Conan the Barbarian

Still remembered after 80 some years, Conan the Barbarian is the star of one of three 3D films coming out this weekend. Yeah, Conan; here's a guy who's also been called Conqueror, Destroyer and Philanderer.

Wait, no to the last one.

Conan (Jason Mamoa) has a simple name and a simple quest. Years earlier, his fellow villagers, including his father Corin (Ron Perlman) were slaughtered by the evil Khalar Zym (Stephen Lang) and his minions. Zym has a magic mask that lets its wearer use supreme dark magic, but only if it's given "pure blood." Naturally, Zym wants to use the mask to conquer the world. Meanwhile, our barbarian hero wants his father's stolen sword and the chance to use it on Zym. And he gets a love interest, Tamara (Rachel Nichols), the very pure blood sought by Zym.

Sounds confusing, no? Maybe if Morgan Freeman were here to narrate. Oh wait, guess who is the narrator here?

This Conan certainly excels in the art of creative dismemberments 101. Melted by molten iron, bashed against a rock, getting a nose sliced off...you get the picture. What it fails in is making its hero anymore than a growling barbarian stereotype. So much so that his victory was more "meh" than "yeah!" A few scenes between him and Tamara were humorous, but few. A few times throughout, I wondered if this should've been a parody.

But Conan gets some points for its work behind the scenes. The most awards notice, if it gets some at all, should be for its makeup work on Rose McGowan. As Zym's evil daughter Marique, she was completely unrecognizable and so distinctive. Another few points go to the sound mixers for making the battles quite complex. And the last few points go to the interesting costume and set designs.

It may have been a "meh," but it was less of a "meh" than The Expendables from last summer. For those who don't like blood, stay away. For those who do, this'll do nicely. It could've been worst, could've been better, but it's still watchable.

The Help

One of the few summer Oscar films has shown itself. It's called The Help, a film based on a novel has been admiringly compared to To Kill a Mockingbird. So, this film version has a lot to live up to.

Aibileen (Viola Davis) and Minny (Octavia Spencer) are black women in 1960's Jackson, Mississipi. They don't get much opportunities except being housekeepers for white families (or as the Southern folks call 'em, The Help). Their lives have been tough and nasty priss Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), social leader of Jackson and Minny's ex-employer, plans to make them tougher.

Meanwhile, "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone) has just got her first job at the Jackson Journal. Inspired by the abrupt retirement of her own longtime Help Constantine (Cicely Tyson), she decides to write a book "from the point-of-view of The Help." For this, she meets Aibileen and Minny and others willing to cross the line to get their views across.

Written and directed by first-timer Tate Taylor (an actor who recently starred in Winter's Bone), The Help is a greatly done dramedy. It avoids all the potential preechiness of Oscar-Bait melodrama while it doesn't let a few crude jokes pull it down. Yes, a few jokes were crude, but amazingly they were still funny.

What makes it work in its favor is its ensemble cast. As the leads, Davis, Spencer and Stone guide the film perfectly all the way through. The supporting actors are well-cast too, especially Sissy Spacek as Hilly's more liberal mother.

It's a film that'll definitely connect with older folks than with younger ones. But at least give it a try and hope you can get a good seat for the action.

Jethro's Note: My theater was PACKED. I had to sit near the bottom.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

After a wave of big pounding blockbusters, here comes a blockbuster that's less on the pounding but still big. It's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the seventh time that Fox has gone ape on the big screen.

Will Rodman (James Franco) has just come up with ALZ-112, a brain-booster intended to cure Alzheimer’s. A lab chimp goes berserk and Will finds himself caring for her son Caesar (Andy Serkis via motion-capture). All goes well for them until Caesar violently attacks a grouchy neighbor. Caesar gets moved to an Animal Shelter where a sadistic guard runs free.

But thanks to momma, it turns out Caesar was born a smart ape. An ape who can lead his fellow primates against the humans. All he needs is a way to get them to follow; perhaps Will's new version of the brain-booster will do.

It's a film that works on two great pairings.

Its story and visual effects work in tandem to thrill its audience. The big action scenes are built up from suspense, rather than script obligations. Needless to say, they feel much different than the action scenes of, let's say, Transformers.

Through motion-capture, actor and CGI have created some very convincing apes. The apes not only look real, but act real. So much so that they especially outshine their human counterparts.

Yes, the apes do rise, but not in the way you expect. What exactly it involves you'll have to see. Believe me, it's worth it.

Cowboys and Aliens

In the proud tradition of Snakes on a Plane and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford comes another film where the title says all. And this one is called Cowboys and Aliens.

Jake Lonegran (Daniel Craig) has a problem: he doesn't know who he is. Or why there's a strange gizmo on his wrist. He finds himself in the town of Absolution, where corrupt cattleman Dollarhyde (Harrison Ford) and his son Percy (Paul Dano) walk untouched. Jake, as it turns out, is a dangerous outlaw and won't be intimidated by those two.

Meanwhile, evil aliens show up and round up some townsfolk, including Percy. Jake and his gizmo give the townsfolk an edge against the invaders. And so, whether they like it or not, Jake and Dollarhyde have to lead the resistance against the creepy creatures and their flying machines.

It's another comic book turned feature supervised by director Jon Favreau (Iron Man 1 and 2). As with those films, there's plenty of CGI and practical effects that blend well together. The switchover between the two won't stick out like a sore thumb.

As a period piece, it's finely realized by its crew. The most notice should go to cinematographer Matthew Libatique and production designer Scott Chambliss. It's these two that help give the film its unique look and feel. Also included is editor Dan Lebental, who made the scenes with both humans and aliens perfectly tense.

It's premise should hold some audience interest even if it was fine-tuned by six writers. Having two big stars who know what they're doing also helps. And that makes Cowboys and Aliens a good blend of two classic B-movie genres.

Jethro's Note: And there's no 3D.