The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Special Edition) (DVD+UltraViolet)

Let me preface my review with two points: 1) Since childhood, I've always loved reading the Tolkien's "Hobbit" and always will. 2) I am also extremely appreciative of how Jackson expanded the story into a far fuller, richer telling of the embattled dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield.

The Battle of the Five Armies starts-in immediately with action and seldom slows down. If it feels like this is an unusually fast-paced film, it's because it is. However, at no time did I feel overwhelmed in trying to keep track of all the goings-on. And I can also assure you that despite such great battles as Helms Deep and Minas Tirith (Battle of the Pelennor Fields), the Battle For Erebor will show few similarities. Yes, Jackson achieved a uniqueness in all three gigantic pitched battles throughout the entire saga, which I found to be impressive in furtherance of each battle's high entertainment value. This film's central battle won't disappoint.

As much as I was NOT a fan of the focus on Lake Town's political intrigue "filler" in The Desolation of Smaug, I found the repeated appearances by the weasel Alfrid in this film to be an eye-rolling opportunity again and again. Moments of levity during an intense battle worked perfectly between Legolas and Gimli at Helms Deep. It didn't work here.

The Battle of the Five Armies takes place at a point in Tolkien's book that was for all intents and purposes, glossed over in a few pages. However, Jackson seized the initiative to bring not only the original greedy orc army into the fold, but the forces of the Angband orcs and the sheer malevolence of Sauron himself who wished to (after winning the battle) use Erebor as a staging point for an invasion of the entirety of the West. This was a plot point I took-to with relish, because it makes complete sense in the expansive conflict that was the Lord of the Rings saga.

In keeping with the use of the appendices to the Lord of the Rings, Jackson included the setting (not explained in Tolkien's "Hobbit") of the fortress Dol Guldur and the rescue of Gandalf therefrom by the White Counsel -- Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman. This is a scene in which the extremely formidable talents of those age-old warriors are on display against the Nine Black Riders and eventually, Sauron himself. Visually, it was as hectic as it was triumphant. I have no compunctions in telling you how much of a treat this part was to watch.

Now, back to Erebor... After bravely killing Smaug, Bard is able to marshal the Lake Town folk as he brings them to the steps of the Lonely Mountain itself. This was out of necessity as the town was mostly destroyed in Smaug's rage -- another visually impressive set piece. Unfortunately, elvish King Thranduil has also marched an army on Erebor, not out of friendship towards the dwarves in their time of need, but out of greed. His interests begin and end with a case of bright gems, despite the protests of his son Legolas and fellow elvish warrior Tauriel.

The dominant focus of the film for me, was the magnificent performance of the troubled newly-crowned King Thorin. Alluded to in The Desolation of Smaug, was the often-underestimated effect that such a treasure horde can have on the mind of a mortal. Add to this, the poisonous effect that Smaug's ever-present malice had on the entire realm within the Lonely Mountain. Further compounding the disturbed Thorin, is the sheer weight of the power and influence he suddenly wields. He trusts no one and begins treating his once-friends as nothing more than servants, if not slaves. Richard Armitage will hopefully garner an Oscar nomination for his dizzying and powerful portrayal of a mad king.

In fact, Armitage performed his paranoia and power-madness so well, that when he eventually breaks it and rallies his fellow dwarves head-long into battle, it rivals Gandalf's arrival at the climax of the Battle of Helms Deep in The Two Towers. Simply excellent writing is exemplified when you literally want to cheer for a character's actions on screen. And you'll want to do A LOT of cheering as every individual protagonist gets his and her chance to shine throughout the battle, which was choreographed and balanced beautifully by the film's writers.

Yes, I am a diehard fan of this trilogy, but -- especially owing to how it was expanded beyond the simple lighthearted tale it was -- I don't think you can blame me. I encourage you to read the appendices to the Lord of the Rings and therein, you'll see just how fascinating the dwarvish culture is, as well as how much Tolkien unfortunately neglected enriching their history in his story. I simply have to add what is one of my favorite quotes (okay, paraphrases) from the entire saga: "if more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -- Thorin Oakenshield

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Download Big Hero 6 (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)

Michael Turner was one of the greatest graphic novel creators ever to live, and it was a great tragedy when he died. 2 months before his death from terminal cancer I waited for hours in line hoping he would show up at the Wizard World Los Angeles, not because I wanted him to sign my comics (even though he did) but because I wanted to tell him something. I simply told him "Thank you. Your work is the reason why I got into comics." People were getting impatient with me for saying anything at all to him because of the hundreds of people in line, but I had to say it. I had to thank him. I used to call him the Walt Disney of modern comics and if you had read the Shrugged (which seems to have inspired Monsters Inc) and Soulfire (which HEAVILY inspired this film's world) you would understand why. While most people will probably remember him for his work drawing amazingly beautiful people, for his jaw-dropping comic covers, and perhaps for his masterpiece Fathom, I primarily will always remember him for his endless stream of amazing ideas and creative genius. It's a shame that more people failed to recognize it. This film is loaded with influences from all kinds of science fiction. You've got battling robots from Real Steel, powered body-suits from Bubblegum Crisis, and a super-hero team that seems like combination of The Incredibles and Stars and Stripes (Star Girl and her robot-suit-wearing-dad from the JSA). But what stuck in my mind as the credits rolled was something like...thank goodness someone still remembers Michael Turner and J. Scott Campbell (Wildsiderz). Seriously, read the parts of Soulfire completed before Turner's death. It's like the city in this film is that world breathed into life. This film may be based on a Marvel property, but it's Turner's work and classic anime that are the most obvious influences (to me anyway).

Apart from all that, this is arguably the first Disney animated film specifically designed to appeal to teens, and I can tell you that it succeeds spectacularly as a coming-of-age drama, a science-fiction/adventure, and yes, a super-hero film. The influences permeate everything about this film. It is so self-aware, so well-thought-out, that it skillfully calls attention to tropes, then averts them in smooth side-steps. The medical-robot-turned-reluctant-superhero is reminiscent of the robot from Robot and Frank. It knows what it was designed to do, and resists being changed into something else, but it's FEELINGS for its charge cause it do things that will make you smile, laugh, and cry.

Yes, this film has a lot of heart. It's well-paced, and entertaining. And the animation is absolutely jaw-droppingly gorgeous. This and How to Train Your Dragon 2 are two very large leaps forward in American animation, because they are not cartoons, but animated films, designed not to please children, but to tell a story that teens and adults will find satisfying. They are mature not because of violence and sex, but because of intelligence and depth.

This is the first of the Disney animated films that I will be pre-ordering. It's that good. Long live great animated stories and long-live the memory of creative geniuses like Michael Turner who dreamed of a sunset-hued world of adventure.

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Free Movie Outlander: Season One - Volume One

This is a detailed review of the show. I realize most buying this will already be fans of the books/show and have seen the episodes but for any newbies who saw this as a suggested purchase and want to know more, here's what I can tell you. (I've watched the entire show so far and am reading the first book).

First off, ignore the part of the description that says "epic travel through time." This is not a time-travel or science fiction story. It's about Claire Randall, a combat nurse in the 1940s who goes to Scotland after the second world war to reconnect with her husband (Frank)/have a second honeymoon. Not realizing the place they're travelling to is a place for some pagan/druid activity, Claire accidentally time-travels through some standing stones after watching a druid ritual and ends up in 1700s Scotland. From there it turns into an adventure/historical fiction story when Claire runs into and is kidnapped of sorts by some Scottish Highlanders who don't know what to make of an Englishwoman running around in that area. She's taken back to their clan's Scottish castle and not knowing how to escape and go back to her own time or what to do next, has to cope with living in an era where there's a lot of Scottish clan politics (and clashing with the English soldiers who occupy the Scottish territories). At the same time she has to be very careful to hide the secret of who she really is and where she really came from, not easy to do because Claire is very much an independent, stubborn, forthright person and harder still when she is "hired" to be the healer of the Mackenzie clan (the clan of the castle/property she's taken to). It doesn't help that she attracts the attention of an English garrison commander - a brutal, sociopathic, sadistic English captain who is none other than her husband's ancestor. And it really doesn't help that she might be developing smooshy feelings for one of the very, very handsome soldiers at Castle Leoch. (Why can't I fall through standing stones and meet some gorgeous guys in kilts? Surely Houston must have some standing stones somewhere?)

From showrunner/executive producer Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), the show is beautifully executed and very faithfully adapted. Much of it so far is right out of the book. Of course this doesn't mean it's exactly to the letter how it'll be in the book because television doesn't work that way but it's very closely done (author Diana Gabaldon is a close consultant on the show and has a fun cameo in episode 4 "The Gathering.") Here's my opinion on the show for what it's worth: I actually like it better than the book. I'm really enjoying the book but watching the show, I can tell the show makes some slight tweaks here and there (scenes added, certain lines in the book given to other characters, etc.) that make the storytelling smoother and an easier transition to tv. It's like if the book is a pretty wooden carving, the show is the same carving, but sanded and oiled. There are so many parts in the books where it just wouldn't work to have the show film them as is. The show also softens some of the characters (including Jamie and Claire), so while it stays true to the essence of their characters, they're also made easier to like and relate to.

The actors, costumes, sets, music, etc., everything is breathtakingly realistic and very well produced; unlike so many American period shows, the characters look and act like real people. The costumes (done by Moore's wife costume designer Terry Dresbach) actually look like period clothes and not like they were picked up from the 1700s Scotland Gap like they would in any other show. It's a very expensive production so their attention to detail is amazing and really pulls you into the new world Claire is thrown into (with some occasional flashbacks to the 1940s lives of Claire and Frank). One warning: the Highlanders' accents are sometimes hard to understand and the Gaelic (native Scottish language of that time period) is not subtitled, but if you pay close attention, it doesn't need to be and you can understand the context of what they're saying.

I've seen a lot of comparisons to Game of Thrones. This is nothing like Game of Thrones which is high-concept fantasy. I haven't read the rest of the books yet but from what I've heard, Outlander's books (and the show) are really more historical fiction and not fantasy. Some people complain it's slow at times but it's never boring or unengaging. The first few episodes have to have some quieter moments to set up all the characters, storylines and conflicts. The only negative thing I have to say - not really negative so much as a warning - is it is extremely gritty and graphic. This is made for the Starz network, the same network that had The White Queen, Spartacus and Black Sails. If graphic sex scenes and very graphic blood and gore and draconian punishments are not for you, neither is this show. It's not family friendly, absolutely not for kids or the squeamish and there are some rather disturbing scenes in just the first few episodes, so be mindful who you watch it with. Much as I love the show, there are scenes of it I simply won't watch again - I'll either skip them or mute and leave the room.

Diana Gabaldon has told the story many times of the failures in making this into a project for the screen before and she agrees - and so do the books' fans - they really couldn't have seen a better job done with this than Ron Moore has done. I highly recommend this (with the above caveats in mind) if you liked the books or like this kind of show in general.

Free Movie Outlander: Season One - Volume One

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