The Hobbit (the Jackson films)

[SherlockedCAMPer]

A little more than 10 days to go.  Can't wait.  We finished my son's hobbit outfit today.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, cool!  What sort of outfit is it?

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Shoes that look like they came from something closer to colonial times. Earth-tone vest & suit coat that have a hobbit look to them. Not identical but close to what Pippin wore in LOTR.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I suppose I'll wear what I've worn to the other two Hobbit movies -- a striped shirt (vaguely like the one Bilbo wears at Bag End) over a green turtleneck shirt (because hobbits like green), with a dark-red vest (vaguely like the one Bilbo wears during the first half of his adventure) and jeans (because I'm not sufficiently dedicated to wear crop pants like Bilbo's -- in December!).

 

NBC has posted bits of an interview with McKellen, Freeman, Bloom, and Jackson, interspersed with snippets from the third movie.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Here's a clip from Freeman's recent appearance on the Jonathan Ross program, with him explaining the logistics of hobbit feet -- and attempting to answer Ross's rather persistent question about, umm, certain related issues.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wbk7Xow2N3o

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

... and this is apparently the entire program:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwItDT_qbS8&feature=player_detailpage

 

[Tunguska]

Just went to see it after I hosted a little part 1 and 2 marathon at my home last sunday. I was dreading the Epic Battle a bit but I actually found it very enjoyable and Martin was more than excellent of course. Could have done without some of the love stories and Legolas acrobatics, though. And Smaug did not get nearly enough lines! No, it was good, I liked it. Maybe even the best of 3.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Just finished watching part of DoS then realized that the other Cinemax channel was playing that after #1 so I flipped & watched #1 from the burning tree to the end so that we could watch #2 all the way through. Asked my son if he wanted to do a Hobbit marathon on Tuesday before we saw #3 to which he responded with a Smaug like yes (his voice is lowering to a Bari-tenor range currently)

[Carol the Dabbler]

Just went to see it after I hosted a little part 1 and 2 marathon at my home last sunday. I was dreading the Epic Battle a bit but I actually found it very enjoyable and Martin was more than excellent of course. Could have done without some of the love stories and Legolas acrobatics, though. And Smaug did not get nearly enough lines! No, it was good, I liked it. Maybe even the best of 3.

 

You give me hope!  And I won't even ask what they did or did not include from the book.  Would rather see it for myself.

 

I didn't care for part 2 the first time in the theater, but I must say that I liked it somewhat better after several viewings and much better after recently seeing the extended edition.  Now I'm really looking forward to part 3 in just four more days -- go, Bilbo!

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Every time I see the trailer where Bilbo & Gandalf talk about Bilbo going to warn the dwarves, I get Moftiss (TRF in particular) like emotional feels.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yes, I think I'm really going to like how Bilbo is treated in this movie -- judging by the scene you mention, plus the one where Gandalf says something about telling Thorin what Bilbo has done (where I strongly suspect I know what he's talking about).  Whee!

 

[Tunguska]

I really hope you will enjoy it. I mean, there are still some battle scenes that felt a bit prolonged bordering ridiculous but mostly, there was more dialogue and less orc clashing than I feared. I have not read the book yet to be honest so I don't know how true they are to that but Bilbo's involvement in the war was very touching and believable I thought - indeed, especially that pre-released scene where he talks to Gandalf about saving the dwarves. Lump in throat!

 

Bilbo's amount of face time was a bit better than I feared after the trailer, too, although it could always have been more if you asked me - even non stop Bilbo scenes would have suited me perfectly so I'm not the best to ask! :P

[Carol the Dabbler]

... there are still some battle scenes that felt a bit prolonged bordering ridiculous ...

Oh good heavens -- I didn't realize this was a Peter Jackson movie!  ;)

 

... non stop Bilbo scenes would have suited me perfectly ...

 

Doubt that I'd complain either!

[Carol the Dabbler]

The folks from Sherlockology have seen the movie and have posted their review with the following warning:

 

Please be aware, this review contains some spoilers of material contained in the original novel - if you've read that, you're safe to read this.

 

I'm interested in what they have to say, but even though I've definitely read the book, I plan to avoid reading the review till after I've seen the movie for myself -- just a couple more days!

 

 

Their Tumblr post featured the above poster, which I find interesting for its size-implication of the relative importance of various characters in the final installment:

 

Tier One:  Bilbo -- just Bilbo  :D

Tier Two:  Thorin, Gandalf, and Bard

Tier Three:  Thranduil, Tauriel, and Legolas

Tier Four:  Nameless hordes (but including Azog)

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Our local theater had a 7:00 showing this evening (way nicer than starting the movie at midnight).  We found this movie to be a very satisfactory experience, and though I was once more sobbing at the end, this time it was a good cry.  I have grown to appreciate the second film as well (especially after seeing the extended cut), but this one I appreciate just fine right off the bat.

 

Question for those of you who've also seen it:

 

The final shot of 51-year-old Bilbo immediately struck me as bearing a strong resemblance to Ian Holm's elderly Bilbo.  Does anyone happen to know whether they morphed a bit of Holm into Freeman -- or did Freeman simply "channel" Holm for a moment, before we skipped forward 60 years?

 

 

Comment on the closing credits:

 

When they showed Freeman's full-screen credit, I couldn't help laughing out loud, because the drawing of Bilbo looks so much like this 2012 photo of Freeman (minus the Lego figure, of course):

 

 

Heaven knows what anyone else in the theater thought of my cackle!

 

 

 

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Our local theater had a 7:00 showing this evening (way nicer than starting the movie at midnight).  We found this movie to be a very satisfactory experience, and though I was once more sobbing at the end, this time it was a good cry.  I have grown to appreciate the second film as well (especially after seeing the extended cut), but this one I appreciate just fine right off the bat.

 

Question for those of you who've also seen it:

 

The final shot of 51-year-old Bilbo immediately struck me as bearing a strong resemblance to Ian Holm's elderly Bilbo.  Does anyone happen to know whether they morphed a bit of Holm into Freeman -- or did Freeman simply "channel" Holm for a moment, before we skipped forward 60 years?

 

 

Comment on the closing credits:

 

When they showed Freeman's full-screen credit, I couldn't help laughing out loud, because the drawing of Bilbo looks so much like this 2012 photo of Freeman (minus the Lego figure, of course):

 

 

Heaven knows what anyone else in the theater thought of my cackle!

 

 

 

 

Not sure about Martin's pic with the mini-figure.

 

But it was indeed Ian Holm as the older Bilbo. His parts were filmed in the UK.

 

 

I managed not to lose it to badly.  My son, however, was a mess which was a first for him.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Now for my mini review:

 

loved the film, definitely emotion filled, can't wait for the Extended Version DVD.

 

One question:

 

Is it bad that I kind of felt bad/sad that Smaug was killed? It's not like Sherlock jumped...this was an evil fictional entity. In my head I was like: there goes one of Benedict's characters (no tears but a little sad as he did his Smaug brilliantly), now to wait for the Necromancer to show up again (wonder if anything happens to him that will cause feels as I've only read the book up to all of them stuck in the burning tree as the eagles arrive).

 

 

The trailer for the movie shows Galadriel with Gandalf...All I will say is I liked that part.

 

My other question:

 

How many times will Martin have a character that loses or almost loses a friend? So far we have John at nearly losing Sherlock twice and now Bilbo with Thorin. Are there any others I'm missing? Also Bilbo trying to talk about Thorin after he died reminded me of John in Ella's office at the beginning of TRF. Same type of emotion, facial expression, and speaking problems, trying not to lose it.

 

[T.o.b.y]

One question:

 

Is it bad that I kind of felt bad/sad that Smaug was killed? It's not like Sherlock jumped...this was an evil fictional entity. In my head I was like: there goes one of Benedict's characters (no tears but a little sad as he did his Smaug brilliantly), now to wait for the Necromancer to show up again (wonder if anything happens to him that will cause feels as I've only read the book up to all of them stuck in the burning tree as the eagles arrive).

 

 

No, it is not!

 

I haven't seen the film yet, but I know that part is coming, of course, and it actually makes me hesitant to see it at all, because I love dragons, and I hate to see them harmed, even when they are evil. I like Smaug independently of the actor, too. He was the best thing about the last Hobbit movie, if you ask me.

 

 

 

 

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

 

One question:

 

Is it bad that I kind of felt bad/sad that Smaug was killed? It's not like Sherlock jumped...this was an evil fictional entity. In my head I was like: there goes one of Benedict's characters (no tears but a little sad as he did his Smaug brilliantly), now to wait for the Necromancer to show up again (wonder if anything happens to him that will cause feels as I've only read the book up to all of them stuck in the burning tree as the eagles arrive).

 

No, it is not!

 

I haven't seen the film yet, but I know that part is coming, of course, and it actually makes me hesitant to see it at all, because I love dragons, and I hate to see them harmed, even when they are evil. I like Smaug independently of the actor, too. He was the best thing about the last Hobbit movie, if you ask me.

 

 

 

 

 

for me it is a little more about the actor as Benedict did a brilliant job with the voicing (and mo cap) even though Smaug looks cool from a cgi standpoint. I'm neutral on dragons otherwise having seen a lot of talented artists create brilliant drawings, paintings, statues, etc. of the creature.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Question for those of you who've also seen it:

 

The final shot of 51-year-old Bilbo immediately struck me as bearing a strong resemblance to Ian Holm's elderly Bilbo.  Does anyone happen to know whether they morphed a bit of Holm into Freeman -- or did Freeman simply "channel" Holm for a moment, before we skipped forward 60 years?

 

 

 

... it was indeed Ian Holm as the older Bilbo. His parts were filmed in the UK.

 

Sorry, I phrased my question badly, didn't I?

 

 

Yes, I realize that really was Ian Holm at the very end, as the elderly Bilbo.  I was asking about the scene immediately before that, when we see the younger Bilbo in the empty Bag End.  I thought that the final shot of his face (just before the camera pans down to him taking the Ring out of his pocket) looked quite a lot like Ian Holm, and I'm wondering how that was accomplished.  Did they morph a bit of Holm onto the shot of Freeman?  Or did Freeman intentionally mimic Holm?  Or was it just my imagination?

 

Added:  I'm also reasonably certain that the hand they panned down to was entirely Ian Holm's.  Will pay special attention to that scene on our second viewing week after next.

 

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Ah... That part. Can't tell you. I need to see the movie again.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh yeah -- me too!  We've seen each of the three movies in regular 2-D the first time (so we can concentrate on the story), followed by the 3-D HFR -- so we still have our second theater viewing to look forward to.  Plus, as someone mentioned, the extended cut -- I'm really psyched about that already.  It'll be "my birthday present" next year!

 

[Schlauer Fuchs]

Reading your reviews I feel a bit... odd. Because my main complaint about this film is that there was not a single scene that moved me emotionally.

 

I had put on waterproof mascara because I was utterly sure I'd cry my eyes out about Thorin's death (and maybe even about Fili's and Kili's if they were done well), but it (they) really left me totally cold. How did that happen? :(

 

 

Something I've been pondering on today:

 

Did any of the dwarves except for Thorin, Fili, Kili, Balin and Dwalin have a single line in the movie? I can't remember any, but then I've only seen it once and may just have forgotten their lines?

 

 

And I was sad that there was no post-credit-scene. Somehow I was sure there would be some short message from Peter Jackson. You should never expect anything or you'll only get disappointed.

 

Well, all in all I think the film is okay, definitely better than the second one but I think it could have been better than it was.

[T.o.b.y]

*Sigh*... I left the last Hobbit movie just longing to see Lord of the Rings again and reminiscing about how much better those films were, so I don't really have very high expectations for this part. But I'll see it eventually.

 

I do wish some movie theater would do a LoR marathon (original audio, of course, and preferably extended edition). Boy, would I ever go to that.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Saw someone with my local paper & the variety section has Martin as Bilbo on the front cover with the heading Put a Ring On It.