TAGGED AS: Certified Fresh
This week at the movies, we’ve got just one wide release: the hotly-anticipated Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, starring Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman and Keri Russell. What do the critics have to say?
Released in 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes showed that there was still life in the venerable Apes franchise. It looks like that was no fluke; the critics say Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is everything a sequel should be: visually striking, emotionally resonant, and intellectually weighty. In the decade since the rise of intelligent primates, humans and apes have lived separately, maintaining an uneasy peace. But when a group of people find an energy source in ape territory, the stage is set for an epic battle to determine which race will triumph. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is the rare part two that deepens and expands upon its predecessor, and much of the credit must go to Andy Serkis, whose motion captured performance as ape leader Caesar is a remarkable feat of physicality. (Check out this week’s 24 Frames for a gallery of great movie apes, as well as our video interviews with the stars.)
Richard Linklater‘s Boyhood, a generation-spanning drama in which Ellar Coltrane literally grows up onscreen, is Certified Fresh at 100 percent (check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we count down co-star Ethan Hawke’s best-reviewed films.)
Jafar Panahi‘s Closed Curtain, a documentary/fiction hybrid about a writer who is goes into hiding with his dog and is joined by some unexpected guests, is at 100 percent.
Pantani: The Accidental Death Of A Cyclist, a documentary about the rise and fall of a Tour de France winner, is at 81 percent.
Land Ho!, a comedy about a pair of 60-somethings who go on a road trip through Iceland, is at 65 percent.
Road to Paloma, starring Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet in a thriller about a man on the run after committing an act of vengence, is at 63 percent.
Ron Howard‘s Made in America, a concert doc showcasing a music festival spearheaded by Jay-Z, is at 57 percent.
Honour, starring Paddy Considine in a thriller about a bounty hunter on the trail of a young woman who ran away from her family, is at 42 percent.
A Long Way Down, starring Pierce Brosnan and Toni Collette in a dramedy about four strangers who meet when they each decide to commit suicide in the same location, is at 20 percent.
Rage, starring Nicolas Cage and Danny Glover in a thriller about a man who gathers his old criminal associates in order to find his kidnapped daughter, is at 12 percent.
