The MovieBuff

The "Planet Of The Apes" Chronology

2011-08-10T21:50:00.007+08:00

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" opened last weekend in North America and went straight to the top spot earning $54mil at the box office.

For those too young to remember, this is actually a prequesl to the 1968 movie "Planet of the Apes", which was subsequently followed by a few more sequels.

Ape (2011)

Ape (1968)

*** Spoilers ahead ***

Planet of the Apes (1968)
A group of astronauts crash into a planet in the distant future. The group, led by Taylor, discovers that in this planet apes are the superior beings, and humans are the lowest of living things. Taylor manages to escape his captors and eventually finds himself in an area known as the Forbidden Zone, where he made a shocking discovery...the planet was actually Earth the whole time, and that the Forbidden Zone was once New York City.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
A second space crew is sent on a reconnaissance mission to track down Taylor. Astronaut Brent crash lands on the Planet of the Apes, just like Taylor did in the original film. Underneath the Forbidden Zone, Brent discovers a group of telepaths who worship a nuclear bomb. As the apes close in to conquer the zone, Taylor detonates the bomb and Earth blows up.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Before Earth was blown up in the second movie, the apes Cornelius, Zira and Dr. Milo manage to escape via Taylor's spaceship. They travel back in time and arrive on Earth in the year 1973. After a series of interrogations, Zira and Cornelius accidentally reveal the eventual demise of the human race. The President orders Zira and Cornelius to be sterilized and Caesar, their baby, to be killed. Before dying in a shoot-out, the two ape parents switch babies with another ape, ensuring the baby's survival. The baby is named Milo, but is later to be called Caesar in the next movie.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
It is the year 1983. Dogs and cats have been wiped out by a plague and now apes are household pets that are treated like slaves. After the death of his foster father, Caesar loses all faith in mankind and begins secretly gathering other apes to rally against human oppression.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
After conquering the oppressive humans in the previous installment, Caesar must now keep the peace among the humans and apes. Gorilla General Aldo views things differently, and tries to cause an ape civil war. In the meantime, other human survivors learn of the ape city, and decide they want to take back civilization for themselves, thus setting the stage of warring ape factions and humans.

Planet of the Apes (2001)
A poor remake of the original movie directed by Tim Burton.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
This is supposed to be an origins story that offers an explanation of how the apes developed their superior intelligence in the first place. The film's star is the chimp Caesar, whose advanced brainpower is the result of the testing of Alzheimer's drugs. Once Caesar grasps the gravity of his intellect — and the human cruelty that has alienated him — he revolts, but not before taking a few chimps with him.

The interesting thing about this movie is how it made some subtle references leading to the original movie. For example:

The TV reports on the news about the launching of the spaceship Icarus "lead by George Taylor", referencing the space mission in the original movie.
The newspaper headlines which states that the spaceship got lost in space.
When Caesar first shouted “No!” in the movie, it ties back ito "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" when it was explained that the ascent and revolt by the apes began when one ape first uttered the word “No” to protest the human treatment of his kind.
A logical explanation about how the virus got started and spread...and this eventually cause the destruction of mankind.
At the end of the movie, the pilot which carries the pilot boarded a flight to New York....which was where the original movie started.

*** Updates ***

If the opening weekend is any indication, a sequel to "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is inevitable. Director Rupert Wyatt shared some of the ideas he has about continuing the story:

"There’s so much we could do… The ideas I’ve had are all sorts of things, ranging from Full Metal Jacket with apes… you could start this story again eight years from where we left off, the next generation of apes, those that have come from our protagonists, perhaps going in to a conflict with humans and showing real fear, in the same way as going into war for young soldiers in this day and age, telling their story. Or how apes are taking over cities, and being moved into human environments and having to interact with them and deal with things that are part of our culture and understand and evolve through them. Spies that are in the employ of the apes, working against humans and humans maybe existing underground, because that’s a way they can avoid the virus, coming up above ground wearing gas masks, and maybe that’s what dehumanises them.”

Introducing the dwarves of The Hobbit

2011-07-25T09:28:00.001+08:00

From left to right. Jed Brophy as Nori, Dean O’Gorman as Fili, Mark Hadlow as Dori, James Nesbitt as Bofur, Peter Hambleton as Gloin, Graham McTavish as Dwalin, Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield, Ken Stott as Balin, John Callen as Oin, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, William Kircher as Bifur, Adam Brown as Ori and Aidan Turner as Kili.

The Hobbit will be split into two movies. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arrives on December 14, 2012, with The Hobbit: There and Back Again the following year.

Snow Flower and The Secret Fan Exclusive

2011-07-20T13:21:00.000+08:00

Movie Fanatic recently spoke to Wayne Wang the director of "Snow Flower and The Secret Fan". If you remember, Wayne Wang is also the director of "The Joy Luck Club", another movie about Chinese women. In addition, they also spoke to the movie's star, Li Bingbing, as well as the author of the original book.

To view Movie Fanatic's insight about the movie, and the exclusive interviews, click the links below:

Exclusive Interview With Wayne Wang
Star Li Bingbing on What She Learned About Her Own Culture
Author Lisa See on Watching Her Novel Come To Life

Harry Potter London Premiere

2011-07-15T21:56:00.004+08:00

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson hit the red carpet at the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" on July 7 at Trafalgar Square in London, England.

Thousands of people at the premiere

Daniel Radcliffe @ Harry Potter

Emma Watson @ Hermione Granger

Rupert Grint @ Ron Weasley

JK Rowling, centre 2nd from left, joins Radcliffe, Watson and Grint

L to R: Grint, Watson and Radcliffe

Winnie The Pooh - Updating A Classic

2011-07-13T09:28:00.000+08:00

Movie Fanatic recently attended the press junket for Winnie the Pooh. While there, we spoke to the movie's directors, Don Hall and Stephen Anderson about the making the updated film, but staying true to the audiences expectations. They talk about the film and how they really brought the Pooh characters back to life with the same themes, but a completely different and new story line!

Below is the link to Movie Fanatic's Exclusive:

http://www.moviefanatic.com/2011/07/exclusive-winnie-the-pooh-directors-talk-updating-a-classic/

Harry Potter abridged

2011-07-11T12:19:00.001+08:00

As we all eagerly wait to watch the conclusion of Harry Potter, here's a quick recap of the first seven films to get you up to speed:

1. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone
Just before his 11th birthday, a lonely orphan named Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard. Swept away from his miserable existence with cruel relatives, he is admitted into Hogwarts School of Witching and Wizardry.

There, he learns that he is special even among wizards, the only person to have ever survived an attack by Voldemort. Harry might have been a baby at the time, but Voldemort was defeated and Harry was left with nothing but a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

At school he makes two good friends, Ron and Hermione, a couple of enemies and learns that Voldemort is not as dead as was previously thought.

2. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Forced to spend his summer holidays with his muggle relatives, Harry gets a real shock when he gets a surprise visitor - Dobby the house-elf, who warns Harry against returning to Hogwarts. Harry decides to ignore Dobby's warning. At Hogwarts, strange and terrible things are indeed happening: Harry is suddenly hearing mysterious voices from inside the walls, muggle-born students are being attacked, and a message scrawled on the wall in blood puts everyone on their guard.

To solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets, Harry has to battle giant spiders, a violent tree and a gargantuan snake. Fortunately, our young bespectacled wizard has help in the form of ghosts, an enchanted car, a hat, a phoenix, and, of course, Ron and Hermione.

3. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Hogwarts is under lockdown because a dangerous prisoner, Sirius Black, has escaped from the Azkaban prison and wants to kill Harry to avenge the Dark Lord. To worsen the conditions for Harry, vile shape-shifters called Dementors are appointed to guard the school gates and inexplicably happen to have the most horrible effect on him.

Harry, Hermione and Ron cross paths with a man who can turn into a large dog, a man who can turn into a rat and a man who turns into a werewolf. Hermione’s special secret to taking twice as many classes as is humanely possible becomes the solution to saving the day after it is too late.

4. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
It is Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts and there is to be an interschool competition. Hogwarts is hosting 'The Triwizard Tournament', a magical tournament between three well-known schools of magic - Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The contestants have to be above the age of 17, and are chosen by a magical object called the Goblet of Fire. On the night of selection, however, the Goblet spews out four names instead of the usual three, with Harry unwittingly being selected as the Fourth Champion.

It looks like Harry might win, until in the final challenge he comes face-to-face with Voldemort again, stronger than when Harry last beat him. Their confrontation results in the first death of a Hogwarts student.

5. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
The fight between good and evil is no longer between Harry and Voldemort. Though most witches and wizards are in denial about what is happening, Voldemort’s old followers know he is back and are eager to win back his favour. Dumbledore and the other wizards, known as the Order of the Phoenix, is also preparing to fight on the side of good.

Harry also meets his first love interest Cho Chang.

6. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
Love is in the air as Harry and Hermione find they are each in love with a Weasley. Harry’s affection for Ron’s sister, Ginnie, is reciprocated, but Ron is as unaware of Hermione’s feelings for him as of his own for her. Dumbledore goes from being a kindly but removed presence in Harry’s life to an equal, asking the boy for help on his crusade to stop Voldemort.

They share a quest, their first and last, and the film ends with Dumbledore’s shocking assassination. Destroyed, Harry is determined not to return to Hogwarts the next year, but to continue the search for and destroy the bits of Voldemort’s soul the dark wizard has hidden throughout the world.

7. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Following Dumbledore's death, Voldemort completes his ascension to power and gains control of the Ministry of Magic. A reverse witch hunt is in full fledge to weed out members of the magical world who are not pure blood witches and wizards.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore's work and find the rest of the Horcruxes to defeat the Dark Lord. A Horcrux is a very powerful object in which Voldermort has hidden a fragment of his or her soul for the purpose of attaining immortality.

The trio repeatedly encounter a strange symbol, that an eccentric wizard named Xenophilius Lovegood tells them represents the mythical Deathly Hallows. The Hallows are three sacred objects: the Resurrection Stone, with the power to summon the dead to the living world; the Elder Wand, an unbeatable wand; and an infallible Invisibility Cloak.

According to legend, he who possesses these three artefacts would become the Master of Death. Dumbledore told Harry that this means that the uniter of the Deathly Hallows would be invincible.

New Epic Alien Invasion Series from Steven Spielberg

2011-06-15T08:59:00.001+08:00

FALLING SKIES is the much-anticipated new drama series from DreamWorks Television, TNT Productions and executive producer Steven Spielberg, starring Noah Wyle. The series will premiere on June 19 in the United States on TNT Channel.

"The launch of FALLING SKIES promises to be a global television event," said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks. "We're excited that people around the world will be able to experience this great new series."

FALLING SKIES opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few remaining survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force, whose nature and purpose remains a mystery.

This looks like a good series. Hopefully the series doesn't get cancelled after one season leaving an open ending.

Top 10 Travel Destinations for the Ultimate Movie Buff

2011-06-02T19:51:00.000+08:00

Have you ever seen a movie and wondered "Wouldn't it be great to visit that place?"

Well, one of my readers have written this post listing some far-flung movie locations that you might want to visit in your next vacation.

Click here to read the post.

Anybody else wants to add to the list?

The Unleashed

2011-05-25T10:01:00.001+08:00

"The Unleashed" is the latest horror movie from Dark House Films. The trailer looks quite promising. Dark House Films is a Toronto-based film production company. Not sure if they have produced any other movies, but as a horror moviebuff, I definitely want to see more from them.

Synopsis
Madison Kennard, a troubled woman dealing with her dark past, must venture home after an 8 year absence following her mother's death. Almost instantly after her return, Madison must cope with the haunting memories of a childhood best forgotten. Lindsay, a childhood friend of Madison's with an adventurous past, hears of Madison's arrival and has every intention of reconnecting a friendship once had. Bizarre and unexplainable events occur within the house after old friends come together and dabble with the infamous Ouija board. With the help of Andrew Porter, a renowned writer and expert on paranormal phenomena whom she met by chance, Madison soon discovers that there is more to the board than she realized and must uncover truths of her family's past to contain what had been unleashed.

The movie will be premiering at The Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on June 25th 2011.

Kutcher replaces Sheen

2011-05-19T23:05:00.000+08:00

Take my word....Ashton Kutcher can never replace Charlie Sheen!

Kutcher has been confirmed to replace Sheen in the sitcom "Two and a Half Men" starting next season.

Ashton Kutcher with his co-stars Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones

While Charlie made a base salary of $1.25 million an episode, Ashton will be making between $800,000 and $900,000.

Anyway good luck to the show.....I think Kutcher sucks....and I'm not the only one who thinks so....check out this post.

Teen Wolf is back!

2011-05-18T09:32:00.001+08:00

Does anyone remember Michael J Fox's 1985 classic comedy "Teen Wolf"? The movie has now been remade into a TV series in the vein of other teen series like "The Vampire Diaries" and "True Blood"

Synopsis


Tyler Posey as Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf comes alive as a sexy thriller set against the drama of high school life with a forbidden, romantic love story at its core. Teen Wolf stars Tyler Posey (Maid in Manhattan, Brothers and Sisters), as the newly bitten werewolf, Scott McCall; Dylan O’Brien as his best friend Stiles, Crystal Reed as the mysterious new girl in town, Allison Argent; and Tyler Hoechlin (Road to Perdition, 7th Heaven) as the older and possibly quite dangerous werewolf, Derek Hale.

Always an outsider and often unnoticed, Scott McCall yearns to be recognized in some small way that takes him out of his typical state of high school anonymity.

When his best friend, Stiles (Dylan O’Brien), convinces him to go into the woods one night to join a police search for a dead body, Scott encounters a creature in the darkness. Narrowly escaping an attack with a vicious bite in his side, the next day brings strange surprises for Scott at school and his life will never be the same.

Acquiring superhuman, wolf-like reflexes, hearing and sight, he can now hear things he shouldn’t be able to hear, see with startling accuracy and move with incredible reflexes. Usually a bench warmer, Scott, with his newfound powers, becomes a first team player for the school lacrosse team.


The cast of Teen Wolf

While he sparks the interest of the most popular girl in school, Lydia Martin (Holland Roden, Lost), Scott falls instead for the mysterious new girl Allison Argent (Crystal Reed, Skyline). As the story unfolds, Scott has to suppress his wolfish instincts and urges, contend with other werewolves, as well as fight a family of hunters out to wipe out his kind, the leader of which is the father of his girlfriend.

Teen Wolf is directed by Russell Mulcahy (Razorback, Highlander, Resident Evil: Extinction) and is executive produced by Jeff Davis, creator of Criminal Minds.

TEEN WOLF will be shown FIRST and EXCLUSIVELY on AXN Beyond HD (Channel 720) Monday, July 18, 2011 @9:00pm. Simulcast with AXN (Channel 701)

The Magic of Musicals

2011-05-18T09:20:00.000+08:00

Are you a fan of Broadway and West-End musicals? Ever wished that you could have a compilation of all your favorite songs in one show? Well, your wish has come true.

Sunway Lagoon is proud to present "Magical Musicals", a tribute to musicals from the last 25 years. You will be mesmerised for with songs and dances from Moulin Rouge!, Mamma Mia!, Dreamgirls, Fame, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Footloose, We Will Rock You, West Side Story, Hairspray and even the latest television musical phenomenon, Glee.

The show will run from June 10 to July 17 with daily show time (except Tuesday) at 7pm and additional show at 9.30pm during the weekend. Ticket prices start from RM100 to RM300. Ticket prices exclude RM3 processing fee.

My favorite box-sets on DVD

2011-03-28T07:58:00.000+08:00

Today I would like to share with you my Top Ten favourite DVD box-sets.

1) Star Wars: The Complete Saga
No fanboy's collection is complete without this box-set. My favorite sci-fi action adventure movie series of all time is not available as in one collectible set.....six movies of the Star Wars saga (Episodes I-VI) together for the first time. There are a number of bonus features as well, most importantly never-been-released deleted scenes from the Original Trilogy for the die-hard fans like me.

2) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Extended Edition)
The greatest trilogy in film history is now available in one set together with over two hours of never-before-seen footage.

3) Alien Quadilogy
The original Alien, made in 1979 by Ridley Scott, was a brilliant hybrid of horror and science fiction, built upon a solid foundation of character development and a realistically imagined future. Now all four movies are available in one package.

4) Rome (Seasons 1-2)
One of HBO's best series is Rome, a violent, brutal portrayal of a turbulent era that saw the death of a republic and the birth of an empire. Unfortunately the series only lasted 2 season. Now both seasons are available on DVD.

5) Back To The Future (The Complete Trilogy)
Robert Zemeckis's classic comedy which launched Michael J Fox's movie career. It's been a long time since I watched the movies and it bring back a lot of memories. It looks a bit outdated though but still funny after all these year.

6) Lost (Complete Collection Seasons 1-6)
Finally I can watch the complete series without trying to remember what happened in the last season. One of the most unique series ever to grace out TV screens, Lost still holds plenty of mysteries and surprises the second time around.

7) Seinfeld (Complete Seasons 1-9)
No show captured the eccentricities of New York like the Larry David-created sitcom Seinfeld. Self-obsessed comedian Jerry Seinfeld is joined in the cast by his neurotic ex-girlfriend, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus); his chronically lazy pal, George (Jason Alexander); and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).

8) The Exorcist (The Complete Anthology)
Although the sequels did not create as much headlines as the first movie, this is still a very creepy series in my books. Watch it with the lights on! This collection includes The Exorcist, The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen, Exorcist II: The Heretic, The Exorcist III, Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist.

9) Roots (30th Anniversary Edition)
Finally the 1977 TV mini-series is on DVD. Based on Alex Haley's best-selling novel about his African ancestors, Roots followed several generations in the lives of a slave family. The saga began with Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton), a West African youth captured by slave raiders and shipped to America in the 1700s. The family's saga is depicted up until the Civil War where Kunte Kinte's grandson gained emancipation.

10) The Twilight Zone (The Complete Definitive Collection)
For the first time ever, find all 156 complete episodes of Rod Serling's groundbreaking series in one DVD box set, packed in 28 discs. Travel to another dimension of sight and sound again and again through these stellar remastered high-definition film transfers.

Jennifer Aniston Sex Tape

2011-03-24T10:31:00.000+08:00

RIP: Elizabeth Taylor

2011-03-24T10:28:00.000+08:00

Elizabeth Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011)

We will miss you!

Bono's glasses

2011-03-18T09:50:00.000+08:00

"Killing Bono" is a new Indie comedy about two brothers who attempt to become global rock stars but can only look on as their old school friends U2 become the biggest band in the world.

This nifty poster for the movie celebrates Bono’s glasses through the years.

Happy St Patrick's Day!!

New Warner Bros Theme Park in London

2011-03-09T10:51:00.000+08:00

Warner Bros. has just unveiled their plans for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter! Go behind-the-scenes of all eight Harry Potter films to see authentic sets, costumes, animatronics, props and effects used within the productions! Experience what went into bringing this beloved film series to life. Tickets go on sale later this year!

Visit the official website here: www.wbstudiotour.co.uk

New Conan poster

2011-03-07T15:02:00.000+08:00

Here's the new "flash" poster for the upcoming Conan movie:

X-Men: First Class - Official Trailer

2011-03-03T14:24:00.002+08:00

Here are 2 character posters from X-Men: First Class.....

and here's the official trailer:

Winners of the 83rd Academy Awards

2011-02-28T13:29:00.000+08:00

James franco & Anne Hathaway - this year's hosts for the Oscars

Here are the winners of this year's Oscars:

Best Picture: 'The King’s Speech'

Best Director: Tom Hooper, 'The King's Speech'

Best Actor: Colin Firth, 'The King's Speech'

Best Actress: Natalie Portman, 'Black Swan'

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, 'The Fighter'

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, 'The Fighter'

Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler, 'The King's Speech'

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, 'The Social Network'

Best Original Song: We Belong Together, 'Toy Story 3'

Best Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, 'The Social Network'

Best Foreign Language Film: In A Better World (Denmark)

Best Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3

Another crappy remake?

2011-02-23T10:42:00.000+08:00

I could not believe it when I heard that they are remaking "Arthur"! Is Hollywood going to ruin another classic movie?

Can Russell Brand fit into Dudley Moore's shoes? And imagine replacing John Gielgud with Helen Mirren!

In my opinion, Russell Brand is the worst actor I've seen.And Helen Mirren is definitely going downhill by associating herself with this movie.

Anyway, good luck with the movie!

Introducing blinkbox

2011-02-22T11:43:00.002+08:00

I came across blinkbox recently and got hooked on it immediately.

blinkbox allows you to watch movies and watch TV from anywhere through your PC, MAC, TV or games console!

blinkbox is a video-on-demand (VoD) website that allows users to buy or rent movies and TV shows online.The table below shows you the difference between renting and buying the movies. (Please click on the image to view full size.)

Difference between Rent and Buy

They've got so many movies on their website, and a lot of them a not even released in this part of the world yet. My favorite movies are the Stieg Larrson Millenium Trilogy, The Town, the comedy The Rebound with Catherine Zeta Jones and so many more.

And they have TV series as well. My favorite series Supernatural and Chuck are there. And I managed to download the episodes that I missed on TV.

I also downloaded the complete Season 1 of The Big Bang Theory.

Downloading Big Bang Theory

My receipt for the purchas

To download movies, you have to install the blinkbox Download Manager. Once downloaded, you can watch the movie using Windows Media Player. However because of copyright protection, the content uses Digital Rights Media as a security measure. So before watching the movie, you have to enter your LoginID and Password.

There is also a huge section of free movies which you do not have to pay a single cent to watch. There's like more than 600 movies which is being offered for free currently. And believe me some of these movies are classics which are not available at the stores anymore. Movies like the 1998 version of Les Miserables, Nosferatu,and many more.

I only have two grouses with blinkbox. Firstly the service is currently only available in UK. So I had to redirect my proxy to be able to viw the contents. That causes my bandwidth to slow down. Secondly, the price is pretty high if you start converting the currency in Asia-Pacific.

Overall, I like the navigation and user-interface. Most importantly, the content is great. I believe this will be the start to a new revolution in watching movies.

Thor - Official Trailers

2011-02-21T09:32:00.003+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year

2011-02-02T11:20:00.000+08:00

Here's wishing all my readers a Happy and Prosperous Year of the Bunny.

Superman 2012

2011-02-02T09:45:00.000+08:00

Henry Cavill has been cast as Clark Kent aka Superman in the latest movie of the comic-book hero. The film will be directed by Zack Snyder and is due for release in 2012.

The 27-year-old actor was reportedly shorlisted for "Superman Returns" but the role eventually went to Brandon Routh.

Henry Cavill is known for his role in the series "The Tudors". Cavill will soon be seen as Theseus in a mythological special effects and big budget film entitled "Immortals".