Begin Again (Carney, 2014)

As soon as I walked out of the theater, I bought the soundtrack to Begin Again.

I didn't just get it because the music was really well done. Nor did I get it because Keira Knightley is an exceptional singer, and Adam Levine continues to amaze. And buying it because it encapsulates the mood of the movie so well was, at best, a minor reason.

I bought the soundtrack because I never wanted to forget the mesmerizing experience of watching Begin Again.

From director John Carney, who started into the musical-drama genre with 2006's Once, again delivers an addicting story about life, love, and the influence a song can have on someone's life. Begin Again offers a necessary break in a summer filled with sequels and box office explosions, by giving viewers a romantic drama that features fantastic performances, an escapist screenplay, and a stuck-in-your-head soundtrack.

Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo star as the film's protagonists, who meet each other purely by coincidence at a bar in New York City. Knightley's Gretta is having trouble adjusting after her boyfriend of many years (Adam Levine) leaves her for another woman, consumed by the spotlight of his recent rise to stardom. She herself is a talented guitar player, singer, and songwriter, who plays at a bar for one random song that Ruffalo's Dan just happens to hear. He is getting over a bad divorce, and is having to deal with his daughter's (Hailee Steinfeld) rebellious phase and a record company he founded wanting to fire him.

Gretta and Dan decide to team up, and go against the normal music studio system. They find a band made of misfits and bored musicians, and they decide to self-produce their own album. Dan decides to take a unique approach, by recording outside in various places around New York City. The result is a beautiful love letter to the Big Apple, and a look at what's truly important for these characters. It demonstrates that it's more than possible to start over in a world full of second chances.

Keira Knightley does not work nearly enough as she ought to, because in Begin Again she again delivers a startling performance, able to encompass the wide range of realistic emotions her character experiences. Plus, she's one heck of a singer; I highly encourage you to wait to hear her until she performs in the first scene of the movie, because you'll be blown away by what this actress can accomplish.

Mark Ruffalo is finally getting more recognition in his post-Avengers fame, and he brings his diversity to this role. He's not the most handsome man, nor is he anyone's Prince Charming; instead, he brings to the table a true-to-life man that has to overcome more problems than he can handle. His chemistry with Knightley is indelible, and you can see the sparks flying in some of their great scenes together. They argue about the authenticity of artists today, discuss the capitalist music industry, and share an unforgettable walk through New York City at night, listening to their individual playlists together.

Adam Levine, for a singer, is actually a pretty good actor. He provides a believable performance that's part him, and part someone else entirely. His character will surprise you the most throughout the movie. The other actors do some great work here, but the one quality they all have in common is that they seem to be having fun. Their smiles seem real, their work seems authentic, and they just appear to be having the time of their lives. Their infectious bliss puts a smile on your face the whole time.

There's also a very subtle satire in Begin Again, showing the awfulness of most modern music. The scene of Dan listening to some demos in his car is hysterical, and Carney knows it. Gretta's music and lyrics are so much better than what's considered popular, and the director encourages viewers to try and listen to some non-mainstream music, as it may prove more satisfactory than yet another rendition of a four-beat dance. Of course, this brings to question Adam Levine and CeeLo Green's involvement in the picture: are they encouraging better music themselves, or are they apologizing for submitting to what audiences want instead of working for the music? An intriguing set of questions that makes you appreciate Begin Again and its soundtrack even more.

The screenplay and dialogue are quite well done, and even though this is clearly an optimistic outlook on life, it's one certainly grounded in reality. The camerawork is part stedicam, part shaky cam, which makes me think the director wants to evoke the fantasy elements in everyday life, making some parts brutally honest, and others obvious escapism. The ending in particular is not typical of most Hollywood films. It will leave some viewers upset, but others like me will be very satisfied to see someone dare to end a movie differently.

All of this comes through in the music, which features some truly amazing original songs. Here's hoping the Academy recognizes this movie in many categories, but at least mentions "Lost Stars", "Tell Me if You Wanna Go Home", "Like a Fool", "Coming Up Roses", and "A Step You Can't Take Back" in the Best Original Song category. Listen to the work of Keira Knightley for sheer talent, but also pay special attention to the way Adam Levine invokes his character, and not himself, in the album. It's really special for such an established singer to do that.

I had a truly magical time watching the action of Begin Again unfold on screen. It made me smile throughout, and I was very sad to see it end. I enjoyed all the little references to some major films like Casablanca and Jerry Maguire, and appreciated the messages about being yourself without caring what others think. The love elements made me very happy, because they seemed real with the great chemistry between Knightley and Ruffalo. But most of all, this is a fun and joyful celebration of life itself. It shows the power of family, the power of friends, and the power of beginning again.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Reeves, 2014)

If Rise of the Planet of the Apes was created to make humanity seem cruel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes it one step farther by showing how boring humans really are. The human characters in this sci-fi epic are secondary at best, and none of them have any sort of depth. While this normally connotes laziness on the part of the filmmakers, there remains a second cast in the film, much more interesting, much more rounded, and overall, much more sympathetic. 

People should go see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes solely because of the titular ape characters. The film is a radical improvement of an already surprisingly good film, and does everything a sequel should do. The effects are better, the action is grander, the decisions are more important, and the returning characters are all further developed in fascinating ways.

Set 10 years after Rise, the film opens with a look at the new society the apes have created in the wake of humanity's near extinction. Caesar (Andy Serkis) still leads the ultra-intelligent simians, this time with a family of his own. They have no regard for the humanity that abused them, and most are content with the knowledge that most people are dead- killed by the virus that gave the apes heightened intelligence.

Meanwhile, a small band of human survivors led by Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) are seeking an energy source to power their failing city. They send a team, which includes the morally upstanding Malcolm (Jason Clarke), his girlfriend Ellie (Keri Russell), and his son Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee), to find a power source in the jungles beyond the Golden Gate Bridge- unaware of the apes living there. 

When the humans and apes meet, there is much hostility between them. The only ones able to see through the fog of hatred are Malcolm and Caesar, who allows the humans to access the jungle, much to the dismay of Koba (Toby Kebbell), an ape who was experimented on for years. The fragile alliance is threatened from both sides, and soon Caesar will have to choose between defending his colony from the humans, or putting his trust in the people who have hunted them for so long. 

The screenplay puts much emphasis on the ape portions of the story, so much so that the human sections seem repetitive. By this point, we see the human characters as animals, and the apes as our heroes. It's a weird sort of comparison that would not have been possible without Rise, and the sequel drives home the franchise's points about the dark monstrosity looming inside all of humanity. 

Andy Serkis once again gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Caesar, and even improves upon his near-perfect acting from the first film. There's little details in his role that make all the difference: his quivering lip, his hand gestures, and most importantly, his all-telling eyes. The "windows to his soul" show more about his character than anything, and very few actors have mastered the ability to make their eyes demonstrate not what they feel, but what the character feels. That to me is the trademark of a great actor- the ability to actually transform into another person, or in this case, an ape. Caesar is one of the greatest modern-day characters, and in this film, his story continues in glorious form. 

Kebbell is also a great up-and-coming motion-capture performer, and next to Caesar, his character has the most screen time. Maurice (Karin Konoval) and Rocket (Terry Notary) from Rise are also very believable and convincing as apes. In addition, Caesar's son Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) represents the new generation of apes in a really interesting way- does he follow his idealistic father, or remain loyal to his ape roots? He symbolizes the ever-widening divide between nature and development, and his physical scars are metaphors for this conflict. 

The human actors give it their all, but all except Clarke have very little with which to work. Oldman in particular gets shafted, with only a few key scenes and little character development. However, Reeves seems to intentionally give the humans little backstory, so that they're harder to sympathize with in comparison to the apes. 

Rise was highly successful because of the groundbreaking way it put motion-capture actors in unpredictable and virtually uncontrollable outdoor environments. In Dawn, almost all the ape scenes are outside, and the detail on their skin and fur is unbelievable. At times it seems like the filmmakers managed to find actual talking apes and orangutans. 

The prologue is very disturbing and evocative of Rise's end credits, setting the tone for the darker nature of this film. There's very little comedic moments, and most of the time viewers will be on the edge of their seats. This is a very dangerous world to live in, and the filmmakers plunge into the uncomfortableness by not holding anything back. It subtly weighs in on the gun debate, and shows the importance of having a place to call home. 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an action movie with a lot to offer. If you really want to understand its message, however, all you have to do is look into Caesar's green eyes in the first scene, for they tell the whole story in a single shot. Its a look that will haunt you for the rest of the movie, and into the dawn.