The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry, Cate Blanchett, Sylvester McCoy. Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo Del Toro. Based on the novel The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Directed by Peter Jackson.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second in Peter Jackson's Hobbit series, the prequel series to The Lord of the Rings series, continues the story of Bilbo Baggins as he travels with a company of dwarves in their quest to kill a dragon and take back their homeland. The story also follows Gandalf the Grey as he tries to stop impending war and the return of evil to Middle-Earth.
Those complaining about how the first Hobbit film was too slow will be content with this film. Despite one notable exception - a conclusion battle that drags on and on - the story and the action moves at a rapid pace. The acting is exceptional, especially Martin Freeman whose Bilbo is a way better character than Frodo from The Lord of the Rings. However, it feels odd that in a film entitled The Hobbit, Bilbo seems to not have a lot of the focus on him. That actually seems to be a detriment to the film as a whole: at times it feels completely unfocused.
I thought this film was spectacular and was a worthy addition to the franchise, but I had one major problem with the film. I thought the CGI was grossly overused. I thought the use of practical effects on the Orcs in The Lord of the Rings was a lot cooler and a lot scarier than the CGI Orcs in The Hobbit. There are several scenes that feel almost cartoonish because of this CGI overused. That being said, overall I found the film to be great.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Election (1999) - Review
Election (1999) - Starring Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein, Jessica Campbell. Written by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. Based on the book by Tom Perrotta. Directed by Alexander Payne. Rated R. Available on DVD.
This movie shocked me with how good it was. I expected an average high school comedy, but then seeing Alexander Payne's name as a writer and a director confused me. This movie was far from an average high school comedy.
Election tells the story of a high school presidential election and the effect that it has on the students running for the office and their Student Government sponsor, played by Matthew Broderick at his very best. Reese Witherspoon kills it as an insanely over-achieving student who cheats and will do anything possible to win the election. Matthew Broderick plays the sponsor whose life is starting to fall apart and he feels relatable. That's one of the most amazing things about this film: it feels over-the-top and ridiculous, yet it is very real and relatable.
The structure of this film is very interesting and very well done. The use of flashbacks, freeze frames, and voiceovers make this film unique and the style was quite well executed. The story is engaging as well; however, I feel like the first two-thirds of the film was way better than the last. The last act seemed to drag on for a quite awhile, yet not too much that it made me dislike the film. I quite enjoyed it and it was a pleasant surprise and I would highly recommend it.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This movie shocked me with how good it was. I expected an average high school comedy, but then seeing Alexander Payne's name as a writer and a director confused me. This movie was far from an average high school comedy.
Election tells the story of a high school presidential election and the effect that it has on the students running for the office and their Student Government sponsor, played by Matthew Broderick at his very best. Reese Witherspoon kills it as an insanely over-achieving student who cheats and will do anything possible to win the election. Matthew Broderick plays the sponsor whose life is starting to fall apart and he feels relatable. That's one of the most amazing things about this film: it feels over-the-top and ridiculous, yet it is very real and relatable.
The structure of this film is very interesting and very well done. The use of flashbacks, freeze frames, and voiceovers make this film unique and the style was quite well executed. The story is engaging as well; however, I feel like the first two-thirds of the film was way better than the last. The last act seemed to drag on for a quite awhile, yet not too much that it made me dislike the film. I quite enjoyed it and it was a pleasant surprise and I would highly recommend it.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Frozen (2013) - Review
Frozen (2013) - Starring Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk. Written by Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck, and Shane Morris. Directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck. Rated PG. Now in Theatres.
Disney has found magic again. Along with Tangled, Frozen goes back to Disney's roots in fairy tales and also feels like a movie from Disney's last Golden Age of Movies, which featured movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. It's a brilliantly done animated musical that feels like it comes straight from Broadway, probably due to the Broadway talent both the songwriters and the voice actors they chose to cast. All of the cast members seem to be no strangers to Broadway and that definitely shows in the film.
The story is interesting enough to hold your interest the whole time and actually features some twists and turns that you might not expect. The music is great. Most of the comedic moments work just right. The visual style is exceptional. I am predicting that this film is a shoe-in for the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Disney has found magic again. Along with Tangled, Frozen goes back to Disney's roots in fairy tales and also feels like a movie from Disney's last Golden Age of Movies, which featured movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. It's a brilliantly done animated musical that feels like it comes straight from Broadway, probably due to the Broadway talent both the songwriters and the voice actors they chose to cast. All of the cast members seem to be no strangers to Broadway and that definitely shows in the film.
The story is interesting enough to hold your interest the whole time and actually features some twists and turns that you might not expect. The music is great. Most of the comedic moments work just right. The visual style is exceptional. I am predicting that this film is a shoe-in for the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
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