Apocalyptic Film Festival!

[Caspian]

Okay cats and kittens.

It's 2012, which means the world is ending. So let's watch end-of-the-world movies!

Jan and I are having friends over every two weeks to watch apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic movies. I'll let you know here what we're going to be watching, and then you can play too if you want! Then we can chat about the movies and it will be awesome.

First up: Planet of the Apes (the Charlton Heston version). We're watching it this Saturday.

[steph]

I SO wish I could afford to fly up for this!

[thoughtreader]

Oh I think I will do my best to watch along on the far left coast!

[Ela]

I'll be with you in spirit.

[Caspian]

Okay, we just watched Planet of the Apes. I'd never actually seen it before. It was better than I thought it would be, though obviously the ape costumes were pretty sad.

The main message--which should surprise no-one, even if you've never seen it--is that "man" will be the cause of our own destruction. The message was a bit ham-fisted, but still: surprisingly good movie.

[Jayelle]

The message really was that .

[Rei]

It's been a few years since I've seen it, but my memory of the ape costumes was that they were pretty good, all things considered.

Freakiest moment ever when I was 8 years old, though, was when they woke up near the beginning and saw the female crew member all... whatever she was.

[Luet]

I just watched the new movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and I couldn't believe how much they made the main chimp (Caesar) emote. I really felt for him.

[Gravity Defier]

I couldn't believe how much they made the main chimp (Caesar) emote. I really felt for him.

Couldn't agree more. Andy Serkis + technology = amazing storytelling.


Anyhow, I do love the idea of this and hope to play catch up when the dust settles in about a month. I've never seen the original PotA, but have wanted to since I was in the 8th grade, and (thankfully) don't remember much of Tim Burton's horrific attempt.

[Taalcon]

Love the original Planet of the Apes. Read the original novel by Pierre Boulle in, like, 12th grade or something. Quite enjoyed it, too.

The second, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, is even more Apocylyptic than the first one. Seriously. Just when you thought Man screwed the earth up enough one time, well, Man wasn't done. Seriously.

I remember being in about 7th grade, and thinking that the third film, Escape from the Planet of the Apes (Time travel into the 70s!) was my favorite (Ricardo Montalban!). It was a ton of fun, if anything, with a sad ending. It features the original birth of Caesar. The fourth, Conquest, is about the story that Rise re-invents. Stars Caesar, but if I remember right, it was super dark. The fifth, Battle For, I never saw.

I also enjoyed the live action TV series, which also starred Roddy McDowell, as a different Chimp character altogether!

[Dobie]

I couldn't believe how much they made the main chimp (Caesar) emote. I really felt for him.

Couldn't agree more. Andy Serkis + technology = amazing storytelling.


Anyhow, I do love the idea of this and hope to play catch up when the dust settles in about a month. I've never seen the original PotA, but have wanted to since I was in the 8th grade, and (thankfully) don't remember much of Tim Burton's horrific attempt.

George Lucas + technology + amazing storytelling - George Lucas = amazing storytelling

[Caspian]

Just watched "Omega Man" for the second movie of APFF.

I really enjoyed it, though there were some ... logical inconsistencies. The cause of the apocalypse is once again humanity itself, though the emphasis this time was placed more on hubris than on violent tendencies.

Anyone else seen it? Thoughts?

Next Saturday we're watching another movie based on the same book; that's right, it's Will Smith in "I am Legend".

[buckshot]

Oh yea! I haven't even thought of "Omega Man" in forever! What a good one!