So I caught up with some friends who still have not seen this even though they are geeks who love the books and movies. WTF?
my rating is "eeeeehhh... it was 'fun'!" i couldnt stop thinking about how much more fresh it would have felt with del toro at the helm. here's hoping Pacific Rim is worth it...
Tolkien's birthday today! Some quotes from him... Never laugh at live dragons.Not all those who wander are lost.I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size.) I like gardens, trees, and unmechanized farmlands; I smoke a pipe, and like good plain food (unrefrigerated), but detest French cooking; I like, and even dare to wear in these dull days, ornamental waistcoats. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humor (which even my appreciative critics find tiresome); I go to bed late and get up late (when possible.) I do not travel much.I loved (Hobbits) myself since I love the vulgar and simple as dearly as the noble."I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. Any others you can think of?
I don't know how or why the Party Dad Thranduil meme got started, but it's probably become my favorite thing ever.
i like how thranduil is played by lee pace of Pushing Daisies piemaker fame if idris elba became the next bond i might be compelled to actually care about james bond
The Tolkien Nerd's Guide to The Hobbit by the Smithsonian magazine. The bottom line: only little of the film is actually a PJ invention, and some clever lines may hint at things to come in the following movies. Cheers, Lauré
However, that clip could have simply been a preview scene from Gandalf in the "current" timeframe when he's dealing with the Necromancer. I don't think we'll see any of Gandalf's interactions with Thráin.
But there was a short clip of Gandalf in Dol Guldur fighting what I'm 100% sure is Thráin in that trailer.
Can someone answer for me how the hell Benedict Cumberbatch gets billing for this first film? I thought that Michael Gambon being in the main billing block for Deathy Hallows Part I was the height of insanity, but this goes further still.
I was initially confused by this too however I realised that The Necromancer had a small cameo in the film of which he is doing mo-cap. Some might also suggest it is because of Smaug at the very end, but he did not audibly say anything so I think it is most likely his Necromancer duties.
The Cumberbatch thing was odd, why did he need to mo-cap a shadow for about 10 seconds? Surely they could have just done all that with CGI. And he doesn't do any Smaug talking or any major facial movement which I assume is why he was mo-capping Smaug. When the Necromancer appears in a more active role instead of standing in a doorway, and actually talks or whatever, then Cumberbatch can be credited with portraying him. Maybe it is just for consistency though, he will be playing two characters so he might as well be credited in all the films in which those characters appear (even if he doesn't do anything).
Was about to post this too... it's a good article. I haven't watched this again yet, but thinking back on it I still really enjoyed it. My 6 year old son loved it too, and he didn't even want this nearly three hour movie to end when we saw Smaug's eye open at the end. We saw it in 2D, which I'm glad about. I didn't think it was 48fps, which I see confirmed here now in the posts saying that only the 3D showings were 48fps.
It's more of a cameo, and in the Extended Edition, even, but Sean Bean's definitely in the film: So I guess that if Sean Bean can get credit for being a mere vision, then Benedict Cumberbatch can get credit for Smaug's eye and the Necromancer's shadow on the wall. Cheers, Lauré
