Movie Watching Part 2

I had planned to open this blog post with a "Spoiler Alert" notice but after reading what I wrote, I realized this one doesn't have any spoilers. Just my overall impressions of the three other films I saw recently. :)

Chef

photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

This movie is my favorite of 2014 so far. However, I initially had no plans to see it. But when an office friend asked me if I planned to see it and another friend told me a couple of weeks later that she saw it and really enjoyed it, I took that as a sign. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. It's fun, feel-good, witty, and thoroughly enjoyable. The only "problem" is that your mouth continues to water as you watch the movie and it makes you want to go on a food trip and splurge on really expensive food right after. :) I am definitely getting the DVD of this once it is out.

Step Up All In

photo courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

This is the fifth film in the Step Up franchise but somehow it's the first one I got to see in the cinema. I guess I have Step Up Revolution to thank for this. That fourth outing is my favorite of the series and it urged me to go see this one. Dance fan that I am, I did enjoy the movie. I especially liked how they showed how difficult it is to earn a living as a professional dancer. My main issue with the casting is that I don't think the lead female dancer, Briana Evigan, was good enough to be in that role. IMO, compared to the other incredible dancers in the movie, her skills paled in comparison. Nevertheless, while critics may not rate this movie well, it was good fun. awesome dancing that included some pretty tight group choreography sequences.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

photo courtesy of imdb

Before anything else, I have to say that the CGI in this film is just truly astounding. The emotion on the apes was excellently depicted and the rendering and degree of detail is absolutely incredible. From a plot standpoint, what I found really interesting about this movie is that it uses its non-human lead characters i.e. CGI apes to provide the audience with a terrifying glimpse into the dark and ugly side of human nature. It's interesting to see how distrust can form due to different biases and life experiences and how this distrust can split people apart and turn allies into enemies. It is quite heavy to watch because of its theme but that's also what makes this movie great. I didn't see the Rise of the Planet of the Apes but you don't t need to see the first installment to understand what's going on in this one.

I'm still in two minds as to whether I want to see Transformers: Age of Extinction since a lot of folks said it was really dragging but if I can find some time in the next week, maybe I will go see it anyway.