The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Hobbits and Dwarves and Elves – oh, my! It’s the second installment of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Trilogy… 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. 2013. Rated PG-13. 161 minutes. Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Aidan Turner, Stephen Fry, Luke Evans. Directed by Peter Jackson.

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. [imdb] 





Nicole: Look, I’m biased. So, don’t expect me to poke holes in this film. I’m mentally and physically incapable of being critical in any way shape or form. I know some Tolkein purists have pick with Jackson’s interpretation of the source material. I can relate to some degree when I see beloved books adapted into film that fall short of my expectations. But, I’m going out on a limb here and saying Tolkein’s works are different. It would be impossible to faithfully reproduce every detail in his works. That being said, Jackson’s love for the material is obvious and his vision is absolutely mesmerizing. I trust every decision he makes, because he has the best possible motives. OK, I’ve blown enough sunshine up Jackson’s ass. (Peter, make the check out to CASH.) 

elizabeth: Now seeing sunshine blowing up Peter Jackson’s ass might be a movie I would want to see. I take that back. I don’t like movies that are dependent on out of this world special effects or Jackson’s butt.  Call me a movie snob. Go ahead. 

Nicole: Snob. So, where does this installment find our quest-harried dwarves, hobbit and wizard? Knee-deep in Middle-Earth, that’s where. Fighting off evil bands of Orcs and giant Mirkwood spiders, being imprisoned by Sylvan Elf King Thranduil (played to absolute perfection by Lee Pace), slipping into Lake-town on their way to the Lonely Mountain to do battle with Smaug, the dragon who guards the dwarves’ treasure and the Arkenstone. Got that so far, Cassidy.

elizabeth: Orcs, Mirkwood , Smaug, Bilbo and Thranduil – are these the top  baby names for  boys this year?  What happened to names like Bob, Dr. Dre and Ralph? 

Nicole: Those names aren’t en vogue. Let’s talk about performances. While this installment is mainly action, the acting doesn’t go unnoticed. Martin Freeman’s Bilbo is absolutely genius this time around—from the simplicity of his gestures to his building bravery, this was a role he was born to play. Richard Armitage’s Thorin Oakenshield is compelling. His is a complicated character we’re never quite sure to love or hate, but either way—you stand behind him, because he’s that convincing. Newly invented character Tauriel, played by Evangeline Lilly, is justifiably kick-ass. She fits right into the mythology and makes a valuable contribution. 

elizabeth: Time to make the donuts. 

Nicole: I see you’re positively riveted, but I continue nonetheless. Enough can’t be said about Jackson’s WETA team. From special effects, to costuming, to set dressing – this movie is a feast for the eyes. Just wait till you get a load of Smaug (brilliantly voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Fanboys and Fangirls around the world have been clamoring to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and it’s no wonder –it’s pure genius. I find it hard to leave the theater after Jackson’s forays into Middle-Earth…wanting to linger a little longer in his imagining of Tolkein’s universe. 

elizabeth: Please get out of Middle-Earth and join the rest of us. And you can bring your new friends Thorin Oakenshield and Tauriel. I am sure they are in need of hot shower or two. I’ll bring the soap. 

The Film Fatales give THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG 

January DVD & On Demand Releases a la The Film Fatales

The Film Fatales give you a quick rundown recent films we previously reviewed that are slated for January release on DVD and On Demand. Here's the scoop: 

BLUE JASMINE 
Available Jan. 21 on Blu-Ray and DVD

HOW WE SAW IT:

Nicole: If either of us knew Jasmine in real life, we’d dislike her intensely for her vapid nature, her snobby behavior, and her superficial, label-centric mindset. But, scratch under that surface and there’s a terribly fragile person who is perhaps somewhat judged unfairly and deserving of our sympathies. I think, but don’t presume, that through Jasmine Allen is trying to get us to dig a little deeper before we pre-judge someone for their outward appearances. Not everything is black and white – life has a lot of grey.

elizabeth:  I think Woody does wants us to look beyond the surface and see that people who we assume have everything are really the ones who have the least. And being one of those who have the least, I would like to be in a Woody Allen movie. I can do superficial quite well. Call me.

The Film Fatales give BLUE JASMINE

CLOSED CIRCUIT

Available Jan. 7 on Blu-Ray and DVD

HOW WE SAW IT:

Nicole: Ever get the feeling your government has a dark and sullied underbelly? Operating under covert measures to catch those Most Wanted criminals despite unintended (or not) collateral damage? And, they’ll stop at nothing to keep their secrets well hidden? That’s the modus operandi at work in Closed Circuit: A taut, cerebral crime drama that will appeal to all diehard fans of PBS’s Masterpiece Theater and Mystery. I almost wish this wasn’t a major motion picture, but instead a BBC series. It has the makings of a really great serial drama.

elizabeth: Do I ever think that governments around the world have dark and sullied underbellies? Shirley, you jest. One thing that I found frightening, besides Close Circuit's storyline, is that while we were sitting in the dark some dastardly deals were being made all over the world by people I would not invite to dinner. The other thing is that I must go visit Mars during movies like this because I got a tad confused at times. I know, who would have thought? I think what they do is introduce all these characters and before you can put a name to a face they start offing part of the cast and you don’t know who is doing what to whom. They never do this sort of thing on Mars. 

The Film Fatales give CLOSED CIRCUIT

 

 

 

LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER

Available Jan. 14 on Blu-Ray and DVD 

HOW WE SAW IT:

elizabeth: Forest Whitaker shed his skin and became Cecil Gaines, one of the butlers who toiled in the White House starting with the Eisenhower administration. Whitaker‘s Cecile was just so moving albeit heartbreaking at times and I think his performance helped almost every actor bring their characters to life. There was such an intimacy among these actors--like this story hit too close to home. They wanted to get this story out because this country’s memory is quite limited and I applaud director Lee Daniels for bringing this story to the screen. We need to be reminded all the time about the horrific things we were capable of doing.

Nicole: …we are in dire need of constant reminding, that’s for certain. And, yet, it seems we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past. We have made progress as a country. But recent injustices, like that brought upon Trayvon Martin, should spark in us the desire to right wrongs, not repeat them. This movie should be required viewing. And, I couldn’t agree with you more on Forest Whitaker’s performance. If he doesn’t win the Oscar for this, he will have been robbed.

The Film Fatales give LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER

 

Gravity

Will Gravity leave you weightless? The Film Fatales try to get down to earth on their review. 

2013. 91 minutes. Starring George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, and everyone else is just a voice. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Note: This post originally appeared on Skirt.com, which no longer accepts user-generated content.

A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space. (IMDb) 

elizabeth: I would have liked to have seen a tagline for this movie that would have read something like this: ”If you are afraid of heights, stay the hell home.”  Not that I avoid heights all the time, but 90 minutes of feeling queasy and green was not my idea of a fun time. Plus, green is definitively not my color. But we must do our jobs as movie reviewers and if that means feeling like an 8-year-old with a bad stomach virus, then so be it. And Gravity has two talented actors, who I feel can’t make bad movies, and the storyline really intrigued me. But not my head or stomach. Did I mention that?

Nicole: What? I’m still breathing into this paper bag… Houston, we still have a problem. Thank God… Let me repeat that… Thank God we did not see this in 3D. We all know what happens when I see a movie in 3D – and it’s really not pretty. That being said, this may have well been in 3D, considering how wobbly we were leaving the theater. 

elizabeth: I  have never been in space, contrary to rumors,  but I think the visual effects were breathtaking. You felt the debris from the space shuttle flying toward you. I know they must have used a green screen for most of the movie, but when it all came together, it was pretty remarkable.  The imagination knows no boundaries. And Clooney is a Michelin man suit still comes off as very charming and sexy.

Nicole: Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? That’s what this whole movie is about – the special effects. It’s not plot or dialog-heavy by any means. I’d dare say there’s probably only about 10 pages of dialog in the whole script. I have a feeling this movie was made solely because the filmmakers wanted to see if they could pull off what they did. Mission accomplished, pun intended. 

elizabeth: Clooney was the comic relief that the move badly needed. Bullock played an uptight scientist who was a bit anal retentive and you don’t know whether to like her or not care.  Her loneliness does bring you in and you hope against all odds that she gets home.  But she does go through the whole movie without getting scarped, bruised and her tee shirt and boyfriend briefs stayed nice and clean. I can’t get out of the house without cat and dog hair all over me. I might put in for a transfer.

Nicole: I still can’t decide if I liked this movie. The script was so lacking, but the special effects were incredible. And, the performances, despite the lack of dialog, were well done – but nothing to really write home about. Yet, it definitely kept me in my seat – wriggling in it, rocking back and forth and at times pulling my hair out – at which point Cassidy turned to me and said: “Um, are you OK?” The answer to that is always, “No.” 

elizabeth:  I did like the movie, it held my attention, it got me all freaked out about being trapped in space, but I just don’t like feeling sick. So I might need to be earthbound when we review our next movie.

Nicole: Roger, that.

The Film Fatales give Gravity 

About Time

The best movie of 2013 you all forgot to see.

2013. Rated R. 123 minutes. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy. Written and directed by Richard Curtis.

At the age of 21, Tim discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. His decision to make his world a better place by getting a girlfriend turns out not to be as easy as you might think. [imdb] 








Nicole. Occasionally, a movie comes along that revives you and reestablishes your faith in the art of storytelling. About Time is that movie. Richard Curtis, the creative mind that brought audiences Love, Actually and About a Boy (neither of which I enjoyed a great deal), weaves a magical tale about time travel. While the plot should be hokey and corny and saccharine, it's actually thought provoking, bittersweet and moving (as long as you suspend belief in the established rules of time travel). Naysayers will call me a hopeless romantic who is a giant sap to love a movie like this; I say stuff it. If loving this movie means I'm sentimental, call me a sentimental fool…a whimpering, simpering sentimental fool—as Cassidy and her stash of tissues can attest. 

elizabeth: What a second. You did not adore Love, Actually and About a Boy? Well, Missy, as you like to call me, you don’t get into the Richard Curtis fan club. In fact, give me back all those tissues you confiscated from me. Let me just ask you this: how can you be a romantic sap and diss 2 out of 3 of Curtis’ homage to love, sucking face and having your toes curl without a vampire in sight? I don’t know you anymore. 

Nicole: I don’t like vampires… I like elves and dwarves and superheroes. Get it straight. I’m a fan of Curtis’ other work (The Vicar of Dibley, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral..need I go on?) But those two were just “meh” for me. So sue me.

elizabeth: While I did not turn into a whimpering, simpering sentimental fool like someone I know, I was really looking forward to a movie that celebrates love, passion, humor, family and life and death. I longed for clever dialogue and secret glances that said more than a screenplay about men with pointed ears who live in caves. About Time is a movie that you all forgot to go see. Hello? Are you all still stuck in outer space with Bullock and Clooney? The universe gave us all a kiss on our lips with this little film and yet you all wanted bigger and louder and more violent films. Shame on you. 

Nicole. Did you think I missed the dig about men with pointy ears who live in caves? I didn’t. Don’t start your car tonight… I agree – this should have been a hit. Hopefully it will be on DVD. At its core, About Time has a clear message about life that I won't reveal, because you should see it and let it dawn on you. It's a very satisfying “aha” moment without being preachy. 

elizabeth: I loved the chemistry and the dance of seduction between Rachel McAdams’ Mary and Domhnall Gleeson’s Tim. It was just the right mix of tenderness (corny not apply), humor and a deep devotion to each other. You know what? I loved the love that each character had for each other. You felt it. One knockout role is that of Uncle D played brilliantly by Richard Cordery. By the end of the movie, I was ready to put myself up for adoption with the hope that this family would embrace me into their lives.
 

Nicole: That’s a lovely sentiment—even if it does come from you. The cast is wonderful overall, but Bill Nighy, McAdams and Gleeson standout for me. It's hard to deny Bill Nighy's gravitational pull. Try to dislike him in anything, I dare you. As the patriarch of an unusual family, in which the male lineage is capable of traveling through time to re-experience pivotal moments in their lives, he is a pure joy to watch. The chemistry between McAdams and Gleeson is palpable. They are adorably matched and light up together on the screen. If you missed About Time in the theaters, fret not, it's out on DVD this February. And when that time comes, rush to rent it. You won't be sorry you did.

elizabeth: I can be lovely and sentimental, but not at the same time. All I can say is shame on the public for letting this movie slip out of your hands. You missed a gem. 

The Film Fatales give ABOUT TIME

 (and it's wonderful soundtrack...)