The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

Many painful years it took for this film to finally hit the theatres! After falling in love with the first 3 Lord Of The Rings films of course I had to jump on the wagon and be eager beyond words to see what this one was all about.
  The expectations from fans, critics and everyone else must have been huge! I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for Peter Jackson to jump back into all of this to try and 'do it again'!
  Let me first say that I'm a 'discount' fan as I call it! I never read the book! I never read any of Tolkien's books! I am (like probably around 98 percent of everyone else) prone to just watch the films rather than reading the books. On one hand I prefer this because it seems almost impossible to ever be satisfied with the result on film if you've read the book and why do I want to set myself up for disappointment almost every time I watch a film? I also am a film nerd with a capital N and though you can then discuss forever whether that should include reading the books behind the films or not - I think this justifies where I rank in the scheme of things!
  Anyway, that was the background, so move on fast if you don't think I deserve to say anything about this film since I didn't read the book behind it.
  I was absolutely amazed! I loved this film! How they managed to carry on the same feel from the other films and add new elements is astonishing! I loved every minute of the film - and there are quite a few minutes in it! Martin Freeman is perfect, perfect PERFECT as a young Bilbo - I almost stood up to cheer when Gandalf appeared as well as with all the other characters that are also featured in the Lord Of The Rings films. It was quite a wonderful reunion.
  Effects are amazing all though they do seem just a tad over the top here and there and there are scenes where I could argue that 'less is more' - but who am I to judge that.
  Old Bilbo, Ian Holm, is probably the only one who suddenly doesn't seem to fit in. He looks visibly very old and has this ridiculous hair that looks nothing like the style of the other films. Not sure what happened there but naturally Ian Holm is not a youngster anymore so I guess it's understandable. Remarkably enough, Christopher Lee, Saruman, looks more or less exactly the same (this man is over 90 now I think) and still delivers his wonderful sarcasm along with his wise words.
  After effects have been used a tad sloppy throughout the film but other than that it's a technical wonder! The score is just exactly as much new mixed with recognizable music to make it fresh and original with a familiar feel to it and, naturally, wardrobe and set design is a wonderland out of this world. How it must have been one of the best times of their lives to do those sets.
  Stories in the film are connected to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy in a beautiful way and the whole film was just a pleasure for me to watch! Undoubtedly there will be an extended version of this one too and I know I'll be first in line to see the extra material on that one too. Lord Of The Rings seem to not just be films anymore - it's sagas, mythologies, studies, whole worlds of information, investigation and entertainment.

Hansel & Gretel - Witch Hunters

This movie is so incredibly ridiculous to the point that it's actually entertaining! It has a very "Sam Raimi horror films" feel to it - it kind of knows it's completely over the top but exploits it, milks it and is not ashamed of it. Who cares about historical facts, weird accents and things that couldn't possibly be invented yet! Who cares about witches that have little back story and who seem to have agendas you don't quite understand! It's bloody entertaining and it's fun to watch witches die in all kinds of imaginative ways.
  The story is plain, simple and stupid: Hansel and Gretel survived the witch in the candy house many years ago and now they hunt them for a living. Oh, and witches can't hurt them with spells - something that comes remarkably in handy throughout the film.
  Both Jeremy Renner and what's-her-face are cute, unbelievable and forgettable but it's the effects, the over-acting and the side characters that makes the film entertaining! Will you remember this film? No! Will we look back at it in 10 years and shake our heads ? Yes! But much like other insane twists and mismashes of other genres (Van Helsing, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen etc) this is a very light and very entertaining ride where I do think it's worth the money if you're into light entertainment (and I do mean light!).
  I love Famke Janssen! Ever since X-Men I've wanted more and more! Sadly she doesn't show up in many movies - whether by choice or not I don't know. And though she has admitted in some interview that she took this role simply because she had a mortgage to pay (yes, actors are humans!) and she seems strangely out of place in the film, seemingly thinking 'what the f***k did I agree to here) she is doing her best with a very one dimensional character and is very amusing to watch in this film!