It was never going to be an easy job adapting “The Hobbit” for the big screen, especially after the success of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and although that likely played a part in Peter Jackson’s initial decision to let another director take the reins, at the end of the day, it just wouldn’t have felt right with anyone else behind the camera. Not only does Jackson know the source material inside and out, but in keeping with the same tone and breathtaking visuals from the original trilogy, the movie feels like it’s part of a bigger story. Granted, “An Unexpected Journey” only covers about a third of Tolkien’s novel, and as a result, there are times when the movie seems to be holding back in fear that it’s covering too much too soon. Martin Freeman is perfectly cast as the young Bilbo, and Ian McKellan effortlessly slides back into the role of Gandalf, but the dwarves are another matter, with Richard Armitage’s leader the only one to really distinguish himself from the pack. However, the film’s real MVP is Andy Serkis, who delivers his best work as Gollum in perhaps the most memorable scene of all four movies. “An Unexpected Journey” still falls a bit short of “The Lord of the Rings” in the end, but it’s a delightfully fun trip back to Middle-earth whose biggest flaw is not knowing when enough is enough.

Blu-ray Highlight: It’s a bit disappointing that the only bonus material Warner Bros. saw fit to include on the Blu-ray are the two hours’ worth of video blogs that were already made available online in the lead-up to the film’s release. With that said, it’s an impressively in-depth look at the making of the first movie (back when it was only two parts), from location filming in New Zealand, to shooting in 3D and 48 fps, to the dwarves’ intricate makeup and costumes, and much more. Some newer extras would have been nice, but with the inevitable Extended Edition in the pipeline, it’s not much of a surprise either.

Regardless of how you feel about torture techniques or the controversial release of classified information to writer Mark Boal about the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, it’s hard not to be totally engrossed by “Zero Dark Thirty,” especially since it represents a major moment in U.S. history. Jessica Chastain is brilliant as the CIA agent whose obsession with tracking down bin Laden helped lead to his eventual death, while Jason Clarke also delivers a standout performance as a fellow agent working the case. Though this ridiculously in-depth account of the CIA’s search for the al-Qaeda leader could have been an extremely dull affair in someone else’s hands, director Kathryn Bigelow injects the film with the same level of intensity and suspense that made “The Hurt Locker” so riveting. It certainly makes for some fascinating viewing material, and the final 20 minutes – comprised of the climactic attack on bin Laden’s Pakistan compound – are some of the most exciting of any movie released this year.

Blu-ray Highlight: The lack of an audio commentary by director Kathryn Bigelow or writer Mark Boal stings a little bit, and none of the included extras are necessarily must-see, but together they form a decent collection of bonus material that covers the construction of bin Laden’s compound, the authenticity of the SEAL Team 6 equipment (including the top secret stealth helicopters), and Jessica Chastain’s lead character.

It may seem a little suspect releasing another R-rated comedy about bridesmaids behaving badly so soon after Paul Feig’s Oscar-nominated film became a box office hit, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end between “Bachelorette” and “Bridesmaids.” In fact, those claiming that the former is just a cheap rip-off might be surprised to discover that Lesyle Headland’s directorial debut is actually based on her pre-“Bridesmaids” stage play of the same name. Unfortunately, despite its excellent cast and my indifference for the overrated Kristen Wiig comedy, “Bachelorette” is actually worse. For starters, there’s not a single likable character in the entire movie, and most of them are selfish, emotionally-stunted individuals who wouldn’t know how to exist in the real world. Though it’s great seeing Adam Scott and Lizzy Caplan reunited after the cancellation of “Party Down,” that’s about all the film has to offer. “Bachelorette” isn’t just mean-spirited and completely unfunny – it’s surprisingly boring as well. Maybe the story works better on the stage, because the film version isn’t nearly as entertaining as its cast seems to think.

Blu-ray Highlight: There’s not much in the way of special features, but if you don’t mind sitting through the movie a second time, writer/director Lesyle Headland’s audio commentary is worth a listen, especially for any aspiring filmmakers interested in what it’s like to shoot your first feature.

Bullz-Eye: There are times when I watching “Banshee” where I found myself thinking, “This really couldn’t be much more of a ‘guy’ show.”

Antony Starr: Oh, really? Why?

BE: Well, you know, it’s action-packed, there’s sex, there’s violence…you can’t go wrong with those things in the “guy” demo.

AS: Yeah. I mean, look, it’s definitely and obviously going to appeal to a sort of masculine demographic. But interestingly, though, I’ve talked to a lot of women who’ve seen it, and the fact that the show is basically a love story…you know, it’s anchored on a love story. It’s the only reason this guy would get straight out of prison and make a bee-line for his lover. And a lot of women I’ve talked to have really responded to that and are prepared to go through the violence and some of the more masculine elements because of that. So I think it’s…well, we’ll wait and see, but I think it’s got a good appeal to women as well.

BE: The obligatory question: how did you find your way into this part? Did they approach you directly, or was it a straight audition situation?

AS: I was in Sydney, and I put a tape down and emailed the tape I’d made in my lounge. They responded to it, flew me over, I had a screen test, and that was all she wrote. It was actually a very simple process. The auditioning and recalling can be a bit of a nightmare, but these guys were very specific about what they wanted, and once they knew what they wanted, it was a very streamlined process.

BE: You’ve obviously done series television before, but had you been actively looking for another one, or was this just a case where it was a good part that you really wanted to go after?

AS: Very much the latter. [Laughs.] This script popped up, and, one, it was great, it was really interesting, it was a unique idea that was going on and was uniquely written. How it’s translated is slightly different from what was on the page, so it’s been a really interesting process in that respect, but the people involved with it are phenomenal. There’s staggering talent involved. So to be anywhere near involved was someone like Ivana…well, I mean, there was no choice. Of course you go for that.

BE: In regards to the translation from the page to the stage, as it were, you’ve got a series that’s created by two novelists (Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler). Did you get the impression that there was a learning curve for them in working in television? Because my understanding is that they hadn’t really worked in the medium before this.

AS: No, they hadn’t worked in TV before, and I think that collaborative process was one that…well, you’d have to ask them how they felt around that, but with regards to the scripts, the scripts were pretty solid. They attuned themselves very quickly into that. And, of course, we had Alan Ball sitting atop their shoulders overseeing, and Greg Yaitanes knows his way around a script as well. So there was a great supportive network around those guys to really help them keep focused on creating good ideas and keep inventing, keep creating without getting bogged down in “this is right, this is wrong.” And all the directors that came over…geez, they were amazing. So they were in very good hands, even though it was their first time at making a TV show. The support was all there.

BE: As far as the character of Luke goes, it sounds like there was plenty there to work with from the get-go, but have you been able to bring anything to the character that wasn’t there when you arrived?

AS: Yeah, well, I mean, they give you a sense of back story, they give you the big brush strokes, then it’s up to me to sort of fill it up with who I am, what I am, and what I can research on the internet and in books. Also, I like to get as involved as possible when it comes to the script and the creation of the character, and I think that any actor would say the same thing. Well, I would’ve thought so, anyway. [Laughs.] But I certainly like to have a really hands-on approach to what I’m doing. I definitely have creative ideas that I’ll put forward, even if it’s just to identify something that I’ve thought of, or something they’d thought of that I don’t understand. Whatever it is, the relationship’s got to be two-way. I’m not into just being instructed on what to do. The exchange is part of the fun.

BE: Had you ever met Ivana Milicevic prior to this?

AS: Nope!

BE: You guys must’ve found your chemistry pretty quickly, then.

AS: Oh, yeah, she’s…well, I’m pretty intense, especially when it comes to work. She is as well. So, y’know, naturally nothing is not gonna happen. [Laughs.] Do you know what I mean? Something is gonna happen when you’ve got two people who are really invested in what they’re doing and they really care about the result and they care about the process, both their own and each other’s, what’s happening with the other person and how you can both make it as good as it can be. You can’t get nothing out of that. Something’s always gonna happen. And luckily, right off the bat, the cast and crew that have been assembled to make this project have just been so passionate about it and 100% committed. When you get that sort of commitment, you can’t avoid a certain level of chemistry. And she’s a great girl as well. So it’s easy.

BE: The show often feels like an ’80s action movie transported into present day. There are…I don’t want to call them “tropes,” because they’re not delivered in a cliched way, but there are certainly a lot of aspects to the series that you can imagine in a Schwarzenegger or Stallone or even a Chuck Norris film.

AS: Like what?

BE: Well, you know, ex-con tries to make good, that kind of thing.

AS: Yeah, okay. You’re actually the first person who’s said that. [Laughs.] But that’s interesting. It’s an interesting world that the show inhabits. I never look at it as an action show. I always look at it as a love story that has action on top of that. I guess that classic sort of starcrossed-lovers thing comes up for me as much as any sort of action film from the ’80s, per se. But there’s definitely elements in there. The show’s got a heightened reality as well, so we can get away with a lot more and have those ideas in there, those extremities, and we can do it in such a way that it’s not threatening to the audience. We can have really violent scenes where you don’t vomit or wince as an audience…well, hopefully not, anyway. [Laughs.]

BE: And I think that heightened reality might be why I liken it to an ’80s film. I don’t feel as intimidated when I watch those films, because I’m kind of caught up in the fun of it all.

AS: Yeah. And that’s exactly right. It’s not like you’re watching something that’s more documentary-like in style, where when someone gets hit or someone gets hurt you wince or shudder and really feel like you’re experiencing it. There are episodes that come up where the bad guy will get his comeuppance. So it becomes fun. You invest, but in a different kind of way, as an audience. And I think that’s a great way to take people into a world like this, where it’s pretty grim. There’s drug dealers, there’s all sorts of things that come up, like bad guys shooting each other and terrible things happening, but in a fun way. And there’s a sense of humor going through it as well. Jonathan and David, they’re both very funny guys, and they both have a sense of humor that shows up through the series.

BE: To talk about some of your past work, do you have a favorite project that you’ve worked on over the years that didn’t get the love you thought it deserved?

AS: Um…there was a film that I did that didn’t get much…it got screened in New Zealand, but it was called “After the Waterfall,” about a park ranger who loses his daughter and goes through this pretty traumatic experience, which I think was probably more fun to do than it was to watch. [Laughs.] It was a pretty hard watch. And it was pretty chronically under-funded as well, which was really frustrating. We shot it in what seemed like a blink. So it had problems in the edit, and, yeah, there’s a lot wrong with it, but at its core it had a heart that was…I mean, I really responded to it. You know, you get attached to things. I get emotionally attached to things I’m in, that I had an intense experience in or whatever, so naturally those things that you love and you put so much into, you want them to do well. And when the baby’s delivered, you want someone to hold it…and in that case, with the distributors, we were pretty let down. Which was pretty frustrating. There was no one there to take care of our baby when it was born. [Laughs.] Which was tough to swallow.

But with that said, I got representation over here because of it, so to a certain extent I got something out of it. But it was still pretty frustrating to see that happen. But it’s inevitable, I suppose. It also came out right when the financial crunch really hit, in 2008 or maybe 2009, and people just didn’t want to go to the cinema and be reminded of how tough life is. They wanted escapism. They wanted to go and eat popcorn and see explosions. You can look at a lot of films coming out today, and the climate is not…there are a lot of films being made today that seem to me to be pure escapism. Which, y’know, there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that, but it’s great when other things pop up as well.

BE: Okay, a geeky sidebar question.

AS: Cool!

BE: As someone from New Zealand, have you got any particular favorite New Zealand bands?

AS: [Instantly.] The Datsuns. They’re great. I love the Datsuns. And I’m obliged to say Crowded House. And Split Enz.

BE: Do you like the Chills at all?

AS: The Chills…? I…I don’t actually know them. Is that terrible?

BE: Maybe.

AS: [Laughs.] If it helps, there’s another young band I like that’s quite good. The Tuts.

BE: Are you familiar with Flying Nun Records?

AS: Yeah, yeah. Flying Nun, they do a lot of the slightly more non-commercial bands that come up, yeah? With really interesting voices. New Zealand, there’s been a big push since the late ’90s, probably, on the music side of things. The arts in general, but particularly music. And we’ve a had lot of really good exports.

BE: Can you even speak to how much Peter Jackson has helped out the film industry in New Zealand?

AS: Oh, well, obviously, you can’t escape “The Hobbit” as the moment. It’s pretty crazy! And he’s obviously a super-talent, and he’s done great things for the industry down there.

BE: Just a few more as we start wrapping up. What are your recollections of working on “Without A Paddle”?

AS: Um…it was fun. We shot it in Wellington, which is a nice town to be in. God, that was awhile ago. Yeah, I had a very small part on it. But it was fun. I came along, and…it was great.

BE: Did you get to interact with Anthony Hopkins very much on “The World’s Fastest Indian”?

AS: A little bit, yeah. I mean, he’s a pretty amazing human being, a pretty interesting guy. Everyone wants a piece of him, so I had to sort of take a back seat on that, because I wanted to give him his space a bit more because he was mobbed constantly. But he seemed lovely.

BE: You started out in soaps. Do you ever pat yourself on the back for having made it out of that niche? Because many people get trapped there.

AS: Yeah, well, I did one soap (“Shortland Street”) for seven weeks, so…

BE: Sometimes that’s enough.

AS: Sometimes that is enough. [Laughs.] But, look, in retrospect, I’d done nothing substantial prior to that, and it’s a good way to find your feet. That particular show in New Zealand is a great platform for people to sort of get in and cut their teeth a little bit, get on the set and learn. There’s nothing like diving in. And it’s a brutal environment. My hat’s off to anyone that can survive in that. I can’t function that quickly. I take much more time, and those guys…it’s mechanical what’s going on in those shows, and anyone who can keep up and do well in that environment, hey, I’m in awe.

BE: Okay, last one: is there any intrinsic difference between working on a series in the U.S. versus working on one in Australia or New Zealand?

AS: Look, the main difference is probably scale. Obviously, it’s bigger here. I’ve worked in both Australia and New Zealand, and it’s very similar in both countries. It’s really… [Sighs.] It’s just very small. And naturally, what comes with that is that you don’t have a lot of money to throw around on production and different things that get financial attention over here. So that would be the main thing. That said, you know, it’s basically still the same thing. It’s still ultimately taking someone else’s words, filling them with you, and trying to tell the truth to someone else. So basically all the raw elements are the same, I think. I think it’s easier to get caught up in that whole “the size of it is so much bigger” thing because it’s all bright and shiny over here. [Laughs.] But I feel very lucky to have come from a place like Australia and New Zealand, because New Zealand knows how to keep people real…and you can take that however you want!

I was in a show in New Zealand that went pretty well: “Outrageous Fortune.” It just went crazy in New Zealand, which was great. It was great to be a part of something that…well, in a lot of ways, it really broke ground, in terms of the fact that there’d never been a show that’d gone past three series. And New Zealand has a bit of a cultural cringe which I think “Outrageous Fortune” helped people get over and sort of get behind New Zealand content, because we are very hard on ourselves and domestic product down there. So being part of that was fantastic. And also you learn that you might’ve done six seasons of work on a TV show, but no one knows who you are in the rest of the world. [Laughs.] Only in New Zealand.

So, y’know, there’s not a lot of frills in New Zealand, but that also makes it a nice place to go back to and call home and sort of get away from the busyness and craziness that it is over here. It’s a different system. It’s an operation over here. Which is great, but…I feel very lucky to be able to dip into them both.

It’s no secret that Hollywood saves some of its biggest guns for the end of the year, and between all the awards season hopefuls and holiday blockbusters, there’s an entire arsenal of exciting movies coming to theaters this December. While Kathryn Bigelow, Tom Hooper and Quentin Tarantino duke it for Oscar honors with their newest films, “Jack Reacher” and “The Hobbit” promise to deliver pure escapist entertainment. The only thing missing is a big red bow, because this is the ultimate present for film lovers.

Who: Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Williams, Olivia Colman and Samuel West
What: The story of the love affair between FDR and his distant cousin Margaret Stuckley during the weekend in 1939 when the King of England visited upstate New York.
When: December 7th
Why: Bill Murray is notoriously picky about choosing scripts, but not even he could turn down the chance to play Franklin D. Roosevelt, which practically comes with an Oscar nomination attached to it. All kidding aside, Murray is actually a pretty inspired choice to play the wheelchair-bound 32nd President, especially because Roger Michell’s film appears to be much lighter for a story that takes place during such a harrowing period in history. While it’s unlikely that “Hyde Park on Hudson” will garner the same awards recognition as 2010’s “The King’s Speech” (although the two movies would make a perfect double feature), it’s hard to imagine that it will disappoint with such a solid cast.

Who: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving
What: Bilbo Baggins journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.
When: December 14th
Why: After years stuck in development hell due to the MGM bankruptcy crisis, the most anticipated prequel to come out of Hollywood since “The Phantom Menace” is finally arriving in theaters, although not exactly in the way that most people were expecting. For starters, Peter Jackson is back in the director’s chair after Guillermo del Toro cut his losses to work on other projects (and really, it’s for the better), while two movies have now become three after the decision was made to turn “The Hobbit” into its own trilogy. Though I’m not exactly sure how Jackson plans to do that (especially when Part One, subtitled “An Unexpected Journey,” will reportedly run 160 minutes long), that doesn’t make me any less thrilled about getting the chance to revisit Middle Earth all over again.

Who: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Kyle Chandler, Chris Pratt and Jason Clarke
What: A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks, and his death at the hands of Navy SEAL Team Six.
When: December 19th
Why: The last time director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal got together, they made the superb military thriller “The Hurt Locker,” which went on to win six Oscars, including ones for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. The pair has reportedly been working on a movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden for quite some time – so long, in fact, that they had to completely rewrite it after the al-Qaeda leader’s death in 2011 – but if there’s one film with the potential to outdo their last collaboration, “Zero Dark Thirty” is it. Though the movie is clearly much larger in scope than “The Hurt Locker,” with a lot of moving parts and an incredible ensemble cast too big to list here, if Bigelow and Boal get it right, this could be the movie event of the year.

Who: Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand, Adam Scott, Colin Hanks and Yvonne Strahovski
What: An inventor and his mom hit the road together so he can sell his latest invention.
When: December 19th
Why: With the exception of her supporting roles in the two “Meet the Parents” sequels, it’s been 16 years since Barbara Streisand starred in a film, so naturally people are excited. Though “The Guilt Trip” isn’t exactly the type of movie that a lot of her fans would expect from the actress, the idea of pairing her with man-child Seth Rogen is just interesting enough to perk my interest. Rogen’s career has been pretty hit-and-miss, especially when given too much freedom to improvise, so hopefully having a screen legend like Streisand around will encourage him to bring his A-game, because if the duo can strike the right chemistry, “The Guilt Trip” could be a pleasant holiday surprise.

Who: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins and Werner Herzog
What: A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims.
When: December 21st
Why: Fans of Lee Child’s popular Jack Reacher book series were outraged when it was announced that Tom Cruise would be playing the lead character in Christopher McQuarrie’s big screen adaptation of the series’ ninth novel, and understandably so. After all, Reacher’s hulking physical appearance supposedly plays an important role in the books, and the diminutive Cruise is one of the last people you’d think of for the part. With that said, however, the actor has not only gotten the stamp of approval from Child himself, but based on the trailers released thus far, it appears that what he lacks in physicality he more than makes up for in attitude. And to think that Cruise wasn’t even McQuarrie’s oddest casting choice. Instead, that honor goes to German director Werner Herzog as the movie’s villain, which is actually kind of perfect when you think about it.

Who: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy and Albert Brooks
What: Picking up a few years after the events of “Knocked Up,” Pete and Debbie continue to fight their way through marriage.
When: December 21st
Why: As far as spinoffs and sequels go, the idea behind “This Is 40” is pretty great, but it’s been awhile since Judd Apatow did anything that really made me laugh, and I’m skeptical that his new movie can buck that trend. Though Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann were responsible for some of the funniest moments in “Knocked Up,” they were much better off as supporting characters, so it’ll be interesting to see if they’ll be able to carry an entire movie on their own. Apatow has already covered many of the basic milestones in adult life – losing your virginity, giving birth and death – so it certainly makes sense that he would be attracted to telling a more complete story about marriage as well. The real question is whether returning to the world of “Knocked Up” will help rekindle Apatow’s comic spark, or if it just makes him look that much more desperate by trying.

Who: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kerry Washington
What: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
When: December 25th
Why: Quentin Tarantino has dabbled in just about every genre at this point in his career, so it’s only natural that he tried his hand at a Western, even if it’s not exactly a Western in the conventional sense. Much like his last film, “Django Unchained” is set against the backdrop of a particular time in history, and the director seems to thrive when working in that environment. Though I wasn’t crazy about his decision to cast Jamie Foxx in the title role (especially with guys like Idris Elba and Michael K. Williams also auditioning for the part), Tarantino’s casting is almost always spot-on, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He hasn’t let me down yet, and between its promising concept and great cast (including Leonardo DiCaprio as the film’s villain), I don’t expect him to start here.

Who: Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried
What: In 19th-century France, criminal Jean Valjean agrees to care for a factory worker’s daughter while being hunted by the ruthless policeman Javert.
When: December 25th
Why: After “The King’s Speech” won Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards two years ago, Tom Hooper could have done anything he wanted, so it’s very telling of his aspirations as a filmmaker that he chose to follow it up with a project as ambitious as a big screen adaptation of “Les Miserables.” Though the movie musical was reinvigorated with 2002’s “Chicago,” many of the ones released in the years since have failed to replicate that same level of success. But there aren’t many musicals that are bigger than “Les Miserables,” and judging by the trailers, Hooper has delivered a moviegoing experience that could rival “Chicago.” From the incredible ensemble cast, to Hooper’s rather unconventional decision to record all of the musical performances live, “Les Miserables” is already shaping up to be one of this year’s Oscar frontrunners.

Who: Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand and Rosemarie DeWitt
What: A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.
When: December 28th
Why: There aren’t very many movies that manage to fly under my radar, but “Promised Land” did just that, and I’m not exactly sure how it happened, because the film is jam-packed with talent. Not only does it mark the reunion of Matt Damon with his “Good Will Hunting” director Gus Van Sant, but it’s Damon’s first screenplay since 2002’s “Gerry,” which was also directed by Van Sant. And in keeping with Damon’s habit of co-writing movies with his co-stars, “Promised Land” also counts John Krasinski among its many multi-hyphenates, making the film a somewhat intimate affair. Though it’s difficult to tell how the indie drama will fare against the rest of the season’s competition, despite its environmentally charged subject matter, it’s probably a dark horse contender at best.