The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (for Bilbo and for Me)

Okay, I have a confession to make. This is the first Lord of the Rings movies that I have seen. In all honesty, I was probably never going to watch this movie except for two reasons.

1. My friends kept shunning me at school for not watching the movies. Therefore, I decided to start at the VERY beginning before, possibly, watching the other films.
2. I had just seen Benedict Cumberbatch in Star Trek Into Darkness, so when I heard he was in this film (and the next two), I had to watch it.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is somewhat different from its counterparts. While the other films told the story of Frodo, this trilogy will now focus on Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman) and his journey to the mountain of Erebor to help the dwarves (thirteen in all), with Gandalf the Grey (played by Ian McKellen) reclaim their homeland. The first film focuses on 1/3 of the journey. It shows their encounters with trolls, Radagast the Brown (played by Sylvester McCoy), the elves of Rivendell, Stone Giants, goblins, and even an orc known as Azog. Finally, Bilbo will encounter a strange creature who, unknowingly, through a single golden ring, will change his life forever- Gollum (played by Andy Serkis).

I entered this film unknowing about the Lord of the Rings series. All I knew about it was that there was an all powerful ring. I then checked out The Hobbit or There and Back Again at my local library. Although the ending was somewhat disappointing, it was rather enjoyable to read. An Unexpected Journey was somewhat interesting, but I'm still rather unsure about it. I got bored after a while, after watching them run around and fight... multiple times. The fact that Peter Jackson included characters from what I assume to be from other books seemed a bit confusing. Also, the main villain of the book is Smaug himself. Why include the Necromancer if he is only just mentioned in the book. It was rather interesting for the film to show where Gandalf went in his many disappearances, where in the book we weren't sure where he disappeared to. It's obvious that the star actor of the film is Martin Freeman, with his excellent portrayal of the meek hobbit. Kudos to you, Mr. Freeman, for bringing this character to life so well.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Although there were some exciting parts, I was found being bored out of my mind for a majority of the film. Amazing CGI work and actors, nonetheless.

I won't say whether this film will make me watch all of the Lord of the Rings films, but after seeing the trailer for The Desolation of Smaug, I will say that I will put forth the eight dollars to see it. 

You can find An Unexpected Journey on DVD and Blu-ray today. The extended version of the film will be released November 5th in the United States and November 11th in the United Kingdom.

To See or Not to See: My Reactions to the Latest Movie Trailers

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug: Being a fan of Benedict Cumberbatch, and finally hearing him as the title character of Smaug, I'm looking forward to this film. I still haven't decided whether I truly like the Lord of the Rings franchise, so hopefully these final two films will help me decide.
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will See

The Fifth Estate: It looks like a home run for Cumberbatch. It looks like this film will be met with criticism from people who hate Assange. Due to the fact that I still don't know a whole lot about Wikileaks or its creator, hopefully this film will shed some light on the subject.
To See or Not to See: Will See

Rush: It looks like it has its fair share of adult content, but it looks like an amazing story. Plus, it's based off of real people and events. And the fact that Ron Howard is directing this makes it even better.
To See or Not to See: Maybe Will See

Frozen: I initially was not interested in this film due to the similarities between the main character Anna and Rapunzel from Tangled as well as the fact that it is another fairy tale, rather than something original. However, with the new trailer, I think the story looks really cute, funny, and great.
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will See

Captain Phillips: A true story, full of drama and heroes.
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will See

Saving Mr. Banks: Never thought Tom Hanks would play Walt Disney, but it looks like he's doing a good job so far. Plus, Emma Thompson returns to the screen once again. I've always been interested in how they made Mary Poppins into a film.
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will See

12 Years a Slave: Benedict Cumberbatch plus an interesting story to boot- looks like an Oscar winning film to me!
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will See

Ender's Game: I'll have to read the book first, but this film looks exciting and interesting. Plus, it has an all star cast.
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will See

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: I wasn't to entirely happy with how The Hunger Games movie turned out, but so far this trailer looks promising.
To See or Not to See: Probably Will See

Free Birds: Already looks like a box office flop. It sounded interesting at first, but now after seeing the trailer, count me out.
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will Not See

Thor- The Dark World: The Ninth Doctor returns as an evil alien who must face the demigods Thor and Loki. It still has the humor of the first film, and it looks like another box office success for Marvel.
To See or Not to See: Definitely Will See

Walking with Dinosaurs: Reminds me of a traveling show of dinosaurs that came to my state under the same name some time ago. Looks interesting though.
To See or Not to See: Maybe Will See

Star Trek Into Darkness Warps Past it's Predecessors!

*Warning: Spoilers are in this article for those who have not seen this film*

In 2009, J.J. Abrams introduced a rebooted film of Star Trek. It automatically captured the attention of new audiences and die-hard “Trekkers” alike. In May, after almost four years, the sequel, called Star Trek Into Darkness, was released. Needless to say, it’s another home run for Abrams.

The film takes place one year after the events of the first film. Upon breaking the prime directive (the most serious rule of Starfleet), Captain James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine) loses the Enterprise to his superior, and father-like figure, Admiral Pike (played by Bruce Greenwood). He then reinstates Kirk as his commanding officer, believing that there is still greatness in him. An emergency meeting is then called to discuss the bombing of Starfleet Archives in London. The bombing was organized by a Starfleet commander known as John Harrison (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). As the meeting goes underway, Harrison shows up in an armed ship, and opens fire on the officers, killing many, including Pike. Due to being the second in command, Kirk, again, takes the role as captain of the Enterprise, assigning Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) as his commanding officer. Admiral Marcus (played by Peter Weller) gives them the task to track down Harrison and kill him. However, once the mission begins, Spock, Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (played by Karl Urban), and Uhura (played by Zoe Saldana) convince Kirk that it would be better to capture John Harrison and return him to Earth for a trial. Once Harrison is found, his disguise is shed off and it is revealed that “John Harrison” was merely an alias. (Warning, this where the spoilers come in!!!!) His real name is Khan. It is revealed that Khan was awoke (from a 300 year sleep) from a cryotube to assist Admiral Marcus to prepare for a war against the Klingons. In order to keep him loyal, Marcus threatened to kill off Khan’s crew, whom he sees as family, who are still in their cryotubes. The genetically engineered superhuman tried to get his family out, but was discovered and forced to escape alone. It was then that he believed that his crew was killed, and rebelled with a vengeance. Now, Kirk must decide who to trust. Will he remain loyal to Starfleet or trust this terrorist superhuman? Will he seek revenge, or stick with his personal morals? Will he be willing to put his crew in harm’s way? Will he make the right choice?
I´m rather happy that J.J. Abrams kept us ¨in the dark¨ (pun intended) about the film, such as the comments about Cumberbatch´s role being someone called ¨John Harrison¨. This left me completely unprepared for what the film had to offer, so I was on the edge of my seat as the film revealed every moment of suspense and action.

My parents are "Trekkies", so it's always fun to debate the actor's performances in these roles. I would think that it would be hard for an actor to step in the shoes of a character that was originally performed by an amazing actor to begin with. It seems like my mom's opinion on Karl Urban remains the same, but I still think that he did another excellent job. Another big debate, which is also going on among other "Trekkies", is Benedict Cumberbatch's role. Now, I haven't seen The Wrath of Khan, so I can't really compare Cumberbatch's Khan to Ricardo Montalban's Khan. However, I will say that Cumberbatch´s performance was truly brilliant. He´s tugging at our heartstrings one minute before turning into a ruthless, killing machine the next. If it wasn´t for the fact that the Academy doesn´t offer Oscar nominations for actors in films based off of other works, I´d automatically expect him to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor, possibly even winning. Cumberbatch is an amazing actor, and this film just adds more proof to that, among many of his other roles (such as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC show Sherlock and Stephen Hawking in the television film Hawking). I fully recommend watching his other films, and you will most likely be amazed by his talent.

My rating: 5/5 stars.


This film completely blew me away. The acting and the story were simply excellent. I also loved the corny humor in it, which is similar to the original series.
You can find Into Darkness on DVD and Blu-ray at your local store. I´d fully recommend doing your research before buying the film. According to many sources, Paramount decided to sell different bonus features to different retailers. So, if you want the best out of your copy, I would search online.

Any Reccommendations?

To all my readers,

I hope you all enjoyed my first review.

I wish to know if any of you have any reccommendations for films that I should watch and review. I love watching movies, and if you have a particular favorite that you believe is a film masterpiece, please comment below, and I shall review it.

Also, if any of you have any opinions of my reviews, you can also comment them. Despite the fact that my opinion of a film will not change, I would like to know what you think as well.

Sincerely,

M

BlogLovin'

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10472419/?claim=pk4dhzf6ese">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Hello readers!

Just wanted to let you know that I am officially on BlogLovin'! Click on the link above!

Come follow me!

Sincerely,

M

Disney's Planes: Despite Being Recycled From Cars, Still Proves to be a Family-Fun Film

2.5/5 Stars

Well, if I can give Planes any type of reward, I'd give it the Green Award for Being Environmentally Friendly. Despite its few differences, this film completely recycled plot elements from Pixar's Cars franchise.

Planes tells the story of Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook). A dustcropper who spends his days spreading mulch over the fields of Propwash Junction (which looks a lot like Radiator Springs) and dreams about racing other planes, with him being the fastest (hmm, that sounds a lot like a certain race car we all know). With a little bit of luck, he manages to enter a world wide race called Wings Around the World (and it is here that we enter Cars 2). Beforehand, he seeks the mentor ship of a war hero known as Skipper Riley (Stacy Keach), whose backstory and life is rather similar to a familiar Hudson Hornet. During training, it is revealed that Dusty has a fear of heights (one of the few original things in this film), and resolves to race at low altitude. During the race, he makes friends with El Chupacabra (Carlos Alazraqui) and becomes a rival to Ripslinger (Roger Craig Smith), both Mater and Chick Hicks respectively.

This movie can be best described as what most people call "film in a can". Disney pretty much took the Cars films from their partner company, Pixar, and gave it a new name. However, it did not take the nosedive that most critics said it would. If there's one thing that Disney, as well as Pixar, is well known for, it's their animation. They did amazing work animating the characters.

Now, before you guys start saying, "Oh, John Lassater lost his touch. He should stop making disappointing movies," let me explain something. Planes is not a Pixar film. Technically, it is a Disney film, and was made by DisneyToon Studios. Since Walt Disney Studios owns Pixar, they have the right to make films based off of current Pixar franchises.

So don't lose all your hope in Lassater. After all, this is the same guy who created Pixar, and gave us Toy Story and A Bug's Life. Plus, we've got a whole bunch of new Pixar films to look forward to.

It was not too horrible of a film, with all of the exceptional visuals and animation, but it's definitely not one of Disney's best.

If you've got a family, you can probably spare the $8 per ticket to see this with your child. If not, it'd be best to wait for it to come out on DVD.

New Update

With every view, I get a little bit of excitement that people are reading this. :)

I will be signing up my blog on BlogLovin so that it will be easier for you guys to follow me. I've decided that once this blog starts getting popular, I'll make a Facebook and a YouTube channel for it.

Expect a review of Disney's Planes up soon! :)