BEVERLY HILLS — TheOneRing.net had a chance to sit down with Richard Armitage and talk “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” last week in the hours leading up the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles. We present below the first of several videos with some of the key actors in the films, this one featuring Richard Armitage talking about his character Thorin, his own writings and ping-pong. Enjoy and check back all day for more videos as we lead you into the hours before the debut of the second of three Peter Jackson movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”
Category: Headlines
Editor Note: Our latest staff review comes from staffer Arwen.
As a word of warning, Arwen’s review has SPOILERS from the very beginning. If you are avoiding spoilers of any type, please know — you have been warned!
====SPOILER SPACE====
Continue reading “Arwen’s Review of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’”
Following on from our review by Aragorn the Elfstone, of the Desolation of Smaug special edition soundtrack, our Happy Hobbits and Cliff “Quickbeam” Broadway were lucky enough to go to Water Tower Music and have an exclusive preview of The Hobbit DOS soundtrack! Purple packaging, unlockable videos, and Howard Shore’s triumphant return to Middle-earth!
Enjoy 10 minutes of the extended soundtrack now!
Continue reading “Unboxing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Soundtrack”
Beginning tomorrow (or in just under 30 minutes, for those of you on the
East Coast in the U.S.), you will be able to purchase Howard Shore’s Original Score for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on CD, either in Regular or Special Edition form. But for those of you who just can’t wait
to get your hands on the music, both albums are now available on iTunes (in the U.S., at least). Continue reading “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Soundtracks now available on iTunes!”
Today is another BIG day as we take you to the premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in Berlin, Germany! The festivities begin at 5:20pm GMT and you can watch the LIVE stream right here on this page as well as chat live with the crowd via Barliman’s chat! (Check the time for your own timezone). [Hobbit UK on Facebook] [Hobbit UK on Twitter]
Continue reading “Watch the Berlin premiere LIVE Event for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug!”
[Editor’s Note: Fear not, dear readers, TORn staffer Quickbeam presents our first official review of DOS *spoiler-free* until loudly noted in the later section (with plenty of buffer space) where inquisitive minds may read further with spoiler-iffic abandon.]
The Great Schism: Splendid Smaug Splits Fandom?
or
Hobbit Version 2.0: Jackson Does it Differently
I know it’s been a long year to wait. Ringer fans are going into ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ with high hopes for another thrilling chapter in the ongoing saga adapted by our fellow fan, Peter Jackson. Indeed it is thrilling. And indeed it bears all the hallmarks of a P.J. film, replete with energetic action set pieces and gorgeously realized creatures and places that only cinema can properly provide to our senses.
Be forewarned Book Fans, because of the extent DOS deviates from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a very vocal fan reaction, if not an outright scream of frustration from one or two up in the balcony. The filmmakers have certainly delivered the goods; it is a very enjoyable movie that pretty much blows the audience away with well-crafted storytelling. It is by turns breathlessly paced and frightening and funny and gorgeous (Smaug especially has much of his “muchness”). But by the end credits, it no longer resembles the book you read as a kid, not by a long shot.
Which is something I must mention up front because of the laborious efforts towards fidelity in ‘An Unexpected Journey.’ In fact, much of the LOTR Trilogy was a concentrated effort to (mostly) honor the source material. True, there were odd bits that didn’t ring true to Tolkien; like Faramir dragging the hobbits to Osgiliath and Frodo sending Sam home (piffle) but what happens in DOS is just completely off the rails, especially in the third act.
Continue reading “Quickbeam’s Desolation of Smaug Film Review: Splendid Smaug Splits Fandom?”