The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has its world premiere in London today. The last of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films is nearly here. And so begins the end of the epic journey – mission – quest – thing – we have all been on together.
But fear not! We have no intention of letting these films sail into the West without a fanfare! So get ready to celebrate at The One Last Party – There and Back Again: a Party of Special Magnificence, a final toast to all SIX movies, both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy.
This will be on Saturday 21st Feb 2015 – the day BEFORE the Oscars — at a venue in Los Angeles, TBA. There will be music, food, drink, entertainment (from William Kircher’s band The California Dreamers, celtic musicians Emerald Rose, and more) and all kinds of fun! But here’s the thing… Continue reading “The One Last Party – tickets available NOW!”
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Here’s the transcript of an interview with Graham McTavish conducted with TheOneRing.net and a handful of other reporters on the set of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
Continue reading “Graham McTavish talks about being a Dwarf and ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’”
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MIRAMAR, NEW ZEALAND — In the final few weeks of filming for “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” a handful of journalists visited Peter Jackson’s set at Stone Street Studios near Wellington, New Zealand to do a final round of interviews during filming.
The invitation included TheOneRing.net. The pack of journos were given a lot of interviews in a short amount of time with the agreement with Warner Bros. to hold them until just before the final film. The veil is lifted and here is the interview, with minimal commentary. (Assume the less good questions aren’t from TORn!)
We met in the mess hall, empty except for us on a windy day. Pace is even more handsome in person than expected, dressed casually but smartly and he gave very thoughtful answers — as you will read — and appeared to be thinking while he spoke. In fact, at the time the interview seemed extraordinary, especially as he talked about his character. Some of these phrases could be engraved and hung somewhere. Reading through it more than a year later, I hope fans enjoy it as much as I do.
We were fresh from Weta Workshop, Academy Award winner Richard Taylor as well as interviewing Academy Award winner Dan Hennah and having a tour of the offices of the Art Department where we saw concept art and models and props of all kinds.
Here is the conversation: Continue reading “TheOneRing.net and Lee Pace on set to talk ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies””
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Here’s the transcript of a long but very interesting roundtable question and answer session that Ian McKellen conducted with a number of reporters just before his final day on the set of the Hobbit as Gandalf.
The transcript traverses not just his role — and legacy — as Gandalf, but also his Shakespearean endeavours, living in New Zealand, meeting Edmund Hillary, and the challenges that Sean Connery might have faced if he’d ever taken on the Gandalf role.
Continue reading “Ian McKellen talks on Gandalf’s last day”
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By now you have no doubt seen the new Star Wars teaser for ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’, and if not, it’s time to shake off that Turkey Coma from Thanksgiving yesterday and get thee to a theater, or you can find it here: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ The biggest question that has set off the inter webs since it’s debut is ‘Who is narrating this?’ It sounds like Smaug, er, that is, it sounds like Benedict Cumberbatch. He has not been officially attached to the film, but did visit the set and was extremely coy on a recent installment of the Graham Norton show about any possible involvement, which can be seen here: BC on Graham Norton. In a recent article today, Collider.com says the narration comes from confirmed cast member Andy Serkis, quoted below:
Contrary to rumors that began spreading right after the trailer hit, the actor providing the ominous voiceover narration is not Benedict Cumberbatch. It is in fact confirmed cast member Andy Serkis. With regards to his character’s allegiance, his words are rather ambiguous. It’s easy to imagine that voice belonging to either an old shaman-type Jedi or an age-old Sith. Which is it? We likely won’t find out for a very long time.
Read more at Collider.com’s Burning Questions answered
Of course, the narration could be anyone really, well, anyone with a nice, deep accented voice that could be equal parts menacing or world weary. As soon as we have a confirmation, we’ll pass it along. But in the mean time, what are your impressions of the new trailer? BTW, that new Sith Lightsaber is very cool with the feel of an old school broadsword.
Update: Hitfix has confirmed Collider’s story that the narration was performed by cast member Andy Serkis, but was unable to give any further details on what role he plays beyond being a pivotal character and not having much screen time. You can find more info at Hitfix story confirms Andy’s narration.
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We mentioned last week that actor Adam Brown (aka Ori) is currently appearing in the new play Saxon Court, a production by Made by Brick at the Southwark Playhouse in London. Staffer greendragon went along to see the show in preview, and brings us this review:
Southwark Playhouse, just a few minutes’ walk from the Elephant and Castle tube station, is a fascinating place with a characterful, cosy lobby/bar, and two studio theatre performance spaces, known as ‘The Large’ and ‘The Little’. Emerging playwright Daniel Andersen’s Saxon Court is being presented in The Little. The production, directed by Melanie Spencer, makes skilful use of the intimate space, turning the black box into a workplace, with simply an area on the walls stage right and stage left painted grey to frame the stage. The show tells the tale of a typical London office, on the day of the Christmas party in 2011, at the height of the financial crisis. Things are not going well and someone is likely to get fired – but who will it be?
This is listed as a ’16+’ production, and deservedly so – the folks in this office are as raucous, vulgar and boozy as one might expect on party day! Joey and Nat are the older hands in the office, constantly teasing newcomer Noel; receptionist Tash has recently been off for some ‘surgery’ (and it’s fairly obvious from the moment she enters what her procedure might have been!); they all answer to boss Donna, who is harsh, driven and ruthless.
Adam Brown plays Mervyn (unfairly referred to throughout as ‘Ugly Mervyn’!), an employee from another office who is summoned to meet with Donna. Though Brown has the smallest role to play, his performance is one of the strongest. His Mervyn is funny, gauche, annoying (and, it turns out, as mean as everyone else!); and yet at the moment when he realizes he might be fired, we are given a glimpse of touching poignancy, before the comedy returns.
Actors John Pickard (Joey) and Debra Baker (Donna) also give strong performances. The play is very funny; the almost full house on the night I attended rang with loud and frequent laughter. Andersen clearly knows office worker ‘types’ – I’m pretty sure I’ve temped in this office, with the wine-swigging receptionist dressed up to the nines for the Christmas party. His characters are well-drawn, all hiding – and gradually revealing – insecurities, vulnerabilities and flaws.
My only criticism of the evening was that I was left somehow dissatisfied. We’d spent the past couple of hours watching these people be caustic and despicable; I would have liked to have seen some sense of a journey, of an imminent change or a lesson learned. Furthermore, the play looks at an office in crisis, but fails to give much insight into the wider city (and world) in financial crisis at that time. Instead, the script seems rather superficial; I felt that this office would continue much the same the next day, albeit minus an employee. But perhaps that is part of the point: life goes on, staff and crises come and go, but there will always be offices with snarky workers and drunken, regrettable Christmas parties.
Definitely not a family show – heed the 16+ guideline! But if you fancy a biting, funny antidote to Christmas schmaltz, then Saxon Court is well worth seeing. It runs at Southwark Playhouse until December 13th; click here for showtimes and tickets.
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The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has its world premiere in London today. The last of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth films is nearly here. And so begins the end of the epic journey – mission – quest – thing – we have all been on together.
