The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The map within the frontispiece of this film should read, “Here There Be Bloat.” Again, the tidy little story gets the stretched out treatment. The result might be more impressive for someone completely unaware of the original book. Perhaps. For the long-time fan, the result is much more problematic. The initiated viewer is constantly aware of how much story stretching is going on, of how much of what he’s seeing is not in the original tale. That’s distracting, if nothing else, and negatively impacts the viewer’s experience. Ironically, then, this is probably a movie that one would only recommend to die-hard fans--exactly the people who will be most annoyed by the story manipulations. What’s done is done, but the “three movie arc” decision really was a huge mistake.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Weird. All the jokes are there, almost word for word, yet everything is strangely flat and not nearly as funny as it was on the page. The story starts out faithful, but veers off in some weird directions before coming to an ending which is profoundly false vis-a-vis the books. At least they got the visuals right, and some of the spirit remains. Not worth paying to see, but a forgivable effort. Let your taste for comedic sci-fi be your guide.

Le Divorce

Whatever the story, however it is presented, set it in Paris and you have magic. Just the look of a film shot in Paris is entertaining, especially in the hands of a pair of old pros like Merchant and Ivory. Ah, but what about that story? The complicated lives of two American sisters (Naomi Watts and Kate Hudson) living among the Frogs hold the interest for the whole running time, and the cast is strong from top to bottom (especially the two leads). Still, the denouement is a bit unseemly, and the viewer is left feeling not quite sure what to make of all this. Overall, a quintessential MEOW review.

Peter's Friends

So here's the set-up: take a group of old friends, each with a catacomb's worth of skeletons in his or her closet, get them together for a little stay in the country, and watch them fall apart--upon each other and--as individuals. It's better than it sounds, though the movie does sometimes veer too wildly between comedy and drama. But the dialogue is razor sharp, the soundtrack holds many great tunes, and a great cast (including Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh [who directed], Stephen Fry, Rita Rudner and Hugh Laurie) holds it all together with style and aplomb. The ending comes off as too abrupt, perhaps, but otherwise it works.

Wilde

Tough to make an uninteresting movie when Oscar Wilde is your subject; just the dialogue alone should carry you through. Such is the case here. It's a bit poignant despite all the wit, though, given Wilde's misfortune in being gay in a not very tolerant time.

Cold Comfort Farm

About as good as British eccentricity gets. Very funny, occasionally a riot. Good work from Kate Beckinsale, Ian McKellan, Rufus Sewell, etc.