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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
A long-expected success!
After a fall of underwhelming cinematic fare, I had long-anticipated a film that would condone going to the theaters. Fortunately, one existed. In the crisp mid-December chill, we were invited to return to Middle Earth after a 9-year break. Yes, I thought to myself, this film will be truly epic. A newcomer to the Lord of the Rings franchise, I had spent the last year procuring copies of and rabidly watching the original trilogy. None of these titles disappointed, whether it was the character-driven Fellowship of the Ring or the darker war-film The Two Towers or the emotional and triumphant Return of the King each film proved to be epic. So after watching the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey thirty somewhat times, I was ready for another classic film.
Unsurprisingly, Peter Jackson delivered this time abet a few flaws in the film's pacing. I was treated to a rich, touching adventure in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien with some memorable characters and intense action pieces. The reason why I say some memorable characters is due to the immense supporting cast. We had Gandalf the Grey: wise and wisecracking, Bilbo Baggins: Reluctant but eventually develops beautifully, Thorin Oakenshield: The stoic and solemn leader of the party and 12 other dwarfs who never got enough screen-time. We'll probably see a lot more of them in future movies, but I never bothered to learn all of their names, they were just uncharacteristic faces that made up their company, and some of them could fight well
I hate to be a nitpicker but that was my major quim with the film.
Other than the underwhelming Dwarfs, I found the movie quite enjoyable and found that the Production Design really was given the chance to shine here. We had some fantastic costumes, ranging from the elegant and proud Elrond to the paranoid and silly Radagast. Taking a page from the previous trilogy, the costume designers really just had to get back into their old mindset and think like they did ten years ago. The hobbits still wear periodic corduroy suits with bare over-large hairy feet and the dwarfs still have extravagant beards. But it doesn't stop there, the film is shot, once again, on location in New Zealand, hobbit-holes and all. This really added to the feel of the film, bringing Middle Earth to life with magnificent locations and a truly epic feel. When the crew wasn't fighting mountain trolls or evading a swarm of angry goblins they were trekking up the Misty Mountains to a truly magnificent score written by Howard Shore.
As far as the acting was concerned, this movie truly delivered. Martin Freeman was the perfect Bilbo Baggins, he came off exactly as I pictured him when I read the book in the 5th grade. The audience really fell in love with him in the beginning of the film when he had the conversation with Gandalf about the "Good Morning." It was then that I decided that he really was perfect for the role. Which brings me to another actor, Ian Mckellen was once again a show-stealer as Gandalf. The scenes where he isn't shown are never quite as good as he is more or less one of the icons of the entire franchise as a whole.
By far the greatest scene in the film was the infamous "Riddles in the Dark" where Bilbo falls down into a cave and encounters the creature Gollum, who is obsessed with the Ring of Power, but still really playful. There, Bilbo has a game of riddles with Gollum, putting his life on the line in exchange for the way to escape the Goblin Cavern. When Bilbo finds the ring and the theme from the past movies is played, I got chills. And Andy Shirkis as Gollum is and has always been a delight. Gollum is a really interesting character, he has two personalities to him, the Murderous and conniving Gollum and Sméagol the friendly character who wants to play games and help hobbitses. This scene really embodies the film as a whole: playful, but dangerous and it shows that Peter Jackson is still very capable of directing this fantastic series.
As a whole, this movie did not disappoint, sure it was different than the other movies, but it's supposed to be The Hobbit was written for little kids! It still has Peter Jackson's DNA coursing through its legendary veins.
4 ½ stars (out of 5)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
The Dark Knight rises to expectations
While this summer's theatrical selection was generally mundane, going to the movies is always a pleasurable experience. The buttery overpriced popcorn, the thrilling previews and a genuine sense of wonder that comes with the theater experience. While there wasn't much to see this summer, when a movie as big as The Dark Knight Rises is released, the world stops for a few days.
The conclusion of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Saga, TDKR is truly an epic undertaking. Coming in with a running time just under three hours long, it's almost as ambitious as a Lord of the Rings marathon. Even today, nearly two months since its release it's still in the top ten box office movies this week.
But all that aside
is it any good?
Well, yeah, yeah it is. The movie begins with the brooding villain Bane (played brilliantly by Tom Hardy) hijacking an airplane by using another airplane. It's exactly the semi-trippy/ingenious concept that you'd only see in a Christopher Nolan movie. The movie escalates from here, easing us back into the city of Gotham, refreshing our memories, and introducing a reclusive Bruce Wayne, and the sly Selena Kyle/Catwoman. Every minute this scene integrates to the story, is another truly immersive experience. Eventually Bane takes over all of Gotham by "giving it to the people" you see Batman be awesome, and (SPOILER ALERT
ish) pretty much nobody dies. But the movie isn't entirely full of high flying mind-blowing greatness. This movie does fall short of expectations on several regards. One may complain that the movie is just too long, there are many unnecessary parts that could have been trimmed down after a quick editing job. The biggest concern that I had however, was the several plot holes that plagued the movie sending every cop in the entire city to the underground and how everyone knows Batman's secret identity.
All my complaints are merely in retrospect, however. This is a solid and deeply emotional film that is immensely satisfying at the end.
Four and a half stars (out of five)
War Horse (2011)
Immensely Satisfying
This is not a movie to watch casually. That said, it is definitely a movie to watch, and emotionally invest in it, the payoff is incredible. Although the beginning lagged a bit (there could have easily been a good 15 minutes taken off of the running time), once the battle scenes picked up I became enthralled.
Steven Spielberg hits home once again with this film, and John William's soundtrack is completely outstanding. And there is a slew of recognizable actors from David Thewlis (Remus Lupin in Harry Potter) to Eddie Marsan (Inspector Lestrade in Sherlock Holmes).
Overall this movie was immensely satisfying, and moving in a couple parts.
Eight solid stars.
Happiness Is a Warm Blanket Charlie Brown (2011)
Happiness is Mediocre, Charlie Brown
Let me say first off that I am a huge Peanuts fan. I've followed them since early childhood and it is still deeply rooted into my character. But there was a lot of strange elements about this special that really irked me.
My biggest problem was Linus himself. He didn't seem like the intelligent, spiritually-savvy kid he had been throughout the comics and many of the specials. Instead he seemed very angry, rather short tempered and seemed different in a very non-refreshing way. But out of all of the things that made me cringe about him, the biggest was towards the end where he exclaimed: "DO YOU WANT ME TO END UP LIKE CHARLIE BROWN?!?"
Ouch.
Which brings up another point of mine: Charlie Brown himself. It seemed that the Peanuts Gang was being especially rude and cold-hearted to good old Chuck. I felt genuinely bad for him, which detracted a lot from the main premise of the feature.
Now, all that out of the way, I must add in some of the pros, because there were many. I think that the art in this special shone. There was one scene where Linus was standing in a field looking up at the sky for his blanket (which had been turned into a kite and flew away) while the sun set. It gave me the chills. Linus is my favorite character and it displayed him as the philosophical and wise character we all know. The art direction really suggested a back-to-basics sort of feel, very retro, and very different...and very cool.
I especially enjoyed the usage of Charles M. Schultz's comics. They were engraved into some of the writing, and the majority of the plot.
All in all, it turned out to be a very mediocre hour for me. Part of it screamed "THIS IS GREAT" but the other, "Yikes."
In the words of Linus: "It has its drawbacks."
Phineas and Ferb (2007)
All-Time Favorite Show, Period.
I started watching Phineas and Ferb during their debut month (entitled Phineas and Ferb-uary) There was a marathon at the end of the month in which they pretty much played all of the episodes up to that date. So I decided that I'd sit down and watch the whole thing.
I wasn't really expecting much (I mean, come on, it's Disney Channel...quality isn't exactly their middle name) and I was blown away. The writing was witty and the jokes were well-timed. Each episode was inventive and made me want to seize my summer (despite it being wintertime). The humor style is reminiscent of Family Guy meeting Spongebob Squarepants (without all of the profanity and toilet humor...basically it's Disney-fied and that's a great thing)...
My parents canceled our cable so I took some time off from Phineas and Ferb, watching the occasional episode online whenever I had time...It was when my parents got Netflix Instant Streaming that my life was made.
All three seasons are available to watch instantly and it is indeed a joy to watch them...to my delight, over the 2 1/2 years I didn't have Cable, Phineas and Ferb got even better, even funnier and just plain incredible (and this is coming from a 16 year old critic).
Bravo Disney Channel, you have finally put out something that is not only worthwhile...but downright great.
Psych (2006)
It's official, I'm now a Psych-O
This summer my parents got Netflix instant streaming, as a result I got almost nothing during that three month period...Nevertheless, I found Psych, I had heard a lot of people at my school talk about it and constantly quote it, so I started to watch.
The beginning of season 1 was good, but not brilliant, it did show a lot of promise, and the characters were just screaming to be a little weirder...throughout the rest of the season I would laugh and chortle at a number of their jokes but the real gems were "Spellingg Bee","From Earth to Starbucks","9 Lives" and "Poker? I Barely Even Know Her."
Season 2 was the beginning of something special, James Roday (Shawn) and Dule Hill (Gus) started to fit into their characters and really began to shine a lot: Examples would be: "Meat is Murder but Murder is also Murder","Lights, Camera, Homicido","Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead" and "Black and Tan: a Crime of Fashion."
This spirit of brilliance carried throughout the bulk of season 3, the mysteries began to actually keep me guessing, the episodes were scarier and even funnier...highlights are: "Murder? Anyone? Anyone?...Buller?","An Evening with Mr. Yang" and "The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable."
I didn't like Season 4 as much as all the others, there were a lot of hit-and-miss jokes and an awkward love triangle between Shawn, Abigail and Juliet...none the less, there were some fabulous episodes: "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark","Extradition: British Colombia" and the chilling season finale: "And Mr. Yin Presents..."
As for Season 5? It's starting to become evident that the show is winding down a bit, but now, when I go back and watch season 1 or 2 with my parents I'm starting to realize how much these characters have developed...hmmm...The best episodes? "Romeo and Juliet and Juliet" is pretty funny, as was "Dual Spires" a nice tribute to 90's television. "Dead Bear Walking" and "In Plain Fright" were also quite humorous. The Season finale was a bit of a step down though comparatively to past seasons but...I was satisfied.
Now while I watch Season 6 here on IMDb I am continually impressed, "Shawn Rescues Darth Vader" and "The Adventures of Psych Man and Tap Man issue #2" have been fabulous.
I'd recommend Psych to anyone, I watch it a lot with my family (ranging from ages 9-43) it's a great show and it's generally clean...a must watch.
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011)
Phineas and Ferb have done it again!
Step-brothers Phineas and Ferb have had a lot of great adventures over the course of their summer (ex. Traveling through time (twice) Building a Roller Coaster and going around the world in a single day) but this one seems to take the cake. There's a good helping of action, and enough jokes to keep viewers young and old laughing. I was very impressed by this Disney Channel production, because, not only was it so much better than any of the other original movies but it was even better than a lot of the actual episodes of it's own TV series. Which is saying a lot because the TV series is groundbreaking entertainment with phenomenal writing and animation. I never thought I'd say this but: Bravo Disney Channel!
The Middle (2009)
The Middle is a thing of beauty....
There are really only a few shows out there today that don't promote scandalous behavior and utter sleaze and can still pull off a successful comedy.
The Middle is one of those shows, mainly due to Patrica Heaton's brilliant acting and comic timing. Though, truth be told, Atticus Shaffer always steals the show. Playing the "odd" and "socially awkward" child.
This isn't just a show for 18-25 year olds, it's one that can be enjoyed by everyone, I have to applaud ABC for making such a masterpiece. It has magnificent writing, jokes that make me crack up and scenes where you are actually embarrassed for the characters...
Brilliance, sheer and utter brilliance.