Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) – 6.5/7

When I first saw the trailer of this movie, I was mildly interested. Then the movie was released and it was met with good response. Since then, I have been waiting for a Blu-ray rip to watch the movie. I live in Pilani by the way (BITS-Pilani), so the wait for a Blu-ray rip instead of watching the movie in a theatre. Please, don’t get me started about the cons and cons of living in Pilani.

Anyway, coming to the movie, here is what IMDB says about it:

Rating: 7.8/10

Description: During experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee uses its greater intelligence to lead other apes to freedom.

What IMDB doesn’t say is that the movie’s graphics are quite literally from another planet, on another level. Caesar’s (hero ape) emotions reach out to you and frighten you and also make you sympathize for him. One moment you want him as your pet, and the next you want to urge James Franco (the scientist who raises Caesar) to get rid of him when you see his menacing eyes as the years grow on him.

Fortunately, the movie doesn’t have any gory scenes of apes stamping and crushing humans to death. That is a big, big relief after watching a season of ‘Game of Thrones’.

It has not got full 7/7 rating only because of its predictability. There are no twists in the tale; you can easily expect what’s going to come next (apart from the apes’ movements while they attack of course). Download a Blu-ray rip like me, go full volume with a 2.1 like me, and just sit back and enjoy the movie like me.

VERDICT: Watch it with full volume. It might not be an edge-of-the-seat thriller, but the action and sound effects might tip you off your seat every now and then. And of course, the visual effects are simply superb.

Witness For The Prosecution (1957) – 7/7

If you are wondering why this movie has been given full marks, then I have only one thing to say. Because it is damn good!! This is not a high school English or Hindi exam where you can never score full marks and also I am not someone who is a hard man to please or who looks at all the technical intricacies of a movie. In short, I am no Rajeev Masand, I am just a teen who loves watching a movie with a friend and a pack of chips.

Anyway, after coming out of three exams on a trot with one major casualty, I was sitting in my room, strangling IMDB so that it pukes out some above average movie that I haven’t seen. And puke it did, Witness For The Prosecution.

IMDB Description: Agatha Christie tale of a man on trial for murder: a trial featuring surprise after surprise.

And it is exactly that. I had heard about this novel vaguely and so I decided to watch it after convincing my “no-not-black-and-white” friend to bear with me just this once. Thankfully, he did not regret it.

There is subtle humor throughout with the promised twists and the usual trial in the court where all hope is lost for the defendant until our brilliant defense lawyer pulls one out of the bag. But, the story just doesn't end there (picture abhi baaki hain dost!!) and that is where the movie makes all the difference in the world.

The protagonist Charles Laughton, the defense lawyer, steals the show and I don’t really know all those actors, but I guess all of them did pretty well.

As I said already, I have given it full marks because frankly, I can’t see where the movie could have been better. I am a big fan of movies that involves trials and lawyers, a love that has started from A Few Good Men and I am glad to have found another movie to match it.

VERDICT: Must Watch!!!