Many of us Ringers know the comparisons of The Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter are many. Well, Film.com has compiled a few for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Fantasy stories generally lift from the same mythological source bank. Actually, if you want to get super scholarly and esoteric about it, every story (especially the more sword-and-sorcery themed variety) is the same basic “hero’s journey” archetype detailed by Joseph Campbell. But fantasy stories — King Arthur, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Willow, Peter Pan, Conan the Barbarian — build their world out of the same objects. You have magicians, dragons, unicorns, gnomes, and elves popping up to do battle, and they’ve made their way from medieval tapestries and texts to our modern movie screens.
Here’s a juicy bit of news regarding an interesting role PJ and Co. are supposedly casting for The Hobbit. British actor Shane Briant spoke at the Bram Stoker Horror Film Festival Whitby Hammer Convention and Exhibition on Sunday October 17th, 2010, and his revelation of his audition for the highly-anticipated Hobbit films drew a very audible “Ooooh!” of surprise from a rather rapt audience.
Here’s what the Shane had to say (you can watch the video here):
[…] I’m hoping to be in The Hobbit. Wouldn’t that be nice. I auditioned for that. It’s supposed to be the ridiculous Mayor of… something or the other… the Shire. And he took himself very seriously. So I got all dressed up, with a silly bow-tie, [here Shane stands up to demonstrate a hunched man with a mild pout] and I thought I gave a very good audition. I still haven’t heard back. I’m thinking it’s because the film’s been put back and Jackson’s now back on board as the director. So I’d love to do that. That’s real fantasy life. So we’ll see.
The good man seems to be a wee bit unsure of which Mayoral role he auditioned for. If he indeed means the Mayor of Shire, Tolkien fans will know without a doubt that he really means the Mayor of Michel Delving, though on the other hand it could very well be the Mayor of Lake Town.
Join in the speculation and discussion over at our message boards. Many thanks to message board member Otaku-sempai for pointing us to this video.
Janet sends this in from the folks at the Alamo Drafthouse: One night only, with proceeds benefiting KOOP 91.7 radio, Master Pancake resurrects their take on the ultimate road trip movie, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): the story of four country boys and their attempt to dispose of the most dangerous piece of jewelry ever. Will these brave LotR-men be able to bring soothing relief to the Crack of Doom? You won’t find out in this installment of the Trilogy. But you can bet your 12-sided die that we’ll have a blast as we rip on the overstuffed plot and the gigantic ensemble of actors in our lean, mean ONE-AND-A-HALF-HOUR EDIT of The Fellowship of the Ring! Featuring John, Joe and special guests Mac and David of Mascot Wedding. More..
TORn was one of the guests this week on Fictional Frontiers with Sohaib to talk about ‘The Hobbit’. You can listen to the broadcast right here. Other guests include film critic James Berardinelli and the incomparable Stan Lee!
BEN STANLEY – Waikato Times More than 700 would-be Hobbits turned out for a casting call in Hamilton. A large crowd was waiting at the Minogue Park netball courts when interviews began at 1pm yesterday. By 1.30, the line of people trying for a bit part in Sir Peter Jackson’s movie, snaked from the main building around the main court and back to the building’s door again. More..
mrdither: I also recently had the pleasure of partaking in a Hobbiton Tour. My tour was taken the day after the big news – that the Hobbit would remain in NZ – and one could sense the excitement throughout the tour. I noticed TORN had already posted a spy report. However, the experience of being in Hobbiton was so invigorating that I felt inspired to post my thoughts.
My fellow readers even at partial completion Hobbiton is simply breathtaking. The party tree is in excellent health; Bag End sits majestically high above Hobbiton, about 75% complete because the front door and knob were missing; irrigation lines and sprinklers are in place; and flowers, gardens and tress are sprinkled throughout the grounds. It is spring in New Zealand, and by the time summer arrives all will be in bloom and the grass will fill in nicely. Despite all the delays, you could tell that the upkeep and care for preserving the integrity of Hobbiton had not been neglected. Continue reading “New Hobbiton Set Report”
Many of us Ringers know the comparisons of The Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter are many. Well, Film.com has compiled a few for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
BEN STANLEY – Waikato Times More than 700 would-be Hobbits turned out for a casting call in Hamilton. A large crowd was waiting at the Minogue Park netball courts when interviews began at 1pm yesterday. By 1.30, the line of people trying for a bit part in Sir Peter Jackson’s movie, snaked from the main building around the main court and back to the building’s door again.