So I’ve been AWOL again from the blog. The Hubs has begun his intense traveling season at work so we only get to see each other on Saturday and Sunday for the foreseeable future. Since the weekends are normally my writing days, I’m going to have to figure out a better schedule. I’m not reading as much either for the same reason. But I do have some book club reads and TLC book tour reads to tell y’all about soon! What I have been doing is watching movies and getting into the idea of reinvesting in my movie collection. The Hubs is a huge movie buff and the collecting and watching is something we really bond over. It has been put on the back shelf with the craziness of work and real life. This weekend, however, we watched a ton of films and had an absolute blast.
We hit up Redbox Saturday night and rented Rise of Planet of the Apes. I was wary coming off the last ‘remake’ in this series and James Franco bothers me. My worries were for naught because this film was fantastically entertaining, emotionally smart, and a great prequel to the franchise. Franco does a superb job as an emotionally invested scientist and his relationship with his father, played by John Lithgow, was very well developed. And Caesar, the Ape lead, was superbly written and created. The film’s special effects were mostly amazing baring some obviously fake shower steam which made the Hubs and I giggle. Overall a great story, beautifully shot, and a well-crafted film all around. Plus, Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) is back to his old evil ways!
Another thing Rise does well is play homage to the original 1968 Planet of the Apes film. The original was one of my favorite films to watch when I was home sick as a kid so I’m extremely partial to it. I think the best viewing experience of either Rise or the original Planet is to now watch them back-to-back. So many references and shout-outs tying the two films together – really just delightful. And the intense shift from humans being the developed, civilized species to the apes replacing us in the future will get you thinking and garner some great discussion/debate.
This Wednesday I’m hosting a movie night for the Litwits and we’ll be viewing the 2005 Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley. Obviously, I’ve seen the film a million times, but it will be interesting to discuss with others so that recap will be up sometime later in the week.
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and a Happy Mother’s Day!
The Blog of Litwits 
I’m a huge Franco fan after seeing 127 Hours. And I will admit that Rise of the Planet of the Apes was much better than I thought it would be.
Oh … and I saw The Avengers! You’re so right … it was terrific!!! My son is in love with the Hulk. I am kind of in love with the Hulk (in his Mark Ruffalo form.) But I also have major crushes on Iron Man and Hawkeye. (Jeremy Renner is starting to grow on me. I just saw him in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol last weekend so I’m starting to realize how amazing he is. I may have a new celebrity crush!) OK … how shallow am I?
Not shallow AT. ALL. I think Jeremy Renner is adorable. It took me a while to get over the first time I saw him in a movie – playing Dahmer, the serial killer. Now that we have that behind us, I can watch him and admire his greatness!
I had really wanted to see this movie, and then for some reason, it passed me right by! I am glad to have Netflix though, so now I can add it to my queue and move it right up to the top. This sounds like a really great addition to the original and sequel, and it’s something that I am eager to see. Even more eager now that I’ve read your praise for it! Wonderful movie review today. I hope I find it as amazing as you did.
It really does the series justice and a film I have a desire to watch again, which almost never happens to me.