Movie Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (in Every Way!)

To tell you the truth, I'm a big fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I wasn't nearly as excited about this movie. I tried reading the book and it nearly bored me to tears. Whenever as a story is told with an attempt to make each sentence a work of poetry instead of just spitting it out, my eyes glaze over (and I totally realize that I'm well within the minority on that). With the exception of Samwise Gamgee (it's even a fond nickname I use for my daughter), I'm not a fan of the hobbit characters. In fact, they were my least favorite characters of the series.

So did I like The Hobbit, or not? Before I give my official review, here's a rundown of my comments while watching it (yes I used my phone in the theatre, but I had the glow completely contained inside my purse - my son didn't even know I was using it and he sat right next to me - so chill out already):

I have a feeling this is going to bore me to tears.

Wait, is this a musical?

Why do these movies always have to include giant, creepy spiders?

Seriously, does Cate Blanchett age?

(One from my son: Wait, what is Count Dooku doing in this movie?)

Why are there always super high mountains with super narrow cliffs in these movies?

Storm giants totally remind me of those boxing robots.

Obviously another movie made by "grown" boys.

I'd take on Voldemort any day over the creepy one-handed ogre dude.

For someone who's terrified of heights, I've spent a third of this movie fearing a heart attack.

Why did we have to see this in 3D again?

Smeagol seriously needs to see a psychiatrist.

Ah, so that's how all this ring stuff started. Why didn't they tell us this before?

Okay, so I guess this IS a musical. Starring Smeagol.

Big birds you can ride and now a fire-breathing dragon? Hello, Harry Potter rip-off!

Based on these comments, one would probably guess I hated this movie. But I didn't. In fact, was surprised just how much I loved it! By the last scene, I realized I like it even more than any of the LoTR movies. I even adored Bilbo Baggins - a hobbit! While there were a lot of same elements from the LoTR as well as reoccurring characters and places, the overall feel of the movie was somewhat different. A lot of it had to do with the almost all new cast of dwarfs that led the story. They were a mix of brave, comical and lovable characters. Throw the charismatic Gandalf and a new-and-improved, younger version of Bilbo and you have your heroes of the story. There were certainly more light-hearted scenes compared to the LoTR trilogy, which is probably a given considering we're dealing with the most comical characters of the series. I'll admit the signing made me roll my eyes by the second song. At least they were all relatively short. And the last two melodies, sung by Smeagol (who doesn't love that creepy bastard) and the goblin king with a nasty goiter, actually made me laugh.

It's not my style to review movies and books by picking apart every aspect and scene. Bottom line is that if you're a fan of the fantasy-type movies, I think it's safe to say you will definitely enjoy this one. Even most fans of Harry Potter would probably appreciate this tale, although for children you should be aware that there are some scenes with Smeagol and the goblins that were a little freaky for my 10-year-old. I think "An Unexpected Journey" was a perfect title for this little gem. Definitely not what I was expecting from a Baggins.

Movie Review: Warm Bodies ( A Flick With Heart...and Brains!)

With a four hour road trip, I was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening of Warm Bodies last night. If you follow me at all, then you already know that I've been dying to see this movie ever since I finished the brilliant book by Isaac Marion. I'm a zombie junkie, having written my own zombie book and being obsessed with The Walking Dead. I'm always on the lookout for anything unusual in the genre, like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. As shown in the movie trailers, the premise of Warm Bodies is based on a zombie boy somehow changing after he falls in love with a living girl. A hardcore zombie fan recently told me, "I don't know if I'm ready for the 'power of love' curing zombies," but I'm here to tell you that this story is so much more than than some sappy love story.

True to the book, Warm Bodies had a little bit of everything: comedy, heart-warming moments, action and romance. In Marion's zombie apocalypse, the dead are able to function and retain a little piece of their former selves, although they only see flashes of their old lives. Still, they can open doors and operate record players. With a little effort, they're even able to say a few words at a time. I've heard people say that they're completely turned off by this concept, but since a zombie apocalypse has never actually happened, we don't know what it would really be like. We can only pretend through the magic of writing and cinema.

The hero in our story simply goes by 'R' as he can't remember his name. He wants to connect with someone. He collects things he finds, like snow globes and vinyl records. He wants to feel human again. When out on a "hunting expedition" for food, 'R' becomes smitten with a pretty blonde girl and decides to bring her back to their hive at an abandoned airport (right after he eats a part of her boyfriend's brain and is able to glimpse into some of the couple's past experiences). The whole story is focused on this couple getting to know each other and trying to understand what is happening when 'R' begins changing for the better. This is as far as I want to go with the plot as I don't want to ruin it for others who haven't read the book and want to see the movie (but you really should read the book if you haven't).

While you may find it hard to grasp the concept that a girl could fall in love with a zombie, I remind you how so many of us were quick to believe that a girl could fall in love with a creepy vampire who seems completely repelled by her and watches her sleep at night. 'R' is nothing but sweet to Julie from the very beginning (except maybe for the part where he smeared his zombie blood on her face, but that was only to keep her from smelling like fresh meat), and becomes more and more "human like" as the story progresses. Dare I say, this was a much better love story than Twilight.

The only beef I walked away with after seeing Warm Bodies involved the music. I know it's kind of a petty thing, but I'm moved by a good soundtrack and this one just didn't cut it. And I had high hopes when The Black Keys were used for the trailers. Only one song stood out from the rest in one scene when 'R' and Julie are parting ways. Otherwise, meh. I get that some of the songs had to be old since they're being played from old records, but there are much better choices they could have used. The songs were so blah that I can't even remember off hand what they were, other than Guns and Roses's Don't Cry, which was totally appropriate for the scene.

Overall, I was not disappointed with how the story came to life on the big screen. Sure there were major parts cut out (like the marriage of 'R' to a random zombie girl and their adopted children) and the ending was altered somewhat, but the most important things, like the heart and soul of the story, were well preserved. The Boneys (creepy corpses who have deteriorated to nearly a skeletal remain and show no sign of human nature) were as terrifying as I had pictured them, the best friend to 'R' ('M') was the hilarious side kick the readers of the book had come to expect, and 'R' was every bit as likable as our narrator and guide through this unusual experience.

My 22-year-old step-daughter was my date and had not read the book. She laughed quite often along with myself and the rest of the audience (including some super annoying cacklers). After it was over, she told me with a bright smile, "That was really good!"So who should go see Warm Bodies? Zombie lovers, people who like Isaac Marion's book, hopeless romantics, anyone who likes a good laugh and anyone who can really appreciate a really moving story. I guess that covers just about everyone. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say this movie has earned a solid 9. It was that good.

Catch it in theaters on February 1st.

Chasing the Magic of the 80s

Very few movies in recent years have managed to nail that magical plateau the block busters of the 1980s were able to achieve. I mean that era gave birth to the epic series of Indiana Jones and Star Wars, the brat pack of Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, and the phenomenal children's stories of E.T. and The Goonies. And that's only naming a very select few.

I'm dying to see more of that enchanting magic in today's films. Not to say that we haven't had our own epic films in recent generations, because we definitely have. But they don't have that 80s touch. And I'm not even going to try to pretend to compare Harry Potter to anything as it's in a whole universe of its own. I mean yes it's a children's series and yes it's freaking brilliant, but (don't get me wrong - I'm a diehard fan of the series) there's something to be said about an average group of kids who stumble onto an adventure of a lessor scale than a decade-long series.

The only teen and children's movies on a smaller than HP level that I can honestly say have accomplished the great feat for me are Easy A and Super 8. They each brought back a legendary feeling that can only be achieved by brilliant writers and sensational casting. But I'm still waiting for more like these. More of that gut wrenching teen angst and more of boys' adventures that dig deep into your soul, making you want to watch them over and over again to capture that special feeling.

Recently, Hollywood seems to be set on either remaking old films or adapting best sellers to the big screen (you'll hear no complaints from me on the latter). But where is that old magic? Are screenwriters not able to understand what it was it about those 1980s movies that made them so amazing? Is it just because it was such a simple time and things weren't so complicated?

Maybe I'm just getting old and nostalgic.

What do you think?