Tagline: From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends.
Synopsis: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever... Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
While Peter Jackson’s final film in his epic “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy was showered with Oscars, that won’t be the case for the first installment of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." The film picked up just three Oscar nominations, putting it in the running for Makeup and Hairstyling (which...
Read More »Before he was Bilbo, before he was Watson, Martin Freeman was Tim Canterbury, a lowly salesman at Wernham Hogg Paper Company. It's hard to believe, but the original U.K. "The Office" is already over ten years old, and its U.S. counterpart is wrapping up at the end of this season too. Well, if you ne...
Read More »Its domestic numbers weren’t too shabby, breaking the December opening weekend record with $84 million, but even with that context, the global numbers for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" are gangbusters. The first installment of Peter Jackson’s latest Tolkien adaptation opened up in 56 internati...
Read More »This weekend proves to be another rather quiet one, at least in the scheme of the December release schedule, featuring a diverse palette of festival winners and documentaries. And, of course, Peter Jackson makes his long-awaited return journey to Middle Earth. Guess there wasn't really any way to co...
Read More »Likely to dominate over the next weeks (though we wonder, with the rather underwhelming reception, if it will be even close to the behemoth the 'LOTR' movies were), "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" has finally arrived in theaters. It has been a long...journey...with studio delays and other woes k...
Read More »Those expecting the grandeur of "Lord of the Rings" from Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (the first of a new prequel trilogy) will be disappointed. But that's not to say the ride isn't enjoyable once you get used to the 48fps in 3-D. Were I to sit ...
Read More »I have great regard for Peter Jackson and his filmmaking partners, which is why it pains me to say that I found 'The Hobbit' incredibly boring. As in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, Jackson and his WETA team have raised the bar for visual effects and created some stunning set pieces...
Read More »This weekly column is intended to provide reviews of nearly every release, including films on VOD (and occasionally certain studio films). Specifics release dates and locations follow each review.
Read More »From one perspective, it’s ironic that the adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s "Lord of the Rings" books have been so successful; they owe their success to technological progress, and yet an argument against such progress is one of their underlying themes.
Read More »I have never been a Lord of the Rings fanatic, so take that into account, but The Hobbit made me miss Voldemort. I spent a fair amount of time during Peter Jackson’s latest installment in his Tolkien franchise comparing it to the Harry Potter movies, thinking how savvy J.K. Rowling’...
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