[dc]I[/dc] am sure some folks felt this way after seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in theaters last month. I know this was the constant, and lazy, complaint of the Lord of the Rings trilogy: why didn’t they just use the Eagles to get rid of the One Ring? I can’t stand that compliant and I’m in Tolkien’s Ghost’s camp: where’s the story, or even the fun, in that?

In regards to the film, I enjoyed An Unexpected Journey. Yeah, it was long, and it felt padded in sections, but if you look at it as part of an epic film cycle, which was Peter Jackson’s goal, it makes sense. I enjoyed the ties and callbacks to the Lord of the Rings films that were added. I am really looking forward to the second film, as I can’t wait to see Smaug in action (as well as Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice over work).

And yes, that is a Cool As Ice t-shirt. I would totally wear one. You know me, if I can work in a Vanilla Ice or ALF reference somewhere, I will.