Monday, December 17, 2012
Galaxy Science Fiction, November 1950
I have another Retro Review on Black Gate. This one is a review of Galaxy's November, 1950 issue (which was their second issue). Check it out!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
This weekend, my wife and I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Neither of us have gone to the movies to see anything in 3D, so we thought we'd try it out. Honestly, I think I could have watched it in 2D without missing anything significant. But I'm not a 3D fan, so take that with a grain of salt.
As for the movie itself, I felt like it moved too slowly. Beyond that, I disliked the added dialogue. By that, I don't mean that the dialogue needed to match the book verbatim, but the additional verbiage was full of bad jokes. For example, Bilbo refers to something as being crochet, and one of the dwarves says he loves that game, if you've got the balls for it (or something along those lines). Gandalf relays a tale of the Took who could ride a horse and how he decapitated an enemy in battle, knocking the head into a rabbit hole (which I think is directly from the book); then he adds, "And the game of golf was invented as well." Golf - in Middle Earth? By far, the worst offender was the goblin king, who traps the party and asks what Gandalf will do, and when Gandalf responds physically, the goblin king replies, "That'll do." Oh, it was horribly cheesy.
Now, I did like some aspects: I liked the scene with Bilbo and Gollum, and I liked seeing Erebor in all of its splendor. Oh, and the plot with the Necromancer was intriguing; that's one thing I wish had been explored a bit more within the novel.
How would I rate the movie? Well, it wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. It's not a movie I feel like I need to see again anytime soon. And it gives me pause on whether or not to see parts two and three in theatres. Because with a young family, three hours out of the house is a luxury, so we're very cautious in how we use it.
As for the movie itself, I felt like it moved too slowly. Beyond that, I disliked the added dialogue. By that, I don't mean that the dialogue needed to match the book verbatim, but the additional verbiage was full of bad jokes. For example, Bilbo refers to something as being crochet, and one of the dwarves says he loves that game, if you've got the balls for it (or something along those lines). Gandalf relays a tale of the Took who could ride a horse and how he decapitated an enemy in battle, knocking the head into a rabbit hole (which I think is directly from the book); then he adds, "And the game of golf was invented as well." Golf - in Middle Earth? By far, the worst offender was the goblin king, who traps the party and asks what Gandalf will do, and when Gandalf responds physically, the goblin king replies, "That'll do." Oh, it was horribly cheesy.
Now, I did like some aspects: I liked the scene with Bilbo and Gollum, and I liked seeing Erebor in all of its splendor. Oh, and the plot with the Necromancer was intriguing; that's one thing I wish had been explored a bit more within the novel.
How would I rate the movie? Well, it wasn't bad. But it wasn't good either. It's not a movie I feel like I need to see again anytime soon. And it gives me pause on whether or not to see parts two and three in theatres. Because with a young family, three hours out of the house is a luxury, so we're very cautious in how we use it.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Matthew Wuertz on Facebook
For those not already aware, I have a Facebook page as well: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Wuertz/111486095643756
I like using Facebook for quick links or quips. It also links back to posts from this blog.
I like using Facebook for quick links or quips. It also links back to posts from this blog.
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