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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Year of Release: 2014
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, all those guys from the first two films
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure

My Thoughts:
Everyone was saying that this was a step down from the previous two Hobbit films.  I don't agree with that.  All three are an enormous step down from Lord of the Rings, but The Hobbit trilogy holds together itself.  If you've enjoyed the first two, and like me, simply enjoy spending time in Middle Earth, you'll enjoy this one.  If you didn't like the first two, don't bother seeing this one. 

What was good in the other films is also good here - Freeman's Bilbo is wonderful.  He really does a great job with the character, and I really wish we'd seen more of him.  Armitage's Thorin is also great, and I liked his descent into madness, I thought he did it really well with what he was given to work with.  In fact, I felt all of the actors did well with what they were given.

The problems of the other films are present here too.  There's too much action, too much emphasis on the set-pieces, and not enough character moments.  We needed to see more of Thorin's descent into madness (and we needed the foreshadowing that got left out of the theatrical cuts of the previous two films).  A lot of the green screen work was really atrociously obvious for being green screen work. 

The character moments that were there worked so very well, though, and the deaths definitely brought a tear to the eye.  The journey is over, now, though despite my criticisms and the flaws of his second trilogy, if Jackson did anything else in Middle Earth I'd watch it in a heartbeat.  So take from all this as you will.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on January 31st, 2015)

All the President's Men, a review by Danae Cassandra

All the President's Men
Year of Release: 1976
Directed By: Alan J. Pakula
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook
Genre: Drama

Overview:
In the Watergate Building, lights go on and five burglars are caught in the act. The night triggered revelations that drove a U.S. President from office. Washington reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) grabbed the story and stayed with it through doubts, denials and discouragement. All the President's MenMy Thoughts:
Knowing the history here doesn't diminish the power of this film. Though we know the outcome, it doesn't make the film less tense, or make us less worried for the two reporters investigating. Perhaps that speaks of the great screenplay, excellent acting and direction that make this one of the greatest American films. Perhaps it speaks of modern experience of government secrets and conspiracies since Watergate; of watching this film in a post-Manning, post-Snowden, post-black ops & Guantanemo world. Perhaps it's both.

A toast to the tenacity and courage of Woodward and Bernstein, and a highly recommended film.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4.5/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on December 9th, 2015)

Angel Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: The gang has to flee from Jasmine and Connor and hides in the sewers of the city. There they meet a group of people that has been there since the days the sun went dark. But there is another and older creature down there, too.

My Opinion: Jasmine is Rumpelstiltskin. Obviously the bad guys do not talk to each other. While Jasmine tries in L.A. to turn the world into paradise, the "First Evil" tries in Sunnydale to turn it into hell. But I liked the episode better than the last two.

Synopsis: Angel is in a dimension which Jasmine has visited before but the others are held prisoner in the very same cage Angelus was in. And today Jasmine wants to bring her message of peace to the entire world - via satellite TV.

My Opinion: That was surprisingly fast with Jasmine's demise and one episode to early. But Angel is right, one cannot force happiness. It may not be a perfect world, but it's our world, formed by our free will.

Synopsis: Angel is offered the L.A. departement of Wolfram & Hart because he destroyed the Ideal World of Jasmine's. Of course he has no intentions of taking this offer.

My Opinion: If Wolfram & Hart really thinks they can control Angel, I think there's a big surprise waiting for them in the fifth season. But the tour was interesting.

The Season - My Opinion: I am in two minds about this season. I really don't like what the writers did to Cordelia and they didn't even wake her up at the end of the season. On the other hand her part was the most interesting. When she fell into the coma she took something with her and jasmine couldn't replace it. I hope Cordelia comes back as herself in the next season. They have built a foundation of why she can't be with Angel and thus avoiding that he gets a "moment of true happiness".

(From Angel Marathon on February 24th, 2008)