Focalor writes: On 4 and 5 June 2011 the Rotterdam Philharmonic will play in the Netherlands, a true spectacle be heard. In the Great Hall of de Doelen a giant screen showing the film version of Tolkien’s epic The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The music that Howard Shore composed for the film is simultaneously performed live on stage, by the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Netherlands Radio Choir and the National Youth Choir. Nearly 200 musicians and singers bring Middle Earth to life with the music of one of the best known and most enchanting soundtracks ever. Following the success at the Royal Albert Hall (London) and Radio City Music Hall (New York) now exclusively in the Doelen in Rotterdam, Netherlands. More..
Year: 2011
Citizens of Middle-earth…the darkest enemy of the lands of the North will be revealed to you in the newest trailer for the upcoming Action RPG The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Lurking in a yet unseen and unexplored theatre of Middle-earth, foul sorcerer Agandaûr —twisted descendant of the Black Númenórean — joins forces with Sauron in his assault on Rohan and Gondor.
Revealing more of the unexplored lands to the North, only whispered about in canon, the battle for Middle-earth’s fate wages on in this newly released trailer from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. A Fellowship of three….Human, Elf and Dwarf… join together and go behind enemy lines to uncover the dark plans. Traveling under stealth to Mount Gundabad, the way is treacherous. The power of the three together must be enough for victory. If they fail, all of Middle-earth is lost. Developed by Snowblind Studios, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North features online, interdependent co-op play for up to three players, as gamers join forces to do battle with the enemies of this world, while developing and upgrading weapons, skills and abilities to strengthen their party. The Lord of the Rings: War in the North embraces the mature and brutal combat of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth—forcing players to play together or perish. Continue reading “Lord of the Rings: War in the North The Black Númenórean Trailer”
In a 13 page feature on ex-Hobbit director Guillermo del Toro, The New Yorker magazine offers some tasty morsels concerning Guillermo’s vision for Smaug, directly from the director’s own notebook.
But, fans please do remember, del Toro left the production after this interview was granted and things have likely changed. He is repeatedly on the record as supporting whatever decisions Peter Jackson and crew make after his departure and he is one of the two-film production’s biggest fans. Just remember to read the story in that context.
*Possible Spoiler Alert!*
I paused at what looked like an image of a double-bitted medieval hatchet. “That’s Smaug,” del Toro said. It was an overhead view: “See, he’s like a flying axe.” Del Toro thinks that monsters should appear transformed when viewed from a fresh angle, lest the audience lose a sense of awe. Defining silhouettes is the first step in good monster design, he said. “Then you start playing with movement. The next element of design is color. And then finally—finally—comes detail. A lot of people go the other way, and just pile up a lot of detail.”
The article is a marvelous read, so we aren’t going to just copy and paste the good stuff. That just wouldn’t be right! Jump over to The New Yorker’s website for the complete article and more juicy details, including Del Toro’s vision of Thorin. [Full Article]
From GameSpot.com (thanks to QuackingTroll for the link!) We speak to Ruth Tomandl at Snowblind to see how Tolkien’s world comes together in this upcoming action role-playing game.
In our last couple of visits to Middle-earth, we were struck by how much more brutal the action has been recently. It is interesting that this is the first time Warner Bros. has been able to use the rights to Tolkien’s books in conjunction with Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy. Another feature to point out is that this action role-playing game features a strong cooperative element as you delve into Middle-earth’s violent conflict. We spoke to Ruth Tomandl about Lord of the Rings: War in the North to find out more about the story, the added features, and what the game has in store for fans of the lore. More..
One Ringer sends this in: There’s going to be a trilogy screening in Toronto, Ontario on February 5th at the Scotiabank Theatre. It begins at 12:00 noon. [FOTR] [TTT] [ROTK]
Kiwi cartoonist Tom Scott comments on Peter Jackson’s stay in hospital in his latest comic.