Planet of the Apes

True confessions time.  It's something not many of my friends know about me, but I admit it - I totally dig all the original "Planet of the Apes" movies.  I'm one of the few people I know who's seen all 5 of them.  The first one is a campy classic, and the rest only get campier and cheesier.  This comes to mind because while I was scrolling through the channel guide yesterday, I noticed that the Biography Channel was playing a documentary "Behind the Planet of the Apes".  Imagine my glee.  Of course I had to record it.  It was originally broadcast in 1998, and was hosted by Roddy McDowell (RIP).  Basically a "making of" documentary, it covered all 5 "Apes" movies, and had interviews with most of the original cast and crew members.  I was in Sci-Fi Movie Fan Heaven!

All five "Apes" movies are now available on DVD, both separately and as part of a package.  While not life-changing, they're an awful (sometimes literally so) lot of fun.  Totally of their era, they're also a good metaphor for a lot of what was happening in the U.S. at that time.  Totally worth a marathon viewing party.

Should you decide to spend a lazy Saturday watching, here's a list of all 5 titles, by their release date:

1. Planet of the Apes (1968)

2. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

3. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

4. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

5. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)