Ed's Review Dot Com

New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), WingNut Films,

Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is old, and speaking with Frodo. Bilbo explains that everything he told Frodo was the truth, but that there were some things that he did not tell him. Then he begins to tell the story of how it all began. It began with a meeting with Gandalf and a mismatched group of unlikely heroes that appeared at Bilbo’s home to discus and upcoming adventure, one that Bilbo is very opposed to even undertaking. The Hobbit, the story of Bilbo and the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy was written long after the other books, but is a fitting prequel to the tales of middle earth. In this first installment, the team gets started on their journey, and Bilbo gets separated, and in the process meets Gollum and begins a battle of wits with him, nearly becoming his lunch. The Hobbit has been broken into pieces and this is the first of a proposed trilogy of a story that is surely rich and deep enough to have plenty of adventures to come.

This is a beautiful film! The Lord of the Rings was an epic trilogy, but I have always loved “The Hobbit” much more than the other books. That comes out in this story which is much easier to follow (in my humble opinion) than the LOTR series. The original actors are back, and the origins and secrets of Gollum is worth watching this film by itself. Bilbo’s experience with him under the lonely mountain is epic. There are some truly epic battles, and the technology is superior. But it’s all about the story, and this story is one of the greatest ever written. It looks and sound stunning, but the story sucks you in right from the start. It was great to see the scenes come to life that came from the pages of a book. This was a definite 5 star film and should not be missed.

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Walt Disney Pictures, Roth Films,

James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, Tony Cox, Abigail Spencer, Martin Klebba, Bruce Campbell

Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is a carnival magician, and a master of B.S. who courts all the pretty girls in each town. But he goes one step too far and has a strong man from the carnival out to twist his head off for chasing after his girl, so he escapes in a hot air balloon, which is carried away in a fierce storm and carries him to the magical land of Oz long before they ever heard of Dorothy. Now Oz has lost their king, and are looking for a new leader, and the legends tells of a powerful wizard who will drop from the sky, but currently it’s being run by a gaggle of witches, some good and some purely evil. This prequel to The Wizard of Oz uses the characters from the stories and the world of L Frank Baum, the author without stepping on the copyrights, and is a fabulous prequel to the early days of the Land of Oz.

Wow, this was a long awaited picture for me, and I paid the price to see this one in one of the old original real IMAX screens in 3D. It was a long trip to get to see it on a real Imax sized screen, but newer little Imax modified screens just wouldn’t cut a film like this. Oh how I was NOT disappointed by this movie. This is the best movie I’ve seen in many years! If I were to look for a weak spot, it might be James Franco. I’m not sure why they cast him as the lead, and he did his very best, but I know there could be a better casting choice, but then I thought and though and thought, and I can’t really come up with someone who would be perfect for this role. Plus, I am a real fan of the original Judy Garland “Wizard of Oz” and I remember loving it as a kid, and I still do. I also really enjoyed the Oz books, all of them. This film did a tightrope walk of homage to the Wizard of Oz, but they had a couple of problems, and they did a great job of working around them. L Frank Baum’s books are about a real land called Oz, and it was absolutely real. MGM, for some reason, threw that all away and made it a little girl’s dream. “And you were there, and you were there, but you couldn’t have been, and all I could think about was how to get back home.” (This is paraphrased with a lot missing, but you get the point.) Perhaps they figured that audience in that day could not handle a movie with so many strange characters that was not somehow just a dream. But this movie is true to the Land of Oz of Mr. Baum’s books, so they treat it as a real place. Still, as you watch, you’ll see a lot of stuff that is pure homage to the original movie, and the ignore some of the stuff that doesn’t quite work out with a fantasy dream world. Disney did an awesome job building this story.

The greatest strength of this film is the beautiful world that was created. The beauty of this world is the most wonderful place we’ve seen since perhaps Avatar, and it reminds me a lot of the world of the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with all the whimsy and wonder, but a beauty of waterfalls and flowers that has to be seen (preferably in IMAX) to be believed. There’s some really cute characters that you probably have seen in the previews, but I’m not going to say more because they way the are found and the way they fit in is really wonderful.

The story is A++ and the characters are great, but this is PG rather than G as it might be a little too scary for little bitty kids. Once they’re old enough to understand that it’s a movie and the witches and monsters are just pretend, it would be okay, and this is highly different for different kids, but little kids could really get nightmares from some of the really scary monsters like the witch’s flying baboons and the witch’s threats and really bad attitude. So keep the 1 year old’s away, but older kids, and teens will probably love it. Whether you’re familiar with the original OZ or not (and who isn’t?) there’s very much to enjoy in this film for everyone, so it’s one not to be missed. This is Disney at it’s very best. Go see it as soon as possible.

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DreamWorks Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Reliance Entertainment,

Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, Jackie Earle Haley, John Hawkes, Jared Harris, Joseph Cross, Tim Blake Nelson, David Oyelowo, Bruce McGill

Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day Lewis) was our 16th President, and presided over the United States during the darkest days of the nation. This film looks at the last months of the life of Abraham Lincoln. The war has been raging on, and he had released the Emancipation Proclamation declaring slavery had been abolished, but that was done as a time of war. It didn’t stop slavery truly, but rather stated that any slaves captured in battles would be free. But it was highly questionable to Lincoln whether he had the power to do this, especially if the war was over. So Lincoln was faces with a major dilemma. He must push for the 13th Amendment to the constitution in the house, to pass with a 2/3 majority, with not near enough votes to do it. He also had to do it before the war was over, because if the south rejoined the Union, they would certainly have enough power to block it. So Lincoln calls in all his favors, and even recruits his enemies, to attempt to pull off this coup. Lincoln may be able to stop slavery, or stop the war, but likely not both. This stunning documentary tells the story of a great American hero.

The similarities of the badly polarized congress to the situation the country is in today is so strikingly similar that it’s uncanny. This is one of the best films I have ever seen. The story is so gripping, and the performance of Daniel Day Lewis is certainly Oscar worthy. Sally Fields also shines as the trouble First Lady who has seen so much tragedy in her life that many deemed her insane. She was definitely a burden to the President, but also his strength. The performances here are certainly superior, and this film will be showered with honors this year, I am certain. There are so many wonderful actors in this movie that turn in amazing performances. Not the least of these is Tommy Lee Jones who is fabulous as the ornery representative from Pennsylvania. Spielberg has a sure hit here. This is a film that must NOT be missed!

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Walt Disney Animation Studios,

John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Ken Jeong, Sarah Silverman, Brandon T. Jackson, Stefanie Scott, Scott Menville, Jamie Elman, Jack Angel

Wreck-it Ralph is a video game in the arcade. Wreck-it Ralph (John C Reilly) is a bad guy who smashes up the building, breaking windows and punching holes in the walls. Fix-it Felix (Jack McBrayer) is a repairman who can fix all of Ralph’s damage. If he fixes it all in time, the occupants of the building hold a party in the penthouse where they toss Ralph off the roof. Ralph lives in a dump and is always the bad guy. He dreams of one day being invited to the party and to be able to live somewhere besides the dump. So he gets the idea that if he could win a medal, then he would be a hero and the others would accept him. He heads out to visit other games looking for his chance to be a hero. Along the journey, he meets some special people and has to learn to look inside himself for the answer.

This is a charming new movie from the Disney Animation team, and is old fashioned 2D animation of the finest. Disney still knows the secret to a successful film is the story. This is exciting enough and certainly colorful enough to keep they youngsters interested, but there is a bunch of classic video games that make cameo appearances in this charming film, that is very nostalgic to the older folks who remember the original games. A lot of the characters we loved make their appearance in this movie. But most of all, it’s a fascinating story with a lot of heart, but also a lot of excitement and suspense as well. This will be a very success film because of the quality of the story line. It’s very interesting and will keep the attention of everyone from toddlers to great grandparents. Disney has hit the mark with this movie, and I recommend you don’t delay, but get out there and see it right away!

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Walt Disney Pictures, Monsterfoot Productions, Scott Sanders Productions,

Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams, Ron Livingston, Dianne Wiest, Odeya Rush, Rosemarie DeWitt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, M. Emmet Walsh, Lois Smith, David Morse, Common

Jim and Cindy Green (Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Garner) are a couple who desperately want a child. But through all their attempts and at great expense, they’ve learned that it’s time to give up. In one last attempt before letting it go, they write down all the qualities they want in a child and put it in a box and bury it in the back yard. That night, during a freak rain storm, Timothy appears, and announces that he is theirs. But Timothy is not your normal little boy. He has a very strange secret, and Jim and Cindy have a lot to learn about themselves and their relationships. This is a very unusual fairy tale story.

First of all, this is MY kind of story, and my kind of film. It’s been a while since I’ve seen what I call a 5 star film! This one did it! Now this is very subjective, and many folks will be bored to death with this. But I was simply blown away. The heartfelt story, or really multiple stories for that matter, make it very interesting. There is a bit of mystery and magic, a lot of lessons to be learned, and some great personal battles to be fought. In the back story, this small town has a single industry, and it’s failing due to a change in technology. Then there’s the story of Jim and his dad, played fabulously by David Morse, who have a very strained relationship. There are so many colorful characters in this film, that you never lose interest. In doing a fairy tale-like movie, it can get boring for adults, but this has so much going on, on so many different levels, that it’s really fascinating. This is such a darling film, but it is kind of dying at the box office. This is such a slow season, that if you get a chance to catch it on the big screen, I highly recommend you do. If not, for sure, wait till it’s on DVD, but don’t miss this wonderful film. One bit of warning though if you are lucky enough to catch it in the theater. It’s a bit of a tear jerker in the end, and you either have to wait through the closing credits, or risk someone seeing a moist eye as you walk out.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog