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Planet of the Apes (Remake), a review by Tom

Title: Planet of the Apes
Year: 2001
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: PG-13
Length: 120 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, English: DTS 5.1, French: Dolby Digital Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Mark Wahlberg
Tim Roth
Helena Bonham Carter
Michael Clarke Duncan
Paul Giamatti

Plot:
Get ready for "a wild ride" (The Washington Post) as legendary director Tim Burton's unique vision of the future roars to life in this "amazing display of imagination" (San Francisco Chronicle).

In the year 2029, an American astronaut (Mark Wahlberg) crash-lands on a strange planet where talking apes rule over the human race. Now he must evade the advancing gorilla army to reach a sacred temple that my hold the shocking secrets of mankind's past - and the last hope for its salvation!

Extras:
Commentary
DVD-ROM Content
Featurettes
Multi Angle
Music Videos
Production Notes
Scene Access
THX certified
Trailers

It has been exactly five years to the day, since I have last watched this movie. I always enjoyed it since I first saw it in the cinema. Great ape make-up!
I also did like the ending, which has garnered a lot of criticism. I always thought that it had just the right amount of an "Huh?" effect, which was needed, because, let's be honest, everybody expected some kind of surprise ending like the original Planet of the Apes had.
Much of the criticism stems from the fact, that for most people it did not make any sense. But it makes perfect sense to me.
In the beginning of the movie, we have three instances, where someone passes the anamoly from the Earth side (I assume, that the space station is in our solar system), and is transported to the other planet (space-travel) and through time. The later someone passes the anamoly, the farther along the timeline this someone arrives. This is why the crew of the space station arrived thousands of years before the main protagonist on that planet (there was probably some time between Mark Wahlberg's travel through the anamoly and that of the stations). And this is why the monkey arrives relatively soon after Wahlberg (a few days maximum) because there was only about a minute between their travels through the anamoly (the monkey went first, therefore arrived later).
Now in the end, Wahlberg traveled back. Thade presumable was freed or escaped some time after that, he went to the lake were Wahlbergs pod crashlanded (which Thade knew about), and traveled with this pod through the anamoly. And as he traveled a lot later through it, he arrived long before Wahlberg on Earth.
Now of course, we still have to give a lot of creative license into account, that the changed Earth looks a lot like the Earth we know. But I think it is needed for this cliffhanger to work.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on January 5th, 2009)

The Man Who Planted Trees, a review by Antares

L'Homme qui plantait des arbres (1987) 80/100 - Beautifully crafted animation short with a heart warming story about life and man's purpose on this planet. This definitely hit all the right emotional chords for me as I consider myself not a child of God, but a child of Mother Earth. Our time on this planet is short and how we spend that time is crucial. I've tried to live my life by paying it forward whenever I can. While also trying to adhere to the personal policy of voluntary simplicity, just like the shepherd in the story. The animation is creatively mesmerizing and I can see where Michael Dudok de Wit got some ideas for his Oscar winning animated short film Father and Daughter. It's only 30 minutes long, I think a lot of people here would like this very much.

Teal = Masterpiece
Dark Green = Classic or someday will be
Lime Green = A good, entertaining film
Orange = Average
Red = Cinemuck
Brown = The color of crap, which this film is

(From Antares' Short Summations on August 2nd, 2020)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

08. Lover's Walk (1998-11-24)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Dan Vebber (Writer)
Director: David Semel
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), James Marsters (Spike), Jack Plotnick (Deputy Mayor), Marc Burnham (Lenny), Suzanne Krull (Clerk)

I always loved this episode. Spike's return to Sunnydale mirroring his first appearence only this time at a low point of this life. Spike's crying on Willow's shoulder
Making us believe Cordelia died when showing a funeral but then when the camera gets to Buffy and Willow we find out, that Cordelia is okay.
And then concluding with Spike in high spirit again (singing the Sid Vicious version of "My Way"), but with anyone else arriving at a low point.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on March 2nd, 2009)