The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Though the title would have never, even in a million years, convince me to watch The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as it sounds to me like some dumb movie, I've seen enough pics of Sam Rockwell rocking that wavy blonde hair and that gorgeous ginger beard to convince me to give it a chance. 

Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is a British everyman who wakes up one day only to find his house is going to be demolished. But that's not all. His friend Ford (Mos Def) shows up, reveals that he is an alien and announces that the Earth will be destroyed in 12 minutes. And guess what, that's exactly what happens: an alien species, the Vogons, demolish the Earth to build an intergalactic motorway. Ford saves Arthur just in time, catching a ride on a spaceship, and they embark on a galactic adventure. 

I've never seen/read any of the formats Douglas Adams's series was adapted to --according to Wikipedia, there are novels, comic books, a TV series and a videogame, and it all started as a radio show-- so I don't know how faithful to the source material the film was, but it didn't make a lot of sense.

Let me explain that. The plot is non-existent, there is just a lot of stuff happening whose only thing in common is the characters, plots are just started and left unresolved, and a lot of time is wasted on a subplot --the capture and rescue of Trillian-- that has no relevance whatsoever to that the thing resembling a plot. 

In spite of the terribly lazy writing, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is interesting, engaging, entertaining and fun. It's no Rear Window (I'm mentioning this because I rewatched it a few days before watching this one), but it still keeps you glued to the screen. The sloppy writing, its leaving all the plot unfinished, is what makes the film kind of unpredictable and enjoyable. 

Buena Vista Pictures

The characters are pretty shallow and underdeveloped, and, just like the subplots, some of them are thrown in for no apparent reason. But at least they have motivations which make them more interesting. 

That and the cast, of course. Each member of the cast did an excellent job. Martin Freeman is once again the everyman but he is funny and convincing as Arthur. Zooey Deschanel is great as the funny, brilliant and adorable Trillian and the romance between her character and Freeman's works nicely. Mos Def does good as Ford and Bill Nighy gives a quite funny performance. The standout, however, is Sam Rockwell. He is clearly having a lot of fun playing the kind of hippie, self-centred, eccentric President of the Galaxy Zaphod Beeblebrox, and he makes you have fun too. And that charisma!

As for the jokes, not always they make sense, like they don't feel in the right context if that makes any sense, but the lines work and made me laugh. Surely can't complain about that. At last, though they are overused, the special effects are good. 

Black Panther (2018)

If you love comic book movies then I'm pretty darn sure Black Panther was/is one of your most anticipated movies of 2018. I was beyond excited for this --the cast being one of the many reasons-- and I'm very happy to say it did not let me down.

After the events of Captain America: Civil War (don't worry, there's a little recap at the beginning), T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is crowned king of Wakanda, the isolated but technologically advanced African nation he's from. But soon a powerful old enemy (Andy Serkis) reappears and T'Challa is forced to join forces with CIA agent Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) and members of the Dora Milaje, the Wakandan special forces, to prevent his country from being dragged into a war.

The overall plot is quite simple and rather predictable --there's some sort of twist though-- but it's got enough going on to keep you entertained and engaged from start to finish. Also, the plot is more serious than your average Marvel movie. As expected, politics play an important role in the story and an important message that can be applied to our world is delivered in a very effective way, which is something blockbusters usually fail to do.

But enough with the political side of the film. Let's talk about the truly surprising aspect of Black Panther, its characters. Though not all of them have a proper characterization or development, they feel real and really make you care about them and make you feel like you're part of Wakanda. T'Challa/Black Panther is a well-developed and likeable leading character and Chadwick Boseman gives a good performance, highlighting very well T'Challa's intelligence, sensibility and pride. Shuri, T'Challa's youngest sister and tech genius, is so sweet and witty, and Letitia Wright's performance truly elevates the character (and the film). Danai Gurira's Okoye, the head of the Dora Milaje, is such a badass, and Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia is a character that I'm definitely looking forward to seeing again.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

However, my favourite character --and probably the best in the film-- was the villain. Someone at Marvel must have realised it was about time to focus a little bit more on their villains and here they finally deliver a memorable one. I'm talking about Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger. The film explores his origins too, and although the development feels a bit rushed towards the end, we feel some sort of compassion for him and deep down we care about him --I hell did, and some of his scenes moved me. Also, this is a villain with an actual motivation. And at last but not least there's Jordan's strong performance which makes Killmonger my favourite Marvel villain along with Tom Hiddleston's Loki. I did have an issue with this though, he wasn't given enough screen time and the character becomes really relevant only in the second half.

Deserving a mention are the gorgeous cinematography, the score and the pretty awesome action (it's pretty obvious the filmmakers were influenced by Kingsman's action). I particularly enjoyed the sequence in South Korea (maybe because the bright colours, the music and all reminded me of a movie I love, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift). The CGI though doesn't look that good for a 2018 movie.

First Gollum, Now The Trolls Want To Eat Bilbo! Watch The New TV Spot For THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY!!

Click to enlarge

Check out this TV Spot for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY featuring Bilbo encountering some trolls - hungry, talking trolls to be precise.

I love that Bilbo seems to have a sense of humor even when the situation is grim. Those trolls are not exactly civilized - although they do speak English.

Combine this TV Spot with the trolls wanting to eat him, and Gollum from the trailer stating "If Baggins loses, we eats it whole", one starts to imagine a very succulent Hobbit this time around. Or perhaps Bilbo is carrying around some rather enticing cooking spices in his backpack which would naturally led any conversation to eating... ? :-)

Here's the movie's storyline:
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.

Hit the jump for more...

 

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY opens December 14th shot in native 3D on 3ality Technica rigs. Advance tickets on sale November 7th.

Must See: New Poster And Image Of Evangeline Lilly As Tauriel In THE HOBBIT

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Couple of new marketing items for you to have a look at from THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. A rather cool looking poster featuring Martin Freeman as a rather intent looking Bilbo Baggins and a new image of Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel. Of course Tauriel does not appear in Tolkien's THE HOBBIT, but she appears to be a rather gifted warrior with a bow and arrow in Peter Jackson's take on the material. Think female Legolas and you probably wouldn't be too far off. I think she looks the part, so why not introduce this new role if it helps carry 3 movies somehow more effectively?

Here's the official storyline for the movie:
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome 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 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 ingenuity 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.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY opens on December 14.

Sources: Peter Jackson | TORn

Hobbit Trailer #2 Released!

Hey all, Tim here with the exciting and enthralling new trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It's a pleasure to see the world of Middle Earth come to life again. Below is the trailer, and following is a quick, hopefully non-spoilerish, sum up.

IN ADDITION: The Hobbit's official website has four additional ending scenes for you to choose! There is some great marketing being done with these movies.

First thoughts are that there will be plenty of humor and action in this first installment of the trilogy. You get a better sense of the plot in this trailer as well. Martin Freeman seems to nail Bilbo, and the exchange between him and Gollum in the trailer is classic. Hands down this will be a serious contender at the Oscars for visual effects, but could Sir Ian McKellan be up for another Oscar nomination as well? I think the Gandalf ending has enough humor and Gandalf goodness to suggest the chances for another nomination.

More discussion can follow in the comments below. For now enjoy the trailer. You can download in Quicktime from Apple here.

A New Look At Gollum And An Update On A Potential Third Hobbit Movie!

Obviously the performance capture tech behind Gollum has improved dramatically since the LORD OF THE RINGS days and one only needs to look at he first shot to see just how it is being shot this time around.

Of note is that Gollum (being played by the perfcap maestro himself, Andy Serkis) is able to be in the same room and perform with Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) at the same time. This is a huge advantage over the LOTR series where they had to perform separately. Now the actors can work off of each other and potentially improve on an already impressive pedigree in visual effects.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY will have a young Gollum involved which should prove to be very visually impressive! Can't wait to see what they have in store for us - all shot in native 3D with Red Epics on 3ality Technica rigs in 48 frames per second!

After watching Peter Jackson's final production diary video (there are upcoming post-production diaries coming too), you have got to be wired in to this movie! What more could possibly happen to get us even more excited?

How about a third Hobbit movie! Yes, it's in the works. Peter Jackson and his team are huddling with the studio now to try and line up financing for some shooting next year of a "bridge movie" that would connect THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (which was released a surprising 11 years ago! My how time flies).

Here's what Peter Jackson had to say about the notion of a 3rd Hobbit movie:
"We've been certainly talking to the studio about some of the material we can't film. And we've been asking them if we can do a bit more filming next year…I'd like to shoot a bunch more material that we can't shoot. There's so much good stuff in the appendices that we haven't been able to squeeze into these movies."

On the other hand, they may get the go ahead to turn the extra shooting days into an extended version of the two Hobbit movies for release on disc. I'll take "Make it a third movie" for $100 Alex.

Here's the storyline for THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY:
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, goldring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY opens on December 14.

Source: E!