Must-See of the Month:
The Hobbit: The Battle
of the Five Armies – Adventure Fantasy – Dec 19
Plot
Summary: The Battle of the Five Armies is the final chapter of The
Hobbit Trilogy. It finds Bilbo and company on the brink of war, as they are
descended upon by the mighty dragon Smaug and an army of orcs. The war will
determine the fate of Middle-Earth. Key Filmmakers
Involved: Writer-director-producer Peter
Jackson, composer Howard Shore,
cinematographer Andrew
Lesnie, and production designer Dan Hennah. Actors Involved: Martin Freeman,
Ian McKellen,
Benedict
Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly,
Richard
Armitage, Lee
Pace, Manu
Bennett, Cate
Blanchett, Orlando
Bloom, Christopher
Lee, Hugo
Weaving, Aidan
Turner, James
Nesbitt, Stephen
Fry, Billy
Connolly, and Ian Holm. Quality Potential: High/Medium. While I am not so
sure that The Battle of Five Armies will be as good a film as Inherent Vice or Unbroken, I am
certainly the most excited to see it of the films set for release in December.
An Unexpected Journey set up the series well, but it also left many fans with
the feeling that these Hobbit films would not quite match the excellence of The
Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The
Desolation of Smaug is a much more exciting and entertaining film overall,
but it is clear that The Hobbit Trilogy is not quite on the same level – but
nor is the J.R.R. Tolkien novel. That said, The Battle of Five Armies looks
great and should feature the biggest scale and scope of this new trilogy. It
will be sad to again say goodbye to Middle-Earth. Trailer:
Here.
Worth Checking Out:
Inherent Vice –
Crime/Mystery Drama – Dec 12
Plot
Summary: Detective Larry “Doc” Sportello is wrapped up in a world of
drugs and sex in 1970s Los Angeles. When a former girlfriend goes missing, he
decides to investigate, leading him down a road of bizarre characters and situations.
Key Filmmakers Involved: Writer-director-producer
Paul
Thomas Anderson, composer Jonny Greenwood,
cinematographer Robert
Elswit, and production designer David Crank. Actors Involved: Joaquin Phoenix,
Jena Malone,
Reese
Witherspoon, Josh Brolin, Sasha Pieterse,
Benicio Del
Toro, Owen
Wilson, Michael
Kenneth Williams, Eric Roberts,
Maya Rudolph,
Jillian Bell,
and Martin
Short. Quality Potential: High. There is
a lot to be excited for with Inherent Vice. For one, it is written and directed
by one of our best working auteurs Paul Thomas Anderson. Jonny Greenwood is
composing some of the most interesting musical scores right now (his score for There
Will Be Blood is utterly brilliant). And, Anderson has a fantastic cast –
it will be especially great to see Joaquin Phoenix and Anderson working
together again after their standout collaboration in The
Master (possibly my
favorite performance of 2012). The film looks really fun and weird. At face
value, it reminds me of the Coen
Brothers’ The Big
Lebowski (which is probably a very good thing). Trailer:
Here.
Unbroken – War
Drama – Dec 25
Plot Summary: Louis Zamperini is an Olympic runner who joined the Air Force during WWII. Serving in the Pacific Theatre, his plane is shot down and he and other members of the crew are taken prisoner and tortured by the Japanese. This is based on his true story. Key Filmmakers Involved: Director Angelina Jolie, writers the Coen Brothers, composer Alexandre Desplat, and cinematographer Roger Deakins. Actors Involved: Jack O’Connell, Jai Courtney, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, and Alex Russell. Quality Potential: High/Medium. Unbroken looks like it is going to be a brilliant WWII character drama. It has a ton of Oscar buzz and some of the best people involved in its production, namely the Coen Brothers, Alexandre Desplat and Roger Deakins. The cast is also made of up very good young actors (Jack O’Connell is having a breakthrough year, at least in his native U.K., with Starred Up and ’71 playing to acclaim – most, however, will recognize his as Cook from Skins). Angelina Jolie quietly directed the war/romance drama In the Land of Blood and Honey in 2011. It was little seen and not very well received by critics. Unbroken is her second feature film. Hopefully, she has honed her skills and will take advantage of her excellent collaborators and deliver something special. Again, the film looks very good. Trailer: Here.
Plot Summary: Louis Zamperini is an Olympic runner who joined the Air Force during WWII. Serving in the Pacific Theatre, his plane is shot down and he and other members of the crew are taken prisoner and tortured by the Japanese. This is based on his true story. Key Filmmakers Involved: Director Angelina Jolie, writers the Coen Brothers, composer Alexandre Desplat, and cinematographer Roger Deakins. Actors Involved: Jack O’Connell, Jai Courtney, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund, and Alex Russell. Quality Potential: High/Medium. Unbroken looks like it is going to be a brilliant WWII character drama. It has a ton of Oscar buzz and some of the best people involved in its production, namely the Coen Brothers, Alexandre Desplat and Roger Deakins. The cast is also made of up very good young actors (Jack O’Connell is having a breakthrough year, at least in his native U.K., with Starred Up and ’71 playing to acclaim – most, however, will recognize his as Cook from Skins). Angelina Jolie quietly directed the war/romance drama In the Land of Blood and Honey in 2011. It was little seen and not very well received by critics. Unbroken is her second feature film. Hopefully, she has honed her skills and will take advantage of her excellent collaborators and deliver something special. Again, the film looks very good. Trailer: Here.
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