Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Conquest is probably the best Planet of the Apes movie among the ones I've seen so far.

(Warning: Contains minor spoilers on the series. If you haven't watched any of the Planet of the Apes movie before I suggest watching them first before reading this review.)


First, a brief backgrounder on the Apes movies. Each one starts out with some form of time travel, that is, going back or forward in time. Each one contains some thinly veiled social commentary on the nature of man or human relations. There is the requisite tragic ending - murder of the protagonists, discovery of the fate of the human race, and even the end of the world (yes, really). The best thing I like is the feeling that anything can happen in an Apes movie, no one is spared.

Conquest starts in a semi-futuristic earth, a couple of years after the death and murder of Cornelius and Zira, the talking apes from the far future. Their son, Caesar (as he will be named later on) and only descendant is now the property of a kind and very understanding circus owner played by Ricardo Montalban, who treats the ape like his own son and strives to protect him from the harsh reality of the world outside. Caesar is now the only talking ape in existence, having descended from Cornelius.

As the story goes, people started having these lovable apes as pets to replace their dogs and cats that perished in a plague. But the humans quickly discovered that the apes were intelligent and could quickly be trained to do various menial duties. The result is that the apes were made into slaves, meant to serve man. Many of them are cruelly treated and oppressed by sadistic owners, and frequently whipped into submission. Caesar sees all this and is profoundly affected. And you see his character develop throughout the film. He starts out as a naive, scared creature, and turns into a strong courageous leader of the ape slaves.

This is a great movie. Fun to watch from beginning to end. The transformation of Caesar is astonishing. The theme of the movie is pretty dark with none of the silliness or overacting of the earlier apes movies.

My only complaint is with the character MacDonald, one of the humans who sympathizes with the apes. I thought he went slightly over the top in doing too much to help Caesar escape, certainly a treasonous act which felt to me like he betrayed the human race, and he's supposed to be a good guy? His rationale for letting Caesar escape, that of being descended from slaves, was kind of lame. They could have redid the plot to make the MacDonald character, as well as the over the top villainous city governor more realistic.

The ending is pretty good, with a great speech by Caesar in the end. I read that they redid the ending slightly and added some parts to his speech because test audiences found the original ending too harsh. This was certainly a mistake. I liked the original speech as is. This isn't a feel good movie, so there is no need to make the events lighter to watch. The movie should have ended after Caesar mouths the words "And that day is upon you now.", no need to add anything else after that. But I'll just consider this a minor re-touch to make it more hollywood friendly and sell more tickets, so I can forgive them for that. Still, an excellent movie, highly recommended. Battle for the Planet of the Apes is next.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
A classic.

Scary Movie 4

Scary Movie 4 spoofs and satirizes War of the Worlds, Saw 2, The Grudge, Million Dollar Baby, The Village, and numerous other films. I didn't have high expectations for this one and I left the moviehouse thinking I had wasted my time.

OK, I haven't seen War of the Worlds so I couldn't relate to any of the jokes regarding it, which was a major part of the film. I'm a big M. Night Shyamalan fan so I was pleased that they decided to spoof The Village. The jokes regarding The Grudge was kinda lame, I only found the japanese real estate agent funny. The Saw 2 jokes were unfunny. I actually laughed at the Million Dollar Baby ring scenes.

The presence of Anna Faris was probably the only one thing made this movie marginally worth watching? Beautiful, funny, and silly at the same time.

The ending? It was ridiculous. Yes I know it isn't supposed to make sense, that I shouldn't take this movie too seriously. Yet it was even more ridiculous than I thought, carelessly made ending that wasn't funny.

Rating: 2/5 * *
Not funny enough.

Derailed

Here's the plot for this movie in a nutshell without giving away any spoilers: Jennifer Aniston and Clive Owen are married to different people, they meet by chance in a train, one thing leads to another and they have an affair. Then something unexpected happens. Clive Owen ends up being blackmailed.

Owen's character is sheltered, quiet and clean. Yet he ends up having to deal with unsavory characters. He plunges himself to one dangerous situation after another putting him and his family's life in danger. For me this is the most compelling part of the movie, and also the most uncomfortable. There is a very dark and depressing scene with a prostitute and some corrupt cops that illustrates how much of a bind the hero gets himself into, and also how weak and vulnerable he is. It made me feel genuinely uncomfortable and distressed.

There is also a brutal scene that will leave a negative impact to the viewers, which I guess is its intent. What starts as an illicit love affair story ends up as more of a pessimistic diatribe on society. This movie is definitely not for kids. I do believe however that this is the intent of this film so it has achieved its goal.

Other scenes are quite silly, particularly the way Clive Owen's wife acts when confronted with an unknown stranger. I found myself at times shouting at the hero telling him for pete's sake to go to police and stop doing stupid things. Yet he continues making mistake after mistake, getting himself into deeper trouble.

All in all, quite a disturbing film. Not for everyone. If its intention is to shock and portray weak characters, then it has achieved its goal.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
Distressful and disruptive.

The Most Entertaining Fiction Books of All Time

This is actually a list of fiction novels I've enjoyed the most. The books were evaluated solely on entertainment value, how pleasurable it was reading them. Here is my top ten:

10. The Firm - John Grisham

I consider the first of half this book to be a masterpiece of foreshadowing. This is the half where our new Harvard Grad and main protagonist gets the job offer of a lifetime from a large law firm. His new company encourages new employees to buy expensive houses, BMWs, and live a high cost life, all in an effort to keep them dependent on the firm. They give our hero an extremely challenging new project that turns out to be dummy projects to prepare them for their real clients who are less than honorable.

I liked the extreme attention to detail in the first half of the book. When the firm goes out of its way to hire fat unattractive secretaries to prevent distractions. Or how everything seems all fine and rosy on the surface, then when new associates get trapped by their extravagant lifestyle and mortgages, this is when the firm reveals its dark secret to them.

The second half of the book sort of deteriorated into a chaotic catch me if you can chase storyline which I didn't find as interesting. Also, I actually liked the ending of the movie better as I felt it was more realistic and had an ironic charm in itself. But other than that, the book is much more fun due to all the added details and nuances that are best described in text.


9. The Return of the King - J.R.R. Tolkien

The neat thing about this book is that the climactic finale where the ring is destroyed and Sauron is defeated actually occurs around two thirds of the way through the book. I remember reading this the first time and thinking to myself 'Huh? The fight's over but there are still dozens more pages left?' It turns out that the most enjoyable parts take place after the major conflicts ends. This is the part where our heroes, Frodo, Merry, Pippin head back to the Shire and retake it from some minor baddies. There are also bits and parts as to what happens to Gandalf, Aragorn (the king) and other former fellowship members after the great battle. Most books follow the formula of buildup to the climax, then ends abruptly with a good ending. Return of the King takes its time with a slow simmer, allowing the reader to savor the victory and celebrate with our heroes. It was cool (and realistic) to actually make the long trek back from Mordor, with some descriptions of how dangerous some of the places still were. This is what made it most fun to read.


8. Disclosure - Michael Crichton

By the way, I enjoyed the movie a lot, one of the rare film versions as good as the book. I also felt this book was more about corporate politics and high tech rather than being about sexual harassment. I could readily identify with Tom Sanders character as well as the rest of his team. I loved how he was able to turn around a difficult situation and salvage his reputation in the end. Lots of neat plot elements such as the mysterious "A Friend". All of the characters were interesting, in particular I liked the background description of the guy who used to be Tom Sanders best friend in the company, until the rigors of corporate life changed his friend until they grew distant to one another. Made me feel great about working in the computer industry. This is your classic page turner, extremely addictive and enjoyable.


7. The Fellowship of the Ring - J.R.R. Tolkien

I included this in my list because I was enamored with the concept of The Fellowship - a gathering of the best persons from each race, each with different motives and ideals, yet working together to fight a common enemy. Here we are treated to a suspensful hide and seek chapter where Frodo and the hobbits elude the dark riders. I also enjoyed the part where Frodo & co. got drunk in the bar, almost giving themselves away, and meeting Stryder aka Aragorn in the process.

For me, the best part of this book is the opening chapter where Bilbo throws this huge massive birthday party for himself. Lots of background descriptions of the different hobbits (in particular those nasty Sackville Baginnses), Gandalf having a frank talk to Bilbo about the ring, and Frodo getting ready to make his fateful trip out of the Shire. This was good because of the sharp contrast between the sheltered life of the Shire and the dark world outside its borders.


6. The Runaway Jury - John Grisham

This is Grisham's best work in my opinion. I sort of look at myself as a Nicholas Easter character (especially the opening line that mentions in jest his 'boyish good looks', hehehe). At first we don't know what his motives are, whether he is a tool of Big Tobacco, or an altruistic character with noble goals. There is also this mysterious woman who seems to work with Easter, yet we're not sure. We get clues though based on how Nicholas Easter subtly manipulates the jury, how he gains each jury members trust, and tries to get rid of the uncooperative members with some ruthlessness. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? We only find out in the end, an extremely satisfying finale.

Through the story, Grisham also educates us on the finer parts of jury selection, the process of how jury members are selected, what lawyers use to decide whether to accept or reject a potentional juror. There are also side stories of each juror that you will find interesting.

By the way, don't watch the movie version of this as it has almost no resemblance to the book and is crap.


5. Rising Sun - Michael Crichton

This book had a very interesting, inspired theme - how Japan is slowly taking over American business. In the late 80's and early 90's, many Japanese companies started investing heavily and acquiring numerous American companies. Think of Sony acquiring Columbia Pictures, and Japanese Auto Giants Toyota and Honda taking huge marketshare from traditional US auto companies. The hysteria was very real.

This is Crichton's most documentary-like book. We are treated to numerous chapters where the protagonists overhear conversations from businessmen (which is actually just a ploy to sneak in some of the documentary research in the book), talking about how Japanese companies are taking over the US. The two main protagonists are also very effective tools in explaining the facts to the readers. There is this master sensei character (Sean Connery for those who watched the movie), an American who has lived most of his life in Japan and is an expert in Japanese culture. It is through this character that we learn more about Japan's idiosyncracies and how it relates to the present time. The other character (Wesley Snipes in the movie) is your Dr. Watson, he is the link between the reader and the sensei. His sole purpose is to act dumb and ask questions to the sensei character so that we can learn more.

Since this was published, Japan went into a decade long recession, so much of this book will seem silly if read now. But I still consider this to extremely informative and fun to read at the same time. The most I've learned from a "fiction" book.


4. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

Ah, now we're getting to something. If you haven't read J.R.R.'s prequel to The Lord of the Rings, you've got to rush out and buy The Hobbit. The tone and ambiance is a stark contract to the dark and brooding nature of the LOTR books. Bilbo Braggins is one of the funniest and most endearing characters of all time (I laughed out loud in the part where he realizes he left his handkerchief back home). I kind of wish the Lord of the Rings series was as light-hearted as this book.

Bilbo Braggins is the unlikely hero. He started out as a total naive incompetent (How did he get Gandalf as a friend in the first place?). The dwarves have to bail him out everytime. But he ends up saving the day, rescuing the dwarves, leading them out of the dark forest, even fighting the dragon in the end. You will be amazed at the gradual, slow, complete turnaround from dope to hero. And you'll be rooting for Bilbo on every step.


3. The Godfather - Mario Puzo

This was the book where I felt the characters were alive. As if even when I stopped reading, they continued to live on because they were real. I marveled at how Michael Corleone went from a man who originally didn't want to have anything to do with his father's business to getting more and more entrenched in it. Mario Puzo revels in hyperbole and creating exagerrated, almost one-dimensional characters, but in a way that is totally believable and that works.

My favorite part was when Michael got exiled to Sicily. When he had to escape the country, living in relative peace with a new bride and friends, yet ended up getting dragged back to the troubles at home. Another neat part was when The Godfather arranged for a meeting with all the italian families and called for a truce. Actually there are so many good parts, so many neat side stories of the various characters that are linked to the Godfather one way or another.

The middle part gets boring. I'm referring to the Las Vegas storyline with Sonny's mistress, as well as a few of the young Godfather flashbacks. Although the young Godfather could be a book in itself as it describes how Vito Corleone started out and eventually became one of the most powerful men in New York.

The Godfather movies are ok, but are too short to enjoy all the finer details and nuances present in the book. So you've gotta read it to get the full enjoyment.


2. Contact - Carl Sagan

This was one of my favorite movies of all time, so I decided to read the book too, and was pleased at how much fun it was to read. Carl Sagan takes his own sweet time in telling the story, developing the characters, telling the story in his own unique style. It almost reads like a diary, dwelling on a certain event or plodding through different story arcs. Sometimes I felt like I was reading it as it happened in real time.

You have to be in the right frame of mind while reading this. Do not rush through, relax and read it slowly, you will feel as if you are a bystander watching the story unfold among familiar friends. If you have watched the movie, you will find the pace much slower, less dramatic, but more enjoyable. The story is a lot different too. For instance, in the movie only Jodie Foster makes the trip, while in the book she is accompanied by a whole crew. The ending is much better in the book too. In it, there is a neat epilogue which reveals the secret of the ancients. I loved, loved the epilogue.

Lots of geek stuff that even non techies will enjoy. My favorite part was when they were building the alien device based on the simplistic set of instructions that first laid the foundation building more and more complex sets until eventually you have the full system. There is also that feeling of uncertainty building a device that is inherently alien to the human race, something that may result in our own destruction. The book also contains some real good philosophical discussion on the nature of God and potential meanings of life. One of the best and most highly recommended.


1. Eaters of the Dead - Michael Crichton

This is my #1 most entertaining fiction book of all time. I never get tired of this Crichton classic. I probably read it three times already. I bet I would still enjoy reading this a fourth, fifth, or sixth time. Why is this book great? It's because the writing style is so cool, so different. It is written in the first person in journal form. You getto read the point of view of an observer trapped in a culture that is entirely foreign to him, so he describes everything in intricate detail with a mix of awe and disgust. But the observer gradually becames one of them and even ends up participating in their travels.

I learned later that this was Crichton's tribute to Beowulf and his take on Viking culture. Another well-researched book on his part, with just the right stuff to keep it as entertaining and educational as possible.

I consider the title 'Eaters of the Dead' to refer to a certain subplot in the story, that of this greatly feared race of half-neanderthal, half beast man-creature that are the ultimate savages. I cringed during the part where the observer and his compatriots discover the brutality left behind by the eaters of the dead. And the worst part is, they have to go to war against them! Can they actually win, will they survive at all.

It's like a fairy tale, historical narration, and horror novel, all rolled into one short but great book. And it just so happens to be the most fun book I've ever read.

The Best Cartoons on TV

Here's a list of my top five favorite cartoon series of all time. Three of the five are still in active production, which is nice.

5. Dragon's Lair
An oldie but goody. I got to watch old episodes of this as a kid through betamax tapes. I liked how the show gave choices to the viewer, ala-Choose Your Own Adventure, as to what Dirk the Daring should do next. Then it would show the results of those choices, most of them leading to the demise of the lead characters. It also helped that I was into the whole Knights and Wizards thing as a kid, adding more spark to an already overactive imagination.

4. Futurama
Very underrated show. I like how Simpsons creator Matt Groening combines sci-fi with humor. Some of the stories and ideas are actually quite good, covering many popular science fiction paradoxes and cliches. Although the series has been cancelled on TV, there are plans to create new episodes exclusively for DVD, and even its own movie.

3. Family Guy
I admit I hated this the first time I saw it. I thought it was trying too hard to be funny and cute. But lately Family Guy has grown on me and is one of the funniest shows on TV. My favorite character in this is the talking dog. He is easily the most articulate in the family, but at times goes back to doing dog things. I can't stand the obnoxious baby Stewie. The father lead character, Peter is obviously their version of Homer Simpson. They squeeze in an incredible amount of satire and jokes in each episode with plenty of sexual references and toilet humor. Well worth watching.

2. The Simpsons
The gold standard by which all primetime cartoons are measured against. The Simpsons seem to get better season after season. I like the Halloween episodes where they have elements of science fiction and horror, and where anything can happen. The characters, Homer, Bart, Flanders, Lisa & co. as well as the city of Springfield seem to have taken a life of its own. Decades from now we will be marvelling at the genius of this series.

1. South Park
The boys are #1! Matt and Trey try very hard to offend as many people as they can. They make fun of organized religion, hybrid car owners, hollywood, and every possible group they can piss off. I have a list of my favorite South Park episodes: the one where Cartman grows his own race of Sea Monkeys that worship him as a God, the Iraq war debate which devolves into an "I'm a little bit country, I'm a little bit rock n' roll" concert, Randy Marsh spoofing Rocky, the Scientology episode which caused Isaac 'Chef' Hayes to quit the series, and of course this season's 'The Return of Chef' where Chef turns into Darth Vader in the end. Every new episode of South Park is an event and the highlight of my week. We want more!!

Sunday Morning Coffee

Sunday Morning Coffee is a collection of instrumental tracks compiled by Chip Davis that serves the purpose of setting the mood or background music. This is one of my favorite CDs in my collection. It covers different moods occuring on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I like it because it evokes old feelings of romance, peace, and inspiration in me when I listen to it while sipping a warm cup of tea by myself or with friends (I guess you could also call it 'Sunday Morning Tea' or something).

Here's the album intro on the inside CD jacket which sums it up nicely:

"Day Parts" is a term applied to various parts of the day by the broadcast business. They have names for various day parts like "Early morning drive", etc. Back in my days as a jingle writer, I used to have to compose music that fit various formats and moods, and quite often in a very wide variety of styles. Several years ago, I thought it would be neat to have an album for different parts of the day to sort of "score our lives" like one might a movie.

There are a couple of standout tracks here. I like how each song has a brief intro written about it on the CD booklet. For example, here's the intro for 'Sunday Morning Coffee' composed by Chip Davis himself. It's probably the best track on the album, and kind of reminds me of the lovely actress Meg Tilly.

This piece was brewed on the morning (Sunday... of course) after my little peewee daughter, Kelly Lynne, was born. It was a fresh morning with yellow sunlight and the warm feeling of a new life starting.

Here's the intro for 'Sunday Sonata':

You work your job all week, you work your yard all Saturday, and Sunday... well, Sunday has already been proclaimed a day of rest, so let's not feel guilty about it. This tune is about sitting on the front porch, with a steaming cup of java, softly strumming a guitar. Or if you don't own a guitar, a Sousaphone will suffice.

I particularly like 'My Secret Lust', the bad boy track in this compilation. Heck this is how I feel most Sunday mornings!

This song is "the other" kind of Sunday morning. You've had a miserable work week and Saturday night you indulged in a little too much snake-bite juice. So here you are on a Sunday morning, taking coffee and aspirin through an I.V., thinking "there has to be more to life than this... If I only had a new sail boat... or a glamorous job... or that sexy barmaid... or... "______" (fill in your own "secret lust").

Here's another good one, the intro to 'Coffee with Carla':

This is the picture perfect Sunday morning: your significant other sits close by, wrapped in a terry cloth robe; the soft sunlight warms your shoulders and peace rises with the steam off your coffee. Life moves in a slow motion waltz, and the sleepy feeling is occasionally broken by small crescendos; the laugh from a comic strip... the ring of the phone... the furnace blowing up...

Of course if you've had too much coffee, you end up with too much caffeine in your system, which results in the hyperactive final track 'Morning Blend', the second best one on the album:

It wasn't baroque, so I didn't fix it. However, I thought that a little intermingling of styles would make this cut (cup?) a little more interesting. I ground this out on a Sunday too.

The result is a refreshing cup of musical enjoyment.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Inspiring and relaxing.