Desolation of Smaug - Simply Amazing

**Spoiler Alert

Anyone who has not seen at least one of the "Hobbit" films, one of very few truly movie theater worthy experiences, is simply not worth talking to. 

Director Peter Jackson
(photo credit: Yahoo Movies.com)

What more can be said of Peter Jackson's apparently genius filmmaking? What further accolades can be added to the performances of both the staple cast (Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellen) and newcomers (Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lily)?

All I can note is that I am amazed at how committed I've become to the series and to the characters. You invest so much in the Baggins family and their journey that you feel like you've shrunk by 3 feet and your feet have transformed into hairy paws. I have yet to read one of Tolkien's books, so I can't compare what was left out to what has been added in. What I know is that this movie brings you right into the heart of evil, yet continually fills you with hope.

I saw a 3D Imax version which was probably not the best way to see it. The 3D effects are good, great, and terrifying at times (i.e. forest spiders), but the glasses also make the film appear even darker and as you should know by know, most of Middle Earth is in a perpetual gloom as it is. Seeing an Orc that close is, in a word, sickening.

The dragon is (hold breath) well worth the wait. Smaug is the Ultimate Dragon. I know most of us think we know dragons as fire breathing, grouchy, man eaters and Smaug is all that plus eloquent, paranoid, crafty and just plain damn scary.

The movie is worth every dollar (even at $11 a ticket) and epic worthy at 2 hours and 40 minutes. Jackson has the annoying habit of ending the epic just as you are really becoming immersed, but not to fear, the Hobbit: Here, There, and Back Again (i.e. Hobbit Part 3) is forthcoming.

The scale of Desolation of Smaug trumps alien invasions, transforming robots, and any super man in a cape. In a film landscape riddled with overblown effects, Smaug uses natural, organic elements like mountains, lairs, animals, and fire to their fullest potential, making you gasp in wonder or cringe over and over. The story is affected by the special effects, but not driven by nor dependent on them.

Similarly, the characters are not just heroic stereotypes, but all of them suffer from occasional delusions of grandeur, selfishness, stupidity, and arrogance, even those photogenic Elves. Peter Jackson could have created a cult movie that only the most die hard fans would see. Truthfully, he could have gotten away with a less spectacular dragon or FX. Instead, he created a beautiful habitable world with spectacular vistas and perils for millions of us to enjoy.

Now in it's 4th installment, the Hobbit series just does what no other serial film has done or will do. It changes the standard, raises the standard, and now has become the standard. The Desolation of Smaug desolates the slew of lackluster big film events and in does it....with fire.

The Best Man Holiday - Even Better With Age

****Spoiler Alert****

Tears, lots of tears characterize my emotions after watching the long overdue sequel to the Best Man.  Emotional and raw, like the first film, but also softer more fully developed insight into the very interesting characters and the directions their lives have taken.

If you didn’t see the first film, you need to buy it so that you can fully appreciate the growth and in some cases, regression of some of the characters. Somehow, writer/director Malcolm Lee managed to authentically capture the movements of 9 radically different personalities aged 15 years in a way that makes you feel like “one of them.”

Harper, Lance, Quentin, Merch, Mia, Shelby, Candace, Robin, and Jordan converge on the striking mansion for a Christmas holiday after years of being apart. Harper’s writing career is in tatters, Lance is at the top of his game, Quentin is well “Q”, and Merch is the founder of an academic non-profit. Mia continues to be Lance’s soulmate and the glue that holds everyone together despite her personal struggle, Robin is expecting…at last, Shelby is a Real Housewife and Jordan is dating a white guy!

The central story revolves again around Harper and Lance, still unreconciled from the fiasco that erupted years earlier. Naturally, their womenfolk want them to forgive. The incredibly touching story that unfolds is a triumph for Lee, who touched every spiritual and emotional heartstring as each layer of story reveals an even deeper layer of turmoil, grief, joy, and self-actualization.

The day I saw the film, only a handful of people surrounded me and we were laughed and wept openly and frequently-you will too.

The opening credits are worth a nod for the creativity in which the director connected the first film to this well done follow up. They take you right back to 1991. Most of the actors in the film were unknown then and have since gone on to achieve incredible film and tv success, although several have had quite a few personal setbacks, adding to the authenticity of the film.

A few scenes felt as if they were cut short prematurely, probably because the film already comes in at over 2 hours. The unexpected addition of Eddie Cibrian as Nia Long’s love interest felt a little contrived to me and frankly his underwhelming screen presence was a most unwelcome distraction.  There was gratuitous profanity at times and a somewhat anti-faith feel; perhaps an unnecessary dig at Tyler Perry’s overwhelming introduction of faith to the big screen.

If you haven’t seen The Best Man part 1, you WILL not understand why the characters behave as they do so do yourself a favor and add a quality film to your library. Why spend $10 on a film you can’t follow?

The very suspenseful ending leads us to believe that a Best Man Part 3 will be forthcoming and I hope it doesn’t take another 15 years for the filmmaker to give it to us.

So Best Man Holiday is deserving of every accolade and easily clears 4 stars (out of 5). It’s just a shame that the Best Man Holiday can’t be held every year.

Movie Thoughts 2013, "White House Down-Great Action, but Why Won't Jamie Foxx Stop Smoking..."??

 

“White House Down”- Great Action Film, but Why Won’t Jamie Foxx Stop Smoking…?

Jamie Foxx, as president, was a questionable choice and his performance is fairly wooden and non-threatening and I can almost forgive the racial stereotypes (i.e. Foxx running through the White House in Air Jordans instead of black leather oxfords.)

But what is it going to take for young black actors to grow up? Jamie showed moxy by wearing the Trayvon Martin tshirt to the BET awards. He appeared introspective after Harry Belafonte’s invigorating manifesto at the NAACP awards. Is it all an act?

Foxx is an uber-talented actor, singer, dancer, comedian, performer. There is one ironic line in “White House Down” where Foxx quips, “I don’t smoke” after opening a drawer filled with Nicorette gum. I didn’t laugh because it appears that is all he is doing.

Some may say I am expecting too much. I don’t think we can expect enough of anyone who plays the President of this nation.

TRAILER REVIEW 2013

Leo DiCaprio Roles Becoming Repetitive, Prepare for Titanic:Part 3

So I saw the trailer for “Wolf of Wall Street” starring Leo DiCaprio as a young rich spoiled self-centered arrogant young rich white spoiled self-centered, arrogant…I almost thought I was watching the trailer for “Great Gatsby, Part Two”. Lately Leo seems to be stuck on playing brooding, pseudo-psychotic, rich maniacs. Didn’t he get the memo? Playing rich white boys is out of style and worse, BORING. We were already saturated with the uninspired movie “The Social Experiment” (no one will ever think Mark Zuckerman is brilliant, just greedy). By the way film producers, Michael Douglas’ epic reprisal as Gordon Gecko in Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps is still very fresh in our minds and is not likely to be replaced by any actor, anytime soon. So this “new” Leo film already feels like a bad move.

Leo is a young man still getting stuck in old man roles. He did try a little comedy in the satire,  but I think we all just want Leo to play Jack Dawson again. If you’re going to typecast yourself, it might as well be in a character that we all cried for when he died. People don’t like when nice guys (Leo) play bad guys (Gatsby, Wolf). Leo, give us what we want, Titanic Part 2 and leave the unhinged, unpleasant arrogant characters to…someone else. Where’s Kate Winslet to give her old buddy some advice? Here’s some advice from Wall Street, Leo: Diversify.

New Jodie Foster film booed “Elysi-What?”

“Elysium” was hissed at as the trailer played. It looks like “Oblivion”, right? Hollywood filmmakers are apparently stuck on their own treadmill of delivering “deep” nihilistic type films (e.g. “After Earth”). Earth to Hollywood: we are all still suffering from the recession and are not in the mood to pay money for depressing, meaningless films where the characters have white hair. We can accept Jodie as a single mom in peril and that is all. End Transmission.

“Lone Ranger”

Why is Depp’s face painted like a member of Kiss? Nuff said.  Ps. Please stop allowing Depp to star in remakes of beloved classics (i.e. Willie Wonka).

The Last Word

Why no wedding films this summer?