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An Unexpected Journey: Quint on the set of The Hobbit! Part 1 - Concerning Hobbiton
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here currently writing from the overgrown wilds of New Zealand’s North Island. I’ve been rather secretive about my trip to the southern hemisphere and for that I apologize, but it had to be done.
Here’s the deal. I’m kicking off a new, temporary, regular column that I’m calling An Unexpected Journey because that’s exactly what it is. A little over a month ago an email arrived asking of my interest in embedding myself on the set of The Hobbit for the entirety of their location shoot, spending over 2 months in New Zealand rolled in with the crew and writing up their adventures, hassles, triumphs and tribulations as they traveled all over the country shooting bits and pieces from the upcoming two-parter prequel to Lord of the Rings. As Winston Zeddemore taught us all, the answer to this kind of question is always YES!
Calling The Hobbit a prequel doesn’t exactly feel right, though. This isn’t a film cooked up to cash in on an absurdly successful franchise. As most Tolkien readers and human beings over the age of 7 know, The Hobbit burst forth from the pen of JRR Tolkien first. There are many Middle Earth stories, but The Hobbit is the natural choice. It’s high adventure and lets us revisit some of our favorite locations and characters within its own, unique story.
Case in point, the very first location visited on this trip: Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand – North Island, also known as Hobbiton.
Gorgeous, isn’t it? As amazing as it looks in those pictures or in the movies there’s something incredibly surreal and humbling to stand ON TOP of Bag End and overlook The Shire. I love (good) CGI, I have a lot of respect for the digital artists that toil away for hours and days and weeks and months in a dark room so we can go to Ancient Greece or Pandora or spend some time with Jurassic Park dinosaurs or Gollum or Caesar or those fookin’ prawns, but if there was ever a shred of doubt that real wins it was obliterated as the sheep bayed, horses neighed, wind blew and smoke started pouring out of hobbit hole chimneys dotting the lush green landscape in the valley below me.
And when I say green I mean GREEN. The grass in this North Island New Zealand farmland is like Wizard of Oz Technicolor. It’s so bright it almost hurts the eyes.
But we all know New Zealand is beautiful. That’s a given at this point. By the end of December you’ll be given your fill of unbelievable scenery images as I travel from location to location (especially when I hit the South Island). Let’s get into what was actually happening in Hobbiton.
Wake up time was 5:15am, which barely gave me enough time to get showered and presentable before making the 40+ minute drive from my Hamilton hotel to the location deep in the rolling green hills of Matamata.
Once past security I found myself driving along a small dirt and gravel road following signs to crew parking. Sure enough, the countryside was beautiful and Tolkeinesque, but it wasn’t until I made a turn and saw the incredibly iconic stone bridge leading to The Green Dragon that it really struck me where I was.
That feeling intensified standing at base camp, perched on top of Bag End, looking over Hobbiton with dozens of Hobbit holes laid out over acres of green hills and the massive party tree anchored in the middle of everything.
The crew was setting up a crane out on the narrow walkway in front of Bag End for their first shot actually in Hobbiton in over 10 years. Because of the narrow and steep path down, the crew had to bring crane parts down and assemble much of it there. It took a little while, but before too long the familiar circular green front door of Bag End cracked open and out stepped an even more familiar face.
Munching on jellied toast, Frodo Baggins sauntered out and hopped down the steps leading to the mailbox, grabbed some mail and headed back inside.
What’s Frodo doing in The Hobbit? I don’t want to spoil too much, but I can say that Frodo is part of the connecting tissue between The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring.
In fact, the next shot was an over the shoulder on Elijah Wood hammering a sign up on Bag End’s front gate: “No Admittance Except On Party Business.” You guys should have an idea where that puts this moment in the timeline.
Martin Freeman stood in for Ian Holm, who shot all of his scenes and close-ups in London. They would sometimes play footage they’ve already shot to remind themselves of what they had done previously and to help them match up shots. Peter and crew did that for these reverse shots on Elijah and I got to see Ian as Bilbo once again. It was quite extraordinary, actually. Seeing Ian in close up, wearing the wig, the vest and the pointy ears just put a smile on my face.
While I didn’t talk to Elijah about it, I bet it meant the world to him to have Martin there actually giving a performance for him to act off of. Freeman even adopted a little bit of Ian Holm’s speech patterns for these scenes and was so good at impersonating Ian Holm that more than once I wondered if the voice I was hearing over the coms was Ian’s on playback or Martin’s in real life. Usually in these situations they’ll have the script girl or one of the dialect coaches read the lines and while that works a charm, there’s something extra special about a performer giving a performance. Like I said, I didn’t talk to Elijah about it, but I bet he appreciated Martin doing that for him.
Their conversation is about Gandalf and if Bilbo thinks Gandalf will show up. Bilbo says “He wouldn’t miss a chance to let off his whiz-poppers. He’ll put on quite a show, you’ll see,” and Frodo grins, saying he’s going to go surprise him and bounds off down the path like a kid at Christmas. When I say he bounds down the path that’s not an exaggeration for illustrative purposes. He was damn near skipping, a glimpse of that pre-ring Frodo we meet in Fellowship.
After Frodo leaves the frame is very wide featuring The Shire in all its glory; The Green Dragon and mill smack dab in the middle.
It’s my understanding this shot will transition to “60 Years Earlier” with Young Bilbo sitting in front of Bag End contently smoking a pipe and casually blowing smoke rings as Gandalf comes along and presents him with his adventure.
At lunch I caught up with Elijah who was wide-eyed and smiling, obviously enjoying being back in Hobbiton with the furry feet on. He ran off and I said, “Where do you think you’re going?” His reply: “Back to Bag End, my friend!”
I had to run over to wardrobe to get fitted for my cameo the next day, but soon made my way back to set. We had the same scene going and this time they had the camera tight on Frodo. While it was a tighter shot than before, it still captured the landscape behind him. I mean, that’s the whole reason we were out there in the first place, so I wasn’t going to see a whole lot of close-ups and insert shots being filmed. In this case, it was a full on front shot of Frodo, the massive Party Tree behind him.
Seeing the footage of Ian as Old Bilbo was crazy, but nothing compared to seeing Elijah as Frodo in the furry-footed flesh. I’ve gotten to know Elijah pretty well over the last 13 years and it was the very definition of surreal talking to Frodo. Not Elijah. Frodo. I was literally not talking to a friend, but a fictional character, not to mention the magnifier of actually seeing him in Hobbiton.
I have to talk about the livestock. This will be the first time I’ve traveled internationally where I will have to check off the Yes box when asked if I’ve been near livestock on the arrival card. All forms of livestock were on set. There was even a runaway cow who decided she didn’t like the film business on the first take and bolted right the hell out of Hobbiton.
It was quite funny, actually. I feel bad for the production having to pause, but from my high-up point of view (remember I was standing on top of the hill overlooking Hobbiton this whole day) it was very entertaining watching this cow haul ass along the path between the hobbit holes with a poor A.D. running about 20 feet behind her, desperately trying to catch up.
There were all manner of animals on the set ranging from goats to roosters, pigs, oxen, horses and all of them had handlers there to make sure they were fed, watered and safely munching on the lush green grass of Matamata. They would quickly duck out of frame whenever shots would go up.
Shortly after getting the shot on Frodo the unmistakable sound of chopper blades hit our ears. It was circling us. Obviously someone had hired it to fly above and take photos of the set.
An hour or two later a small, single-engine prop plane did the same thing, flying low and circling. Photos hit the net shortly after, I noticed. The crew was quite annoyed, not because Hobbiton was being exposed to the world, but because the choppers and planes were constantly getting in the shot and the sound of the engines was either ruining takes or making the production halt until they got out of earshot… which could be a long while if they are circling.
So, it was an unwanted intrusion, especially frustrating when you consider they were already waiting for the light to be right, to get behind a cloud or peak out from behind a cloud depending on the previous shot.
It got to the point that producer Zane Weiner asked me to take a photo of the plane so we can try to get its tail number. I had the 18mm-55mm lens on my camera (which means it’s a shorter lens and doesn’t zoom in too far), so I ran back to my bag, grabbed my 200mm lens and popped it on, but I was too late. The plane had already gone. Zane wanted me to let you guys know I failed at that particular task. And on my first day of location reporting, too.
That was one day of location shooting on The Hobbit. One day down, two months to go! Before I conclude this article, I’d like to set up a little space where I’ll be featuring a member of the crew. God willing I’ll be able to do this with each of my pieces, introducing you to the fine folks who I spend my days with. These guys are the unsung heroes of filmmaking, so I feel they should be represented.
Kicking things off will be Kiran Shah.
If you’ve watched the appendices on the Extended Editions of the Lord of the Rings films you should recognize Kiran’s name. He’s a much loved character around the set. He’s an actor, stunt man and scale double. On Rings he doubled Elijah Wood, but before Lord of the Rings he had a massive career.
For instance, he’s in Raiders of the Lost Ark… he’s the guy who brings the poisoned dates into Indy and Sallah. He doubled Short Round in Temple of Doom, he was a character in Ridley Scott’s Legend (Blunder) and even knew Stanley Kubrick.
The story he told me was that he got to know Kubrick a little bit, but even being on friendly terms with the maestro didn’t save him when he popped in for a visit on the set of Eyes Wide Shut. Stanley spotted him and said, “Kiran, out!” We all know the stories about how Kubrick didn’t like a lot of crew around and that was Kiran’s little tale about it.
He also mentioned that LOTR and Hobbit illustrator/designer Alan Lee did the character designs for Legend and even drew the character that Shah ended up playing to look just like him. Shah attributes getting the role to Lee because he remembered auditioning for it and seeing Ridley Scott do a double take when Shah entered the room, looking back at the character design and up at him again.
In The Hobbit, Shah is up to his usual shenanigans, making the crew (and visiting movie geek reporters) crack up in-between takes and doubling hobbits. In the above picture he’s waiting to double Martin Freeman’s Bilbo, which is why his eyes are reverse raccooned in his picture. There’s an eerie silicone mask of Bilbo’s face that he’ll put on when Bilbo is needed to be seen in a close to correct proportion.
Shah will also be a Goblin in the film and is just an overall joy to be around and as such he is this column’s inaugural featured crew member.
The next report will cover my cameo appearance during a Hobbit market in front of The Green Dragon. There is a particular actor in this scene named Leroy that I’m especially excited to tell you about. He has huge talents and that’s even an understatement. I expect that report to land in a few days, but taking my own pictures means a bit of a clearance process.
I know the watermarks are annoying. I hate them, you hate them, so I made them as unintrusive as possible. If I see a bunch of sites take these images without credit and a linkback future pictures will have bigger watermarks. So, don’t be a dick. I don’t care if you use the image, just give a link back here, will ya’? Don’t ruin it for everybody.
More soon! This is going to be a crazy couple of months! Oh, and Happy Birthday to Peter Jackson! Thanks for letting me join the circus for a spell, sir!
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
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Readers Talkback
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Oct. 31, 2011, 6:20 a.m. CST
Looks like I'm all alone again. This movie better be some golden fucking shit.
by Xen11
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and you have those shows to thank for that crew getting all they know from those shows and taking on those LOTR movies
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Oct. 31, 2011, 6:29 a.m. CST
Is it a joy or pain getting up that early in the morning in new zealand? Or is it so awesome and better than a city?
by Xen11
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Wonderful article and great reporting, Quint. If the film turns out half as much fun as you seem to be having this will be terrfic indeed.
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I haven't been this psyched up for a movie since The Phantom Menace. Take that any way you want. :P
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Absolutely amazing work. My wizards hat off to ya. Why isn't it 2012 yet? I cannot wait.
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Loving what I'm seeing of this so far.
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I'll be waiting for rest of your reports. I just hope for better quality pictures though.
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When Del Toro was still at the helm. I have several pictures from when they were just starting to gear up on pre-production - building a few new Hobbit-holes, and putting in bushes, etc. If you can get it cleared for me to send you them (I had to sign a NDA at The Shire's Rest) you can use them. They're mostly of the new hole construction, but they are probably some of the earliest BTS pics of The Hobbit in existence!
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Quint isn't kidding about the grass - that's some of the most fucking green grass I have ever seen! LOL!
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what happened that he is steadily getting to his old fatness again? or are friends and yes-men too scared to mention it? i mean when he was at his slimmest he basically looked like a black haired Dominic Monaghan
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Bloody good to get you hollywood lot down here and into ya gumboots and out into the field. Blimmin shame ya weren't here a couple of weeks ago for the Rugby World Cup final but not too worry...we'll talk your ear off about the mighty AB's win for the entire length of ya visit. Bit of a tip; it might be tempting but don't smoke that Matamata grass...its gets greener. Its a thrill and an honour to have you on my island Mr Quint. Stop by Auckland for a cold one if you're so inclined.
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Set visit, interview, BtS pics, and archive movie reviews. You're on fire! Though it's the set visit that makes me insanely jealous.
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Skinny just doesn't look good on everyone. On Peter Jackson, the real-life hobbit, it looked ghastly, like the man was suffering from some debilitating disease.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 7:19 a.m. CST
It's absolutely amazing to see a land untainted by Christian Conservatives
by Xen11
Building oil fields and nuclear power plants and any metal demonry they can conjure up that urinates toxic waste into the very fiber of life itself all for the purpose of killing it.
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Is Frodo doing in The Hobbit?
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the grass in the (british) Shires is a darker green. they should have shot part in the uk and gone to NZ for more extreme landscape (though UK could have done for even that maybe) obviously that's not practical, so I can't blame them!
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Good stuff Quint. Reckon you can find out where the films are going to be split and what extra stuff is going to be added?
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Nothing much else to say at the moment. -- Keep up the good work, friend.
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Seems like a great guy. Love him in Sherlock (BBC). But he hasn't spoken a word in any of the production vlogs (as himself or his character); either he is really busy or they are trying not to put too much pressure on him since any footage of his acting would put him under intense scrutiny by the LOTR fans.
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Quint, great article, I just have one question for you... Will you be allowed to keep your Hobbit feet?
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And also in the 7th photo down, that's Gandalf standing next to Frodo with his back to camera, right?
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I was indifferent about this, having over-watched LOTR and feeling bummed that Del Toro wasn't going to direct, but now I'm excited. Curse you, Quint, Jackson, grass. I was hoping to ride out my indifference until at least a few months before it opened, but no-o-o. Now I have to be endure this emotional priapism for a year.
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You know, I agree. I really hope he is healthy, but he looks so much better with the weight on. It makes me think that he had gone on a crash diet to lose weight the first time, and that tends to make people look wan and unhealthy. Another person that looked far better heavy than thin is Joan Cusack. Again, all I hope is that Jackson is happy and healthy, and I hope both are the case at the moment.
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Any word on how different the films will be now that Peter Jackson has taken over from Guillermo del Toro? I admit it would have been interesting, but knowing that Jackson is back is very reassuring.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 8:34 a.m. CST
Had a chat with Brian Blessed last year, he was convinced he was gonna be in The Hobbit
by i_got_worms
Apparently del Toro had even spoken to him about it. Guess he was chopped when del Toro dropped out. Shame, would've been made up to see Blessed in there somewhere. Still fucking psyched for this film though.
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....optimistic about this. The pics of the dwarves a few months back put a damper on it for me, so- Quint- I hope you can have a good report on the dwarves and how they look and act.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 8:59 a.m. CST
ffghsdfgsd, where the fuck are my Oakley sunglasses? I sent you $500!!!!
by Simpsonian
and my Tiffany rings????? FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUU
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A "yes man" is someone who, when you screen your latest cut of "The Phantom Menace" for them, they swallow hard and say, "looks great." They're not the person who neglects to tell you how low your turkey neck is drooping-- that's just polite.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 9:13 a.m. CST
So amazing, and yeah surreal to see Elijah there as Frodo
by performingmonkey
We're lucky that Elijah has such a naturally youthful appearance cause they're most certainly gonna get away with him looking 10 years older than when he shot his FOTR Shire intro with Gandalf, which this setup transitions into.
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JT is a sneaky snake. His name is an anagram for Satten Brimiejulk, which just goes to show. I will miss your authoritative The.
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Fuck me.
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That has got to be the coolest flippin' assignment in the history of AICN! HOLY CRAP! Good luck and godspeed!
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That guy gave one of the greatest Horror performances of all time in Dead Alive/Braindead!
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Oct. 31, 2011, 10:17 a.m. CST
Oh, and when is Criterion gonna do Bad Taste and Meet the Feebles?
by SoylentMean
That should happen, by crikey!
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and yes, I'm being sarcastic. The man couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, but I'm stoked for these 2 movies.. Can't wait for future installments Quint! PS. Tubby Peter looks better, skinny no no no.
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I hope they aren’t just shoehorning Elijah Wood in there, though. It seems more logical to have Bilbo telling the story to Frodo as a child. It sounds like they want to tie it in straight to the beginning of Fellowship. Extremely excited for this movie.
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Nobody has ever told me!
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You should, but make sure it gets translated into Esperanto. I want to be able to read that tome!
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Oct. 31, 2011, 10:32 a.m. CST
I'm surprised the NZ government doesn't restrict the airspace
by SoylentMean
over the Hobbit sets, at Peter Jackson's request. Considering how important the LOTR films and now this production are to New Zealand. Get on that, government of New Zealand! Don't let them lose the light, get those aircraft out of sight!
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Zombie Kong could be there now, swatting those pesky aircraft right outta the sky! You'd just have to watch out for his zombie libido. Although, if they needed some more caves they could always just have Zombie Kong fuck a nearby mountain, just dress the mountain up to look like an ape. Hey, I didn't say it was practical, just possible.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 10:53 a.m. CST
Who cares about Old Zealand (or just Zealand)? I wanna know if Lew Zealand is an honorary citizen of New Zealand...
by mdk
...If not, I'm starting a petition!
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.... everything else is shit (and too slow to be posted- I remember coming to this site and seeing something new every few hours, now we're lucky to see anything besides ads more than once or twice a day)
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Just down the road from Wingdingidywangdong!
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Oct. 31, 2011, 11:02 a.m. CST
The sad thing is that the first movie will come out in December 2012
by Ingeld
but then the world will end in a few days and we will never get to see the second film! I am glad for Quint's report. There hasn't been much news for this film lately. I think I am not alone in saying that I envy Quint and everyone who gets to work on these films.
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and they use sole-glo on their feet too. also, was just watching the trilogy this weekend in prep for this Hobbit- one thing that struck me about the hobbits on the shire- and i don't remember enough of the tolkien laws, but- are hobbit women generally taller than the men?
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Tolkien doesn’t say anything about hobbit women being taller than the men. Merry and Pippin are supposed to be the tallest hobbits on record after drinking the ent draught. The only female hobbit whose height I can picture from the movies was Rosie, and she did seem pretty tall compared to Sam, didn’t she?
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Crikey! Really nice work by the way. We're all jealous of you, you lucky bastard. KNOW THAT.
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Fantastic, sir. Bring some of the green, green, grass back home to Austin when you can. Does it rain often where you are? Bring some of that home as well.
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Yes, I know it's a very minor detail, but you know, details are important. I mean, imagine if they'd made the Lord of the Rings films with a bunch of Americans putting on terrible phoney English accents? Wouldn't that have been awful? (PS Don't get me started on those FREAKING IRISH TIN WHISTLES that Hollywood uses to denoted 'folksiness'.)
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In time? Red Leader had the same problem. KA-BLOOSH!
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Oct. 31, 2011, 11:43 a.m. CST
I hope they don't make the mistake of tearing down most of Hobbiton this time!
by Batutta
They are probably kicking themselves for not doing so the first time around and making hordes of money as a tourist spot.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 12:29 p.m. CST
I'm actually surprised there aren't more Talk-Backers Talkin' Crap about "Oh This Movie's Gonna Suck!!!"
by Atkinson
Because that's what 60% of you guys do, talk shit about shit you don't know shit about, like: directing movies, producing movies, writing screenplays, marketing films, merchandising, etc., etc., etc. Instead just ripping on shit, and thinkin' how awesome you believe you are. Either buy your ticket or don't, Pete Jackson will sleep well.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 12:38 p.m. CST
Does that mean the other 40% do know what they're talking about?
by D.Vader
Directing movies and writing screenplays? Fantastic. I didn't realize I was in such a well represented group.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 12:40 p.m. CST
Any 48fps CG tests yet? Nothing like a CG model looking like it's sitting on stage for you.
by justmyluck
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Seriously. Great fucking job, Quint, and really looking forward to more. Dammit, I cannot wait for this movie. These kinds of things just make it harder! *thatswhatshesaid*
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Oct. 31, 2011, 12:46 p.m. CST
Feels good knowing there's a new hobbit adventure on the way! Can't wait.
by cameron
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We'd have had Tom Cruise playing Legolas and Clint Eastwood as Gandalf. Danny De Vito as one of the Hobbits and Chuck Norris as Aragorn.
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I love it man. It's cool you got to talk to Kiran Shah. Looking over the films he has appeared in you should sit down with the man and do a full interview covering his career. Superman, Aliens, Dark Crystal, Star Wars, Krull the list goes on and on.
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...On Planet Earth." Seriously, sweet gig and good article. Looking forward to these!
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Of course it was financed by Hollywood companies.............but the LOTR films would probably have been a lot different if some typical Hollywood director got their hands on it......and not in a good way. Even Spielberg would probably have Hollywoodised it....just like he did with his awful War of the Worlds travesty. Poor HG Wells would probaby turn in his grave if he saw that piece of shite.
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Eric, you are one lucky, lucky man and Im sure the envy of many! Your chronicle gives an amazing insight to the production process and like the appendices, is completely facinating to see. Looking forward to more stories and pictures from this once in a lifetime experience. oh, and the passage ragarding Elijah and talking with Frodo.. wow. Once again, you are a lucky man. Cheers, Eric
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classic work from Tolkien.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 1:44 p.m. CST
=but the LOTR films would probably have been a lot different=
by KilliK
breaking news.the LOTR have already been a lot different than the original books.
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Verily doth virginity gave Frodo a vigor an innocence!
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Thanks, Quint. I visited Matamata about a year ago on my honeymoon and saw most of the locations you just described--you could still tour the place, and many of the exterior sets were already built, while the vegetation crew planted shrubs and flowers and so forth. It was quite magical...but nowhere near as awesome as what you're describing. Keep the updates coming!
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but I am certainly glad to see them being done by Jackson. I think he did an EXCELLENT job with the first 3. My ONLY fear is that after serving us up the first 3 FANTASTIC movies he might lose his mojo like Lucas, and will have raped everyone's childhood all over again. I know I know, the story is already there and that's he not starting from scratch, but wow, I sure would be disappointed if he dropped the ball. That said, I am really looking forward to these.
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The thing is, I really think they got it RIGHT with the Harry Potters. They were Hollywood movies, to be sure, but after a very cheesy first two, they started to feel less and less like your average Hollywood blockbuster. Half-Blood Prince and Deathy Hallows 1 felt like British blockbusters. I wish they could have applied the same principles to Lord of the Rings. I think they have gone a way to doing so, as there are far fewer Americans this time round - and the Antipodeans do good British accents in general. But there was a contrasting simplicity in the Potter casting - if they are British, have British people play them. I wish they could get the same feel with the Hobbit - the source material is so darn wonderful!
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first- how can anything from The Hobbit be a spoiler in this day and age? ;) second - I need to hurry up and get over myself and get pumped for this. I wasn't thrilled with Del Toro was in the director's seat, and I'm unsure about this whole 2nd movie thing (is The Hobbit truly being split, or will the 2nd movie be original work to connect to LOTR more directly? i could have sworn i read that as being the case a long time ago)... but fuck it. Jackson won't fuck this up.
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Thanks, Quint! And Happy Halloween, you goofy bastards!
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Oct. 31, 2011, 3:17 p.m. CST
Had the privalage to visit Matamata Hobbiton set..
by The_guy_in_the_rated_R_movie
2 years back and it's one of my favorite memories (bitter sweet to think of it as just a memory now) from my travels working on cruise ships. It's amazing that its an actual physical place, a working sheep farm, that you can walk around in. Glad that they're using the same set from the Trilogy.
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Great reporting. Great pictures. Made my day, easily. Thank you!!
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Oct. 31, 2011, 3:57 p.m. CST
Only problem with the Hobbit..it was written for kids (unlike LOTR).
by LORDOFLIGHT
which wasn't written for kids. I hope Jackson's not going to make the Hobbit kiddified.
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the fuckers love their food. Worse, Kiwi's can put away the booze in a way that rivals the most hardened Irish, Aussie or American boozer. Fridays is a day for drinking wine at work...before going out and getting pissed the rest of the night.
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...that shows just how shitty AICN had become since the golden age years ago. This set report is of the caliber that I remember reading when I first found this site and I've come back ever since in the hopes that I would be able to read more. Now AICN is nothing more than a political blog run by a hack who insists on copying and pasting stories from ComingSoon.net and other places. No cool news here.<p> Nicely done, Quint. Nicely done. You are singlehandedly bringing a bright ray of light to an otherwise dismal pit of irrelevance. This SCOOP (referring to what it is) is the most meaningful thing that AICN has accomplished in nearly a decade. Congratulations and I am excited to read the next installments.
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lordoflight: 'I hope Jackson's not going to make the Hobbit kiddified.' I agree. I think the tone should be tweaked a bit to make it more like that of Lord of the Rings, although a bit more lighthearted since the stakes are not so high. @ultragoregrind: The two movies are just going to be The Hobbit story split in the middle. I am guessing around the arrival at Lake Town, but that’s just speculation. Originally there was talk about doing the Hobbit in one movie and then a second ‘bridge’ movie made up of material from The LotR appendices and other related Tolkien material plus some newly invented stuff, but that idea was later scrapped.
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I'm really glad PJ is directing these. My guess is if you liked Fellowship, you'll really like The Hobbit, as they are very much similar. Can you imagine if a Hollywood director would have done these movies? Nothing against GDT, but I'm kind of glad he didn't do this, because it just would've most likely been really far from what LotR Middle-Earth looked like.
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although Hobbit talkbacks are nowhere near as much fun as Trek shit...
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Oct. 31, 2011, 5:11 p.m. CST
If this story wasn't here, today's AICN headlines would be completely useless.
by AzulTool
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Not much going on out there right now..., even on other sites....if there was they'd have posted a link to the other sites week old story by now.
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You are the fucking MAN. Holy shit, what an offer. Two months on set! Like I said before, the right guy got the offer. Thanks for once again posting something which reminded me of how cool this place used to be. This is the first place I've seen it confirmed that Ian Holm is actually going to be in the films, which is fantastic. Everything's just looking better and better. So. Fucking. Stoked. More, Quint, MORE!
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Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time, since, oh, before most talk backers were born...
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but I hope that Jackson finds a way to slip one in. I've decided after decades of research that Evangeline Lilly might be the hottest chick on the planet.
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Awesome job, Quint. Nice write-up and fantastic photos. Time well spent here at AICN...as opposed to just a cursory glance. So far, I'm liking everything I hear about this project. Despite my reservations about splitting the story into two films, I have to say I'm pleased with how they appear to be linking the story to the overall LOTR mythology. Could make for some really fun poignant moments. Bring. It. On. Huzzah!
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There's a reply for you in that other TB. Ride now!
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I MISS THAT GUY!!!!!!
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Saw your reply. Yeah, like any good hero's skills, great TB-Fu is reliant on having a formidable foe to wreak it upon. Remove the foe from the equation and the 'Fu will eat itself. How long must we wait for the next BTS clip from PJ? I'm hoping that the more we see the LOTR regulars and set pics the greater the chances are of Tolkienite trolls shambling back into the talkbacks.
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How's it going?
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On the fucking set! You dog! In my imagination I'm right there with you, so thanks for that :)
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and a great opportunity. thanks for the report and looking forward to future ones. ya lucky bastard.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 8:37 p.m. CST
Stormtrooper in front of Bilbos house! Time to kick some hobbit ass!
by evilnerd
Hey there, I was on the set back in April and I took this picture! There is only one trilogy! http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lm1us9S2ex1qio082o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1320197728&Signature=Sfo%2BuBGtFifYyie5Ntx52kbYefk%3D
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Enjoy suckers! http://www.flickr.com/photos/69296575@N07/
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Oct. 31, 2011, 9:09 p.m. CST
Sites like AICN totally ruined LOTR for me, and I promised myself I wouldn't read any advance news of the Hobbit films, but dammit, here I am....
by Josiah Rogue
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All good skills must be challenged, honed, and refined. It's a shame to know such skills are being wasted upon their own kind. As for the Tolkienites, I'm sure Ringy is out there somewhere. Lurking. But I hope we see the return of TBers like Morgoth, Ingeld, and Xoanon. Folks who enjoy discussing this most favored subject.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 9:24 p.m. CST
It's a sad commentary on AICN that a killer piece by Quint...
by Mr. Nice Gaius
...on such a major film has such little Talkback activity. Back in "the day", a feature like this would have 1000-2000 posts, a large and recognizable group of TBers, and several Flame Wars all happening simultaneously and spreading across threads. And now? What do we got? What happened, AICN?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DREAM?!?!?!?!?!
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That's the way I like it. Five more writers and personalities of your caliber, Quint, and you can ditch Harry and take over nice and proper.
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That was cool to read about. I hadn't been following that he was going to actually be in it, if only the introduction. I think I prefer them being introduced by the LOTR characters like this despite the chronological shift in thought ( of now being a story told in flashback, but then again so was the end of LOTR technically )
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Not to worry, I'm sure AssMunchLives will be along shortly to enlighten everone! That, and the fact that Quint mentioned livestock, goats in particular, so ...
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...that's always possible. Goats are like catnip ol' Carlos...er...Assimov.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 10:24 p.m. CST
mr. nice gaius ...someone should research "Exactly" when the Dream died...
by conspiracy
oh..it had become just the faintest flicker of a dream over the last half decade or so; but it may have been late 09-2010...the the era of the "Great Banning"...that extinguished the flame once and for all. When Boborci doesn't even show up to debate and flame on a Star Trek TB...you know something is seriously amiss.
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Oct. 31, 2011, 10:32 p.m. CST
Enough musing about Hobbit feet...it's creepily fetishistic...
by conspiracy
tell us about the Fucking Lonely Mountain! Whats planned for Smaug...thats really all that matters.
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I guess I better post a few messages, too, huh? You know, just to make sure Old Folk's Night is lively and all. And gratz on the NZ vacation, Quint!!
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You are absolutely right about how badly shit site has gone downhill. Hell, remember those damned Indy 4 talkbacks that would top 5k posts inside of a week? And dont even get me started on the TF and "Aquafag" TBs. Still, if Quint can drag these set reports out for the next few months, I'll still be AICN's bitch for a wee bit longer ;)
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You already fucked the TBs up, Harry. Would it have killed you to add an edit button while tinkering with AICN till the bottom fell out???
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Yeah, that one heavy banning phase was odd but most folks seemingly came back in one form or another. I think the final nail in the coffin may have been the alleged hack that resulted in Harry having the site switched over to this current format. The fact that the much lauded upgrade/overhaul never happened (and no explanation has been given as to why) boggles the mind. Another factor could be that people have simply grown up and/or moved on.
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Yep, I remember those TBs quite well. And I'm with you on Quint's set reports - good stuff.
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AICN has become like that old girlfriend you call in a pinch when the new trim you've been hitting off and on gets sick an can't hook up. Always willing, always ready, familiar and scratches the itch...but not exactly fresh or full of surprises anymore.
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I wish that all of the AICN reporters would do set visits. Imagine is Herc visited Hawaii for Lost or New York/Toronto for Fringe or any of the other reporters visited movies sites. AICN would be a lot better.
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It's good to see some old familiar faces.
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Is pretty much the same as any other dream. I don't flame, but I'm knowledgeable enough to know that any article on here is not above the usual flame wars, more than any other. Yes, there are tenuous and often offensive posts, probably not even remotely relating to said article, but it happens all over this site. And to expect any article to be above it is nothing more than being naive.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 3:19 a.m. CST
mr. nice gaius. I can't speak for anyone else but...
by Nomoredirtyanything
I was here all the time. First as Zbobroberts, only to be banned for telling dirty jokes in an empty thread. So I learned a lesson, came back as Nomoredirtyjokespleaseweareyanks, and lived happily for many a year until He who shall not be named from CHUD suddenly popped up. I gave him a piece of my mind(it was surprisingly inoffensive for a internet rant) and was summarily banned again along with a few other longtimers who dared to question what was going on. Since then I pop in maybe twice a week, read a couple of talkbacks hoping to see some asshole being Chopped, or in the hope that BSB or another oldtimer has something that is actually interesting to say(I even hope for some crazy anti-JJ Asi rant). Outside of all that, most talkbackers here now wouldn't know a Walter Hill Film to save their lives so I have no interest in debating shit with people who hate Jackson, Spielberg, Kubrick or any other fucking legend who these teens decided are no longer relevant. I had my AICN soul ripped out, and only fragments returned.
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you couldn't find a more quintessentially New Zealand town if you tried. Last time I drove through, about six months ago now, I purposely took a ten minute detour on the little winding gravel road up to the Hobbiton farm gates. Usually it is open to the public as a tourist attraction. The gates were closed. It made me giddy, sitting there in the car all by myself, imagining what was being put into motion over yonder. I also love that they are going to keep the sets up there after production ends. I've done the tourist thing in there previously but they removed the sets after LOTR and it just wasn't the same without the actual hobbit holes. The guide pointed up at bag end and I had to squint really fucking hard to picture it. Then came the tour grand finale, pointing out one party streamer that was accidentally left hanging in the tree. Yeah..... Can't wait to go back there and see it all in its proper glory.
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nomoredirtyjokes, your post is a good one. A tale of optimism and then woe... *I had my AICN soul ripped out, and only fragments returned.* That line above is the horcrux of the story. In truth even The Dojo has wearied of aicn rather over the last few months. I'm not so fussed about the stories / articles / breaking news that seem to commonly attract criticism. For me the site's always been about the talkbacks, and as Gaius and Conspiracy mention they're not zinging quite like they used to. There was a beautiful thing going on with the Pedalback posts, it really put the cool in aicn and it was a shame when that all ended. I kata on however through the falling autumn leaves in the hope that some new blood will come in and get my party juices flowing again. Either that or kobe_ass_tastes might show up for another whopping. I do enjoy kicking that fuckwit's ass. Haha!
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I talked about this in the AICN HORROR comic talkback. I don't see any of the old faces around here anymore, save for you, Conspiracy, and DocPaz in this particular TB (sorry to anyone I forgot). Oh wait, there's Cobra-Kai too! But sadly, he's been missing a bit around here too. The whole affair has just become BORING. The stories are boring. The talkbacks are boring. The mods are boring. This place just aint what it used to be. Look at the top talkbacks on a weekly basis. They're a former shell of what they used to be. Shame.
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Like I said, it just got boring. I mean, look at all the AMAZING and COOL stories AICN has posted the past few days.... Just... LOOK! So intriguing and exciting.
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There are some familiar faces!
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but that's the problem.He is NOT going to make the Hobbit kiddified,otherwise he wouldnt sell the product to the masses.talk about respecting the original work of the beloved author.
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Just got though watching 'Paradise Lost' 1 & 2 and had to see what was going on - apparently Peter Jackson is helping get Damien a pardon, and Damien is in New Zealand right now. Crazy. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10762288
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It's turning into a regular meeting of the Fellowship here. Nice. Between all the talent (except Quint) bailing on AICN and the inexorable advance of this lame new generation of talkbackers, this place has really deteriorated. What a shambles. Ironically, talking too much about it brings the talkbacks down even more. It would be awesome if the Hobbit were able to bring back some of the life of AICN but I doubt it very much. Still, I pledge my sword.
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Terrific stuff, Quint, and this from someone who found the LOTR trilogy no better than okay and who has never gotten into Tolkein. That said, as presented, this article does read like you're an embedded war reporter - are you sure that helicopter wasn't about to napalm yo' sorry asses? Right, that's me done here - I gotta go and watch Hard Times, which doesn't have any Hobbits in it, unless you count Jill Ireland.
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A story blooms late... It struggles through winters chill... A last gasp of life.
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The urban blight, the pipe weed dealers on every corner, the crime, the ring-addicts collapsed in alleyways? Jackson's sweeping it all under the rug. Racist!
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Nov. 1, 2011, 8:44 a.m. CST
The feet... Hobbit chicks are all fresh-faced, busty lasses, but the feet are a turn-off!
by mdk
They probably have hairy legs, too. And no Brazilian waxes available anywhere in the shire. Definite turn-off, but still, way better than Dwarf chicks!
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You carry the fate of us all chopping one. If this is indeed the will of the talkbackers, then the Dojo will see it done.
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His strength returns. That wound will never fully heal. And yet, to have come so far and still be making posts, D.Vader has shown extraordinary resilience to the Banhammer.
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The enemy is moving. Torture porn movies are massing in the review section. Beaks eye is fixed on them. And the trolls have betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin. It is in Conspiracy that we must place our hope. Conspiracy? Conspiracy is weak. His literary erotica is all but spent. I was there. I was there 3000 hours ago when he last gave me a guilty chubby.
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Hahahahahaha!
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Nov. 1, 2011, 10:15 a.m. CST
Can't wait for Peter Jackson to school George Lucas as to how to make a riveting Prequel
by ganymede3010
This movie is going to own some ass. I can't wait for this shit.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 10:32 a.m. CST
D.Vader, it's the topics. That's why the regulars don't post here anymore.
by ganymede3010
AICN is weeks behind many other sites when it comes to breaking "cool-news". By the time an intriguing story appears on this site most have debated the topic already on other sites. Comicbookmovie.com is the new AICN. They're always breaking the latest geek news. The only thing this site is good for anymore is debating the movie reviews done by Harry, Quint and the rest of the bloggers here. Another reason this site has become mundane is because there's no cool movies coming out anytime soon. I'm sure their might be a couple but the titles elude me at the moment. Prometheus will definitely bring back a lot of the old faces once it comes closer to release.
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Also, I doubt they are shooting any Smaug stuff at the moment. Still, Quint should try to see if he can get a look at some concept art or maybe some model work that is being done. I am kind of hoping they discarded Guillermo Del Toro’s axe-headed Smaug design.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 10:50 a.m. CST
Good to see some of the old gang back for Jackson
by Nomoredirtyanything
its fitting... Pity? It was pity that stayed Harry's hand. Many that get banhammered deserve death. Some that get banhammered deserve life. Can you give it to them, cobra-kai? Do not be too eager to deal out banhammerings in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that NerdRageRetardStrength has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Harry may rule the fate of many.
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I thought about it. Round doors are a minority.
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Only an utter knob-end would see the release schedule for the end of 2011 and ENTIRE 2012, and say there is nothing good on the horizon. Either that, or you're a troll.
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I used to really enjoy the talkbacks here when the LotR trilogy was being made. The related threads would sometimes go on for weeks after they were first posted and we had a lot of cool Tolkien debates. Then the thread would become hosed and new posts would just appear randomly in the middle of the talkback. Good times.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 10:59 a.m. CST
Cobra...alas, my prose withers at the feet of these Hobbits
by conspiracy
hair...hair...everywhere the hair. It hinders thus my venomous pen and penis; denying all hint of immoral thought despite the unfathomably tight, close, most likely pleasurable confines hinted at by lasses of such small stature... Thus vexed I await the coming of some new hope...a muse...a savior ...
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Nov. 1, 2011, 11:03 a.m. CST
And besides...Jackson just isn't fun to lampoon or deride...
by conspiracy
...he is just too low key...and doesn't have the on display issues, phobias, and self importance that make guys like Lucas or Bay so much fun to shit on.
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I think I'm gonna cream in my PANTS Pants pants.......
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Nov. 1, 2011, 11:17 a.m. CST
All I know is everyone would have been banned for the Jobs talkback alone
by UltraTron
if there was any banning still going on here. cobra kai: nobody wants to go to your gay dojo. They don't want that. Peter Jackson: I don't mind this fairy tale shit but could you please turn a great read into a movie someday. A page turner. Something that I can get through. Man where is that Skull Island movie? That's a location worth returning to.
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Isn't the Hobbit a children's story?
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Are you a faggot ultratron? I'll tell you what happened. You went down to Skull Island for a blowjob. But you didn't want to pay for it. (Ultra, if that movie ref's too obscure for you then let me know and i'll diss you down in a way your 2 braincells can understand. Wotta wanka.)
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Yeah, The Hobbit is a kids’ story, but I don’t see anything wrong with making it a bit more grown-up for the movie version, so it is more in line with the tone of the LotR movies. The book can be quite silly at times, really. The second half, dealing with Smaug and the aftermath of his death is very solid but the first half definitely contains a lot of silliness. I am hoping they will change that a bit for the movies while still maintaining the relatively light-hearted tone of the book. The basic story itself is fantastic, so I don’t want them to deviate TOO much, but unlike with LotR I think The Hobbit could stand a bit of alteration for the films as long as it is the right kind of alteration.
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I am hoping most of the changes are going to come from Tolkien’s own writing rather than just PJ, Fran and Philippa (and I guess Guillermo). Definitely the weakest parts of the LotR movies came from Jackson’s deviations from the source material. I know he is adding a few new characters to The Hobbit, but I think that could be a good thing if done properly. The fact that one of them is Evangeline Lilly doesn’t hurt. It seems like he is planning on expanding the role of elves in the story, which is cool.
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Sneaky Jackson is saving time by having Quint do stunt double duty for his video journals. I love LOTR, but I bet these movies will be even better what with Del Torro's involvement and more freedom to innovate in the story gaps (Necromancer and Gandalf). To know that Ian Holmes and Christopher Lee are still here to reprise their roles. Quint or Harry needs to do a phoner with Lee before anything happens to him! Where is #2, hurry up Quint.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 12:48 p.m. CST
This will be better than LOTR with Del Torro's involvement and story gaps to innovate within
by Kevin
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Nov. 1, 2011, 12:49 p.m. CST
Ian Holmes and Christopher Lee have shot their scenes in London, how about some phone interviews???
by Kevin
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Nov. 1, 2011, 12:54 p.m. CST
It's important to note that Tolkien himself tried to rewrite THE HOBBIT in the more serious style of LOTR
by AssyMuffJizz
He gave up after some chapters -- but not because it wasn't a worthy project to pursue. Hell, there is a great deal of supplemental HOBBIT material between the LOTR appendices and the HISTORY OF MIDDLE EARTH short pieces to really fill in the unknown gaps both in the story and after it. I'm hoping Jackson REALLY delves into the fascinating and tragic history of the dwarves (and the genesis and aftermath of their Third Age war with the goblins/orcs of the North). Hell, the Battle of Battle of Azanulbizar is one of the most moving things I've read by JRRT (which is saying a lot). I'm STOKED.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 12:55 p.m. CST
I wonder if they're going to paste Lee's face on a different body (CAP AMERICA style) as they are with Holm.
by AssyMuffJizz
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What happened to you, Ultra? I used to really like you.
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I've never seen such bigotry before.
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That's the sound of my cock hitting the floor. CAN'T FUCKING WAIT! Oh, wait, yes I can. Fucking have to, don't I?
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It's actually a working sheep farm. And there was this huge tree on it that the farmer was actually considering cutting down, but ultimately decided not to. Which was a good move on his part because Peter Jackson and his crew were helicoptering over New Zealand, searching for a place to build Hobbiton, and when they flew over that area Jackson said, "My God, that's the party tree! Right there!" On a sheep farm in a little nowhere town called Matamata. The first thing they needed to do, once they worked out the deal with the farmer, was build roads. No way could they roll in the equipment over meadow. So the New Zealand army helped to build several miles worth of road for all the trucks to come rolling through. They constructed Hobbiton out of the hills and gullies, with the understanding that--when they were done--they'd restore it to the previous condition. Once filming was finished, they proceeded to do exactly that. But they only got a little ways into it when massively inclement weather rolled in and literally drove them away. They promised the farmer they'd be back within a few months to finish taking it down. During that time, though, the farmer realized he was sitting on a gold mine, and managed to work out a deal with the studio to have them leave it as it was, with the understanding that he would run tours to interested LotR fans. It wound up turning quiet Matamata into a major tourist attraction, so much so that they built a statue of Gollum in the center of town. My wife, daughter and I went on the tour two years ago when we were out there for a convention. We've got tons of photos of us crossing the bridge, hanging out under the tree, and standing inside Hobbit holes. If any of you ever happen to wind up in that area of NZ, I highly recommend checking it out. PAD
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No offense to the dead. RIP Steve.
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Shit is all over every other site on the tubes... BALE!!!!!!!!!!
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Let's keep Hobbit TBs a place to be proud to discuss in.
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The key is getting the tone of Smaug right...and not just making some fire spewing violent CGI dragon. As I read it as a child...I actually felt sorry for Smaug....the old fuck just wanted to be left in peace and then along come a bunch of greedy selfish Dwarves and that asshole Bilbo.
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But then read his report and the love comes flooding back..
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Did Jackson and Shore get over their tiff about King Kong?
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Two reasons, i guess. The first: Reflex. I've been doing it for so long that I literally type it in without thinking. Comes from the days long before email when I would work in offices and have to type up internal memos or letters, and I'd always type my initials at the bottom. That was just SOP. At this point it's so ingrained that I just type it automatically. Even now I type my initials at the bottom of my emails. The second: More convenient for the people reading them. Sometimes my posts tend to run long (here and other boards). As a result, my name at the top may scroll off and it's more convenient if someone skimmed past the name at the top but, once getting to the bottom, says, "Who wrote this?" If my initials are there, then it's, "Oh. Right. THAT idiot." And besides, AICN's message formatting can be so hit or miss that when you get to my initials, at least you know that I've actually completed my thoughts. PAD
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Personally I hope he winds up looking like the dragon from "Dragon's Lair." But that could well just be me. PAD
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thanks 4 the info............can't wait for a teaser/trailer for this movie. RANCAH
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actually i saw a guy that looked like him RANCAH
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Nov. 1, 2011, 3:42 p.m. CST
PAD...I tell you what...I'd be willing to see that happen...
by conspiracy
if Jackson somehow manages to stick in a character that looks like Princess Daphne
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Nov. 1, 2011, 3:44 p.m. CST
Looking like Bale will get you farther in life than looking like PJ
by conspiracy
Fact. Plus, and the quality of the trim vastly improves.
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yeah I'm stealing that RANCAH
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as the massive dose of Professionalism injected into the Austin air most probably sent their amateur fucking systems into a kind of toxic shock. Plus they were most likely barricading the doors...knowing that their women, whose long deprived flowers sensed and desired to be pollinated by these most manly of men, would try to escape into the wilds of Austin; there, impaling themselves like sweet virginal sacrifices upon the ever turgid, unforgiving, towering altar of Bale.
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audience as LOTR did. I mean, the story, as I remember it, just doesn't have the same amount of danger, shadow and despair looming over the good guys. At the same time, the dwarf pics we've seen, makes me think there will be a lot of slaying. Stoked about all this, and Quint, I'm not surprised you are the one from AICN going to NZ.
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based on what criteria?.those of a child of those of an adult? the book is a children's tale but that doesnt sound too profitable for a big budget HW movie right?
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As long as absolutely all of the songs from the book are included in the movie with no alteration of any of the lyrics, I will be happy.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 4:49 p.m. CST
=as I remember it, just doesn't have the same amount of danger, shadow and despair looming over the good guys.=
by KilliK
Dont worry, PJ will bastardize that enough so that it can appeal to your average popcorn eater,iphone talker, lowest common denominator. we need all of his money in our pockets you see.
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should have been Richard Ridings - he did the voice of the mentor in Dungeon Keeper 2 on PC, and also does the voice of Daddy Pig on 'Peppa Pig', for those Brits with kids or those who want to YouTube it. Also, I agree that only 200-odd posts over the past few days is pathetic.
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Smaug's voice was going to be Leonard Nimoy from early reports... However more current reports confirm it that Benedict Cumberbatch will voice the Dragon. Cumberbatch and Freeman. Holmes and Watson back together again...
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The films aren't a word for word translation of the books. Aint that some shit. Guess that makes the movies terribly bad, and Jackson a talentless hack. Or maybe not. Perhaps the differences between the books and the films has to do with the fact that the two mediums are different? You know, so you have to approach making a film different than you would writing a book?
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Those of an adult. The book is written to appeal to children, but the actual story could easily be viewed in a more serious light. Being an adult myself, I am in favor of the story being presented in a somewhat more serious way for the film. I agree with someone who once said that it should have the feel of an Indiana Jones movie.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 5:33 p.m. CST
Apparently Cumberbatch is doing the Necromancer voice as well.
by Madcapper
Doing the soundmixing for these films must a nightmare, and at the same time, a dream come true for the sound crew.
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my co-worker's half-sister makes $72/hr on the laptop. She has been laid off for 6 months but last month her paycheck was $8741 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Read this site http://ufil.ms/R7BAQ
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The World Cup was in New Zealand Quint!
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... in a more adult style, consistently with LotR, late in life. But he was persuaded that he was destroying the charm of the original story and stopped the revision. <p> OTOH, Jackson's Hobbit revisions are based on film financing issues. It's unfeasible to raise vast finance to put a 1930's children's fantasy book on screen based on a literal translation of the text.<p> Let's hope the additional material in the Walsh/Boyens/Del Toro/Jackson script doesn't distort the story as much as some of the weak additions to the LotR scripts (Arwen's fate tied to the Ring, Frodo at Osgiliath, Indecisive Aragorn - I'm looking at you).
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AARON MORGAN??????????????????????????
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For anyone but Quint, that is? It's Hobbiton again. Um, yay? I'll be more interested when we start seeing stuff we have not already seen in the other films. Significant stuff, that is. I couldn't even tell you if, say, one of these houses was or was not in the other films. Does it matter?
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But that's a poor excuse to explain away why the movies deviated from the books in the ways they did. Are you apologists suggesting the LotR movies could not have possibly told the story of Aragorn without making him indecisive? Or any of the other character and story deviations? A talented writer and director could have made any of the original book's elements work on film. Would it have been COMMERCIAL though? That's the only reason for some of the changes (ie: dumbing down , and compacting to fit with what is taught in screenwriting classes about character arcs and so on.) The movie could indeed have been made like the books, but the average moron would have ahd to think, or know something about the literature and story types Tolkien was drawing upon, so they made it more like every other heroic adventure tale and Tolkien imitator since. That's the way to make money,and the reason "you cannot translate one medium to the other." Don't believe it is any other reason.
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Anyone know if there are any plans on doing this like they did for the LotR films?
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I'd be down for that. As for the dragon's voice, ultimately I don't think it matters all that much. Once they get through processing it, God only knows what it's going to sound like. PAD
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since we all know where lotr begins, what is the point of this besides being comprehensive or thorough? didn't the star wars prequels prove how inert and unnecessary these kinds of stories are?
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We knew how Lord of the Rings was going to end, too. Also, The Hobbit was written decades before Lord of the Rings. Books. Check ‘em out.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 10:57 p.m. CST
I agree about the deviations in LotR not being necessary, catlettuce
by frank
The movies aren’t perfect but I still love them for what they are.
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A real cinephile and book lover's dream come true.
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Nov. 1, 2011, 11:36 p.m. CST
So I'm assuming you don't watch any historical movies then, gaygoonie?
by Sardonic
Also comparing The Hobbit to the Star Wars prequels is just...no.
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though I'm not certain a cat is the best animal to symbolize greed...perhaps make it squirrel-like? I once started giving a local squirrel some peanuts every now and then. Eventually it would cling crazily to my front window screen every day. Had to quit. Now I just feed the crows. They are good at sharing among themselves. Anyhow, Tolkien's drawings are charming, lovely, but I never cared for his weak-looking Smaug. The head on Howe's and Lee's versions are too snaky/reptilian (with Howe's looking oddly friendly), but they were hewing close to Tolkien's rendering. Howe's painting of Nienor and the dragon Glaurung is perfect, though.
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the films and the source material, is because someone wanted to make money, and could not have done so by sticking to the original story, since the general population is too fucking stupid to grasp the true genius who wrote the mindboggingly complex and abstract LoTR? Ok then. I can see how commercial aspects have affected the films, and I do not think they are superior to the books. As franks_ pointed out, they aren't perfect. But they aren't terrible either.
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Umm... When was he indecisive? Sure, he had avoided his fate for as long as he could, but whenever shit got real and people depended on him he stepped up to the plate big time. When he saw that the fate of the free world depended on his actions, he did what was necessary. If anything, this makes him a more compelling character. Anyone else remember that talkbacker ages ago who ranted against Jackson and posted a link to his own version of the Council of Elrond which he had shot on video with some of his friends using the Tolkien dialogue verbatim? It was fucking AWFUL. And very, very funny.
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It's one of my great regrets in life that I didn't have the presence of mind to download that thing. I don't even remember what the guy's name was. If I had the time and willpower I would go to waybackmachine and try to sift through the old LOTR talkbacks and find it. Alas, I don't, and thus, can't.
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and bring it home. It sounds fucking golden!
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inverted cock-elbows are needed in more tales...
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Some decisions I quailed against initially (Aragorn’s reluctance to embrace his heritage; Frodo’s overall naivety, youth and fear, so different from the fully grown, ideal-Hobbit of Tolkien’s world) I actually feel now are improvements on Tolkien’s brilliant source material. The FOTR EE screenplay as it stands is a thing of absolutely awe for me now that I have some years distance from the shock of certain elements being so different from my beloved story.
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assymuff, top marks for use of the word *quailed*. I don't think anyone's ever quailed on aicn before.
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I hear you, brother. That was some funny, funny shit. Truck fuck girl! Truck fuck girl! If you can recall approximately when those TBs took place maybe I can find them on waybackmachine.
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it's pretty hazy however, but that seems right docpazuzu. Fuck me that was hilarious.
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as a pretty big Tolkien nut, outside of a few choices(gimli's comedy relief) I think his additions were masterstrokes.
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A true tour-de-force performance.
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Seriously! Even just seeing that stuff with my own eyeballs for a few minutes would be kickass enough but to actually be present journalistically throughout 2 months is the stuff dreams (and madhouse envy) are made of! Haha! But great work indeed - got goosebump excited reading this article and seeing the pics!!! Cannot wait for our return to Middle Earth!! I also thought it was Deep Roy that played the 'fake' goblin in Legend! Fantastic stuff all around!
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Thanks for trying to invigorate this talkback. Hopefully it will work.
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Now if only we can get genderblender!
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someone who knows how to rave and rant?
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Is it anything like jellied eels?
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I need your twitter names so i can keep up with you guys. I already got da choppah's twitter info...that leaves the rest of you monkeys. If you aint got one, GET ONE!! The best part about this site for some time has been the TBers. And since its pretty obvious that the boards are losing their luster I think its high time we all got ourselves connected with one another. I know, I know--bust out the chocalates and nail polish while we're at it, right? Still, I think its a good idea...and I'm damned glad Choppah has already thought of it. Lets not get lost in the shuffle, guys. And that goes with some of you newbies, too. If you guys are in to really chatting it out on the TBs you had better start setting up twitter accounts and letting us know about them on this thread. My twitter handle is the same as this one: moondoggy2u. I hope i see the rest of you!! Doc--that goes treble for you, mate!
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"indecisive" is the wrong word. <p> My gripe was that the script unnecessarily distorted the character of Aragorn by imposing a cliched Hollywood character arc.<p> The Rivendell scenes in FotR set up a corny transition from nebbish to hero.<p> Movie Elrond says: "The line of Kings is broken. There is no strength left in the world of Men. They are scattered, divided, leaderless." <p> "[Aragorn] turned from that path long ago. He has chosen exile." <p> In the shards of Narsil scene Movie Aragorn says:"The same blood flows in my veins, the same weakness."<p> And Viggo Mortensen was directed to exude diffidence. At that point, Book Aragorn has been leading the fight against Mordor's forces for seventy years, as an ally of Elrond, his foster father. <p> Of course, Movie Aragorn gradually mans up and becomes heroic.<p> But I thought the scriptwriters didn't need to tinker with a very cool book character - a sort of UrClint Eastwood.<p> Seemed like a mis-judged addition to me. I suspect they wanted to satisfy NewLine that even New Zealand scriptwriters were familiar with Hollywood character cliches ripped from the pages of Joseph Campbell.
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undercover-y ranger doing reconnaissance to figurehead/heir apparent/full bore champion? They would've had to explain the whole Dúnedain thing and include the Grey Company Rangers.
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Good to see you! Unfortunately, I can't do what you ask. I'm not a technophobe by any means but I loathe cell phones and facebook and the idea of getting on the twitter train is anathema to me. I could see possibly creating a separate facebook account with my AICN handle, but that's about it. Apart from my hatred of social media it comes down to the fact that my everyday life isn't interesting enough to warrant twitter or facebook updates on a regular basis. I'm not one of those people who needs to tell everyone when I go out to buy milk or comment on those who are out buying milk. Still, if AICN continues to deteriorate I might have to reconsider eventually.
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I don't know man. I thought the same thing when I first saw FotR, but then I thought for the sake of movie mode, explaining how old Aragorn is would be daunting to non fans, that is people who aren't already immersed in the culture of Tolkien.. I think, while it was partially to make him the "classic" hero, that it was somewhat necessary for the suspension of disbelief for newer people
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If they made the Hobbit up, I'd agree with you. But it came first. Not story-wise, I mean it was written first. And it's not even a "prequel." Other than the ring finding it's way to Bilbo it doesn't even touch upon the events from LotR
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..what a bitter and twisted fucking idiot you are! Not only is hoping a film fails just to piss off its' fans one of the saddest, most petty things I've ever read, but you also picked on an upcoming prequel to one of the highest-grossing trilogies of all time. Basic logic tells us that this film will at least succeed/break even in terms of box office gross, regardless of critical acclaim. That's as stupid as predicting the next Twilight installment, or the SW Prequels to fail at the box office. All are - or likely to be - shit films from a critical perspective, but have - or will - make millions. I'm going to keep the link to this TB saved until Dec next year, and repost it in a Hobbit Review TB, just so you can boil in your own festering bile and stupidity for everyone to see. For the LULZ.
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Who was going to boil?
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You are one fortunate mook for landing this Hobbity gig but for the Love of Eru, stop using that word in reference to The Hobbit movie. Apples and duck eggs my friend. You know of what I speak...dragging in those who make SW comparisons. Ugh! I have to agree with the poster irritable and nebbish is an apt description for movie Aragorn. Very unfortunate and PJ should've left his character per the book. As for the Dunedain backstory, I think it was handled quite well in the movie Council of Elrond. No need to get into the Dunedain at all and non-book read movie goers had no trouble connecting Aragorn to Isildur. Of course, Eowyn's mention (extended edition) of Aragorn as "Dunedain" would've been a good chance to have brought that out...not to mention having other Rangers show up! Alas, we got Noldor at Helm's Deep but no sons of Elrond and Aragorn's Ranger buds delivering Arwen's standard. Mere quibbles in what was otherwise an extraordinary movie and quite pleasing to this longtime Tolkenite.
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You worthless pile of blatherpuke. The Hobbit will have you crawling back under that jealous pile of plain vanilla pudding before you can utter, "I wish I was a nerd!"
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Try getting to the next Hobbit thread earlier and I think you’ll have more success. Even this late, you still got a couple of responses.
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or the fact that it's 'The Hobbit' we're talking about that bothers me. I just cannot abide dickheads who equate box office success with film quality. By that fucked-up logic I should really hate 'Bladerunner'...
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oh wait....that was Thor.
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jeeeeeeeeez
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about trolls? You don't feed them, you starve them. Especially the ones that jill off on copy and paste.
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Get back in your room.
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and post the next installment, will you? Very interested in reading more about this trip of yours..
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Is that like...all the normal people who get woodies from trolling online movie sites and know what a cenobite is? 'Cuz actually those are usually the people who get made fun of on South Park and live in their parents' basement reading back issues of Cinefantastique. You know what makes me moist? Morons. That's why I love reading these forums. In fact, let me just reread your post again and again, Genderbender...oh...oh God...ohmyfuckinggod...OHHHHHSHITTTTTT... Ah. Much better now.
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Nov. 3, 2011, 11:47 p.m. CST
Genderbender is an over-the-top spoof of Genderblender.
by Dennis_Moore
Pay no attention to either.
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New production video for THE HOBBIT is up... http://www.facebook.com/PeterJacksonNZ
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The most tech oriented hobbit blog so far. I've enjoyed all of these so far, and can't wait to see some location shooting!
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Hi Quint, it must have been wonderful to have the chance to be on the Hobbiton movie set. I read your blog entry and it's great to hear about your time there. I went to Hobbiton in October 2009 on a Lord of the Rings Hobbiton Tour and it's such a beautiful location. It really did still look like it was in the film, of course, without the props, film crews etc but it was brilliant to get the chance to see it. I even got the chance to have a look inside Bag End and see the party tree from the hobbit hole. If you're interested, have a look at my New Zealand blog entry from Hobbiton:http://tinyurl.com/czrjp65 I'd give my right arm to work for Peter Jackson and Weta. I think they're all geniuses at what they do. Regards, Martina.
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Agreed
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