hobbit_bbc_radio_4The third time’s the charm as our very own Senior Staff writer Clifford ‘Quickbeam’ Broadway is set to deliver an entertaining scholarly presentation on Dec. 10th on the various adaptations of THE HOBBIT that have been crafted over 76 years. In tandem with the excitement of the West Coast Premiere of “The Battle of the Five Armies” local residents of Southern California are welcome to attend this FREE event at the Valencia Library in Santa Clarita, just a little ways north of Hollywood.

Continue reading “Quickbeam’s HOBBIT THEN & NOW Lecture at Valencia Library”

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WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — TheOneRing.net visited the set for a brief time during the final segment of filming, nearly entirely focused on the third film, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.” On the day of this interview Peter Jackson was putting his characters through a highly emotional scene toward the end of the film when one or more characters was in grave peril, perhaps the gravest of peril. In fact, the scene puts the grave in grave peril.

But the production wasn’t filming the action sequence. The camera was on the other half of the scene so instead the camera was focused on Martin Freeman playing Bilbo Baggins watching the grave peril unfold. Freeman’s face and voice spoke volumes about what Bilbo was experiencing. As of press time, I haven’t seen the film so perhaps those who have will know what we watched or perhaps it didn’t make the final cut. Either way, it was an acting lesson from a genuine professional.

The year previous I spent extensive time on set and for a myriad of reasons Freeman was the sole interview of the main cast that I failed to get so I was pleased to finally be able to sit down on set, in a tent on a sound stage and interview the guy who played the title character. There were perhaps five other reporters as well. If any of the following questions from the Q&A are bad, please blame them. A foot massage* for those who can spot the questions for TheOneRing.net (hint, it wasn’t the ones about the ring or feet.) A personal observation is that Freeman is often a thoughtful interview who doesn’t deliver canned answers but I find his words here to be particularly engaging. Sadly, the interview, while reasonable in length left us wishing for more. Continue reading “Martin Freeman talks ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ with TheOneRing.net”

Bilbo stingThe awards season is upon us with almost daily news about a critics group or association announcing nominations or awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced the 10 contenders that remain in the running for a Best Visual Effects nomination at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. The contenders will present an effects reel to Academy branch members who are eligible to vote on January 10, 2015. The final Oscar nominations will be announced on January 15. This is now the 3rd time that “The Hobbit” has made the short list. It was previously nominated in 2012 and 2013 for “An Unexpected Journey” and “The Desolation of Smaug”. “The Lord of the Rings” took this Oscar home in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

“The Battle of the Five Armies” is up against stiff competition with the likes of “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Interstellar”. Here’s the list of the final 10 films:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Godzilla
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Maleficent
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
Transformers: Age of Extinction
X-Men: Days of Future Past

Yesterday, the Grammy nominations were also announced. “The Desolation of Smaug” was recognized in the category Best Song Written for Visual Media for Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire”. Congratulations to Ed Sheeran for also being honored with Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album nominations for “X”.

Sources: Oscars.org, Radio.com


Join us in Los Angeles in February at The One Last Party

one last party logo We’re hosting a Party of Special Magnificence next February — a final toast to all SIX movies, both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.

We’re inviting you to join us and make it happen through our Indiegogo campaign — so we can all celebrate Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth movies together!

Visit our campaign page and find out how you can get involved!

HBT3-fs-348347.DNG Ringer DCole4 from the TORn messageboards was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening of The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Armies a couple of days ago.

He posted a bit of a spoilery summary-cum-review that concentrates on the final third of the movie on the boards.

Here he expands on those remarks. Warning for battle spoilers, especially on the second page. Continue reading “The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Armies review: ‘much to enjoy but a stumble at the finish’”

BilboBOTFAPosterIt’s that time of the year again…

Following the World Premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, reviews have begun pouring in – and here we have two from Variety and Empire. Continue reading “Update: Variety, Empire and now Hollywood Reporter review ‘The Battle of the Five Armies’”

Chronicles Ringer Thorin tells us that in Italy a retailer accidentally released the first artbook for “The Battle of the Five Armies” around a month before the official release date.

It’s been taken off the shelves now, but in the meantime a few keen ringers were able to get their hands on copies — and it is chock-full of big spoilers.

We’re not kidding: If you’d rather not know in advance some of the big things that are going to occur, you won’t want to read below! Continue reading “Big Hobbit movie spoilers from the Five Armies Chronicles art and design book!”