PARK CITY — There were tears and cheers and moans and even laughs at absurd real-life characters in the new Peter Jackson-produced documentary, West Memphis Three, at its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Directed by Amy Berg, the movie was commissioned by Jackson and wife Fran Walsh after the pair saw the first HBO documentary that spread the story of the West Memphis Three. The trio was convicted in 1994 of murdering three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas and has long been an the subject of intense media scrutiny. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley were, according to many, completely innocent and clearly wrongly convicted. The justice system of Arkansas does not agree.
Jackson and Walsh watched the original HBO documentary, Paradise Lost, that focuses on the case and the doubts that surround it. That original film has grown into three.
An international co-operation between the German and Dutch Tolkien Societies (DTG & Unquendor) has started 3 January 2012.
On the occasion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 120th birthday, members of both Societies, met for a joint dinner. The celebration marked the start of a whole host of share events taking place in the Hobbit Year 2012.
The year will be dominated by the Hobbit: the 75-year anniversary of the children’s book’s first publication date will receive even more publicity through the release of Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” film at the end of the year. The literary societies will accompany this exciting year with a whole host of exceptional events. Continue reading “Fantastic Tolkien Event: THE HOBBIT YEAR 2012”
Our pal Gunnar sends this along: Take a look at this story for German TV, coverage of The Hobbit starts around 22:10. It’s about Film NZ, Park Road Post, Hobbit, Avengers (Special fx by Weta) and Sam Neill (The Hunter), thought you might enjoy it. Some of the grabs are in English.
At the Sundance Film Festival because of his role in the film Celeste and Jess Forever, Elijah Wood spoke briefly about his participation in The Hobbit.
“Did my part already…” Wood said. “I was there for a month. It didn’t actually take that much time for the work. It was sort of half vacation and catching up with old friends and half work.”
“It had been 11 years since I’d been to Hobbiton,” Wood said. “I turned 19 in Hobbiton. That’s [expletive] crazy. I stood on the hill looking at the hobbit holes and I was, like, ‘I turned 19 here and I’m 30 now.’ It was such a weird thing. And a lot of the same crew were there. That was the most bizarre. It felt like taking a step back in time almost. It was extraordinary.”
Alienorchid lets us know that The Hobbit production team is once again seeking extras for the films. So, if you’re 17 years or over, legally able to work in New Zealand (ie: an NZ resident or have a work visa) and live in or around Wellington, then this just might be your lucky day!
The casting call is on January 28 from 1pm to 4pm at The Belmont Hall in Hutt City.
PARK CITY — There were tears and cheers and moans and even laughs at absurd real-life characters in the new Peter Jackson-produced documentary, West Memphis Three, at its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
At the Sundance Film Festival because of his role in the film Celeste and Jess Forever, Elijah Wood spoke briefly about his participation in The Hobbit.