For anyone who is looking at the Hobbit posters that are plastering our walls, buses and underground stations, and wondering whether or not its worth your time (about 2.5 hours) and money to sit in a dark room throughout party season; I can categorically tell you it is!
Forget the first installment of the film franchise and all its appalling high frame rate filming and dull overly long set up plot lines, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a triumph! What was lost in the first film is the distinct transportation to another world (its pretty hard to get lost in a film when the clarity of the filming is so high you can see the prosthetics covering each characters faces) and more frighteningly a lack lustre sense of action and adventure. Luckily part two brightens up all our woes and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!
I know its always a good sign when I remember to check my watch and realize that its already over two hours through. I had been so preoccupied before hand with everything going on, I didn’t even think I stopped to take a breath let alone look at the time!
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the continuation story of Bilbo Baggins the dwarves and Gandalf the Grey as they continue their journey to reclaim their rightful homeland Erebor, from the fire-breathing dragon that is Smaug. Unbeknown to the rest of the group, Bilbo is also in possession of a magical ring which gives him extraordinary powers and makes him a brave and valuable asset on this quest.
First and foremost the action is amazing. Whether it is a newly tweaked version of the 48fps or indeed the standard 24fps version, you will be dazzled by the intricacy and excitement of each action led sequence. One key highlight has to be the battle with giant spiders, which with added 3D gives them a new monstrous perception and will make you shudder out of reach in your cinema seat. Secondly, is the incredibly impressive river barrel sequence, with prancing elves killing Orcs with “endless” amounts of arrows, the logistical reality does not come into play in any way within this sequence as its 15 minutes of glory is truly breath taking.
Each character that we have seen in the first installment of the franchise becomes more developed in their own right in this film. Bilbo has an increased level of confidence thanks to his secret weapon, Gandalf goes off to fight his own battle against Sauron, and there is an interesting start of a love triangle between Killy (Dwarf), Tauriel (Elf) and Legolas (Elf) which is left hanging ready for the conclusion in the third film.
And finally, we get to Smaug – Benedict Cumberbatch is superbly cast as the greedy dragon resting in the Misty Mountain awoken by Bilbo. The detail that is used to create the dragon is some of the best out there, each scale is clear to see and the fire in Smaug’s belly prepares you for a visual feast of fire and gold.
To round up, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug brings Peter Jackson back to Tolkien’s original fantasy and his directing best. Fun for all the family, this film is THE go to film for the Christmas period and not one to miss.
So it’s been a great 2012 in the world of film, and to properly finish it off, I was lucky enough to feature on Channel 5 News at the end of December to chat about my favourite Christmas film to watch over the festive period. I decided that my top two films had to be those that were most nostalgic and memorable to me rather than those that were just critically acclaimed, and I’m sure a lot of twenty-somethings who grew up with these films will probably feel the same.
So, I chose, first and foremost, Home Alone – the star making turn from Macaulay Culkin. I remember everything about this film, from the opening musical score to the amazing traps Kevin McAllister managed to set for bungling burglars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. This is a film, which turns apotentially tragic circumstance into something that becomes one of the most well remembered modern slapstick Christmas comedies of all time.
The other film that is important to me, but not always remembered as a Christmas film (but most certainly is), is Hook. Robin Williams plays the boy who actually did grow up, and it’s a tale of self-belief and acceptance with a lot of fun thrown in. Again, it’s a star-studded cast with Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins and Dustin Hoffman easily putting any panto Captain Hook to shame. It’s a film that I have always returned to and watched, again, and again and again, and will probably always continue to do so.
Anyway, if you managed to catch these two films over the Xmas period, well done you… you took my good advice, and if you don’t have these in your Blu-Ray or DVD collection, go get them in the January sales – they should be staple additions to your collection! But its 2013 now, and what a year of films we have ahead.
Hope you’re excited, if not, I wanted to share a list of my most anticipated films for the first half of the year, so you know what you have to look forward to over the next six months:
Les Miserables
Musical Theatre fans need wait no longer for this luscious retelling of the Victor Hugo book/Cameron MacKintosh stage phenomenon. I’ve seen it, and as a massive fan of the show liked it, but never the less managed to still pick holes in the fact that its never quite going to live up to the musical that I love and admire so dearly.
This film will be a must see for any fans of the show, and for anyone new and intrigued about this concept, you’ll be viewing an almost certain Oscar winning performance from Anne Hathaway as Fantine, and will hopefully enjoy this star-studded cast lead by Hollywood favourite Hugh Jackman. But be prepared, it’s verging on the three-hour mark, with little spoken dialogue and no interval!
Les Miserables hits cinema screens 11th January 2013
Django Unchained
It may contain a silent “d” but Django Unchained is causing plenty of controversy over its extensive use of the “N” word in this American slavery based story. Starring firm favourites Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Waltz, this most certainly should be a must for any Tarantino fans – and I will be front of the queue.
Hailed as one of Tarantino’s best films by those who have seen it, it’s probably not for the faint hearted but will be an interesting and daring take on a very difficult subject matter.
Django Unchained hits cinemas 18th January 2013.
Zero Dark Thirty
Remember when The Hurt Locker came out and the Oscars hosted the biggest David and Goliath showdown between Avatar director and “King of the World” James Cameron and ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow? Well triumphant Bigelow is back with a bold production looking at Al-Quaeda terrorism and the hunt for the most dangerous man in the world.
Starring Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton, Zero Dark Thirty is already causing considerable awards buzz and as the critics screenings have just started we are starting to see the influx of glowing reviews as well as some further questioning from government forces into the level of information exchanged between Bigelow’s team and the CIA – which probably means this film is verging more on fact than fiction and that we should probably keep a keen eye out when watching.
If you remain intrigued, then you only have to wait until the end of the month as Zero Dark Thirty hits cinema screens on 25th January 2013. Watch out Homeland…
Warm Bodies
I really hope this doesn’t turn out to be a big, fat, zombie turkey, because the trailer looks lots of fun. Nicholas Hoult moves on from Skins, About a Boy and UK territory altogether as he takes on this lead in this adaptation from the popular Issac Marion book of the same name.
The basic premise is that a zombie manages to prove that he’s not all gore and stunted walking as he falls in love with a human girl and gradually cures himself as a result – what will happen to the rest of the human race? We’ll just have to see…but rest assured it will probably be better than Hoult’s other 2013 film – Jack and the Giant Killer!
Warm Bodies ventures on to our cinema screens on the 8th February 2013.
The Great Gatsby
Speaking of book adaptations, F.Scott Fitzgerald’s classic has had a few re-tellings, but if Baz Luhrmann is anything to go by, this is going to be a Moulin Rouge visual feast…lets just hope it has substance to its style.
The trailer looks magnificent, and with a star-studded cast such as Leonardo DiCaprio in the titular role, Tobey Maguire as Nick, Carey Mulligan as Daisy, we’ll have to wait and see whether or not this takes its place as the biggest film of Summer 2013.
The Great Gatsby swings onto cinema screens ever so stylishly on the 17th May 2013.
Star Trek: Into Darkness
If you, like me, were pleasantly surprised by JJ Abrams re-versioning of this sci-fi series, then you’ll be just as excited to see what the directors next installment has in store for us all.
With the ever cryptic addition of British actor Benedict Cumberbatch (yes Sherlock fans get excited) as one of the baddies, it will be great to see what happens as Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto once again feed into the “Captains log” (sorry!) with their next adventure.
Star Trek into Darkness hits screens on 17th May 2013
Man of Steel
We’ll sort of forgive Zack Snider for Sucker Punch, now that he’s under the close watch of Christopher Nolan for Man of Steel. The trailer looks Batman Begins esq – so I can’t help but feel uber excited for this. Superman isn’t one of DC Comic’s best superheroes in my opinion, but over the years most of the films have done ok…
Hopefully Man of Steel will launch Clapham boy Henry Cavill to the A-List and no longer will he be losing out as one of the last two at every audition he attends (this happened apparently in Bond and Twilight amongst others – poor boy!) Plus the ever diverse Amy Adams steps up as Lois Lane – cannot wait!!
Man of Steel flies into action on 14th June 2013.
So just a few snippets of big ones to watch over the next six months. There’s also lots of offerings from World War Z through to Pacific Rim, Oblivion, Evil Dead and Welcome to the Punch – 2013 is shaping up to be a very strong year for films, so as ever, enjoy watching all is on offer, I know I will!
Warning – this is not a film to watch if you are tired or even semi-tired, its twists, turns and complexities will have you rolling around and still trying to figure it out when you actually get home, curl up in bed, desperate to finally sleep and are glad that this is 2011 not 1973 (boy, the fashion sense was bad back then!)
I love a cat and mouse film (no not Tom and Jerry the movie) but something all the more sinister. In fact when I was a wee nipper in the 80’s my dad would sit me down in front of TV shows showing a healthy bit of espionage and I was hooked. Everything from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. through to The Avengers and even the The Saint – anything with a bit of charm, mystery, and immense coolness had my vote (age 8!).
So you can understand that there was an element of excitement going to review Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy for next week’s Film Friday radio show at The Everyman Cinema in Oxted. What I love about this cinema is that its retro feel was the perfect setting for a 1970’s spy drama to unfold. I was in the minority of young people going to watch the film, its general audience were those of an age who remember the day of the great spy dramas well, and in-fact, with all the new up-coming trailers playing, I had one incredibly keen mature spy fan sat behind me, telling his partner that he wishes all this ‘modern tosh’ would just hurry up and make way for the real entertainment that was about to unfold. I couldn’t help but slightly chortle to myself and agree with him. Tonight and this cinema was not a place for new action releases, vampires, werewolves and aliens, it was a place to transport us back to the glum, cold problematic era of the early 1970’s where gentlemen were still highly regarded and massive street car chases were not necessary.
Most of my notes throughout the film were made even before the opening credits. There is a beautifully rich opening sequence to the film which sets the scene and time so perfectly in every element that it’s almost like a documentary, an insight into the inner workings of ‘The circus/MI6.’ One thing that I wanted to point out was the cinematography, it had a beautiful grainy effect which allowed it to be just that little bit under crisp that you actually felt that this film was pulled out from the archives and run on 8mm film having been shown for the first time in thirty years.
The most dramatic action sequence happens in the first few minutes and from then on, it’s about listening intently and playing an extremely complicated game of Cluedo in your head as you follow Gary Oldman’s excellently executed character George Smiley’s quest for finding the mole in Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Oldman’s choices of films are something to be admired, and this is no exception. You can tell that a great actor, and of course a privileged actor is able to make clever choices about their film roles and that is probably why after Kung Fu Panda 2 and Harry Potter he wanted to remind us once again that he is the real deal – after all what other actor out there at the moment, can have you knowing what he’s thinking from a shot angled at the back of his head – pure power!
Not leaving all the praise over to the mighty Oldman alone, this welders son is joined by an absolutely stellar cast of Britain’s finest male actors. John Hurt, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Strong all have excellent turns throughout this film and it really does keep you second guessing with who you believe and who you trust. Their strong portrayals of the helm of MI6, their subtle individual glances, along with the clever editing and a fantastic soundtrack makes you feel you’re in on the game, you’re being asked your thoughts on who you think is the mole, and it makes for a thoroughly engaging couple of hours.
What I particularly loved is the lack of obvious action. This was more of a snapshot of what the great British spy work was all about, it’s not blown up cars, excessive running and guns a-blazing every twenty minutes, its pure adrenalin of the guessing game which is why you cannot afford to take your eyes off the screen for one minute – let alone any sort of toilet break! The slow pace is deceptive because the intelligence of this film is so fast! This film may be coloured as brown as a 1970’s sitting room, but it is by no means beige!!
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a solid film, captured in a manner completely of its time, its gripping, intellectually fast paced, and still keeps you analysing and guessing the morning after. Who was that character’s connection to so and so? Why were they at that point? Etc, etc… A stellar spy drama and something that the Hollywood studios should learn from, an oldie but a goodie!
Its showing all this week and next at The Everyman Cinema in Oxted as well as all major cinemas in London town!
Finally – whilst I was away the team from Leicester Square TV attended the UK premiere for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and managed to catch up with the lead actor Gary Oldman himself –
Fanatical about Film in a Perfect Way... 