The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

December 2012

4 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  Theatre

The gist:  The prequel to the LOTR trilogy, this is the story of Bilbo Baggins and his journey to help a group of Dwarves reclaim their home.  His adventure starts with a visit from the wizard Gandalph the Grey who convinces Bilbo to join their quest.  During his journey he meets the creature Gollum and gains possession of a “precious” ring of great power.

My take:

I saw this movie in 3D which I normally do not like, however, this is one movie that really shines in that medium!  As a LOTR fan I was nervous about Bilbo’s character and if I would grow to love him as much as Frodo.  I did not need to worry at all, not only was Bilbo completely unassuming and lovable but all the characters were wonderful. 

I enjoyed the very beginning of the movie and the interactions between Bilbo Baggins and Frodo.  Within about 20 minutes of that time I began to lose interest as the dwarves descended on Bilbo’s house and things got VERY cheesy and childish VERY quickly.  Just as I was starting to get annoyed the dwarves got serious and so did the movie (thank gawd!!)  The scenery was beautiful and breathtaking as the travelers began their journey and throughout the entire movie. 

The meeting of Bilbo Baggins and Gollum was definitely a powerful moment.  As they began interacting I was literally getting chills because of all the history of Gollum’s character and watching Bilbo gain courage was truly one of the most commanding moments in the entire film.  I began to get annoyed again as their conversation went on and on and on and on.  That interaction in my opinion needed to be about half as long.

There were many parts of the film that reminded me of watching a video game.  This was confusing and in my opinion added very little to the movie.  (for example the scene where the dwarves are being chased through the mountainous caverns by the orcs)

I did like this movie, but thought it was WAY too long.  That definitely affected my opinion of this film.  As I left the theatre I kept trying to figure out how much I liked the movie.  Because of my love for the LOTR trilogy I think I was able to love this movie more than I think most people would.  It was great in parts and not great in others.

Killing Them Softly

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Killing Them Softly

December 2012

2 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

2.5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  DVD

The gist:  This film is set in New Orleans during the financial crisis and 2008 presidential election where the economy is bad, even for criminals.  When a mob protected card game gets robbed by a couple of amateurs a professional hit man (Brad Pitt) is hired to take them out.    

My take:

I was not happy with this movie at all.  It was like the film was trying too hard and it just missed the mark completely.  The 3 most notable actors in the film were all playing characters I had seen before.  Brad Pitt was a grungy version of his character from Fight Club, James Gandolfini was a Tony Soprano-esque hit man and Ray Liotta plays an older version of Henry Hill from Goodfellows.  The acting is fine, but come on, you’ve got to give us a little more here!  I do appreciate all three of these actors and their craft, it just didn’t work here.

One of things that really bothered me about the film was the amount of drawn out, LONG conversations between the characters.  A few were clever, but most were overkill.  I can see what they were trying to accomplish here but it didn’t work at all.  The dialogue has to be interesting if it is going to go on over 5 minutes.

Also, the whole premise of the film is “killing them softly” which Pitt’s character explains as not getting too close to his targets and taking them out somewhat gently.  He then proceeds to completely ignore his own rule and becomes friendly with his final victim while shooting him at point blank range.  Not sure how that is “killing them softly”?  Actually, all of the killings are very brutal including the scene where Ray Liotta’s character is beaten.  Nothing “soft” about that either!!

There are a few redeeming qualities in this film.  For one, the setting in New Orleans was perfect and the constant debate telecasts in the background between Obama and McCain added nicely to setting the scene for the hard times the world was going through. 

I was surprised by the good reviews this film has been getting….those people must have seen something that I clearly missed.  

Silver Linings Handbook

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Silver Linings Playbook

December 2, 2012

4 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4.5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  Theatre or DVD

The gist:  Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents after spending time in a mental institution.  He is determined to reunite with his wife by staying positive and showing that he has rebuilding his life.  Along this journey he meets a woman named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who has mental issues of her own.   What follows is an interesting relationship between the two.  Pat’s father , Pat Sr. desperately want him to focus on himself and their family obsession (Philadelphia Eagles football). 

My take:

I loved this movie.  One of the reasons is because everyone in this movie was an INTERESTING character and it poked fun at the fact that all of us are a little bit crazy.   In order to make a subject matter as real as this work, there has to be an element of comedy relief.  There were many laugh out loud moments mostly provided by Cooper and his strange conversations with Lawrence, DeNiro and Tucker. 

In my opinion the acting was very solid, both Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence gave good performances and brought a lot of depth to their characters.  Chris Tucker plays Danny, another institutioned patient and friend of Pat’s and he is absolutely hilarious.  The shining star of the movie was Robert DeNiro in his role as Pat Sr.  He gave a very real and heart felt performance of a father who doesn’t know how to bond or even talk to his troubled son.  You can’t decide whether you love his character or hate it until you realize he is just doing the best he can.

This movie put a real smile to my face and it also warmed my heart.  It is a must see for this Oscar season.  I am not sure about the actors nominations except that DeNiro should definitely be considered but I wouldn’t put it past TWC to pull off another win this year for best movie.  We’ll have to see how the cards fall.