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Reviews
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Decent, not great, but at least not Star Wars: Ep. 1-3
I just saw this film after waiting for RedBox to carry it. It's not bad. There's definitely some good scenes in it, but then is followed by vapid confrontation scenes, or vapid love triangle/reconciliation scenes.
The fight with the dragon was cool; The Battle of the 5 Armies a bit lackluster. Thorin dying with Bilbo by his side was great; Tauriel upset that one human-looking dwarf dies was dumb. There were many ups then downs in the story like these.
I recommend it if you like a good fantasy/adventure movie. Expect some really stupid things, but expect surprisingly strong scenes as well.
I believe Martin Freeman really knocks it out of the park with his performance in this movie more than the others, as he's given a wider range of emoting to play with in the script, and does so very well. The scenes with Thorin a were especially strong.
And at the end of it, you get a song from Billy Boyd (Pippin of LotR), who is, to my surprise, a very good singer.
It doesn't have the cathartic resolution that LotR had at the end, and falls a bit flat trying to emulate the previous success, but it's still a decent movie. I recommend if you like the genre, or are a young film student to see a good movie with bad holes in it looks like.
Zhang bei (1981)
One of the Best
This film is a fine example of why the Shaw Brothers are among the finest directors (probably the best in the Kung Fu category). The movie is well paced, the story is excellent and intriguing, and while the humor may not be in your face, it is nested within the character interactions. Once the story builds up, and the characters begin to assess the situation does the whole tower come crashing down in one of the best fight scenes (tiger, crane and crab Hung Gar are very present). There is even a scene that mocks 18th century Western social events, and ends with clever and entertaining fighting. The movie ends with a sudden, cheesy moment, but if you are a fan of the Shaw Brothers, you'll understand that the cheese is just a topping, and not the main course of the movie.
Flight of the Conchords (2007)
excellent musicians, funny show with potential, worth checking out.
These guys really impressed me. They are excellent song writers, styling themselves after David Bowie, REM, and various genres they explored, and succeed in writing a legitimate, structured songs. They have a knack for creating a catchy song, and make it silly without compensating their shtick, or going overboard. They really take themselves seriously as musicians. And thats only 1/3 of reasons to check this show out.
2/3 of reasons to see this is that the humor is very subtle, and sharp. Not particularly "American" humor, fans of British humor will appreciate the offbeat energy and situations. Rhys Darby is also very funny as the clueless, and loyal manager and friends of the duo. The premise of the show is simple: an up-and-coming folk duo work to develop a fan base in the U.S., starting with New-York. The juxtaposition between the duo's New Zealand calm, playful attitudes and their American acquaintances' brazen "American" demeanors.
3/3 of the reasons is the lesser of the bunch, but adds a quaint dimension which I appreciate, is the show's potential. Some may notice that this show has quite a lot going for it, and could be something special if it realizes its potential for an interesting take on the struggle of a band's success.