Overall, 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' Was Pretty Fabulous

Note: I had the chance to see The Hobbit at 12:00 a.m. Friday with some of my friends. I saw the movie, and wrote this post, before I'd heard about the Newtown shooting, and so this post has nothing to do with that. There's not really anything I can say about that that hasn't been said already. It's horrible, and I wish it hadn't happened, and I'm firmly on the side of increased gun control. Fin.

Moving on:

Before I start, I have to admit that I'm not really that familiar with Tolkien's canon. I read The Hobbit in elementary or middle school, attended a panel on its literary roots at Dragon*Con in 2011, and, at the panelist's suggestion, begged a copy of The Annotated Hobbit for Christmas that year. Didn't really get into it until a few weeks a go, when I skimmed the book and looked at a number of the footnotes in preparation for a book club meeting. I have a pretty good idea of the story, but not a firm grasp on the specifics. As for The Lord of the Rings, I slogged through it in... high school?... and watched the first two movies when they came out. Yes, I know. If it makes you feel better, I'll surely be returning to it after this.

Anyway, the point is that I'm not a purist. This is atypical for me, actually, as I usually feel the neurotic need to see the story represented in its entirety. If you are a purist, and don't like things added or subtracted, then you will probably take issue with this movie. However, I felt as if... Episode I... kept to the spirit of the story remarkably well, and felt the changes made were understandable.

More specific reflections (and a number of spoilers) are under the cut.

Pixar's Brave is Cool and Sweet and Funny, and You Should Go See It.

Like it says in the title. There are spoilers below the cut, so if you don't want to know anything about Brave before you see it, then you'd better click away now.