Undouche #5

It was a simple act but it's been awhile since I've noted one in my life from a stranger. I fumbled my wallet taking it out of my pocket and dropped it to the floor. The young man (younger than me, anyway) behind me stooped to pick it up even as I did. He beat me to it and handed it to me with a smile. That's it. That's all. And yet, it was the best thing that happened to me all day. Thank you, undouche.

Review: The Hobbit

It's been a few years since I read "The Hobbit" but I don't remember it being so... prequel-y. Sure, it is a prequel of sorts but Tolkien never really intended it to be a direct one. The film version fortunately maintains much of the colour of the book compared to the rather drab hues of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm starting to wonder though if Jackson is really such a great director or if New Zealand is just that awesome. Still, there are some great panoramas if you can get past the annoying blurriness ofthe  gimmicky 3D version. The acting is decent (though not Martin Freeman's best work) and features the (p)return of some of your favourites. Golum is actually kind of... cute. All in all, pretty good. But not quite great. 3.8/5.

Review: The Road

"The Road" is a path worth travelling for two hours. Its wonderfully bleak cinematography makes excellent use of colour filters. It sounds the depths of the human heart, charging it, crushing it and rebuilding it. My main complaint is the stilted dialogue but I'm not sure if that's an indication of bad writing or the theoretical breakdown of society. My other editorial thought would have been to have the Man exit using the same method as the woman, into the sea, signalling the rebirth of the Boy. But I'm just a hack critic, what do I know. 4.1/5.

Review: Les Miserables

For all the hype that surrounds Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables" (2012), I was expecting a bit more. Not that she was bad by any means but I think Russel Crowe's performance was far superior. Hugh Jackman, again giving a wonderful performance seemed a little out of place. Unrecognizable as young Jean Valjean, the older version seems somehow out of touch with that younger version. Sacha Baron Cohen also does a wonderful job but if he's not careful he's going to be typecast as a bumbling idiot. Mayber he's not acting. The thing about musicals is that I always find them a little silly. I mean, I've long wanted people in real life to burst into syncronized song and dance in the street. But it's obviously not natural. And so too with this. Music pulls at the heartstrings but I feel in a small way it undermines the depth of despair here. The music itself seems lacking. While I have no qualms with the performance, there is no song in the show you leave the theatre with stuck in your head. Storywise I'll ignore a few plot holes and loose endings. In the end I think whether you like this film is more about how you view stage adaptations than anything. For the most part it's just a stage show (albeit an awfully large stage) which is fine. Otherwise you get a dash of Hollywood panorama now and then and peppering of visual symbolism. Noteable image: Crowe's feet trembling on a precipe. 3.8/5.

Review: The Hunger Games

"The Hunger Games" is a little gamey and leaves me with little appetite. I had actually been rather excited to see this one and was sorely disappointed. It's slow. It's boring. It's flat. Of all the moral morasses that might have been piqued, none were. Even the spirit of rebellion it supposedly embraces seems reluctant. The movie is a mashup of "The Running Man," "Surivivor" and "The Deer Hunter" with some deplorably filmed arthouse scenes thrown in for no apparent reason. Its slow pace was an utter bore and the premise is just plain illogical. "Let's force the rebels to sacrifice two virgins so they won't rebel again!" Seriously? What the hell? The only charater development (and make no mistake, this is a movie built on character develpment) is sudden and unexplained. That being said, the acting was decent, with the lovable Donald Sutherland doing a nice impression of Emporer Palpatine... I mean, President Snow. The credits theme is a rather haunting song, and the best part of the movie. Before I get backlash, I am only describing the film, not the book. I have no opinion as yet on the book. I blame this fiasco on director Gary Ross. My belly is less than 2/5 full.