The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Movie Review

I have had the privilege of attending an advance screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey movie adaptation is the first installment of three films from the acclaimed novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is the prelude of The Lord Of the Rings. The follows the journey of a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. Baggins leaves his comfortable lifestyle to embark on an adventure with 13 dwarfs and a wizard named Gandalf. The purpose of the adventure is to reach the treasures guarded by a dragon.

The main excitement behind the release of this film is having the option to see the film in 24fps 3-D, 48 fps 3-D, or 24fps 2-D. But most movie viewers do not necessarily know the difference.The term "fps" stands for frames per second. A majority of films are projected in 24fps. The frames per second are how fast the images are projected per second. To simply put it, the higher the frame rate, the sharper the image and less blurry the film will appear. 

This film was definitely entertaining. I am still have not made up my mind on whether I particularly like it or not. I felt the movie was longer than it needed to be. It did not help that the key to the projector was not programmed correctly, so we had to wait almost an hour for the film begin. It turned a three hour event into a four hour event. I saw the film in 48fps in 3-D. Yes, it was a visually appealing movie, with fantastic visual effects, but since it was a prequel to an already successful trilogy, I felt it took away from what Lord of the Rings originally delivered. At the same time, I understood Peter Jackson’s approach. The Hobbit is a kid friendly novel and creating the film in 48fps gave it a kid friendly feel. The movie does evolve into a progressively dark film. The Hobbit was definitely a successful return to Middle Earth. Outside of the technical aspect of the films, I would suggest this film to any Lord of the Rings fan. 

The Film Industry's Glass Ceiling: Independent Filmmaking

Within the last ten years or so, independent movies have been making its way to the mainstream realm. This is with the help of studios and A-list actors. Large studios are branching out and creating independent film companies to create films that lack the ideal plot of a blockbuster film.

What are some advantages of independent films? The biggest different between an independent film and a blockbuster film is the unique approach to story telling. The stories are more bold and aggressive. The plots are not made to make the audience happy. The plots are simply created to tell a really good story. This allows the director and the screenwriter have full creative control over the finished product.

Another advantage of independent films is the actors. Independent films tend to display talent from unknown actors, who have potential in developing a strong career. Audiences are drawn to independent films to see up and coming actors. For mainstream films, it can feel like the same stories are being told because the same actors are type casted in the same type of films. Because of the type casting, if the content is solid, an independent filmmaker may grasp the attention of an A-list actor to pursue a role in the film. A-list actors chose independent films to re-establish themselves as a good actor who can do more than the mainstream material.

Independent filmmakers go the route of self distribution to maintain their own distribution. Self distribution is considered a separate industry within itself. It takes more time going through the distribution process than it does making the film. To avoid the hassle of self distribution, independent filmmakers will choose to submit the film to several festivals, hoping a studio picks it up and distributes the film. It sometimes means submitting a shorter version hoping to sell the script for a quick fee.

There are many ulterior motives as to why filmmakers create independent films. Do not get discouraged if you have planned to only work in with independent film industry. Money can still be made. It will just be a difficult marketing process. If you chose to create a film under your own company, instead of a studio, consider hiring a distribution company. Use most of your funds to distribute your film. 

A Cult Film Classic: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a comic book series created by Brian Lee O'Malley and was adapted to a movie, tied in with video game aspects. Scott Pilgrim is a film directed by Edgar Wright about a bassist who wants to pursue the girl of his dreams but has to defeat her seven evil exes’. Yes, the plot sounds simple, and it is simple, but the film is full of twists. There are several small instances that take the viewer by surprise. Scott Pilgrim featured catchy original underground and classic music. Besides the love interest, the movie also focuses on Scott and his indie rock band Sex Bob-omb. There is focus on the bands journey through a battle of the bands competition to gain success under a record label. 

What created a small, but strong fan base for Scott Pilgrim? It is a combination of great graphics, editing, soundtrack, and quick comedic inserts. This film is a comic to video game/movie adaptation. Scott Pilgrim creatively took a movie and mixed it with a video game references that appealed to an audience that grew up in the 90s. The movie takes place in the mind of Scott Pilgrim, so nothing makes sense as to why it happens. 

What makes a film a classic cult film? There are several different outlooks on what makes a film a cult film. Some see it as a film not being mainstream with small revenue. Then, there are films such as Mamma Mia! that grossed over  $600,000,000 worldwide, but is considered a "cult" film.  Most people would classify a film as a cult film based on the small selective fan base. But, if you dig deeper into that meaning, a cult film is how the fans celebrate the film. Over the years, studios have attempted to purposefully create cult films because of how strong and loyal the audience following entails. The studios have failed. Creating a cult following has to happen naturally. When studios try to make a cult following for their movies, it appears forced and backfires. 

Scott Pilgrim's fan base was centered on video game lover and comedy. Though, in Scott Pilgrims head everyone had powers, the characters were really relatable. Scott Pilgrim also crossed itself into an unchartered territory on what can be classified as a super hero. The characters in this film have "super powers" but not in the traditional sense of what DC Comics would classify as a superhero. Scott Pilgrim never explains why the characters have powers, they just do. Another reason the fan base was solid is because of how well the dialogue was written. Any person who has watched Scott Pilgrim, and has loved it, can quote several lines from the movie; they are very memorable.

Some cult films like to put on conventions or celebrations for the movie. The director of Scott Pilgrim likes to hold several midnight showings of the movie out in LA. This past august, Bryan and Edgar held a midnight anniversary screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It featured 8-bit music created specifically for the movie, fans showed up dressed as characters, and half an audience that has never seen the movie. Bryan and Edgar made this experience different from the original theatre release; they show the movie in 35mm. The audience found a new appreciation for the film because of its simplicity in their showmanship.