Hobbit film casting confirmed

[Mister Matt]

I think I'll wait to view it at home where I can do laundry or dishes when I get bored. Sounds like I'll enjoy this about as much as I did Lord of the Rings, which wasn't a whole lot.

[TheLadyoftheWood]

@Mister Matt,

I saw it at midnight ht on the day it came on the day it came out and was bored for the first hour and half. When you buy it plop it in and do laundry and dishes for about that long and then you get to the good part.

Andy Serkis, Cate Blanchett and Barry Humphries give great performances. The Goblin King and Gollum scenes were the best in the film.

[beautywickedlover]

I almost forgot to say that it really was great to see Blanchett as Galadriel again even though her character does not appear in the book.

[best12bars]

It's funny, I'm actually hoping for and looking forward to a "cutdown" Director's Remorse Edition of all three films digested into a single, manageable, 3-hour movie, instead of going the other way with extended editions.

A guy can dream, can't he?

I really have lost interest in paying triple to see this one book bloated up and stretched out like taffy into a 9-hour miniseries. I'll probably rent them from Redbox, rather than pay $30 to see the whole story.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

I thought it was okay. Peter Jackson is clearly catering for the ardent afficionados, and not more casual fans like me. I took him at his word when he said it had artistic merit to stretch it out over three movies, but now I can see that commerce and fanaticism have won out - it was kinda bloated and pompous.

It was a pleasant enough way to spend an evening, I guess. I don't really care what happens next. I saw it in 3D, which was meh.

I appreciated that Aiden Turner was allowed stay his usual self, and not uglified like the other dwarfs. He's pretty.

Actors I didn't know were in it until the end credits - Barry Humphries, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace.

Thus concludes my in-depth analysis/review. ***

[EricMontreal22]

Ugh it sounds like my fears are true.

"The addition of Saruman and Galadriel to Rivendel did nothing for the plot and since (correct me if I'm wrong) neither one is even mentioned in the Hobbit, what's the point?"

I believe this will be a big part of the basis for the third movie--material taken from the appendices. Blah.

[trentsketch]

My understanding is that the added storyline is going to split focus in the second film and resolve quickly in the third so Gandalf is back for the big fight at the end.

[Jordan Catalano]

Since it's been so long since I read the books, am I correct in thinking Gollum is not in the story after this one?

[trentsketch]

Jordan, you're correct. Gollum's only scene has already been shown in this film.

[Taryn]

A term I've heard come up in regards to the movie is "tonal whiplash." The Hobbit is a much lighter, slighter story than Lord of the Rings and pretty much everything else Tolkien wrote in Middle-Earth. So you go from this lighter story of Thorin and his gang bringing Bilbo on this adventure from this added weight and horror of Sauron's return into the world, and it's like, Peter Jackson just sit down and pick a tone and what story you are telling here!!

[Jordan Catalano]

Well maybe he'll find a way to incorporate Gollum into the next two films. I mean, since he's rewriting the story, why not? And maybe he'll put Trini Alvarado's character from THE FRIGHTENERS in the 3rd one just to mix it up.

[rosscoe(au)]

Left about an hour into it, really was bored and thought I don't care enough to find out where this is going. The Christmas turkey arrived early!

[BroadwayBenny]

I must be too far gone into loving Jackson & Company's version of Middle-Earth and be incredibly biased as I loved just about every minute of it. The only thing I think the movie suffers from is some of the same as FotR did, which is more set up than pay off, but we know we are getting all these things resolved in the next two movies, so I'm fine with it. A lot of these things people are saying are pointless additions are leading up to some pretty epic payoffs, such as Galadriel at the battle of Dol Guldur.



I thought they did a great job of maintaining the more whimsical feel of The Hobbit vs. LotR while still keeping everything in the same world.

I also enjoyed Gollum more in Riddles in the Dark, than any scenes of his in Lord of the Rings. And don't get me started on how HAWTT Armitage is as Thorin Oakenshield.

[beautywickedlover]

This is very funny.


The Hobbit: An Unexpected Christmas

[dramamama611]

I really liked it, quite a bit actually. More importantly, my 12 year old son ADORED it. He's already 1/2 through the book again (he'd read it a year or so ago) and can't wait to get started on the LOTR series.

Since I obviously live under a rock, I hadn't realized it was going to be 3 movies until a day or so before we went -- but I really like how this still felt complete, good choices were made.

And may I say, some of those dwarfs are HOT.

[tazber]

Loved it. Loved everything about it.

It was exactly what I had hoped it would be. I never get tired of Jackson's Middle Earth.

I've been pining for a real life version of The Hobbit since I was 7, and this was exactly what I had imagined it should be.

[Jungle Red]

According to Diva, there's singing.

[Jordan Catalano]

And Liza!

[little_sally]

Saw this last night and loved it. Martin Freeman is just perfect as Bilbo.

[billygoatgirl300]

Saw it again for the 2nd time last night and it was just as enjoyable as the first. I might bite the bullet and go see it in 3D.

[HoldThatThought]

I saw this yesterday afternoon in 3D with the family. We were leery about seeing it with the 48fps, and read in reviews that 3D was the way to go. I'm typically not a fan of 3D but we enjoyed it, and the 3D was tastefully used.

[bethnor]

part of the problem is jackson's need to insert himself into the movie. by framing it in his prior film by putting frodo there, much of the tension is sapped. you know bilbo and gandalf will be fine, whereas a reader of the hobbit has no way of knowing that.

the rankin bass animated film did the riddle scene much better. brother theodore's voice as gollum is far superior to serkis, imho. his final cry of, "we HATES IT!!!!! HATES IT.... FOREVER!!!" is bonechilling. there is a genuine sense that if bilbo loses the game, he will get eaten--whereas jackson plays the scene for laughs (oddly). serkis' overexposure also damages it (andy would never eat bilbo). and despite being much much much shorter, somehow it seems more genuine to the material--i missed the part of the conversation where gollum thought that bilbo was "tricksy" and thought that he knew where the "backdoor" was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLssei0sId0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj8r5ojAh9k

[beautywickedlover]

I went to see the film again today and I enjoyed more this time around. The scenery was even more beautiful and I also had more appreciation of the cast's performances. Last time saw the film I took a little bit of bathroom break during an important scene and that was Radagast's visit to Dol Guldur. I am glad that I was able to see that scene this time around.

[bwayphreak234]

I saw this the other night and was bored out of my mind for the most part. The scenery and cinematography was breathtaking though.

[eatlasagna]

i'm going to see it in HFR tomorrow... not looking forward to 3D since i hate it... but looking forward to seeing it a second time.

[beautywickedlover]

Very funny video.


How The Hobbit Should Have Ended