MOVIE REVIEW

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Director: Matt Reeves
Writers:  Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Stars: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell, Keri Russell
Runtime: 130 minutes
Strength: Story, screenplay, acting, special effects and cinematography
Weakness: Minor difficulty in understanding some of the ape's speech
Rating: 4/5
Plot: A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.
Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the highly anticipated sequel of 2011's hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and the film does not disappoint in the face of high expectations. The film is as close to heart as the first film, and beautifully crafts how apes, with their new found intelligence, have shaped their lives in the wood beyond the San Francisco Bridge, where the first film left off. Humans generally have a superiority complex that makes them often consider all other forms of life as inadequate. And it turns out, with more intelligence, the apes have become more human than they could themselves realize. The movie is massively entertaining from the very onset, and there wasn't a moment of dullness or boredom. The world where the human population has been depleted by the Simian Flu and infrastructure has collapsed, society is broken, looks fragile yet beautiful, with growing greenery everywhere.  The sights are beautiful, and the special effects are truly state of the art. At the heart of the plot is something quite simple, but it is presented in a captivating story of love, revenge and the struggle for survival, on both the sides of human and apes as they find themselves at a critical point of confrontation. Andy Serkis gives an encapsulating motion-capture performance as Caesar, and Jason Clarke does a good job of carrying the film when Caesar is not on screen. Empathizing with these intelligent apes no longer being the tools of humans is one to both support and fear. It is this unique mixture of elements that make Dawn of the Planet of the Apes so touching yet stimulating. It's a must watch this summer, but it is highly recommended that one watches the first film before heading to the theaters for this one.

Reviewed by Zakir Mushtaque

***

ENTERTAINMENT

Directors: Farhad, Sajid
Writers:  Farhad, Sajid
Stars: Akshay Kumar, Tamannaah Bhatia, Johnny Lever
Runtime: 140 minutes
Strength: Comic relief, acting
Weakness: Story and plot development
Rating: 3/5
Plot: Akhil (Akshay Kumar) finds out that he is the heir of 3000 crore rupees as he and his mother were abandoned by his diamond baron father (Panna Laal Johari) who is now dead. However, his life goes Topsy-turvy when he learns that the empire has taken over by 'someone' else.
Review: With Entertainment, Akshay Kumar is back with a simple comedy film. As Akhil Lokhande, Akshay Kumar has added another leaf to his onscreen persona, delivering one of his best comic performances till date. Debutant directors Sajid and Farhad have done a fairly commendable job and their screenplay needs a special mention too. Akhil is an all-rounder of sorts who leaves no stone unturned to provide the best medical aid to his father. He models for a teleshopping brand, works as a background dancer, does umpiring at a local cricket match, all in order to accumulate enough wealth for his father's treatment. Like all young men of his age, Akhil too is in love and intends to get married to Sakshi (Tamannaah Bhatia), who is a TV actress. But the drama begins when he meets her stingy father who refuses to let his daughter get married to a broke like Akhil. He challenges him to turn into a millionaire, if he wants his daughter. One fine day, when Akhil decides to pay a visit to his father in the hospital, he learns about the biggest truth of his life, he realises that he isn't a pauper but a multi-millionaire. But wait.  His fortune has been taken over by Entertainment (Junior, the dog)! Veteran Johnny Lever and Krushna Abhishek tickle your funny bone and deliver their dialogues in a manner no one else can. The comedy is quite well done, and the movie is full of laughs. There isn't much of a story of character development, but that's not expected from a film like this. It's a must watch for those looking for some lighthearted fun, and will be specially appreciated by animal lovers.

 Reviewed by Broti Rahman

***

SIMON BIRCH (1998)

Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Writers:  Mark Steven Johnson, John Irving
Stars: Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt
Runtime: 114 minutes
Strength: Great story, screenplay, acting and cinematography
Weakness: None
Plot: A young boy with stunted growth is convinced that God has a great purpose for him.
Review: Simon Birch is a tale of unflinching faith and inspiration. It tells the story of a boy born with a condition that makes him much smaller than all the other kids in town. Now, due to his condition, Simon thinks God made him this way for a special reason. Together, Joe and Simon go on a journey of trust and friendship to find answers. Their friendship is put to the test when they some overcome the burden of unfortunate events.  This film is by far one of the most moving, well filmed and acted films made in the 1990s. The touching story shows the life of young Simon played perfectly by Ian Michael Smith in a very small and not always understanding community. It is set beautifully in the 1950s and shows how the inner strength and enormous faith shown by such a little boy afflicted with so many physical problems can have such an influence on those around him along with the respect he would command amongst his peers. The film also stars well known child actor Joseph Mazzello who plays Joe Wenteworth (Simon's best friend.) Mazzello also starred in Jurassic Park, The River Wild, The Curse etc, but this was Joseph's finest performance yet. It was also very nice to see a cameo performance by Jim Carrey as the grown up Joe, and to see how Jim can be a very convincing serious actor too. The cinematography of the film is well executed and showed such lovely changing seasons through the year it was set. The pop songs of the 50s used blended perfectly with the film, and also had a lovely and very memorable soundtrack by Marc Shaiman. This film is a highly recommend for people of all ages and beliefs around the world, and is a perfect film to watch with the family over the weekend.  It is simply a must watch.

Reviewed by Mohammad Haque