For the first half of ‘Fantastic Four’ you’re wondering, “When is this movie going to start?” For the second half you’re wondering, “When is this movie going to end?!?” It’s not an awful movie, it’s just unrelentingly bland.
In 2011, the thought of rebooting Planet of the Apes seemed foolish. Then Rise of the Planet of the Apes came out, and blew audiences away. As a result, expectations were high for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the follow up to 2011’s successful venture. The results are remarkable, as Dawn offers not only a brilliant summer blockbuster, but also an emotionally powerful testimony to the nature of war and humility.
It would be easy to only view Dawn of the Planet of the Apes through the lens of previous Apes films. The references complement the new themes at work.
“Episode 2” is a more tightly wound episode then the first part and it’s a big improvement over the first part. The episodes early courtroom scenes are fascinating and well put together. So are the quiet periods.
Legal crime dramas with ace lawyers as their lead are pretty easy to come by nowadays. Most though don’t have David Tennant as that ace lawyer. The Escape Artist, airing for three weeks on Masterpiece Mystery, is a somewhat predictable thriller aided by great performances.
Regrettably introducing the rogue collective as wacky miscreants, the believability of the script picks up once it shelves a number of sensational rituals designed to showcase The East as much more mysterious and nefarious than they are. While this imagery is tactically used online to intimidate the corporate leviathans they stand against, it hardly seems like a way to gain sympathizers once the cameras are turned off.
The East Directed by Zal Batmanglij Written by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij 2013, USA A taut thriller invested in its characters’ complex moral decisions, The East demands we see how easily white-collar crime escapes culpability and provocatively questions how a people’s revolution can better civilization without resorting to explosive ends. The ruthless, money-hungry businesses …