Looks like it's neck and neck between you and Smerd for 2nd.

I'm looking forward to getting into the cartoon apes but I want to finish the live action show first. I'm planning on seeing War For the POTA on Monday and that will finish the POTA films for me.

There's lots of other movies with monkeys you can watch.

Monkey Shines
Link
Babe: Pig in the City
Every Which Way But Loose

That's actually a cool image. I'm not sure I caught the CH reference when I saw this at the movies but now that you mention it I'll be on the lookout for it when I eventually rewatch this. There were several bits that were surprisingly graphic for a PG-13. It had some cool moments but overall I felt let-down. They did a better job with the recent Godzilla reboot - apparently the plan is to get the two big guys together for a rematch soon.

I'm excited that this challenge has led to some people exploring the ape universe for the first time. As I said somewhere else it was my Star Wars as a kid and I spent a lot of time there in my imagination and watching the films. I even built POTA models, had action figures and a board game and read comics.

I applauded the originality of the Rise screenplay but although I still really enjoy them - the screenplays of Dawn and War are starting to feel a bit forced in the way they incorporate the original mythos. The motion capture is still superb but Matt Reeves, the director of Dawn and War, doesn't do a great job with "human" actors.

Definitely monekys in Aguirre!

Monkey Research 101:
One of the chapter titles for The Lost Jungle is Gorilla Warfare and another is The Gorilla so I would say it's a go-rilla for monkey content. Also, according to IMDb there's an uncredite Charles Gamorra playing a gorilla in the cast. (first I searched for key word on IMDb but the only one that came up was serial. Found the chapter list on wikipedia)

For Darkest Africa - the chapter titles provide no clues but I found these two images when I did a google image sort:























That's some of the tools I've been using to verify ape content when I wasn't sure.

I started the film Nabonga today and it led me to thinking about potential serials I could watch but I probably don't have enough time. I really enjoyed the first 20 minutes of Nabonga (with serial star Buster Crabbe)

Tarzan - If you can find Tarzan's Greatest Adventure - it lives up to the title. Very little Cheeta the chimp action but enough to count, and it has a great cast: Sean Connery and Anthony Quale are the villains. Animal treatment in Tarzan movies (and all of Hollywood for that matter) was very suspect for most of the classic period - on screen and off. I love the Tarzan movies - I was always palying castaway or Tarzan as a kid and they appeal to that side of me - but I have to turn off my love of animals sometimes when I watch them. Usually Tarzan is against the great white hunters slaughtering, but then he kills a lion or crocodile with his knife. Of course the lions and crocs are depicted as predators - and I routinely kill rattlesnakes on my own property so I understand where he's coming from. The Tarzan books are great too - much more savage than the films ever were.

So, most Tarzan films have apes or monkeys but not all. I wanted to watch Tarzan goes to India (directed by guillermin who also did the 70's King Kong, it's sequel and Tarzan's Greatest Adv. - but form everywhere i checked it looks like no monkeys.

For a similar kind of tale I recommend The Jungle Book with Sabu. It looks like it would be a beautiful film if ever restored. Sabu is awesome. He also protects and relates to many animals - even snakes - but his goal in life is to kill the tiger.

Congrats on hitting 4th place!

Rambling? Who's rambling?

I didn't realize that Criterion had released it. I'd like to get ahold of that. Powell is one of the directors for another Korda / Sabu film, The Thief of Bagdad, which also has gorgeous color cinematography.

The Tarzan in Burroughs is intelligent and savage. So his interior monologues are terrific and sometimes he gets very angry - he would definitely Hulk out a lot. The violence in the books isn't extreme - but the films definitely tone down the savagery of Tarzan's actions. He attempts to become more civilized but it never takes. His wild nature always calls him back to the jungle.

Burroughs is a pulpy writer but he keeps things exciting. He does suffer from a lot of outdated ideas about race and animal treatment, but he is equally forward thinking at times too.

If you do read them - read them in order.

I still have my copies of the Marvel comics in a box. A bit old and musty but still very readable. I'm hoping to find time to get to them. I just finished the Battle novelization and started reading a collection of POTA short stories but I am likely to read a couple of POTA comic collections from Dark Horse first:



https://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/planetoftheapes/images/1/18/Old_Gods.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100216155858

I'm sure they were borrowing ideas - and Tarzan did time at both Marvel and DC as well as a bunch of other comic book houses.

Remember Kamandi? Jack Kirby's epic version of Planet of the Apes, more or less, with all sorts of talking animals in a future earth.

Even as a kid I thought, "Hmmm, is this a rip-off?" But I never missed an issue.

I would love to find these:

Thrilla da gorilla!

I'm glad you participated Johan. Maybe you'll spot another monkey or two in your other challenge films!

Do I sense a little cough whenever it's 4:20?

Smerd may be the first person I've met (even if it's just on-line) who is actually a bigger and certainly more knowledgable POTA fan than I am. I've really enjoyed seeing other people get Ape fever during this challenge.

Glad you're doing it peeps!

Easy: Apes Shall Not Kill Apes! Humans Bad.

Lesson over.

Roddy McDowall came to Dallas and did Charley's Aunt at a dinner theatre and being the ape fan I was I had to go. The play was hilarious. McDowall was great in it. Afterwards, my mom and I and a few other people (all my mom's age - she knew him as an actor from his child star days) waited backstage and got admitted to his dressing room for autographs. I came prepared with a photo of him as Cornelius for him to sign. He seemed thrilled that I brought that and was very happy to talk ape with this 8 or 9 year-old boy. For years afterward I thought he was one of the coolest guys on the planet - and it all started (for me anyway) when he put on the ape make-up. I naturally thought it was awesome that he continued to do the films and the series. And you're right - after the first two original films it is Roddy's show.

I'm glad you're enjoying the series so much!