The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

I’ve struggled quite a bit with the not necessary competition between The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies brought about by fans. That’s great that you like one of them more than the other. For me, I just think it’s awesome that we have six epic middle Earth movies. The final chapter, taking place in the middle chronologically, is The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The title describes the plot pretty well. Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and the company of Dwarves reclaim the Lonely Mountain after the dragon, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), leaves to destroy nearby Lake Town. But once word of the dragon leaving gets around, a bunch of different people want the mountain that happens to be a strong strategic location. It’s also filled with gold, so people want that too.

Aesthetically, director Peter Jackson and his crew have the look of these movies down to a science. The sweeping New Zealand landscapes with varying terrains are the best backdrops in film. As for the effects, they look great on the big screen. But throughout this trilogy there have been a number of moments where the advanced technology brings about visuals that seem over-the-top. I’m looking at you giant unnecessary were-worms.

The story develops relatively slowly in the film since they stretched the plot to cover three movies. This allows for more back story and Easter eggs for fans of Tolkien. After the very calculated and serious tone of The Lord of the Rings, I think that these new films were the right place for those details. But a casual moviegoer without much interest in the mythology probably didn’t need all the side stories. The acting was pretty steady throughout. Martin Freeman’s turn as Bilbo is the most successful of all Hobbits throughout the series. He does really well layering the positive and negative aspects of the title character. Ian McKellan is also given his chance to end the series on a high note. A battle between the White Council and Sauron had the nerds in the theater foaming at the mouth (myself included.) But he also gets some great dialogue to go next to his fighting in the massive battle.

Ultimately, the main criticism with the film is that it is made up of a fight with the dragon, which is followed by one big battle. Looking at the trilogy as one story makes this fact easier to understand. But if you don’t enjoy watching the battle strategies of dwarves and elves, this may not be the best film for you. As for me, I look forward to the extended cut with more nerdy goodness.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

The Theory of Everything

You can’t go too far into film discussion about 2014 without hearing a lot about actor Eddie Redmayne. The slight British actor plays the lead in the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything. Like in those discussions, I’ll tell you that he gives an incredible performance. But there is more than just the actor. Look no further than Felicity Jones who plays Jane Hawking. We’ll break down these performances more in a moment. The film follows Hawking and his wife as they develop a relationship while Stephen’s health deteriorates and his scientific résumé gains prominence.

The first act shines as we see quite a bit of character development in the form of a budding romance. We know from real life this honeymoon phase won’t last the whole movie, but this pain free aspect is exciting nonetheless. It builds up the viewer before the fall. Biopics are an odd animal since the person being portrayed tends to look like an unrealistic saint or a total jerk. Theory gives you a bit of both. Many of Stephen’s negative traits are presented as a result of losing control of his body as his brain gains more acclaim. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the negative elements of the story are tamped down so as to not ruin the admiration for the real life people that the script emphasizes.

Redmayne’s physical transformation is worth recognition in and of itself. To present such a performance when you are limited to almost no movement is quite a feat. But he is also able to keep some of the charm the actor has maintained throughout his career. Alongside Redmayne, Jones takes on a very different, but no less impressive task as the wife forced to devote her life to a severely handicapped husband. It’s heartbreaking to watch because it is so incredibly real. The movie is accessible while still being very complex, which is a perfect way to describe the relationship between the Hawkings.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Neighbors

In a world where Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are the comedy tag team champions of the world, it only makes sense that Seth Rogen and Zac Efron work together perfectly in the frat comedy Neighbors. Rogen and Rose Byrne play new parents adjusting to family life when a college fraternity moves into the house next door. Of course this isn’t a nice, quiet, volunteering frat either. Efron and co. are quite raucous. So after a failed attempt to befriend their new neighbors, they go back and forth in prank warfare.

Rogen has become a master at portraying the loveable oaf and in this effort he is a responsible, loveable oaf. He pulls it off quite well. Byrne complements him well as she continues to be a comedy powerhouse in her own right. Now what about Efron? Well, he’s actually quite funny. All three of the leads provide some depth to their laugh happy characters, but let’s not pretend this is some deep dive into the human condition. It’s a frat comedy that meets all the stereotypes of the binge-drinking, fornicating college idiots. But at the risk of sounding overly simple, Neighbors is just plain funny. I tend to think that’s important for a comedy.

Seth Rogen has done well adapting his films to his increasing age. It seems odd to think that the stoner comic is playing a semi-responsible parent, but he does so with great success. The frat also comes across as equal parts annoying and likeable. The fact you can work in a Franco brother (Dave), the actor formerly known as McLovin’ (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) along with Efron, I’d say casting has done their job quite well. And as if I needed to say more, what about that Robert DeNiro themed party? Genius.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

At the risk of bringing nostalgia into this conversation, X-Men: Days of Future Past is the movie I dreamed about when I was five years old. It’s not necessarily this particular storyline, but it’s a comic book movie chock full of popular characters with cameos from additional familiar names, allusions to other moments in the expanded universe and, believe it or not, it’s a really strong movie too. DOFP has the team from the original X-Men films living in a future where mutant hunting sentinels have almost completely wiped them out. So to try and change this reality, they use Kitty Pride’s (Ellen Page) powers to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time to try and stop an important assassination that set the world on this path. It sounds a bit confusing, but the script makes it easy to understand.

Not only is the cast list filled with the best of the previous films, these actors are an acclaimed, award winning bunch. Hugh Jackman leads the charge by appearing in both future and past timelines, but he doesn’t actually come across as the film’s main character. Maybe it’s because he’s had his own spin off Wolverine films, but this is essentially a Professor X story. This works since Sir Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy do such a great job adding depth to a character that could very easily come across as a priest-like moral stalwart. With current superstar Jennifer Lawrence, Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender also featuring prominently, the principle cast, which contains a ton more familiar names, is quite incredible. And to avoid spoilers, I won’t even get into the cameos!

The story for Days of Future past is strong. It’s clear this film was made with the intention of molding a super-franchise like The Avengers and also repairing some of the continuity hiccups created throughout seven films that had a number of different directors. Plus since the film is directed by X-Men and X2 director Bryan Singer, let’s just say the elements erased from the timeline aren’t the ones from his projects. The X-Men are a fun group that diversifies the plot among characters better than any other comic book film. Would my thrilled yet hypothetical five year old self understand the time travelling paradoxical results of this movie? No, but I’d definitely think it was a lot of fun.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Godzilla

In the lead up to the Gareth Edwards directed Godzilla, it seemed that everyone needed to compare it to Roland Emmerich’s project of the same name from the 90s. Those comparisons will happen, but it’s clear that this movie was made with that predecessor planted firmly in mind. This film takes itself very seriously and, if you can believe it, lacks realism in critical moments. I will explain that momentarily. Godzilla tells the story of a naval officer (Aaron Taylor Johnson) who finds himself repeatedly coming in contact with a trio of ancient monsters who suddenly wake up.

By attempting to be faithful to the original Japanese Godzilla films, we get a Godzilla who unknowingly acts as a defender of the people by preying on the two MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism). That’s all fine except for the fact that the US Navy rides along side by side with a massive dinosaur like monster and trusts him while he crushes everything in his wake. Also, I think our military is smarter than repeatedly targeting monsters that feed on radiation with radioactive weapons. But yes, I understand the movie is just that, a motion picture about giant monsters.

A lot does go right also. The cast is quite successful with Johnson proving to be a likeable and adequate lead with an understated performance. Paired with Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Olsen and Ken Watanabe, who all give emotional personality to the story, there isn’t a weak link among them. Visually there are a number of memorable moments that are beautiful on the big screen. When a team of soldiers HALO jump to get into war torn San Francisco, the result is a haunting scene that emphasizes the intended tone. The movie is good, but if you’re rebooting an old concept that has been done a bunch of times before, it needs to be different. At this point with Godzilla, I don’t know how that’s possible.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

In the build up to blockbuster season, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 seemed to take the backseat in my mind to time travelling X-Men and city smashing monsters. The result of this is a movie that kicked off May with a bang that will be tough to match. Spider-Man/ Peter Parker is a compelling character, which is why he has been a pop culture mainstay for so many years. But never has a Peter Parker come across as human as Andrew Garfield’s portrayal in his second turn as the web-slinger. But the British actor doesn’t deserve all the credit. In fact, there are a number of pieces to this puzzle.

The film picks up with Peter enjoying being Spider-Man, as well as his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), only to quickly be forced into conflict with the emergence of a number of powerful villains. To be honest, the development of the villains is pretty par for the course with what we’ve seen from all the superhero movies. But with the average development of Electro (Jamie Foxx) we get an incredible audio-visual experience with a Time Square battle between him and Spidey. I can’t think of a special effects scene that had me in awe like this since last summer’s Pacific Rim. But beyond Electro, the company Oscorp, with Norman and Harry Osborne, is presented as a villain factory of sorts that will prove troublesome in future franchise installments, which is a cool twist.

But even with high flying stunts and immersive special effects, the most successful moments follow the young love of Peter and Gwen. Sure, the on again off again element is dull and tiring, but their connection is as real as any on-screen couple you’ll ever see. Maybe the fact that the actors are dating in real life has something to do with it. On the same note, the film’s emotional climax far outweighs the fisticuffs that accompany it. If The Dark Knight changed the tone of comic book movies for the better, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has changed the genre’s ability to convey emotion. Poor Peter Parker. The character has been around since 1962 and in all that time, he just can’t seem to catch a break.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.