Is the new “Hobbit” worth a look?
Posted on April 1, 2014 by bob in DVD
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (PG-13) 
OK, franchise fans, strap yourselves in for over two-and-a-half hours of Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf leading an intrepid posse of dwarves on the next leg of their quest to reclaim their mountain home and slay the dragon…and the enormous pile of gold and jewels upon which he snoozes. It’s only the middle installment of another Peter Jackson-directed Tolkien-based film trio, so don’t be surprised when you’re left in mid-crisis when the picture fades to black.
If you haven’t gotten into these sagas yet, starting here is a bad idea; too much backstory to catch up on to relate to the players or understand the premise, including their considerable array of otherworldly obstacles. For those who saw The Hobbit, this one seemed to move along at a more effective pace, making its running time less of an endurance test. That’s always a good sign. New Zealand’s economy should be safe for a while, with this one certain to keep the Tolkien cash-cow’s milk a flowing, tiding them over until the finale arrives next year. That must be a welcome relief for the sheep.
Grudge Match (PG-13) 
Robert DeNiro and Sylvester Stallone have probably never been linked on anyone’s Thespian scale, but a shared lineage sets the table for this pairing as over-the-hill boxing rivals from Pittsburgh who wind up in the ring 30 years after they should have. In his prime, DeNiro won an Oscar for playing legendary Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. Sly got an Oscar nomination for Rocky, before continuing that franchise well past his physical heyday.
In this action comedy, Sly’s “Razor” Sharp won the light heavyweight title from DeNiro’s Billy “The Kid” McDonnen, after first losing it to him in the early 1980s. Before the promoters could book a decisive third bout, Razor retired without explanation. He toiled quietly in a factory for the next three decades, as The Kid enjoyed moderate success in used car and sports bar businesses, while resenting Razor for ducking out on what could have been the defining battle (and huge payday) for both.
For a couple of hours we follow the path to their overdue rematch which includes a considerable, if not excessive, amount of soap opera in learning why Razor walked away, what changed his mind, who needed to learn which Valuable Life Lessons, and prove what to whom. Support comes primarily from Alan Arkin as Razor’s mentor counterpart to Rocky’s Burgess Meredith; Kim Basinger as a woman whose history bound her to both guys; and Kevin Hart as the hyperkinetic son of the promoter who cheated them in the ‘80s, trying to make his own mark via the revived nostalgia fumes from their old enmity.
The screenplay delivers enough laughs to qualify for its comedy designation, but there’s too much sentimental business to keep it on that track. We slog through an overdose of melodrama en route to the inevitable climactic fight scene. The stars fare surprisingly well in that ring sequence for a couple of dudes in their late 60s. Mercifully, nothing in the script proffers another re-match. What may be the film’s funniest moments come after the credits start to roll, so don’t turn the movie off too quickly.
August: Osage County (R)
Any cast that begins with Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard and Chris Cooper, then adds Juliette Lewis, Dermot Mulroney, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch and the suddenly ubiquitous Margo Martindale creates expectations that may be hard to meet. Like here, for example. Director John Wells, whose body of work is admirable, though mostly on the small screen, herds his charges through a turgid, talky saga of sordid familial dysfunction. Jerry Springer would have had a hard time presiding over this parade of old and new secrets and grudges.
Meryl is left alone in her isolated rural home when her husband (Shepard) dies under questionable circumstances. That brings the daughters (Julia, Juliette and Julianne Nicholson) home for the funeral and a considerable amount of psychodrama about their array of old issues and current dilemmas. There’s a whole mess o’ histrionics to deliver before they’re done.
The upside of the proceedings is that the screenplay gives all its talented players at least one shining moment to validate their signing up for this ensemble product. The downside is that this family has so many unpleasant (or worse) backstories and resulting scars that there’s little to generate empathy among the audience. Though billed as a comedy/drama, the laughs are sparse, and some of the plot turns are surprisingly dark. Streep and the others turn in fine performances. The experience might seem more rewarding as an acting clinic than as an insightful slice of relatable lives.
Mark Glass
Mark Glass is an officer and director of the St. Louis Film Critics Association.
