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Middle-earth makes its final cinematic appearance in the richly satisfying conclusion to The Hobbit trilogy, putting paid to Peter Jackson’s once controversial decision to turn J.R.R. Tolkien’s slim novel into a three movie series. Nothing sparse about this finale, that’s for sure.

In fact, …

300: Rise of an Empire is Greek history through a fantasy lens darkly, prequel and sequel to the ‘06 hit about King Leonidas and his band of 300. The new movie’s nearly 4x Reality factor stems from Frank Miller’s graphic novel, full of vainglorious liberties, supernatural contrivances and hist…

Terrifically well-conceived SciFi Fantasy is rare. Add an ageless superstar in a role ideal for his particular set of skills, opposite a beautiful screen-queen making her buffed-up action debut, in a 3D production up to the challenge of visualizing time travel and interplanetary war, and you’re …

Noted mostly as Philip Seymour Hoffman’s cinematic swan song, A Most Wanted Man is also a clear-eyed look at the long twilight struggle that we in the West have with the Islamists who are trying to kill us. Hoffman goes deep – real deep – as a 21st century German intel officer trying to keep Ha…

Family dysfunction is great fodder for a comedy. The trick is to get the right cast to create the quirky chemistry and generate the laughs. Jason Bateman delivers his tried-and-true semi-straight-man schtick and cohorts Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, and Adam Driver make the LOLs happen. Good stuff.