The film corner: Rosa Cuesta - The Hobbit

Peter Jackson's latest Tolkien film:

I can hardly wait for the event. The premiere in Spain is going to be next 14th December. After the incomparable trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”, enthusiasts of both maestros are in luck. 

Yes, another Tolkien story has been adapted to the screen. This time is “The Hobbit”, the book Tolkien wrote while thinking of their little sons, which ended up into the hands of a publisher who eventually persuaded the English author to submit it for publication. The book pleased adult readers as well as children and soon became very popular. It narrates the adventures of a fellowship between hobbit Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the wizard and a dwarf in order to regain the Kingdom of Erebor, taken from the dwarves by Smaug the dragon.

I must admit that the book itself did not hook me as much as “The Lord of the Rings” did, which I could hardly stop reading. But taking into account the staging of the previous movie, I am sure Peter Jackson will achieve with “The Hobbit” another spectacular masterpiece.

The plot adaptation has been done by the same writers as those of the trilogy and Benicio del Toro, who initially was going to be the director, has contributed to it. The cast consists of some of the actors who participated in “The Lord of the Rings”.

I’m sure the sceneries, the characters, the wardrobe, the weapons, as well as all sort of creatures imagined by Tolkien, and drawn by the screenwriters and the rest of the crew, will come back again to transport us in another amazing world. A world depicted by Tolkien with his particular vision, where good meets evil and, luckily, always prevails.              

Thanks a lot, Rosa, I'm sure there are many Tolkien / Peter Jackson fans around who will be delighted to read your entry. So let's give them a little treat. How about the film's trailers, subtitled in Spanish?

Well, it seems Peter Jackson will stop at nothing to promote The Hobbit tirelessly. You may have seen this next video in the news bulletins: the famous film-maker uses a safety video (how many times have we completely ignored them right before the plane is about to take off!) by Air New Zealand to scatter his Middle-Earth creatures along the aircraft as they listen attentively to the “elfish” stewardess’s instructions, which we ordinary travellers often find so bothersome. Witty!

All's well that ends well ...

Are you the kind of person who always thinks the bottle is half full rather than half empty? Do you tend to look on the bright side of things? If hopefully the answer to these two simple questions is a hearty yes, then you're a true optimist.

So the obvious follow-up question is: What are you optimistic about? Is it your personal future - whether you're still studying a degree, already working but aspiring to a better job or, sadly, a newly unemployed person looking for work? Or is it a global issue perhaps, like the end of the ongoing economic crisis or a greener future of our troubled, ailing planet?

Hey folks, whatever the ideas, post your comments below. It will be so uplifting to read how gleefully optimistic you feel about the future!

I see .. some of you must be thinking "how about you, dear teacher?" Well, I'm optimistic that one day all the films in Spain's cinemas will be shown in their original version, no matter which language they were shot in and ... OK OK, I get it, enough of this lecturing of mine about the sheer joy of watching the cast act their roles on the big screen in their mother tongue, let alone the benefits you guys gain in terms of language learning. I just can't help it, he he!

The film corner: Belen Sanchez - My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a lighthearted romantic comedy, perfect for a rainy autumn evening.

It tells the story of a disenchanted “ugly-duckling” Greek-American girl in her thirties (Toula Portokalos), who falls in love with a charming ”non-Greek” guy (Ian Miller). This seems to be a huge problem for her traditional family, especially her stubborn father, who cannot understand that his little girl wants to marry a man who has no Greek roots whatsoever.

The film treats, in a funny way, something that is still a big issue for some cultures: mixed marriages. Albeit it is becoming more and more common for people with different religions, races or cultures to get married, incredibly enough this kind of couples do still have problems nowadays with their family and friends, or even society in general. Fortunately, this is changing little by little.

Though I’m not a big fan of Nia Vardalos, the leading actress, I think her acting is, if not brilliant, not bad at all. At any rate, I prefer her partner, John Corbett, who I know very well for his effective roles in two of my favourite TV series: Northern exposure, and Sex and the city.

The character I like most is Toula’s father, Gus. An unyielding, devoted family man, who sometimes may look like an old fuddy-duddy but in fact feels really proud of his Greek roots. He loves his daughter most of all, but too often he can be really annoying and pigheaded. In my opinion, Michael Constantine, the actor who plays this role, does a great job and is the protagonist of many of the funniest scenes.

To finish, I have to say My Big Fat Greek Wedding is not the best film I’ve ever seen, and probably it won’t appeal to everyone, but undoubtedly it is easy to watch, full of enjoyable moments, and I would recommend it to all of you who want to have a nice time in front of the TV screen with your family or friends.