Movies: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

J.R.R. Tolkien's (earlier) classic tale of heroism, comedy, and bravery has finally hit the big screen, and it's better than ever.

"What is a Bagginses?"

Well, Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit. An uptight, overly conscious Hobbit changed into one who finds more in himself than he would have ever thought. Peter Jackson's visionary talent returns with the first installment in a trilogy spanning Bilbo's journey to the Lonely Mountain. The Hobbit scores as a successful book-to-movie adaptation.

Martin Freeman stars as Bilbo Baggins, the uncle of Frodo Baggins, portrayed by Elijah Wood in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

As far as the acting goes, everyone gives this movie their all. Ian McKellen IS Gandalf. Martin Freeman IS Bilbo Baggins. Richard Armitage IS Thorin Oakenshield. Andy Serkis IS Gollum... and Smeagol. Elijah Wood IS Frodo Baggins... Wait- what?

GET YOUR OWN MOVIE ELIJAH WOOD WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE

Anyway.

The Hobbit tells the tale of Bilbo joining a group of dwarves (who all have ridiculous names which I will not recall for you) and the well-known Gandalf the Grey on a fantastical (yet dangerous) journey to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim gold and other riches. The catch?

These riches are in a room claimed as a bedroom by Smaug.

Who's Smaug, you ask?

A big-ass dragon. 

I'm not sure if this is what he'll look like in the upcoming movies, but this is a dragon, that's a little person possibly perceived as a Hobbit, and that dragon looks mighty pissed.

For all you know, it's Smaug. Shut your face.

Of course, this movie is graced with the artistic vision of the mighty Peter Jackson. Sweeping the floor with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, most people will be comparing this to those record-setting films. I mean, the last movie was nominated for, like, 13 academy awards and won 11 of them. 

The Hobbit was more of a children's book, so of course the movie will make an attempt to appeal to all ages. It sure does fulfill that wish, with comedy, action, adventure, and amazing special effects thrown into the mix.

Many amazing scenes include:

A meeting with some lovely (and hungry) trolls,

The battle of the stone giants...

And last but not least:

Riddles in the dark. Probably the best, most intense scene in the entire movie. No character is funnier, creepier, or skinnier than Gollum.

But let's not spoil too much for y'all.

LOLJK TIME FOR SOME SPOILERS. WE'RE GOING HARDCORE IN THIS REVIEW.

I have some arguments about this movie.

1. Yes, I know the Return of the King had the appendixes at the end... But was it REALLY necessary to include those parts in this movie? Considering this story came out waay beforehand? The scene with the White Council nearly had me asleep both times I went to see the movie.

"But Ryan this has so much reference and foreshadowing to the next movies!"

COOL CAN WE HAVE SOME DRAGONS NOW

First you have to read through the contract.

2. Next, what's up with the Orc following them throughout the story? This totally changes their original motives for getting to the Lonely Mountain.

Now it's: "The dwarves are trying to reclaim their home that was destroyed by the evil Smaug. Also, these Orcs were "defeated" in battle and now are magically STILL ALIVE and on the hunt for the dwarves." Okay, it's just the "pale Orc," but the rest are pretty ugly as well. 

In the book it was simply: "HEY LET'S GET OUR GOLD BACK BY FINDING A TOTALLY UNPREPARED HOBBIT AND SENDING HIM INTO THE LAIR OF A FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON HAHAA WE'RE SO BRAVE"

Ah, the times were so simple.

Ew wtf. You know it's sad when your wolf's teeth are in better condition than yours.

3. The Necromancer. ALRIGHT BITCHES why are we tossing in so many story arcs into such a simple story? They leave after taking hours to convince this Hobbit to join them, run into craploads of dangers, overcome them, then encounter the dragon. SIMPLE. (I guess spoiler alert to those who haven't read the book yet, even though Bilbo obviously survives since he's in the Lord of the Rings movies...)

But the Necromancer is supposed to be Sauron in his spirit form or whatever the fuck. Excuse my language, but this wasn't even mentioned SUBTLY in the book, and it leaves those like me who thought they knew something about The Hobbit feeling totally shat on.

Damn you, Peter Jackson, and your breathtaking landscapes and special effects. You're lucky we love you.

No, but in all seriousness, this movie really was entertaining and totally kickass. No need to really pick it apart and just watch it for the movie it is. We're left satisfied, yet still craving the next two installments...

SORRY I'M JUST SAYING.

All-in-all, go see the Hobbit. Tolkien fan or not, this ridiculously long movie is worth the money.

I'm going to leave you with this:

Movies: Skyfall (Bond 23)

It's the 50th anniversary of an icon. He's suave, he's charismatic, he's...

Not afraid to beat the snot out of you.

He's Bond.

James Bond.

Sorry. Had to.

Skyfall is the 23rd installment in the James Bond franchise, and Daniel Craig returns as 007 for the third time. I personally think Craig does a great job as Bond, but I'm not sure if I'm biased since I've only seen this movie, its predecessor, Quantum of Solace, and about 3/4 of Craig's first Bond film, Casino Royale.

Maybe I'm not fit to review a movie in a series so timeless.

Maybe I don't really care. I do what I want.

One thing I'd like to point out is something I found pretty funny in this film. Keeping up with the times I guess, Bond (tied to a chair AGAIN) is hit on by a man, and he totally keeps his cool. It had me thinking "Uh... Where is this going?" I mean, hey- good for you, Mr. Bond. Gettin' the ladies AND the gentlemen. 

But I have to say it was one of the creepiest things ever.

It was great.

"Let me see your scar. LOLJK Let me see those pecs. DAMN."

Another thing that caught my attention was the fact that Voldemort got his nose back! And an attitude!

Bitch needed to HOP OFF in this movie. 

If I were M, I would have slapped him upside the head.

"GTFO VOLDIE I COULD TAKE YOU"

Oh and there was a lot of Bond standing and staring.

You get the point.

But seriously. Skyfall definitely did not disappoint. As someone who isn't the biggest Bond fan, I can sincerely say that there wasn't a dull moment. It wasn't jam-packed with action, but everything made sense and fell into place. When there were serious dialogue scenes, they were intense. When there was action, it was most definitely badass.

It was getting a little stuffy in that train anyway.

So I definitely recommend this movie. Whether you're a fan of Bond or not, this movie can appeal to anyone. For the ladies, Daniel Craig is shirtless in basically every other scene. He's the Taylor Lautner of these movies. For the guys, there's the hot girls, and for the freaky people there are deformed nostrils.

Now you won't be able to NOT notice that.

Javier Bardem does an excellent job as a total whack-job.

He's also the guy who tries to feel up James Bond.

You're welcome, America.

Go see Skyfall. You won't be disappointed.

Books: The Hobbit

Elves...

Dwarves...

Wizards...

Goblins...

Riddle-solving Dragons...

and Hobbits.

What exactly is a hobbit, you ask?

I just read J.R.R. Tolkien's book, The Hobbit, and as excellent as it was...

I honestly couldn't tell you.

It's like... A... Little person-thing...

It's that guy in the middle of what looks like a hobo convention. 

So... a hobbit is a dwarf whose main source of hair is on his feet instead of on his face.

Got it? No?

Doesn't matter.

The Hobbit starts off with this ... Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. He's very proper, well-mannered, and comfortable being by himself in what is called his 'hobbit-hole.' It's his house, okay? And like me, when people come in and start touching my stuff, he gets agitated.

I don't care if you slightly resemble a mellowed-down Dumbledore. Don't just barge into my house and start lighting up. You look like you smell and that pipe isn't helping anyone.

A group of dwarves and the wizard Gandalf show up on this poor guy's doorstep and whisk him away on an adventure. It went something like this:

"Mister Baggins, we'd like you to join us on our journey!"

"Ah, where to? Are we going to skip through the fields, being merry and jolly and sing songs from the land of the happy tree fairies?"

"No, we're gonna steal some riches from some dragon. You might die."

"Wait- what?"

"Yeah. You might not even make it to the dragon himself. We just know that hobbits are very good burglars, so we're pushing you into that stereotype and making you come along with us."

"So you come into my house, wreck my shit, eat my food, and disturb the town to tell me I'm going to break into some one else's house and basically do the same thing?"

"Yep."

"What do I get out of this!? This is so dangerous... You guys are messed up."

"Gold." 

"I'm in!"

After that, they set off on their perilous journey to the mountains far away, housing the evil Smaug. Well, we don't know whether he was actually evil or, you know, was just not one who liked people taking his stuff, which seems kind of reasonable.

"My bubbles."

No- but in all seriousness, this story is a classic. Tolkien has woven an entire world out of pure imagination, from the characters to their languages and even the history of Middle Earth. 

I have never read Lord of the Rings, the follow-up trilogy to The Hobbit, but I've seen at least 2 of the movies and the stories are so intricate, it's amazing how one person could come up with all of it.

Certain scenes from The Hobbit really took my breath away. First of all, there was the part where the team runs into the goblins. And by 'runs into,' I mean they were sleeping in this cave when goblins literally crawled out from a crack in the wall and dragged them into the cave.

Rude. 

But the situation was intense, and the development of Bilbo's character throughout the story is so drastic- he's thrust into so many dangers that by the end, he's basically a knight in shining armor.

He makes his nephew, Frodo (who is the protagonist in LoTR), look like a little bitch.

Bilbo outsmarts a creepy Golem-thing, sneaks away from goblins, kicks the asses of many a giant spider, and throws riddles at a psychotic dragon LIKE A BOSS. (In one book, mind you.)

Frodo, well... He... He, um...

I mean, come on- this looks like an ad for Kay Jeweler's. 

The Hobbit is the perfect epic, wrapping together all aspects of a hero and his journey. Lessons are learned, friends are made and lost, and magical beings populate every page. Tolkien is surely a brilliant storyteller, and I'm sure that hobbits will be remembered for a very, very long time.

... Mostly considering the fact that the 300-page book will be made into a trilogy starting this holiday season.

Exactly.

I am definitely going to see these movies, since Peter Jackson is a visual master in his films. But I seriously recommend this book to those who haven't read it yet. You won't be disappointed.

Music: Three Days Grace- Transit of Venus

Selling more than 6 million records in the US, Three Days Grace has swept the Billboard charts with hit singles like "I Hate Everything About You," "Home," "Animal I Have Become," and more. 

Their fourth studio album, Transit of Venus, was released on October 2, 2012, and for those of you who didn't like their third album, I can tell you this: TDG is back, and rocking harder than ever.

For me, TDG has been a really great band since they started with their debut self-titled, platinum-selling album in 2003. I was introduced to their music after the release of their (also) platinum-selling sophomore album, 2006's One-X. That album, even now, is one of my all-time favorites. There's not a song on there that I don't like, and it immediately made me love the band.

Three Days Grace is: Barry Stock (lead guitar), Neil Sanderson (drums, piano, backing vocals), Adam Gontier (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), and Brad Walst (bass guitar). 

Their first single off this new album, "Chalk Outline," reached #1 at Active Rock on September 17, 2012. It's definitely one of the best tracks on the album. Lead vocalist Adam Gontier's stinging, raspy voice hits hard on every track, as he always has for years.

Other tracks, like the opening track "Sign of the Times," "Misery Loves My Company," and "Unbreakable Heart" are all hard-hitting songs that are sure to get you pumped up. Three Days Grace has always been in-your-face, raw, and totally kick-ass. They most definitely haven't let down with this album, and will most definitely not let down for years to come.

Movies: Underworld: Awakening

It's been twelve years since Selene has kicked the hairy ass of a lycan, and she'd due for some more badassery. Time to slip into that leather suit and shrug into that trench coat, because another mediocre sequel is here.

No matter how closely that "Lycan" resembles King Kong and the Yeti's lovechild, Kate Beckinsale will never stop being hot. Ever.

"But Ryan this movie was crap and came out like ten thousand years ago"

"But viewer I never said I'd be reviewing movies the moment they come out and who cares, they're always fun to watch, you silly goose."

Except for this one. Why make a prequel about the original war when Selene describes it at the beginning of every other Underworld movie... 

And why do the shadows behind him on the wall look like Pikachu? 

Important questions.

2012's Underworld: Awakening throws you into the thick of the three-way war between the vampires, the lycans, and the humans. Selene is planning to flee the fighting with her lover, Michael, when he decides that getting shot and falling into the ocean will help them at all.

Selene: "Oh, they're still shooting at us! Let me jump in as well instead of kicking the bad guys' asses!"

So they get blown up, and she wakes up a dozen years later.

Apparently, you can give birth while cryogenically frozen and have no idea that you just pushed a baby out of your body. Selene soon finds out that "suspect 1" is not Michael, but HER DAUGHTER.

dun dun duuuun...

Her daughter (whose name escapes me but I'm too lazy to go look it up) is also a hybrid, and is basically more badass than everyone else. 

She's a hybrid, yet she never changes into an actual vampire/lycan like Michael does in every other movie.

She is jut a young girl with anger issues. And fangs and claws and blue skin.

Female preteen Nightcrawler?

No, she's still more badass than he is.

OK, I'm not here to summarize the movie for you. I just get carried away with this stuff.

Altogether, this movie isn't a complete waste of time. It's a fun movie to watch, nothing to be taken too seriously, nothing to win awards for. This series is much more tolerable than the Resident Evil movies, I can say that for sure... 

None of these pictures came out clear. The quality of these photographs are just as crappy as these movies are becoming. Seriously, what is this- the sixth movie? I stopped watching after the one with her clones.

This is how I felt.

Conclusion: Underworld 4 isn't a great movie. It's fun to watch, but that's pretty much it. So watch it, but don't expect too much from it. Like with basically any other series, the first one is the best.

Well, there's Kate Beckinsale, too. You can't go wrong with Kate Beckinsale.

Movies: Taken 2

He trained the Dark Knight.

He wielded a lightsaber.

He sat amongst gods.

He also did a bunch of other badass things.

He is Liam Neeson.

He's most likely pondering over the secrets of life.

In 2009, Neeson graced the silver screen with numerous murders of those who have sold innocent young girls into the sex trade. Taken was a hit, making over 220 million dollars worldwide. Liam's famous threatening speech to his daughter's kidnappers were reiterated countless times by fans, and in no time at all, the movie and the actor were household names.

For me, the best Liam Neeson movie (as a main character) was 2011's The Grey, in which he and and a group of bickering oil rig workers make their way through the biting cold of Alaska's merciless snowstorms while being hunted by a pack of wolves. As you can probably assume, Neeson is in his comfort zone, being a skilled huntsman and taking control of the disagreeing group. In a nutshell, he kicked ass, and the wolves should have been afraid of him.

You KNOW shit's going down.

As for this month's sequel to Taken, I can honestly say that it sucked.

Hard.

When the main character starts making crappy jokes about how awesome he is, you know this movie isn't about to be taken seriously. Taken 2 involves Liam Neeson's character having to save his family.

Again.

Only this time, it's his wife (and himself) being taken instead of his half-naked 30-year-old teenage daughter. Seriously, Maggie Grace. You're cute and you have a great body, but you're not fooling anyone. Plus, you're trying to get your license during the film, yet when your dad tells you to drive the two of you away from a crime scene, you somehow magically know how to drive.

Likely story. I'd send us into a 7-11 and we'd all be dead. 

At least that'd mean no more sequels.

But seriously- this movie had so much potential. But the fight scenes were too choppy and held enough cut-scenes for every movie in history to borrow, the script was beyond embarrassing, and-

SPOILER ALERT (sort of, I guess)

- and the end was EXACTLY as anticlimactic as the first movie's, if not worse. That's all I'll give y'all.

Plus, at one point, Neeson's daughter in the movie is pretending to go all Assassin's Creed on us and leap from rooftop to rooftop. Bitch couldn't even look while she threw a total of what had to be three or four grenades to signal to her father. Mind you, she was in the middle of A POPULATED CITY.

Like I said, bitch said she couldn't even drive a car, and she's trying to be Liam Neeson.

Even Liam Neeson's trying to be Liam Neeson. He is doing exactly what Chuck Norris did to himself in The Expendables 2 and crack jokes about himself. There's humor, which the first Taken had a bit of, but then there's: shut the hell up, we get it. 

So to conclude, Taken 2 was a half-assed rehash of a great movie that copied basically everything from its predecessor. Only The Hangover Part II could pull that off. Liam, let's just stick to different, non-sequel movies... Except for Batman.

Always choose Batman.

Music: Marilyn Manson- Born Villain

I know, I know. I've only officially done music reviews so far. My excuse? I read too slow to do a book review once a week, and I haven't read anything relatively new in a while. So sit down and shut up.

As for movies, no one wants to see movies with me. I have a few recorded to watch but WHO HAS TIME FO' DAT, REALLY.

Anywho, with an upcoming concert to see this metal mastermind on October 20th, I decided that reviewing his latest album would be appropriate. 

Marilyn.

Manson.

Haters.

Born Villain is Manson's 9th studio album, following 2009's The High End of Low. Under a new record label, and with fresh, raw emotion, Manson is back and better than ever.

Born Villain was released on May 1, 2012.

I hear a lot of people complaining about how the rocker's music isn't what it used to be. I should probably make an 'Annoyances.' post about that remark. That pisses me off more than anything. When an artist creates music that sounds very similar to their past work, people complain that it's all the same. When they try new styles and explore other musical territory, people STILL complain about things being different.

Again, haters.

Marilyn Manson's first album, Portrait of an American Family, was released in 1994. They blew up in '96 when Antichrist Superstar was released, housing the hit single 'The Beautiful People.' 

Since then, they (as a band) have been nominated for 3 Grammys, 3 MTV VMA's (one of which they won: Best Cinematography in a Video for the song 'The Dope Show.'), and won 4 Metal Edge Readers' Choice Awards. He's appeared in multiple movies, such as Lost Highway and Bowling for Columbine. 

In my very important and obviously best opinion, I do hear a lot of different elements (both old and new) in this album. Styles from albums such as 2003's The Golden Age of Grotesque (probably my favorite of his) and 2009's The High End of Low are some of those I can specifically point out. Obviously, Manson has delved into new ground, such as working with other artists for this album. The promo video for the album, featuring the song 'Overneath the Path of Misery,' (my favorite song off the album) was directed by none other than... Shia Lebeauf.

As you can probably tell by the thumbnail, it's Not Safe For Work. But it's artistically brilliant.

Also, Johnny Depp worked with Manson on the last track, a cover of Carly Simon's song 'You're So Vain.'

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/blog/2012/04/marilyn_manson.html

An article including both the song, the original, and Manson's commentary about Depp and the song.

Some of my favorite songs off this album are 'Overneath the Path of Misery,' as I mentioned before, 'Murderers are Getting Prettier Everyday,' and 'Lay Down Your Goddamn Arms.' They're heavy, theatrical, and very 'Grotesque.' 

I'M SO PUNNY.

Ok, I know- It really wasn't that funny.

All-in-all, Marilyn Manson's poetry never fails, for me. That, his music in general, and his shit-not-given attitude just wrap together to form one being of badassery. I highly recommend giving this album a listen, as well as his previous ones. He's made his mark on the world of rock, and I doubt he's going anywhere anytime soon. 

Music: Muse- The 2nd Law

Ok, so the moment I began streaming this album on iTunes, I fell in love. (I'm actually still listening to the rest now, as I write this. I'm just so impatient at this point, these emotions have to be shared.) Muse never disappoints, no matter how much they stray from their sound. Then again, they have so many different sounds, there is no one definitive Muse 'sound.' So many elements are thrown into the mix of this album, that it makes the listener feel ALL THE FEELS.

All of them.

Anyway, back to the perfection that is Muse. The first track on the album, 'Supremacy,' starts everything off with a bang, hitting all the heavy chords, and making the listener immediately soil themselves with excitement.

Soiled it. (Your pants, I mean.)

Muse's The 2nd Law releases on October 2, 2012.

This will be the Grammy award-winners' 6th studio album. 

The English rock band was nominated for 3 Grammy awards in 2011, and their win was "Best Rock Album" for their 5th studio album, The Resistance.

From left to right: Chris Wolstenholme- bassist/keyboards/backing vocals, Matt Bellamy- lead vocals/guitar/piano, Dominic Howard- drums/synthesizers.

The band has always been very theatrical and cinematic in their music, no matter what style they're playing around with. The 2nd Law is no different, yet it's full of completely new sounds. The first single, 'Survival,' was the official song of the 2012 Summer Olympics. 

'Madness,' the second (the video description in Youtube says it's the first, but they lie. LIES.) single off the new album. 

Okay now that my research is pretty much done, my opinion can now take charge. I can hear so many different possible inspirations in their songs, ranging from Radiohead to an older, disco-esque kind of sound. It's hard to explain. Just listen to their amazingness. Take my word for it. Since I'm only streaming this album as of now, and individual songs aren't shown (it's played as one long track), the only individual songs I can really point out are the first three, plus 'Survival,' which I've already heard before. 'Supremacy,' 'Madness,' and 'Panic Station' are part of the first act, and I can say that just by those three, this album is totally different, totally tapping into numerous sounds, and totally Muse.

Like I've said, this band hasn't disappointed me, and they're definitely not stopping that now. 

Muse rocks, period.

Music: 10 Years- Minus the Machine

So my first post-intro-review will be on music. One of my favorite bands has released their new album, and it's by far one of their best. 10 Years is back and better than ever.

10 Years, Minus the Machine. Released August 7, 2012

Machine is the band's 4th studio album since 2005. This album resembles not only hard-hitting music, but also the breaking apart between a band and a label. 10 Years felt bound to the needs of Universal Records, releasing this album on their own independent label, Palehorse Records. With their sound reverting back to the days of The Autumn Effect, the band's first studio album, many of their fans (including me, of course) are pleased. Like I said, 10 Years is back and in the swing of things. They're currently headlining the 'Cutting Like Knives' tour, referring to the track 'Knives' on the new album.

Left to Right: Bassist- Lewis Cosby, Vocals- Jesse Hasek, Drums/Guitar- Brian Vodinh, Guitar/Backing Vocals- Ryan Johnson

Personally, I've liked every album this band has released. I mean, obviously I loved some more than others (2010's Feeding the Wolves wasn't their best, but I still loved a lot of the songs on that album, and 2008's Division was excellent, but The Autumn Effect was the best.), but all of their music is different and still holds true to the band.

Official Music Video for 'Backlash'

With their first single, 'Wasteland,' bursting them onto the rock scene, 10 Years has become a pretty well-known band, touring with big names like Linkin Park, Mudvayne, and Korn.

In conclusion, 10 Years has come far in their career as a band. They started out with a bang and they're certainly holding strong with their newest release. Minus the Machine bursts out with songs like the single 'Backlash,' 'Soma,' 'Knives,' and the leading title track, yet also slows down the beat with 'Forever Fields (Sowing Season).' Every track is great, and the album (as well as the previous ones) is definitely worth checking out.