The Rover: The Best?

Critically acclaimed at the Festival de Cannes, The Rover rakes place in the Australian Outback 10 years after "the collapse," which is presumed to be a global economic collapse or perhaps just the collapse of society. Whatever it may have been, it has laid waste to Australia, where Guy Pearce's(Memento, L.A. Confidential) car is stolen. The entirety of the film is Pearce attempting to get his car back. Eventually he runs into Robert Pattinson(Twilight). Filled with haunting cinematography and even more horrifying realities of life and human nature, Director David Michod constructs a world that the audience will buy into. Of course along with the beautiful yet petrifying cinematography and camera work is a consistent score. Filled with violence, intrigue, suspense, tension, and meanings, The Rover pulls you in until the very last credit rolls.
8.5/10  

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Dawn of a Franchise

The 2014 follow up to 2011's smash hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes has just hit theaters and with raised expectations due to Rise's success, it has some big ape shoes to fill. That said, boy does Dawn of the Planet of the Apes deliver. Roughly 8 years after the events of the first film, there has been peace for a small civilization of humans living in San Francisco, along with the apes from the first film who have made a civilization of their own. However these two did not know that the other race even still existed. So when the humans cross paths with the apes when searching for a dam to supply power back to San Francisco, things get hectic. At times the film feels like The Dark Knight Rises or even Gladiator, yet it never feels like it is trying to be those films. There is a clear cut vision from director Matt Reeves (Let Me In), and it the movie feels very uncluttered and focused, delivering multiple themes yet focusing on one concise event. I cannot stress how fantastic that is from Reeves. Plot aside, the visuals are stunning although at some points it's easy to tell that they took dome money away from a couple of shots. Albeit, Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings Series) does deserve some recognition for his performance as Caesar, he will most likely not get nominated for Best Actor. Along with Serkis, there is a somewhat limited but definitely great performance from Gary Oldman (Dark Knight Series) and even Toby Kebbell (War Horse) as Koba. Something that truly caught my attention was the cinematography and overall camera work. There are two shots in particular that have been revolving around in my head, some of the most unique and fresh camera work I have ever seen. Along with that, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the most unique and original films/sequels I have ever seen.

8.5/10

MUST SEE!

The Grand Budapest Hotel: How Grand?

The latest installment in the Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket) universe is The Grand Budapest Hotel, which focuses on a particular adventure featuring Mr. Gustave H. The entire film is a leveling of flashbacks, like a reverse Inception (2010). Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter Series) stars as Gustave and works at The Grand Budapest, his former lover and friend has been murdered and he was framed.. Or was he? From a director's standpoint, this film is a marvel, fantastic character development and a great pact of story along with an interesting narrative. All of the camera work and cinematography was crafted to near perfection as always with Wes Anderson's films. Nonetheless this is a Wes Anderson film, witty comedy, odd quirks, good storytelling. All are present and there throughout, however there is a minor annoyance to me; the film ended up feeling like more of an ensemble cast rather than a focus on Gustave H. which bothered me during the film. In hindsight, the ensemble feel was obviously intended. Alexandre Desplat's score is heard and felt, the cast is top notch despite many getting less than adequate screen time (Jude Law, Bill Murray, and many others). Overall, The Grand Budapest kept me involved and entertained at the multiple storylines and provided many clever chuckles throughout.

8.5/10