Movie review for the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Over the weekend I got to go see the first of three Hobbit flicks and I must say, this was amazing.  I can't say enough good things about this flick.  Seriously amazing.  Lets begin with the good:

• The dwarves dont' look like fools!  Anyone who has talked to me about the movie knows one of the few things I feared was how goofy the dwarves looked on the poster and the trailers.  I mean they looked horrible I though.  Way to cartoony after Gimli looked just perfect.  The big screen makes them look good.  Bombur would be the one exception and that is only because of the stupid beard he has.  Besides that the dwarves all looked really well done.
• Additions.  There are plot additions that aren't in the book.  Now normally I might be upset by this but it really adds to the story.  Jackson has added things to tie the two stories together, those being the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.  If I remember correctly Sauron isn't mentioned at all in the Hobbit book.  They also add a story about an Orc named Azog, which from what little research I did, appears in some appendices somewhere.  I won't ruin the added story but it gives reason why the orcs are hunting down the party.  Throw in some stuff with the White Council, perhaps the hint of the feature heel turn by Saruman, and I think the additions are more than justified.
• Acting.  The acting in this film is really well done as well.  I read a review where Martin Freeman "mugged" up the screen most of the time and he sort of does...correctly.  His reactions are exactly those you'd expect of a person (or hobbit if you will) that has never been anywhere or done anything.  Are they slightly over the top, perhaps, but I thought they were perfect.  Gandalf of course wad done masterfully as before.  The dwarves are perfectly done as well.  Throw in an appearance for the 7th Doctor as Radagast and you've got an excellent performances all around.
• Visual Effects.  The visual effects are beyond amazing, as you'd expect.  The opening where Bilbo, I think it is Bilbo, is telling the story of the Lonely Mountain was awesome.  I hope to get to see it in IMAX 3D as that scene alone makes it worth while in my opinion.  
• Cameos.  There are several cameos/reprisals that were cool.  I won't spoil them although most of you probably already know.
• Songs.  One of the things about the Hobbit and what I really liked about the animated version, were the songs that are in the book.  Click the link above for the Misty Mountain song. 
• Ken Stott.  I already talked about the acting but Ken deserves a special mention.  He stole every scene he was in as Balin.  An important character for sure but done so perfectly.  Even with Gandalf in the movie I dare say I think Stott had the best performance.  The telling the story of Thorin and Azog was done so well, so much so that I think it was my favorite scene.

The bad

• There is only one thing I didn't like about the flick.  It is a minor thing but with three movies I think it was too much.  

*SPOILER ALERT* so I'll end my blog here.  GO SEE THIS MOVIE!  SEE IT SEVERAL TIMES!  Take the whole family.  Take strangers.  While I enjoyed Avengers this movie blows it out of the water 100 times.  This, in my opinion and since it is my blog is all that matters, is better than the three Lord of the Rings movies.  Just amazing.  Scroll down to see my one complaint about the movie.

• Okay if you clicked down here to read this you know it has a spoiler.  Azog the Orc has vowed to destroy Thorin and his entire family.  The orcs have them trapped in the trees and about to die when Thorin says "Fuck it" (well that is what I would have said) and charged through the fire to fight Azog one on one.  He sucks and is about to die when Bilbo, who moments ago was told he didn't belong by out there by Thorin, saves him.  The Eagles (no there was no Michael Vick cameo) save the day.  Thorin then says he was wrong and embraces Bilbo and they are now friends.  This complaint could be wrong if I have a bad memory, but in the book Thorin doesn't accept Bilbo till he is dying.  He is a bigot and raciest in the book if I remember right and realizes the error of his way on his death bed.  I would have liked to have seen that dynamic of Bilbo always helping and earning the dwarves respect little by little like in the book.  A minor complaint and hardly breaks the movie and don't really even hurt the enjoyment just something that hit me the second they embrace.  Again if I am wrong then I have no complaints about the movie and that is rare!

Tired of it

I was going to write a long entry about gun control and the gun culture in this country but what is the point?  Why bother?  The people of this country don't want to talk about it.  I read somewhere that in my life time there have been 191 school shootings.  That is 6 a year boys and girls.  We have a problem in this country with guns and people's mental issues.

I've dealt with mental issues and the stigma that people put on it.  I can get a gun easier than help with my mental issues.  Today have lost 18, perhaps more before it is all said and done, children.  That is what needs to stop.  At this point I don't care how we do it we just need to do it.  That is what we need to do.  I don't care if it is putting an armed trained guard in every room in every school in the country.  I am tired of hearing about children getting shot in what is suppose to be the greatest country in the world.  Just tired of it.

Raw review

Not the normal Raw review this week because quite frankly I couldn't watch the show.  I just couldn't.  It was awful from a storyline standpoint.  The wrestling was good at times but at the same time just the same stuff.  Cena and Show again?  Dolph can't win a match and doesn't cash in the title shot when Show is down and out.  Ryder and AJ doing the JOB in their home area.  Stupid Hornswoggle/Khali/Vicki segment.  Just horrible.  I tried folks but I just couldn't.  Go over to the best wrestling site on the net, www.pwinsider.com, and join the elite section because it is awesome.  Sorry again folks but I couldn't do it this week.

RICH PEOPLE DID IT!!

A friendly warning, this is a case of me getting a little political and voicing my opinion.  It isn't right and it isn't wrong, it is what I believe.  If you want to ask why I feel that way fine but the one thing I refuse to tolerate is that my opinion is wrong, just like I don't believe your opinion is wrong if you disagree with me.  Opinions and debate, true debate not what we call it now, is what we need to make this country better but I want you to read what I say and then decide just how stupid I am!

A friend recently posted the above video and said that it was an oversimplification but that doesn't begin to describe this! 

If this country and its people would stop trying to blame people and perhaps find the cause, the real cause not this bullshit "the rich did it" or "the poor did it", we would be better off.  instead you have asshats like Occupy *whatever we dont' like and actually hurt things like small business and the workers at what we are shutting down" and the Tea Party.  People need to stop living in their little pretend world and start living in reality. 

Things are NOT fair.  There always has and always will be rich and poor people.  Poor people will always want to be rich and rich people will always want to be richer.  I didn't see Ed Asner giving more money to the government even though he was rich.  Michael Moore doesn't pay the old amount of taxes like he wants everyone to does he? 

Instead they point to how horrible Wal-Mart is even though at one point THEY were the poor people and they lived what used to be the American Dream of becoming wealthy. 

The American Dream is dead because American hate people who live that dream.  It isn't Democrats or Republicans or Green Party members or Tea Party members it is us, the American People who killed it.  We all need to look in the mirror and say what actually made this country great?  Was it money?  NO!  Was it paying taxes?  NO!  It was working hard and helping each other when we needed but admitting when we screwed up. 

Instead we teach our kids that if we don't like things we protest.  Don't worry about working hard, just suck up to the boss and you'll get ahead.  Don't worry about talent its playing "the game" that will get you ahead.  May be if those asshats protesting Wall Street or Wisconsin or Obama's Healthcare Plan or whatever you want to say would just remember what made this country great we would be better off.  

There is middle ground in this that everyone forgets.  We don’t have to give everyone everything, just things they need to get back on their feet.  After the depression that is what we did and this country became great once again.  Now we just keep giving and giving and giving and giving and to be honest who isn’t going to just say “why work when they’ll keep giving me money?” in this day and age?  We’ve taught our kids to do that!  No one strives to be the best anymore in this country and it shows. 

Enough trying getting football announcers fired for speaking their mind and focus that energy and making this country great again!  Work hard people!  Take pride in the fact that we were once the greatest country in the world!  We can be again but we need to stop fighting with each other and help one another.  If we want to return to what we once were that is what it will take. 

However I don’t see that happening.  People look at things as black and white, good and evil, ying and yang, Coke or Pepsi instead of the varying shades of grey there actually is.

But what do I know? I don’t make videos pointing fingers at people or protest because I don’t like things.  I go to work and I work hard, perhaps if more people did that we would still have an American Dream.

Impact 12-6-12 review

I am back for this weeks Impact after missing a few.  We start off with Daniels, Bobby Roode and Kazarian coming out and talking.  Kazarian actually calls the crowd chods, I haven't heard that word for YEARS!  The one thing I always notice about TNA and WWE is that most of TNA is a step behind promo wise.  Daniels is good but the others are a step down from most and that includes AJ Styles who just came out.  I liked the brooding AJ better, he talked less!

Daniels is probably the best person on the mic in TNA...well a toss up between him and Bully Ray.  AJ  of course attacks Daniels and it is three on one.  Thank goodness that Taz mentioned it was dumb for AJ to attack Daniels as I was going to say that.

AJ looks like a lood kid when trying to look angry and tough.

I really do not like this Todd Kinney guy.  Taz and Mike Tenay were a great team and Todd throws things off.  I don't like a three man booth.  I also noticed how much the opening fireworks of TNA looks like Nitro.  

Aries talks about pushing Hulk Hogans button and we go to break.  Up next it is Samoa Joe and 
Devon.

It is nice that the Knockouts are basically the Nitro Girls anymore, which is sad as they are all extremely talented.  

It'll be interesting to see if Joe or Devon walk out with the title.  I'd like to see them continue to build Joe up but Devon is part of Aces & Eights which are being pushed.  I think Taz is the best announcer in wrestling today.  This has been hard hitting but stuck in 1st gear to me.  If they take the belt off Joe here I would say that is the end of it for him.  That series was horrible.  It is like they are walking through this.  Some bimbo just distracted the ref and Doc hit him with a hammer and Devon gets the belt.  Doc and Devon are surrounded by Ho's....er girls.  

Great Brooke Hogan just told someone the contract is done and she is hers.  ESCORT....or Velvet Skye...is there a difference?  BAM!  Break time boys and girls.

We find out that last week Al Snow was slipped a mickey.  D'Lo Brown is a member of Aces and Eights and an inside man is my prediction.  He was under a mask at one point to distract us smart fans but maybe that wasn't the case, maybe he was out there because he is a member.

Mickie James is out talking about her recent health scare.  She has horrible earrings on.  I think I was wrong about her being agumented as I mentioned a few weeks ago.  Great here comes Tara, who I love, but not that moron she comes out with.  Jesse is actually the same size as Mickie.  Here comes Velvet Skye.  I am not a fan of hers at all but it is time to le the pigeons loose!  For those of you who don't know Dixie Carter personally brought her back.  This segment has been horrible.  

Wow a stupid car insurance promo?  Lets go to break...on my god TNA is doing another stupid date thing like 10.10.10 only this time it is 1.3.13

We're back and it is Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez taking on Robbie E and Robbie T.  I really don't care about this match.  Hopefully at the PPV Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan win the titles and we see the end of Chavo.  However since he was in the promo for Lockdown PPV in Texas I don't see that happening.  I've talked about how I think Hernandez had a chance at being a star but at this point I don't see TNA fans buying it.  Chavo just threw the worst Frog Splash in history and they get the win.  Joey comes out and distracts the champs and Morgan floors the champs.  I like this duo but Morgan should be going after Jeff Hardy not the tag titles.

We now see the bimbos from earlier, some of whom are the worst pole dancers ever, and we're in the club house.  The boss is in the house and instead of a dart to see who gets beat up someone paid for a hit on a TNA Star and money talks and bullshit walks.  Yeah they said that.  Hot bimbos but bimbos none the less!  Up next Doc and Kurt Angle.

I came back a few seconds late and we have Chavo doing a promo that they actually cut away from for Kurt's entrance.  AWESOME!  And we are back to break again.

There is a problem with wrestling personalities being being on twitter.  When is it the character and when is it the person.  Dixie Carter talks about actual stuf on her twitter and then says "I wish @theacesand8s were NOT on this show. I hope@realkurtangle kicks their ..."  Hard to tell what is real and what isn't and that is bad for the business in my opinion.

If Aces and Eights don't work for TNA how do they get music and matches?  Are they getting paid?  Why?  That is the problem with these type story lines.  The nWo got contacts at least.

I'm glad the former Luke Gallows has a job.  He is too good not to be in one of the two companies.  This has been a good match but nothing to write about really.  Usual Angle match, good but nothing special or different either anymore.  Kurt is pretty formulaic anymore.  Angle with the Ankle lock and here comes the rest of the Aces and Eights.  Wes Brisco, Samoa Joe and Garrett Bischoff make the save and it is going to an 8 man this Sunday at Final Resolution.  

In the back Hogan is talking to Joseph Park about wrestling school.  Bully comes in and yells about not getting a match with A Double, Austin Aries.  I like that Hogan was on the first hour at all.  I miss the heel Bully Ray, the best in the business.

Seriously enough of these stupid ass voice over/inside the mind of Jeff Hardy segments.  This isn't Dexter!

Kenny King, Kid Kash and Zema Ion are going at it for a shot at Rob Van Dam.  Zema Ion sure is goofy looking.  I hope Kid Kash wins this as his matches are underrated and I think he deserves it.  Zema and King need more work in my opinion.  I love watching people chant in the crowd.  Most of them going the stupid chants do not look like they care that they are just chanting because some other idiot did.  Kenny King with the win with a modified F-5/Rock Bottom type move.  I'm not sure his match with RVD is going to be very good personally.

Bully and Aries are going to go back and forth on the mic.  They are both good but the wrestling has been so good night I really don't want to see them talk.  Seriously all great matches tonight, even the tag match which I didn't care about was good.  Bully's New York accent is so thick it makes me laugh.  Both men are going to sit and take over the show till they get their match.  Here comes the GM Brother.    Hogan isn't going to give them the match.  Brooke just came bouncing down to the ring, called Bully "Mark" and because it is personal Hogan gives them the match.  What?  Okay.  I think Brooke has had some surgery lately or a new bra.  Sorry I say that a lot on TNA but that is because they show a lot of TNA!

The main event is up and I like Daniels in this match.  I am not a fan of the rest of these guys.  I had a brief lose of Satellite there and I guess we're at break.  Sorry I can't say what happened but knowing these guys I'm not impressed.

Sorry guys my dish hasn't come back up after a few seconds.  That is it for tonight, stupid technical problems.


Results:

Devon defeated Samoa Joe for the TV Title
Chavo/Hernandez defeated Robbie E/Robbie T
Kurt Angle defeated Doc
Kenny King defeated Zema Ion and Kid Kash

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