Contagion

Expertly crafted, well written, and brilliantly acted, Contagion has it all. Taking a premise that didn't seem likely to succeed, Steven Soderbergh spun a unique thriller revolving around the people more than the disease. Throwing us right into the action with disease spreading through the world, Contagion, like the virus within the film, doesn't let up.

The script beautifully gives us only the information we need. It does this by using many different characters across the globe instead of just a couple main ones. With the multitude of characters we are shown how a pandemic affects the world and how different organizations work together and react to the problem. The characters ranged from a village in China, a recently single father and his daughter, a deluded blogger, a group of scientists, and two higher-ups of the CDC.

With one of the best casts of the year the acting throughout this movie was incredible! Matt Damon, Marrion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow give oustanding performances. Full of emotional nuance and small facial expressions the actors do a great job of conveying their feelings and making it seem real. When tracking where the virus originated the actors give their performances a touch of urgency. None of the events in the movie ever felt like they couldn't actually happen. It was reminiscent of the swine flu and bird flu epidemics a few years ago. Their performances were unforgettable.

Contagion is full of twists, turns, and surprises, and just when you think you have it all figured out, it changes and messes with you. Definitely a must-see.

8/10

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Most people know the story of the Planet of the Apes, but not exactly how it started and that is where The Rise of the Planet of the Apes comes in. While in experimental stages of creating a drug to cure Alzheimer's disease on chimpanzee uses his heightened intelligence to lead the other apes to freedom. Rise of the Planet of the Apes exceeded all expectations or preconceived notions I had about it beforehand. It was exciting, action-filled, thrilling, and had heart. Following a solid script with grade-A performances by James Franco and Freida Pinto this movie has everything a good blockbuster needs to be successful.

This film could have been one of the biggest failures of the summer, but instead we get thrown right into the story just as Bright Eyes is discovered, the ape who gains improved cognition and has no adverse side effects. From there the action and excitement ensues.

The acting was outstanding from every actor. James Franco was perfect in his role as the lead scientist Will Rodman. He carried much of the film and brought a lot of the heart to the movie. Every instance of drama throughout the movie was portrayed wonderfully by him and could be felt by the audience. Freida Pinto and Franco played very well off of each other as did John Lithgow. The one character that felt out of place was Dodge Landon played by Tom Felton. His character was awful to the chimps and made the audience hate him, something Felton learned to do very well in his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series.

The script was just incredible. Including many twists, turns, and great action sequences it is a template that any good action flick should follow. The two main characters, Rodman and Caesar were developed extremely well. Much of Caesar's character development was portrayed through special effects, but a lot can be said for Andy Serkis's performance under all the CGI. He really knows how to bring characters like this one and Gollum from Lord of the Rings to life.

Not only were the special effects on Caesar great, but the effects throughout the movie were spectacular as well. Every bit of action felt well thought out and expertly choreographed and no action sequence ever felt out of place, too long, or stupid.

Overall this was the standout action movie of the summer. It was intense, action-packed, heartfelt, and enjoyable. The script was perfect, the special effects couldn't have been better, and the acting topped it all off. A great prequel to Planet of the Apes, it leads right into where the first of the series picks up.

8/10

The Debt

The Debt is the Ghost Writer of this year meaning it is a movie reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock: a movie filled with deceit, betrayal, and intrigue. And with an outstanding cast it doesn't disappoint.

Starting in 1997 with shocking news about their former colleague David Peretz (Ciarán Hinds)
 reaching two retired Mossad secret agents, Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren) and Stephan Gold (Tom Wilkinson), The Debt starts the story off with a bang. From here the story is told through and across two different time periods with many twists and turns along the way.

The acting really made this movie work. Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson are as brilliant as ever giving nuanced performances full of emotion and everything they are most known for. The three younger actors in this movie were perfect for their roles. Jessica Chastain brought her character's fragility to life and made it believable and Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington played off of each other very well building tension between each other as the plot thickened.

Of course these performances would not be possible without the great script they had to work off of. This script was filled with everything a good espionage film needs: lies, deceit, betrayal, and action. Every sequence of action was outstanding, reminding viewers of the Bourne trilogy. The story made sense, was entertaining to watch, and created a fantastic start to fall movies.

Overall the acting was great, the script was even better, and all of it combined to create one of the best new espionage films of the year.

8/10

Colombiana

Colombiana starts right in the middle of the action with no explanation. From there we follow Cataleya (Zoe Saldana) on her journey of revenge. Following a mediocre script with some decent acting, this is another stereotypical summer action movie, lacking a lot of substance.

Having said that the action sequences throughout the film were outstanding! The attention to detail in each move that Cataleya makes, adds to the drama and suspense of her actions. Many times Cataleya acts like she is a female version of Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible, moving fast, precise, and doing the seemingly impossible. The fight scenes are all physical which adds to the excitement whereas in Saldana's previous films the action relied much more on CGI and less on the actress actually having to learn the skills and "fight" for the movie.

The script, while lacking character development and explanations of other characters' parkour skills, worked well for this action movie and Saldana proves that she can carry a movie on her own. Her previous roles also more often than not had a big name actor or actress in the lead role, but after taking the full lead in Colombiana she has proven that she can shoulder an entire film on her own.

Every fight made the movie, it was the lulls in the action that really held the movie back. The acting from the supporting actors could have been better in these lulls and Colombiana would have done much better. Overall though the movie was a good cap to summer action movies. On to the horror films of the fall!

6/10