The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The second installation of the popular trilogy is out, with the dwarves continuing their quest to regain their homeland. The first movie was subject to mixed reviews; some gushed about it while others were not convinced of its glory. It did not help it that it was constantly being compared to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its infinite fame. However, there may be hope yet.
“Those agnostic on the subject of Tolkien’s genius will sigh at all the usual tropes (here’s a map, here’s a key, and here’s yet another character introduced in sombre tones as Hrithky Hroth of Biddly Bong, third cousin of Thriddledeedee the Thwarted) but more pressing is the question of whether devotees of the book will find their patience tested (perhaps exhausted?) by Jackson’s everything-turned-up-to-11 aesthetic. Something of a mixed bag, then, with several question marks left hanging over the entire Hobbit project, but a definite improvement on the previous outing, and hopefully a portent of better things to come in There and Back Again,” wrote Mark Kermode of The Guardian.
The Frozen Ground
Taking any Nicholas Cage movie seriously might be bad for your health. It is not recommended to actually pay money to watch one of them, but if you must (for instance, if you are being held at gun point, or something), then do not expect much. The new movie is inspired by true events; an Alaskan State Trooper teams up with a woman to hunt down a serial killer from whom she escaped. Even though the story might sound promising, knowing the kind of movies Cage presents, it will be a bust.
“Fans of Cage and Cusack, previously paired as unlikely allies in Con Air (1997), may be looking forward to a bit of deranged actorly combat once Hansen is cornered in the interrogation room, but it’s here that this hopeless flick comes up especially short. Cage is on his dourest sorrows-of-the-world autopilot, and Cusack, who seems to have less and less to offer us at all these days, serves up a listless banality-of-evil cipher instead of a character. Beyond them, debut director Scott Walker is guilty of giving Radha Mitchell the most thankless role of her career as Cage’s vaguely disgruntled wife, while rendering Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson even more than usually ridiculous by wigging him up, as Cindy’s pimp, perhaps in homage to the shoulder-length hair of mid-1990s Angela Bassett,” wrote Tim Robey of The Telegraph.
Last Vegas
Every few years, you get this kind of movie for Christmas: senior citizens trying to relive their glory days. They did it with Space Cowboys and The Bucket List. The films usually belong to the comedy genre with a hint of drama at the end because usually someone is dying of a fatal disease. They might be fun to watch at home after a big meal and there is nothing else on TV, but it does not seem like the kind of movie you should pay to see. The line-up is impressive (how else would they compel you to see a movie about old people making fools of themselves?) with Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro and Kevin Kline. The four gather for a last bachelor party in sin city and of course, hilarity ensues. Think of it as the senior citizen version of The Hangover.
“Seeing 60- and 70-somethings ogle 20-year-old women and judge a bikini contest is a little hard to take. But this is broad comedy, after all. The movie aims to do little more than serve up laughter. Even the sentimental moments are couched with punch lines. All in all, “Last Vegas” is a brisk and goofy adventure that manages to mine fanny packs and big white tennies for more laughter than it should. Maybe baby boomer bridesmaids wouldn’t be so bad,” wrote Stephanie Merry of The Washington Post.
Krrish 3
Fans of Bollywood might rejoice at this, especially if you have been following the film series from the beginning. If you are a novice to Bollywood films, then it is advisable not to go with huge expectations of Hollywood-like blockbusters. As we all know, a whole other set of rules apply to Bollywood movies. For instance, they are much longer, they usually contain dancing and singing, which are used to tell the tale of a torrid love affair. This film seems vaguely familiar. A father-son team set out to save the world from a villain named Kaal and his animal-humans-mutants.
“’Krrish 3′ is a superhero film. It is also a throwback to the creaky family entertainers Bollywood used to make. The hero has special powers, sure, but also a loving daddy, a lovely wifey, an attractive moll and a villain with severe daddy issues. Only a pet poodle or parrot is missing.
Superheroes have been around in Hindi cinema for decades, but huge technology jumps have made ‘Krrish 3’ the slickest of them all, special effects-wise. The rest of it is marred by tackiness. When Krrish is doing his derring-do stunts, we watch, even if we’ve seen Superman do this 30 years ago. But when he delivers maudlin dialogue about fathers and mothers and bravery, we are pulled back to the ground with a thud, with the superhero the Roshans made,” wrote Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express.
