August 2011: Best Release

I predicted at the beginning of this month that these last four weeks would be full of sleeper hits, and that theory has been thoroughly proven by the likes of Super 8, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Doctor Who: Let's Kill Hitler, Torchwood: The Categories of Life, but none more so than Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a stunning cinematic experience fuelled by groundbreaking computer animation, an accessible yet touching reboot storyline and most of all a heart and soul uncommon to most summer blockbusters. Andy Serkis is the star of the show here, more than worthy of the accolades he is sure to recieve for his portrayal of growing ape Caesar, and while James Franco doesn't quite match his role in 127 Hours (4.5/5), he's a great protagonist through whose eyes we can truly see and empathise with the plight of the primates, and all that ultimately drives them to rebel and begin to take their destiny as the rulers of the Earth. I thought Super 8's masterfully crafted sci-fi throwback to the 80s would easily bag it this month's Best Release award and make it a surefire contender for Film of the Year, but Rise is just as big a rival, besting the big Summer names like Harry Potter and Transformers while setting an amazing precedent for a potential hit franchise to come...make it your mission to see this, at the cinema, on DVD, just somewhere, some day soon!
JANUARY 2011- THE KING'S SPEECH
FEBRUARY 2011- MARVEL VS CAPCOM 3
MARCH 2011- ALEX RIDER: SCORPIA RISING
APRIL 2011- PORTAL 2/DOCTOR WHO
MAY 2011- LA NOIRE
JUNE 2011- X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
JULY 2011- HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2