Hobbit week continues as we all await the arrival of ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ in theaters December 14th! We are both honored and excited to share with you a TheOneRing.net Exclusive clip from the film! The clip features Thorin and company singing ‘Misty Mountains’ at the end of a long evening in Bag End. The song ‘Misty Mountains‘ is now available for individual download or as part of the complete soundtrack worldwide. [iTunes: Special Edition or Standard] [Amazon.com: Special Edition or Standard] Enjoy!
Continue reading “Exclusive: ‘Misty Mountains’ Clip from ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’”
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THE TIME IS UPON US! Watch our online show for complete coverage and surprises that will make hair grow on your Hobbity toes! TheOneRing.net proudly presents our ultimate *live* webcast today as host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway reviews the film (wowza!), checks the rumors of Sir Ian McKellen’s cancer scare, reveals the New Zealand trip giveaway at L.A.’s historic Chinese Theatre midnight show, and reveals Warner Bros. final marketing push before the worldwide release of THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY. This innovative show allows you to watch and join chatters live in Barliman’s Chat Room, built into our Live Event Page here. It all begins at 5:00pm Pacific Time! You can also turn on your camera and join video chat here at www.stickam.com/theoneringnet
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Twenty-five minutes in to the film, I suddenly thought, “Wait, people said it takes this long to get used to the 48fpm and the 3D. I’ve only just noticed it – and it’s fantastic!” Perhaps there’s something wrong with my eyesight, but for me at Wellington’s Embassy at least, the colours glowed, the sparkling detail shone, and the screen showed a sumptuous feast of Middle-earth from the first frame. I was immersed in the reality from the first frame.
We were impressed by the clever way the introduction, which frames the story, wove this film neatly into the start of FOTR. You couldn’t help but smile fondly at Ian Holm’s cameo with Elijah Wood.
After a glance at the Bagginses in the Shire, we got our first glimpse of the dwarf kingdom, which was filled with details I think Tolkien would have loved. There was the lovely rhythm of Old English in lines such as (near as I can recall) “The dragon laid waste/ Death he dealt” – a cadence that Tolkien himself fell into readily enough. A nice touch was the rhythm of the countless hammers on the anvils as we first see the smithies of Erebor – for a second I’m sure I heard the unmistakable, frenetic anvil rhythm of Wagner’s Rheingold. I’ll have to see it again to check if I was imagining things.
Talking of sound and music, the sound could well win another Oscar for sound editing. The sound was as deeply 3D as the picture, and used to striking effect during the Riddles in the Dark scene. Just as you can imagine that, lost in the dark, one’s ears would magnify everything and prick the emotions unbearably.
The music disappointed me though. The cues for what we should feel were too obvious, and I wanted more new themes. It made sense to have an established sound-world for each place or character, but I kind of sighed internally when the angelic choir struck up again to signify Rivendell, or the music moved so obviously towards a restatement of the Ring theme or the Shire theme. It all felt a bit recycled, and unless some new themes or orchestration are introduced, I’m going to be heartily sick of them by the end of the third movie.
What’s with the rampant contrabass trombones in every film score these days, too? Lately they’ve become de riguer for every action scene. Great instrument, but you can have too much of a good thing.
Some critics have complained of the film’s slow introduction, but the action is worth the wait – to me the film felt very well paced indeed. You get a glimpse of Smaug right near the beginning – and like James Cameron’s Alien, a glimpse, combined with superb sound effects, works tremendously on the imagination.
The acting was as I expected it to be: Superb. I’m speaking as a person who would be enthralled by watching Sir Ian McKellen or Martin Freeman reading a laundry list. But Richard Armitage I haven’t seen before, but he was equally compelling. The writers’ choice was to keep the film tightly focused on their story arcs. Their evolving relationship is at the heart of the film, and if things are sacrificed, they are in favour of this. You will find a chapter of Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales very illuminating in this respect – Tolkien described the initial distrust between Gandalf, Thorin and Bilbo absolutely like this. The relationship between these three is the crucial dramatic arc of this story.
Some scenes are framed slightly differently than in the book: Bilbo leaving Bag End for instance, or his encounter with the trolls. They keep much of the dialogue we know and love, but the changes reinforce the central drama of Bilbo, who chooses to follow his Tookish side rather than being bullied into the quest by Gandalf. The troll scene was always a bit unbelievable when I read it – 13 dwarves taken unaware and popped into sacks? The film version solves that.
We get to see some of the dwarves in more detail than others. Balin, Fili and Kili stand out from the crowd a little in this film; over the course of three films no doubt we will see more of the others.
Radagast was a bit of a scene-stealer, and provided a necessary link between the Dwarves’ quest and the goings-on at Dol Guldur, with its hints of the larger story of the rise of Evil in Middle-earth. Sylvester McCoy had both charm and force as the dotty but spirited Brown Wizard.
You get to see a bit more of Saruman too. Gandalf is placating and mild before Saruman’s ruthless beaurocratic coldness. How much does he know under the surface? It’s an interesting scene as they fence with each other, Gandalf appearing to give way and offer no resistance – surely just a harmless old man. You get the sense of a game that has been played for a long time between these powers; Elrond and Galadriel are present too.
Riddles in the Dark was a tour de force by Freeman and Serkis. They acted the hell out of it, and it was fantastic. As others have said, the Oscars need to institute a new award, for best CGI character. In a film that relies so heavily on CGI, when it really counted, PJ fell back on good old theatre technique for scenes like this to give performances that were intimate, rehearsed and honed to perfection.
It was an excellent film and I can’t wait to go again.
We were lucky enough to go to the midnight screening at Wellington’s Embassy theatre. Fully half the audience were in costume, and the buzz of anticipation was incredible in this audience, which included many extras no doubt anxious to see whether they’d made the cut. People were entertained by having their photo taken with an orc in full Weta prosthetics, or just watching the parade of magnificent costumes. What a great crowd to see it with!
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Sometimes words just pour out of me when I type. Other times, I hesitate. Reviewing THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY required an approach unusual for me after twelve years contributing to TheOneRing.net. I let things gestate for several days, really, so as to refine my thoughts. The first part of this review will be blissfully *spoiler free* for those who don’t want to know the big changes; but after a warning I’ll get into the nitty-gritty with loads of spoilers.
I’ve been as excited as anybody, truthfully. THE HOBBIT: AUJ has *finally* come to the big screen – envisioned by the capable hands of a crafty Kiwi director, backed up by a super-group of WETA designers, enhanced by New Zealand’s gorgeous vistas. Continue reading “A Leisurely Jaunt With The Top Down: Quickbeam Reviews THE HOBBIT”
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Tomorrow, December 8, many theaters in the U.S. and elsewhere will be hosting Lord of the Rings movie marathons: all three extended editions of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in one glorious day! If you don’t have your tickets, you can still get them in the U.S. at AMC, Cinemark and Regal cinemas. If you do have your tickets, you’re probably getting ready for the big day. Like you, some of our discussion board members are also going and have been sharing tips and tricks to prepare for, and survive, the big day. Read some of their recommendations below, and share one or two of your own here. (Thanks to member Chopsta123 for getting the ball rolling).
– some caffeine might help if you’re not used to staying up late, but too much caffeine might make you fidgety. (zarabia)
– bring something you can drape on your chair to ‘claim’ it during breaks but you won’t mind losing if some loser steals it. (Magpie)
– a set of earplugs or tissue to periodically stuff in your ears might be useful. You might say, “It would interfere with the experience” (which it does to some extent), but after years of being in control of the volume on the TV to watch them, it was like an assault on my eardrums when the orcs, wargs, and Nazgul showed up in the theatre again (Lissuin)
– plan something to do afterwards to help you process/unwind — like walking under the stars, if you can manage that. It’s like eating a very fine and heavy meal — you need time to digest it when you get up from the table! (weaver)
– be prepared for the theater to be cold. Many are. But layer so you can adapt if it gets too warm. (Magpie)
– bring outside food (of the healthier sort) if your theater allows it. (lyndomiel)
– get up, move around and stretch between films. (zarabia).
– don’t buy the jumbo drinks. Unless you have scenes in the movies that you don’t mind running to the bathroom for. (Magpie)
– don’t snore to loudly as it bothers the Elves! (Kangi Ska)
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Join our *live* webcast today as host Clifford “Quickbeam” Broadway heads off to Burbank, where we will find the lovely Warner Bros. studio lot, on a special night where the show goes on the move across Hollywood! Quickbeam is headed to see tonight’s press screening of THE HOBBIT: AUJ, so he can write his official TORn review of the film! Experience our live chat show like never before (resembling the infamous TORn AFTER DARK series made famous at Dragon*Con), and join chatters live in Barliman’s Chat Room, built into our Live Event Page here. The show begins at 5pm Pacific Time! You can also turn on your camera and join video chat here at www.stickam.com/theoneringnet
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