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This January, Paramount+ is bringing you a ton of entertainment with the highly anticipated new film in the Star Trek universe alongside a great new series based on Sherlock by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Paramount+ this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 8 best films coming to Paramount+ in January 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Arrival (January 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94% Credit – Paramount Pictures

Arrival is a sci-fi drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve from a screenplay by Eric Heisserer. Based on the 1998 short story titled Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, the 2016 film follows Louise Banks, a linguistic expert tasked with interpreting the language of aliens who have come to Earth in a giant spaceship.

From the best scenes of the original Planet of the Apes to the subversions of the franchise's entry, the Planet of the Apes franchise is iconic for its bold storytelling and mind-bending plot twists. However, it's also unfortunately known for some moments that don't really make sense, particularly with timeline irregularities and unexplained storylines. The series has always mixed science fiction with big ideas, but along the way, continuity has often been sacrificed in favor of new directions.

As the story shifts between timelines and introduces new characters, it becomes harder to connect all the dots, especially for those tuning in for the first time. Despite this, the Planet of the Apes movies remain an evolving cultural touchstone. Each new Planet of the Apes installment offers something fresh while still challenging audiences to question the future of humanity in a world governed by intelligent apes, even if the path to...

When 20th Century Fox began production on the first "Planet of the Apes" film, they enlisted special effects makeup artist John Chambers to help transform actors like Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, and James Whitmore into anthropomorphic apes. Chambers was already famous for having perfected Spock's Vulcan ears on "Star Trek," but a society of intelligent apes who were capable of communicating was like something straight out of "The Twilight Zone." Rather than create ape masks, Chambers instead crafted individual prosthetic pieces to be applied in sections, allowing the actors to emote with their own facial muscles -- a technique that revolutionized the art of special effects makeup.

Now, over 50 years later, the intelligent apes have traded practical makeup prosthetics in favor of breathtaking and realistic digital artistry. When it comes to 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," /Film's Larry Fried declared, "There is simply no...

Of all the movies debuting this summer, I am most looking forward to "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." This series has been on a roll since the 2011 reboot and I'm excited to see it take a new direction more akin to the original films

300 years after the events of "War for the Planet of the Apes," Ape-kind has entered its Bronze Age. They've also forgotten Caesar's first teaching — "Apes together strong!" — and splintered into different and warring tribes. The chimpanzee Noa (Owen Teague) must go on a journey after his people are attacked by apes from the kingdom of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). The trailers for "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" have been teasing the state of this new ape-ruled world. Green forestry has reclaimed the land and the apes live in the shadow of decaying structures built by humans (think of how people in the...

A chimpanzee named Proximus in the new Planet of the Apes movie has rediscovered electricity, which is seen as a magical power by the apes. Director Wes Ball describes Proximus as an adversary rather than a villain because he is a relatable character with understandable motivations. This new character adds depth to the storyline and is not just a typical one-dimensional antagonist.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball teases the movie's new adversary, a chimpanzee who has rediscovered electricity. The original smash hit sci-fi classic released in 1968, with many sequels to follow, as well as a Tim Burton-directed reboot in 2001. The latest incarnation of the Apes franchise kicked off with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and now over a decade later, will continue with the fourth movie, set years after the events of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes.

With...

Every now and then a clip pops up on the internet involving a celebrity that makes you go, Yeah, that’s me! That’s the case with an interview with Eddie Murphy from just earlier this year, in which he revealed that he and Tracy Morgan constantly text each other lines from the original Planet of the Apes.

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Eddie Murphy was asked about his texting habits with pal Tracy Morgan, with the late night talk show host asking the comedian to give him some examples of their exchanges. Murphy first came up with – while mimicking Dr. Zaius (as played by Maurice Evans) and mock-texting – “Where is your nest at?” to which Morgan will text back, “Thank God for calling me Taylor”, as spoken by Charlon Heston’s George Taylor. Murphy also remembered watching Planet of the Apes repeatedly, even owning the action figures – well,...

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is set to expand the continuity established in the 2011 reboot, with a big leap forward in time, entering the Bronze Age. The use of the Bronze and Stone Age analogy suggests the potential for the franchise to come full circle and eventually work towards the advanced ape society featured in the earliest movies. The upcoming sequel has the opportunity to explore the origins of the apes' culture and their eventual system of government and religious beliefs.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball has clarified how his upcoming sequel fits into the timeline of the rebooted franchise. Serving as the tenth Planet of the Apes movie in a series that has been progressing since the 1968 original, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes is set to expand the continuity established with the 2011 reboot Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

In its own way, Sol Saks' 1963 sitcom "Bewitched" was a subversive work. Inspired by movies like "I Married a Witch" (1942) and "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" (1957), "Bewitched" followed the everyday, quotidian, brightly-lit travails of a typical white suburban couple named Darrin Stephens and Samantha (Elizabeth Montgomery). 

The twist was that Samantha was a centuries-old witch, descended from a long line of magic-users. Endora (Agnes Moorehead), Samantha's colorful mother, would occasionally drop in, as would her father Maurice (Maurice Evans from "Planet of the Apes"), and uncle Arthur (legendary comedian Paul Lynde). The witches and warlocks on the show would often attempt to drive a wedge between Samantha and Darrin, but their love would prevail in the end. 

Beginning in the show's third season, the Stephens had their first child, Tabitha (Erin Murphy and Diane Murphy). In the sixth season, they were joined by baby Adam (David Lawrence and Greg Lawrence). 

Sadly,...

Although most of the stars returned to play their iconic characters in the original Planet of the Apes franchise, the casting for Cornelius went through a tumultuous journey as the character ended up being recast multiple times. The Planet of the Apes movie was loaded with legends of stage and screen, none more storied than British-American actor Roddy McDowall, who starred as Cornelius. However, the actor didn't return for the sequel Beneath the Planet of the Apes, with Cornelius now being played by David Watson. Bizarrely, as the franchise continued to expand, McDowall eventually returned to not only reprise his role of Cornelius but to portray other characters as well.

Given McDowall's apparent commitment to the film series (and even in the less successful Planet of the Apes TV show), it seems strange that he would not be involved in the original sequel to the wildly popular and influential 1968 classic.

William Dozier's 1966 TV adaptation of "Batman" remains, even at this late date, the high water mark for all Batman media. 

Colorful, whimsical, surreal, and borderline kinky, "Batman" served as an arch satire of the conservative underpinnings of most mainstream comic book heroes. Batman and Robin, played by the legendary Adam West and Burt Ward, were depicted as simultaneously heroic and terminally square, eschewing vice and indecency in favor of painfully wholesome, all-American activities such as camping, chess, drinking milk, birdwatching, and engaging in proper hygiene. Batman and Robin were walking 1950s classroom scare films, living in a bizarre universe of costumed vigilantes and horny criminals. The brilliance of the show came largely from West and Ward, who were able to deliver some of the strangest dialogue ever written without once ever winking or cracking a smile. "Batman" is a comedy masterpiece. 

Of course, the most appealing aspect of "Batman" were its villains.

Less than one year after receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for “Rebecca” (1940), Judith Anderson signed on to star in a three-month Broadway production of “Macbeth” alongside Maurice Evans. A dozen years later, the pair reunited to play the same characters in a TV adaptation, which resulted in Anderson winning a Primetime Emmy. Six years after that, Anderson and Evans both nabbed prizes for once again portraying the Shakespearean couple in a second NBC movie, marking the first instance of the Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor and Actress Emmys going to performers from the same program.

Since taking home the inaugural Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress award at 58, Anderson had ranked as the oldest winner in her category, and she broke her own record with her second win at 64. In the six decades since, the title has been passed twice to actresses in their late 70s, and...

A post-James Bond Daniel Craig and Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga currently are shaking things up on Broadway in the latest revival of “Macbeth,” Shakespeare’s tragedy of mayhem, power, murder and madness. The “Scottish play” has a reputation for being cursed because the Bard used real witches’ spells.

It certainly has fallen afoul of the Tony Awards over the years. Negga was nominated but Craig was snubbed. Of the 11 previous stagings of “Macbeth” since the start of the Tony Awards, only the 2008 revival merited nominations for both stars (Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood). Glenda Jackson reaped a bid in 1988 while Christopher Plummer was left in the wings.

The first recorded production of the play in New York was way back in 1768 at the John Street Theatre, which had been built the year before. Though the closing date is unknown, the theater was demolished in 1897. Lewis Hallam, who is the only known cast member,...

Less than one year after receiving a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for “Rebecca” (1940), Judith Anderson signed on to star in a three-month Broadway production of “Macbeth” alongside Maurice Evans. A dozen years later, the pair reunited to play the same characters in a TV adaptation, which resulted in Anderson winning a Primetime Emmy. Six years after that, Anderson and Evans both nabbed prizes for once again portraying the Shakespearean couple in a second NBC movie, marking the first instance of the Best Movie/Limited Actor and Actress Emmys going to performers from the same program.

Since taking home the inaugural Best Movie/Limited Actress award at 58, Anderson had ranked as the oldest winner in her category, and she broke her own record with her second win at 64. In the 60 years since, the title has been passed twice to actresses in their late 70s, and a total of nine older...

“Ted Lasso,” “The Mandalorian,” “Hacks,” “The Flight Attendant,” “The Crown” and “The Queen’s Gambit” are among the top nominees for the 73rd annual Primetime Awards, which are set for Sept.19 on CBS with Cedric the Entertainer, who stars on the network’s sitcom “The Neighborhood,” set to host. But this is now, but what about the Emmys 60 years ago.

Dick Powell hosted the 13th Emmy Awards which took place at the famed Moulin Rouge Nightclub in Los Angeles on May 16, 1961. There were just three broadcast networks as well as local channels and National Education Television, now known as PBS.

History was made when The Flintstones” became the first animated series to be nominated in a main category: program achievement in the field of humor. It would be nearly 50 years before another animated series, “The Family Guy,” contended for a top award.

Veterans such as Jack Benny and Red Skelton were among the winners,...

One of the more satisfying costume adventures of the ‘sixties is also one of its star’s best vehicles. Charlton Heston was born to play bigger-than-life historical types, and his Norman knight in this film has the benefit of an intelligent screenplay and a terrific supporting ensemble. This hero’s armor doesn’t shine — he’s more than willing to risk everything to possess a pagan woman with whom he’s become infatuated. Many would-be epics want us to think that the charms of unlikely damsels like Virginia Mayo and Claudette Colbert changed the course of history, but this show makes it seem more than possible. Plus, it features great action scenes and a terrific music score by Jerome Moross.

The War Lord

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 123 min. / Special Edition / Street Date January 21, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Charlton Heston, Richard Boone, Rosemary Forsyth, Maurice Evans, Guy Stockwell,...

"This is no dream, this is really happening...!" Paramount has debuted a very short new trailer to promote their re-release of Rosemary's Baby, in order to celebrate the film's 50th anniversary this year. Roman Polanski's acclaimed horror classic was first released in June of 1968, and has stood the test of time, still being celebrated as one of the best horror films (and scariest films) ever made. They're trying to promote this by connecting to the original ad campaign for the film, which was all about "Pray for Rosemary's Baby." It was a clever idea and worked well as the film went on to make an impressive $33 million over the course of its original domestic release. Rosemary's Baby stars Mia Farrow as Rosemary, with John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, & Ralph Bellamy. "It's not what you're expecting." Here's the 50th anniversary re-release trailer for Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby,...

Irony of ironies, Franklin Schaffner’s 1965 epic, The War Lord, was based on a play called The Lovers. Stalwart Charlton Heston plays a medieval knight tasked with defending a Druid village where he promptly falls in love with local lass Rosemary Forsyth. Richard Boone co-stars along with Maurice Evans who would reunite with Schaffner and Heston under far different circumstances in 1968’s Planet of the Apes.

The post The War Lord appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

TV Reboots aren't going anywhere. Last season saw the re-arrival of Will & Grace and Roseanne, while this year's new addition is Last Man Standing. But then there are the true reboots (taking show concepts and bringing them back with updated premises and new casts), like Hawaii 5-0, MacGyver, and S.W.A.T., and this year's Magnum, P.I. and Charmed. Now comes word that one of the most beloved sitcoms from the 1960s — and one that is still enjoying life in reruns — is being given another shot at life, Bewitched. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) The premise of the show is that on her wedding night, Samantha Stevens (Elizabeth Montgomery) reveals to her new husband, Darrin (Dick York), that she is, in fact a witch. Initially feeling betrayed, Darrin ultimately realizes that he loves her deeply and they try to settle down into a normal domestic life. Fat chance! From 1964-72, Samantha promised not to use witchcraft,...

20th Century Fox has debuted the first trailer and poster for War For The Planet Of The Apes.

Check out the first trailer for director Matt Reeves latest film coming out this summer, just a year shy of a big anniversary for the beloved franchise.

The first film, Planet Of The Apes, starring Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison, was released on February 8, 1968.

In the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the...

Don Kaye May 23, 2019

How the insane Beneath the Planet of the Apes almost buried the series after two movies.

"In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe, lies a medium-sized star, and one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead."

With the original 1968 Planet of the Apes a huge smash at the box office -- it arguably saved 20th Century Fox from going bankrupt -- a meeting took place that included studio head Richard D. Zanuck, producer Arthur P. Jacobs, associate producer Mort Abrahams and Fox production exec Stan Hough. At some point the idea came up: why not make a sequel? As we’ve stated elsewhere, sequels at the time were not the big business they are today. But Planet of the Apes had clearly struck a nerve with audiences, and the open-ended nature of the movie’s ending offered the possibility of more material to explore.

Donald Trump vs. Starbucks' War on Christmas. The War on Christmas: The movies that come to mind We're still in November, but the War on Christmas – according to online buzz, a second cousin once removed of the War on Cops – has begun. Weeping and gritting of teeth has seized certain population segments in the U.S.A. (and perhaps other countries as well) after Fox News, that beacon of intellectual freedom at the end of the cable news tunnel, announced that … Starbucks' holiday season cups are a) red b) devoid of Christmas decorations. Could it be a satanic conspiracy disguised as politically correct inclusiveness? The result of a communist takeover at the Seattle-headquartered company? Cruel and unusual Christian persecution in the form of paper cups? Your guess is as good as mine. Far-right Republican icon, U.S. presidential candidate, and 2015 political circus ringmaster Donald Trump seems to think that Starbucks...

With Hollywood so remake crazy in modern times, Cinelinx takes a look at what makes a good remake and what makes a bad one, by examining examples of cinematic revamps. In the first of several articles, Cinelinx looks at a good remake: Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

What makes for a good remake is that it must succeed in being old and new at the same time. A remake has to satisfy those who loved the original and have certain specific expectations; and it also has to be its own entity, putting a new spin on an old idea. A good remake can’t completely toss out the old (like the remake of House of Wax) and conversely, it can’t just be a scene-by-scene imitation (like the remakes of Psycho and the Omen, which were just photocopies of the originals) so it’s a hard balancing act,...

“You did it. You cut up his brain, you bloody baboon! “

The Original Planet Of The Apes screens Midnights This Weekend (September 25th and 26th) at The Tivolias part of their ‘Reel Late at The Tivoli’ series.

The original Planet Of The Apes from 1968 is a witty, cynical masterpiece that more than stands the test of time. Sure, some of the jokes are a bit creaky, but they reinforce that the film is not meant to be read as a realistic piece of speculative sci-fi. Rather, it’s a winking, cautionary fable or satire (it was written by Rod Serling after all). Coming from the late sixties, the beginning of that great cinematic age when mainstream movies simultaneously entertained and challenged, Planet Of The Apes is still as fun as it is thought-provoking. The technical elements continue to impress: the stylish art direction, pioneering makeup, and wonderfully out-there score are...

We are incorporating two elements here in the Caped Crusader’s universe: applying the Batman 60′s ABC-tv show (1966-1968/3 seasons) with the Batman film franchise (1989 and beyond). The link that we are looking for to connect Batman’s cheesy television past and its current and future filming state of mind is the conception of repackaging the Dynamic Duo’s cartoonish villains from the small screen and giving them new life on the big screen in the millennium. Let’s examine this line of reasoning, shall we?

As any Batman enthusiast (or casual observer) knows about the campy TV series back in the late 60′s is that the main off-kilter charm was the colorful and wacky regular guest star villains that populated the program many times through the three-year broadcast on the network. Household hooligans such as Catwoman, the Joker, the Penguin and the Riddler would return and become the routine...

Even before you consider Rupert Wyatt's hit 2011 blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its successor Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Franklin J Schaffner's 1968 adventure had spawned four sequels, an animated cartoon series, a live-action TV show, a deluge of marketing (bubblegum cards, plastic models, etc.) and Tim Burton's 2001 remake. And yet nobody wanted to touch Planet of the Apes when producer Arthur P Jacobs first touted it around Hollywood in the mid-'60s.

Adapted from Pierre Boulle's novel La Planète Des Singes, Jacobs saw it as the perfect follow-up to the animal magic movie he currently had in production, Doctor Dolittle. Approaching studios with a script by Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, and concept images honed by no fewer than seven artists, Jacobs's passion project was nonetheless ridiculed: actors in monkey suits was the stuff of B-movies and cheap TV serials.

A pop-culture touchstone, a nearly all-purpose metaphor and one of the most beloved sci-fi franchises of the Seventies and beyond, the Planet of the Apes films do what all good what-if fantasies should do: hold up a mirror to humanity and reflect our own conflicts, issues and failings back to us through a wildly outrageous premise. The original 1968 movie mixes satire, social commentary, action and suspense, capped by a first-rate twist at the end. ("Damn you, damn you all to hell!")

'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'...

Chicago – Any film fan that hasn’t seen Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” has not yet completed Movies 101. The fact is that this work is a reference point for so many others that anyone who loves cinema simply must see it to understand the form. Roman Polanski’s 1968 adaptation of Ira Levin’s hit book is a near-perfect example of urban horror, the scary story built around the idea that any door in any apartment building could be hiding pure Hell. It’s the latest addition to The Criterion Collection and a fantastic choice by the brain trust at the company that chose to include it.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

“Rosemary’s Baby” was a hit book in 1967 but the film version could have gone in any number of directions. Polanski was not yet the legend he is now. He hadn’t made “Chinatown” and was reportedly brought to the United States...

Just in time for Halloween, Criterion has remastered what’s long been culturally considered one of the most notable pieces of horror film making in cinematic history, the eerie classic, Rosemary’s Baby. Standing as not only the first adaptation of someone else’s material for auteur Roman Polanski, this would mark his first foray into Hollywood, and his final product still stands as template of the film industry’s far-reaching allure to achieve a European arthouse aesthetic successfully melded with mainstream pulp.

Still, to approach this classic title, (that’s become so deeply ingrained in our cultural syntax that nearly everyone knows what the titular baby is really synonymous with), as purely a genre exercise modulated simply to invoke fear and unease, would be a mistake. What makes the film transcend showy thrills is how it plunders into our more collectively subconscious fears, giving us a kitchen sink melodrama...

 

Charlton Heston and Maurice Evans in the original Planet of the Apes.

The web site Cable TV Providers (yes, that's really the name!) has another interesting article examining major films that significantly changed the plots of the source novels upon which they are based. From I Am Legend to Jaws, The Poseidon Adventure and Planet of the Apes, you'll be surprised at the major plot points excluded or changed in the transition from printed page to silver screen. Click here for more ...

September 8, 1966 was a pretty big night of television for fans of the fantastic. NBC ran a sneak peek of several new shows a week prior to the formal premiere of the prime time season. At 7:30, Ron Ely first swung on a vine across trees as Tarzan while an hour later, Captain James T. Kirk confronted the Salt Vampire on the first airing of Star Trek. While the latter has gone on to great international fame, the former series has always been somewhat eclipsed.

Warner Archive, bless their souls, has rectified that by releasing the complete first season of the two season series. You can find the first fifteen episodes on four discs comprising Tarzan Season One, Volume One while the remaining sixteen episodes are available in the second volume. Warner has done a nice job cleaning the prints and the show looks pretty darn good.

It was also a...

John Carter, based on the John Carter of Mars series written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, was released last weekend with underwhelming box-office results in North America. Expect a more enthusiastic reception for the Warner Archive's release of the late '60s television series Tarzan (season one, in two parts) in celebration of the Lord of the Apes' 100th anniversary. Ron Ely stars, while guests include former Tarzan Jock Mahoney, Academy Award nominee Julie Harris (The Member of the Wedding), Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols, Woody Strode, Russ Tamblyn, Maurice Evans, Jack Elam, and Chips Rafferty. Also coming out via the Warner Archive Collection are several lesser-known titles that should definitely be worth a look, especially considering the talent involved. Released in a newly remastered print, the 1941 drama Rage in Heaven was directed by W.S. Van Dyke (aka "One-Take Woody"), and stars Ingrid Bergman, Robert Montgomery, and George Sanders. Christopher Isherwood contributed to the screenplay.

After nearly two years of bickering, NBA players and owners are back on the same side.

“We want to play basketball,” Commissioner David Stern said.

Come Christmas Day, they should be.

The sides reached a tentative agreement early Saturday to end the 149-day lockout and hope to begin the delayed season with the marquee tripleheader on Dec. 25 originally scheduled to air on ABC and Espn. Most of a season that seemed in jeopardy of being lost entirely will be salvaged if both sides approve the handshake deal.

Barring a change in scheduling, the 2011-12 season will open with the Boston Celtics at New York Knicks,...

Unsportsmanlike conduct? On the 137th day of their lockout, the NBA Players Association has officially disbanded.

According to a report in the New York Times, after being deadlocked in labor negotiations, the National Basketball Players Association decided to disband on Monday, leaving the fate of 2011-2012 up to an entirely different kind of court.

“The players just felt that they had given enough, that the NBA was not willing or prepared to continue to negotiate,” Billy Hunter, the executive director of the Nbpa, said at Monday’s press conference alongside NBA players, adding, “Things were not going to get better.

The new "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" isn't connected in any concrete way to the original five film series that ran from 1968 to 1973 or Tim Burton's reboot from 2001.  But even though "Rise" establishes its own, new continuity (of the apes), it still contains a ton of references, shout-outs and easter eggs to its old school brethren (or simian, in this case).  Here are all the ones this long-time "Ape" fan caught. And be aware that this piece may contains extensive Spoilers for every film in the series.

1. Character Names (of the Apes)

Most of the main cast of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" are named with a wink to the past.  The leader of the ape rebellion, Caesar (Andy Serkis) shares his moniker with the similar character, played by Roddy McDowell, from "Conquest of" and "Battle For the Planet of the Apes."  Scientists at the...

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes," out in theaters today, promises a full-scale reboot to one of the most classic science fiction film franchises of all time. But it's not without some winks and nods to the past. Indeed, there's plenty of old school material for longtime "Apes" fans to go bananas over. Click the video below and read on for five Easter Eggs from the latest "Apes" adventure!

Lost In Space!

The original "Planet of the Apes" tells the story of an astronaut crew that crash lands on a world dominated by highly evolved apes. That's not the plot here, but perhaps it'll serve as a launch point for a sequel based on two separate shout-outs to the original film's story.

Seeking Liberty

Anyone who's even somewhat familiar with the "Apes" franchise can remember the iconic visual of the Statue of Liberty from the original films. We won't spoil the moment for you,...

Are you the type of guy who likes surprises? Then don’t read this. Seriously. Click away or email this link to yourself for later, after you’ve seen the terrific late summer picture Rise of the Planet of the Apes, because there’s no way for me to list all the moments of Planet of the Apes series fan service without handing up some serious spoilers. I would be pissed if I learned about some of this stuff before I saw the movie - but I know that some of you out there simply can't wait.

You’ve been warned. Let’s hit it:

The Font. The title card for Rise of the Planet of the Apes uses the same late 1960s/early 1970s typography from the original pictures.

Bright Eyes. This is the name of Caeser the Ape's mom. In RotPotA she has this name because one of...

I’m such an avid fan of the Planet Of The Apes films – even the TV Show and Animated Series. To me it’s the greatest franchise in movie history. Having seen Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, the film is truly a welcomed addition to the series and one of the best films of 2011!

You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive an email with an invitation to speak with screenwriters of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. I had the great pleasure of talking to these two writers, producers (and married couple) and found to my giddy delight that we share a common love of animals and all things Apes!

The following is our conversation on the film, CGI apes, animal rights and spaceships.

Michelle: In many ways Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is like the 1972 Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes.

This Friday sees the release of the first "Planet of the Apes" film in a decade, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" starring James Franco. We'll have our review of the film up on Friday, but to help set the mood, here is a revised and updated version of a feature we first brought you in 2008 on the 40th anniversary of the original "Planet of the Apes." Below you'll find a guide to all six previous movies, with synopses, spoilers, continuity errors, and a celebration of all the high-minded social commentary and low-brow schlocky ape masks that make the "Apes" films one of the most satisfying of all sci-fi franchises.

Please note: Most "Planet of the Apes" films have a "shocking" twist that everyone at this point already knows. However, if you have somehow extricated yourself from forty years of pop culture references, by all means be wary of Spoilers ahead.

Franklin J Schaffner, 1968

Though by no means subtle in its politics or satire, no other film is as exotic and witty in its preaching. The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling spent months hammering out dozens of variants on Pierre Boulle's novel until he got the recipe just right. Then all they had to do was figure out how to film it. The key figure was makeup legend John Chambers, who utilised the then-new technology of foam latex prosthetics on a large scale, earning him a special Oscar, to create a stunning array of ape characters that worked so well that even such recognisable performers as Roddy McDowell and Maurice Evans simply disappeared. All that was left then was to drop Charlton Heston, as one of the most bitter and cynical heroes cinema has ever offered, into this "madhouse".

Serling's script hits on class, race, sex – just about everything in...

As usual, distilling the value of a film into a short paragraph in ranking it against every other film ever released in the same genre is imperfect, subjective and quite frankly, irrational. But it sure is fun. So continuing our “Tma’s Greatest” series that began with our Tma’s 25 Greatest Sports Movies of All Time, we decided to make a list of the 25 best horror movies ever made. But before you proceed to the list and get bent out of shape because your favorite movie didn’t make the list, remember this: we specifically decided to make a list of the “greatest” as opposed to the “scariest” horror movies because scary doesn’t always indicate the quality of a film, and vice versa. Also, as thorough and meticulous as we were in constructing the list, there are bound to be omissions. Feel free to let us know what we missed.

The rest of this month has some exciting genre output on display at the wonderful Egyptian and Aero Theatres, hosted by the American Cinematheque.

Currently running, the Egyptian’s Lust and Larceny: Noir City, the 12th Annual Festival of Film Noir will wrap up on April 18. Friday, April 16 beginning at 7:30pm will be a double feature of 1955’s thriller Crashout, followed by 1954’s brutal revenge melodrama Cry Vengeance. Neither of these films are currently available on DVD. Saturday will see a double feature of horror director Lew Landers’ The Power of the Whistler from 1945 and starring Richard Dix (Val Lewton’s The Ghost Ship), as well as its follow up of the same year, Voice of the Whistler, directed by horror legend William Castle! In attendence will be Robert Dix, son of star Richard Dix.

Running from April 29 through May 2, the Egyptian presents A Wrinkle in Time: The Best of Time Travel Films.

Release year: 1968

The players: Director: Franklin J. Schaffner, Writers: Michael Wilson, Rod Serling, Cast: Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowall, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison

The plot: An astronaut from Earth crashes on a strange planet where apes are the more supreme beings and humans are hunted, experimented on and traded as slaves.

Modern thoughts on a classic movie: The original “Planet of the Apes” is very dated. It screams “1968” to the modern viewer, but the film possesses several elements that keep the dated quality from overtaking the experience entirely.

The makeup is quite good for the time - so good in fact that it received an honorary Academy Award when a makeup category didn’t exist yet. It may seem comical at first, but it does not hinder the film in any way. Viewers soon tend to forget that a real person is underneath all that fur. The set design is a bit dull,...