A Great Month Of Sci-Fi

Anybody who knows me even a little knows I love a good Sci-Fi flick. Well in this last month I have been treated to two exceptional works of Sci-Fi.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

While there were moments in which I found myself less than impressed, when I came out of the theatre I couldn't hold back this feeling of legitimate elation. If the movie had nothing else to offer, the work done on the character of Caesar alone would have been enough to to make me giddy... Andy Serkis (Gollum, King Kong) so masterfully folded what could have been just another Mo-Cap stick figure into a living breathing thing. The technology was brilliant. And I can't believe I get to say this right now, but for once in a Mo-Cap film I honestly believed the characters were feeling genuine emotions...

those eyes, those eyes. They breathed life. But luckily it was more than just Caesar. I can think of at least four distinct ape characters I enjoyed meeting and getting to know throughout the film... and not to spoil anything, but I was tearing up during the bridge scene. Man was that cool. Sure some of the human acting was sub par... but some of it was really quite good as well. And I feel a sense of responsibility from the filmmakers. They really care about this franchise that we've all grown up on, and if Rise manages to get a sequel (which I very much think it will) my eyes will be firmly pasted to the screen. So glad this was my birthday movie this year. So excited to see actual apes in this franchise rather than people in creepy monkey suits. I love the original and most of the sequels, but this is a beautiful reboot to what was a waning series.

Attack The Block

Possibly my favorite movie of the year. Attack The Block is both intelligent and eye-poppingly cool. The aliens were weird and different, and the premise just worked. It's so much cooler to watch a bunch of kids fight off an alien attack than, say, the military (Battle: Los Angeles sucked). Because when it comes down to it... even these characters who are nothing like me or my friends still manage to peak my interest. They didn't plan to be in this situation. They stuck themselves here completely by accident. When you watch the military take action, you're watching people who have mentally prepared themselves. Even if they break down it's not as powerful because they made a choice to be a part of this. But I'm rambling. Attack The Block so effortlessly melds the different levels of cool into a film experience I honestly had given up on this year. So here's to overcoming expectations. And that score... Perfect!

Go see both of these as soon as you get the chance. I highly recommend them for superior film enjoyment.