THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY (2012)
  

To be honest, I do not think it is as good as the Lord of the Rings trilogy was. However, and to be fair, this is clearly also part of a series and perhaps one should wait for the rest of the movie(s) to be released before making a comparison.

Don't get me wrong, by no means am I of the opinion that it is bad. Far from it: the story line, the acting, the special effects and the overall production are all very good. But some others that also saw the movie recently, both on the big and  the small screen, commented that they found it a bit boring (too talkative) in some places. And with that I have to agree. But, again, perhaps we should all wait for the sequel(s) to get a better understanding of all the talk as well.

After all, this is a pre-quel to the Lord of the Rings, and unlike for that, I did not read the book beforehand. Maybe I should endeavor to do so with the Hobbit as well. Who knows, it may just change my mind about the movie. Still, I think it is good enough to rate it at 3 out of 5 stars. 

Trailer link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDnYMbYB-nU

Some of the cast and characters

LIFE AS A HOUSE (2001)

Surely Kevin Kline must be one of the most underrated actors in all of Hollywood. His work in this 2001 movie is outstanding, to say the least.

He portrays the absent father of a troubled teenage son that lives with the former's ex-wife and new family. But when he finds out that he is dying with only a few months left to live, he tries to re-establish his relationship with his son and does so by commandeering him for the summer holidays to help him build a house.

Hayden Christiansen from Star Wars (Episodes 2&3) fame, plays the role of the son and is equally excellent in the way he is able to realistically transform his character.  However, the whole cast very subtly underplay their rolls so that at no stage it becomes just yet another tearjerker.

To say more, will spoil it for whoever wants to watch this movie. Suffice to say it is highly recommended and I rated it 4 out of 5 stars for my collection.

Trailer link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBQ5ra0jP0

Hayden Christiansen           Hayden in a scene with Kevin Kline

SILVERADO (1985)

I am not the biggest western movies fan but, in my humble opinion, this is one of the better one's.

The story is nothing new: big cattle rancher scaring everybody else off their land with the help of the corrupt sheriff; in rides four gunslingers to do battle with the baddies and save everybody from their clutches. Although a familiar recipe, the story is told in such a way that the viewer sees it from a different, more modern, perspective. No wonder as it was written, produced and directed by Larry Kasdan who was also responsible for the screenplays of Star Wars: Episodes 5 & 6 - The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as well as Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The other thing that makes this movie stand out from most other westerns of its time (it was first released in 1985) is its cast. With names like Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Rosanna Arquette, Kevin Costner, Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt and even John Cleese, you'd expect top-notch acting and you will not be disappointed.

Even if you are not a fan of westerns, like me, you will enjoy it. I rated it as a 3 out of 5 stars in my collection.

Trailer link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPLSventoUI

OBLIVION (2013)

As I mentioned in my very first post on this blog, my DVD collection includes some mainstream movies. I suppose Oblivion qualifies as such although it wasn't a real smash hit at the box office.

The story is about the last drone repair man (Tom Cruise) left on earth after it was destroyed due to an alien invasion. Unfortunately it is not very original. It contains elements of Independence Day (Will Smith), Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odessey, The Island (Ewan McGregor) and even Disney Pixar's Wall-e.

The special effects, though very good, more resemble a video game. I also thought that it should rather have been called: A Tribute to Tom Cruise. Watch the DVD and you'll see what I mean.

However, in the end I still gave it 3 out of 5 stars as anything with Morgan Freeman in it is good.

Trailer Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIIgE7eSak

 Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman

 

SILENT FALL (1994)

This is the latest DVD I watched. Starring are Richard Dreyfuss, Linda Hamilton and John Lithgow. It was also the film debut of Liv Tyler. With a cast like this, one would expect acting of the highest standard and, believe me, you will not be disappointed! Even young Ben Faulkner who plays the roll of nine year old Tim is excellent.

The story is about Tim, who is also autistic, that witnessed the brutal murder of his parents. The services of a psychologist, Jake Rainer, are then obtained to try and get through to the boy in order to find out the identity of the murderer. 

The plot is gripping throughout with some interesting twists and turns and a real sting in the tail towards the end.

Again, if you can find this DVD somewhere, it is highly recommended. I gave it a personal rating of 3 stars out of 5.

Trailer link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWjSBPchZjI

    Ben Faulkner

I Am The Stone Boy

WHERE IT ALL STARTED:

THE STONE BOY (1983)

I saw this 1983 movie the first time on DVD about two years ago and was so moved by it that when I had to choose a name for my blog I could think of no better name for it than the title of this particular movie.

I love movies and have quite a collection of DVD's, some mainstream but mostly rarely heard of indies. The aim of this blog is then to, from time to time, share with whoever might be interested, my thoughts on some of these movies.

The plot of The Stone Boy is in short two brothers that go out hunting early one morning. The older brother is then accidentally killed by the younger one. The rest of the story tells how the family, and in particular the younger brother deals with the tragedy and loss. And it was especially the way in which the young boy, as portrayed by Jason Presson, dealt with it all that impressed most. The scene on the bus stayed with me for days after I watched it. But with actors like Robert Duvall, Glenn Close and Wlfred Brimley, the acting all round is outstanding.

This is one of the few DVD's in my collection that I awarded with 5 out of 5 stars. It is therefore highly recommended, if you can get hold of it, that is.

Trailer link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsfea2494c4

    Jason Presson                   Bus scene