General Hobbit Movie Info (AVOID IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS)

Post by **Frelga** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:37 pm

Well, there's no arguing tastes, and fortunately between the thirteen dwarves, a discerning female viewer is quite likely to found one who seems agreeable.

Post by **vison** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:42 pm

I have learned to tolerate Christopher Walken, after seeing Hairspray.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:44 pm

I have never, by contrast, been able to set aside my weird distaste for Leonardo di Caprio. So glad he didn't get cast as Bilbo.

Post by **Frelga** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:46 pm

Primula Baggins wrote:I have never, by contrast, been able to set aside my weird distaste for Leonardo di Caprio. So glad he didn't get cast as Bilbo.

Although he aged tolerably well, I must say.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 9:50 pm

Well, I don't think that was ever a possibility, but it is my nightmare scenario. Because it didn't happen, I have energy left to hope that there won't be any dwarf belching contests either.

Post by **ToshoftheWuffingas** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:18 pm

Di Caprio for Drogo; he has the acting skills for it.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:26 pm

For some reason I feel desperately ill.

Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:32 pm

Frelga wrote:Well, there's first time for everything, and that includes me utterly disagreeing with every word in vison's post.

Whereas, while I often disagree with vison about both Tolkien's books and Jackson's interpretation of them, I completely agree with her post and think it is one of the better descriptions of Boromir that I have seen.

Mon Jul 04, 2011 10:35 pm

Meanwhile, a brief interview with Richard Armitage:

Richard Armitage talks The Hobbit

Post by **eborr** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:17 am

I have a visceral dislike of all male actors who are either a) younger than me or b) better looking - that means about 99.9 % OF THEM

Post by **Holbytla** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 1:19 am

There is so much subjectivity with these character issues and so much personal meaning that we affix to them, that it is nearly impossible to sort them all out.

I liked Sean Bean as Boromir. I wasn't crazy about the direction or writing associated with his character though.

I think Christopher Lee was excellent despite the character changes. Ian Holm seemed to be able to transcend his direction and become Bilbo. The same with Ian McKellen to an extent, though he had some weak moments.

Imo the rest were overshadowed by chincy "Hollywood" crappola stygmatisms, poor direction, abysmal writing and mediocre performances. Not all at the same time or all together, but a blend of them.

The movies worked and were inspiring to those not familiar to the story and some that were, but after ten years of seeing them after the seething first viewings I had ten years ago, at best they are a "meh" interpretation of Tolkien's work.

They were well funded and visually stunning, but the story and the portrayals of characters were at best mediocre.

In my mind PJ was at once the weakest link and the best link.

I won't live to see someone else's version of this story, so I guess he wins at having the better or best version. Still there are aspects of Bakshi's version that surpass PJ's and the cast.

There are always the books though.

Post by **vison** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:12 am

There ARE always the books.

Still, one must be honest and this one admits with great alacrity that PJ's vision of Middle Earth was mostly very excellent. I was not taken with Minas Tirith, not that it wasn't nicely designed, but the views of it over the plains were obviously views of a model. Once in the city, riding up the levels with Gandalf and Pippin, it was wonderful.

Bits of Lothlórien were cheezy, but bits of it were splendid. Likewise with Rivendell.

But the Shire!!! And, best of all, Edoras!!! And bester of all, Moria.

Not a talentless hack.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:03 am

There are always the books. That's what matters, and that's why I can't summon anger over the places where PJ went astray even in my estimation (and I like the films very much). Missed opportunities; but OTOH it's just a movie. If a couple of decades from now someone makes them again and I'm around, I'll see those too. The chance that the new adaptation will be exactly what I hoped for this time around is essentially zero. They will probably infuriate a similar number of viewers, possibly this time including me, and delight a similar number, all for different reasons.

There are too many choices involved in making a film, too many places where in translating a book to the screen you have to do things differently than Tolkien did them. Because he was writing a book.

Post by **yovargas** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 4:06 am

Holbytla wrote: Ian Holm seemed to be able to transcend his direction and become Bilbo.

Just to continue the contrarian streak - I thought Holms was awful as Bilbo. I'm as much in the minority in thinking that as vison is about Bean, but she's wrong about that, unlike me.

Post by **vison** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 5:15 am

I thought I was wrong once. But I was wrong about that . . .

I have always liked Ian Holm. He was an okay Bilbo, I thought. Did the best with not much.

I thought casting Sean Bean as Boromir was like casting Dennis Waterman as Boromir, except, of course, Dennis Waterman was too old.

And, the other thing is, I like Dennis Waterman. He was lovely in "Minder".

And he's good in "New Tricks".

Post by **Alatar** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:33 am

Voronwë the Faithful wrote:Meanwhile, a brief interview with Richard Armitage:

Richard Armitage talks The Hobbit

V, thats the article I posted here that prompted the whole "Dwarf Humour" and Boromir osgiliation.

Tue Jul 05, 2011 2:12 pm

Whoops! Sorry!

Post by **kzer_za** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:21 pm

Back on the topic of The Hobbit, I don't envy PJ & co. the prospect of making 13 different dwarves distinct characters, and I'm interested to see how they do it and if they're successful. Early on I was expecting them to cut out a few dwarves, and I wouldn't have blamed them if they did.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 9:36 pm

I blame Tolkien.

Tue Jul 05, 2011 10:15 pm

kzer_za wrote:Back on the topic of The Hobbit, I don't envy PJ & co. the prospect of making 13 different dwarves distinct characters, and I'm interested to see how they do it and if they're successful. Early on I was expecting them to cut out a few dwarves, and I wouldn't have blamed them if they did.

The Empire article certainly makes it sound like they are having a good time trying to do just that. Perhaps that will be the "Boromir" of these films.