News from the set [2]

Ian Mckellen

http://www.2kiwis.com/2012/06/25/ian-mckellen-at-the-opera-house/

I saw the new trailer in front of Brave, and I was confused as to why they were playing it in front of a Pixar movie. The parts taken out are when Gandalf is fighting Thror and the troll scene, and is replaced with more shots of Bilbo hiding and poking his head up. I was confused as to why those parts were removed, but now it makes sense (after reading the previous posts)

Off-topic (naturally, it's Forumshire ), but what did you think of Brave, Your Maj? I had thought about going to see it since it's from Pixar but I've heard almost nothing but mixed and negative reviews since it opened.

It's not very good for Pixar. The story isn't very unique and the characters are pretty flat. If I ever hear the word "fate" again, I'll probably smack someone! Although I was thinking of Petty quite a bit, since there were so many men in kilts... The bests parts for me were her hair and the music.

Mock Hobbit movie to start filming next month

http://www.examiner.com/article/mock-hobbit-movie-to-start-filming-next-month

wouldnt it be funny if it was better than the PJ version?

When Pj's comes out how are we supposed to know which version is meant to be the joke one?

Slight update about Comic-Con. The official schedule was released and The Hobbit is confirmed to be discussed at Warner Bros.' preview from 2:30-5:00 on 7/14 along with Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim and Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.

Thanks. It's on my calendar and I'll be checking the online gossip that evening. I wonder if they'll be showing a more polished bit of the HD 3D. If they can't sell the Comic Con fans on the new format, they might want to reconsider how they release it.

I'm going to be at Comic Con. Do any of you think there's a chance that they will show the ten minute preview that was previously screened? I want to see for myself if the business with Radagast is as it was described.

Wish I was! Have fun RA- their website doesn't give away any details so I can't help you- Eldo seems quite clued into the comic-con thing so he may he know more.
Are you going to the whole thing? There's some sort of Doctor Who screening on the last day.

ooooh I bet they do R.A, as they have all the TORNers to please. maybe they will show it but a finished version, it would certainly start a positive buzz to counteract the negative one recently.
I hope you have a great time there it sounds amazing.

Thanks guys, it looks like it's going to be fun. Not sure yet how long I'm going to stay because my cousin got me the tickets. He's really into comics and Stan Lee or someone is supposed to be there. Should be fun!

Hopefully it's the finished material. I don't know how the PR staff would explain a second negative reaction. I think it's going to look nicer than before. Or at least I hope so.

David H wrote:Thanks. It's on my calendar and I'll be checking the online gossip that evening. I wonder if they'll be showing a more polished bit of the HD 3D. If they can't sell the Comic Con fans on the new format, they might want to reconsider how they release it.

If they're showing footage then I hope they've cleaned up the effects/color grading since the footage they showed at CinemaCon. I don't know if the PJ fans on this forum can take another case of hype whiplash like that.

Edit: beaten to the punch by RA.

Recoveryanonymous wrote:I'm going to be at Comic Con. Do any of you think there's a chance that they will show the ten minute preview that was previously screened? I want to see for myself if the business with Radagast is as it was described.

I haven't heard any specific word on what will be shown, so we're counting on you to report back. I wish I could go but it's just too far to fly for me. I'll have to get my annual dose of geek culture from Otakon in Baltimore at the end of the month.

Will do

Entertainment weekly is running a Hobbit edition, heres an extract-

'To expand the classic J.R.R. Tolkien book so that it could support two feature films, Jackson drew from a range of Tolkien’s writings, adding characters not present in the Hobbit book, including Orlando Bloom’s elf Legolas and Cate Blachett’s elven ruler Galadriel. “In the movie we want these characters to have story lines and a little more substance than they do in the book,” Jackson explains. “Almost everything we’re doing is from Tolkien somewhere, whether it’s in the book or the subsequent development that wasn’t published in The Hobbit itself.”
Adds McKellen: “A lot of people weren’t even born when we were filming Lord of the Rings and only know the movies from watching them on DVD…. They’ll see Middle-earth on the big screen in The Hobbit, and I guarantee there will be a lot of minds blown wide apart.”

Bold added by me- someone want to tell me where I can find the bits where Tolkien wrote about bunny sleds, birds in Radagasts hat, Dwarves riding pigs, and Nazgul tombs? I think those bits must have fallen out my books somewhere.
If you are goinig to just make stuff up PJ at least have the f***ing balls to say so and don't insult us by telling us its all Tolkien.

Hugo Weaving talks Hobbit (is it just me or does the word 'diplomatic' spring to mind)

'Yeah! In some ways, it was a lot of fun to go back and be on a Rivendell set again with Ian McKellan. It was really lovely to see some old friends and old faces again, and to go back into a similar world, which is tonally a little bit different. You’re in the same world, but the story has a different tone. Peter [Jackson] and Fran [Walsh] are just lovely people, and there’s a particular frustratingly wonderful energy about working on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The project is so massive and there are so many people. It makes it frustrating for everyone because things just take time and you don’t know what’s happening. You don’t know what’s going on, despite all the best intentions, but the people are so lovely that you just accept, “Well, this is the way this particular world is.” You live from day to day and from moment to moment, doing the best you can. There’s a delightful atmosphere there, so it was lovely. I’ve literally just come back from there a couple days ago, having done post-production on that, so it was really nice to see everyone again.'

Presuambly from that opening line in other ways it was not fun at all?
And on 3D

Yeah, absolutely. I think the 3D will work incredibly well for The Hobbit. I don’t think it does for everything, and I don’t think it should for everything. To some extent, 3D is just a gimmick, but sometimes it works wonderfully well. With something like Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the Werner Herzog film, you think, “Why is this in 3D?,” but it’s actually wonderful in 3D. It’s a documentary, but it works incredibly well. And then, there are some other films where you think, “This might be in 3D, but the way in which it’s been put into 3D or the way in which it’s being used is too obvious or it seems gimmicky.” I don’t get a lot from the 3D experience, generally, but for certain films, I think it works really wonderfully well, and I suspect The Hobbit will be one of them. For that particular world, I think it’s probably a really fabulous natural exploration of it. With some other things, the 3D doesn’t work so well. I’d rather see something like Last Ride or a small film on a flat screen, rather than with black glasses. That’s impressive enough, as it is.

Doesn't sound like he has seen TH in 3D to compare it directly or that he is huge fan of it in general.

That business about everything being from Tolkien somewhere is a brilliant tactic on Jackson's part.

Think about it, It's just vague enough for the average Joe to believe. Those who know it's not true will have their work cut out for them trying to convince others. An example, when the Two Towers came out on DvD, I saw the excuse that the Faramir scenes didn't have enough tension mysteriously used by everyone. Even people who professed to have not liked the books or only," read them once a long time ago." That's funny, you only read the books once a long time ago, yet you're offering analysis and criticism on something you vaguely remember.
Now people are likely going to just say," Oh well it's still Tolkien." Still... it's expected Jackson would use some sort of excuse.
Now, to prepare a list of counter-arguments to systematically debunk Jackson's excuse.

That business about everything being from Tolkien somewhere is a brilliant tactic on Jackson's part.

All they have to do is repeat the mantra "we tried to preserve the spirit of Professor Tolkien's book" and people will believe it. It worked for LOTR and I'm sure it will work again. The filmmakers actually convinced a large portion of the fandom that their film was as faithful an adaptation as could ever be made.

Now, to prepare a list of counter-arguments to systematically debunk Jackson's excuse.

http://eldorion.com/tolkienpurism/

Sterling work young Eldo. I salute you with the Tyrant salute (a raising of the hand as if to drink buckie- best perfomred whilst holding actual buckie ). Although I could add more on the purist side, nevertheless, well thought out and presented essays I heartily recomend to all.

Thanks Petty. I know they're not quite as pure as you are. Actually, I wrote them a while ago (I think I was 15 for most of that time) when I was more argumentative and they're not completely reflective of my opinions anymore. I think I've loosened up a bit. Still, I spent a lot of time on it and I'm pretty proud of the end result, so I've left it up.

Wow. I guess I don't have to get started compiling counter-arguments. You've already done it

Great job Eldorion! Really well put together and informative.

wow, I'm impressed Eldo!