The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug takes up residence in area theaters this week and it is so fearsome that only the bravest of the brave — to wit, Sir Tyler Perry of Madea — dares sally forth to engage the beast in this weekend’s pre-Christmas box office contest.
Our Piers Marchant tells us all about the former in this week’s MovieStyle; alas, A Madea Christmas was not made available to critics beforehand, so we can’t help you with that one. There’s also Karen Martin’s Homemovies column, which this week features the Billy Bob Thornton-directed Jayne Mansfield’s Car, and a peek inside Philip Martin’s end-of-the-year ballot for the Southeastern Film Critics Association.