Tag: Ian McKellen

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Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies – An excellent end to the Series

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As a massive nerd, I’ve been waiting for this movie to come out for years. I literally have been in line, dressed as a hobbit, since 2011. Ok, well that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I wanted to see if the final installment of the Hobbit trilogy was as good as the first.

In this final installment, we meet up with Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves shortly after they reclaimed their land from the Dragon Smaug. Of course, as it’s never a good idea to peeve off a fire breathing dragon, this has had some totally foreseen consequences. Smaug is taking his anger out on the innocent villagers of Laketown. On top of that, Thorin is going just a bit nutty and obsessed with his treasure, which drives a wedge between Bilbo and him. Toss in some Gandalf, a whole bunch of Orcs and Elves, and you get to end with a bang.

The movie was extremely well done and an excellent end to the series. They lost none of the power of the original. In fact, I think this might be the best installment yet. CGI, good makeup and fantastic settings created a mystical, beautiful world with heart pounding action and breathtaking scenery.

Martin Freeman plays Bilbo Baggins with the same humor and honor, creating a multifaceted conflicted character that we want to see win. His Everyman character is one that most people can relate to, even though they know hobbits don’t exist.

The battle scenes are impressive and well choreographed, and director Peter Jackson clearly found his forte in filming battles. The scenes are convincing without being overtly gory and the strategies involved are a bit more realistic than in the first two films.

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What this movie could have used was a bit of comic relief. Compare the Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings, and you’ll always find the Hobbit lacking. That’s probably because in this installment, we don’t really get to know the characters as well. The scenes are a bit more battle heavy and there is less humor or emotional connection to the characters.

Not to say that it’s bad. In fact, it might be one of the best fantasies I’ve seen, aside from Lord of the Rings. I think that’s the problem with this franchise entirely. The Hobbit would have been groundbreaking if they hadn’t already raised the bar with The Lord of the Rings. It kind of makes me wonder what would have happened if they’d started with the Hobbit and done Lord of the Rings afterwards. Would the franchise have gotten the same momentum?

Of course, as with the Lord of the Rings, I did have some problems with the under-representation of female characters. Yes, I know Tolkien didn’t write it like that, but he also didn’t write much about the Battle of Five Armies in the books either, and they’ve turned that into the focal point of this entire movie. Would it have hurt to throw in a decent Liv Tyler elf or something like that?

Again, I have to say, this is worth the watch. Heck, I might even watch it twice. I’ve barely gotten any wear out of my hobbit costume.

WE GIVE IT: 4.5 STARS!  Official Movie Trailer and Movie Poster Below.

four and a half stars

 

 

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10 Incredible Actors Who Have Never Won An Oscar

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The 87th annual Academy Awards will air live on ABC in just over two months, and for the great actors listed down below, it may be too painful to watch. We understand that there are only so many awards to hand out and not everyone can leave a winner, but we have to wonder why the voters have failed to recognize all the talent you see down below.

Who would you add to this list?

 

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No. 10 – Glenn Close

Glenn Close, but no cigar. The 67-year-old actress has been nominated an impressive six times, but she never has received an Oscar. She was nominated three times for Best Supporting Actress and three times for Best Actress. Her most recent nomination came after her brilliant performance in Albert Nobbs. She lost to three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep.

 

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No. 9 – John Cusack

John Cusack is an intense guy and he takes his job seriously. He believes in putting out a quality product, and for the most part, he has delivered again and again throughout his career. Starring in award-winning movies like, The Grifters and Bullets Over Broadway; however the Academy just doesn’t seem to appreciate his brilliance.

 

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No. 8 – Jim Carrey

When most people think about Jim Carrey, their mind automatically jumps to his role in Dumb & Dumber. A classic comedy, but I think we can all agree shouting out the ‘most annoying sound in the world’ isn’t Oscar-worthy. But Jim Carrey is more than just a funny face. Who could forget his performance in The Truman Show? He won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor for his performance, but he wasn’t even nominated for the Oscars. And then the same thing happened the following year with Man on the Moon.

But wait, there’s more! Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was a brilliant film. Critics fell in love with the movie, and Carrey’s co-star Kate Winslet landed a nomination for her role in the film. But again, the Academy looked over Carrey’s wonderful performance.

 

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No. 7 – Ian McKellen

Sir Ian was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991, but he still hasn’t earned an Oscar. He is adored by millions around the world and has earned more than 50 major international acting awards, so he’s probably not that broken up about it. We certainly are though! This man deserves it! But with McKellen turning 76 next year, it’s more likely he will receive an Honorary Oscar Award.

 

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No. 6 – Samuel L. Jackson

This man is a legend. He’s been in this business for over 40 years and has appeared in over 100 films; however, he has only received one Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the classic, Pulp Fiction. Even though he’s about to turn 66, Jackson is still working his ass off.  You will be seeing him in several films next year, so maybe he still has a fighting chance. We are certainly rooting for him.

 

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No. 5 – Julianne Moore
(Won in 2015!!!)

Julianne Moore often gets overlooked when talking about Oscar-less actors, but there is no reason her name shouldn’t be included in this list. After all, she is among a small group of actors who have been nominated twice in the same year. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for The Hours and Best Actress for Far From Heaven in 2002. In total, she has received four Oscar nominations. Many people believe she will earn another nomination this year for her performance in Still Alice. Maybe she will actually win this time.

 

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No. 4 – Johnny Depp

Most people just assume Johnny Depp has won an Oscar. He’s one of the most talented actors of his generation, how could he not have an Oscar? Good question. Unfortunately, we don’t have an answer for you. Some people have questioned his range as an actor, but it’s hard to forget about the amount of great films he starred in back in the 1990s and early 2000s. He’s been nominated for Best Actor three times, but lost each time to some stiff competition; Sean Penn, Jamie Foxx and Daniel Day-Lewis.

 

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No. 3 – Amy Adams

Again, you hear someone mention Amy Adams and you just assume she has won an Oscar. And considering she has been nominated five times in the last ten years, it’s not hard to understand why so many people believe that. The good news is that she still has a long career ahead of her, and she is smart when it comes to picking the right movies to star in. I would bet big money on her winning an Oscar before she retires.

 

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No. 2 – Brad Pitt

You all know his name, his wife’s name and the names of his 20 children. You could also probably name at least 10 films he has starred in. That’s just how popular Brad Pitt is. Almost every movie he stars in is a success, simply because his name is attached to it. He’s been nominated three times, most recently for his performance in Moneyball, but he still hasn’t received that special solo award. As one of the producers of 12 Years A Slave, he did receive a win for Best Picture.

 

No. 1 – Leonardo DiCaprio

No words are needed. Just this one GIF…

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Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

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xmen_days_of_future_past_ver6**Warning** This review is by a casual fan!  I’m not a comic book aficionado by any means

four and a half stars

Despite an incredibly stupid name (seriously, days of future past? What does that even mean) the newest X-Men release is crushing at the box office and killing with reviewers as well.

The plot is a little complex, and there are literally thousands of characters, so I am going to simplify as much as I can. In the future, the evil humans are at mutant hating again, and this time the have developed giant robots to keep the mutants in check. Of course, in any movie with robots, the robots go batty and wipe out half of humanity instead. So, they do what anyone would do. They send Hugh Jackman to the 1970s to stop the humans from using the robots in the first place.

Is anyone reminded of Terminator yet?

Anyway, the plot, while convoluted, still manages to come across cleanly. While it should be difficult to keep all the characters straight, each brings their own unique slant to their rolls, so it really isn’t that hard. Hugh Jackman is at his Wolverine best, arguing with people and sauntering around in a leather jacket. My biggest complaint about the characters was the significant lack of Storm time, which I find to be the best female character in the X-Men.

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Jennifer Lawrence as bad girl Mystique certainly makes up for it. Quicksilver (Evan Peters) was another great addition to the cast, and he easily has one of the best scenes in the movie.

Excellent special effects are to be expected in this rendition and you will not be disappointed. There is a lot of action, but it is all well choreographed and extremely entertaining. A few great scenes include the sudden stopping of time, Magneto’s prison break and pretty much any scene where Wolverine kicks someone’s ass.

This is not a disappointing addition to the franchise, not like the Origins movie or even worse The Last Stand. This was probably one of the best additions of the franchise, actually. Despite the fact that this could have gone horribly wrong, considering the cast of thousands and the convoluted plot, it didn’t.

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Instead, it’s an entertaining, utterly watchable thrill ride that gives some great new characters, while reuniting us with some of our old favorites. This was a stand out movie because it covered all the elements. Great direction, effects and stars make this movie memorable without making it too loud. I doubt this would have been done half as well if it weren’t for director Bryan Singer, who handled the first X-Men movie. Singer’s gift for pacing keeps the movie clear when it should be convoluted.

The theater has been packed with super heroes saving the world this spring, and sometimes it’s hard to find a standout in all that mess. But this newest edition of X-Men is a stand out movie. The script was well written, the dialog was cleaver and Wolverine is at his snappy deadpan best.

While it has a silly name, it kind of fits, once you watch the movie.  Watch the official trailer below;

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