The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

How It All Began

★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5 buckets | Friday Night and DVD

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Rated: PG-13 - Extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images.

Release Date: December 14, 2012

Runtime: 2 hours 49 minutes

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Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
Cast:  Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Dean O'Gorman, Aiden Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries

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SYNOPSIS: Content Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is asked to join a company of dwarves at the request of wizard Gandalf the Grey on a quest to help the dwarves regain their kingdom from Smaug the Dragon.

REVIEW: Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Lovely Bones, returns to the reins of the story that made Jackson such a premiere and acclaimed director of our time. Writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson reunite to delve back into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien and the realms of Middle-Earth, with help from Guillermo del Toro who had spent two years on the project as writer and director before he relented the project back to Peter Jackson.

The unassuming and content Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman, What's Your Number?) is thrust into an unexpected journey when traveling wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan, Apt Pupil) chooses the diminutive hobbit to join a company of dwarves led by Prince Thorin Oakenhield (Richard Armitage, Captain America: The First Avenger) set out on a quest to regain their kingdom lost sixty years earlier to the fire-breathing dragon Smaug. Passing out of the familiarity of the Shire and of Bag End, Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves find themselves battling orcs, goblins, and wargs on their way to the Lonely Mountain, forced to take help from the elfs Elrond (Hugo Weaving, Captain America: The First Avenger) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett, Hanna), and finding themselves face-to-face with unexpected old enemies from years past. And Bilbo Baggins must muster enough courage to rise to the challenge that the rest of the company find themselves in, as well as deal with an unexpected rising evil in the form of a paranoid and possessive creature named Gollum (Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes from the first J.R.R. Tolkien book that visits Middle-Earth, halflings, dwarves, elves, goblins, wizards, and quests to be taken. Sixty years before Frodo (Elijah Wood, Happy Feet Two) inherented the One Ring, a younger Bilbo Baggins is enlisted by Gandalf the Grey to aid a clan of dwarves to take back their rightful kingdom taken by force by a fire dragon named Smaug who hoards the dwarves gold and treasure. In this, the first of three films to tell the tale of Mr. Baggins and his newfound band of wandering miners, Bilbo and the collection of farmers, metalsmiths, toy makers, a couple aging warriors, and a displaced prince, set out with the wizard toward the Lonely Mountain with only their gear, a key, and a map that none of them can hope to decipher. With lurking darkness and evil creeping back into the world, and old foes hunting down the dwarves, it does not take long before their quest to reclaim their birthright home is threatened.

The writing and directing team that brought to life J.R.R. Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy in an acclaimed and award-winning fashion return from the Wilderness, like the Ranger Aragorn, to the small book that started a young hobbit in the bloodline of Took on an adventure that would change him forever. Instead of rangers, warrior men, a troupe of hobbits, elves and a single dwarf, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey focuses on Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin's loyal dwarves who heed the call to reclaim their kingdom of Erebor. Sure, a few characters returned in the form of Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman the White (Christopher Lee, Dark Shadows), but there are many new characters to get acquainted with. Personal council Balin (Ken Stott, One Day) and warrior brawler Dwalin (Graham McTavish, Colombiana), close relatives of Thorin, follow the prince with unwavering resolve in his quest. Fortune seeker dwarfs of the West Bofur (James Nesbitt, Coriolanus), his brother Bombur (Stephen Hunter, Spirited), and cousin Bifur (William Kircher, Hold-Up) comes along on Thorin's quest for gold and the promise of free beer. Fili (Dean O'Gorman, Kawa) and Kili (Aiden Turner, Being Human), the youngest of Thorin's company, have been raised under the leadership of Thorin himself and are both skilled fighters with a love for music. Brothers Oin (John Callen, Love Birds) and Gloin (Peter Hambleton, The Last Tattoo) are Northern Dwarves and distant kin to Thorin, with heavily investment to the success of Thorin's quest. Finally, brothers Ori (Adam Brown), Nori (Jed Brophy, The Warrior's Way), and Dori (Mark Hadlow, King Kong) seem unlikely additions to the company, but do their best to look out for each other and the rest of the company.

Jackson and company pump up the thin 'The Hobbit' book with additional threats not used in the original narrative. Using characters from Appendix A of 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, the richness and depth of myth that Lord of the Rings offered is also included in this first installment of The Hobbit. Azog the Defiler, an Albino Orc, is a long-standing nemesis of Thorin from the campaigns where Thorin and his kin attempted to reclaim the mines of Moria from the Orcs and Goblins. Although Azog is a major villainous character in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, another threat in the form of a shadowed man only known as the Necromancer may become even more of a threat as the trilogy progresses.

The return to Middle-Earth has been highly anticipated, and Peter Jackson and company do not disappoint. We are treated to familiar and brand new characters alike. Martin Freeman, taking over the role of Bilbo Baggins from Ian Holm, is a delight to watch. Armitage's Thorin is steely and his presence gravitating. Gandalf returns in all his gruff, pre-White, wizarding ways. And Gollum returns, in all his CGI splendor, even more detailed and bi-polar than ever. From LOTR, we may have witnesses the capture of the One Ring by a hobbit named Smeagol, but we were never given the opportunity to see the game of riddles between Gollum and a younger Bilbo. Aside from the attention to detail to the characters, Jackson continues to lay out exact inspired Middle-Earth landscapes. With dramatic ariel camera shots of rolling plains and mountain peaks, detailed miniatures coupled with live-action and CGI insets, and intimate settings throughout, the mythos of Tolkien's vision comes to life in grand fashion - yet again.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a beautiful film with a story that speeds by. Knowing that this film is indeed the first of a trilogy, we must prepare for an ending that is an abrupt cliffhanger - unsatisfying for those who want the entire trilogy's story presented in marathon fashion. It is difficult to not compare the prequel The Hobbit with the original LOTR. We know the ultimate ending of the story, so we know some of who will continue on the quest and eventually return home. LOTR's Aragorn and the company of the Fellowship of the Ring setting out from Rivendell was a diverse group of species working together for a common goal of good versus evil. The Hobbit does have a quest of good versus evil, as well, but may not live up to the grand epic that LOTR was. As a minor fantasy epic, I think most will rightfully enjoy Bilbo's adventures.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a glorious return to the creatures and adventures of Tolkien's Middle-Earth. Even if the quest is not as epic as the destruction of the One Ring, all great quests begin with the smallest furry-footed Hobbit step!

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The Adventures of Tintin - Secrets of the Unicorn

Journey Into Mystery

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Rated: PG Adventure action violence, some drunkenness and brief smoking
Release Date: December 21, 2011
Runtime: 1 hr 47 min

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Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, based on the comic book series by Herge
Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Daniel Mays, Toby Jones

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SYNOPSIS: Young journalist Tintin and his trusted dog Snowy stumble upon a intriguing story of lost treasure, danger, and a drunken sea captain named Haddock when he unwittingly finds a clue hidden in a model man of war ship.

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REVIEW: Director Steven Spielberg returns with his second film of the season with an adaptation of the Adventures of Tintin, one of the most popular European comics of the last century. In print since 1929, the Belgian comic strip eventually was collected into dozens of graphic collections, a magazine, and previously adapted for film, radio, TV and theater. Created originally by Belgian artist Hergé, Spielberg's version is deftly written by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), Joe Cornish (Attack the Block).

Young Belgian journalist Tintin (Jamie Bell, The Eagle) and his trusty terrier Snowy stumble upon adventure when he buys a model sailing ship at a outside market. Tintin finds out that there are more parties interested in the model ship than he bargained for after his apartment is ransacked and the model ship stolen. Running against the henchmen of a determined man named Sakharine (Daniel Craig, Quantum of Solace), Tintin and Snowy find themselves teaming up with a drunken sea captain Haddock (Andy Serkis, Lord of the Rings) to chase down Sakharine in a race to uncover and decipher the clues that could lead them to a sunken man of war ship and possible treasure of Haddock's ancestor Sir Francis.

The Adventures of Tintin encapsulates and touches on plot points from three of the twenty four collected works of the comic series. Using elements from "The Crab with the Golden Claws", "The Secret of the Unicorn", and "Red Rackham's Treasure", the highly detailed animated film is a swashbuckling adventure with mystery and exotic locales. Several of the original recurring characters turn up, including the aforementioned Haddock, and a pair of bumbling look-alike detectives named Thomson (Nick Frost, Attack the Block) and Thompson (Simon Pegg, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol), adding slap-stick and humor.

Spielberg borrows much of the film's settings from the experiences he cultivated from films like his Raiders of the Lost Ark. Warm in tone, each landscape is cast in high detail and laid out in epic proportions. When Haddock, in a sobering moment of clarity, regals Tintin with a remembered tale from his ancestor sea captain Sir Francis, the dunes of North Africa seamlessly turn to tidal waves carrying the original Man of War ship named The Unicorn and the pirate incursion that followed. Also like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Tintin is plunged into a grand dangerous chase through the street of a Moroccan port village after a hawk, followed by henchman, raging rapids, and a military tank. But neither of these seem to compare to the climatic sparking dock duel at the end of the film.

Accounting for the fact that the film is an animation, Spielberg walks a double edged cutlass with both ultra realism and comic caricatures. While the backdrops and props border on the tangible and Tintin looks like he may step out of the screen like Jeff Daniels in The Purple Rose of Cairo, secondary characters and absurd action sometimes detract from the magic of the movie's escapism. When a military tank following Tintin carries an entire building on its shell from its foundation to the sea, it cuts into the superb action that Tintin manages up to that point.

Unfamiliar with the graphic exploits of the young journalist named Tintin before this film, I can see why the comics have been so popular during the majority of the twentieth century. Filled with mystery that would shame the Hardy Boys, and period action that would impress even Dr. Jones himself, The Adventures of Tintin has appeal for both children and adults. Let's hope that Tintin's journeys can continue. 

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WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Chest Pounding Good Time

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Writers: Pierre Boulle, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver

Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis

SYNOPSIS: After creating a pharmaceutical cure for Alzheimer's, the company that Will Rodman works for launches into clinical animal trials. As the trials expand the intelligence of test subject Caeser, the simian finds itself in a position to wrestle control away from the humans who have mistreated him.

REVIEW: We have seen its battles and conquests. We have seen beneath it and have helped to escape from it. Between 1968 and 1973, 20th Century Fox had released five Planet of the Apes films based on the French novel La Planete des singes by Pierre Boulle. Over the years, 20th Century Fox has returned to the Planet of the Apes with television series and comic book stories. The franchise was rebooted, reinterpreted and re-imagined by Tim Burton with Mark Wahlberg and Tim Roth in the lead roles in 2001 with a successful box office, but mixed critical and fan opinion.

Now, 20th Century Fox is reimagining the franchise again with an origin story set in modern day San Francisco, where Will Rodman (James Franco) experiments with generic engineering for a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Along the way, his 'cure' leads to the development of superior intelligence in the test subject simian in the animal trials. Can Rise of the Planet of the Apes reignite one of the first fan favorite film franchise? A series of films with a legacy on par with the frenzy of today's Harry Potter series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes may be the studio's last attempt to reboot and reclaim its former glory.

James Franco stars as William Rodman, a Berkley scientist working at the pharmaceutical corporation Gen Sys in pursuit of a cure for Alzheimer's that afflict his father Charles (John Lithgow). When ALZ 112 shows repaired cognitive functions in chimpanzee #9, Rodman pushes the board to vote in favor of human trials. When #9, nicknamed Bright Eyes, seems to go berserk on the day of the presentation, the entire project is shut down and all of the test subjects euthanized. But Bright Eye's outburst was due to her protecting an infant no one was aware of. Rodman takes the baby chimp home and raises it as his own, soon realizing that the cognitive benefits from the 112 serum had been passed directly to the baby, named Caeser by William's father. And so begins a brand new modern interpretation of an enduring film franchise.

Built on a solid script from RIck Jaffa and Amanda Silver, based on the films and and based on the original story from Pierre Boulle, Rise of the Planet of the Apes unfolds an origin tale much more believable - if you suspend your disbelief - than the sequels did in the original 1970s versions. Based on man's genetic chemical experimentation to repair the human brain, the obvious choice for animal testing would put chimpanzees and other simians in the line of fire. Never satisfied with the original time-traveling Caeser baby throwback where chimpanzees replaced the exist dogs and cats as domestic pets and domestic servants before they eventually rebelled against their human masters, Rise of the Planet of the Apes uses modern thinking (no pun intended) to rationalize how an evolved species of animal would all of a sudden push into a new evolutionary cycle on its way to become the dominant species on the planet.

The effects are slick, the CGI a little ragged to the trained eye at the beginning but evolving into developed detailed characters as Caeser grows up. The intelligent look in Caeser's eyes as his capacity broadened pierces right through you. Without uttering a word, Caeser (powered and captured by Andy Serkis of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) conveys all the pain and knowing that the drugs endow in him. As the story rises up into a climatic confrontation on the Golden Gate Bridge, all the dazzle of what CGI can do comes to light as Caesar and his small army of enlightened apes square off against CHiPs, swat, local law enforcement and the Gen Sys executive Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo). The only other issue I had was that by the climax of the film, there seems to be an abundance of army apes that were not accounted for earlier in the story.

Brian Cox is notable as the less than savory primate sanctuary administrator John Landon, letting his son Dodge (played beautifully by Tom Felton) run the place like his own personal testing lab for abusing the animals and treating them worse than inmates. John Lithgow as Charles Rodman shows his acting range as William's father as his Alzheimer's rages and recedes with the introduction of the drugs William gives him. Freida Pinto is also on board as Caroline Aranha as a simian expert who ends up in a relationship with William. David Oyelowo stars as the Gen Sys executive Steven Jacobs whose only interest is profiting from William's pursuit of a viable cure. And David Hewlett stars as the angry neighbor Rodney who eventually answers the question of how a few intelligent apes even stand a chance or be victorious against the machinations of modern man.

Ferociously entertaining, Rise of the Planets of the Apes may give lifelong Planet of the Apes fans what they are looking for - a chance at a new franchise of the story they came to love. New fans should come away with a new appreciation for what is possible with a few new 'damn dirty apes'. The real question is whether fanatic fans will accept the CGI as the medium in which the apes are presented. Although the 2001 Tim Burton Planet of the Apes reboot was not glowingly received, at least Rick Baker's makeup still allowed man to embody monkey like the originals. Maybe as the technology evolves and integrates in silver screen storytelling, Ape fans may need to evolve as well.

WORTH: Friday Night Opening and BluRay