Movie Reviews: 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'

The first of three films based on J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" tells the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures below and above ground.

After the success of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, director Peter Jackson has filled in the back story by producing "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures below and above ground. Jackson has done so ... for hours, breaking the original, little story into nine hours of film. The first movie is a flashback, with the older Bilbo (Ian Holme) talking with Frodo (Elijah Wood). We soon see the wizard Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellan) drawing a younger Bilbo (Martin Freeman) into an adventure that involves a long journey to a distant land, lots of dwarfs, trolls, orcs, elves, a dragon and, of course, more Gollum (Andy Serkis), for which critics appear to have nothing but praise.  "Andy Serkis again excels as…

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Dinner and a Movie

Hollywood Gets it Right With 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

Humans get a primal smackdown.

Movie: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Chimps, gorillas and other primates take some mind-altering drugs and give a big hairy smackdown to the puny humans in this week's featured film, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." James Franco plays a scientist trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, the same disease that has stricken his father (played by John Lithgow). After trouble with one of the test chimps, all of the chimps are put down -- all but one, a newborn chimp that Franco's character rescues and names Caesar.  Caesar grows up to be a very smart monkey -- a little too smart. As a result, he is sent to a "primate shelter" or, as I call it, ape prison. Angered by his incarceration, Caesar uses his brain to rally the other apes. …

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