Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

MOVIE REVIEW OF Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) PG

Cast
Director:	j. lee thompson	Runtime: 1hrs 28min ( 88min)
caesar	.....	roddy mcDowall
breck	.....	don murray
lisa	.....	natalie trundy
macDonald	.....	hari rhodes
inspector kolp	.....	severn darden
busboy	.....	lou wagner
commission chairman	.....	john randolph
mrs. riley	.....	asa maynor
hoskyns	.....	h. m. wynant
aldo	.....	david chow
frank	.....	buck kartalian
policeman #1	.....	john dennis
policeman #2	.....	paul comi
auctioneer	.....	gordon jump
announcer	.....	dick spangler
zelda	.....	joyce haber
ape with chain	.....	hector soucy
armando	.....	ricardo montalban

PLOT SUMMARY

It is North America in the year 1991, twenty years after Cornelius and Zira traveled back from the future and were killed for being talking apes. Apparently, their son Milo, later to be called Caesar, was not shot and killed as was indicated at the end of the previous movie.

Instead, the circus owner Armando (Ricardo Montalban) has been harboring him all these years and keeping him safe in his circus.

In the meantime, the world has turned ugly. A plague was introduced to Earth from space in the early 1980s. This plague wiped out the entire population of dogs and cats. Humans were immune, but this left them with no housepets (what about gerbils?). Discovering the learning capabilities of apes, the humans adopted them as the new housepet. However, they also adopted them as slaves. So far as to start using them for tasks that took over jobs such as waiters and deliverymen.

Ape Management was the term used to describe the tortuous means by which apes were trained to become the slaves of the people.

Armando sneaks Caesar into the city on a field trip to distribute flyers about his circus. Through a turn of events, Caesar is lost, and Armando is held by the governer on suspicion of owning the missing talking ape (apparently illegal).

Caesar sees proof of the direction in which the human captors have taken ape labor, and leads a revolution to have apes take over in an ironic switch of power and dominance.

TECH INSPECTION

Although I found Conquest to be one of the better Planet of the Apes movies (and I would expect nothing less from an associate producer such as Frank Capra, Jr.), as it does make a bold political statement, I do have my share of criticisms...

Among the most obvious is the use of awkward dialogue. This is first and most apparent in Armando's character. The writers left it to this character to bear the burden of relaying backstory for viewers who may have missed Escape from the Planet of the Apes and for the events since then. These parts were written as though we were taking a break from the movie for Storytime with Armando.

However, Ricardo Montalban pulled it as much out of the gutter as he could have possibly been expected to. Good job there.

Also, as shipments of apes are brought from other countries, they are announced with banners such as 507 I for Indonesia. You would think an alpha-numeric code would be something that would not have to be expanded in order to be explained or understood. Shipment 507 I should be self-explanatory.

I have a feeling that this sequel was not planned ahead of time. It felt as though the resurfacing of Caesar (Milo) was a struggle to conceive for this movie. We all saw the wrapped up child shot several times in the last movie. And the explanation is rather weak in this one.

Ricardo Montalban and Roddy McDowall both return in this movie (although McDowall plays his former character's son), which does nothing but enhance the quality of the picture. And that's probably what added another meow to my personal rating.

Ironically, Caesar's final soliloquy is a forshadowing of the last Planet of the Apes movie and of the events of the original film (which chronologically have not yet happened).

Important: Note the signs of and allusions to Nazi Germany that are interjected in this movie.

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Caesar: I understand, Mr. MacDonald. Yes, I am the one they are looking for.
• MacDonald But we don't do that...to humans.
• Breck: Don't plead with them, you idiot!
• Breck: This will be the end of human civilization, and the world will belong to a planet of apes!
• Breck: When we hate you, we're hating the dark side of ourselves.

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
⁸/₁₀

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Mrs. Santa Claus

MOVIE REVIEW OF Mrs. Santa Claus (1996) G

Cast
Director:	terry hughes	Runtime: 1 hr 30 min ( 90 min)
mrs. santa claus	.....	angela lansbury
arvo	.....	michael jeter
augustus p. tavish	.....	terrence mann
nora kilkenny	.....	lynsey bartilson
officer doyle	.....	bryan murray
marcello damaroco	.....	david noroña
sadie lowenstein	.....	debra wiseman
santa claus	.....	charles durning
mrs. lowenstein	.....	rosalind harris
mrs. brandenheim	.....	grace keagy
mrs. shaughnessy	.....	linda kerns
izzy	.....	chachi pittman
fritzie	.....	sabrina bryan
emilio	.....	bret easterling
henry	.....	mitchah williams
elf #1	.....	kristi lynes
elf #2	.....	jamie torcellini
michael kilkenny	.....	mick murray
stage doorman	.....	ken kerman
man in the santa suit	.....	john wheeler
italian neighbor	.....	tony perrotta
jewish neighbor	.....	jean kaufman
miss macGonnigle	.....	stacy sullivan
piano player	.....	jerry herman
elf #4	.....	courtney pakiz
elf #5	.....	marilyn rising

PLOT SUMMARY

It's 1910, and production at the North Pole is ahead of schedule. All the toys are finished and the elves are going home early. Santa (Charles Durning), however, still has a ton of work to do before the big night. Mrs. Claus (Angela Lansbury) has some ideas of her own to share. But Santa is too busy to hear them on this night, so she has Arvo (Michael Jeter), the supervisor elf, rig up the reindeer for a quick trip around the world as a test run for Santa.

As they start out their journey, a bit of inclement weather causes the sleigh to make an unexpected pit stop in New York City.

Welcome to the world of Avenue A! Where you'll hear ¿Cómo estás?, Bless my soul!, and Oy Vey!

And as a result of a harsh touchdown, Cupid has injured his leg and will be grounded for a week...right up until Christmas Eve!

Mrs. Claus presents herself as Mrs. North and secures lodging at a boarding house run by Mrs. Lowenstein (Rosalind Harris), a Jewish immigrant who always keeps a bag packed in the closet for fear of being deported. Her unwarranted fear stems from the actions of her boisterous daughter, Sadie (Debra Wiseman). Sadie is this story's version of Sarah Brown (Guys & Dolls). She is a soapbox crusader for women's suffrage, and as with the pledge from Sky Masterson to bring a dozen sinners to the mission, Sadie is trying to get a group of women to march with her for a rally at Union Square.

Meanwhile, another resident at Mrs. Lowenstein's is Nora Kilkenny (Lindsey Bartilson), an Irish girl living with her father. This little hooligan is longing for the day when they can bring her mother and baby brother over from Ireland.

There is also a romantic storyline between Sadie and Marcello (David Noroña), the stable boy who is looking after the reindeer.

But the main conflict in the story comes from the sweat shop toy company, Tavish Toys. Augustus P. Tavish (Terrence Mann) is the Grinch in this story. He is out to ruin everyone's Christmas by making all the toys inferior so they will fall apart the day after Christmas. His motto is It only has to last 'til Christmas!

As it happens, Nora works at Tavish's factory, and gets Mrs. Claus a job as a supervisor. Mrs. Claus sees the horrible conditions under which the children are working, and sets out to change them. In the course of her actions, a secret is revealed about Augustus Tavish that explain why he wants to ruin Christmas.

And speaking of secrets, if you pay close attention to the end of the movie, we learn Mrs. Claus's first name (at least for this movie).

TECH INSPECTION

What a terrific Christmas movie! This is the first one in my VCR (yes, it's on VHS) every year, before It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story.

Here we see a Disney® musical featuring Angela Lansbury...a perfect trifecta, as we saw in Beauty and the Beast. This one, however, adds the magic of live-action! Of course, as with most Disney® movies of this nature, the music will be coming out of your mouth for days after you hear it.

Multiple religions and cultures are combined on this one street in New York City. The actors and actresses are cast perfectly. Outstanding performances form another trifecta with Angela Lansbury (as if she's ever done anything less), Charles Durning (R.I.P.), and Michael Jeter as Arvo, Elf Supervisor.

If you are paying close attention, and have also seen this movie for the eighty-seventh time, you will see the parallels to other movies you should have seen (watch them if you haven't).

Guys & Dolls: Sadie is the Sarah Brown of this story. Sans band, Sadie stands upon her soapbox (literally), shouting for women's suffrage. Sadie also parallels Sky Masterson by pledging to bring a huge group of followers to Union Square to take part in a rally for equal rights. (Watch the movie or see the show if you don't make the connections.)

An American Tail:Santa and Mrs. Claus have the North Star as their special star; the icon they both look to when he is out on his journey. It brings them together when they are apart. Mrs. Claus also shares this wisdom with Nora when she is missing her family, and when she learns that Mrs. Claus must leave too.

Even 4 weeks after Christmas, and even if you don't celebrate it, put this movie into whatever player will accept it, and experience a joyful, cheery day!

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Santa Claus : Is it me, or are there more children in the world every year?
  Mrs. Claus : Well, as it happens, there are.
• Sadie : No, mama. This is a free country.
  Mrs. Lowenstein : For free, they'll throw us out of it!
• Nora : I don't suppose you know anything about makin' toys.
  Mrs. Claus : Oh....
• Mrs. Claus : There are some problems, Mr. Tavish. I mean, the heat, for instance...
  Tavish : Heat? I don't feel any heat. Do you?
• Sadie : ♫ A girl with a drive and a fellow with a dream...are like pickled herring, with vanilla ice cream. ♫

RATING

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
¹⁰ /₁₀

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Albert Nobbs

MOVIE REVIEW OF Albert Nobbs (2011) R

Cast
Director:	rodrigo garcia	Runtime: 1hrs 53min ( 113 min)
albert nobbs	.....	glenn close
emmy	.....	antonia campbell-Hughes
helen dawes	.....	mia wasikowska
margaret 'madge' baker	.....	pauline collins
mary	.....	maria doyle kennedy
sean casey	.....	mark williams
patrick donahue	.....	james greene
mrs. moore	.....	serena brabazon
mr. moore	.....	michael mcElhatton
milady	.....	dolores mullaly
miss shaw	.....	bonnie mcCormick
mrs. cavendish	.....	phyllida law
dr. holloran	.....	brendan gleeson
monsieur pigot	.....	kenneth collard
madame pigot	.....	judy donovan
viscount yarrell	.....	jonathan rhys meyers
viscountess yarrell	.....	phoebe walter bridge
mrs. smythe-Williams	.....	emerald fennell
mr. smythe-Wlliams	.....	john light
mr. sweeney	.....	daniel costello
mrs. gilligan	.....	angeline ball
mr. gilligan	.....	philip o' sullivan
joe mackens	.....	aaronn taylor-Johnson
polly	.....	brenda fricker
young kitchen maid	.....	katie long
older kitchen maid	.....	katie o' brien
porter	.....	mark doherty
george moore	.....	rhys burke
milly moore	.....	lauren kinsella
hubert page	.....	janet mcTeer
laundry maid	.....	katie ann mcDonough
laundry maid	.....	kathleen warner yeates
laundry maid	.....	cate macGabman
cathleen	.....	bronagh gallagher
woman on landau	.....	antoinette healy
chocolate shop waitress	.....	annie starke
nanny	.....	cathy white
health official	.....	malcolm blacow
country girl	.....	lily melcher
country girl	.....	lucie melcher
albert joseph (helen's baby)	.....	raul riva
polly's dog	.....	juno
laundry maid	.....	anna elizabeth mcGrath
snooty dinner guest	.....	una caryll

PLOT SUMMARY

Albert Nobbs (Glenn Close) keeps a humble living as an in-house waiter at the Morrison Hotel in 19^th century Dublin, Ireland. Albert also has a secret...he is a she. In a world where women are not held with high respect, this is her only way of accomplishing her dream of owning her own business. She is stashing her wages and tips in the floorboards. Enter Hubert Page (Janet McTeer). Hubert is the inspiration that changes Albert's life. This is mostly from the fact that Hubert, too, has a secret.

Several complex characters add to the many sub-plots that weave together nicely in the ending.

TECH INSPECTION

First, I must say that I am not a big fan of period pieces. Therefore, it is saying volumes when I express my admiration of this movie. Once again (I believe the third time since I began this blog), I am persuaded to praise the quality of foreign movies. This one is brought to us from Ireland.

Glenn Close is absolutely brilliant as Albert Nobbs. Make-up, of course, is part of the magic, but Close's performance had me constantly forgetting that it is a female character. Her co-star, Janet McTeer, also gives an unbelievable performance. I have a problem, though, with her low-list billing.

I won't go into too much detail, because the entire movie runs a similar course as a mystery. At each turn of a scene, another advacement in the scheme of things makes you put off that bathroom break another five minutes.

If, however, you find you can't move past the cross-dressing, secret affairs, and hypocric---I mean aristocracy, then you ought to just leave this movie alone and go see Jean Claude Van Damme. It is a mature movie for those who can see the artistic value of a thoughful story of people living with deep secrets that are disrupting and destroying their lives.

Although not deeply emotional movie, emotions are an essential aspect of the telling of the story.

One last praise for this film is earmarked for the title song. Written by Brian Byrne and Glenn Close, and sung by Sinéad O'Conner, "Lay Down Your Head" is simply enchanting, and very appropriate for this movie.

EXTRA

I am not one to point out trivial discrepancies in a review. I will, however, make an exception here.

When Albert goes to visit Hubert for the first time, Mrs. Page invites her to stay for dinner, she tells Hubert to take Albert's hat and coat. The catch...Albert isn't wearing a hat. The redemption...Albert is carrying an umbrella, so Hubert takes that instead.

QUOTES
Finally, a short list of quotes I think are worth repeating. You may recognize some, but these are my own picks, not ones that are particularly famous:

• Sean : Give us some marmalade, Mister Donahue.
  [Patrick passes the salt halfway]
  [Albert passes the salt to Sean with a grin]
  Sean : The marmalade
  Polly : The marmalade, Patrick. Pass the marmalade to Mister Casey.
  Patrick : Always on Tuesdays if I recall correctly.
• Dr. Holloran : Why aren't you in fancy dress?
  Albert : Me, sir? Well...I'm a waiter.
  Dr. Holloran : I'm a doctor. We are both disguised as ourselves. That's a good one, eh?
• Helen : Do you know what, Mister Nobbs? I think you are the strangest man I have ever met.
• Helen : You don't know Albert Nobbs if you think you can get him to pay our way out of here. He wouldn't give you the steam off his water.
• Dr. Holloran : Oh, Albert Nobbs.
• Dr. Holloran : Dear Jesus, I don't know what makes people live such miserable lives.
• Helen : His name is Albert...Albert Joseph.
  Hubert : So it's a he, is it?

RATING

Here is my personal rating of this movie. This rating is out of ten meows.
¹⁰ /₁₀

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