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Sure, there are those that want to point out everything that they felt was wrong with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, but that doesn't mean that fans aren't excited to see the next installment, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. While a trailer has yet to debut, there is a brief amount of footage revealed in a new video from director Peter Jackson, who decided to answer from fan questions about the second of his three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel. Of course, it doesn't hurt that some of the fans asking questions are The Colbert Report host and Tolkien scholar Stephen Colbert and Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd, but fans will likely be more enthralled with the first footage of Evangeline Lilly as the elf Tauriel. In addition, the clip features footage of Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Lee Pace as the Elven King Thranduil and Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman.
watch the video >> Posted 04.02.13 by Ryan -
Still going strong in theaters, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will soon hit the billion dollar mark, becoming only the 15th movie to do so. There is no doubt the first part of director Peter Jackson's adaptation has been a financial success, but that doesn't mean that the movie hasn't polarized audiences. From complaints about the movie's length to divisive opinions about Jackson's decision to shoot the movie in 48 frames per second instead of the usual standard of 24, it seems everyone has something to say about The Hobbit. The folks at How It Should Have Ended are no different, recently offering an animated parody of the movie that includes their idea of how Jackson should have ended his movie.
watch the video >> Posted 01.24.13 by Ryan -
After Sunday's Golden Globes ceremony, this weekend's horror movie Mama doesn't just star Jessica Chastain but "Golden Globe winner" Jessica Chastain. It might seem strange to see an award-winning actress in a horror movie, but the trend of respected actors taking roles in horror movies is on the rise. Just last year, Oscar–nominated actor Ethan Hawke (Training Day) starred in supernatural horror-thriller Sinster while Golden Globe-nominated Rebecca Hall (Vicky Christina Barcelona) appeared in British ghost story movie The Awakening.
Of course, horror movies have historically been a place where actors often get their start. In fact, a surprising amount of Hollywood stars and Academy Award winners and nominees have started their careers in the horror genre, and, in fact, some are still working in the genre.
check out the list >> Posted 01.18.13 by Ryan -
Even though J.R.R. Tolkien first wrote The Hobbit in 1939 and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, director Peter Jackson's first installment of his three-part adaptation of the novel, opened just last month, there still is plenty of things fans may not know about Hobbits. For instance, you may know that Hobbits like to work in fours, but did you know that Hobbits hail from "Little Earth?" Or that they like to make necklaces out of cockroaches?
These are just a few facts compiled by actor Gary Busey, who made a video (via io9) discussing Tolkien's creation while comfortably resting on a hillside. Busey's insights are interesting, and certainly will be new to Tolkien scholars, who may be able to help Busey better understand male/female Hobbit "apparatuses" — the one area of Hobbit lore that Busey confesses to be confused about.
MORE >> Posted 01.15.13 by Ryan -
Give me your hand. Take my hand. Don't you let go. Don't let go.
MORE >> Posted 12.17.12 by Chris -
What's in a frame?
With the opening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at midnight, acclaimed director Peter Jackson has once again brought J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth and all of its denizens to life on the big screen. This time, however, he also brought a little something extra to the moviegoing experience — a faster frame rate. Some critics hate Jackson's decision to shoot at 48 frames/second and even Frodo Baggins himself, Elijah Wood, has said that it took several screenings of the movie before he was used to seeing it at twice the normal speed.
If you're confused about frame rates and what it might mean about your viewing of The Hobbit this weekend, check out this clip from our exclusive interview with Jackson, in which he gives our own Patrick Stinson a little history lesson in film and explains why the movie will be more "immersive" than anything you've ever seen before.
focus on: the hobbitCheck schedule for times
Posted 12.14.12 by BrentJS -
Extreme fandom manifests itself in many ways: fan fiction, fan films, and, in worst case scenarios, stalking. And, despite the amount of fame one achieves, it's hard for anyone to not "geek out" on their favorite stuff. Take Stephen Colbert of ComedyCentral's The Colbert Report who managed to devote an entire week to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and interviewed members of the cast and director Peter Jackson. While doing celebrity interviews isn't exactly new, Colbert is a notorious fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, with knowledge of Tolkien bordering on the academic since he speaks elvish. Colbert was even invited to the New Zealand set of The Hobbit while the movie was in production.
"He’s such an expert on Tolkien, he really is, he can quote it at length," Ian McKellen told THR about Colbert. That expertise was on display when Jackson appeared for his interview. While discussing The Hobbit's recent transformation into a trilogy, the director asked Colbert to explain what Tolkien's intent was for the appendices at the end of the Return of the King novel, which Jackson is using as further source material.
watch the interview >> Posted 12.10.12 by Ryan -
Director Peter Jackson has maintained a commitment to transparency during the making of the upcoming The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, releasing several production blogs online throughout the process and offering impatient fans a chance to see what he is up to with this next cinematic installment of Middle-Earth. Back in July, Jackson released the eighth video, which looked at the final week of production, as well as the mania that ensued when Jackson revealed some footage at the San Diego Comic-Con. With only a few weeks to go before The Hobbit is released, the latest production video focuses on post-production, with Jackson and his crew attempting to finish editing the movie a few days before its release date.
watch the video >> Posted 11.28.12 by Ryan -
Which Director is Strongest With the Force?
Like many Star Wars fans, it took us a while to process the news that the creator and caretaker of the greatest sci-fi epic of all time, George Lucas, had sold Lucasfilm Ltd. to Disney. And, as if that news wasn't momentous enough, Disney concurrently announced that plans were already underway for an all-new Star Wars movie, a sequel to the original trilogy that would likely be the first movie in a new trilogy.
Minds thoroughly blown, we started to think about the future of the franchise. Jar Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen's horrible acting had really hurt the prequel trilogy and Lucas' constant meddling with the original trilogy tested our faith in ol' grey beard even further. With Lucas out of the picture, could the franchise regain its former glory?
In the days following the announcement, it was revealed that Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) had been hired to write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII, while rumors continue to swirl that Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) is in the running to direct. Do you think that Vaughn is the right man for the job or would you like to see J.J. Abrams (Star Trek), Jon Favreau (Cowboys & Aliens) or someone else direct? Who do you think has the vision to chart the course of the future of the Star Wars franchise?
Rate the Top 10 Best Directors To Helm Star Wars: Episode VII >>
Posted 11.13.12 by BrentJS -
Without a doubt, one of the most anticipated movies of the year is The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first part of director Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novel. With a release scheduled toward the end of the year, it's likely that, due to cross-promotional efforts, hobbits and elves will be showing up everywhere (including at your local Denny's restaurant) and the latest company to get into the act is Air New Zealand, who is getting help from Jackson himself for their new, Middle-earth–inspired safety video.
Created by Jackson's special effects companies Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, Air New Zealand's safety video is filled with elves, wizards, hobbits and rings — with even Jackson himself making a cameo. At the heart of the campaign is the chance to win a trip to New Zealand to see the premiere of the movie, but, it also offers the same old flight safety information in a way that passengers might actually pay attention to.
watch the video >> Posted 11.01.12 by Ryan