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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Year of Release: 2012
Directed By: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action

Overview:
The first in a trilogy of films based on the enduring masterpiece The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who - along with the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield - is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands inhabited by Goblins, Orcs and deadly Wargs, as well as a mysterious and sinister figure known only as the Necromancer. Along the path, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even himself, he also gains possession of a "precious" ring tied to the fate of all Middle-Earth in ways he cannot begin to imagine.

My Thoughts:
Am I the right person to review this film?  That may be a question that may puzzle us for some time.  I say that because I love Middle-Earth.  No, I LOVE Middle-Earth.  LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  A year hasn't gone by since I first read the books that I haven't re-read them.  My professor at UofL in a class on fantasy literature said I knew more about the books than he did.  My fellow geek co-workers turn to me when ephemera questions about something in Middle-Earth comes up (we got into Silmarillion happenings a few weeks back).  I'm such a Middle-Earth fan girl, I knew going in that I would enjoy this trilogy.

But neither this one, nor the second one, are as good as Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. 

Unexpected Journey is a fun movie.  It's full of action, adventure, humor, and if LotR wasn't there would probably be considered a better film.  But LotR is there, and it was a masterpiece.  It was spectacular.  And Unexpected Journey isn't, for all of Jackson's trying to live up to LotR. 

This is my third time seeing this film, however, and I'll watch it again when 5 Armies comes out for extended blu.

Let's enumerate the good first.  Martin Freeman does a really great Bilbo.  Richard Armitage is a great Thorin, even if his Thorin is very, very different from book-Thorin.  I think I could watch Ian McKellen do anything.  The scenery is spectacular, and you get a real feel for travelling through Middle-Earth.  The riddle sequence with Gollum was really well done, and might be my favorite scene in the film.

Still, especially this third time around, you get a feel for what is wrong with the film.  They should have kept the way they showed Bilbo find the ring in LotR.  It's a glaring change, and one that not only really wasn't needed, but jars.  In seeing the extended film for the first time this viewing, I really, really think they should have kept the sequence in Rivendell where Gandalf and Elrond are talking about a streak of madness in Thorin's family.  It's so obviously foreshadowing what's going to happen that leaving it out in the theatrical was a pretty obvious mistake.  The extra lines in the White Council scene I'd have kept too. On the other hand, some of it really did need to be cut - especially some other parts of the dwarves in Rivendell, like the bathing sequence, that make them seem extremely uncouth.  Yes, we get that dwarves and elves are different, and it's supposed to be funny, but all that bit did was make them the butt of a joke that wasn't funny but kinda cruel, IMO.  It also looks a lot more artificial than LotR sometimes, almost like a video game rather than a movie. 

Still, if this is the only way we get the explore more of Middle-Earth and spend more time there, then I'll take it.  I love Middle-Earth too much not to.  It's still a fun movie, a great ride, and vastly entertaining.  It's just not a masterpiece the way the original trilogy was, and that's a shame.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on January 29th, 2015)

U-571, a review by Tom

U-571 (2000/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Highlight Communications (Germany) Director: Jonathan Mostow Writing: Jonathan Mostow (Original Material By), Jonathan Mostow (Screenwriter), Sam Montgomery (Screenwriter), David Ayer (Screenwriter) Length: 111 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: German: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: DTS 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Commentary, German

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Stars:
Matthew McConaughey as Tyler
Bill Paxton as Dahlgren
Harvey Keitel as Chief
Jon Bon Jovi as Emmett
David Keith as Coonan

Plot:
A U.S. Navy Captain and his crew are just beginning to enjoy 48 hours of leave when they receive word to immediately return to duty. On a top-secret assignment, they must disguise themselves as Nazis and infiltrate a severely damaged Nazi U-boat. Once on board, they are to steal the Nazi's top-secret decoding device and sink the sub before the Germans catch on to what's really happening. Their mission is more dangerous and frightening than anything they could have ever imagined, but one which has the power to turn the tide of battle.

Awards:
Won:

Academy Award (2000)		Best Sound Editing (Jon Johnson)
BMI Film & TV Music Awards (2001)		BMI Film Music Award (Richard Marvin)

Nominated:

Academy Award (2000)		Best Sound (Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Rick Kline, Ivan Sharrock)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Actor - Action (Mathew McConaughey)
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards (2001)		Favorite Supporting Actor - Action (Harvey Keitel)
Cinema Audio Society Awards (2001)		Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Feature Film (Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker, Rick Kline, Ivan Sharrock)
Taurus Award (2001)		Best Fire Work (Robert Lahoda, Jaroslav Psenicka)

Extras:

• Booklet
• Commentary
• DVD-ROM Content
• Featurettes
• Interactive Game
• Interviews
• Production Notes
• Scene Access
• Trailers

I know there are some hard feelings about this movie in this forum, because of the Americanization of true events. Personally I had more problems of how stereotypical evil the German sailors were portrayed. First they shoot survivors in cold blood. Then when one of them is captured himself (the US sailors are of course much more civil and take him in), he tries to take over the ship all by himself.
As an action movie it is decent. It doesn't come close to "Das Boot" though. What I always liked about this one is, that they chose to use real German actors talking real German for the German U-Boot crew. Usually in Hollywood movies we see American actors trying to talk German (like here the one on the US side who is supposed to be half-German).

Rating:

(From Tom's Alphabet Marathon Reviews on July 18th, 2010)

The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Sledge Hammer!



What's the show about?
Sledge Hammer is a trigger-happy cop who solves his cases by shooting at everything and talks to his Magnum which he calls "Susie".

"Under the Gun"
After the mayor's daughter is kidnapped Hammer's suspension is lifted. On his way to work he shoots a Bazooka into a building that has a sharpshooter on his roof. After this happy incidident his day clouds a bit because he gets a partner assigned: a woman, Dori Doreau.

My Opinion
That is one crazy cop, but trust him, he knows what he's doing!

(From The One Where It All Began: The Pilot Marathon on January 5th, 2008)