Oblivion

The world didn't end last year. So now, we face Oblivion.

Actually, it's only a movie.

It's directed by Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy), who pitched the story as a graphic novel. The end result looks great, sounds great, but its story is only OK.

Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) live on Earth in 2077. Sixty years earlier, alien Scavengers invaded the planet. They got driven off, but Earth got wasted. So now, humanity is on Saturn's moon Titan.

Our heroes have to extract Earth's resources for the new home world. They also have to repair the drones who battle the remaining Scavengers.

A space ship crashes to Earth one day. In the wreckage is Julia (Olga Kurylenko), the literal woman of Jack's dreams. For some reason, the drones tried to kill her. Jack tries to find out why, which results in some big secrets.

(Excuse me while I catch my breath.)

(So anyway...)

Its scenery, filmed mainly in Iceland, looks great. It's supposed to be New York in the future, but you wouldn't know that from first glance. Its CGI additions make it look like a real wasteland. The futuristic vehicles, a mix of CGI and on-set props, are creative as well.

As Jack, Tom Cruise is a confident, likable action hero. He helps the film even as the story gets murky overtime. In particular, there's a final plot twist that's more perplexing than shocking. Meanwhile, the film treats some supposedly important supporting characters as background.

It's not in 3D, so the choice is whether to see Oblivion at all. It's an adequate pre-summer blockbuster, but it could've been quite better.

42

Now that it's April, it's time for Baseball. In time for the season comes a Baseball movie. It's 42, a decent sports film about one of Baseball's greatest players.

In 1945, Brooklyn Dodgers executive Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) decides to find an African-American ballplayer for his team. Despite all objections, he finds his candidate in Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman).

Once he's signed, Jackie faces the racism of fans and ballplayers. Every insult tests his character. But to beat them, he has to have "the guts not to fight back." That philosophy helps not just the Dodgers, but the soon-to-be Civil Rights Movement.

Writer/Director Brian Helgeland has made an involving biopic. As Robinson, Boseman isn't afraid to stand up for his rights. Yet, he struggles to not let racist insults hurt him. That's what earns him the audience's sympathy, a point actually discussed in the film.

Also adding to the film are Editors Kevin Stitt and Peter McNulty. They make each ballgame exciting and every round of insults towards Robinson more tense. Composer Mark Isham also contributes strongly with a memorable score.

Still, bits of the story were too obvious. A minor one involves a young fan of Robinson's named Ed Charles, later of the Boston Braves. Even without knowing who he was, I knew he had to be someone important.

But those obvious parts didn't detract from the experience. 42 does what it wanted to do and that's what matters. That's a good enough reason to see it soon.

A Place at the Table

A Place at the Table brings up an issue brought up again and again: people are hungry. The reason it brings it up now is that no one seems to be listening.

Directors/Producers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush bring up the economic and social powers that control our food supply. First, they show that many people can't afford good food. Second, they show that many people live too far from the nearest grocery stores.

As a result, people are "food insecure." They don't know if and when they'll get food. And it's a crisis that needs to be addressed now.

It shows multiple personal stories surrounding the food insecurity crisis. They're the kids living in poverty and the single mothers trying to work their way out of poverty. They're the reasons why we should take this social inequality seriously.

One part that got my attention was its economic analysis. Junk food is cheap and healthier foods are pricey. That's part of the cause of increasing obesity rates. According to the film, it's due to economic mishandling by corporate farms. It's a thorough analysis that really got me thinking on that topic.

Before you have your next meal, think about those who can't. And think about how you can help. That's what A Place at the Table's message is. If you can find it, do try to see it. You will be educated.

GI Joe: Retaliation

I was supposed to review this last year.

But instead, GI Joe: Retaliation missed its summertime release and hit theaters now. Apparently, "Channing Tatum in 3D" sounded better than "Hasbro sunk again."

The GI Joes, led by Duke (Tatum) and Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), are dead. The President of the United States (Jonathan Pryce) set them up for an ambush. While Duke didn't make it, Roadblock, Flint (D.J. Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) did. They make it back to civilization to get to the bottom of this.

It turns out that the "President" is Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), agent of the evil Cobra Organization. Through him, Cobra Commander (Luke Bracey) can now hold the world hostage with their new superweapon. To save the day, the Joes enlist General Joe Colton (Bruce Willis) and the ninjas Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Jinx (Elodie Yung).

Director Jon M. Chu's follow-up to GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra succeeds in delivering over-the-top action. Its best sequence is a battle between good and evil ninjas in the Himalayas. The scene is dialogue-free, which leaves its amazing sound design and visual effects to do the talking. Anyone expecting exciting battles won't be disappointed.

Among its cast, the best is Jonathan Pryce as Zartan-as-the-President. He's smug, evil and proud of it, but he's also delightfully over-the-top crazy. As Joe Colton, Willis provides the best laughs from the good guys.

A few of its plot points are hard to follow. But overall, GI Joe: Retaliation wasn't boring. If there's a third GI Joe, let's hope that when it sets on a release date, it stays on target.

The Croods

The Croods aren't "crude" at all. They are, however, the stars of the latest 3D animated film from Dreamworks. And as earlier reported, it's also Dreamworks's first film to be distributed by Fox.

The Croods are the last Caveman family around. They survived because papa Grug (Nicolas Cage) keeps them in their cave. But daughter Eep (Emma Stone) loves to explore the outside world. One night, Eep sneaks out and meets Guy (Ryan Reynolds) and Belt the Sloth (co-director Chris Sanders). Guy tells her that the world's ending; the next day, their peaceful canyon is destroyed in a quake.

Beyond their destroyed home is a jungle land with exotic creatures. Further beyond, there's a place that Guy calls "Tomorrow." They bring Guy and his "modern" inventions along to help them on the Road to Tomorrow.

It's a fun, silly caveman adventure co-scripted by Sanders, co-director Kirk DeMicco and John Cleese. Its slapstick escapades, including the Croods' first experience with fire, were certainly entertaining. The Croods themselves are fun characters who are likable throughout the film. Especially fun is Sandy, the youngest, most feral of the Croods. Rather than a celebrity voice, sound designer Randy Thom created her growls from animal noises.

The Jungle Land the Croods travel through was also amazing. Everyone of its creatures, from a land-bound whale to the killer flamingo-parrots (I think), were wonderfully exotic. A few of them even join the road trip as characters.

Its only flaw was that it felt long, even at ninety-eight minutes. But in this cinematic landscape currently barren of good cartoon movies, The Croods fills that need quite nicely. As usual, I'll leave the 3D or Flatscreen decision to you, the paying consumer.

Oz: The Great and Powerful

A thousand giants can't do what Oz: The Great and Powerful does. Director Sam Raimi's prequel to The Wizard of Oz is a nice, colorful trip down the Yellow Brick Road.

Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is nothing more than a Kansas showman. He calls himself Oz: The Great and Powerful, but he wants to be more than a humbug. While making a getaway in a hot-air balloon, Oscar goes straight into a tornado. Instead of dying, he finds himself in the Land of Oz.

In Oz, he meets the witch sisters Theodora (Mila Kunis) and Evanora (Rachel Weisz). They believe that he's the great Wizard who will save them all from the Wicked Witch. But that all goes upside down once he meets the "Wicked Witch:" Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams). Confronted with the real Wicked Witches, our "hero" has to put up a real fight.

As with the 1939 film, the first scenes in Kansas are in monochrome. It's also in 4:3 Academy ratio, the aspect ratio of the earlier film. Once Oz gets to Oz, the picture expands to widescreen in glorious technicolor. The credit for this feat goes to cinematographer Peter Deming and production designer Robert Stromberg.

As the Wizard of Oz, Franco is a believable humbug who hates being a humbug. Among the supporting cast, the porcelain China Girl (Joey King) and Finley the Flying Monkey (Zach Braff) are likable digital creations. There's also an amusing cameo by Sam Raimi favorite Bruce Campbell as a Winkie Guard. Another fun cameo was the appearance of someone who was either the Cowardly Lion or an ancestor thereof.

It's in 3D and Flatscreen, but if you want to see it soon, see it on the big screen. At 130 minutes, it did feel long at parts, but it was mostly fun. And unlike Jack the Giant Slayer, it's also a lot more memorable. Perhaps its success will bring that other Oz prequel, Wicked, to the big screen.

Jack the Giant Slayer

Fee, Fie, ho-hum, I smell the blood of an average movie.

It's Jack the Giant Slayer, or Jack the Giant Killer as it was formerly called. It takes Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack the Giant Killer, two different yet similar sounding fairy tales, and makes them one. It's not that bad of a film, but it's no milestone in film-making either.

Jack (Nicholas Hoult) is the farm-boy dreaming of a better life. Isabelle (Eleanor Tomlinson) is the princess who wants to escape from her father's control. One day, Jack goes to town to sell the horse and gets some beans instead. That night, the Princess seeks shelter from the rain in Jack's house. Of course, that's when the beans grow into the beanstalk that takes the Princess up high and leaves Jack down low.

The next day, the King (Ian McShane) enlists Jack to join the Knights on a quest to save the Princess. Up in the clouds, they find the Kingdom of Giants, who are just waiting to eat them. 

In director Bryan Singer's early summer blockbuster, the best scenes are its first. It goes back and forth between Jack and Isabelle so seamlessly it's a bit ingenious. In the rest of the film, most of the characters are so summer stock that they're not memorable. One exception is the human villain, Roderick (Stanley Tucci), a sneaky ham who gets offed way too soon.

As for its obligatory blockbuster effects, they're OK at best. The growing beanstalks are amazing displays of CGI wizardry, and the motion-capture giants are adequately ugly. There were times, though, when the CGI effects stood out for the wrong reason: they were too obviously CGI. 

Overall, Jack the Giant Slayer is simply nothing more than a film to entertain an audience for an afternoon. When summer arrives for real, let's hope that it's blockbusters will be a lot more memorable than this.

Beautiful Creatures

Now that Twilight has run out of books to film, Hollywood's gone to the book shelf again for new ideas. Last year, they got The Hunger Games and this year it's Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) hates his boring, far behind the times town of Gatlin. But one day he meets Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), the literal girl of his dreams. The God-fearing townsfolk don't like her, and Ethan later finds out why.

Lena is a witch, or Caster as they call themselves. And on her sixteenth birthday, the forces of the moon, or something, will make her a good witch or a bad witch. All depends on her inner nature.

The wicked Sarafine (Emma Thompson) and Lena's also-evil cousin Ridley (Emmy Rossum) want her to join them. Ethan wants to be with Lena. Lena's uncle Macon (Jeremy Irons) wants her to do with none of them. And Lena just wants to choose what she wants to be. Simple as that.

All of this is more fun than it sounds.

The Screenplay, by director Richard LaGravenese, has a good sense of humor. There's plenty of hilarious one-liners and many fun performances by the supporting cast. Its young leads were great; even more so because their romance didn't indulge in excessive melodrama. There were some later plot elements that were odd, but they didn't detract from how good this was.

There's also some amazing visuals for those that want them. In particular, the dazzling interior of Lena's house was enough to actually evoke "wows" from the audience around me. Its special effects, including a dinner scene that goes awry, were also great. 

Those looking for a new supernatural romance won't be disappointed. On page, this story goes on for three more novels. On-screen, you'll be left with anticipation where this story will go next.

Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty is yet another film that makes history exciting. It's an even bigger challenge than what Argo and Lincoln did because this is really recent history on-screen.

Maya (Jessica Chastain) is a CIA agent who wants one thing: Osama bin Laden dead and gone. In her line of work, she has no time for anything else. She starts off by torturing terror suspects. Once she works up the ranks, she participates full-time in surveillance operations. She gets a lead on bin Laden's location, but only she is positive they'll find him there.

Of course, as history proves, she was very much right.

Having won Oscars for The Hurt Locker, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal assemble again for their latest political thriller.

It's not a film for those with high blood pressure. The film's editors William Goldenberg and Dylan Tichenor keep the audience on edge as the characters, both civilian and government, face death. Sound editor Paul N. J. Ottosson provides the payoffs by following easy silence with forceful sound-effects.

It's enough to make one cover their ears at all times.

As Maya, Jessica Chastain's performance helps keep the film going. Her character maybe one-track minded, but she's also doubtful of herself. By the end of the film, when her duty's done, we're wondering what she'll do with her life. Meanwhile, Harold Perrineau, Jason Clarke and Jennifer Ehle stand out as a few of Maya's closest confidants.

Some have condemned the film as pro-torture propaganda. But it really depicts torture as anything but attractive. It's a point that it hits home by stretching the few torture scenes on and on.

While it maybe pushing three hours, Zero Dark Thirty breezes through those hours with some ease. It did feel long at some times, but the climactic raid was a worthy payoff. It's certainly a film that earned its place amongst last week's Oscar nominations.

Gangster Squad

Gangster Squad? That sounds like a superhero team. But in reality, it's just a true crime story. But then again, gangster superheroes sound fun.

Anyway, the actual movie stars Josh Brolin as the hero, John O'Mara. He's a police sergeant in 1949 Los Angeles. The evil gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has made a name for himself in the City of Angels. He's made such a name that no one will testify against him.

LAPD Chief Parker (Nick Nolte) is painfully aware of Cohen's power. So, in response, he has O'Mara assemble a bunch of cops to take on Cohen. Together, they are the Gangster Squad, with the power to break the law as they please to punish the lawbreakers. Now, all they have to do is to prevent Cohen from becoming wise to their scheme.

Director Reuben Fleischer starts the film off well. He gives the heroes some fun moments together and apart; a highlight being an escape from jail that goes awry. With Oscar-winning cinematographer Dion Beebe, his Los Angeles scenery is appropriately gritty and pulpish.

Its best moments, though, were when the film behaved as an action comedy. But for most of it, it played itself too straight. Not merely switching from fun to drama halfway, but playing both in the same scene. The best example is Mickey Cohen, whose hamminess belonged more to Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy. While the rest of the characters do earn some good laughs, they were overall too generic to care about.

As an action film, Gangster Squad will not disappoint. But as a gripping true crime drama, you might want to find something else.

The Impossible

It's nice to have a hotel room with an ocean view. You can see the ocean up-close; you can even see it as it comes to kill you.

Sorry.

But while you watch a movie like The Impossible, you might want to try anything to keep your spirits up. Even if it is a dumb joke.

Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry Benett (Ewan McGregor), based off the real life Belons, take their three sons to Thailand for a nice vacation. Unfortunately, it's Christmas 2004; the day after Christmas, there comes the Tsunami.

When the water washes away, Maria and the eldest son, Lucas (Tom Holland) are stranded, alone, in what used to be paradise. Together, they try to survive hell on earth. Meanwhile, Henry tries to find them while keeping the younger sons, Thomas and Simon safe.

A good word for this movie is relentless. Its scenes of carnage and drama are its dominating forces. Among the "highlights": Maria being thrashed about the water for a long while, and suffering injuries which makes one question the film's PG-13 rating. There's barely, if any, relief from the drama, which only adds to the intensity on-screen.

Also contributing to the drama are its leads. Watts, McGregor and Holland convincingly portray desperate people who find hope by keeping others' spirits up. The more they prove resilient, against nature and for each other, the more these characters earn the audience's admiration. Even before the disaster hits, these are characters the audience hopes would reunite in the land of the living.

At 103 minutes, The Impossible stays on point as it heads for an upbeat ending. Even so, getting to that ending is a definitely intense experience. So don't go into the movie unprepared.

Chasing Ice

In the documentary Chasing Ice, director Jeff Orlowski set out to document the magnificence of glaciers. And also, to remind viewers that unless things change, these frozen wonders will no longer exist.

It's about photographer James Balog, founder of the Extreme Ice Survey. With his fellow researchers, Balog set out to photograph key glacier sites in Iceland, Greenland, Montana and Alaska. What they set out to do was to see just how much the glaciers have been melting.

End result: they have been melting too much, too fast. The more they melt, the more they exacerbate major weather systems. And what's been making the melting worse? Fossil fuels, for one thing.

Its primary case is that humans, while not the main cause, are a major factor in climate change. It argues that case with major scientific and photographic evidence. Among the evidence, Balog and his team find toxic sludge, residue of fossil fuels, melting the ice. Through time-lapse photography, Balog also demonstrates just how fast glaciers have been melting. It's such a well-argued case that should shock many a skeptic.

As a personal chronicle of Balog, the film is also a good travelogue of these glacier sites. Through him and his team, the audience gets to marvel and worry as the glaciers disappear. Overall, while the film's frozen scenery is wonderful, the fact that it's disappearing is not. If that's on your mind after the film is done, then the film's 75 minutes will have been well spent.

It's one of the 15 films, along with such works as Bully and Searching for Sugar Man, eligible for the Best Documentary Oscar this year. Even if it's not cited next Thursday, this is still a documentary worth giving a try. Whether major or minor, you're sure to learn something new about Earth's frozen landscape.

Silver Linings Playbook

While 2012 maybe gone, the films of 2012 are preparing for the Oscars next month. One such film is Silver Linings Playbook, a film quite more enjoyable than the usual Oscar type by a touchdown.

Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper), who has bipolar disorder, has just been released from a mental hospital. After having nearly murdered his estranged wife, Nikki's, lover, Pat now has a restraining order against him. Despite that, Pat decides to do everything to find the Silver Lining in his cloudy life. Even if it means reading depressing works such as A Farewell to Arms.

One day, Pat meets the recently bereaved Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with Nikki. But first, Pat has to be her partner for a dance competition she's preparing for. Pat agrees and their awkward romance begins.

But there's also Pat's father, Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) and his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. How's Pat going to find time for that?

Originally a novel by Matthew Quick, this crazy story was realized onscreen by writer/director David O. Russell. Its story balances comedy and drama wonderfully because of its endearing characters. Even if some of their actions aren't endearing, they are all people the audience would have no trouble emphasizing with.

As the leads, Cooper and Lawrence are the best of this "crazy" ensemble. Amongst the supporting cast, Chris Tucker and Anupam Kher, as Pat's friend Danny and psychiatrist Dr. Patel, respectively, are great comic relief and moral support. But really, these are just examples of an overwhelmingly excellent ensemble.

As a film about optimism, Silver Linings Playbook doesn't lose sight of its central premise. It's definitely one of the former year's best films and it deserves its place in next month's Oscars.

Les Miserables

While Victor Hugo's epic novel Les Miserables has had cinematic life over and over again, its most famous rendition hadn't. That, of course, is the equally epic musical composed in French by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and translated to English by Herbert Kretzmer.

But now, director Tom Hooper, to follow his Oscar for The King's Speech, has finally made the people sing.

Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) has just been released from nineteen years of hard-time for stealing bread. Valjean skips parole and makes a new life for himself as an honest man. Valjean aids the destitute, dying Fantine (Anne Hathaway) by adopting her daughter, Cosette (Isabelle Allen/Amanda Seyfried). But Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe) is right behind him, determined to bring the "crook" back to prison.

There's also a student uprising in Paris, during which Cosette falls for the revolutionary Marius (Eddie Redmayne). He also has a secret admirer in plain sight named Eponine (Samantha Barks). That is where the chase ends up, but who'll yield first?

I've seen this on stage before. Was it worth it?

Yes.

Since Hooper, bucking tradition, had the actors sing live on set, the sound crew had much work to do. What they have done is to create clear vocals to go along with the orchestrations. As a result, the show's memorable music is just as grand on the big screen as it was on stage.

What Hooper basically hoped to accomplish was to make a musical where singing and acting went hand in hand. This is especially true with Jackman and Hathaway, whose strong vocals move the audience's pathos wonderfully. The standout solos of Redmayne and Barks, meanwhile, also deliver some of the film's strongest moments. Stealing the show are Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, who provide much needed comic relief as the crooked Thenardiers.

It maybe around three hours, but those hours went by fast. My only complaint is that sometimes it went too fast. And while some folks might cry foul over the film's rearrangement of the stage libretto, Les Miserables works well as a movie musical. It definitely is one of the best films to wait all year for.

Jethro's Note: No Apocalypse.

Django Unchained

Mixing spaghetti western with American Western, director and writer Quentin Tarantino has created his latest stylized epic, Django Unchained. As with his other works, this film is certainly not for all tastes.

Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave separated from his loving wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). He is liberated by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), once a dentist but now a bounty hunter. Schultz offers to make Django his associate, promising to help Django find Broomhilda if he does. Of course, Django takes up the offer and thus they go bounty hunting.

It takes them a while, but they find her in the plantation of Calvin J. Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). Candie, despite appearing to be a Southern Gentleman, isn't willing to give up Broomhilda that easily. Or even at all.

Essentially, this is part Blazing Saddles, part Mortal Kombat. While it is a bloody romp through history, this is also a live-action cartoon. Its violence, and some of its characters' bigotry, is so exaggerated that they provide the film its best laughs. Its best, bloodless scene, is when a night raid by wannabee Klansmen almost goes awry because their hoods make it impossible for them to see!

But when Candie, and his slave henchman Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) appear, two problems emerge. While the two make formidable villains, their entrance begins the point when the film becomes un-cartoonish. Even worse, it's also the point when its 165 minute runtime becomes glaringly obvious. What appears to be the film's final shootout turns out not to be and the wait for its real ending is just so long. When it does get to the real ending, though, the payoff is spectacular.

For those who can withstand historical bloodbaths, this film will certainly satisfy them. It will also satisfy its savviest of film-goers with its throwbacks to the Spaghetti Westerns of old. But if you can't stand ultra-violence, then something like Les Miserables will certainly be more satisfying.

Hitchcock

I like movies. I like movies about movies. I like Hitchcock. It may not be a masterpiece in film-making  unlike much of the career of its namesake, but it was a good film still.

It's 1959, and Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) has just debuted North by Northwest. But at the age of 60, he feels that his life and career haven't been as great as they once were. Once he's introduced to Robert Bloch's new novel, Psycho, he decides that its tale of Murder, Mayhem and Mother is what his career needs.

Everyone around him, from Paramount, to the Censor, to even his wife Alma Reville (Helen Mirren) don't find this latest project appealing. But Hitchcock is willing to make it anyway, even if it means mortgaging his house to do so. But as Alma grows more interested in writer Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston), Hitchcock finds himself going mad. So much so that Ed Gein (Michael Wincott), the real-life inspiration for Psycho's Norman Bates, becomes his imaginary friend.

As Mr. Hitchcock, Anthony Hopkins pulls off a great impersonation. His droll sense of humor, as seen in not just Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but the trailers for his films, is presented spot-on. His impersonation is completed by extensive makeup, which looks good on-screen.

Amongst the supporting cast, James D'Arcy and Ralph Macchio stand-out in their brief cameos as Anthony Perkins and screenwriter Joseph Stefano. Meanwhile, Helen Mirren, as Alma Reville, makes a great equal for her on-screen husband.

But at a brisk 98 minutes, it breezes by its characters too quickly. All of Hitchcock's eccentricities, such as his obsession with his leading ladies, are present. But unlike Norman Bates, it seems all his motivations can be summed up in three words: "because he is."

If the film dealt more with Hitchcock's own psychosis, then a much more compelling picture could've emerged. But as entertainment, Hitchcock is a fun, although a bit dark, piece of entertainment.

Anna Karenina

"All the world's a stage," said the Bard. "and all the men and women merely players." Which is apparently why director Joe Wright's film version of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is on a stage.

Anyway, Anna's (Keira Knightley) part on stage is to be married to the stiff and boring Count Karenin (Jude Law). One day, she meets the dashing and lively cavalry officer Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Thanks to him, she finally finds a reason to be happy. Unfortunately, her romance with Vronsky gets on her husband's nerves and causes a major scandal. By the end of it all, Anna's happiness just makes her unhappy.

To elaborate on its presentation, much of 19th-century Russia is built into an old theater. When it's time to change scenes, Sarah Greenwood's scenery is changed on-screen just as they'd be changed on-stage. Only on occasion, though, someone will venture outside the stage in the real world of snow and ice. It maybe an interesting concept, but it still took me aback more than amazed.

Its greatest problem is that it was just dull. Its characters, except for the amusing Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen), were too stiff and boring to care about. Even Anna, the tragic heroine, wasn't that much of an appealing character. The costumes and music, by Jacqueline Durran and Dario Marianelli, respectively, were much more lively than all those "tragic" people. It was so stiff and boring that my reaction, once it got to the credits, was "finally, it's over."

If people talking on and on isn't appealing for you, then do stay away. There's so much of it that it makes its two hour and ten minute runtime seem far, far longer than it is.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Nearly ten years since his last trip to Middle-Earth, director Peter Jackson is back to the beginning of JRR Tolkein's literary lore in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. If this first of three epic films based on one 300 page book is indication, then this film should've been called The Hobbit: An Unending Journey.

The Hobbit is Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm/Martin Freeman), who used to have a normal life until Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) showed up. Gandalf and a band of Dwarves, led by Prince Thorin (Richard Armitage),  decide to recruit Bilbo for their upcoming adventure. Their mission, that they've chosen to accept, is to reclaim the Mountain Kingdom of Erebor, and its massive treasure, from a greedy dragon named Smaug. And so, whether Bilbo likes it or not, he sets off to aid them in their quest.

And that's all you need to know about the plot. It's a plot that takes up two hours and forty nine minutes to tell.

At first, it's kind of fun to watch Bilbo's first adventure. Our hero is a likable one, and the band of Dwarves are a fun, rowdy band of characters. Meanwhile, the film's visual effects, as expected, are great to look at. But as it goes on and on and on, the fun overstays its welcome. As a result, this epic return to Middle-Earth isn't as epic as it wants to be.

It does slightly redeem itself at the two hour mark, when it introduces the creepy Gollum (Andy Serkis) and the titular MacGuffin of The Lord of the Rings. Even though it's an extended cameo, it's also the film's most entertaining and worthwhile scene.

Available in not only 3D and Flatscreen formats, but its new High Frame Rate 3D, The Hobbit should please the most devoted Tolkein fans. But if it wants to please all other viewers, the next few films must find someway to make more seem less.

Life of Pi

Once thought to be unfilmmable by its readers, Yann Martel's epic novel Life of Pi is now director Ang Lee's epic 3D movie. It's one of the most colorful films of this year, or maybe of any other year.

Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan), born in India and living in Canada, gets a chance to tell his life story to an interviewer (Rafe Spall). As a young man (Suraj Sharma), Pi took up Christianity, Islam and Hinduism all at once. His family owned a zoo, which political circumstances forced to move to Canada. On the way there, natural circumstances sank the ship they were traveling on. Only Pi and a handful of animals make it out alive. In a short time, though, it's just Pi and Richard Parker, the Zoo's resident Bengal Tiger.

For 227 days, Pi has to tame Parker's savage instincts for the good of them both. To do that, Pi must keep his faith alive, just as much as he'd keep himself alive.

Its bright 3D cinematography by Claudio Miranda is what keeps the film alive. At times magnificent, and at other times frightening, its visuals are as vast as the ocean Pi finds himself in. Among its most incredible effects include a swarm of flying fish, a glowing whale, the shipwreck, and the lifeboat seemingly in the sky. Hopefully, we have either our Oscar winner for Visual Effects, or the close runner-up.

What makes the novel work on-screen are Pi and Parker. As Pi, Suraj Sharma is compelling as he faces the world around him. Parker, who is actually a mainly CGI creation, looks and acts likes a real, feeling big kitty. What makes their relationship work is that they bring out the best in each other. While Pi learns to remain strong, Parker has to humble himself, even somewhat, before his “guest.” As rendered by screenwriter David Magee, this shipwreck story makes great use of its two hour run-time.

Simply put, Life of Pi needs to be seen in a theater soon. Its epic scope justifies the continuing existence of the big screen in this day and age.

Rise of the Guardians

While Marvel Comics has The Avengers, Folklore now has The Guardians. It's a superteam first assembled by author William Joyce in the book series, The Guardians of Childhood. And now, they are here for their first film, the 3D animated Rise of the Guardians.

Bunnymund the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), Sandy the Sandman, Tooth the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher) and North, aka Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), are all real. Together, they are The Guardians, assembled by the Man in the Moon to preserve the happiness of all the kids in the world. Meanwhile, Jack Frost (Chris Pine) enjoys his snow life, but he doesn't enjoy the fact that no one can see him.

The Guardians are forced to recruit Jack when Pitch Black the Boogeyman (Jude Law) decides to bring misery to all the kids in the world. Since the Guardians are preserved by the happiness they preserve, this is a problem. Only Jack, who actually has had the time to interact with kids, unlike the others, has what they need to shine a light on Pitch Black.

Whether in 3D or on Flatscreen, this is one of the best looking animated films around. It has colorful scenery and an amazing display of animated superpowers. When combined with Alexandre Desplat's score, the results are just enchanting. It truly must be seen to be believed.

Its screenplay, by playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole), keeps it moving quite nicely in its 97 minute runtime. It may run too fast for some, but that's a story flaw I found barely noticeable. That's because its heroes, especially the mute Sandy, are all a fine ensemble of animated folks. Meanwhile, the Guardians' supporting creatures, whether they be Yeti or Elves, provide some well-needed comic relief.

Overall, Rise of the Guardians is an animated film that's enjoyable for both kids and believing adults. As Dreamworks's last animated film to be distributed by Paramount, it is also one of their greatest.

Jethro's Note: Stay tuned to March, when Dreamworks Animation switches over to Fox, for The Croods.

Lincoln

Last summer, the Great Emancipator became the Great Slayer in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Now, the 16th president is back on-screen in Steven Spielberg's long awaited Lincoln. Now with more history, and less vampires.

It's January 1865, and Honest Abe (Daniel Day-Lewis) is still President of a Nation at War with itself. It's not just the Civil War that's dividing the nation, but also the Thirteenth Amendment, the one that'll end slavery forever. His fellow Republicans want the War ended now, badly, and even they doubt the Amendment will help. Still, they are at least somewhat willing to vote on it, unlike the Democrats.

To get it passed, Lincoln has to get that minimum Democrat support. It's not easy, and the pressure is taking its toll on him. His allies include former Rivals Secretary of Defense William Seward (David Strathairn) and Abolitionist Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones). Not supporting Lincoln is Copperhead Congressman Fernando Wood (Lee Pace).

Using Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln as the starting point, Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay. It's another fine example of turning history into suspense. Of course, we know that the amendment did pass and the war ended soon after. However, thanks to its climactic House Vote, we're left wondering “how did that ever get passed?”

As Lincoln, Day-Lewis charms the audience with his soft-spoken good nature. When it starts to crack under pressure, the results are intense. In the end, Day-Lewis keeps the audience empathizing with Lincoln. Meanwhile, the film's makeup team, who have rendered Day-Lewis into Lincoln's exact likeness, deserves as much Oscar buzz as the star himself.

Amongst the film's supporting cast, Jones and James Spader (as W.N. Bilbo) steal their scenes wonderfully. As Mary Lincoln, Sally Field is great as Lincoln's closest moral support, even if she herself badly needs it herself. On the crew, Spielberg's frequent collaborators, consisting of composer John Williams, editor Michael Kahn and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, contribute greatly to this historical tale's look and feel.

On-screen, its stars make Lincoln worth its two-and-a-half-hour run time. It is, overall, a more entertaining political drama than what we see on the evening news.  

The Master

The Master. It looks good. It's acted good. It's written good. But, it's also overwhelmingly hard to process; in fact, as I'm writing this, I'm still trying to process it. If you want to know what I understood, read on.

Just after World War II, Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) lives an aimless life. He can't keep a job for very long and his relationships with fellow man are a mess. One night, he hitches a ride on a yacht owned by writer Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Dodd is also the head of a religious movement called “The Cause.” Intrigued by The Cause, Freddie joins to help spread its word across the country.

For the rest of the movie, there's suspicions that Dodd's movement is nothing but a cult. Also, there's Quell being an angry man. And Dodd's wife, Peggy (Amy Adams), being serious in the background. All the while, we're wondering “what?”

Director/Writer Paul Thomas Anderson's film isn't that easy to take in. It's quite serious, can get weird at times and it is long. Its main characters, especially Quell, aren't that appealing. They may look appealing, but beneath it all, they are unpleasant. Still, they are convincingly performed as unpleasant people. But that's not the same as me wanting to be in the same room as them.

Alleviating the unpleasantness of the story's mood a bit is a few of its crew. Its cinematography, by Mihai Malaimare Jr., is the first film since Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet to be shot on 70 MM film. Its colors and the depths of its outdoor scenery shots are amazing. Meanwhile, its production and costume design look authentically 1950's. Composer Johnny Greenwood, who also did Anderson's There Will Be Blood, gives the film a distinctive score.

Still, it actually does have a positive message: being one's own master. But still, there's the fact that we have to sit through two and a half hours of weirdness and seriousness. Anyone else who wishes to see this movie, please proceed with caution. Or, not at all.

Skyfall

And now, it's time to welcome Britain's best-known superspy, James Bond, back to theaters. Once again in the form of Daniel Craig, and supervised by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, Bond returns in his 23rd film, Skyfall.

This time, Bond dies.

Actually, no.

It opens with Bond in pursuit of an evil mercenary, who has with him the names of all of NATO's undercover operatives. They end up on top of a speeding train over a bridge. Fellow agent Eve (Naomie Harris) has the mercenary in her sights, but hits Bond by mistake, sending him to the river below.

Anyway, Bond enjoys his retirement by presumed death until the evil Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) bombs MI6. An MI6 agent until M (Judi Dench) left him for dead, Silva takes up cyber-terrorism to get his revenge. To stop him, Bond has to get back into shape and join with some new allies.

Off-screen, Bond has many new allies on the crew. One of them is Cinematographer Roger Deakins, whose imagery of the Scottish Highlands, Shanghai and more, is amazing. Another new ally is Mendes' constant composer, Thomas Newman, whose score is suitably exciting. Its sound design, co-supervised by constant Oscar-nominee Greg P. Russell, makes use of some incredible sound effects. And while he's not a new ally, having done Casino Royale, editor Stuart Baird constructs some amazing scenes of action and suspense.

While its 143 minutes do feel long, its three stars make up for it. In particular, Bardem as Silva is one of the creepiest film villains as of late. Either good makeup or good CGI (I couldn't tell) was used for one great scene concerning his physical condition. Although it is Bond's film, and nobody but Daniel Craig does it better here, it is also M's film as well. More-so than ever, Dench plays M as vulnerable beneath her snarky demeanor. By the end, the audience'll wonder not only if good wins, but if they'll be in one piece by the end.

With an exciting and humorous screenplay, co-written by John Logan, Skyfall makes up for the confusing Quantum of Solace. I don't know about it being the best Bond film, but it's still an awesome film overall. It's certainly for all eyes only.

Flight

Twelve years since he directed Cast Away, director Robert Zemeckis is back in live-action with Flight. It maybe an Oscar contender soon, but it'll certainly never be an in-flight movie.

“Whip” Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is a drunk, coke addict and an airline pilot. Not a very appealing combination, is it? But a mechanical failure, such as the one that strikes Whip's latest flight, isn't appealing either. Through some fancy maneuvering, Whip gets the plane to crash land and save almost all on-board.

Upon waking up from a coma, Whip is hailed as a hero by the press. But that'll end once they realize that Whip flew the plane high and drunk. His lawyer, Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) and Union representative Charlie (Bruce Greenwood), are ready to protect his clean image. Even then, that won't clean Whip's conscience, which is what he has to do himself.

As Whip, Denzel Washington's performance is what the film's all about. He's a fallen hero, one who's actually already fallen before becoming a hero. All it takes is the crash for him to see how mighty he's fallen; after that, he's lost. Washington never makes the audience lose sympathy for Whip, even when Whip lashes out at loved ones. For that reason, we the audience want to see Whip turn his life around and keep flying, so to speak.

Amongst the supporting cast, the best work came from John Goodman, as Whip's supplier, Harling, and Kelly Reilly, as Whip's love interest, Nicole. Goodman, in particular, continues to be a reliably hilarious character actor. Reilly's compelling performance, meanwhile, should give Oscar voters another option to consider this year.

And yes, there is the plane crash that starts the film. With some great editing and visual effects, the crash is one of the scariest ones on screen. It certainly doesn't help anyone's fear of flying, especially my own, to see the turbulence take its toll on the plane and its inhabitants.

Even when it does lag on towards its 139 minute runtime, Flight keeps things going thanks to its star. Unless you have a flight in the near future, then this character study is worth checking into.

Wreck-It Ralph

My last reviewed film, Cloud Atlas, had many things. A straightforward plot was not one of them. But my latest reviewed film, Wreck-It Ralph, is an ode to a medium known for straightforward plots: video games.

Each time someone plays the Arcade Classic Fix-It Felix Jr., Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) smashes up the Niceland appartments. Then, the titular character (Jack McBryer) fixes it up. The good guys celebrate by giving Felix a Medal and Ralph a flight off the roof.

After thrity years, Ralph finally has enough. Ralph decides to leave his own game and head for the new Shooter Game Hero's Duty. Once he defeats the game's mutant Cy-Bugs, he'll finally have a medal of his own. But by accident, Ralph gets tossed into the Candyland racing game Sugar Rush. There, he loses the medal to the game's glitch outcast, Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman). To get it back, Ralph has to help her win a race that'll get her into the game's lineup.

Unfortunately, Ralph's game-jumping threatens to put Fix-It Felix Jr. out of business. Not only that, but a Cy-Bug's followed Ralph into Sugar Rush. Once it multiplies, the end of the Arcade World is sure to follow. To save the games, Felix tags along with Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch) of Hero's Duty to enter Sugar Rush.

Rich Moore, known for his work on The Simpsons and Futurama, makes his feature debut here. It's a film that has plenty of references to, and cameos from, various real life games. Rather than swamp the film in in-jokes, the screenplay focuses directly on its own original characters. Whether alone or together, its main characters are all likable individuals. Even King Candy (Alan Tudyk) of Sugar Rush is quite likable until his rotten secret is revealed. Overall, it's actually less about video games and more about folks who are video game characters.

As a 3D Movie, Wreck-It Ralph has plenty of visual spectacle. It's most obvious in the delicious game world of Sugar Rush, complete with baked goods as race cars. All the other game worlds, whether its the film's original works or the actual titles, are rendered wonderfully in their own art styles. Seeing what those game worlds looked like behind the screen was also fun to see.

Whether you're a gamer or not, Wreck-It Ralph is lots of fun in either 3D or Flatscreen. Either way, you'll get an amazing short film, Paperman, to start the "game" with.