"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

" 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

"I have no idea what I'm suppose to do. I only know what I can do."

Star Trek: Into Darkness was released in early May was one of the best movies released this summer. I saw the first Star Trek and was sort of  impressed, but the sequel was amazing!! I felt every emotion in one 2 hour period. I left in awe and pleasantly surprised. If you haven't seen this movie in theaters yet you need to get a move on before it leaves theaters. You don't want to wait for this movie to come out on DVD because it will feel like an eternity.

To start off, the cast of this movie is simply fantastic. Zoe Saldana is simply breath taking and kicks some butt which is always great. And Zachary Quinto was simply fantastic in this film. The first movie he was pretty good, but this one he crossed a new level. He is so funny in this movie, which took me by surprise. He is sarcastic and witty and really helps make the movie better. Everyone in the cast is great and you get attached to every single character. But let's not forget Captain Kirk, played by the sexy and talented Chris Pine. Chris is exceptional in this movie. He is a good actor and I'm enjoying watching him grow as an actor. You root for him the entire time, even when he is being stupid and prideful, you cant help but love him. But even though Kirk can act stupid sometimes he redeems himself in the film. He is an amazing leader and loves his crew like family. It's nice to see a movie with a leader who puts his team before himself and his desires.

Now let's not look over Benedict Cumberbatch playing Khan! He was a great and that's all I can tell you. You will love to hate him, that's pretty much all I can say about him. On a random side note, I heard Cumberbatch is going to play Smaug in the new upcoming Hobbit movie, and I am sooooo excited about that. Even though we wont see Cumberbatch's face, he is still a major part of Smaug character and I just know he will make the character come to life. Speaking of the characters, Cumberbatch and Pine do a great job of using their facial expressions to convey their emotions. Both have such powerful facial expressions that one stare in the camera can make the audience feel so many emotions. When you see this movie, pay attention to what these actors do what their stories and their script.

This movie takes many unexpected turns. They threw me for a loop 20 times. I was curled up in a ball for most of the film, wondering how everything was going to turn out. This movie is fun, upbeat, intense, heartfelt, and just an overall good movie. The writing is very good. The plot is solid and keeps you guessing. And J.J. Abrams is a great director. He is smart and a beautiful director. He makes space look so vast but at the same time he makes us relate to the characters and their environments. ( I cant wait for J.J. to do Star Wars, I'm sure he will make them fantastic)

Do Not Miss one of the best films released this summer. Get to a theater and prepare to be amazed. Every one of my friends I've talked to all love this movie. I cant wait til it comes out on DVD cause I really want to buy it. So if you have a boring day or a rainy day, hit your local theater and see a movie you know will be good, and honestly how often does that happen. Enjoy!!

- Megan O'Neal