2013 Oscar Predictions

Well, it's that time of the year... the time when all the movies we heard great things about but never saw are honored by the people those movies are about. Hollywood is notorious for honoring itself in the most extravagant and self-serving way possible, but at least they do it in a mostly entertaining fashion. I've already posted my top ten films of the year, and though I haven't seen all of the movies voted for Best Picture (who has?), it's clear that my favorites didn't exactly correlate with the Academy's. Having said all that, I'm going to try not to dwell too much on the movies and artists that got the shaft (*cough* "The Dark Knight Rises") and instead focus on the films that do qualify for the most "important" prize in the movie business.

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Best Picture Nominees:

- Amour
- Argo*
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
- Les Miserables
- Life of Pi
- Lincoln
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Zero Dark Thirty

Clearly "Amour" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild" are simply artistic films meant to fill slots but that aren't really in the running. For them, the nomination is the award. "Django Unchained" and "Zero Dark Thirty" are the tough and gritty nominees, but they aren't true contenders either. Both "Les Miserables" and "Life of Pi" are beautiful films that unfortunately don't really have a chance at Best Picture. "Silver Linings Playbook" has a slight chance, but the only true contenders for the prize are "Lincoln" and "Argo". Seeing as the awards season has largely belonged to "Argo", I have to select that as my official pick (hence the asterisk), though the fact that Ben Affleck wasn't nominated for Best Director leads me to believe the Academy members may select "Lincoln" instead.


Best Director:

- "Amour" Michael Haneke
- "Beasts of the Southern Wild" Benh Zeitlin
- "Life of Pi" Ang Lee
- "Lincoln" Steven Spielberg*
- "Silver Linings Playbook" David O. Russell

If Affleck had been nominated he would have won this one too, but thanks to his snub it's more of an open race. I could just copy and paste what I wrote about "Amour" and "Beasts of the Southern Wild" from the previous paragraph and apply it to their respective directors that nobody's heard of in this category. The other directors in this list could all potentially win the award, though I'd be surprised if Steven Spielberg didn't walk away with his 3rd Oscar. Ang Lee did a beautiful job with "Life of Pi" and the acting nominations for "Silver Linings Playbook" always show directorial strength, but the award is Spielberg's to lose in my opinion.


Best Actor (Leading Role):

- Bradley Cooper "Silver Linings Playbook"
- Daniel Day-Lewis "Lincoln"*
- Denzel Washington "Flight"
- Hugh Jackman "Les Miserables"
- Joaquin Phoenix "The Master"

Kudos to Bradley Cooper for his first Oscar nomination, but he doesn't stand a chance at winning. Both Denzel and Joaquin Phoenix are veterans who can notch another nomination under their belt, but they won't walk away with the prize either. I loved Hugh Jackman's performance in "Les Miserables" and would love to see him awarded at the end of the night. However, it's inevitable that Daniel Day-Lewis will win his 3rd Oscar statuette. Kind of takes the suspense out of it, but this is as close to a sure thing as we can get.


Best Supporting Actor:

- Alan Arkin "Argo"
- Christoph Waltz "Django Unchained"*
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman "The Master"
- Robert De Niro "Silver Linings Playbook"
- Tommy Lee Jones "Lincoln"

Both supporting categories are usually far more open than the leading roles, and that is certainly the case for supporting actor. Alan Arkin won for this category as recently as 2006 and Robert De Niro hasn't been nominated since 1991, but neither really has a chance of winning. I hear great things about Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Tommy Lee Jones in their respective films (and have great respect for each of them), but I think the award will go to Christoph Waltz. He has a lot of ground-swell going into the ceremony and it may be one of the only awards that "Django" will win.


Best Actress (Leading Role):

- Emanuelle Riva "Amour"
- Jennifer Lawrence "Silver Linings Playbook"*
- Jessica Chastain "Zero Dark Thirty"
- Naomi Watts "The Impossible"
- Quvenzhane Wallis "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

The little girl nominated for "Beasts of the Southern Wild" seems really precocious, but I highly doubt she'll win the award. It seems like more of a gimmicky nomination than anything. Naomi Watts is a talented actress, but isn't really a contender. Emanuelle Riva is supposedly great in "Amour", though not good enough to overshadow the other powerhouse performances in her category. The real race is between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence has had a killer year, and seems to have the momentum going into the ceremony. Having said that, I wouldn't be too surprised if Chastain pulled out the upset.


Best Supporting Actress:

- Amy Adams "The Master"
- Anne Hathaway "Les Miserables"*
- Helen Hunt "The Sessions"
- Jacki Weaver "Silver Linings Playbook"
- Sally Field "Lincoln"

Despite what I said earlier about the supporting categories being a generally tighter vote, this year there is a fairly clear stand-out. Helen Hunt and Jacki Weaver almost seem like obligatory nominees, and Amy Adams will probably win in the future, but not this year. Sally Field is the only actress who can challenge Anne Hathaway, whose performance in "Les Miserables" brought tears to the eyes of almost everyone I know who saw it. She's nearly a lock for the category in my opinion and I'd be shocked if she didn't win.


Best Animated Film:

- Brave*
- Frankenweenie
- ParaNorman
- The Pirates! Band of Misfits
- Wreck-It Ralph

This is where I tend to predict more with my heart than my mind. It's another category where two nominees stand above the rest, but much closer than almost any other. "The Pirates" got good reviews, but isn't on par with the other nominees in other respects. "Frankenweenie" and "ParaNorman" pretty much cancel each other out with their Tim Burton-esque stop motion animation style. The real contenders are "Wreck-It Ralph" and "Brave". For me, "Brave" was such a touching story and boasts such visually rich animation that I can't let myself not select it, though I wouldn't be too surprised if "Wreck-It Ralph" got the award instead.


** The rest of the nominations (apart from short films and documentary features, which I'm just going to skip altogether) fall into the "technical categories", so I will try to be brief with my predictions... particularly since I really have no clue what some of the winners will be.


Best Cinematography:

- "Anna Karenina" Seamus McGarvey
- "Django Unchained" Robert Richardson
- "Life of Pi" Claudio Miranda
- "Lincoln" Janusz Kaminski
- "Skyfall" Roger Deakins*

"Skyfall" is one of the most beautifully filmed pictures I've seen in years, and possibly the acclaimed cinematographer's finest work. He's definitely due for an award. I'd be equally pleased, however, if "Life of Pi" won this category as it too was masterfully captured.


Best Costume Design:

- "Anna Karenina"*
- "Les Miserables"
- "Lincoln"
- "Mirror Mirror"
- "Snow White and the Huntsman"

While "Lincoln" and "Les Miserables" both had great costume design, this is one of only two categories in which "Anna Karenina" actually stands a chance.


Best Make-up and Hairstyling:

- "Hitchcock"
- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"*
- "Les Miserables"

Hugh Jackman's aging make-up was terrific, and the mere fact that Anne Hathaway somehow managed to not look drop-dead gorgeous makes it a worthy contender, but this will be "The Hobbit's" only victory, in my opinion.


Best Original Score:

- "Anna Karenina" Dario Marianelli
- "Argo" Alexandre Desplat
- "Life of Pi" Mychael Danna*
- "Lincoln" John Williams
- "Skyfall" Thomas Newman

While Thomas Newman's "Skyfall" score may be the most entertaining (and Hans Zimmer's "Dark Knight Rises" should have won anyway... grrr...), Mychael Danna is a pretty sure-thing to be given an Oscar for his work on "Life of Pi". Sorry John Williams, I think your 5 Oscar trophies are quite enough for now.


Best Original Song:

- "Before My Time" (Chasing Ice)
- "Everybody Needs A Friend" (Ted)
- "Pi's Lullaby" (Life of Pi)
- "Skyfall" (Skyfall)
- "Suddenly" (Les Miserables)

Two of these songs are far better than the rest, and as much as I enjoyed "Suddenly", it's clear that the absolute favorite in this category is Adele's show-stopping "Skyfall". It's a fantastic entry into the James Bond canon and one of the best songs of her career.


Best Editing:

- "Argo"
- "Life of Pi"
- "Lincoln"
- "Silver Linings Playbook"
- "Zero Dark Thirty"*

William Goldberg was nominated for both "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thiry", but I think the latter has a slightly better chance of winning. It's definitely one of those categories that could go either way.


Best Production Design:

- "Anna Karenina"*
- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
- "Life of Pi"
- "Lincoln"
- "Les Miserables"

As much as I wish the Oscar would go to "Les Miserables" or "Life of Pi", the heavy favorite in this category seems to be "Anna Karenina". Hollywood loves its decadent period-piece dramas (which makes it surprising "Lincoln" isn't more of a favorite here).


Best Visual Effects:

- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
- "Life of Pi"*
- "Marvel's The Avengers"
- "Prometheus"
- "Snow White and the Huntsman"

Each of the films in this category are fairly worthy selections (just swap "Snow White" with "Dark Knight" and we'll be good), but this award belongs to "Life of Pi" for the wonderful creation that is Richard Parker, the equally menacing and inspirational Bengal Tiger.


Best Original Screenplay:

- "Amour"
- "Django Unchained"*
- "Flight"
- "Moonrise Kingdom"
- "Zero Dark Thirty"

I really enjoyed the originality of "Moonrise Kingdom" and would have voted for it myself. However, Quentin Tarantino is a talented writer, and Hollywood seems to love his wicked dialogue and off-beat storylines. "Zero Dark Thirty" is also a close contender for the award.


Best Adapted Screenplay:

- "Argo"*
- "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
- "Life of Pi"
- "Lincoln"
- "Silver Linings Playbook"

It could really go to either "Argo" or "Lincoln", but the overwhelming possibility of the former taking home the Best Picture trophy gives it a slight edge.


Best Sound Editing:

- "Argo"
- "Django Unchained"
- "Life of Pi"
- "Skyfall"*
- "Zero Dark Thirty"

All the physical stunts and powerful explosions going on in "Skyfall" really enhance the narrative, which gives it my endorsement.


Best Sound Mixing:

- "Argo"
- "Les Miserables"*
- "Life of Pi"
- "Lincoln"
- "Skyfall"

Filming the actors' performances in-camera rather than recording the album in a studio beforehand, "Les Miserables" blends the on-set vocals seamlessly with the massive orchestra added in post-production.

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There you have it. Hopefully whoever reads this doesn't get too upset if they lose an office betting pool or something after copying my predictions... then again, awards shows are disappointingly predictable. Despite my own pride in having my predictions come to fruition, here's hoping for some surprises at the 85th Academy Awards on 2/24/2013!

Best Films of 2012

This has been a pretty good year in movies, which has been great in the sense that I've seen a lot of good movies... but not so great when attempting to narrow down all the films I've seen into a list of ten. There are a few prominent films I haven't seen at the time of this post that would probably be contenders for some of the higher spots on the list (Lincoln, Argo, Wreck-It Ralph, etc.). There are also several movies that I consider "Honorable Mentions" that I couldn't find room for: The Amazing Spider-man, Prometheus, and Chronicle to name a few. With that, let's get into the list! (You can view the original review by clicking on the title of each film)

#10: The Bourne Legacy

As I mentioned in my review for this film, I was a pretty big fan of the original trilogy and was looking forward to the release of "The Bourne Legacy" quite a bit as a result. While somewhat skeptical about a Bourne movie without the titular character, I was pleased to see that writer/director Tony Gilroy managed to breathe fresh life into a franchise that seemed lost without star Matt Damon. Jeremy Renner does an admirable job at portraying a similar character but with his own unique demons to face. While it is a little confusing at the beginning, I really enjoyed this film and recommend it to any fan of the Bourne franchise.

#9: Moonrise Kingdom

This film was completely off my radar, despite having a lot of recognizable stars such as Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton. It only caught my attention by the glowing reviews it was garnering on Rotten Tomatoes and I figured it was probably worth a look. That "gamble" completely paid off as "Moonrise Kingdom" is a tremendously odd film about the overly dramatic nature of young love and the quirks of a small community. There are a few distracting scenes, but overall this is a very enjoyable experience for those who like off-beat comedies and the actors involved.

#8: Life of Pi

This is where the rankings become a little nebulous. Any of the next four or five films could be in any of these positions, and dividing them into my level of enjoyment is really like splitting hairs. "Life of Pi" is an incredibly visual film, and one of the few that actually justifies the 3-D premium. The story is simple, but the emotions and themes run deep in this existential narrative. Rarely are such topics as spirituality and man's relationship with God explored so subtly and yet in such grand a scale, but that's what makes this film so special. It takes the source material and adapts it in a way that captures the imaginations of devotees to the book and newcomers alike. If you can, try to see this film in theaters; it warrants the big screen treatment.

#7: Brave

Pixar has repeatedly shown over the years a propensity to take risks that almost always results in the highest quality of animated entertainment. With their last effort, "Cars 2", I felt they settled for an easy story to tell instead of challenging themselves as they had done previously. Thankfully, Pixar has regained their form with "Brave", a beautifully-animated tale of a young woman struggling with the demands of her position (and her mother) and looking for a way to change her fate. This film is a lot of fun, but it's also remarkably touching at times. Go out and rent this movie if you haven't seen it already, it's the best family film of the year.

#6: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I am a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and have been anticipating the day they would finally film "The Hobbit" ever since the release of The Return of the King in 2003. Thankfully, Peter Jackson regained the director's chair for the prequel trilogy and his passion can be felt in every frame of An Unexpected Journey. This first installment gives me incredible hope for the sequels and leads me to believe that this could possibly be the best set of prequels we've ever seen. The journey taken in this film will have you on the edge of your seat and the final scene will leave you desperate for more. If you love LOTR, go see this movie.

#5: The Hunger Games

Despite how much I loved this movie, it was far more of a Lara movie than a Jake movie. I really enjoyed the book and thought the movie would end up being pretty good. Thankfully, we both found our expectations had been surpassed with the tremendous vision that Gary Ross translated from book to screen. The emotion is palpable in this dystopian fight for survival, and the actors play it perfectly. This is one of the best adaptations of a popular series I've seen. I highly recommend "The Hunger Games".

#4: Skyfall

The recent James Bond movies have all been a step up from the more campy versions in the last 50 years, and this one is probably the best of the bunch. Not only is Daniel Craig at the top of his game, but Skyfall also features the most dangerous and threatening villains in the entire 007 franchise. The cinematography in this movie is absolutely gorgeous and the story is fitting of the talent that's involved. It doesn't surprise me that this film recently broke the $1 billion mark.

#3: The Avengers

I had a really hard time deciding which comic book movie I was looking forward to most at the beginning of 2012, and for good reason. "The Avengers" is the most entertaining movie of the year and has some of the coolest moments you'll ever see in a film. The mere fact that Marvel was able to pull off the ultimate team-up is an accomplishment. Thankfully it wasn't just a cash-grab, as Joss Whedon was able to bring the characters to life and provide a threat worthy of their combined strength. I love this movie!

#2: Les Miserables

This is a very different kind of film than the action-packed blockbuster that was "The Avengers". Going in, I expected it to be great, but I truly wasn't expecting the heart-wrenching story that would propel this film past the action movies I've loved and nearly becoming my favorite film of the year. It's a beautiful piece of art, and the performances alone make this a must-see. The tale of Jean Valjean is one for the ages, and it's never better than in Tom Hooper's risk-taking masterpiece.

#1: The Dark Knight Rises

This movie was the most anticipated film of the year for me, and that doesn't always result in my favorite movie of the year. Luckily, this year it did. "The Dark Knight Rises" is the final installment in the Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, and sees the caped crusader off in epic fashion. By far the biggest film in the series, it also has the most heart of any previous Batman movie and the performances of Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, and Michael Caine complement the material perfectly. This is a terrific melding of complex storytelling with sociological commentary as well as compelling personal drama. It's a tense and thrilling film with some of the most impressive set-pieces I've ever seen. Nolan has somehow managed to top himself from "The Dark Knight" and provide a satisfying ending to one of the greatest trilogies in film history.

*Bonus* Top 5 Scores of 2012

5: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Howard Shore

4: Skyfall - Thomas Newman

3: The Hunger Games - James Newton-Howard

2: Brave - Patrick Doyle

1: The Dark Knight Rises - Hans Zimmer

2012 Star-Ratings

This is where I'll be posting the star-ratings of every movie I've seen throughout 2012. These are all listed in the date they were released, which isn't necessarily the order they were reviewed. Sorry these films didn't all get an official review, but some of them are mentioned on my Best of 2012 list!


Chronicle   ------------------------------------------------------------------------->


The Woman in Black   ----------------------------------------------------------->


The Vow   -------------------------------------------------------------------------->


This Means War   --------------------------------------------------------------->


The Lorax   ----------------------------------------------------------------------->


John Carter   --------------------------------------------------------------------->



The Hunger Games    ------------------------------------------------------------>


The Avengers    ---------------------------------------------------------------->


Dark Shadows   ---------------------------------------------------------------->


What to Expect When You're Expecting ------------------------------------->


Moonrise Kingdom    ------------------------------------------------------------>


Snow White and the Huntsman   ---------------------------------------------->


Prometheus   --------------------------------------------------------------------->


Brave   --------------------------------------------------------------------------> 


People Like Us   ----------------------------------------------------------------->


The Amazing Spider-Man   ----------------------------------------------------->


Katy Perry: Part of Me   -------------------------------------------------------->


The Dark Knight Rises   -------------------------------------------------------->


The Bourne Legacy   ------------------------------------------------------------>


Pitch Perfect   --------------------------------------------------------------------->


Argo   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------> 


Skyfall   --------------------------------------------------------------------------> 


Wreck-It Ralph   ------------------------------------------------------------------>


Lincoln   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------->


Breaking Dawn - Part 2  -------------------------------------------------------->


Rise of the Guardians   --------------------------------------------------------->


Life of Pi   ------------------------------------------------------------------------>


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey   ------------------------------------->


The Impossible   --------------------------------------------------------------->


Les Miserables   ----------------------------------------------------------------->

Les Miserables

My parents got pre-screening tickets to see this movie a few days ago, and I was a little hesitant to see it. Not that I didn't want to watch the movie at all, but I knew Lara wouldn't be able to come as she had to work that night. On the other hand, if I didn't go I wouldn't be able to see it with Lara until Christmas Day. Though I initially felt bad about going without her, I couldn't resist seeing the movie that nearly brought me to tears just from the teaser trailer. I've never seen the play, and what I know of the story I have gleaned from the lyrics of songs I've heard. As this was my first experience with the tale of Jean Valjean, I have no baggage from previous incarnations or performances.

For those who don't know the basic story, it begins with Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) in prison and pulling a massive ship into the bay with a multitude of other prisoners as Javert (Russell Crowe) looks on from above. He proceeds to inform Valjean that he is being released on parole, but that he will be watching to see if "24601" ever slips up again. Valjean leaves the prison but is unable to find work or even a place to stay before he is invited in by a priest, who goes so far as to give Jean Valjean his silver after he is caught stealing it by the guards. The priest gives Valjean even more than he attempted to steal with the sole condition that he use the money to become an honest man.

I won't go any further into the plot for those who want to avoid spoilers. Being a big movie fan, I've followed this project since it was first announced and was excited to see Hugh Jackman in the starring role. As the cast continued to fill out, however, I soon realized this was going to be something really special. Thankfully, this early realization was confirmed on Tuesday night as I saw one of the best films of the year. Les Miserables is a tremendous feat, a beautifully orchestrated masterpiece that honors the source material of the play and the book. The cast is uniformly fantastic, particularly Jackman and Anne Hathaway, who plays the tragic character of Fantine. Both are front-runners to be nominated for Academy Awards in their respective categories and I wouldn't mind seeing them both win. Even Russell Crowe, the wildcard in the bunch for me, portrays a dangerous and slightly unhinged inspector that feels like a suitable foe for Hugh Jackman.

There are so many flourishes of foreshadowing in the screenplay, facial expressions that completely sell the emotion of a song, as well as large-scale set pieces that really transport you into the French revolution that move this film from great to masterful. It can be somewhat hard to watch at certain points, namely the section where Fantine is thrown out into the street and falls into prostitution to care for her daughter; but it sets the stage perfectly for the emotional and spiritual journey each character will take, particularly Valjean. I can't count the number of times I teared up during this film, and the expression of humanity and grace depicted in the songs and actions of the characters make me want to be a better person. This is not just wonderful music, but the story itself is so iconic and poignant that I don't see how it would be possible not to be moved in some way by what unfolds.

Les Miserables is one of the best films of the year, and director Tom Hooper does a fantastic job of melding together the terrific production designs with the choreography and action while still allowing for the actors to express emotions that other directors might not be willing to attempt. It's fairly well known that this film, unlike other musicals adapted to the big screen, shot the actors singing live into the camera rather than recording the songs beforehand in a studio. It's this kind of organic quality that allows viewers to really experience the situations the characters find themselves in where other musicals have barricaded themselves from the audience forcing them to merely observe from a distance. This is a phenomenal achievement and I give Les Miserables a strong four stars.

LES MISERABLES is rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Of all of the movies that I have seen and loved, there are none more important to me than the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm that guy who watches the extended versions multiple times, indulges in hours and hours of special features, and even listened to the commentary tracks on all three films. "Return of the King" is in contention for my favorite film of all time. Suffice it to say, I was monitoring the production of "The Hobbit" as closely as possible to see where they were going to take the story that was so precious to me (pun intended, obviously). I couldn't have been more excited for this film, though I went in with slightly tempered expectations. Of course, this film had a bit of controversy surrounding it with the first use of 48 frames per second. While I did not see it in the higher frame rate, I have heard it is a polarizing feature. Some reviews site it as a brilliant innovation providing higher clarity, while others call it a distraction and almost like a "soap opera" in quality. I did see this film in 3-D, and (because my work got me the ticket) I even tried the D-Box technology used in many seats in Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theaters. While initially a little distracting, the format eventually became second-nature and I can see why some people might enjoy it.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins, the uncle of Frodo, the main protagonist from the Lord of the Rings series. Bilbo is an ordinary, non-adventure-taking hobbit who gets swept up with a group of dwarves at the behest of Gandalf the Grey. Gandalf needs to find a "burglar" for their journey to steal something very valuable in their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from the dragon Smaug. Bilbo is apprehensive to join their company, as he enjoys his creature comforts surrounding him at Bag End. However, following a rambunctious party with all thirteen dwarves, Bilbo awakens to find his home completely restored to normal with a contract for him to sign if he changes his mind. Bilbo takes the challenge and runs to catch up to the company, many of whom were not expecting the hobbit to join them, and so their "unexpected journey" begins.

I heard many grumblings about the first half-hour of this film being arduous and slow paced. Having experienced it for myself, I can honestly say that I can see how some people might think that, though I never experienced boredom during this set up. Perhaps it has something to do with my love for the original trilogy, but any amount of time spent in this world was time well spent, in my opinion. Peter Jackson clearly loves these books, and when he's projecting his vision of Tolkein's universe on the big screen that attitude is infectious. It's so nice to see a big-budget franchise being brought to life by someone so passionate about the source material.

The technical aspects of this film have all been stepped up a notch, particularly with Gandalf and the hobbit/dwarves. Those scenes were cleverly crafted in the original trilogy so as to keep the illusion of their difference in size, but this time the effect is completely seamless. When I first saw the trailer, I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to tell the dwarves apart, and while for a couple of dwarves I do struggle, they all have their own distinct personalities for the most part.

This film instantly drops you into the world of Middle Earth, with brilliant set and costume designs as well as beautiful scenery courtesy of New Zealand. Not only that, but recurring characters like Gandalf, Elrond and Galadriel provide connective tissue that takes the movie one step further in tying it to the original series. The performances from this cast are terrific across the board. Martin Freeman is perfectly cast as Bilbo, showing great potential as well as taking small steps in his evolution to becoming the globe-trotting adventurer we know him as in the Lord of the Rings. Ian McKellen is just as good as always, and the party of dwarves also brings their own unique flavor to the ensemble, particularly Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. He evokes a similar gravitas and commanding presence as Aragorn that I hadn't previously seen with dwarves. The best scene in the movie, however, is probably the altercation between Bilbo and Gollum. I am continuously amazed at how wonderfully Jackson is able to depict the tragic nature of Gollum's obsession and bring new elements to light each time.

Unlike the Lord of the Rings, however, this isn't as epic or grand. There are far more comedic and light-hearted elements found in this film than the original trilogy, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The premise of this film is the adventure, and there are more tussels and bombastic escapes as a result. However, there are interesting story threads that will surely come into play later, such as the oft-eluded to "Necromancer". The final scene in this movie also did a great job of piquing my interest for the sequel, "The Desolation of Smaug" coming out next December.

Watching this film I got the distinct impression that this was setting itself up to be the perfect lead up to the Lord of the Rings films. There are wonderfully poetic moments in this film where Bilbo shows the kind of inner strength later personified in his nephew Frodo, as well as moving lines from Gandalf that remind us of the symbolism at play here. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is a very enjoyable experience, and I have a feeling the next two films in the series are going to get even better. I give this movie a strong three and a half stars.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images.