For the release of the Hobbit,
Lindsay Ellis of the Nostalgia Chick (
previously) has decided to look back at all the LOTR films in order to analyze how they changed genre film-making, expected movie length, extended cuts, the problems of adaptation, and why Eowyn and Merry are made for each other. (
Fellowship Of The Ring,
Two Towers,
Return Of The King Part 1,
Part 2) Still need more? Then why not watch Kerry Shawcross and Chris Demarais of Rooster Teeth (
previously) try to walk the 120+ mile journey across New Zealand from the filming location of Hobbiton in Matamata to the filming location of Mount Doom, Mount Ngauruhoe in
A Simple Walk Into Mordor.
posted by The Whelk
on Feb 1, 2013 -
29 comments
"A lifelong fan of
The Lord of the Rings, for the last 50 years [Vince Donovan] has been amassing an enormous collection of all things J.R.R. Tolkien. So much so, he hired an
architect to
design a house to
contain it."
posted by gladly
on Dec 17, 2012 -
18 comments
The complete soundtrack to the upcoming movie, The Hobbit, is available here. "The score is composed by Howard Shore who also wrote all three films in The Lord of The Rings trilogy for director Peter Jackson. “I have looked forward to returning to the imaginative world of Middle-earth for quite a while,” says Shore of the score. “I read all of the books by Tolkien, including The Hobbit, when I was in my twenties, and his deep love of nature and all things green resonates deeply with me.”"
posted by h00py
on Nov 13, 2012 -
46 comments
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, went on sale 75 years ago today. The first printing, by Allen & Unwin, was for 1,500 copies (which now fetch a
premium at auction); the first reviewer, the son of the publisher,
was paid a shilling. Through a contorted publishing history, exact or even approximate sales figures are unknown; "over a hundred million"
is often quoted.
[more inside]
posted by Wordshore
on Sep 21, 2012 -
108 comments
Romeo Muller wrote some of the most popular holiday (mostly Christmas) specials of all time for
Rankin/Bass, including
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
The Little Drummer Boy,
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (bonus
Justin Bieber version with Animagic!),
Jack Frost, and
Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. The very last special he wrote was
Noel, based on a story he told on the radio every year at Christmas. It aired just days before his death on December 30th, 1992. Another special, called
The Twelve Days of Christmas, aired in 1993, and was based on a story by him, but was written by someone else.
[more inside]
posted by Huck500
on Dec 25, 2011 -
6 comments
As the
trailer for Peter Jackson's film adaptation of
The Hobbit premieres online, it's worth remembering that this isn't the first take on the journey of one Bilbo Baggins.
There was the 1977 animated version as well.
Here's some screencaps and a
trailer. Of course, if that's not enough for you, you could just watch it on Youtube (
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6). And before it was a film, it was something called...
a book?
Here's pictures of the cover of this 'book' thing from all over the world.
posted by Effigy2000
on Dec 20, 2011 -
126 comments
Many ages ago, before some had yet to hear of The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings or the collectible LOTR glasses sold at Burger King, critics did their initial reviews. Here's the
original review by the New York Times of The Hobbit in 1938. Then came
The Fellowship of the Ring, followed by
The Two Towers, and of course
The Return of the King.
Here's a 1967 interview with Tolkien after the influence of his work was starting to be felt. One interesting detail noted is that Tolkien typed the entire 1200+ page manuscript of TLOTR with two fingers. Of course, not everyone viewed the books so favorably. The
BBC has detailed some initial criticism against the books, but this seems to have been the minority response within a generally broad and warm literary reception.
posted by SpacemanStix
on Dec 15, 2011 -
44 comments
It's
official, Del Torro is on board for the new Hobbit move and it's...um..sequel.
Anyway, he seems to be adamant in keeping the as much as the original
creative team on board which is a encouraging sign, roll on 2010?
posted by Mintyblonde
on Apr 25, 2008 -
91 comments
The LoTR musical needs Hobbits of a certain stature. What stature is that, budding thespians might ask? Well,
smoot-height, of course! (Actually, 5'7" — or 170 cm — is the maximum height a would-be Frodo or Bilbo could be.) Another requirement is the ability to sing two songs ... and hairy appendages wouldn't hurt. So start knitting those foot-
merkins! Auditions: 18 September, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine St (tube stop: Covent Garden).
posted by rob511
on Sep 12, 2006 -
25 comments
According to the BBC, hobbits may
not be real.
posted by 31d1
on Sep 22, 2005 -
20 comments
Hobbiton It's On!!! "
Yo, I'm harder than a Mithril coat / A hundred is the number of the orcs I smote / I battled Helms Deep and I took Minas Tirith / If you don't watch
out, I'll make your ass dissappeareth.." - Lord of the Rhymes. For those of you who can't wait to see
Legolas bustin' caps again in "The Two Towers," settle down for some
gangsta rap (5.61 MB MP3),
Middle Earth style. "
He's mean / he's green / Gollum beat box like you never seen!" (via
firda)
posted by lotsofno
on Dec 5, 2002 -
29 comments
