The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Into the Fire

7.75 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Frightening images and fantasy action violence

Release Date: December 13, 2013

Runtime: 2 hours 40 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, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Luke Evans, Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly

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SYNOPSIS:  The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

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.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), his dwarf company, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) narrowly escape from an Orc ambush. Still being pursued, the company of dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard make their way ever closer to the Lonely Mountain. On the road they travel through more Orc infested hills, the giant spider infested Mirkwood, elf guarded forests, and an ailing fishing town at the base of the Lonely Mountain under the keep of men. During their travels Gandolf the Gray must say goodbye to the company in order to prove his own worries of a darkness that may becoming back into the world. With the evils of Orcs, the threat of the dark Necromancer, isolated Elves, and the greed and sloth of Men, Oakenshield, Bilbo and the rest of the company of dwarves may never reach the secret passage to the Lonely Mountain in time to face Smaug the Dragon.

Picking up immediately after the end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug serves as the heart of The Hobbit trilogy of films. Using the same formula as Peter Jackson's original Lord of the Rings trilogy, hobbits, dwarves and wizards spend much of their time running toward their final destination, being captured and imprisoned, fighting off all manner of evil menace, and dealing with close minded and isolationist kings and kingdoms. Most return to the second film, and some new characters are introduced or pulled from the The J.R.R. Tolkien source materials.

Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins finds himself better prepared for the task of this adventure. He found something in the Goblin mines - namely his courage and an odd little ring. The company of dwarves, led by Thoren Oakenshield's Armitage, continue their venture as well looking more haggard and weary than Bilbo. McKellan's Gandalf is as enwizened and curious as ever, still able to wield a powerful staff and sword. Luke Evans plays Bard, a barge operator barely making a living in the small town of Laketown at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. Alan Cumberbatch lends his voice to the centuries old Smaug. Evangeline Liily is a new She-Elf name Tauriel, a captain of the guard of the Wood Elves. Orlando Bloom returns - for the first time - as Legolas the prince son of the Wood Elf king Thranduil (Lee Pace).

Peter Jackson's second installment of The Hobbit is as epic as ever, coming in at two hours and 40 minutes. With impressive vistas and long rolling shots of the hills and dales of the world of Middle Earth, the tale seems to have lost some of its urgency and magic. WingNut worked overtime to create more elaborate and epic CGI sequences. From the extended escape in the barrels from the Wood Elves and Orcs to the elaborate and gorgeous rendering of Smaug in his stolen under mountain treasure vaults, most of the effects are wonderful. And while the effects get better the repetitive nature of the film's storyline makes some of the quieter moments stale. Tauriel walks a fine line of repeating some of the same work that Liv Tyler's Arwen did in LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. Even Stephen Fry's Master of Laketown is in possession of a wormy servant name Alfrid (Ryan Gage) a la a certain pale apprentice to Saruman in LOTR: The Two Towers.

Fans of the stories will appreciate all the love and care that Jackson, Walsh and Boyens put into The Hobbit. Newcomers to the franchise may be unprepared for the film's length or that it is the centerpiece of a three part single story. Beautiful and epic, Jackson makes fantasy as real as possible.

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Fast and Furious 6

ACTION/ADVENTURE

Full Throttle

8.5 out of 10 | MOVIE, DVD

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Rated: PG-13  Intense sequences of violence, intense sequences of action, language, mayhem throughout and some sexuality
Release Date: May 24, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 10 minutes

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Director: Justin Lin
Writers: Chris Morgan, based on the characters by Gary Scott Thompson
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Luke Evans, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Elsa Pataky, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges

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SYNOPSIS:  Agent Luke Hobbs enlists Dominic Toretto and his team to bring down former Special Ops soldier Owen Shaw, leader of a unit specializing in vehicular warfare.

REVIEW: Justin Lin has been integral with the further development of the Vin Diesel and Paul Walker franchise. He has been with the film series since Tokyo Drift, and with help from writer Chris Morgan, has revitalized the fast car-centric series into a fun, highly anticipated summer series.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel, Riddick) is living a life of leisure with his pal Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker, Takers) after their successful $100,000,000 heist. Mia (Jordana Brewster, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning) and Brian have just had a baby. Roman (Tyrese Gibson, Transformers: Dark of the Moon) is jet-setting with lovely ladies, a Learjet, and vouchers to Monaco casinos. Tej Parker (Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, New Year's Eve) is playing with his gadgets and enjoyed his money down in Rio. Han (Sung Kang, Bullet to the Head) and Gisele (Gal Gadot, Knight and Day) are evading the law in the Pacific Rim. And Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, Snitch) is dealing with a new international threat in the form of a new crew of car driving criminals. Tracking a man named Owen Shaw (Luke Evans, The Raven) across four continents, Hobbs is no closer to apprehending him or his criminal ring. When Shaw slips through his fingers again, Hobbs hunts down Dom and offers him and his crew a deal of full pardons if they joined forces with him and help track down Shaw. Only when Dominic sees a photo of a much alive Lettie (Michelle Rodriguez, Resident Evil: Retribution) does he think to take the job. Shaw seems to be always one step ahead in his pursuit to steal components from military convoys and installations. Shaw is all about precision and Dominic is all about family. The question is which code of conduct will prevail in the end?

The sixth in a series that started on as just drag racing thieves and cops against criminals has turned into a powerhouse franchise. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a returning cast that fans have grown to love and root for. And with the success of Fast Five and the certain success of Fast and Furious 6, Universal has already greenlit the seventh entry into the film series. Director Lin and writer Morgan, both with the franchise for the majority of the films, know what the fans want and know how to keep pushing the characters further and introducing new situations for the crew to get themselves into and out of.

With Diesel back in the driver seat, he leads his crew of misfits against an international threat that may be more than they can handle. They're not going against the cops, the feds, or drug dealers this time. Shaw is a consummate professional with a leash around federal agencies and the best criminals and vehicles money can buy. Dominic, Brian, and the crew may have an edge against everyone they dealt with in the past, but this time they seem to be outmatched at every turn.

All the actors have a great shorthand with their characters and with their interaction with other characters in the film. They seem to slip right back into the skin and the cars that the character love so much. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson returns as Hobbs, the federal agent in hot pursuit of Dominic and Brian in Fast Five. The last thing he wants to do is get in bed with Toretto, but Shaw's exploits have left Hobbs no choice. Evans' portrayal of Shaw is cold and calculating - like a precision timepiece or finely tuned engine. He brings a cool and calculating savvy as the villain, better then the druglords and lowlifes that have come before him. 

If you are going to see a fast and furious film you have an expectation of fast cars, hot women, and a little campiness. Fans of the franchise will not be disappointed. Coming in at 130 minutes, Fast Six spends most of its time burning rubber on the streets of exotic locations and setting up the crew to try and take down their most competent and evil nemesis yet. The drag races and car chases are supercharged, the close combat amped up, and Dom's crew's uphill battle against the antagonist an unsure assurance of victory.

Because there's so much action and speed some of the more tranquil moments seem slow in comparison. That's not to say that those moments are bad, only that they seem somewhat out of place after chase scenes in fights that seem to last for 20 minutes. Some the dialogue is silly and campy but it's what we've come to expect from this cast of characters. 

Filled with the adrenaline-fueled chases and sequences that franchise fans will love, and bringing back most of the characters we've come to love, Fast and Furious 6 will be a supercharged good time.

Just like the Fast Five epilogue showing Hobbs staring at a grainy photo of Lettie being alive, be sure to stay for the first part of the credits at the end of the film for a sneak peek of what's in store in Fast and Furious 7.

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The Raven

Quote the Raven Nevermore

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Rated: R Bloody Violence and grisly images
Release Date: April 27, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

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Director: James McTeigue
Writers:  Ben Livingston, Hannah Shakespeare
Cast: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McNally, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jimmy Yuill

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SYNOPSIS: In his last days, Edgar Allan Poe is forced to assist the Baltimore Police hunt down a madman creating grisly scenes based on Poe's written work.

REVIEW: Director James McTeigue has made the move from first assistant director in such films as The Matrix trilogy and Speed Racer to helm his own films as evidenced by V for Vendetta  and Ninja Assassin. With a script from screenwriting newcomer Ben Livingston and TV series and TV movie writer Hannah Shakespeare, McTeigue delves into Edgar Allan Poe as a true character of American literature and history, and as a fictionalized character in the hunt for a serial killer idolizing his works.

Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, 2012) struggles with his finances, his inspiration, and his reputation as he walks the streets of Baltimore, Maryann in October 1849. Always an outsider and pitted against the establishment, Poe tries to make money from newspaper reviews and tries to win the hand of Captain Hamilton's (Brendan Gleeson, Safe House) daughter Emily (Alice Eve, She's Out of My League). At the same time Poe courts Emily against the captain's wishes, the Baltimore Police Department is stumped by a series of grisly deaths. Although capably led by Captain Eldridge (Jimmy Yuill, Retreat), Inspector Fields (Luke Evans) is called in to investigate due to the grotesque and horrific nature of the latest crime scene. When Fields connects the writings of Edgar Allan Poe to the actual crime scene description, Poe first becomes a suspect then an expert on his own writings as he and the police try to track down the serial killer before he completes crimes of more of Poe's work.

If you are a fan of Victorian Era period films, The Raven fits nicely in the genre. Darker than Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Cusack's Poe is just as brilliant and troubled. But in Poe's case, he doesn't have a trusty doctor partner watching his back. More akin to Johnny Depp's From Hell, Poe lives a solitary existence as he stumbles through the swirling fogged cobble stoned streets of Baltimore, his only anchor to his sanity a lovely girl of proper stature and station named Emily whose own father resents that his daughter associates with the likes of a starving artist like Poe.

When the engaging story of the man named Poe is not center stage, the serial killer using Poe's stories as murderous inspiration is. Using the details from such Poe fiction as "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Cask of Amontillado", this shadowy figure baffles the police department. Only when Inspector Fields jumps into the investigative fray does the machinations of the serial killer come to the surface. Using Poe's own work the killer forces the writer to play along in a game of cat-and-mouse, the writer of fiction pitted against a killer using that fiction for his own all-too-real grotesque ends.

Shot in Eastern Europe, McTiegue and crew used their isolated surrounds, period architecture, cobblestone streets and wintry nights and pre-dawns to draw the audience into a mid-19th century world masked as 1849 Baltimore, Maryland. Cusack, Evans, Eve and Gleeson prosper as their characters, able to touch their tangible surroundings. Every shot, whether in the confines of Detective Fields' sparse office or out in a misty, tree lined woods, seemed to carry the morose and claustrophobic weight of the man of who the film circles about. As we learn a little about Edgar Allan Poe the man, we also get a glimpse of his work - both by its words and its visceral bloody application. Actually hearing Cusack's Poe finish "The Raven" to a room full of aspiring female poets, the verses are haunting, melodic, and beautiful, leading me to wonder if I dust off "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" for another read now that I am an adult.

Gripping your attention its razor sharp talons, The Raven is at times a fictionalized biography of the man and literary lesson of a sometimes under appreciated American writer. Poe was at the forefront of writing about detectives, grisly happenings and killings, and more. Fans of the Saw franchise need to realize that Poe wrote "The Pit and the Pendulum" over 160 years ago, ushering in a written genre that shocked a generation of readers. The accounts of the last days of his career and livelihood are shrouded in myth and urban legend, but The Raven offers a tell tale that is as Poe-esque as could be.

The Raven is best suited to lovers of suspenseful period films like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, From Hell, and V for Vendetta. Although not as grandiose, The Raven is a smart, clever, and bloody lesson of Victorian literary lore (and gore) - quote the raven nevermore!

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WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Immortals

Brutal and Slick

Director: Tarsem Singh

Writers: Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides
Cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan

SYNOPSIS: Millenia ago, the immortals learned that they had the ability to kill each other. The winners of the war named themselves gods, banishing and imprisoning the defeated and renaming them Titans. Ages later, mortal King Hyperion amasses an army to uncover a mystical archer's bow to release the Titans from their captivity. Only one of Zeus' favored mortals, Theseus, has the courage and strength to stand up to Hyperion's plans.

REVIEW: Tarsem Singh, director of such films as The Cell, The Fall, and the upcoming Mirror, Mirror, comes to the screen with an ancient tale involving greek gods and puny mortals. First time writer Charley Parlapanides is joined by Vlas Parlapanides (Everything for a Reason) to rewrite the mythology of the greek Athenian hero, Theseus.

Theseus (Henry Cavill, the upcoming Man of Steel) has led his young life tutored in the matters of politics, philosophy and soldiering by an old family friend (John Hurt). A peasant by birth, Theseus finds himself and his mother forced to wait to evacuate their village while all of the wealthier residents are escorted early by soldiers. Meanwhile, the gods turn to Zeus (Luke Evans, The Three Musketeers (2011)) for wisdom as they realize that King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler) is closing in on finding the Epirus Bow and having the means to release the long-imprisoned Titans. After the razing of his village, Theseus finds himself a prisoner in a salt mine. He is discovered by a virgin oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) who prophesies that Theseus will either mark the destruction of the human race or its salvation. Upon his escape, Theseus is joined by Phaedra, a thief named Stavros (Stephen Dorff, Blade), and select others to track down King Hyperion.

Stylized and brutal, director Tarsem Singh mentioned that he envisioned that Immortals would be a shot with the sensibilities and scope of Renaissance painting styles combined with the knock down, drag out kinetics of Fight Club. Whether Immortals fully realized his dreams for the film, Singh delivers a gods-filled flick wrought with raw power and strong punches, but overall weak storytelling. Like Sam Worthington's Clash of the Titans remake, substance of story takes a back seat to an epic cinema scope, style, and visual effects.

Zack Synder's 300 brought the genre of ancient epics back to full life in 2006. Troy made almost $500 million before it in 2004. Ridley Scott's Gladiator won the Best Picture Oscar in 2000. Since the inception of Avatar's introduction and rebirth of 3D technology and the millennial success of the genre, there has been a rash of mythical Roman and Greek stories - for better or worse.

Immortals looks cool and slick. Throughout the film, acts of betrayal and brutality define the direction of the story. When King Hyperion is approached by Lysander (Joseph Morgan), an enemy exiled soldier, Hyperion rewards him with induction into his ranks with disfiguration and castration. The gods, while aiding Theseus against Hyperion's minions, battle in real time while their enemies skulls are crushed with massive godly war hammers in a new age Matrix-y way. And the last twenty minutes are a non-stop slugfest.

If you are looking for good storytelling to match the cool cinema from the trailers, you will probably be disappointed. If you are looking for a stylized escape with a bucket of warm butter drizzled popcorn, keep this in mind.

WORTH: Matinee or Rental

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Blades and Breasts

Director: Paul W. S. Anderson

Writers: Alex Litvak, Andrew Davies, Alexandre Dumas
Cast: Matthew Macfadyen, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Ray Stevenson, Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Freddie Fox

SYNOPSIS: Athos, Aramis and Porthos are three brilliant and savoy musketeers who were betrayed, resulting in a critical failure on a mission for the French king. A year later, the son of a musketeer, D'Artagnan, comes to Paris to become a soldier like his father, meeting up and aiding the Three Musketeers in a cause to save the king and country from a diabolical plot to overthrow the throne.

REVIEW: Alexandre Dumas' novel "Les Trois Mousquertaires" has spawned many iterations and adaptations, both cinematic and literary. No less than 20 films have been made with one or more of the lead characters attached. Athos, Aramis, Porthos, and D'Artagnan have become part of the lexicon for period swashbuckling and honor-bound heroes, maybe second only to Errol Flynn's Robin Hood, Douglas Fairbanks' Zorro, or Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Event Horizon) takes a stab at a canon of characters that most recently (in 1993) were embodied by Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt, and Chris O'Donnell. With a script from Alex Litvak (Predators) and Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones's Diary), Anderson continues the Musketeer trend of daring sword fights, action, intrigue, and levity.

In the late 17th Century, musketeers Athos (Matthew MacFadyen - Robin Hood (2010)), Aramis (Luke Evans - Clash of the Titans (2010)), and Porthos (Ray Stevenson - Punisher: War Zone), in the employ of the French crown and with the help of double agent Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich - Resident Evil), try to retrieve Da Vinci's plans for a war machine. Double-crossed, the three musketeers, find themselves ousted from the ranks of the corp under the banner of the French crown. A year later, the son of a retired musketeer, D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman - Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief), travels to Paris to follow in his father's footsteps. Crossing paths with captain Rochefort (Mads Mikkelsen - Clash of the Titans (2010)) of the Cardinal's royal guard, D'Artagnan bumps into the musketeers at their lowest points, and finds himself in the center of a under-handed plot to wrestle control of the french crown away from young King Louis XIII (Freddie Fox). As the musketeers venture forth, the involvement of Milady de Winter, Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds), and the English Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom - Lord of the Ring trilogy) comes into question.

Swashbuckling, at its heart, is clashing swords, drunken prose, and beautiful damsels - all with tongue-in-cheek levity. This year's The Three Musketeers is no different. Flashes of hardened steel, coupled with flashing smiles of swordsmen who love their work, fill the silver screen. When swords are sheathed, corseted ladies in waiting heave heavily, a French king worries about English fashion and the love of his queen, and a cardinal plots the overthrow of an entire nation.

Macfadyen, Evans, and Stevenson step into the musketeer boots as if they were born to play the roles. Athos broods, Aramis repents, and Porthos pines for the finer things. Young gun Lerman' D'Artagnan charms his way through the movie, even as his father's blade slices through the air and his opponents. Jovovich is gorgeous and dangerous. Christoph Waltz plays the Cardinal with superiority and subtlety. Orlando Bloom provides enough venom and contempt to possibly shed his naive Will Turner or his virtuous Legolas. And Freddie Fox plays King Louis XIII of France with aplomb and fancy.

A funny, fast-paced, action-packed popcorn flick, The Three Musketeers will entertain. Some cinema-centric people will see the gadgets of the musketeers and be reminded  of Will Smith's Wild, Wild West - but in a good way. Others will watch the cathedral top sword fight and think about Brandon Lee and The Crow. If you like swashbuckling and swordplay, The Three Musketeers will fit the bill. All in all, this film is all for one, and one for all!

WORTH: Matinee or DVD