The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

So where were we?  Oh yes, just coming out on the other side of the forest and flying off a cliff, naturally.  The mountain home of the dwarves looms in the distance, Gandalf the Grey is leading everyone in the direction of safety(?) and Bilbo Baggins (our hero) is discovering that he’s not as much of a homebody as he thought.   Large nasty looking bear/wolf/hog riding Orcs are chasing them and nobody’s sure that they’re going to make it to the next leg of their journey, much less find the big white stone they need to reclaim their home.  Meanwhile, back at the mountain, a large fire-breathing  gold-hoarding, razor-toothed, talking dragon is waiting.  As in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, we’re hanging on to the edge of our seats to see if the band of 14 makes it to their destination.  It’s a roller coaster ride with a lot of surprises around the corners (note to my friend Lisa, close your eyes after they enter the forest…you won’t like this).  There are a lot of dead-ends and a truly spectacular finale to this installment.  I’m so looking forward to the conclusion.  For those of you who missed Orlando Bloom as Legolas, he’s back and there’s a new character I think you’re really going to cotton to, Evangeline Lilly as Tauril.  Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins…just that simple.  Rating:  One ring to unite them all, 13 dwarves, one wiz of wizard, and a very brave hobbit.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)

After watching the original 1947 film starring Danny Kaye, I would have to say this is about as far away as you can get, but apparently fairly close to the story by James Thurber that both films are based on.  Walter works for Life Magazine as an asset negative manager (or is that negative asset manager?).  He’s played here by Ben Stiller, who delivers the goods with just the right amount of hesitation, hands thrown up in the air, and head smacking realization.  Kristen Wiig, Patton Oswald, Shirley MacLaine, Sean Penn, and a truly nasty Adam Scott are the people in Walter’s life that spur him on to give his life a real purpose.  This is a very funny, quirky, beautifully filmed and awe-inspiring movie.  You'll definitely want to watch it more than once.  Rating:  tapockata, tapockata, tapockata, tapockata

Thor: The Dark World

I loved the first episode of this series and I loved this turn to the “dark” side.  It’s been awhile and you’d think that Jane had moved on, what with her first superhero boyfriend going back to his planet on the other side of a big ass wormhole.  You know what they say, though.  True love is true love and ain’t no way that doom and destruction can stop that.  Incredible fun, exciting, lots of hammer time with the big guy.  Brotherly love and sleight of hand play is key to the way things work out.  Please people, wait until the end of the film to get up and leave.  I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, it’s not over until the fat lady sings.  Brunhilde doesn’t even hum here, but yours truly was the only one who stayed and found out how the film ends.  And yes, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) still reminds me of Jonny Weir’s evil alien twin.  Rating:  4 moons over Asgard

Inequality For All

Feeling bummed out that you don’t have a spare 300 billion dollars to live life carefree and happy?  Yeah, me, too, but yah know, I’ll get over that as soon as I start making a livable wage, get health benefits that don’t eat up my wages, start working hours that don’t leave me sleep deprived and having to start my day with pain pills.  Bitter, not bitter, I’m just hopeful that somebody in government listens and acts accordingly, because history has been repeating itself.  This documentary is eye-opening for some and reaffirming to the rest of us.  Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, explains it all in a relatively short amount of time.  If you don’t agree, that’s fine, but at least listen to someone who’s been there, done that, and knows what he’s talking about.  As a part of the “Powder Blue Collar” workforce, I can see both sides of the issues and the forecast is not looking great for us unless some serious action is taken to provide for the people who really run the economy, i.e., the 99%.  Rating:  4 Stars at $24.95 an hour.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Many years ago, a light and frothy Mia Farrow was Miss Daisy Buchanan to Robert Redford’s Jay Gatsby.  I have waited close to a year and a half to see this remake of what I consider to be one of the better versions of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic about the lives of the veddy, veddy rich and the desire to possess what was never theirs in the first place.  Carey Mulligan and Leonardo diCaprio are the star-crossed/class-defined lovers.  The sets, the narration, the music (which is a combination of classic 20’s jazz and the perfectly matched remixes of hip-hop, pop, and crying ballads) and the supporting cast are blended in a nouveau flapper fresco that invokes another time.  It rings in the desperation of crawling out of the craziness that was the end of the Flapper Age and the beginning of the Great Depression.  Yes, folks, this is what excess looks like and the lunacy of love.  Baz Luhrman has created a world just as fantastic as Long Island, the Hamptons, and Manhattan, but did it in New South Wales.  Amazing costumes, make-up, and the cars…yikes…everything is perfect and follows the book to a “T”.   Supporting cast is excellent…if nothing else, it will get nominated for costumes, but I think it’ll take many more of the awards.  Rating:  3.5 stars and the piercing “Eyes of God” looking down upon us all.

Star Trek Into Darkness

If any of you remember, from the 60’s and 80’s, “The Space Seed” episode of Star Trek and the film, “Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan”, and you can’t stop talking about it for whatever reason (say Ricardo Montalban’s hair, bare chest, and beefy “guns” got you all hot and bothered), then this is not the film for you.  It’s more like “Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith” with stunning CGI futuristic views of Earth, Space, and San Francisco.  Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachery Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, and yes, a cameo, but a very important one, by a pointy-eared Vulcan, are once again on hand and change it up.  So much has been culled from the original story, but it’s all good.  Who are the good guys, who are the bad guys, and how fast will you be able to figure it out?  This is Star Trek, Voyager, Enterprise, and a New Generation all rolled into one.  It’s in the future, but retro at the same time, so “Beam Me Up Scotty” isn’t what you hear every 5 minutes.  Tension abounds throughout the film and some of the outcomes are predictable, but then again, there’s always that underlying element of surprise that keeps you on the edge of your seat in the climatic scenes.  (For those of you who have never experienced The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across The Eighth Dimension or the original Robocop, I suggest you also check these out).  I see this as being a “popcorn tosser” and definitely collectible when the film’s available.  Rating 3 dilithium crystals and a tribble for your thoughts.