'Hobbit' Digibook Leads Off Epic Middle-Earth Trilogy

Cornered and nowhere to run, this is the perfect place to keep audiences hanging another year.

Harsh criticisms such as overindulgences and cheap marketing ploys have been thrown around the film circles a bit too much regarding Peter Jackson's return to Middle-Earth in nearly a decade. Sure, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey only covers 1/3 of a 300-page children's book, leaving audiences hanging for two more 3-hour sequels, but there's nothing wrong than building up a little anticipation. Not at all.

In the first leg of this three-movie trek, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) sets out from his comfortable hobbit hole in the midst of the Shire's green pastures to join 13 dwarves who have been displaced by a  dragon plundering their mountain stronghold. For those joining the adventures of fantastical Middle-Earth for the very first time should know that along the way, birds, beasts and a gangly creature called Gollum are obstacles in the way of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain.

Ready 'Guardians' Blu-Ray for Those Easter Baskets

The greatest gift is seeing all these mythological characters sharing the same screen.

Somebody in the Dreamworks Animation marketing department is an absolute genius. Release Rise of the Guardians in theaters right before the Christmas rush and likewise, its Blu-ray release just in nick of time for Easter. Coincidence? Hardly.

Rise of the Guardians is best summed up as the Avengers of mythological beings - the best of the best joining forces to rid the world of evil in the form of Pitch Black (Jude Law) and his deathly steeds. A thickly Russian accented Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin) and a boomerang-wielding Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackson) are givens to protect the children of the world from the Boogeyman. Joining them in this eternal struggle are the lesser known (or ones without holidays) Tooth Fairy and Sandman. And collectively, they stand united as Earth's Mightiest Heroes...sorry Guardians.

Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" Levels Up on Blu-Ray

Tired of being the bad guy, Ralph (John C. Reilly) tells other arcade baddies his concerns.

If you're one of the millions out there logged into XBOX Live or World of Warcraft hours and hours at a time, or perhaps spent your childhood battling side-scrolling adventures with Mario or Link, Disney's latest animated release, Wreck-It Ralph speaks to gamers regardless of age.

Wreck-It Ralph begins in the 8-bit world of Fix-It Felix Jr., reminiscent of a classic 1980s arcade game that borrows heavily on Mario and Donkey Kong. For 30 years, Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) has been programmed to be the bad guy, whose only job is to demolish a solitary penthouse before his cheery hammer-wielding adversary, Felix fixes the wreckage. For once, Ralph just wants to be adored as the good guy and decides to venture off to other games in the arcade to win a medal. After battling bugs in a sci-fi first-person shooter, Ralph lands himself in a candy-coated go-kart game where everything isn't as sweet as it seems.   

Love Takes a Lethargic, Gloomy Turn in "Amour"

Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is troubled by wife's (Emmanuelle Riva) recent strokes in Amour.      

There's nothing quite like sitting through one of Michael Haneke's films. The Austrian director has a tendency for scrutinizing the world through a bleak, somewhat disturbing lens that challenges even his most optimistic audiences. His latest film, Amour, is no exception and his most rational view on the gloomier moments in life. The title itself, which translates as "Love," immediately throws audiences for a loop, who presume to be uplifted by geriatric romance.

Check all those positive vibes at door, because instead, we're treated to over two hours of a devastating study of decay and dying, solely focused on an elderly Parisian couple. As soon as the opening credits end, the first shot is a fire brigade breaking an apartment door only to reveal a rotting corpse adorned in flowers. Already hitting audiences with a heavy-hearted impression, Amour quickly turns back the clocks to disclose who Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) were and what specific episodes brought about this grim finale.

Bigelow, Chastain Shine in Bin Laden Manhunt

Maya (Jessica Chastain) takes charge of a decade-long manhunt to bring Osama Bin Laden down.

Imagine if Zero Dark Thirty was released two, perhaps three years ago, sticking to its original premise immersed in the crossfire of the 2001 Battle of Tora Bora. While focused on one decisive event in the capture of Osama Bin Laden, award-winning producers Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal would have found themselves boxed in by one of the most nail-biting "to be continued" cliffhangers for the most significant manhunt in American history.

Fortunately, the hunt Bin Laden ended in May 2011 as he was permanently compromised in his Pakistani compound. But that's just the end of the decade-long story. Zero Dark Thirty covers a much larger scope, commencing with audio clips from the September 11th attacks. Heartbreaking to listen to, the 9/11 audio ultimately serves its purpose in establishing the gritty tone for the next 150 minutes as the CIA interrogates every level of Bin Laden's hierarchy.

"Les Miserables" Challenges Difficult Broadway to Hollywood Transition

Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is one of many characters who change the life of ex-convict, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman).

At the 83rd Academy Awards, Tom Hooper took home the top prize for directing The King's Speech and in just a short time of two years, he's already managed to surpass his own success with a more confidently directed adaptation of the beloved Boublil Broadway musical, Les Misérables. The musical and this big screen version are based on the classic 19th century Victor Hugo novel of the same name.

Les Misérables spans nearly two decades chronicling the life of ex-convict Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), who stole a loaf of bread to provide for his family. An insignificant crime perhaps, but Valjean constantly finds himself at odds with police inspector Javert (Russell Crowe), whose by-the-books mindset disrupts his gradual reformation in becoming a respectable member of society. In the guise of a well-off factory owner, Valjean's compassion is put to the test when one of his employees (Anne Hathaway) is unjustly dismissed. Regretting his initial ignorance of the situation, Valjean promises to adopt her mistreated daughter child from a couple of exploitive innkeepers.  

Top 10: The Best Films of 2012

For any film critic, myself included, compiling together a "best-of" list spanning an entire year is unquestionably one of the most difficult tasks out there. How can you craft a definitive list if you haven't seen every single release out there (or at the very minimum, every wide release)? And how do you weigh a popcorn superhero juggernaut like The Avengers against a slew of thought-provoking art-house films?

I admit, I've missed out on some key awards contenders - Lincoln, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty for starters. So don't expect them to make the list. I do however, plan on seeing several more films from 2012, including the ones mentioned, so there is a possibility this list could be adjusted.

However, for the hundred or so movies I have been privileged to see in 2012, it's fair to say that the fifteen films selected for my "best-of" list left an impression on me that won't leave me anytime soon. These are the films that defined 2012 for me as a critic, a moviegoer and a cinemaphile.

Pixar Returns Under the Sea for Another 3D Re-Release

You can't help but wonder why these sea turtles sound like surfer dudes.

Andrew Stanton is one of those few directors in recent cinema, who genuinely understands that animation is just not about the set the visuals bar and the abundance of Hollywood voice acting, but it's a medium of art that can bring generations together time and time again. Back in 2003, Disney and Pixar submerged audiences to a world of wonder and as enormous of a canvas as the ocean itself. Technically, it was the ocean itself. But if by chance you were one of the few to miss its original run nearly a decade ago, Disney is re-releasing Finding Nemo 

Finding Nemo starts off with an extremely dark opening for a G-rated film as two clownfish, Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Coral, are forced to defend their anemone home from a menacing barracuda. As a result, Coral is killed as are the majority of their eggs, leaving only Marlin and one egg, an unborn Nemo. The incident leaves Marlin as an overprotective single father. During his first day of school, Nemo (Alexander Gould) defies his high-strung father and ventures off with his classmates to a drop-off point, only to captured by an Australian diver. Frantic for his son's survival, Marlin teams with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a Blue Tang with memory issues to find his taken son back into theaters with a gouging 3D premium. 

'Madagascar' Transforms European Escapade into Delightful Finale

Still trying to find a way home, Alex (Ben Stiller) and company join a travel circus in style.

Everything leading up to this latest installment in the Madagascar franchise has been centered around Marty the Zebra’s “Afro Circus,” a catchy circus song that stands in for the series’ theme “I Like to Move It, Move It.” But is the Madagascar series once again relying too much on a gimmicky song at the expense of delivering energetic storytelling? 

Fortunately, that’s not the case. This time around in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Alex (Ben Stiller), Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), Marty (Chris Rock) and Melman (David Schwimmer) are still stranded in Africa with little chance of returning home to New York until they embark on a journey to Monte Carlo to find the fan-favorite Penguins who can fly them home. A few detours later and Monaco Animal Control on their tail (literally), the gang moves across Europe with a failing circus troupe, looking for their big break and golden ticket across the pond. 

Stewart, Theron, Reign Supreme in Medieval 'Snow White' Tale

No longer the damsel in distress, Snow White becomes a warrior princess to take back what is hers.

If you’re feeling fairy tale déjà vu all of the sudden, you’re not alone. Less than three months ago, director Tarsem Singh traded his stylistic vision of mythological gods and titans for a more family friendly take on the classic Snow White tale in Mirror Mirror. And that was all fine and great for its targeting its youthful demographic, but Rupert Sanders too has his own Snow White tale to tell, one treading the same mature waters as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

Snow White and the Huntsman conveys the most consistent plot points found in any interpretation:  a princess who’s fairest in the land, a vain usurper queen challenged by the beauty of said princess and a supporting cast of seven dwarves, a conflicted huntsman and the iconic magic mirror (or in Huntsman, a faceless mirror man).  Where Huntsman zigs where other interpretations have zagged shines in its encompassing gritty and medieval vibe, in which Snow White assumes the mantle of the kingdom’s savior, a warrior princess leading her army into battle against a psychotic seductress, who has stolen everything that is rightfully hers. 

Third 'MIB' Outing Ends Series on Weakest Note

After a decade-long hiatus, the MIB franchise goes in a brand new direction - back in time.

Men in Black 3 was simply doomed from the start, desperately attempting to reacquaint moviegoers (or more-so subject moviegoers) to what was already an outdated and lifeless franchise. Times have certainly changed since the late 90s as has the quality of cinematic competition. Will Smith just doesn’t have the star power that he had a decade ago with his trio of revolving summer blockbusters: Independence Day, Men in Black, and Wild Wild West.  

And Tommy Lee Jones is no better off, straying from his slew of Oscar-bait performances for the sole purpose of revisiting campy nostalgia. Back as MIB Agents J and K, Smith and Jones once again don their signature black suits and Ray-Bans ready to take down intergalactic criminal, Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) hell bent on altering the space time continuum. So far, the plot doesn’t sound too bad, a bit derivative, but surely not dreadful. After all, Back to the Future and Austin Powers are deep in the time-travel genre and look how it enhanced those franchises.

Retro 'Shadows' Thrills as a Jagged Supernatural Ride

Director Tim Burton tackles the soap opera drama of Collinswood Manor with his usual crew.

Tim Burton is one of those directors who can’t shake himself out of his comfort zone of being predictable. His past several films all seem to have the same recurring elements, namely the ever-quirky performances of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as well as haunting scores from Danny Elfman, which serve as the ideal complement for the consistent dark cinematic themes. To some, the constant repetition of the same collaborators over and over may seem like taking the easy way out, yet we don’t criticize Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan for being equally guilty of reusing talent. 

Simply put, Tim Burton retaining his predictable state functions as the best outcome, not only because it has worked time and time again, but we go in knowing exactly what to expect from him as a filmmaker. With Dark Shadows, Burton takes the 1960s supernatural soap opera with the same name and revises years of canon to ultimately match his peculiar style and fit within a constrictive two-hour timeframe. Bogged down in gothic undertones and vengeful tendencies, Dark Shadows is right up Burton’s alley, who alongside Johnny Depp were both fans of the original show.

'Avengers' is Marvel's Newest Definition of Super

Marvel's superhero "dream team" defend New York from the villainous forces of  Loki.

Very few films have been able to come close, let alone match the hype factor that’s been gradually brewing throughout the past four years for Marvel’s superhero dream team to assemble onscreen. Since 2008’s Iron Man, Marvel has systematically been laying their cards down one by one, revealing subtle clues about what Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury describes as the Avengers Initiative. Die-hard comic book fans know exactly what’s about to happen and if you’ve seen Iron Man or Thor or any of Marvel’s other recent superhero movies in the theaters and you’ve seen moviegoers glued to their seats during the credits, they’re just anxious for the next little piece of the greater picture.

In The Avengers, the world is threatened by the devious Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the exiled prince of Asgard who’s driven to redeem his defeat in last year’s Thor by conquering Earth once and for all. Loki isn’t alone in this conquest; this time he commands an army of Chitauri, a formidable alien force with its own agenda. Being that this is humanity’s largest threat to date, Fury assembles the Avengers composed of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to defend Earth.

Stop-Motion 'Pirates' Plunder in a Visually Stellar Playground

Aardman returns to theaters, but not with their signature team of Wallace and Gromit.

It was just a mere six years ago when pirates were seemingly relevant; plundering and pillaging amidst a revival of classic iterations of operatic swashbuckling fests. Granted since then, Disney’s staple franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean is nearing its end after a decade and interest in a good old-fashioned high seas adventure has waned in the past few years. Yet that hasn’t prevented Aardman Animations from staying faithful to what they do best – mashing groundbreaking stop-motion with quirky British humor and ultimately tying it all together with a hearty thematic tale of excitement and camaraderie. 

After spending several years unsuccessfully branching out into the realm of CG animation, Aardman finally returns to its roots with The Pirates! Band of Misfits. This adaptation, loosely based on the first two Gideon Defoe books, follows the voyages of the ambitious Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) and his loyal ragtag crew with one goal, taking home the Pirate of the Year Award, which will in turn earn the respect of their fellow sea raiders. It doesn’t make matters any better when a pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) and then-nobody Charles Darwin (David Tennant) complicate the situation.

Vibrant Visuals are No Match in Disguisng a Green 'Lorax'

The latest Dr. Seuss adaptation does very little to hide such an obvious environmental message.

Though the previous three theatrical adaptations of Dr. Seuss classics have lacked the ability to come close in doing justice to such beloved source material, there still remains something that resonates with audiences of all ages that only a new interpretation can offer. The Lorax is no exception, transforming Seuss’ downer of a modern fable, predominantly consumed with pitting industry against nature, into a brighter, bubbly, yet denser canvas that challenges audiences with a duality of entertainment and lecture. 

The Lorax bundles together a pair of closely tied narratives detailing the consequences of the industrial-driven Once-ler, who tore down a forest full of colorful cotton candy-like Truffula trees to manufacture a multi-purpose product, the Thneed. As a result, the citizens of Thneed-Ville have been subjected to decades of an isolated, plastic state where evil business rules their daily lives. But that doesn’t stop Ted (Zac Efron) from venturing beyond the constraints of Thneed-Ville to find out from the now recluse Once-Ler where he can find a living tree to impress the girl of his dreams.

'Man on a Ledge' Leaps From Absurdity to Intrigue

Sam Worthington must be thinking about the sequel to his 2010 remake Clash of the Titans.

Whatever happened to Sam Worthington? The star of 2009’s box-office smash, Avatar, was supposed be the “next big thing” in Hollywood, but since his journey to Pandora, what was a potentially bright future stalled minus one exception, the remake of Clash of the Titans. But even combating lackluster mythological beasts simply wasn’t adequate enough for Worthington to make a name for himself. Enter director Asger Leth who takes his first crack at directing besides a 2006 documentary with Man on a Ledge. 

Man on a Ledge distances Worthington from the conventional action role we’ve been accustomed to for the past several years, depending on a more serious role where he is nothing more than a diversion to a much larger picture. After a daring prison escape, ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Worthington) checks in at a hotel deep in the heart of Manhattan, only to momentarily step out onto the building’s ledge and threaten to jump to his death unless persuaded otherwise by police. The situation is nothing more than a ruse to gain the undivided attention of the New Yorkers below, while his brother and his brother’s girlfriend attempt to seek revenge on a businessman who framed him for the theft of a multi-million dollar diamond.

'Grey' Dominates as Gritty, Action Loaded Alpha

Jedi Master, Greek god, Gotham rogue - Liam Neeson always ends up with the most manly roles. 

The trailer for The Grey presented audiences with a captivating yet ambiguous account of Liam Neeson pitted against a pack of hungry wolves. But despite what appeared to be a straightforward premise; there always seemed to be something lurking in the background, a plot twist that we just couldn’t converge our attention on away from the overall theme of survival. Nothing of the sort exists and The Grey transcends that initial belief with a gritty metaphor about survival. 

The Grey trails the remaining members of an oil drilling team led by a take-charge hunter (Neeson), who survived a plane crash and trek across the remote Alaskan wilderness. Before these men can reach safety, they are pursued by a pack of territorial wolves and battle the brutality of life-threatening weather conditions. The Grey is directed by Joe Carnahan (Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane, Narc, The A-Team), who has a tendency to not hold back in any of his previous films and this is no exception to that rule.

Fourth 'Underworld' is Abomination, Not 'Awakening'

After being frozen for over a decade, Selene's back and ready to finish what she started.  

Vampires and werewolves are still battling one another and believe it or not it’s not Twilight. Sorry to get your hopes up Team Edward and Team Jacob. In fact, that other vampire and werewolf franchise is back in what seems to be the recent trend of every third year in January.  

Underworld: Awakening reintroduces the former Death Dealer, leather-clad Selene (Kate Beckinsale), who has been cryogenically frozen for the past twelve years since the events of “The Purge.” Selene finds herself in a world quite differently than one she remembers, most particularly one where an enigmatic hybrid could turn the tide in the ageless battle between vampires and lycans. Despite some chronological shifts in Rise of the Lycans, Awakening remains the fourth film in the series.

Timeless Disney Classic Returns in All Its Animated Glory

Disney's tale as old as time returns to big screen for the first time in nearly a decade. 

It should be no surprise to see the tale as old as time back on the big screen once more, particularly after the re-release of The Lion King 3D this past fall did more than exceed expectations and extended what was originally intended as a limited two-week engagement. With a Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray 3D releases on the shelf, Beauty and the Beast isn’t here to market these available options, but to give audiences the opportunity to see this classic on the big screen again or for some, the very first time. Disney is a business that constantly seeks to reach newer generations with their classics and re-releases are nothing new for the company. 

Beauty and the Beast is the timeless tale of Belle, an out-of-place village girl who wants so much more than what her little village has to offer. Under a series of circumstances, Belle finds herself the prisoner of the Beast, after taking her father’s place after he intruded upon his castle. What begins as an awkward living arrangement soon blossoms into one of the most touching romances in not just animation, but cinema as a whole.

'Devil' Serves the Right Hand of Unintentional Comedy

Now there's a face that should be intimidating, but if anything it's comedic.

January or more specifically, the first weekend in January, is always one filled with dread. It’s almost a traditional dumping ground for the worst of the worst with films thrown into a post-holiday messy mix. 2012 is no exception. What better way to kick off a brand new year than a good old-fashioned exorcism or two. Now if 2010’s The Last Exorcism and last year’s The Rite hadn’t satisfied such a demonic appetite, director William Brent Bell attempts to possess legions of horror and found footage fans with The Devil Inside. 

The Devil Inside is a faux documentary tracing the various stages of the demonic possession of Maria Rossi (Suzan Rowley), who murdered three of her fellow clergy in 1989. Twenty years pass and her daughter, Isabella (Fernanda Andrade), with cameraman friend in tow, venture to Rome to uncover the truth of Maria’s condition and the fine line between mental illness and possession.