August 12, 2013 at 8:22 am by Demosthenes
Beorn. A portrait by John Howe.
The reader reaction to
the low-resolution image of Beorn from the SD Toys 2014 Hobbit Calendar has been swift, visceral and fascinating.
Fact is that, while noting that people often tend to automatically respond negatively to change then rapidly adapt, the reader response has been largely unfavourable. Overall, people don’t seem to like Beorn.
It’s a reaction seemingly propelled by the crazy mane of hair that sweeps over Beorn’s head like a mohawk, and stretches down his back like a long, rangy mullet.
It’s prompted a wide-ranging variety of negative comparisons to Sonic the Hedgehog, Blanka, Joe Dirt, ’80s hair metal bands, David Bowie in Labyrinth and Beast from Beauty and the Beast. (more…)
Posted in Alan Lee, Fans, Green Books, Headlines, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, John Howe, Mikael Persbrandt, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
May 11, 2013 at 3:39 am by Demosthenes
Bilbo set against Smaug by Ringer Skaan.
Last night I stumbled on
this very clever post on TheOneRing.net’s boards. In it, user Skaan suggested that the promotional picture of Bilbo sprawled atop Smaug’s hoard could offer a guide to the size of Jackson’s version of Smaug (the Magnificent).
How?
Well, we also saw Smaug’s head buried in that selfsame pile. So the size of the coins gives us a basis for comparison. (more…)
Posted in Green Books, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, The Hobbit, Tolkien
December 28, 2011 at 7:24 pm by Demosthenes
There are many cool things and great moments in the teaser trailer that finally came out just a week and half ago. But, silly lists aside, there’s a lot of interesting stuff at work in this trailer: for what it includes AND for what it omits. One of the things that struck me immediately was the emphasis on character. It’s enormous.
There’s some justification for that: Jackson and his minions need to introduce a core cast of 15. That’s a lot of different people that the audience has to invest in… and differentiate between. (Before you read on, I must warn you: this is inevitably a spoiler-filled discussion) (more…)
Posted in Headlines, Hobbit Movie, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit
