American Reunion (2012)

American Reunion (2012)

The class of 1999 returns
Directors:
Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Writers:
Adam Herz (characters), Jon Hurwitz (screenplay), and 1 more credit »
Stars:
Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan and Seann William Scott

1. Mysteries of Lisbon: Grade B-
This poster provides a somewhat clever way of inserting critic blurbs, but it still looks a little messy. However, the use of color (the deep greens and black) looks great.

2. Red Tails: Grade D
I wouldn’t say this is an ugly poster, but it does look like a screen cap from a video game.

3. Safe: Grade C+
I like the rough looking grittiness of this poster, but I can’t help but feel I’ve seen this before. Beyond that grit it doesn’t have much to say.

4. Kokowaah: Grade C
It’s cute, sweet, and simple, with a big block of text to distract the eye from the simple sweetness.

5. Machine Gun Preacher: Grade C
I can’t tell if this is supposed to be funny, but I am laughing nonetheless. I am hoping that this poster was put together with a stern and serious face. »

- James Merolla
Cast:
Credited cast:
Tara Reid     ...     Vicky Lathum
Alyson Hannigan     ...     Michelle Flaherty-Levenstein
Seann William Scott     ...     Steve Stifler
John Cho     ...    
Tara Reid married Danish businessman Michael Lilleund in Greece on August 13, 2011, her rep, Jack Ketsoyan, has confirmed to People. The 35-year-old actress, who recently finished filming ‘American Reunion,’ also tweeted the news in a series of short messages. Reid first tweeted “I just got engaged!,” and hours later she took to the social networking site again to announce “Greece married!” She then added “Just got married in Greece. I love being a wife.” The actress met Lilleund in November 2010 in Saint-Tropez, and they have been dating since. While vacationing in Greece, reporters asked Reid whether she and Lilleund were planning on marrying. She didn’t give the news »

- karen
MILF Guy #2
Mena Suvari     ...     Heather
Katrina Bowden     ...     Oz's Girlfriend
Shannon Elizabeth     ...     Nadia
Jason Biggs     ...     Jim
Tara Reid couldn't have had much time to plan her August 13th wedding. The actress got engaged and wed her new beau, Zachary Kehayov, all in one day.

Life & Style has the first photo of the happy couple on their wedding day, revealing some smiles, a beautiful landscape and Reid's tummy.

The photo showcases the newlyweds embracing in front of a scenic backdrop in matching white outfits. Reid is revealing her midriff in a long skirt, belly shirt and cardigan, holding a bouquet of all white flowers while her hubby keeps it simple with a classic summer look and single white rose buttoneer.

The "American Reunion" star tweeted about her engagement to new boyfriend Zachary Kehayov and only hours later took to Twitter again to gush, "Just got married in greece I love being a wife!" The announcement wouldn't be complete without a photo of her new jewelry. She tweeted »

- Katelyn Mullen
Chris Klein     ...     Oz
Jennifer Coolidge     ...     Stifler's Mom
Thomas Ian Nicholas     ...     Kevin Myers

Universal Pictures  have released an early teaser poster for the eagerly-awaited (at least by me) sequel, American Reunion, aka American Pie 4, which comes from the writer/director duo of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg and sees original series stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Chris Klein, Eugene Levy, Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth, Mena Suvari, and Natasha Lyonne all return, alongside franchise newcomers Chuck Hittinger, Jay Harrington, Ali Cobrin, Dania Ramirez, and Katrina Bowden.

In the comedy American Reunion, all the American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago are returning to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn’t and that time and distance can’t break the bonds of friendship. It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, »

- Phil
Natasha Lyonne     ...     Jessica
Eddie Kaye Thomas     ...     Finch
Dania Ramirez     ...     Trisha
Eugene Levy     ...     Jim's Dad

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): You'd be a silly monkey to miss this film

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): You'd be a silly monkey to miss this film
Plot:
An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
PG_13  105 min  -  Action | Drama | Sci-Fi   -  5 August 2011 (USA)
Users: 8.0/10 (25,896 votes)
i wasn't a fan of the classic planet of the apes movies, but this one made me go back and watch them again with a renewed enthusiasm. And watching them after this one actually made me somewhat a fan. of course there was some problems with the plot, like quantity of chimps changing from scene to scene(in some, there were more chimps in the city than their habitat probably) and the orangutan "wiseguy" was smart even before taking the medicine and so on. but there are some scenes that you just go "whoaa" like the scene when Caesar says "no" or the scene with silver-back rampage on the bridge. even if you are not a fan, just learn some basics of the old movies and watch this one. you will still enjoy every second.
Director:
Rupert Wyatt
Writers:
Pierre Boulle (suggested by novel "La planète des singes"), Rick Jaffa, and 1 more credit »
Stars:
James Franco, Andy Serkis and Freida Pinto
The one thing that always made the "Planet of the Apes" a bit campy was actors in make up and monkey suits. So in one instance, here's where technology, specifically the use motion- capture technology as seen in "Avatar," can almost single-handedly justify revisiting an old franchise. But the apes of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" don't just look amazing — they have souls. So does this script, which delivers one of the summer's biggest surprises in terms of pure entertainment and depth of storytelling. Unlike the "Transformers" franchise, where giant steel-crushing robots have gotten lost in inane plots driven by pointless human characters, "Rise" keeps the primates as an almost exclusive focus. Somewhere close to the midpoint, humans even take a back seat to the captivating ape-centered story arcs crafted by writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Not only do apes most definitely rise in this movie, but they also do so with clear tremendous purpose. The story of how a potential cure for Alzheimer's went out of control couldn't be more crystal clear, as is the reasoning that inspires an ape named Caesar to incite a rebellion. James Franco plays scientist Will Rodman, who's experimenting with his Alzheimer's cure on apes. His most recent tests show incredible cognitive abilities in one ape and so he makes a presentation to the company's board asking for permission to test the drug on humans. Things go wrong during the presentation, however, when the ape goes, well — ape — and on display for the whole lab. The apes are ordered to be put down and Franco's entire operation gets shut down. However, the trial ape had been hiding a newborn baby. Will secretly takes it home where his father (John Lithgow) suffers from Alzheimer's.
Turns out the chimp, which his father names Caesar, inherited the cognitive abilities of the drug through its mother. As Caesar grows and exhibits tremendous mental growth (including helping Will land an otherwise pointless girlfriend in Freida Pinto), Will desperately tests the drug on his father and suddenly he has hope for the project to continue. This origin story plays out for most of the film, but Caesar ends up becoming the focus. Although he says nothing, he generates incredible sympathy through consummate mo-cap actor Andy Serkis (Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings"). Add to that the burgeoning scientific moral dilemma and "Rise" builds quite the captivating story. The turning points for Caesar that result in and arise from his inhumane captivity all wield the impact that pivotal moments should carry in all films. Despite a story that originated almost 45 years ago, the script lays this perfect and scientifically reasonable foundation for the "Planet of the Apes" we already know. The only thing that feels like a reach is the speed with which the apes develop certain tactical abilities once they all receive the drug. Director Rupert Wyatt definitely understands the script handed to him as he provides the appropriate magnitude to these effective plot points and knows how to create mouth-agape moments. When Oyewolo's character arrives at the lab cafeteria to find a bunch of tables overturned, Wyatt pans up to reveal he's surrounded by apes. There's no reason to think they weren't there waiting for him, but we're caught off guard just long enough to know he better make a run for it. Those are the "glory shots" that make a true blockbuster. Much of the action used to promote the movie comes in the film's final act, which uses all the slowly building tension from scenes showing cruelty toward the apes in the second act to fuel the fire. With such strong motivation accumulated during these first two chunks of the film, the action doesn't have to be that explosive or visceral in order to be effective. Apes tearing humans limb for limb would have certainly made for a more interesting film to say the least, but "Rise" manages to get away with the tamer action due to all the powerful setup and Wyatt provokes some imagination-inspired gore. In addition, the fact that the apes just knock people unconscious serves the script's efforts to show how — just like humans — some apes are violent and evil in nature while some are sympathetic and merciful. The film expertly muddles our perception of who to root for in this sense. Considering prequels inherently risk their quality on the fact that we know the end result, it's impressive that "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" maintains our interest consistently throughout. The ending does leave something to be desired because it ends just as the battle between apes and humans seems to be going somewhere, but even though I'm not sure what would happen (or what the title would be for that matter), if the sequel picks up right where this left off — count me in.

Details
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Release Date:
5 August 2011 (USA)
Also Known As:
Planeta dos Macacos: A Origem
Filming Locations:
Mammoth Studios, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Box Office
Budget:
$93,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend:
$54,806,191 (USA) (7 August 2011) (3648 Screens)
Gross:
$54,806,191 (USA) (7 August 2011)
Of all the movies that can possibly be re-booted......why reboot another movie that's already been re-booted? And of all the projects that the Weta team can possibly tackle, why this one? Well it must be the script, because everyone that's come across it has wanted to be somewhat involved. Hopefully it lives up to the expectations that are already in place, because i don't think i could handle another stink bomb like Burton's version.
Finally......a summer movie that's actually WORTH your summer dollar. Almost every element of this film is pitch perfect. Just what makes this 'oh so' great? Allow me to explain....

Judging from the preview, i thought the movie to be a little too relative to the concept from "Deep Blue Sea". But this movie takes a much more different route with their Alzheimer's approach. Needless to say, they did a much better job than that movie.....obviously.

I know most people may be scratching their heads to this comment, but in my opinion, this is easily the most well written script of the year thus far. It's intelligent, thought provoking, emotional, and damn well entertaining. What makes this so good is the progression of the main ape 'Ceaser' (heh, ironic name), and his journey from a curious and smart ape, into an upset ape that realizes the harsh realities of being treated like an animal. It's now easy to see just why everyone jumped on board when they read this. I kid you not, i actually got goosebumps from this movie, and that rarely happens.

And once again, the Weta team did a phenomenal job with their brilliant special effects. Andy Serkis who has already done work like this before in 'Lord of Rings' and 'King Kong', out preformed most actors in Hollywood without barely saying a word. Is it wrong to say that a man in a blue suit with dots all over him, imitating an ape is so far the best actor i've seen this year? Uh.....not at all. Trust me, see the movie, and you'll understand why.

Bottom Line.......not only is this easily the best movie of the summer, i will go as far as saying it's the best movie i have seen so far this year. Yes, it is THAT good. Like i said earlier, almost every element of this movie is pitch perfect. The writing, the acting, the special effects.....all done to near perfection. It some people's eyes, this is called a reboot. However, it feels more like a prequel. But judging from what i just saw, i hope to god that they make more of these, because it literally just blew my mind.
Company Credits
Production Co:
Chernin Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Show detailed company contact information on
Technical Specs
Runtime:
105 min
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1

Quotes
Linda: Mr. Jacobs, it's Linda from Will's team. Something horrible has happened. Franklin is dead - from a viral infection.
Steven Jacobs: What the Hell are you talking about?
Linda: He was exposed to the 113. It does something to people that it doesn't do to apes.
Cast
Cast overview, first billed only:
James Franco     James Franco     ...    
Will Rodman
Freida Pinto     Freida Pinto     ...    
Caroline Aranha
John Lithgow     John Lithgow     ...    
Charles Rodman
Brian Cox     Brian Cox     ...    
John Landon
Tom Felton     Tom Felton     ...    
Dodge Landon
David Oyelowo     David Oyelowo     ...    
Steven Jacobs
Tyler Labine     Tyler Labine     ...    
Robert Franklin
Jamie Harris     Jamie Harris     ...    
Rodney
David Hewlett     David Hewlett     ...    
Hunsiker
Ty Olsson     Ty Olsson     ...    
Chief John Hamil
Madison Bell     Madison Bell     ...    
Alice Hunisker
Makena Joy     Makena Joy     ...    
Alice Hunsiker (Teen)
Kevin O'Grady     Kevin O'Grady     ...    
Animal Control Officer #1
Sean Tyson     Sean Tyson     ...    
Animal Control Officer #2
Jack Kuris     Jack Kuris     ...    
Boy in Muir Woods 

 Reviews:
This movie was fantastic. Everyone knows what it's about because the title sums it all up so what I'll say is I had a great time and throughly enjoyed this film.

I had several WOW moments which has never happened to me in a film.

But what was so great to see was that the packed cinema had so many different age groups who were all enjoying the film just as much. A couple in their mid 70's started cheering and clapping widely when the Tom Felton character pays homage to the original film, which resulted in the whole cinema cheering and clapping.

I highly recommend this film, it was excellent. 

When I saw the trailer of this movie in the theaters I was like "hmm, monkey movie, next!" But because of my father, I decided to go check it out. It turns out this movie is not bad at all, In fact is is actually quite interesting. What really made me like this movie is Ceasar and the journey he took to find where he truly belongs (really intense). This brought movie almost brought me to tears (not that it never happened before) but what was truly amazing was that this movie gave me chills. I definitely advise people who deemed this movie uneventful to go see this movie for themselves. Girls if your just watching this because of "Draco" you'll soon forget about him and focus on the story/apes.
'RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES': Four Stars (Out of Five)
Prequel/reboot to the 1968 classic science fiction film 'PLANET OF THE APES'. This film tells the origin story of how apes originally evolved and started an uprising against the human race. It's sort of a remake of the fourth film in the original 'PLANET OF THE APES' series, 1972's 'CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES' (since that film went back in time and told a similar story) but it's more of a fresh reboot to a totally new series than anything else. It was directed by Rupert Wyatt and written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (who have experience in the sci-fi/horror genre co-writing films like 1997's 'THE RELIC' and 1992's 'THE HAND THAT ROCKED THE CRADLE'). The film is full of spectacular visual effects (but surprisingly wasn't released in 3D) and is a much more satisfying re-imagining than Tim Burton's 2001 remake.

James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist working for a genetic therapy pharmaceutical company. Will is hard at work trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, motivated by his father Charles (John Lithgow) who is a victim of it. He's testing a new drug out on lab apes and one shows remarkable promise. When the ape goes crazy defending it's baby, that no one knew she was pregnant with, all the apes are ordered put down and the experiment is canceled. Will secretly takes the baby home with him and continues doing tests on it. His father bonds with it and names it Ceaser (he's played as an adult by Andy Serkis, through motion capture filming). What Will and Charles don't know is that Caesar will one day lead his fellow apes in a rebellion and when he's sent to an ape holding facility the world as we know it is forever changed. Freida Pinto (of 'SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE' fame) co-stars as a veterinarian Will falls for.

The CGI is breathtaking, it's finally gotten to a point where the creatures they bring to life on screen look much more real than actors in costumes do. That's one of the ways this is far superior to Burton's 'ape' film. Serkis's performance is outstanding and he brings a lot of heart to the film through it. Lithgow also gives a 'heart tugging' performance but Pinto is wasted here. She's proved she can act as well as look stunningly beautiful but with this the filmmakers obviously just wanted her to look pretty. Her character is not developed at all and pretty much the only point of her even being there is to fill the void of a human female presence. Franco is good and relatable at times but he's done better work (he's also done worse though). Brian Cox, David Oyelowo and Tom Felton (of 'HARRY POTTER' fame) all make great antagonists (especially Felton, which he's now beginning to be typecast as). One of the biggest strengths of the film is how much it makes you loath the humans and root for the apes. Besides Franco, Lithgow and Pinto none of the other humans in the film are very likable and the rest of the human population is portrayed as pretty hateful and morally deprived. It's pretty amazing how a film like this can get the viewer to turn so quickly on their own race. The rebellion of the film is very involving and impressively built up to (but it plays a pretty small part of the actual film). There's almost nothing more satisfying in my opinion than watching tormented victims get the upper hand on their oppressors. This is where the film really works (Wyatt really did a good job directing the film in that way). The writing and acting is decent as well but it's the emotional build up and striking visuals that really make the film worth while. If you're a fan of the series you'll almost definitely enjoy this new installment.