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Film Review: "The Hobbit" Stretches Too Little Too Far
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Tuesday, 18 December 2012 20:45
- Written by Matt Oakes
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood
With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, director Peter Jackson has bitten off more than he can chew. Jackson has to reinvest his audience with a new and somewhat minor quest while introducing an entirely novel and risky technological advancement.
The Hobbit details the journey of hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and a company of dwarves led by warrior prince Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) as they embark towards the conquered dwarf palace carved into the Misty Mountains to reclaim a vast treasure stolen by the malevolent dragon, Smaug. The travelers encounter one misplaced affair after another and between the orcs, wargs, mountain trolls, storm giants, goblins, a mysterious necromancer and disapproving elves, the tale feels overstuffed and a little inorganic.
With so much going on, it sometimes becomes languid and monotonous but the visual effects, character and set design, and lavish costumes create a stunning backdrop for the tale to unfold which is even more pronounced when seen in high-frame rate 3D.
The advent of high frame rate -- 48 frames per second (FPS) -- technology came on the heels of complaints that 3D films shot at the industry standard (24 FPS) are shutter strobed when the camera is panning, particularly during action sequences. But do the consequences of higher frame rates outweigh the positives?
The answer is… kind of. 48 FPS presents a hyperrealism that makes camera adjustments completely unnoticeable but is distracting to the inaugural eye and, at times, uncomfortably jarring.
In scenes where characters are talking, or more notably, writing, their gestures seem unnaturally accelerated and physically inconsistent. At best, this goes unnoticed and at its worst, looks like a hi-def home video shoot.
During the action sequences though, it works brilliantly. Every blade swing is crystal clear, every slain goblin sprawling from a cliff is beautifully articulated and the sweeping camera movements create sequences that seem painterly in their scope and motion.
People typically resist tech advancement at first, from the use of commercial airplanes to iTunes updates, so it’s hard to say what the real value of this technology is. Is a commercial and critical backlash symptomatic of a natural resistance to the new or is this a more definitive rejection?
One thing is clear, it’s going to take some adjustment for the uninitiated to accept high frame rate films, a process that isn’t going to happen overnight.
But technology is not the only thing on display here and unfortunately the story can be, at turns, equally lackluster and divisive.
Whereas The Lord of the Rings was surprising touching, its emotional resonance is almost entirely absent here. The bond of the original fellowship rendered the trilogy a record-breaking 11 Oscar wins (The Return of the King) but there is little earned about the relationships in this prequel.
The hefty troop of dwarves are more caricatures than fleshed-out people and the return of Gandalf, played by McKellen, is disappointingly amiss. The inimitable light has gone from his eyes as it has from the series itself.
While a handful of cameos from familiar faces may stir nostalgia for the original triad, it rarely serves the film effectively. An introductory scene that features a glimpse of a virginal Frodo is fine but entirely unnecessary to the plot of this tale. Freeman (Sherlock) however is perfectly cast as Bilbo and remains the most promising aspect of this film’s journey.
The standout of the film though is the glorious return of Gollum, played with wit and panache by series regular Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes). While Bilbo may be stealing Gollum’s precious ring, Serkis is stealing the scene.
While nothing here is egregious, The Hobbit fails to live up to the massive heights of one of the greatest film trilogies of all time. Although it’s better than your average blockbuster both in terms of its visual razzle-dazzle and plotting, it isn’t destined to join the ranks of unforgettable classics.
The end product is a loose hodgepodge of scenes, many of which could have been left for the blu-ray extended editions. Had Jackson focused more on storytelling and thoughtful character development, The Hobbit would have become a much tighter and purposeful film.
December '12 Digital Week III
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Sunday, 16 December 2012 10:00
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Bill Cunningham New York
(Zeitgeist)
This engaging chronicle of the New York Times’ legendary photographer shows Cunningham’s unique work ethic as he navigates the busy New York streets for decades.
Cunningham is eccentric but appealing, and his photographs—which are still published every Sunday in the Times’ Style section—wittily balance the fashion and everyday worlds. The Blu-ray image looks good; extras include additional scenes and interviews.
(Deutsche Grammophon)
In Puccini’s beloved perennial, Anna Netrebko, as tragic heroine Mimi, provides her usual nuanced characterization with her magnificent vocal cords. As Roldofo, Piotr Beczala makes a good match, and their duets drip with the emotion Puccini put into his notes.
Too bad Damiano Michieletto’s 2012 Salzburg production has a modern setting, which neither ruins nor illuminates the story. Danielle Gatti conducts the Vienna Philharmonic and Salzburg Choir well; the Blu-ray image is immaculate.
Dick Tracy
(Disney)
Warren Beatty’s 1990 live-action cartoon about the legendary detective has such eye-popping visuals—the extravagance of Richard Sylbert’s sets, Milena Canonero’s costumes, John Caglione’s makeup and Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography—that the uneven movie suffers by comparison.
Beatty himself, while too old, is a decent Tracy, and Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman have a blast hamming it up as freakish villains. But the women—bland heroine Glynne Headley and unsexy “sexpot” Madonna—are hilariously awful. The Blu-ray image perfectly showcases the shining, brilliant colors.
(Disney)
The most sheerly delightful picture from Pixar’s stable deservedly won the 2003 Oscar for Best Animated Film, and has two strong voice performances: Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres give perfect, tongue-in-cheek portrayals.
The visuals are cleverly presented, lacking the self-conscious humor Pixar would later fall into the trap of. The visuals look striking on Blu-ray; extras include featurettes, interviews and an alternate opening.
(History)
This History Channel series ambitiously explores how civilization has moved forward through millennia, from ancient Egypt to the present, including fascinating parallels that might have eluded most of us, such as China’s thriving while Europe crawled through the Dark Ages.
Although I’m not a fan of the reenactment mania that has hit many documentaries, here it works, along with dazzling CGI that brings so many historical eras to vivid life. The hi-def image is excellent.
(Nonesuch)
John Adams’ 1985 opera about Richard Nixon’s visit to Red China had its Metropolitan Opera premiere in 2010 in Peter Sellars’ staging, his most lucid directing job ever.
James Maddalena is a tremendous President Nixon, Janis Kelly an equally compelling Pat Nixon and Richard Paul Fink a stunning Mao; but Adams’ dramatic music—conducted by the composer himself—makes this a stage work for our times. The Blu-ray image is first-rate; extras include interviews with Sellars, Maddalena, Kelly, Fink and others.
(e one)
I’m embarrassed to admit I watched this in its entirety: not that it’s bad—it’s watchably mediocre—but it’s a freaking zombie movie! Check that: it’s a zombie movie set in the Middle East as U.S. soldiers fend off al Qaeda zombies led by bin Laden himself.
The movie opens with a humorous take on Osama’s killing, as his body is dumped into the sea and he returns as a murderous member of the undead. The remaining 90 minutes become boring, with endless scenes of soldiers blowing heads off the walking dead. It’s likely a better time for 17 year old males. The Blu-ray image is very good.
(Anchor Bay)
I’m usually immune to the flagrant gore that’s risen exponentially in recent horror movies, but this tacky, “Santa Claus is Killing in Town” flick is reprehensible.
Despite the game Malcolm McDowell and Jaime King as sheriff and deputy tracking down the insane St. Nick, they’re defeated by murder scenes that go above and beyond, including a nasty sequence when a poor, nude bimbo is eviscerated in a tree shredder. The hi-def image is decent enough; extras include deleted scenes and an on-set featurette.
(Lionsgate)
In Titanic’s centenary year, the focus has been on that damn iceberg: this mini-series instead concentrates on what happened before the ship sank. Michael Caton-Jones lucidly directs this epic prologue, in which Cunard officials, wealthy industrialists and backbreaking workers battle as the ship is built before its fateful voyage.
While interesting historically—giving a needed sense of balance to the tale—the series is too long: do we need 10-plus hours to tell these stories? The Blu-ray image looks terrific; extras include making-of featurettes.
(IFC)
There’s not much to this character study about a young man, on the day of his piano audition for a prestigious music school, who takes his drug-addicted mother to her dealer so she can score before being admitted to rehab.
It’s as strained as it sounds, and the detours taken are less amusing than co-writers-directors Philip Dorling and Ron Nyswaner think. But the excellent cast (Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, Tracy Morgan—guess who is whom?) wrings laughs and even pathos out of a clichéd situation. The hi-def image is good; extras include featurettes and a Morgan interview.
Big Tits Zombie
(e one)
The title tells all: a bunch of strippers try and fend off a bunch of bloodthirsty zombies with their physical assets, and gory hilarity ensues.
There are a slew of bad, punning lines that occasionally sound funny in the crappy English dub (which again brings up What’s Up Tiger Lily?), so if you want to see it, skip the Japanese soundtrack. The movie is shown in both 2D and 3D, if spurting blood and scantily-clad stripper close-ups are your thing. Also included is a making-of featurette.
(Strand)
The sad case of Joyce Vincent—whose skeleton was found in her apartment with the TV on a full three years after the 38-year-old died—is taken up imaginatively by writer-director Carol Morley, who intersperses recreated events from Joyce’s life with emotional interviews with people who knew her.
This fiction-documentary hybrid works quite well, even if it doesn’t (or can’t) answer the question of why no one noticed her missing before police discovered her after a lot of unpaid back rent. The lone extra is a 30-minute making-of featurette, Recurring Dreams.
(Arthaus Musik)
German composer Aribert Reimann likes to tackle serious literature in his operas—he set Kafka’s The Castle (1992) and Shakespeare’s King Lear (1978), his masterpiece—and he did it again with August Strindberg’s play The Ghost Sonata.
This recording, made during its 1984 Berlin premiere run, is yet another intensely dramatic Reimann opera whose modern idiom is an acquired taste. But those who take the plunge are rewarded with a compact (85 minute) and scalding musical ride. The singers are tremendous and the orchestra plays Reimann’s difficult music superbly under Friedemann Layer’s baton.
(Impulse)
There’s little subtlety in these “classic” Japanese cult flicks. Behind follows a young female collector of penis prints who wants to get her 100th and last before getting married; she meets up with a man who can go at it for 24 hours without finishing, and she must do something about that.
Sex is a bloody flick about a man who avenges his sister’s rape/murder at the hand of a group of American soldiers. Not for everyone, obviously, but for those so inclined, they’re entertaining in spite of their risible deficiencies.
(MVD)
Singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson—creator of hit tunes and friend of the Beatles—created this amusing animated 1971 film about a young boy in the land of pointy-headed people whose round noggin makes him an outsider.
The obvious premise makes a decent children’s story, Nilsson’s songs (like “Me and My Arrow”) are instantly hummable, the animation harkens to the visual stew of Yellow Submarine, and Ringo Starr provides laconic narration. Extras include four featurettes about Nilsson’s career and the film.
Respighi: Marie Victoire
(CPO)
Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, best known for glorious orchestral scores Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome and Three Botticelli Pictures, composed equally ravishing operas.
However, this hidden gem about Marie Antoinette—finished in 1913, it premiered in 2004, 68 years after Respighi’s death—boasts a meaty soprano role, taken in this 2009 recording by charismatic Takesha Meshe Kizart, who explodes with compelling emotion. Respighi’s richly melodic music is in good hands as Michail Jurowski conducts the Berlin Opera chorus and orchestra.
(Helicon)
Although he had already begun composing atonal works, Arnold Schoenberg premiered this great, gargantuan vocal masterwork in 1913; this 90-minute cantata for soloists, chorus and orchestra has a lushness and sweep reminiscent of Wagner and Mahler.
This recording, by the Israeli Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta’s direction, is flavorful if not completely gripping, although the quintet of soloists, speaker and Prague Philharmonic Choir acquit themselves admirably. Also included is a nicely paced account of the orchestral version of Schoenberg’s seminal sextet Verklarte Nacht.
December in NYC: Holiday Music (and more) at Carnegie, Guggenheim, Met Museum
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Friday, 14 December 2012 10:00
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Orpheus
December 1, 2012
Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
New York Philharmonic
December 21 & 22, 2012
Metropolitan Museum of Art & Symphony Space, New York, NY
Metropolitan Museum of Art Holiday Concerts
Performances through December 23, 2012
Met Museum, New York, NY
Works and Process: Peter and the Wolf
Performances through December 16, 2012
Rotunda Holiday Concert
December 16 & 17, 2012
Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
December on New York City stages means much—but not exclusively—holiday music. And the month began with an Orpheus concert at Carnegie Hall (December 1) in which the conductor- less chamber ensemble played joyful but decidedly secular works.
The concert opened with a snazzy version of Prokofiev’s skillful Haydn pastiche, the Classical Symphony (his first) and closed with Mozart’s monumental Jupiter Symphony (his last). In between was the main reason I was there: hearing the amazing Anne Akiko Meyers as soloist in Samuel Barber’s masterly Violin Concerto. The concerto, a treacherous piece to navigate, packs a lot into the space of a mere 20 minutes, but Meyers hit everything thrown at her, brilliantly building to the crescendo Barber wanted. Orpheus’ next Carnegie concert features the Wayne Shorter Quartet playing several of the jazz saxophone master’s works—including the world premiere of Lotus—on February 1.
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| Jack Quartet at Met Museum |
Although annual New York Philharmonic seasonal concerts are on tap at Avery Fisher Hall—Holiday Brass (December 16) and Handel’s Messiah (December 18-22)—new music is on the docket December 21 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the next night at Symphony Space. With compositions that would never find be heard on a subscription Philharmonic program, the concert—conducted by Jayce Ogren—comprises world premieres by Jude Vaclavik and Andy Ahiko, a New York premiere by Andrew Norman, and the ensemble version of 1994’s Counterpoise, the last major work by Jacob Druckman, who died in 1999. Counterpoise will be sung by the exquisite soprano Elizabeth Futral, an artist who moves easily from baroque to modern music with a bit of Broadway thrown in, as witness her luminous Marian the Librarian in The Music Man at Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown last summer.
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| Peter drawing (Will Cotton) |
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the midst of its holiday concerts in the Medieval Sculpture Hall in front of its annual Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche, winds up its series with performances by the Jack Quartet, whose Modern Medieval is a selection of holiday music ranging from the Middle Ages to today (December 16); The Vienna Boys Choir, always a popular treat, singing Christmas in Vienna (December 18); and the choir ensemble The Crossing, doing David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion and other contemporary works (December 23).
Finally, there’s the Guggenheim Museum, which hosts as part of its ongoing Works & Process series Sergei Prokofiev’s delightful Peter and the Wolf, staged by Will Cotton in a gingerbread chalet that houses the characters of this beguiling fairy tale, narrated by Isaac Mizrahi. Conductor George Manahan leads the Juilliard Ensemble. After the performances (which continue through December 16), audience members are invited to view the onstage sets up close.
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| Holiday concert in Guggenheim Museum Rotunda |
On the evenings of December 16 and 17, the Guggenheim’s famed Frank Lloyd Wright rotunda is the scene for concerts of holiday music by the VOX Vocal Ensemble, conducted by George Steel. This is one performance, in a singular setting, that is fast becoming another New York holiday perennial.
Orpheus
New York Philharmonic
Met Museum Holiday Concerts
Works and Process: Peter and the Wolf
Rotunda Holiday Concert
Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
December '12 Digital Week II
- Details
- Parent Category: Film and the Arts
- Category: Reviews
- Published on Sunday, 09 December 2012 05:00
- Written by Kevin Filipski
Blu-rays of the Week
Ai Weiwei—Never Sorry
(Sundance Selects)
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei—the compelling subject of Alison Klayman’s smart, incisive documentary—is not placed on a pedestal but shown as an actual person (with a family) who causes consternation among Chinese officials. There’s an enormous amount of revealing footage of him both in and out of China: when he disappears for awhile at the hands of the authorities, real life usurps art.
Never Sorry aptly illuminates how our wired 21st century world is helping to buckle the last remaining Communist regime. The Blu-ray image shimmers beautifully; extras are a commentary, deleted scenes and interviews.
Brazil
(The Criterion Collection)
Terry Gilliam’s dystopian vision was made in 1985, but its bleak look at a society crushed by an oppressive government is as relevant today. Despite its subject matter—our hero is literally crushed like the bug at the beginning that sets everything in motion—the movie is awash with the brilliantly original visuals that made Gilliam one of our premier cinematic stylists.
The hi-def image is superlative looking, and the three-disc Criterion Collection Blu-ray ported over numerous extras from the 1999 DVD set: Gilliam’s sparkling commentary; on-set documentary What Is Brazil?; The Battle of Brazil, a one-hour documentary about the friction between Gilliam and Universal Studios; and Universal’s 94-minute, mercilessly butchered “Love Conquers All” version of the film.
Butter
(Anchor Bay)
Like the classic Smile and frivolous American Dreamz, Butter shows America in microcosm: here, it’s a small town butter-carving contest. Too bad the satire’s obvious with characters not drawn sharply enough to draw blood—just a few nicks.
A game cast (Jennifer Garner, Rob Corddry, Ty Burrell, Alicia Silverstone) trails two wonderfully drawn portraits: Yara Shahidi’s 10-year-old butter-carving prodigy symbolically named Destiny, and Olivia Wilde’s stripper wanting $600 a cheating husband owes her. The Blu-ray image looks decent; extras include deleted scenes, extended scenes and a gag reel.
The Dark Knight Rises
(Warners)
In his third overstuffed but underwhelming Batman film, Christopher Nolan again tries to raise a comic book movie to art but ends up with a 165-minute farrago littered with yawn-inducing action sequences, flimsy characterizations and a sense of humor that, when not simply juvenile, becomes infantile.
Christian Bale is a blanker slate than Michael Keaton or George Clooney, Anne Hathaway—as Catwoman—is no Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Caine, Matthew Modine, Gary Oldman and Marion Cotillard look embarrassed. The Blu-ray image is first-rate; an extra disc has on-set featurettes.
Godzilla vs. Biollante
(Echo Bridge)
This 1992 sci-fi entry—pitting the terrifying giant lizard against, of all things, a massive but peaceful plant created from Godzilla cells (don’t ask)—is as silly as the series’ other films, so your mileage may vary depending on your tolerance for cheap-looking Japanese monster movies.
Too often, it comes off like outtakes from Woody Allen’s satirical What’s Up Tiger Lily, and far less entertaining. The movie looks equally cheesy in hi-def, which might be a good thing here; extras are two making-of featurettes.
Hope Springs
(Sony)
This familiar but likable comedy about a long-term couple perking up their marriage through counseling works, thanks to Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep, both slumming but enjoying themselves.
Less good is Steve Carell in the rather bland role of their “genius” counselor. But since it’s Meryl and Tommy’s show, Carell’s dullness doesn’t hurt. The Blu-ray image looks excellent; extras include director David Frankel’s commentary, featurette and gag reel.
Lady Antebellum—Own the Night World Tour
(Eagle Vision)
America’s hottest country band not only has top-charting hits and albums and a handful of Grammy Awards but also sells out arenas worldwide.
This 90-minute performance—of the final show of its 2011 tour in Little Rock, Arkansas—shows the trio on top of its game, as well as offstage glimpses of the members’ humble demeanor with fans and the concept of mega-fame. The hi-def footage is top-notch; extras include bonus song selections and offstage/backstage footage.
Watchmen
(Warner Bros)
The ultimate edition of Zach Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of the famous graphic novel, on special edition Blu-ray, should please the movie’s fans: Malin Akerman and Carla Gugino’s appearances should please others too.
The set comprises the directors’ cut on Blu-ray (215 minutes), an hour of extra features on Blu-ray, and theatrical cut on DVD. There’s also a stunning hardcover of the original graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Gibbons. The Blu-ray image seamlessly combines live-action and animated footage.
World Without End
(Sony)
Director Michael Caton-Jones’ six-hour sequel to the successful The Pillar of the Earth, based on another massive Ken Follett novel, is less involving only because of the truism that sequels are inferior to the original.
The cast—Cynthia Nixon, Miranda Richardson, Ben Chaplin and Charlotte Riley—is fine, as are the set design and costumes; all are shown to their best advantage on Blu-ray. The lone extra is a making-of featurette.
DVDs of the Week
Alps
(Kino Lorber)
Greek director Yorgos Yanthimos, who garnered undeserved praise for his attitudinizing Dogtooth in 2009, returns with another pretentious drama about people who help grieving family members by assuming the personalities of their dead loved ones.
The intriguing premise, as in Dogtooth, is ruined by a horribly inconsistent technique, stiffly inept acting and a willful obscurantism that ill-serves the plot’s allegorical aspects.
Beasts of the Southern Wild
(Fox)
Novice director Benh Zeitlin—who wrote the script with the original play’s author, Lucy Alibar—has his heart in the right place, but his fantasy about a spirited young girl living in the bayou with her sickly but domineering father is ruined by his condescension and sledgehammer directing.
Still, Zeitlin deserves praise for casting five-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis in the lead: she responds with a natural, winning portrayal that towers over the movie. The lone extra is a making-of featurette.
Unforgivable
(Strand)
Another Andre Téchiné film of interlocking stories dramatizing life’s unavoidable messiness, this drama convincingly dissects a middle-aged couple’s seemingly perfect relationship. Téchiné, exploring society’s moral compass through a cross-section of characters, has a technique that—as in his best films My Favorite Season and Strayed—subtly serves his complex, involving characterizations.
His masterly direction—subtly elliptical editing compressing long periods of time, camerawork evocatively fading to white during moments of emotional intensity, and effectively sparing use of Max Richter’s chamber music—makes the script’s symbolic coincidence organic.
CDs of the Week
Carter and Elgar Cello Concertos
(Decca)
Composed 82 years apart in vastly different musical eras and cultures, these masterly concertos are, as played by the remarkably talented cellist Alisa Weilerstein, undeniably powerful and even emotionally gripping.
Although the Elgar concerto is an overplayed warhorse, its haunting themes resonate in Weilerstein’s hands (and bow); Carter wrote his concerto at age 92 in 2001, and its technical difficulties are smoothed out by Weilerstein and the Berlin Staatskapelle, conducted by Daniel Barenboim.
Hitchcock—Original Soundtrack
(Sony Classical)
Danny Elfman’s score for Sacha Gervasi’s biopic of the great director is a patchwork quilt resembling the music that propelled the Master of Suspense’s classic films.
The pastiche of Elfman tunes on the soundtrack nicks the sounds of Bernard Herrmann, Hitch’s most formidable composer. Overall, this brief CD is neither here nor there: it’s pleasant enough, but you’re better off listening to—and watching—the real thing.
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