My Magical Place: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

'In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.'

Thus one of the greatest children's books introduced our little furry footed friends to the world and all were amazed and the world has never gotten over hobbits since.

Peter Jackson takes us back to his beautiful rendition of Middle-earth that we all fell in love with in The Lord of the Rings and from the opening scene it feels like we've never left. I'm thoroughly impressed by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro's story-telling ability; they manage to expertly navigate the line between being true to the source material (thus pleasing us rabid fans) and recreating the story where it is necessary. Jackson and his brilliant team set the bar quite high with The Lord of the Rings and I was afraid that The Hobbit would not live up to that standard - the book, after all, is a written for children and is much less epic in scale. The fact that Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) was involved didn't make me any more comfortable. I like Mr del Toro but his imagination is a bit too dark and twisted for Middle-earth.

I'm glad to report that my fears were unfounded and that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey lives up to Jackson's legacy and that the story is brilliantly told and the visuals are amazing. I'm not convinced by 3D technology yet and the 48 frames per second (over the standard 24) that the movie is filmed in didn't change much for me. Be warned that some people in the audience complained about headaches and dizziness. Bear that in mind when you go see the movie. Initially the movie was meant to be released in two parts but it's been decided on a trilogy now with The Desolation of Smaug and There and Back Again being released in 2013 and 2014 respectively. It's a cash-in scheme for all intents and purposes but if the quality's as good as the first offering fans won't mind forking out the cash for more Middle-earth goodness.

Sir Ian McKellan reprised his role as Gandalf and delivers yet another great performance as the wizard, if not better and more subtle. Also returning to their roles are Hugo Weaving as Elrond, the never ageing Cate Blanchett as Galdriel, Christopher Lee as Saruman and Elijah Wood and Ian Holm in cameo roles as Frodo and Bilbo respectively. Martin Freeman (Sherlock) plays the role of young Bilbo Baggins with nothing but charm; he brings the character to life. A very good looking Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) and his company of dwarves are very endearing and amusing. One can't help but love them. It's high time the dwarves get the spotlight. Andy Serkis deserves a special mention in delivering another haunting and, dare I say, heartbreaking performance as Gollum. I am especially glad about the inclusion and expansion of the character of the wizard, Radagast the Brown (Sylvester McCoy). His absence in Lord of the Rings was understandable but it was still a loss. My inner fan boy is rejoicing.

If you're a fan of The Lord of the Rings or just want to see good fantasy movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey should be at the top of your list of December movies. Expect a hobbit, adventure, raucous dwarves, trolls, orcs, goblins, wolves, stone giants (uber cool, these), a hint at a dragon and just all-round magic. Some people felt the movie was too long but I felt it was too short. The wait till the next instalment is what is too long.

My Magical Place: Rise of the Guardians

I went to go and see Rise of the Guardians purely because I was bored and seeing Skyfall (2012) a fourth time didn't seem healthy. Also, Santa with those pretty badass tattoos looked pretty cool. Oddly enough most of the children at the cinema were getting tickets for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012). Brave new world, I guess.

I’ve read reviews in which Rise of the Guardians is said to be The Avengers (2012) for children and to a large extent I agree – it’s a team-up movie at heart but for the most part it’s the story of how Jack Frost (Chris Pine) becomes a Guardian. The story takes place roughly 200 years after William Joyce’s The Guardians of Childhood series, which I’ve not read and thus can’t comment on.

It’s a movie for children so the plot is quite easy to follow: The Man in the Moon transformed Jack Frost into a winter spirit about 300 years ago, which means he can manipulate ice using a magical staff but it also means that no one can see him as that requires that they believe in him first, which no one does. Being invisible is a lonely affair for Jack and because he’s quite mischievous he doesn’t get on well with the Guardians, who comprise of: North, or Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin) as most of us know him. He is the Guardian of Wonder, has an amusing Russian accent and sports badass tattoos on each forearm, one reading naughty and the other nice. He lives in the North Pole and manufactures wondrous toys with the help of his Yeti and the constant interruption of his elves, who are useless but extremely cute and somewhat reminiscent of the minions in 2010’s Despicable Me. Sandy, the Sandman is the Guardian of Dreams and the coolest of the Guardians. He doesn’t speak but uses his magical sand to make images of what he wants to communicate. This, of course, often results in some amusing misunderstandings. He is my favourite character in the movie and is a joy to see in all of his 3D glory. The only reason to see this movie in three dimensions is Sandy. Tooth, the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) is in charge of collecting children’s memories (stored in their teeth) and preserving them at her palace, with the aid of baby fairies. She’s a lummox. Finally there’s E.Aster Bunnymund, the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman) the Guardian of Hope who brings Easter eggs to children the world over. Jack refers to him as a kangaroo because of his Australian accent.

All in the world is not well though, as another spirit, the Bogeyman, also known as the Nightmare King (Jude Law) is hell-bent on destroying everything the Guardians hold dear in order to have all the children believe in him and his nightmares. The Man in the Moon sends the Guardians a message to recruit Jack as one of them and from there a whirlwind adventure ensues that’s magical, amusing and gorgeous in 3D. Rise of the Guardians is fun and embodies the festive spirit without having to try too hard.

Children will love this movie and adults will appreciate its sentiments. Rise of the Guardians made me grin like a kid. It’s not the best thing you’ll see this year but it is something special.

My Magical Place: The Sky Does Fall

"We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." - Tennyson

 

My earlier predictions concerning the falling of the sky turned out to be rather modest because Skyfall is without a doubt the best James Bond movie to date! I've seen less than 10 out of the 23 of them but I say this with the utmost confidence. I know the lore and that's enough on which to form my conclusion. The movie is aware of its 50 year-old heritage and smashes it only to rebuild it and thus reinforce it. Skyfall goes through some pains to emphasise change in the franchise but also goes out of its way to reinforce tradition - it's a fun struggle to watch before it settles on a balance between the two. The re-introduction of Q and Moneypenny is seamless. Both Ben Whishaw and Noamie Harris play their 'modern' updates of the characters very well.

Aside: Whishaw is really doing the rounds and making a name for himself. I also think that Britain is at a place where their seasoned actors are at their peak and the new generation is very talented, which worked well for Skyfall. That tug of war between the old and the new is always at play.

Daniel Craig is amazing! He's the perfect James Bond: highly athletic, intelligent, brutal, witty, murderous and looks damn good in a suit.

Dame Judi Dench delivers her most hands-on role in her Bond movie career and plays it to near perfection. Bérénice Marlohe may be the official Bond Girl but M is the real Bond Girl in Skyfall, or Bond Mom if you're looking to be more accurate. The relationship between her and Bond runs deep and the manner in which Sam Mendes explores it is heartfelt and genuine. There’s a scene in which she reads from Tennyson’s Ulysses and it wrenches your heart out of your chest.

Javier Bardem as villain, Silva is another of the many highlights of Skyfall. He is a lunatic. He is amusing and very disturbing at the same time. He is not over-the-top like many classical Bond villains though. You get what his agenda is and you can sympathise with him.

Keep an eye on Ralph Fiennes' character, Gareth Mallory. He is quite periphery but makes an impact.

The script is all about the small things and how they lend to the overall picture and the dialogue is as crisp as fresh lettuce.

The real Bond Girl

I could nitpick and point out that the movie does get silly in some places but I choose not to because I'm a terrible critic and because the silliness ads to the 007 tradition.

During the final credits I was texting a friend of mine telling her how the opening theme to Bond movies is usually the most tedious part for me and that it was not the case this time around, even after having heard Adele's Skyfall to death prior to seeing the movie.

So folks if you've not done so go and see Skyfall. Stop whatever it is that you are doing and go to the cinema. Now!