TF:
It’s a generally accepted rule that stories require a beginning, a middle and an end (even if Jean-Luc Godard felt that they didn’t necessarily have to be in that order). But do those rules apply if you’re stretching a single story over three epic films?
The Two Towers (the middle child of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy) avoided that second-film pitfall: it kept the overarching journey chugging forward, but had its own self-contained story with a worthy climax. The biggest flaw in The Desolation Of Smaug, one that sees it fall short of its epic forebears, is that it feels very much like a middle.
Freeman does at least deliver the goods in some challenging early scenes that see Bilbo in thrall to the lure of the all-important One Ring, with a standout moment plumbing depths of moral murkiness rarely addressed in family entertainment.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer walked into the 96th Academy Awards and blew everyone away, winning seven Oscars on the night. But is it Nolan's best film yet?
Cancel all proposed awards ceremonies and hand over the major gongs to Peter Farrelly's Ricky ;Stanicky.
Late Night with the Devil will be The Exorcist for a new generation.