The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug Review

My yearlong anticipation ended last night with the premiere of The Desolation of Smaug ! I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Hobbit double feature in HFR and Dolby surround. Here is my Review! With Spoilers !

               The film looked and sounded amazing? Having been in NZ twice and anticipating a 3rd trip it is so wonderful to see that once again Peter Jackson has used the countryside of New Zealand as almost another character! The landscapes are so beautiful and he really captures it beautifully!  I enjoyed the opening scene between Thorin and Gandalf at the Prancing Pony. In fact I really enjoyed the film including the New made for film only character Tauriel, up until Laketown. there the movie hit a wall. I got bored. Didn't care about Bards Family, nor did I enjoy the whole scene with the Dragon. I'm talking about the action sequences, not the Bilbo/Smaug interactions. Richard Armitage is fantastic, powerful and magnetic, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Sir Ian Mckellan is once again simply  Great. One of the finest actors Ive ever seen. I love Gandalf ! Loved his scenes in this film ! I hope The next movie which as a longtime fan, I'm sure will be the best of all three. !

September 24

Today in Middle-earth, September 24
September 24th, 2008 by grammaboodawg

September 24, 2008
The following event(s) took place in Middle-earth on September 24:

Bilbo nurses a bad cold (1341)
Gandalf leaves unexpectedly (1401)
Gandalf crosses the Isen (1418)
The Hobbits cross the Shire (1418)
They meet Gildor and the High Elves travelling through the Shire (1418)

September 24, 2941 (S.R. 1341)
(from Karen Wynn Fonstad, The Atlas of Middle-earth-no text)
1. Bilbo nurses a bad cold as he and the Dwarves enjoy the hospitality and praise of Lake-town.

September 24, 3001 (S.R. 1401)
2. Gandalf leaves unexpectedly.
(not from the appendices-tiny no text)

Frodo began to recover from the excitement and fury of the Party and distribution of gifts.
(Tolkien, 1965 Ballantine, p. 69 FotR)

September 24, 3018 (S.R. 1418)
1. Gandalf crosses the Isen.
(from the appendices-no text)
Shadowfax raced across the vast leagues between the land of the Rohirrim and the Northern Realm. Gandalf reached the River Isen as the hobbits leisurely made their way across the Shire.
(Tolkien, 1965 Ballantine, p. 344-345 FotR)

2. The Hobbits cross the Shire.
(not from the appendices)
“Frodo woke up first, and found that a tree-root had made a hole in his back, and that his neck was stiff. ‘Walking for pleasure! Why didn’t I drive?’ he thought, as he usually did at the beginning of an expedition.”
(Tolkien, 1965 Ballantine, p. 108 FotR)

3. They meet Gildor and the High Elves travelling through the Shire.
(not from the appendices)
“The song ended. ‘And now to bed! And now to bed’ sang Pippin in a high voice.
‘Hush!’ said Frodo. ‘I think I hear hoofs again.’
They stopped suddenly and stood as silent as tree-shadows, listening.”
(Tolkien, 1965 Ballantine, p. 116-124 FotR)

An Unexpected Party

The Live Internet chat with both Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Tor on Saturday May 24Th, went very well. At least I thought so. The twins were a little disappointed, that none of our questions were answered at least directly. Most of the questions we had were credited to other questioners. That's OK, They literally had thousands online with us, participating in the chat. Tom and I, wrote down the questions we wanted asked before the star of the chat, and all of those questions were answered. I'll add them here with the answers at the end. Timmy had a previous engagement, so he couldn't come over. But we had him on conference call with us, so he would not feel left out. I did not specifically ask, other than a comical question, about actually being in the film. I didn't think it would be fair to other participants and felt it would also be inappropriate to the forum. But at the end of the chat, Guillermo did comment about few asking to be in the film, which to me says that he is aware of my pestering and desire to work on the Hobbit. Here is a brief summary. New Zealand will again be used (perfect) as the setting for Middle -Earth. Both men prefer using actual sets as opposed to CGI. Guillermo commented on using both seamlessly as optimal. Jackson claims that Bilbo has NOT been cast (Internet rumour has Martin Freeman cast). And Sir Ian McKellen also has claimed he has already been approached. According to Guillermo, anyone in the LOTR Trilogy will be asked to reprise their roles in The Hobbit, if the script for F2 (film two) requires it. The scripts have not been written yet, so commenting on Cast news would be premature. Matamat will once again be used for Hobbiton, bigger and better than ever according to Jackson. Guillermo spoke eloquently when referring to bringing Smaug to life. Even going so far as to name Malificent as a favorite Dragon. (everyone knows she was/is my favorite Disney villain) . In ending. Del Toro said and I quote" But I can say that only a FEW asked "How can I be an extra?" so my heart swell with pride with the many questions that you were kind enough to submit-More chats and wandering in the message boards await us-See you soon. " Note. I submitted a question 2 weeks or so ago, asking how I can participate in the making of the movie, ie perhaps an extra or foot messager. Do you think this comment was a slap or derogatory comment towards me? I hope not. My intention was because of my love and passion for the story and all its characters. i read the Hobbit when i was 7 years old. LOTR soon followed soon afterwards.My favorite book of all time. I have read it more than any other. Period. The movies to me are perfection, lightning in the bottle. The look, the feel, the sound, the costumes, the casting even, simply perfection. I took the Twins to NZ, to be on a LOTR tour, that alone should prove my passion for Middle Earth. I just want to be involved somehow. What an incredible chance, perhaps a life altering experience. I will keep trying. I have a til filming starts in 2010, to save my money and make the long journey back to Middle Earth. You have to Dream it, To Live It....Here is a brief audition, lol .Namarie


p.s if you care to read the Entire Trancript go here

Hobbit casting News

According to several sources Sir Ian Mckellen has been asked to reprise his role of Gandalf in The Hobbit. Now I'm reading the Andy Serkis and Viggo Mortenson have been approached. Fantastic news. Please please please Viggo say yes. Aragorn can't be played with someone else. Gollum wouldn't be the same also, Andy must come back. ( Rumours say Serkis has already signed). Viggo, I beg you, plead with you, pray you sign on. I have also just read the Bilbo will be played by Martin Freeman, I don't know who that is, but that could be a good thing. He can create the role, and bring a fresh perspective to it. I'm sorry , but I do feel Sir Ian Holm is too old to play a young Bilbo. more news soon to come. Namarie