Welcome loyal readers and new friends. This week I take a look at the much-anticipated adaptation of The Hobbit, as well as the latest from Oscar-winning director Kieth Merrill (read my interview with Merrill here). If you're new to the site, consider "liking" me on Facebook or following me on Twitter to get updates on new reviews, articles, and interviews.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY REVIEW (GRADE: B+)

To those who've never read Tolkien, whose exposure to Middle Earth has come only through Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings film trilogy, may I offer a word of advice that'll help you enjoy The Hobbit as much as I did? Alter your expectations. The Hobbit is no Lord of the Rings. It doesn't have the high-stakes of a battle to save the world, with the various races uniting against a common enemy. It doesn't have the date-night-ready romance between Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler, the swoon-worthy (for some) derring-do of Orlando Bloom, or a group of lovable 20-something heroes for the college kids to relate to. What it does have is an effectively simply story about neurotic hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Frodo's uncle, 60 years before Lord of the Rings) and his adventure helping a group of dwarves regain their homeland from a vicious dragon, at the insistence of grizzled wizard Galdalf (Ian McKellen, in a superlative performance). We also get to see how Bilbo acquired that little gold ring which causes so much trouble later on.
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