"I am fire... I am DEATH."

Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug released earlier in December was pretty epic to say the least. Several of my friends and I went to the midnight showing to watch the epicness before the rest of the general population. And overall, I was not disappointed.

So the movie obvi (obviously) picks up where the last one left off, with the dwarves on their way to Erebor. The movie follows the rest of their journey to reach the lonely mountain. The movie has several ups and downs... Lets start with some of the moments I wasn't too thrilled about.

I'm becoming less and less of a fan of all the CGI that is being used in these film. I only say this because Jackson spoiled us with Lord of the Rings! He made everything looks so real, even things that were so fake he made me believe that they were real. And in the Hobbit series, so far, there are several things that I'm like.... and fake. Though I know its all fake and its a movie, its just nice when things feel real. Gollum and Smaug have to be CGI but they are sooo beautifully constructed they look pretty real. There is time taken in making them look as real as possible so I don't feel like I'm being attacked with CGI. I just wish the orcs had that much care. Also there are a couple fight scenes that clearly use a heavy amount of CGI. Once again, that's not what I'm used to seeing from Peter Jackson, considering the fact that most of the stunts were done by actual people in LOTR. That's the only thing that's really bothered me about this film. Other than that I think its awesome.

I was so glad elves are in this movie because they are so cool.Though she may not be in the books,Tauriel, played by the beautiful Evangeline Lilly, is just really awesome! I'm always going to support a strong women character who can kick some butt! Also its cool to have Legalas back, however, he is not the exact same Legolas we used to know. As some of my friends have pointed out to me, he is a little more native and a tiny bit arrogant because he is not the mature, humble Legolas we know from LOTR. This is him before all that. I constantly have to remind myself of that because at first I expected him to be exactly the same as he was in LOTR.

There are tons of great moments throughout the movie. The scene with the spiders is one of my favorites. It was freaky and gross looking but also really entertaining. There is also the epic barrel scene that is just soo cool to watch. It is such a long fight scene and I was biting my nails for every single second of it. That moment was one of my favorites.

I love all the characters development throughout the film. However, the nature of Thorin is the most interesting to me. He wants to believe in Bilbo and honestly in himself but he really just can't seem to decide. His greed and pride start to take over him and he is constantly trying to fight it. He will do anything to not be like his grandfather, but that challenge is tough when they actually reach Erebor. All his hopes and dreams lie with Bilbo. Also I love Luke Evans, who plays the Bard in this movie. He just has some good lines and is a good guy. I look forward to watching his character grow in the third installment of the series.

Martin Freeman makes such an awesome Bilbo! I just felt that needed to be said. Anyway, Smaug is amazing!!! Jackson used the same technology he used to create Gollum to create Smaug and that was such a great decision. I loved the way it moved and talked. Cumberbatch was a great choice for the voice of Smaug. I also loved how smart and witty Smaug was; he was kinda sassy which was fantastic!

And let's not forget Gandalf!! Man who doesn't love that wizard! In this film he is just as great, but not in it as much as he is in the other films. However, when he is in it he faces well... lets just say Grave Danger. I can't say much about what happens to our friend Gandalf but lets just say... well... you just need to watch to find out.

Overall, this movie is awesome! If you haven't seen it yet you are missing out. You will be glued to your seat for the entire movie. It is fairly high paced and flows very well. It's got action and of course some funny moments to balance out all the intense parts. So hit the nearest theater quick, you won't want to miss one of the biggest movies of the year!

-Megan O'Neal

"What kind of monster are you?" "The Wolverine!"

So sorry this review is coming so late.. But lets talk about "The Wolverine". Let me start off by saying I saw this movie 2 times within the first week of it being released. Safe to say this was a well made movie and got me even more pumped for the new X-Men: First Class Movie.

I don't honestly think I need to say it, but I will for emphasis: Hugh Jackman was Amazing!!! I honestly do not think anyone else could be Wolverine. I mean honestly he is Logan. This film far exceeded my expectations. Hugh, as usual, dedicated himself to the role by sculpting his body to the role. His acting was very good (as always). Logan is different then he has been in the other films. He has always been a 'tragic hero' type. He has always been a little broken and a sort of somber character. However, in this film he has reached his lowest point. This movie picks up after X-Men: The Last Stand. Logan is being haunted by Jean after killing her months or years prior. And the movie is kind of an evolution of Logan, showing if he will be the guy he was or become something completely different.

This movie takes a lot of twist and turns and the ending will take you by surprise. The major plot is something happens to Wolverine that makes him lose his ability to heal quickly. He still is able to heal faster than normal people but not nearly as fast as he always does, which makes him vulnerable and weaker. However, he still finds himself protecting someone ( as usual) and that opens his heart to other things (yes to love friends)

The action in this movie is really really awesome!! There is a ninja/karate element that is just great. It's fun to watch. And the actors they picked to join Jackman in this film are very talented. Especially, Rila Fukushima, who plays Yukio. She looks after Logan and kicks some serious butt!! She was one of my favorite characters in the whole film. Her acting isn't the best, but you her fighting is amazing and that's good enough.

The end of this movie is what was soooo surprising to me and I didn't see it coming at all!! If you haven't seen it yet, I can not prepare you for what happens... sorry If you have seen it click the spoiler box!!

So when Logan gets his claws cut!!! WHAT!!! I legit screamed when I saw that. The writers did a great job of shocking me through out the film, but that was just a lot. I'm still confused as to what that means for Wolverine in the new X-Men movie coming out.. but I guess we'll see. Does anyone have any theories on how he will get his claws back?

 When viewing this movie you will be on your toes; it has its funny moments and a few moments of roromance but mostly its ACTION!! Which is what I want from my well... action movies! If you are weary about seeing this movie because Wolverine: Origins was kinda a flop, don't worry this movie makes up for that one and X-Men: The Last Stand (which isn't my fav). And stay tuned after the credits, trust me you will wanna see the clip afterwards. The Wolverine is out on DVD now so go rent or buy it now!! Enjoy!

- Megan O'Neal

" Ask yourself: what would you sacrifice, for what you believe??"

Thor 2 Released this fall!! And Yes guys I know I'm late on all this but I saw this movie twice opening weekend! And I'm back with a vengeance! So Let's talk Thor: The Dark World shall we....

Let's start with the fact that Chris Hemsworth really is Thor. They could not have picked a better person to play Thor. Like if you look at him, he really is the God of Thunder. Plus the costume looks amazing and better than ever. Also Hemsworth looks better than ever as well! He does a great job and we love him. And lets not forget who we love to hate: Loki! We all love him, even though we know he is bad. Tom Hiddleson is a great actor, we all know this. Him and Chris work so well together its amazing. I mean their bromance is that of legends. Just look at what  buzzfeed says about them:
- http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/chris-hemsworth-and-tom-hiddleston-are-the-hottest-bromance-
Anyway safe to say the two of them make this movie. Granted Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, Anthony Hopkins, and the other members of a cast do a good job as well.

Now the plot of this movie is good. Solid, I would say. Honestly, I figured out a section of the plot within like 10 mins, however, the movie had a couple turns that really shocked me and caught me off guard which is always nice. If you have seen it you know what two moments that were truly shocking. Speaking of

When Loki "dies" I think I cried for about 10 mins until my friend leaned over and told me they cant kill him. But in mind, well he was dead. I was a little suspicious when the "guard" came to tell Odin everyone was dead. But still I am confused on exactly how he could return. So if you have any ideas, please enlighten me! And what the heck happened to Odin? Also I was really upset when the mom died cause lets be honest she was freaking awesome! But her funeral scene was so pretty. I really loved that.

And Yes if you were wondering... there is tons of action. Way more than the first one. I was happy to see Thor use his hammer all the time! It brought such joy to my heart. This movie is pretty intense though, it will keep you on your toes. I enjoyed watching the characters figure out how to use portals and loop holes to their advantage. (if you haven't seen it yet, you'll understand later). This movie is actually pretty funny as well. They definitely turned up the action and comedy in this movie a ton. Also Jane and Thor have good chemistry in my opinion. I love seeing them interact; really I just love the way Thor looks at Jane; hes so freaking adorable!!

Overall, this movie is a lot better than the first, at least I think so. So if you enjoyed Thor or Avengers you will really like this one. So if you are a loser and haven't seen this movie yet, get out there and go see it. Or Redbox it the moment it comes out on DVD, which is estimated to be in March of 2014. So hit the movies guys and look for more of my reviews! I'm back to helping you guys know whats worth seeing and what's not! So Stay Excellent!!

- Megan O'Neal