{Movie Review} & The Time I Got Thrown Out of Harkins

In the last post I told you about my date last Friday with my hubby, but I didn’t tell you what we saw. We saw “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. I liked the original movie. Alot. Even though the people in ape costumes were really hokey, and a little disturbing. They had no facial expressions, as if they’d had the worst application of botox in history. I liked the remake a few years back, even though I got thrown out of the theater when I went to see it. It was kind of crazy. My mom and I were so excited to go see it. I was living near AZ Mills at the time. We met up almost an hour before the show so that we could get good seats. And we did. Front row (by the bar). As we sat visiting, my mom’s chair kept getting kicked by an child in the next row up. After 20 minutes she could take it no longer. Intending to ask the child to stop, she half-way turned around and placed her hand on the top-back of her chair. Immediately her hand came in contact with said child’s foot. She patted it a few times like any grandma would and said “Honey, can you please stop kicking my chair?”

The father then said, in a cold voice that still gives me the shivers when I think about it, “Lady. Get your hands…off…my…kid.”

My mom apologized saying she didn’t mean to touch his foot. It just happened to be in the spot where her hand landed, as evidenced by the repeated seat-kicking. She apologized again and turned around.

As we sat waiting for the movie, I could feel the most negative energy coming from right behind us. It was really creepy. No more was said for the remainder of the 20 minute wait. Just after the lights went out, several theater workers came in and asked us to step out. They stated that the man claimed we had threatened his son and he wanted us removed from the theater. We were shocked!!! I looked down the hallway a little and saw the father talking heatedly with the Police!!!

We explained what had happened and the theater managers were very sympathetic. They offered for us to see the next showing, but we declined. They gave us extra passes for our trouble and apologized over and over. We left, in a daze and each drove home. I cried the whole way. That was the worst feeling ever!!! I never did see the movie while it was still in the theater. When it came out on video I was able to finally enjoy it.

You can be sure that I have been careful about interacting with strangers kids since then.

Now to “Rise”. The premise of the movie is explaining how the world could have come to be ruled by chimpanzees and the like, as seen in the original. It was very entertaining, and Cesar is so life-like. Andy Serkus (Gollum from LOTRings) provided the model for the computers to make Cesar and he was great! I loved his attic bedroom so much! I wish I could give my kids a room like that!!!

I enjoyed all the little references to the original (the lost space crew, horse-back riding apes, “Get your hands off me you dirty ape”, etc). If you see it with your kids, the fighting isn’t overly gory (little to no blood) and the cursing is very mild. There are a few cold-blooded murders that aren’t too glamorized. You might even cheer a little in your heart.

“Draco Malfoy” is in it, and he’s a baddie. I don’t know if he’ll ever get the chance to play a nice guy. Just when you think the movie is over and the credits have begun there is a little blurb at the end to help tie up the story a little more.

You thought I was going to give you more details, huh?

Sorry, go see it instead. Just don’t touch anybody’s kid! Or you can rent it when it comes out on video in what will undoubtedly feel like a week. Movies are released for video so fast these days. Remember when it used to take a full year?

Anyways, I give it 4 out of 5 Popcorn buckets, if not for entertainment value, then for the sake of giving the original a little more plausibility.

If you’ve seen it, what did you think?