Showing posts with label The Hobbit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Hobbit. Show all posts
Thursday, January 2, 2014
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug (A "Better Late Than Never" Review)
I have a confession. I actually saw the Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug on December 14th and am just now getting around to writing my thoughts on the movie. It turns out working retail is hectic during the Holidays, who knew? So I'll do my best to adequately write my thoughts on the second film in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy - in between bites of lunch, of course.
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
As my brother Andrew so eloquently put it - "it was a good 3 hour movie that could have been a great 2 hour one."
Basically, this is all you need to know about the second installment of the ragtag group of Dwarves and their Hobbit burglar. The movie began well enough, and the pacing was definitely an improvement over the slow crawl that began An Unexpected Journey. However, some of the changes Jackson made didn't feel necessary to plot, such as Beorn stating that he was the last of his kind when the book explicitly mentions that although the mighty skinwalker will give the party refuge for the night in his house, they should beware his sons who roam outside. Also...
You know what? I'm just going to cut to the nitty-gritty. For those of who are familiar with Tolkien's classic novel, you were probably just as curious (and skeptical) about how the book could be stretched over three 3 hour long films. To pad out the second film when most of the cool stuff on the path to the Lonely Mountain had already happened in the first one, Jackson decided to flesh out secondary characters in a move that (I'm guessing, and seriously hope that I'm right about) will hopefully explain and lead towards events that do canonically take place in the book. For instance (and super serious guys, SPOILERS) the one and ONLY reason a love triangle between Kili, the nephew of Thorin Oakenshield, Tauriel, the (invented by Jackson) captain of the guard of Mirkwood, and Legolas,who, need I remind you, doesn't even appear in the Hobbit book - the only reason this exists is to shoehorn Legolas being pouty in, and to hopefully set up the Battle of the Five Armies in the third movie. Need I remind you, Kili does not survive that battle. Tauriel has already saved Kili's life at least 3 times by the time the battle takes place - it's not entirely inconceivable that Kili will end up repaying the debt in an extremely dramatic and heroic fashion. As far as the other padded material goes (the Dwarves playing Scooby Doo in Erebor, Bard's heroic rogue backstory), it pales in comparison to the general WTF-ness being thrown into the viewer's face, absolutely not subtly, by the Dwarve-Elf love story. There MUST be a reason for it. There just must be. Although, now that I think about it, funny that Legolas fails to mention any of the events that happened during this movie at any time to the Fellowship in Lord of the Rings. My thoughts about a female character being created only to serve as part of a love triangle raises some ire, but I'll spare you the soapbox rant.
The other things that struck me as odd were mostly cinematography related. Lord of the Rings looked so natural because many of the effects were practical, not CGI. I tried to get past the obvious and abundant use of graphics this time but just couldn't. I was no longer immersed in Middle Earth - just keenly aware that Legolas looked rather chubby in the cheeks despite being 60 some years younger. The tone is a bit darker this time around, unlike the more lighthearted adventure that carried through in the the first movie. There are some pretty funny moments, and of course the occasional ham-handed scene, and I will say that (plot additions aside) the pace has improved.
I don't think I can summarize the movie more succinctly than Andrew did - many things could have been pared down and many of the climactic scenes bordered on tedious. It was a movie that I desperately wanted to love, but just couldn't. It's been a divisive movie for fans, with one of my fellow Tolkeinites saying, flat out, "I hated it". Definitely worth a watch if only to find what parts specifically rubbed you the wrong way.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Oscar Nominations 2013
It's Oscar time, everybody! Normally, I don't really follow the Oscars - this has been due to a mixture of being busy (college, internships, etc) and thus not making it to the movies a lot and the fact that I rarely care for awards shows in general.
However, looking upon the list of nominees this year, I thought I'd give my two cents since I've broken some sort of personal record and seen like 8 movies in theaters this year. (And yes, spare me the glaring looks...I'm well aware that for someone so in to pop culture I don't seem to get out much.)
The Best Picture category is not a surprise in the least to me, despite the fact I've never heard of Amour. Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, and Silver Linings Playbook are all films I've been wanting to see but, other than knowing they've been getting rave reviews, I don't have a whole lot to say about.
Lincoln has swept the categories this year and I feel no other film is deserving of as many nominations as this picture, which details the struggle of passing the 13th Amendment during the beginning (and, spoilers, end) of President Lincoln's second term in the White House. The film, I think, accomplished the rare blend of being in-depth, poignant, and significantly aware and delicate with the historical events while at the same time making it possible for a viewer unfamiliar with said events to follow along with ease. The film therefore was a historical biopic that was also immensely entertaining (unless, of course, you are the 900 year old woman in the row behind us who fell asleep and was snoring in the middle of the movie).
My major disappointment was that Moonrise Kingdom was only nominated in one category, albeit a major category (in my humble opinion); best original screenplay. I think it has a lot of contention this year but I feel like its major threat is Zero Dark Thirty. The film detailing the events behind Osama bin Laden's compound raid is another one I'd like to see at my earliest convenience, but truth be told as a Parks and Recreation fan I have a hard time with Chris Pratt being anyone other than Andy Dwyer, or, perhaps only slightly more appropriately, Bert Macklin.
I feel as though Brave will probably win Best Animated Feature but, not having seen ParaNorman, I think Wreck-It Ralph is much more deserving of the award. Brave was beautifully done and very entertaining to watch, but oddly enough for a category where Pixar usually sweeps Ralph felt like the more Pixar-ish film of the nominees. And yes, I say that knowing that at this point its basically semantics seeing as Disney-Pixar is practically one in the same now...which isn't a bad thing. What it comes down to is individual teams working on pictures - the writers and directors are really bringing the film to life and everything else is level playing field. By those merits, Ralph came out stronger and felt like a return to form on the whole innovative-but-still-emotionally-touching front. So that's what I mean when I say the non-Pixar Disney film felt more like Pixar than the Pixar film, I guess. And if Paperman doesn't take Best Animated Short I will flip tables. No lie.
Am I a bit disappointed that the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey didn't get more nominations, especially with Howard Shore's beautiful soundtrack? Yes. Am I surprised? Not really. A lot of people couldn't get past the different tone of the film and found fault with the pacing. I understand those complaints, but the film was beautiful and faithful enough to have deserved at least Best Adapted Screenplay. It did take a nomination in Best Visual Effects, so I can be happy with that...albeit Snow White and the Huntsman also took a nomination there, so...
On the other hand, it shares a category with its only true contender, Marvel's the Avengers. I know, I know, Summer Blockbusters have no place on Oscar lists, but I cannot express how much I love this movie. I'm a complete Marvel fangirl to begin with, but Joss Whedon (my geeky overlord) deserved a spot for Best Adapted Screenplay or Best Direction. Because he's Joss-Friggin-Whedon and he deserves ALL the awards, and the Avengers was definitely a labor of love for him. If loving your work was criteria for awards, though, I'm sure the ceremony would run several hours longer.
I'm not sure how I feel about Adele's song from Skyfall being nominated for Best Original Song. I mean, I understand the politics behind it - she's Adele and the music industry it-girl, and it's a James Bond movie so duh, but the song wasn't good enough to win this category...so, for the sake of bluntness, I hope it doesn't. Then again, I'm just not a big James Bond song person. They all sound so cheesy and horrible to me. Except the Wings' "Live and Let Die". I love that song...and that probably says a lot about me.
Other than that, I do believe Skyfall earned the rest of its nominations. This was definitely the most engaging of the James Bond films of my lifetime and the cinematography played a large role in it. The film was brilliantly shot, and I guess the sound editing and mixing were good, too...I can't really say I pay attention to a film and say "wow! that sound editing is GENIUS!" but I wouldn't be too surprised if it was. I'm sure there's some politics involved where the sound categories can be seen as ones that have to be recognized (or the sound engineers union would pitch a fit), but hey, a nomination is a nomination.
So, as always, I may add to this list of observations at a later time, but right now Return of the King is on tv and, you know, priorities. What were your favorite movies of the year? What are your thoughts about the nominations? Let us know in the comments, on twitter, or on facebook!
However, looking upon the list of nominees this year, I thought I'd give my two cents since I've broken some sort of personal record and seen like 8 movies in theaters this year. (And yes, spare me the glaring looks...I'm well aware that for someone so in to pop culture I don't seem to get out much.)
The Best Picture category is not a surprise in the least to me, despite the fact I've never heard of Amour. Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, and Silver Linings Playbook are all films I've been wanting to see but, other than knowing they've been getting rave reviews, I don't have a whole lot to say about.
Lincoln has swept the categories this year and I feel no other film is deserving of as many nominations as this picture, which details the struggle of passing the 13th Amendment during the beginning (and, spoilers, end) of President Lincoln's second term in the White House. The film, I think, accomplished the rare blend of being in-depth, poignant, and significantly aware and delicate with the historical events while at the same time making it possible for a viewer unfamiliar with said events to follow along with ease. The film therefore was a historical biopic that was also immensely entertaining (unless, of course, you are the 900 year old woman in the row behind us who fell asleep and was snoring in the middle of the movie).
My major disappointment was that Moonrise Kingdom was only nominated in one category, albeit a major category (in my humble opinion); best original screenplay. I think it has a lot of contention this year but I feel like its major threat is Zero Dark Thirty. The film detailing the events behind Osama bin Laden's compound raid is another one I'd like to see at my earliest convenience, but truth be told as a Parks and Recreation fan I have a hard time with Chris Pratt being anyone other than Andy Dwyer, or, perhaps only slightly more appropriately, Bert Macklin.
I feel as though Brave will probably win Best Animated Feature but, not having seen ParaNorman, I think Wreck-It Ralph is much more deserving of the award. Brave was beautifully done and very entertaining to watch, but oddly enough for a category where Pixar usually sweeps Ralph felt like the more Pixar-ish film of the nominees. And yes, I say that knowing that at this point its basically semantics seeing as Disney-Pixar is practically one in the same now...which isn't a bad thing. What it comes down to is individual teams working on pictures - the writers and directors are really bringing the film to life and everything else is level playing field. By those merits, Ralph came out stronger and felt like a return to form on the whole innovative-but-still-emotionally-touching front. So that's what I mean when I say the non-Pixar Disney film felt more like Pixar than the Pixar film, I guess. And if Paperman doesn't take Best Animated Short I will flip tables. No lie.
Am I a bit disappointed that the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey didn't get more nominations, especially with Howard Shore's beautiful soundtrack? Yes. Am I surprised? Not really. A lot of people couldn't get past the different tone of the film and found fault with the pacing. I understand those complaints, but the film was beautiful and faithful enough to have deserved at least Best Adapted Screenplay. It did take a nomination in Best Visual Effects, so I can be happy with that...albeit Snow White and the Huntsman also took a nomination there, so...
On the other hand, it shares a category with its only true contender, Marvel's the Avengers. I know, I know, Summer Blockbusters have no place on Oscar lists, but I cannot express how much I love this movie. I'm a complete Marvel fangirl to begin with, but Joss Whedon (my geeky overlord) deserved a spot for Best Adapted Screenplay or Best Direction. Because he's Joss-Friggin-Whedon and he deserves ALL the awards, and the Avengers was definitely a labor of love for him. If loving your work was criteria for awards, though, I'm sure the ceremony would run several hours longer.
I'm not sure how I feel about Adele's song from Skyfall being nominated for Best Original Song. I mean, I understand the politics behind it - she's Adele and the music industry it-girl, and it's a James Bond movie so duh, but the song wasn't good enough to win this category...so, for the sake of bluntness, I hope it doesn't. Then again, I'm just not a big James Bond song person. They all sound so cheesy and horrible to me. Except the Wings' "Live and Let Die". I love that song...and that probably says a lot about me.
Other than that, I do believe Skyfall earned the rest of its nominations. This was definitely the most engaging of the James Bond films of my lifetime and the cinematography played a large role in it. The film was brilliantly shot, and I guess the sound editing and mixing were good, too...I can't really say I pay attention to a film and say "wow! that sound editing is GENIUS!" but I wouldn't be too surprised if it was. I'm sure there's some politics involved where the sound categories can be seen as ones that have to be recognized (or the sound engineers union would pitch a fit), but hey, a nomination is a nomination.
So, as always, I may add to this list of observations at a later time, but right now Return of the King is on tv and, you know, priorities. What were your favorite movies of the year? What are your thoughts about the nominations? Let us know in the comments, on twitter, or on facebook!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2012 in Review: Films
All in all, I thought 2012 was a pretty great year for films. I enjoyed all twenty-one films I saw in the theater, and at least three of the films are likely to be in my all time favorites list. Below is my annual list of my five favorite films, plus a few other notable "awards". As usual, note that this is a list of my favorites, not necessarily the five films I think are technically best.
#5 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Sure, the pacing is slow. Yeah, it's questionable why this is being stretched to multiple movies. And yeah, it's not as great as the Lord of The Rings trilogy. You know what? It was a joy to be back in middle earth, and there were plenty of great moments amongst all of the trekking. As mentioned in my review, this movie gets extra points for all of the hiking and camping.
#4 Lincoln
Without a doubt, the best part of Steven Spielberg's film about the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment by the U.S. House of Representatives are the performances. I was expecting it to be full of historical goodness, and David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones, and Daniel Day-Lewis didn't disappoint. What I didn't expect was how funny parts of it would be, most of which is due to James Spader. If only more historical films were this much fun.
#3 Wreck-It Ralph
I have to say I was not sold on this one after watching the trailer for the film. Sure, the support group scene with all of the recognizable villains was fun, but it seemed very played out. How wrong I was, as this much more than its concept of "video game villain gets tired of being bad". I loved how energetic the film was, while never losing heart or a sense of fun. Besides, it's a blast looking for all of the video game references.
#2 The Avengers
This could have been a total mess. Bringing together multiple superheroes is a risky gamble in any situation, but putting together ones as beloved as Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America added a special layer of potential disappointment. Fortunately, Marvel made the inspired choice of Joss Whedon. He was able balance all of the oversized characters, while keeping the story moving and fun. The Avengers showed that comic book movies don't have to be "gritty" to be good, and it can be fun to root for the good guys.
#1 Moonrise Kingdom
Growing up can be hard even for the kids who fit in. For those who don't fit in, it can be almost Sisyphean. And even when you do finally become an adult, it doesn't mean things get any better. Sometimes, the only way to deal with it is find somebody to run away from all the crap with you. Still, it helps to have people looking out for you. This was my favorite Wes Anderson film since The Royal Tenenbaums, and yeah, part of that is because of the hiking.
Needs a 2nd Viewing: The Master
I wasn't able to put this any place on my list, as I'm not entirely sure what I think of it. I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix's performance, and Philip Seymour Hoffman was great as an L. Ron Hubbard surrogate. P.T. Anderson is one of my favorite directors, and the movie is very well shot. It's just...I don't know, it didn't reach me as much as some of the other movies on this list. I think it might take me another shot before I can be quite sure where I stand on this.
Biggest Surprise: The Campaign
The trailers for this film made it look like total pug crap. And yea, the stuff that looked stupid in the trailers was stupid, but it was just a fraction of the film. The rest of the film was a fairly funny, sometimes poignant exploration of a modern Congressional campaign. I suppose I should have had more faith in Zach Galifianakis.
Easy A award for film I Wanted to See in Theater, but Didn't Get A Chance: Django Unchained and Looper (tie)
Unfortunately I wasn't able to see all of the films I wanted to this year. I may yet get out to the theater to see Tarantino's latest film, but for Looper I'll have to wait until it's out on DVD.
Honorable Mentions: Flight, This is 40, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, Argo, Brave
Best Expected Performances: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Best Unexpected Performance: James Spader (Lincoln)
Best Performance with an Intentional or Unintentional Bad Wig: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
#5 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Sure, the pacing is slow. Yeah, it's questionable why this is being stretched to multiple movies. And yeah, it's not as great as the Lord of The Rings trilogy. You know what? It was a joy to be back in middle earth, and there were plenty of great moments amongst all of the trekking. As mentioned in my review, this movie gets extra points for all of the hiking and camping.
#4 Lincoln
Without a doubt, the best part of Steven Spielberg's film about the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment by the U.S. House of Representatives are the performances. I was expecting it to be full of historical goodness, and David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones, and Daniel Day-Lewis didn't disappoint. What I didn't expect was how funny parts of it would be, most of which is due to James Spader. If only more historical films were this much fun.
#3 Wreck-It Ralph
I have to say I was not sold on this one after watching the trailer for the film. Sure, the support group scene with all of the recognizable villains was fun, but it seemed very played out. How wrong I was, as this much more than its concept of "video game villain gets tired of being bad". I loved how energetic the film was, while never losing heart or a sense of fun. Besides, it's a blast looking for all of the video game references.
#2 The Avengers
#1 Moonrise Kingdom
Growing up can be hard even for the kids who fit in. For those who don't fit in, it can be almost Sisyphean. And even when you do finally become an adult, it doesn't mean things get any better. Sometimes, the only way to deal with it is find somebody to run away from all the crap with you. Still, it helps to have people looking out for you. This was my favorite Wes Anderson film since The Royal Tenenbaums, and yeah, part of that is because of the hiking.
Needs a 2nd Viewing: The Master
I wasn't able to put this any place on my list, as I'm not entirely sure what I think of it. I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix's performance, and Philip Seymour Hoffman was great as an L. Ron Hubbard surrogate. P.T. Anderson is one of my favorite directors, and the movie is very well shot. It's just...I don't know, it didn't reach me as much as some of the other movies on this list. I think it might take me another shot before I can be quite sure where I stand on this.
Biggest Surprise: The Campaign
The trailers for this film made it look like total pug crap. And yea, the stuff that looked stupid in the trailers was stupid, but it was just a fraction of the film. The rest of the film was a fairly funny, sometimes poignant exploration of a modern Congressional campaign. I suppose I should have had more faith in Zach Galifianakis.
Easy A award for film I Wanted to See in Theater, but Didn't Get A Chance: Django Unchained and Looper (tie)
Unfortunately I wasn't able to see all of the films I wanted to this year. I may yet get out to the theater to see Tarantino's latest film, but for Looper I'll have to wait until it's out on DVD.
Honorable Mentions: Flight, This is 40, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, Argo, Brave
Best Expected Performances: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Best Unexpected Performance: James Spader (Lincoln)
Best Performance with an Intentional or Unintentional Bad Wig: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Friday, December 21, 2012
Dispatches from 2nd Breakfast: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey
Next to watching movies, hiking is my favorite thing to do. I don't do it as much as I'd like, and it can be tough when I do hike as I'm fat as Bombur the dwarf*. Still, there's nothing like getting to the top of a ridge line and looking out over the valleys below. It makes all the effort worthwhile. Nothing beats that feeling of accomplishment as you drive away from a completed trail. Even if your legs are cramping and your back is sore. I remember once as I finished walking up Blood Mount-
"But Andrew, why are you writing about hiking? This is a pop culture blog, not a hiking blog. Don't you have a blog for hiking?"
Yes, I do. It's called Walk With Nature, and its pretty good**. However, if you will stop interrupting me, I'll get to the damn point.
Anyways, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a tale of a bunch of characters traveling through valleys, meadows, and mountains to reach the Lonely Mountain. Along the way, they go to Rivendell and climb up the Misty Mountains. They do spend some time on ponies, but eventually they travel by foot. As mentioned by Bilbo, they are definitely on an adventure.
In other words, of course I love this film. If it would have been just three hours of Gandalf, Bilbo, and the twelve dwarves hiking and camping I probably would have enjoyed it. The fact that it stars Martin Freeman in the role he was born to play, has a scene with the White Council***, and nails the Gollum and Bilbo riddle-off is just icing on the cake.
Sure, the movie drags in places. There are times during the dwarves arrival at Bag End where I wondered when they were going to get going. Were it about 15-20 minutes shorter, it would be a much tighter film. That doesn't mean I can find much to cut, just that it could benefit from some streamlining.
I've already seen the film twice, both times being the regular 2D showing. It sounds like the 48fps 3d is at best insignificant and at worst a disaster. If anybody who reads this has seen it in the other formats, please let us know how it was in the comments section.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is playing at theaters across the country. If you loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy, enjoy fantasy adventures, or just enjoy creative facial hair, I fully recommend this film.
Coming Soon: We'll be staying at home to catch up with some of the best films of the year that found their way to Netflix, plus a few classics I've never seen. Also, if luck turns my way, we'll be catching up on some other films in the theater.
*These things are related.
**When it's updated.
***For those uninitiated in the world of Middle Earth, that would be Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and Saruman (Christopher Lee). It's kind of a big deal, and is a favorite scene of mine.
"But Andrew, why are you writing about hiking? This is a pop culture blog, not a hiking blog. Don't you have a blog for hiking?"
Yes, I do. It's called Walk With Nature, and its pretty good**. However, if you will stop interrupting me, I'll get to the damn point.
Anyways, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a tale of a bunch of characters traveling through valleys, meadows, and mountains to reach the Lonely Mountain. Along the way, they go to Rivendell and climb up the Misty Mountains. They do spend some time on ponies, but eventually they travel by foot. As mentioned by Bilbo, they are definitely on an adventure.
In other words, of course I love this film. If it would have been just three hours of Gandalf, Bilbo, and the twelve dwarves hiking and camping I probably would have enjoyed it. The fact that it stars Martin Freeman in the role he was born to play, has a scene with the White Council***, and nails the Gollum and Bilbo riddle-off is just icing on the cake.
Sure, the movie drags in places. There are times during the dwarves arrival at Bag End where I wondered when they were going to get going. Were it about 15-20 minutes shorter, it would be a much tighter film. That doesn't mean I can find much to cut, just that it could benefit from some streamlining.
I've already seen the film twice, both times being the regular 2D showing. It sounds like the 48fps 3d is at best insignificant and at worst a disaster. If anybody who reads this has seen it in the other formats, please let us know how it was in the comments section.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is playing at theaters across the country. If you loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy, enjoy fantasy adventures, or just enjoy creative facial hair, I fully recommend this film.
Coming Soon: We'll be staying at home to catch up with some of the best films of the year that found their way to Netflix, plus a few classics I've never seen. Also, if luck turns my way, we'll be catching up on some other films in the theater.
*These things are related.
**When it's updated.
***For those uninitiated in the world of Middle Earth, that would be Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and Saruman (Christopher Lee). It's kind of a big deal, and is a favorite scene of mine.
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