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***MOSTLY-SPOILER-FREE IMPRESSIONS OF:
• THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES -
Hmm... Well, they did take us there, and back again. Overall, I think 2014 has been a rather disappointing year for action/adventure, and sci-fi/fantasy cinema, with few exceptions. The anticipation may have been there, to varying degrees, but the actual experiences have been found wanting, in my opinion. This final chapter of Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy does manage to provide some fun thrills, including tolerable deviations from Tolkien canon as well as reasonably faithful extrapolations. And some scenes do evoke heartfelt emotion. But I must say that the pacing, and the editing is, at times, atrocious. Astoundingly bad. If you thought they quickly dispensed with the Jabba The Hutt/Han Solo storyline at the start of 1983's STAR WARS: THE RETURN OF THE JEDI, this movie tops that sin with the early, swift, and perfunctory dismissal of the great dragon, Smaug.
The rest of the film walks a line between finishing up the story of Bilbo and the dwarves (including the material Jackson decided to make up on his own), and deliberately and forcefully foreshadowing what we've already seen in the far superior Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Admittedly, some of the linking explanations are solid, and logical.
Howard Shore's musical score often sinks to the level of "Mickey Mousing," the unflattering Old Hollywood term for music used over-abundantly to manipulate the feelings of the audience, or to spell out the action depicted on screen.
The performances by Martin Freeman, and Richard Armitage are good, if not better than in the previous installments. Of course, it's a rush to see the familiar faces of Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm (in a cameo) and Cate Blanchett. Billy Connolly is instantly recognizable, but shamefully wasted (no fault of the filmmaker as it corresponds to the novel, but then, Jackson was taking such liberties anyway).
My greatest misgivings have to do with the increased proliferation of green-screen effects and locations. It's gotten too obvious. And I think that, with the hyper-realism of digital effects (when properly utilized), and the growing dependence upon these via green screen fill-it-in-later backdrops, many in the audience are becoming all too aware of the digital fakery. The irony in overlooking this is in the need to employ our imaginations once again, accepting how fake something looks, just as in the pre-digital era, in spite of these modern movie "miracles." My guess is that filmmakers today, in their haste to dazzle, are getting a bit sloppy, or frugal, and this is most evident when they reach beyond their grasp for the next mind-blowing special effect sequence or panoramic environments. This is a quibble, granted. No cause for rioting.
Anyway, it's over now. I think.
And, despite my personal gripes and disappointment, I am still appreciative of the monumental achievement by Peter Jackson and his faithful and talented cohorts. With these two Middle Earth trilogies, they have filmed the "unfilmable." Sure, the quality dipped below the line on occasion. But only on occasion, and that's certainly forgivable. Most of the world's Tolkien fans never expected to ever see the cinematic adaptation of their beloved and classic literature so spectacularly fulfilled. And, in the end, that is something truly--- prrrreciousssss.
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S-F Impressions of: SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
With this online art community, we have a unique opportunity to connect with our kindred. We must avail ourselves of this experience, for, once it's gone, it may never come again.
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🍿SPOILER-FREE IMPRESSIONS OF™: SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME -
Better than I expected, which wasn’t much, unfortunately. Some nifty stuff involving Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), some cool special effects. I like how they handled Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), particularly those sequences highly reminiscent of the Bronze Era comics. I still hate that
Spoiler-Free Impressions of: CAPTAIN MARVEL!
With this online art community, we have a unique opportunity to connect with our kindred. We must avail ourselves of this experience, for, once it's gone, it may never come again.
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🎟 🍿 SPOILER-FREE IMPRESSIONS of™ - CAPTAIN MARVEL!
• Directed by Anna Boden, and Ryan Fleck
Starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Lashana Lynch, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, and Jude Law.
Okay... After all the hype, the trailers, and the ultra-silly online fussing, it was time to see the actual FILM, and take it on its own merits. All the n
MUSINGS of Beginnings and Advice for the Artist
With this online art community, we have a unique opportunity to connect with our kindred. We must avail ourselves of this experience, for, once it's gone, it may never come again.
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• MUSINGS™ - Of Early Beginnings, and Inspirational Words to the Artist -
- A friend's post in The Lunchroom group posed the question about what was the best advice we may have received on the way to becoming a good artist. My own personal journey towards that goal continues. But, thinking back, my answer was this...
I don't remember exactly where I heard it, or to whom it i
MUSINGS - Of the Tools of the Artist
With this online art community, we have a unique opportunity to connect with our kindred. We must avail ourselves of this experience, for, once it's gone, it may never come again.
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I believe the hands are just the secondary tool of Creativity, as part of the artist's body. Sometimes that secondary tool is the voice, as it is for singers, poets, and orators. Sometimes that secondary tool is the entire body itself, a moving means of expression for the dancer. The primary tool is the union of mind and heart, wielding imagination and passion, respectively. Talent is the
© 2014 - 2024 Jerome-K-Moore
Comments14
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Let me preface this by saying that if there are people who enjoyed “The Desolation of Smaug” and “The Battle of Five Armies,” then god bless you and yours. My opinions are my own, and I’m glad the movie is entertaining someone out there. That being said (Spoilers to follow) ...
“THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG”
I don’t think I’ve ever been so infuriated by the complete and utter contempt that a film has had for it’s audience.
Basic screenplay structure (as I understand it) goes thus:
Act One: Introduce your characters.
Act Two: Give your character an objective, present your conflict.
Act Three: Have your character achieve the objective, resolve your conflict.
Middle chapters in trilogy that end on a cliffhanger are no exception.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Act One: We are introduced to Luke Skywalker who is instructed to go to Dagobah to train as a Jedi.
Act Two: He trains as a Jedi, receives visions of his friends in pain. He must make a choice weather to complete the training or rescue his friends from Darth Vader.
Act Three: He chooses to go to cloud city and rescue his friends from Darth Vader. And in the end, he accomplishes his objective (however poorly) and his friends get away from cloud city. Yes, there are still things Like Han Solo and Darth Vader’s relationship to him that will carry us into the third film, but *they manage to get away from cloud city*. There is some conflict resolution.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
Act One: We are introduced to Jack Sparrow, who owes a debt to Davy Jones.
Act Two: Davy Jones marks him with the Black Spot, makes him a target for the cracken. He must now avoid being eaten.
Act Three: He escape the Cracken, the dept is settled. Conflict resolved.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
Act One: We are introduced to the remaining members of the Fellowship who are hunting for Marry and Pippen.
Act Two: They discover that Saruman the White has invaded the Kingdom of Rohan. They must free Theoden, and the Hobbits must convince the Ents to get involved, so that they can defeat Saruman.
Act Three: Isengard is overthrown and Saruman is defeated. Conflict resolved.
THE MATRIX RELOADED
Act One: Neo is presented as the savior of Zion.
Act Two: He is told that the dreams he has of Trinity dying are potential visions of the future. He must make a choice weather to save her or save Zion.
Act Three: He chooses to save Trinity instead of Zion. He removes bullet, she’s resuscitated back to life, conflict resolved.
BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II
Act One: We are presented with Marty McFly who goes into the future.
Act Two: The Villain, Biff, takes the Sports Almanac back to 1955 and creates an alternate timeline.
Act Three: Marty gets the book back, burns it, restores the timeline. Conflict resolved.
DESOLATION OF SMAUG
Act One: We’re introduced to Bilbo and the thirteen dwarves.
Act Two: We’re introduced to Thrandruil, Tauriel, Legolas and Sauron.
Act Three: We’re introduced to Bard the Bowman, Smaug, and the Master of Laketown. Cut to Black.
There’s no conflict. No resolution. There is no beginning. There is no middle. There is no end. There is absolutely nothing introduced in the film (no character, no situation, nothing) that has any consequence within the context of the second film. It’s all exposition for a third film. This isn’t a story. This is them treading water for the self-indulgent length of two hours and forty-one minutes. Then they shoehorn in a completely unnecessary romance that is so underdeveloped it makes the Twilight books look a thoughtful meditation on human relationships. And I mean it’s *completely* unnecessary. Thrandruil is established as an indifferent king whose isolationist policies are hurting his kingdom. Tauriel is presented as a fierce warrior who acts in defiance of her king for the sake of the land she loves. I’m not saying this is something they could have done, I’m saying this is part of the film. So there’s no reason to have a meet-cute in a jail cell motivate anything. You could edit out every single reference made to the love triangle and no one would notice the difference. It wouldn’t effect the film at all. It’s completely inconsequential. As is the ten minute battle with Smaug involving the molten gold dwarf. And then they don’t even have the energy to properly segue into a cliffhanger. They just smash-cut to black sopranos style. I don’t (conclusively) know what motivated them to turn the Hobbit into a trilogy. But there wasn’t enough material for three movies. If Jackson honestly believed that then someone needs to stage an intervention.
THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES
I promised myself I wouldn’t pay money to see this film. But I had relatives in town and they wanted to see it. Oh the things we do for family ...
I liked it better then I thought I was going to. And If the individual dwarves were given as much attention in the last two films as they were in this one, I might actually know (or care) who they are. But I felt like a grade school teacher watching Peter Jackson’s homework assignment. There was no passion for it. I’m starting to think that franchise film makers should only make two films at the most, after which they should hand off the next installment to a fresh arm. Because no matter how talented someone is, there’s only so much you can say about something creatively. It makes me long for the Guillermo del Toro version of these movies. As an adaptation, it isn’t Tolkien’s novel. The narrative owes more to Moby Dick then it does to the Hobbit. They might as well have opened “An Unexpected Party” with Ian Holm saying “call me Bilbo”. I apologize for the length. If you’ve actually made it this far, then thank you for indulging me.
“THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG”
I don’t think I’ve ever been so infuriated by the complete and utter contempt that a film has had for it’s audience.
Basic screenplay structure (as I understand it) goes thus:
Act One: Introduce your characters.
Act Two: Give your character an objective, present your conflict.
Act Three: Have your character achieve the objective, resolve your conflict.
Middle chapters in trilogy that end on a cliffhanger are no exception.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Act One: We are introduced to Luke Skywalker who is instructed to go to Dagobah to train as a Jedi.
Act Two: He trains as a Jedi, receives visions of his friends in pain. He must make a choice weather to complete the training or rescue his friends from Darth Vader.
Act Three: He chooses to go to cloud city and rescue his friends from Darth Vader. And in the end, he accomplishes his objective (however poorly) and his friends get away from cloud city. Yes, there are still things Like Han Solo and Darth Vader’s relationship to him that will carry us into the third film, but *they manage to get away from cloud city*. There is some conflict resolution.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
Act One: We are introduced to Jack Sparrow, who owes a debt to Davy Jones.
Act Two: Davy Jones marks him with the Black Spot, makes him a target for the cracken. He must now avoid being eaten.
Act Three: He escape the Cracken, the dept is settled. Conflict resolved.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS
Act One: We are introduced to the remaining members of the Fellowship who are hunting for Marry and Pippen.
Act Two: They discover that Saruman the White has invaded the Kingdom of Rohan. They must free Theoden, and the Hobbits must convince the Ents to get involved, so that they can defeat Saruman.
Act Three: Isengard is overthrown and Saruman is defeated. Conflict resolved.
THE MATRIX RELOADED
Act One: Neo is presented as the savior of Zion.
Act Two: He is told that the dreams he has of Trinity dying are potential visions of the future. He must make a choice weather to save her or save Zion.
Act Three: He chooses to save Trinity instead of Zion. He removes bullet, she’s resuscitated back to life, conflict resolved.
BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II
Act One: We are presented with Marty McFly who goes into the future.
Act Two: The Villain, Biff, takes the Sports Almanac back to 1955 and creates an alternate timeline.
Act Three: Marty gets the book back, burns it, restores the timeline. Conflict resolved.
DESOLATION OF SMAUG
Act One: We’re introduced to Bilbo and the thirteen dwarves.
Act Two: We’re introduced to Thrandruil, Tauriel, Legolas and Sauron.
Act Three: We’re introduced to Bard the Bowman, Smaug, and the Master of Laketown. Cut to Black.
There’s no conflict. No resolution. There is no beginning. There is no middle. There is no end. There is absolutely nothing introduced in the film (no character, no situation, nothing) that has any consequence within the context of the second film. It’s all exposition for a third film. This isn’t a story. This is them treading water for the self-indulgent length of two hours and forty-one minutes. Then they shoehorn in a completely unnecessary romance that is so underdeveloped it makes the Twilight books look a thoughtful meditation on human relationships. And I mean it’s *completely* unnecessary. Thrandruil is established as an indifferent king whose isolationist policies are hurting his kingdom. Tauriel is presented as a fierce warrior who acts in defiance of her king for the sake of the land she loves. I’m not saying this is something they could have done, I’m saying this is part of the film. So there’s no reason to have a meet-cute in a jail cell motivate anything. You could edit out every single reference made to the love triangle and no one would notice the difference. It wouldn’t effect the film at all. It’s completely inconsequential. As is the ten minute battle with Smaug involving the molten gold dwarf. And then they don’t even have the energy to properly segue into a cliffhanger. They just smash-cut to black sopranos style. I don’t (conclusively) know what motivated them to turn the Hobbit into a trilogy. But there wasn’t enough material for three movies. If Jackson honestly believed that then someone needs to stage an intervention.
THE BATTLE OF FIVE ARMIES
I promised myself I wouldn’t pay money to see this film. But I had relatives in town and they wanted to see it. Oh the things we do for family ...
I liked it better then I thought I was going to. And If the individual dwarves were given as much attention in the last two films as they were in this one, I might actually know (or care) who they are. But I felt like a grade school teacher watching Peter Jackson’s homework assignment. There was no passion for it. I’m starting to think that franchise film makers should only make two films at the most, after which they should hand off the next installment to a fresh arm. Because no matter how talented someone is, there’s only so much you can say about something creatively. It makes me long for the Guillermo del Toro version of these movies. As an adaptation, it isn’t Tolkien’s novel. The narrative owes more to Moby Dick then it does to the Hobbit. They might as well have opened “An Unexpected Party” with Ian Holm saying “call me Bilbo”. I apologize for the length. If you’ve actually made it this far, then thank you for indulging me.