Movie Review - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dean O'Gorman, Aidan Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Fry, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, and more.

Directed by: Peter Jackson Screenplay by: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro Based on the Novel by: J.R.R. Tolkien Cinematography by: Andrew Lesnie Music by: Howard Shore

Premise: Still pursued by orcs, the company of dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo continue towards the old mountain kingdom. As Bilbo learns about the ancient feud between the elves and the dwarves, and they run into more trouble, he also begins to grasp that there's something not quite right with the ring he took from the orc caves. Gandalf, too, comes to realize that an ancient evil is once more loose upon the world. And none of them have yet figured out how they plan to deal with the dragon. (Rated PG -13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Martin Freeman more than amply proves again why he was the perfect choice to play Bilbo Baggins. Though his part in the second film is not quite as extensive as in the first, he still brings so much to the film as to be invaluable. Freeman even has several comedic moments were just a few gestures totally made the scene. Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, and Lee Pace were great additions to the cast. Lee Pace gave the High Elf Thranduil a wonderful edge, as if the character were swaying back and forth between possible madness.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: There are a ton of special effects, and just about all of them looked fabulous. I loved the interpretation of Mirkwood forest. The creepy, almost rotting inside later contrasted nicely with the gorgeous top of the canopy. The way they show trouble is coming while he was up there was quite clever. The flip sides of the forest, very much hint of the very things which are happening within the underground palace of the elves. The combat sequences with the CGI orcs and the actors were fantastic. You'd hardly believe they weren't really there. You'll also see a barrel used as a deadly weapon - fabulous.

There is a neat magic bout literally between light and dark, and the film bled all color away, which was a nice touch which showed the two extremes colliding. The CGI work on Smaug was awesome - add in Benedict Cumberbatch's voice - and one could not ask for better. Make sure to look at the dwarves' hands. Not sure how they did it, but they're different enough from a normal human hand to really help the audience believe Thorin's band are indeed a different race from the norm.

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: I'll warn you now, you'll grit your teeth at where they leave off the film. But at least they do give you a fun, fabulous ride before yanking it on you. The pace is fast, so the two hours and forty minutes fly by. Some tweaking to the original story by adding elements not in the book, but in general it seemed to stick to it pretty faithfully. Definitely felt better put together than the first film.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: Lots of closeup battle scenes between elves, orcs, dwarves, giant spiders, and one hobbit. A ton of great moments during the fights, too. It's almost a contest to see who can kill whom in the most surprising manner. However they worked the stand-ins for the CGI orcs and other creatures to battle the others, it was an amazing job.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: There were a lot of new and fantastical places to see in this second film. The cinematography did a great job in letting us get a look at them, and sometimes doing so from unexpected directions, which let us get even more out of the view. The shot from the top of the tree canopy in Mirkwood is absolutely breathtaking. The elven grounds, the palace under the mountain, the hideout of the orcs, even the sad human town, all perfect set locations.

Conclusion: "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is fast paced and a ton of fun. They leave you hanging at a bad spot, so reconcile yourself to this before going to see it. Sadly, there were no previews or extra items in the credits. But if you have time, I definitely recommend going to the main site and then clicking on the web experiment. Fun stuff.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again)

Movie Review - The World's End

The World's End

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan, David Bradley, and more.

Directed by: Edgar Wright Written by: Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright Cinematography by: Bill Pope Original Music by: Steven Price

Premise: Gary King wants to recapture his glory days from High School. Lying, cheating, and scraping, he convinces his old friends to agree to relive (and this time hopefully complete) the Golden Mile - a drinking marathon through the twelve pubs in their home town ending at The World's End. Yet as they begin the crawl, and all his friends want nothing more than to go home, an unexpected obstacle comes their way - androids. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Simon Pegg was funny and pitiable in his role as Gary King. Nick Frost did great work showing his disgust for all that had been lost and later fighting for it. Martin Freeman was adorable as Oliver, the realtor. It was awesome seeing Pierce Brosnan again.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects might not be up to the standards of big productions, but what they had was definitely well done. The androids looked great, especially the walking behemoths. The work with Oliver's head was fantastic. A real nice job on the final view of the town, too.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Though filled with definite humor, the story of the film has several serious themes running through it - longing for times past, regrets, unrequited love, the guilt of mistakes. Until the androids show up, the story had turned rather somber - perhaps too much so. There are a few repeated jokes that were quite amusing - especially the one about Gary's Mom.

For a bit of unexpected depth, several of the characters have secrets. These get slowly peeled back, one at a time, and are revealed through the long night.

For those who've enjoyed other Simon Pegg and Nick Frost films, there's the added treat of several in-jokes tying back to their previous films.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: I heartily applaud the great choreography on the fight scenes - especially the one in the bathroom. Probably the best and smoothest fights I've seen all summer - and I've seen a lot of them. Android Fu for the win!

5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: There's a super nice shot of the town as the guys drive to their destination - makes a nice contrast for when we see the same view towards the end. The look and feel of several of the pubs were great. They even had fun with the locations which added to the humor.

Conclusion: "The World's End" is a quirky, slightly depressing, yet also amusing film. Definitely one to see with your buddies.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better for Matinee)

Movie Review - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Dean O'Gorman, Aidan Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Ian Holm, Andy Serkin, Elijah Wood, Christipher Lee, Benedict Cumberbatch, and more.

Directed by: Peter Jackson Screenplay by: Fran Walsh, Philipa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro Based on the novel "The Hobbit" by: J R R Tolkien Cinematography by: Andrew Lesnie Original Music by: Howard Shore

Premise: Bilbo Baggins' tranquil life is turned upside down when Gandalf comes to viist. Not only is the wizard wanting to take Bilbo on an adventure, but he invites thirteen dwarves to come meet at his home. Worse, Gadalf has told the dwarves that Bilbo is a burglar and that he's the right person to invite along on their grand quest. And much to his own surprise, Bilbo decides to go along after all. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Martin Freeman is perfect as the reluctant adventurer Bilbo Baggins. Ian McKellen was incredibly expressive as he reprised his role as Gandalf the Grey. Richard Armitage shows Thorin's greatness as well as his fallacies without saying a word. Andy Selkin brought Gollum to life once more, flicking skillfully around the split personality of the pitiful creature.

2) Special Effects - Thumbs Up: Most of the special effects went toward the animation of a lot of the unusual wildlife and other sentient species. And while they moved and interacted well, and I got a good giggle of thinking the Pale Orc looked a lot like Benedict Cumberbatch, I was somewhat disappointed by the fact the orcs, the goblins, and the trolls looked similar to one another. Even for gamers and fantasy fans, the film made it hard on occasion to know which type of foe the adventurers were facing -- all three were mostly hairless with pasty type skin. When standing still the differences were more evident, but during combat and ambushes it was difficult.

Loved the dwarven city when it was shown in its heyday during a flashback. They did several panning shots of the amazing place, but they were rather fast, so it was hard to take everything in. The few places they did slow down on looked amazing!

The small forest animals, the spiders, and the giant birds were incredibly detailed and turned out wonderfully. The few glimpses of Smaug at the beginning and the end were very nicely done. Totally loved the rock warriors too.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: For those who may not yet realize it, the novel the movie was based on has been split into three movies. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is but the first, to be followed in 2013 by "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," and in 2014 by "The Hobbit: There and Back Again." For seeing a detailed film and getting a lot of time to become familiar with the characters, this is a great thing, but it can also be perilous.

I read the novel thirty plus years ago, so aside from the occasional moment of 'aha!', I've forgotten most of the details, so I can't honestly say how faithful the movie adaptation coincides with the novel, but I did feel it definitely caught the spirit of the book. Even for such a  long film, there's plenty to absorb and on the last half progresses at an incredible pace as the adventurers are beset with problem after problem.

For this first film, they follow the thread of Thorin's adamant belief in the worthless effort to ask the elves fir help and of Bilbo not belonging in his quest. The latter thread builds to a climax and resolution, making a nice story arc for the film to hinge on. And by cutting the novel into three parts, they allow for the telling of the story to be deeper, so the audience can get to know this odd bunch of dwarves and Middle Earth itself.

4) Stunts - Thumbs Up: Faked, real or both, the combat and physical scenes came out quite well. I have to wonder at how many plates were broken during the beautiful dish tossing scene. The insane combat in the goblin domain and the subsequent orc/warg battle had to be a choreography nightmare.

The scene with the dwarves on a spit was priceless.

5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: The film was filled with grand sweeping shots, the typical adventurer party going over the spine of mountains shots, and breathtaking scenery shots. Each location was unique and interesting. Definitely a lot of visuals to enjoy and enough variety to make the audience feel they were truly on a journey.

6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: A great amount of detail was spent making the dwarves look as unique as their culture. The dwarf king even had 'bling' for his beard. The dwarven hairstyles ran the gauntlet from shaven with tattoos to intricate triple splits with braids. Made the elves look totally boring in comparison as they pretty much only wore long straight hair. The dwarves even gave the elves some competition on stylish wear. Kind of fun!

Conclusion: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is a fun, fantasy adventure film that captures the imagination and does a great job of bringing Tolkien's world to life. (If you see the film in IMAX 3D (well worth it) you also get an extended 9 minute preview for "Star Trek Into Darkness." (6 minutes of new footage and a replay of the preview already out.)

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price To See Again!)

Movie Review - The Pirates! Band of Misfits

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Starring: Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Jeremy Piven, Anton Yelchin, Brendan Gleeson, Ashley Jensen, Salma Hayek, Lenny Henry, Brian Blessed and more.

Directed by: Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt Screenplay and Book by: Gideon Defoe Original Music by: Theodore Shapiro Cinematography by: Charles Copping and Frank Passingham

Premise: Captain Pirate has decided he wants to win the Pirate of the Year award, but is laughed out of the contest signup and despite all efforts ends up failing miserably at finding booty. Then he runs into Charles Darwin, who realizes the captain's parrot is actually a dodo bird. He convinces the captain that riches await in London as there is much booty to be had by winning the Scientist of the Year award. But all is not as promised and trouble ensues. (Rated PG)

Review:

1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: I couldn't believe all the awesome names that scrolled on the screen for this film. Put them together with the great skills of Aardman and Sony Animation and all the characters felt very real.

As tends to happen in animated films though, there's normally a non-speaking character that will steal the show. For me, it was Mister Bobo. He was the straight man in this great comedy of errors. Added an extra level of fun to the film.

2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: I was quite surprised at the utter beauty of several scenes. With a comedy like this one, you don't normally expect that extra push, but they did it and it was gorgeous. Close to the start there's a scene of the ship on the open seas which was utterly breathtaking.

Everything was open to comedy and they took advantage of in every way possible. The adults should pay close attention to all signs and store fronts - filled with jokes left and right.

Many movies have previously drawn planes or ships on a map and shown them moving; Aardman Animation took this to the next level. Not only do they show the ship on the map, but it interacts with it and whatever is drawn upon it. It's made even more amusing when you see the crew actually throwing out orange floaters to create the trail on the map.

The 3D aspect was not overused and did enhance the feel of the film for some very nice effects on occasion.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Plot was the weakest of the sections, but was still fun and worthwhile. While the overall outcome of the story is never in doubt, it was quite pleasant when they threw in an unexpected surprise or two.

Conclusion: Fun family film with lots of little bits for the adults to discover.

Rating: 3.7 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)