This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think rating a film like this is pointless. I'd be way more interested in reading a review, even as short as one sentence.

Which I'd steal while you're not looking. I badly want a full frame camera, it's killing me.

Quick digging of this thread because two of last year's movies got nominated for this year's VES Awards. The first one is Initium (see post above) and the other one I haven't posted here yet:

I'm so very proud of them all. Currently working on the concepts for my own movie I'll make next year, this is highly motivating to me.

This homeless guy is weird. He looks like he's 12.

Well, I finally got around to seeing it (second last screening, phew). Random thoughts.

The editing is weird. You get these typical epic-NZ-running-on-mountain-ridge shots which last two seconds and cut again to something else. It kills the pacing and fucks up any sense of time scale.

The barrel scene. Ahem. Goddamn GoPro shots. What the hell? I really don't get it. PJ must realize they look awful and have nothing to do in the aesthetics of his movies. The barrel-bounces-on-orcs thing would have been fine and even somewhat funny if the joke didn't go on forever. This is the kind of moments in the Hobbit movies where you feel PJ wanted to make them lighter, more kid-friendly. But the rest goes the other way. Decapitations, burnt bodies... That ain't right for children.

Freeman's acting is... I don't know. I love him in everything else - he's absolutely brilliant in Sherlock. But his typical pause moments that avatar described earlier are weird. There's a very long one when he realizes he trapped himself releasing the barrels into the river. It gets painful to watch at some point. Otherwise his acting is fine and he manages to make Bilbo likeable, but his character doesn't have much weight during the 2/3rd of the film.

The dwarves are fine, I liked them better than in AUJ. The tone is overall more serious, especially when they reach the Lonely Mountain.

I'm still glad whenever Gandalf's on screen. McKellen's acting hasn't diminished a bit since LotR, which is part of the reasons why my favorite part of the movie is Don Guldur (along with Smaug vs. Bilbo). The place looks fantastic, the green grading is a beauty and brings me back to LotR. Granted, there is no suspense as we know Gandalf will be fine. But I like how they bring Sauron into it, building slowly what we know is going to be a gigantic war in LotR. They're making more connections with LotR than the book (supposedly, I haven't read it) does, and I'm fine with it (better than the made-up scenes there only to broaden the Sauron's appearance with the eye turning into his armored body is brilliant, followed by their fight with very neat smoke effects.

As for Smaug... What can I say? He looks amazing, and I'm glad, oh so glad they brought Benedict Cumberbatch on board. His voice is incredible, and gives a great depth to the dragon.

Let's talk CGI, then. Yes, it's everywhere. But it works far better to me than in AUJ (with the video-game-cinematic-looking goblins). Unlike a friend who can't stand Azog's look, I think he looks fantastic. He wouldn't belong in LotR, of course, but in the particular aesthetics of The Hobbit, it's great, and the facial motion capture is wonderful.

Oh, and less fucked up physics too! (except for the bouncing barrel, but let's not go back to that)

I'll take miniature sets and practical effects over CG any day; but most of the movie looked really amazing. I may be getting used to the Hobbit's overall look. I'll never like it as much as I loved LotR's, but it's a start. I accept what PJ is showing us, I accept it's something completely different from LotR.

The only thing I thought failed was the molten gold. I think it's one of the hardest things to make in FX, as molten gold already looks bizarre and unreal in real life. But there are so many close-ups of it, it doesn't work.

The not-so-much love triangle, I don't really care for. It's a "oh well, I guess we're going to go through that" scene. I stop paying attention until it's over, but I'm scared we'll have more of these in TaBA to unfold the story between the three of them. At least we have Lilly's beautiful face to look upon.

By the way, I liked Legolas in a way I wasn't expecting. He's introduced as a big jerk, it's fun. I'm among those who thought the Gimli joke was really funny. Just the right amount of it. I wish the other comical moments were handled as well.

Legolas' bigger jerk of a daddy is quite forgettable, though. The whole elf part kinda destroys the idea that they're pure and perfect and gay. I mean, who have two passed out drunk in the cellar. Wasn't really expecting that either.

Many things have already been covered in this thread, so I'll sum up: I liked this movie enough that I'm ready to forgive his weaknesses. I got to experience Peter Jackson's Middle Earth again, and DoS worked better to me than AUJ did (in an absolute way; I don't believe my expectations were dumbed down or anything of the sort).

I won't be wondering if I really want to see the last film, because I do.

Still have to experience HDR 3D, though.

(on a side note: yay for Stephen Colbert)

Sherlock S03E02

Dude, this is awesome. Like, really really cool.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope Santa brought you cool stuff (and all kinds of joy).

Me? I got the Cloud Atlas novel, a book about progressive rock history, an astronomy atlas, and some cash.

Also, it'd be great to share what we had for dinner(s). Here's our menu:

Christmas Eve:
- homemade tapenade and hummus / champagne
- foie gras / sweet white wine
- oysters / dry white wine
- lamb cooked with mushrooms and chestnuts / red wine
- various kinds of cheese / red wine
- tarte tatin - a french apple pie cooked upside down / calvados

Brandies and whisky to end the dinner.

Christmas Day:
- Snails cooked in snail-shell-shaped pastry (a local specialty, amazing)
- foie gras
- buttered scallops cooked with garlic and flambé with Armagnac
- lobster tails with tomato and hot pepper
- capon served with girolles (mushrooms)
- cheese

Champagne, red wine, pear brandy.

I wonder if having two dinners for Christmas is a french thing only.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go die somewhere.

I don't there's an universal answer to that. To each his own. What would universally define "greatest", really?

I'd really love to read a full review of this. Genuinely interested.