Rise of the Planet of the Apes has finally landed with jaw-dropping effects and strong reviews. Apes should knock either The Smurfs or Cowboys & Aliens off their top two positioning.
Evan Glodell’s Bellflower leads the pack of this weekend’s indies with upbeat reviews–and a very cool car. (Check back for TOH’s ride in the Medusa with Glodell and co-star Tyler Dawson and the FlipCam). The Whistleblower, Alex Gibney’s 60s doc Magic Trip, Portugal’s Mysteries of Lisbon and well-acted transgender-drama Gun Hill Road round out the weekend’s offerings. Reviews, details and trailers below:
Bellflower, Oscilloscope, USA | Dir: Evan Glodell; Cast: Evan Glodell, Jessie Wiseman, Tyler Dawson, Rebekah Brandes, Vincent Grashaw | TOH! Interviews Glodell | iW’s Eric Kohn Reviews at Sundance | B criticWIRE | 92% Tomatometer | 74% Metacritic.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Twentieth Century Fox, USA | Dir: Rupert Wyatt; Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox | TOH! Reviews, “Jaw Dropping Weta Effects.” | 86% Tomatometer | 66% Metacritic.
The Whistleblower, Samuel Goldwyn Films, GERMANY/CANADA | Dir: Larysa Kondracki; Cast: Monica Bellucci, Rachel Weisz, Benedict Cumberbatch, Vanessa Redgrave, Liam Cunningham | B criticWIRE | Kondracki Shares an Exclusive Scene with iW | Brody Reviews from SIFF | EW says; “Rarely has a movie captured the obscene violence of sex trafficking with such unvarnished grubbiness.” | 71% Tomatometer | 70% Metacritic.
Magic Trip, Magnolia | Dir: Alison Ellwood, Alex Gibney | TOH! Interviews Gibney | B criticWIRE | 75% Tomatometer.
Mysteries of Lisbon, Music Box Films, PORTUGAL | Dir: Raúl Ruiz, Cast: Adriano Luz, Maria João Bastos, Ricardo Pereira, Clotilde Hesme, José Afonso Pimentel, Lea Seydoux | A- criticWIRE | Meredith Brody calls it a Snooze at Toronto | iW’s Pick of the Week | 73% Tomatometer.
Gun Hill Road, Motion Film Group, USA | Dir: Rashaad Ernesto Green; Cast: Judy Reyes, Esai Morales, Miriam Colon, Vincent Laresca, Vanessa Aspillaga | TOH! on Transgender Cinema | Eric Kohn Reviews, “Deserves the Buzz.” | iW Interviews Green | B criticWIRE | 45% Tomatometer.
The Change-Up, Universal, USA | Dir: David Dobkin; Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin | Rex Reed says it; “drags on endlessly, held together with scatology, flatulence and masturbation”…can’t say we’re surprised | | 30% Tomatometer | 49% Metacritic.
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