All Shall Love Me and Despair

So as mentioned previously, we went to the midnight screening of The Hobbit last night - the IMAX HFR 3D version, to be precise. We arrived at the cinema shortly after 9:30pm already, to make sure we could still get decent seats, and a good thing too - there was already a queue. We got our copies of the lovely posters that were being handed out - for some reason you had to go to the Services counter to get them - and didn't have to stand in line long before they let us into the theater. We got some decent seats and settled in for the long wait, mostly reading to pass the time.

We were lucky in that our IMAX was one of those showing the 9-minute preview of Star Trek Into Darkness, which looked pretty damn good. There's a synposys here, if you're interested. Only a short glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch, but the whole thing was fun, and it was received well by the audience, from what I could tell.

And then it was time for The Hobbit. We both loved it. I've seen some reviews mentioning that the pacing was a bit too slow at the start, but I didn't think so at all - it certainly wasn't slower than Fellowship, and it needed that amount of setup. The acting was superb throughout, starting with Martin Freeman, of course, who makes a wonderful young Bilbo! I also liked this younger version of Gandalf - he's less self-assured here than in LotR. The dwarves were thankfully not just comic relief, though some hardly got a line of dialogue. I hope we'll get to know them all better over films 2 and 3. Radagast was just on the right side of silly, and I love his rabbit-drawn sled. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces - Elrond, Galadriel, Saruman, Lindir (a.k.a. Figwit) - and of course Gollum, who looks even better and more realistic than the did in LotR!

( Favourite scenes: )

As for the 48 fps, it didn't take me any time at all to get used to it, and I loved how crystal clear everything looked. I didn't notice it making some of the CGI creatures look fake, like some reviewers did. I also felt the pacing was appropriate and nothing dragged, so the almost 3 hours went by quickly. I was totally immersed in the world of The Hobbit - the only thing that took me out of it momentarily a few times was the lovely New Zealand scenery. :)

But yes, I utterly loved the whole experience (as did hubbie), and I'm so happy we went to the midnight screening. Now to wait a year until the next one... when will the theatrical DVD come out, I wonder?! ;D

Apparently I just missed it - just went looking at their website, and it turns out they already posted it on 22nd! So here it is, as promised:

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940096.html?categoryid=31&cs=1

Posted: Wed., Apr. 22, 2009, 2:17am PT

New U.S. Release

Star Trek
By TODD MCCARTHY

( The credits )

Blasting onto the screen at warp speed and remaining there for two hours, the new and improved "Star Trek" will transport fans to sci-fi nirvana. Faithful enough to the spirit and key particulars of Gene Roddenberry's original conception to keep its torchbearers happy but, more crucially, exciting on its own terms in a way that makes familiarity with the franchise irrelevant, J.J. Abrams' smart and breathless space adventure feels like a summer blockbuster that just couldn't stay in the box another month. Paramount won't need any economic stimulus package with all the money it'll rake in with this one globally, and a follow-up won't arrive soon enough.

"Star Trek" here joins the James Bond series as the long-term '60s franchises that have been most successfully rebooted, although the current accomplishment is the more surprising since, after 10 films and a succession of TV series, "Star Trek" was widely thought to have exhausted itself. While respectfully handling the Roddenberry DNA, Abrams and longtime writing cohorts Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have transferred it to a trim new body that hums with youthful energy.

( Read more... )

Getting excited yet, strawberryelfsp? ;)

He gives it ***

Be warned if you're spoiler-shy, because he describes the rough outline of the story:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050929/REVIEWS/50926004/-1/email_headlines

I'm not sure the movie would have much appeal for non-sci-fi fans, but it has the rough edges and brawny energy of a good yarn, and it was made by and for people who can't get enough of this stuff. You know who you are.

Yes, Sir, Captain Tightpants! ;D

Missed it yesterday. This one is so-so.


Posted: Sun., Sep. 4, 2005

Everything Is Illuminated

A Warner Independent PicturesWarner Independent Pictures release of a Big Beach production. Produced by Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf. Executive producer, Matthew Stillman. Directed, screenplay by Liev Schreiber, based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Jonathan Safran Foer - Elijah Wood
Alex - Eugene Hutz
Grandfather - Boris Leskin
Lista - Laryssa Lauret

By TODD MCCARTHY

( The precocious literary gymnastics of Jonathan Safran Foer's bestselling novel have been boiled down to more elementary Holocaust-related memorabilia in 'Everything Is Illuminated.' )


ETA: I should point out this is a rather typical Variety review - yes they're usually that snobbish.