be a cure for Alzheimer’s and it does not go through because the chimp that was the test subject goes crazy. Before that, the chimp showed an increase in IQ tenfold. Well, the chimp had a child (Caesar) who inherited the skills his mother had. Seeing as how the skills work, he gives the serum to his father (John Lithgow). Dr. Rodman even finds a girl (Freida Pinto) and the two of them raise Caesar together.

Serkis truly has a skill for playing motion-capture characters. The whole time, I thought that they used real apes! This was what made me famous, as he played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and he won awards for that role. He also played King Kong in the movie King Kong. His body mimicing of an actual chimp is flawless.

The storyline, also, was better than I expected. The story of the father, and watching his struggle as he deals with Alzheimer’s, is very moving. As you see how bad he is, and then as he gets better with the medicine, you feel for him and smile along with him. But then as he gets worse, you feel for him and struggle along with Rodman as he tries to take care of him.

The only problem, I see, is the fact that I have a feeling, despite the great quality of the movie, it will get lost in the shuffle of all of the summer blockbusters, like HP, Transformers, and Captain America. It is a great movie, but does not have any qualities that will make it one for the history books.

In the end, I definitely recommend going to see it. The critics loved it, I enjoyed it, etc. I give it a 3  out of 4 and my bro gives it a 3.5 out of 4. If you like a movie with a moving story, its fair share of action, and great acting, this is for you.

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Movie Review: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2

Well… it has come to this. The end of the road. The final chapter.

And so it ends...

The last movie in the legendary Harry Potter series!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 opened Friday morning. Lines were out the door at many theaters across the country, especially mine. Tons of people dressed up as their favorite characters. People started screaming and clapping hours before the movie even began because of  the countdown they had going.

And then, the lights dimmed, previews for Sherlock Holmes 2 and The Dark Knight Rises blazed across the screen… And the journey we all had waited for began!

And let me tell you, what a journey it was, for both readers and non-readers.

WARNING: If you don’t want to be spoiled, thank you for bringing hits to my website but I reveal some of the major plotlines so… you’ve been warned ;)

Part 2 picks up where Part 1 left off as Harry, Ron, and Hermionie search for the Horcruxes that will lead to the destruction of the evil Lord Voldemort. The intense action that was at the end of the first one picks up as well. The battle scenes in this movie are on a grand scale, causing the viewer to hold on tight to their seats throughout.

In this movie, we reunite with all of the favorites that we missed in the last one, such as Neville, Sheamus, and the Hogwarts professors. All of them play a very important role, more than in the prior movies and  just like in the book. Watching Neville, especially, is really a great sight. Remember when he was the pushover in the previous movies? Not anymore! He  is strong, wielding the sword of Gryffindor with attitude and authority. The whole theater erupted in applause when he severed the head of Voldemort’s snake.

And bringing up the change of Neville, you have to give it to the people who casted the film originally. The way Daniel, Rupert, Emma, and the rest of the primary  characters aged throughout the films was PERFECT. Harry looked 11 in the first one and 17 in the last. Same goes for the others. Not having to go through re-casting and what-not for the films definitely added to their quality. They knew how to play the role and they did not have to leave the cast.

Another scene that I wanted to note was the death of Voldemort at the end. I liked the way that the director showed it. It was more graceful than anything else. I was waiting for it to bean epic striking down of The Dark Lord. But it was slow, showing him eroding away into nothingness. I liked it this way. It gave the viewer the time to relish the moment that we had all been waiting for.

And one last thing that I liked was that they showed the epilogue at the end and did not just end with Harry destroying the elder wand. The theater was very happy about it as everyone applauded when it showed “19 years later” across the screen. While some people may have thought of it as being “cheesy” since all they did was make the characters look older and did not have adults playing the parts, it was a touching conclusion showing that the wizards had all grown up and lived a happy life.

And as the credits made it to the screen, a tear seriously formed in my eye. I kid you not. It was almost as if I was saying goodbye  to my childhood. Harry Potter was such an integral part of my childhood it is ridiculous. Since I am 19, I am just starting my adult life. I started reading the books when I was in 3rd grade, or when I was 9. That’s 10 YEARS of Potter. As I started to get older, especially as I got into high school, I had no time to read books on my own and the books I had to read were ones I ABSOLUTELY HATED! Now, because of that, I almost never read full-fledged books. Harry Potter were the only books I ever wanted to read.I would be at Barnes &  Noble at midnight to get the first copy. I would devote weeks reading and re-reading them trying to capture every detail.

I also went to all of the movies on opening weekend. For Halloween one year, I was Harry Potter. Whenever they come on ABC Family, I watch them. I own them. I know all of the plotlines and a bunch of the minor details (not all of them but I am getting better). So as the movie ended, so goes a huge part of my life. There will be no more young Harry Potter. No more shenanigans being pulled at Hogwarts. No more…

So, in conclusion, the movie was absolutely beautiful. 4 out of 4. Two thumbs up. Whatever term you want to use to describe pure awesomeness, it was. As I finish, all I say is…

Thank you Harry. Thank you for showing courage in doing things you did not want to do. Thank you for showing love and support to your friends and family. Thank you Ron and Hermionie for being there and being the best friends anyone could ever have. Thank you… for sending my childhood out with a bang.

What did you think of the movie?? Let me know!! :)

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