Opening this weekend - December 14
Jackson returns to Middle-earth as ‘Hobbit’ hits the big screen
Compiled by LEE CLARK ZUMPE
| Article published on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012 |
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| Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Sylvester McCoy as Radagast in the fantasy adventure "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, released by Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM. |
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A number of new movies will hit theaters this week, including the following film opening in wide release:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Genre: Adventure and fantasy
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lilly, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O'Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas, Aidan Turner and Billy Connolly
Director: Peter Jackson
Rated: PG-13
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece “The Hobbit,” by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before "The Lord of the Rings," which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins, Orcs and deadly Wargs, as well as a mysterious and sinister figure known only as the Necromancer.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the Goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever ... Gollum.
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities ... a simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
The following will open in limited release. It may be several weeks before these films appear in local movie theaters.
Any Day Now
Genre: Drama
Cast: Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva, Frances Fisher and Chris Mulkey
Director: Travis Fine
Rated: R
Inspired by a true story from the late 1970s and touching on legal and social issues that are as relevant today as they were 35 years ago, “Any Day Now” is a powerful tale of love, acceptance and family.
When a teenager with Down syndrome (Isaac Leyva) is abandoned by his mother, a gay couple (Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt) takes him in and becomes the loving family he's never had. But when authorities discover their unconventional living arrangement, the men are forced to fight a biased legal system to save the life of the child they have come to love as their own.
Save the Date
Genre: Comedy and romance
Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Geoffrey Arend and Mark Webber
Director: Michael Mohan
Rated: R
After an ill-timed and very public marriage proposal, fiercely independent Sarah (Caplan) breaks up with her overeager boyfriend Kevin (Arend).
Sarah turns to her sister Beth (Brie) for support, but Beth is too busy obsessing over the details of her own wedding to Kevin's band mate, Andrew (Starr). When Sarah suddenly finds herself caught up in an intense rebound romance with the adorable Jonathan (Webber), she is forced to examine her own fears of commitment and vulnerability. With honesty, heart, and humor, all five struggle with the trials, happiness, and pain of modern love. In the end Sarah must decide – is it better to stay safely single or to risk it all on love?
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Article published on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012
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