Dawn of the Planet of the Apes aimed for spring 2014 release

Due for release in May of 2014, the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will be directed by the very talented newcomer Matt Reeves who also directed Cloverfield (2008) and Let Me In (2010), which was a remake of the excellent Swedish teen vampire movie, Let the Right One In (2008).

Rise of the Planet of the Apes successfully rebooted the popular Planet of the Apes movies with an emotionally grounded story using the motion capture CG technology used in Avatar (2009), instead of people in costumes used in the original 1960s and 70s series. Director Rupert Wyatt was proud when he claimed that the filmmakers were dedicated to bringing a powerful and authentic emotional experience to the film.

With Matt Reeves now helming the new sequel, which is set fifteen years after the events of the previous film, it looks to be in good hands and anticipation is high for fans that are looking forward to another great Apes movie.

Even more encouraging is the news that Mark Bomback is rewriting the screenplay originally written by Scott Burns who also wrote Contagion (2011). Bomback is the screenwriter for such recent blockbuster films as Total Recall (2012), Unstoppable (2010) and Live Free or Die Hard (2007). He also wrote the upcoming X-Men film The Wolverine (2013).

Andy Serkis who has made a career out of playing CG characters such as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001 – 2003), King Kong in Peter Jackson’s remake King Kong (2005) and Captain Haddock in The Adventures of Tintin (2011), will again reprise the title role of the simian rebel leader Ceasar. Also just signed on to star in the film as a human character, is Australian actor Jason Clarke who was recently seen in Zero Dark Thirty (2012) as an interrogator. 

With such high caliber talent working on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I’ll be looking forward to a very exciting summer next year. But with the film only in pre-production and scheduled to start shooting this spring, Matt Reeves is now under the gun and has only a little over one year to do what most directors would need two or three years to do. Some people, including the original director Rupert Wyatt, have already voiced concerns that the tight schedule is just not enough time to produce the same standard of quality, especially with the large amount of CG effects work that these films require. Rupert left the project due to creative differences with the studio. 

Is 20th Century Fox rushing this film out because they don’t want to compete with the likes of Star Wars: Episode VII and Avatar 2, both scheduled for release in the summer of 2015? If so, there will be a lot of pressure to complete this new installment in the hugely popular Planet of the Apes franchise by next year. Is this new prequel series living up to the legacy of its predecessors, which maximized profits with each sequel by being made with less and less time and money, resulting in the deterioration of each subsequent film?

Changing directors during pre-production is never a good sign and rushing to get this film out in half the time needed could hurt the film. Steven Soderbergh, who recently retired from making big feature films, and other directors like George Lucas have complained for years about the corporate Hollywood studio’s arrogance, interference and lack of respect for the creative process of artists. That somehow the studios know better when it comes to what audiences want to see with focus groups and statistics, and that there’s no more room for the creative vision of the director. We might well be seeing the result of that here.

JP

Enlightenment Guaranteed

Enlightenment Guaranteed (2000) is a light hearted but touching comedy by German director Doris Dörrie, known for such illuminating films as Men… (1985) and Cherry Blossoms (2008), also set in Japan. It's about two affluent middle aged brothers, Uwe and Gustav, who are going through a midlife crisis and end up roaming the streets of Tokyo together. 

A German couple with three children, who seem to have everything, are finding that in their pursuit of success and providing for their family, they have somehow lost touch with the important things in life that can make a big difference in achieving happiness. This is the place where Petra, the wife of Uwe, finds herself one day, when she decides she’s had enough and leaves her husband, taking their kids with her and leaving the house empty.  

Doris Dörrie is known for dealing with controversial and spiritual issues, and the stresses of modern day living with a light humorous touch.  She explores and questions our society and why people have become so miserable while showing us how we have abandoned or lost touch with many of the simple pleasures that we take for granted in exchange for an unrealistic and unsustainable life style that is at odds with our natural environment and our health. 

When Uwe arrives home to find an abandoned house and a note from his wife that she has left him, he is devastated and calls his older brother Gustav for support. Dissatisfied with his life, Gustav is preparing to go on a spiritual journey to a Zen monastery in Japan to get in touch with his inner spirit while coming to terms with his identity, when he gets the call from his distraught brother with the news of his wife’s departure. 

The movie is filmed in a home video style and sometimes recorded with Uwe’s video camera in reality show fashion, as both brothers talk into the camera to express their thoughts and feelings about each other and the strange experiences they encounter. The video footage fits well with the travel theme and shows another dimension to the characters.

When Uwe hears about his brother’s planned trip to Tokyo, he begs him not to leave during his time of need. His brother reluctantly relents and decides to take him along with him to get his mind off his misery and spend some time together. So starts a soul searching journey with two very different people who haven’t spent this much time together since childhood and must find a way to reconcile their differences and put up with each other’s criticisms while also navigating a foreign country. 

In the human maze that is Tokyo, Japan, lost in the tech gadget obsessed city, through a series of humorous mishaps, they soon lose their money, credit cards and hotel room, which are shown in a funny vignette that exposes their differing personality traits. After a night spent sleeping in a cemetery under cardboard boxes, they eventually find their way to the Buddhist temple where their journey of self-discovery begins.  

Life in an actual Japanese Buddhist monastery is shown in remarkable authentic detail through the daily rituals and chores that must be performed by all its residents. The monks all have specific duties and they help the two brothers, who don’t speak the language, to learn and adhere to the challenging spiritual routine. 

What’s fascinating about this film is the sense of contentment the two brothers and we the audience feel when they finally learn to accept their faults and enjoy life. Putting their differences aside, they learn to respect and help each other and forge a true bond of friendship while finding peace and acceptance. 

I found this film to be truly enlightening and full of surprises and humor.   

JP

The Pool

The Pool (2007) is an oasis of calm blue serenity, quietly reflecting the aspirations and yearnings of a young man in an otherwise harsh selfish world of grinding poverty. It’s a charming and sensitively observed, naturalistic, almost documentary like portrait of the coming of age experiences of a pair of young boys eking out a living on the streets of Goa, India. 

Directed and written by Chis Smith using a small American and Indian film crew on a shoestring budget, they went to Goa with a story outline and a couple of laptops. Inspired by the local environment and using actual street kids who they found working there, they improvised and created a sincere moral fable.

A curious observant young teen, Venkatesh from a nearby rural province, aimlessly dreams of making it big in the city, as he works cleaning rooms for a hotel in the capital of Goa, Panaji. When he’s not working, he admires the enticing tranquil sight of a clear blue glistening swimming pool, while sitting in a mango tree overlooking a summer home occupied by a wealthy man from Mumbai, and his young daughter. 

The dialogue is minimal but very organic, adding a level of documentary like realism. The movie slowly but steadily works its magic as we become drawn to and then mesmerized by the authentic characters, who we follow on their daily routine. Without realizing it, we’re subtly lured into their lives.

One day, Venkatesh follows the pool owner into town and offers his services to help prune the lush garden surrounding his pool. The man, Nana, played by the only well-known Bollywood actor in the film, Nana Patekar, having lost his son and wanting to impart his wisdom to someone, puts him to work in his garden.

The visuals are beautifully photographed with 35mm handheld cameras in the picturesque environments of this former Portuguese colonial beach city, adding to the realistic and immersive feel. We get to see the actual people who work and live in places as they really exist, making this film a fascinating glimpse into the Goan way of life. 

While working in the Garden, happy to finally be close to the pool he had admired from afar, Venkatesh meets the pool owner’s beautiful daughter and is immediately entranced by her impish nature. He slowly starts to engage her in conversation and introduces her to his best friend Jhangir, who also works in the city. The three of them eventually become friends while hanging out together and traveling to different parts of the city. 

The music score is another wonderful element in the film; an Indo-Portuguese melancholic mix of mandolins and violins. The Fado inspired music gives a feeling of longing and loss that fits perfectly with the classic story of people living with their past in an environment evocative of an ancient lost civilization. 

As Nana, the pool owner, mentors Venkatesh, he eventually offers to give him a real education if he will come to Mumbai with him. Venkatesh must now make a life changing decision. Will he leave his friends and family and his peaceful life in Goa, or will he stay and pass up a big opportunity to study in the exciting city of Bombay? 

Like a free spirit from an Arabian Nights fable, Venkatesh, by quietly observing life from the branches of his mango tree and because of his generous nature, makes some simple deductions that lead serendipitously to him making his modest dreams come true while helping those around him. Don’t miss this unexpected genuine gem of a film that deserves all the attention it can get.

JP

My annual review of 2012 film year

It’s that time of year again when critics give us their top ten film lists. Zero Dark Thirty, The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, Amour, Argo, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and Holy Motors were some of 2012’s top rated films by North American film critics. 

My top rated films of 2012; the films that made me want to run out and read the book, the script or listen to the soundtrack album, the ones that surprised me with something new and unusual, were Prometheus, Kahaani, Mumbai’s KingBernie, End of Watch, Moonrise Kingdom, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, Samsara, Wreck-It Ralph and Comic-con: A Fan’s Hope.

It was not a particularly favorable year for Sci-fi/Fantasy films as several high profile projects fell to disappointing reviews and box office. Among the casualties were; John Carter, Wrath of the Titans, Battleship, Snow White and the Huntsman, Total Recall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Although, I found that some of these films did not deserve the misfortune they were handed. I quite enjoyed watching Wrath of the Titans, Snow White and the Huntsman, Total Recall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I think these are all worthwhile films that deserve a second look. 

On the other hand, Sci-fi films that did well this year and were very well received are as follows: The Avengers, Men in Black 3, Prometheus, The Amazing Spider-man, The Dark Knight Rises, The Cabin in the Woods, and Looper. Although frankly, regardless of the critical acclaim, I personally did not care for The Dark Knight Rises or The Cabin in the Woods as much as other people did.

As far as the Action/Adventure/Thriller genre goes, I saw a few good films that included, The Raid: Redemption, The Bourne Legacy, Easy Money, and Django Unchained. Skyfall, the new Bond film, was a disappointment for me and didn’t impress me as much as it did the critics. But then I was never a big Bond fan anyways.

The Drama category had some excellent touching and heartfelt movies represented this year. Among my favorites were; A Separation, Miss Bala, Kahaani, The Intouchables, Mumbai’s King, End of Watch, Midnight’s Children, Life of Pi, and Zero Dark Thirty. Honorable mentions go to commendable films like Monsieur Lazhar, In Darkness, The Kid with a Bike, The Master, Argo and Lincoln.

It was an excellent year for the romantic comedy section, which had some particularly exemplary films released. The following are the ones I enjoyed most; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Bernie, Moonrise Kingdom, To Rome with Love, Hope Springs, OMG: Oh My God!, and Silver Linings Playbook.

There were plenty of good animated films again in 2012. I enjoyed all of the following excellent films, Wreck-It Ralph, Brave, The Secret World of Arrietty, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Ice Age: Continental Drift, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, and ParaNorman.

Some notable documentaries that I have seen so far, although I should stress that there were many great documentaries which I have not yet seen, include Comic-con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope, Chasing Ice, Bully, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, The Queen of Versailles, Samsara and The Imposter.

JP