tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48154564095119519732024-03-12T16:47:15.694-07:00In a Hole in the GroundLandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-9683674733224183672014-07-23T11:10:00.000-07:002014-07-23T11:10:04.684-07:00Finally! Some Updates!Well, it's been a million years since I've posted . . . but we're finally starting to get some droplets of pictures and information. Here, for your enjoyment, are three images from the final installment of the Hobbit!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4LrnqjYzGLk/U8_3qEnG9DI/AAAAAAAAVjk/-fjjFMidOKE/s1600/smaug_bard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4LrnqjYzGLk/U8_3qEnG9DI/AAAAAAAAVjk/-fjjFMidOKE/s1600/smaug_bard.jpg" /></a></div>
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Jump past the break to see two more images!</div>
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And, just cause it's awesome, here's a picture of the full tapestry depicting the line of Durine, which Bard hunts down in Laketown, courtesy of WETA:</div>
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One interesting thing to note is that if you expand this image to it's full size, you'll see that the poem in the upper right corner is NOT the exact same poem that Bard recites in the movie. The "prophecy" or whatever. I believe this version on the tapestry is taken directly from the book, while the movie poem has been modified slightly.</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-65758241845615615142014-02-24T12:44:00.003-08:002014-02-24T12:46:00.395-08:00The Making of Smaug<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Smaug is one of those monsters/characters that just keeps getting better every time you watch the latest Hobbit movie. And now Weta has released a short video about the making of Smaug, brought to us by the folks at the <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/benedict-cumberbatch-performs-mocap-smaug-682351">Hollywood Reporter</a>. Jump past the break to enjoy the fascinating (and brief) film!</div>
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Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-61888168468910191642013-12-16T23:51:00.002-08:002013-12-16T23:51:42.692-08:00Review: The Desolation of Smaug<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLbGy7W36Fk/Uq0HJkCX9qI/AAAAAAAAUhc/dTAmKBPRHfs/s1600/hobbit-desolation-smaug-trailer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BLbGy7W36Fk/Uq0HJkCX9qI/AAAAAAAAUhc/dTAmKBPRHfs/s640/hobbit-desolation-smaug-trailer.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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You know, I expected this post to be a long spew of me shouting/raving about how insanely cool the <i>Desolation of Smaug</i> was––instead . . . I've got decidedly mixed feelings about the latest installment of the Hobbit trilogy. It's not that I didn't like the movie. Far from it. Like all of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth movies so far, <i>Desolation</i> definitely ranks as one of my favorite movies of all time. What I can't decide, is how it stacks up against it's predecessor, <i>An Unexpected Journey</i>, and how well it did at retelling Tolkien's story. Jump past the break, and I'll do my best to explain.<br />
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Oh, and I'm too tired to even care about watching what I'm saying, so <span style="color: red;"><b>BEWARE SPOILERS!</b></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">Crappy photo? Yes. But it's proof that I was there.</span></td></tr>
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More than any of the previous LOTR or Hobbit movies, <i>Desolation</i> deviates from the book. A few things are left out that I wish had been included: shooting at the stag in Mirkwood forest and Bombur falling in the enchanted stream; but where Desolation really plunges away from the book's stomping grounds are the numerous additions that Mr. Jackson and Co. have worked into the film. Plenty of sources online had warned that the movie featured a lot of changes, so I tried to go in mentally prepared for them. And––to my pleasant surprise––I actually really liked nearly all of the additions and story changes. Yeah, that's right. Only one or two of them even came close bugging me, and the changes I had been worried about (Tauriel, Legolas, etc.), actually turned out really well IMO.<br />
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So, instead of recounting the whole movie to you, I think I'll just make a list of the things I liked about the movie, then a list of things I didn't like so much. Here goes:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Things I liked about The Desolation of Smaug:</span></b><br />
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<li><b style="color: #990000;">The Music. </b>As usual, the music was fantastic. Loved every minute of it, especially the new Lake-town theme––bombastic and baroque, the theme meshed perfectly with the look and feel of the town (which I'll discuss later).</li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;"><b>The Bree Scene</b>.</span> The movie starts out 12 months prior to the events of <i>An Unexpected Journey</i>, and takes place at the Prancing Pony in Bree. I thought this scene was a great intro to the movie, and––more importantly––it fulfilled one of my long-held wishes: a reimagining of the Bree scene from <i>Fellowship of the Ring</i>, which was always pretty dissatisfying to me. In the book, Bree is a fascinating town because <b>its the</b> <b>only place in Middle-earth</b> where multiple races (Hobbits and Men, specifically) coexist peacefully in close proximity. But in <i>Fellowship</i> the movie, Bree is portrayed as a creepy place populated only by humans; this completely bummed me out because I had always loved the idea of the Prancing Pony being filled with dwarves and hobbits and men swapping stories and enjoying a pint together. Well, Desolation of Smaug has rewarded me by recreating that idyllic image.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Bilbo.</span></b> As usual, Martin Freeman stole the show. He did a fantastic job. Bravo, little hobbit. Bravo.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Beorn.</span></b> The shape-changing guardian of the wilds totally blew me away. I had been seriously under-whelmed by the few images we'd seen of him prior to the movie, so I went into the show with low expectations. Luckily, Beorn was far cooler than I had expected. My favorite thing about him was how huge the guy is. A literal giant, even compared to normal-sized folks like Gandalf. His bear form was intimidating and just monstrous enough to <i>not</i> look like a regular bear. My only complaint with Beorn? His screen time was WAY too short. There are so many fun details in the book from the dwarves' encounter with Beorn that were dropped: Beorn's animal servants and the meeting of bears that Bilbo observes at night, just to name two. And in my opinion, the book's slower (and very comical) introduction of the dwarves in pairs to Beron would have been the perfect opportunity to slow the pace of the movie down a notch and give the audience a chance to reacquaint themselves with Thorin's company. I mean, there are thirteen dwarves, for crying out loud, and I'm sure more casual movie goers would have appreciated a remedial lesson in the differences between Bifor, Bofur and Bombur. Opportunity lost, sadly.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The visual design of Mirkwood and the Spiders.</span></b> The forest looked amazing . . . a perfect visualization of Tolkien's descriptions, and the spiders were awesomely terrifying. I loved how the spiders were reminiscent of Shelob without being miniatures versions of the great spider. Oh, and the spiders talking? Awesome! Sadly, those are about the only good things I can say about the whole sequence of scenes beginning with Gandalf's departure and leading up to the company's capture by Legolas and the wood elves.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Bilbo and the Ring.</span></b> Ok, I lied. I actually really liked Bilbo's growing relationship with the ring. Well done. A departure from the book? Yes. But it does a fantastic job of better integrating the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings into a single narrative. Bilbo's horrified reaction to his own violent outburst is an amazing scene.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Legolas.</span></b> Didn't think I'd like the guy, but I did. It was fun to see him again, and Peter Jackson managed to deftly insert him into the storyline in a way that was both believable and exciting. Plus, watching Legolas snipe orcs with his bow and arrows while balanced on the heads of various dwarves while flowing down a rushing river was just fun.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Tauriel.</span></b> I have to admit, I was surprised by how much Tauriel didn't bug me. She was actually pretty cool, and her fight scenes were amazing. Of course, there was on glaring thing I didn't like about her, and you could probably guess what it was (see below if you can't guess).</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Halls of the Elven King.</span></b> Wow. Awesome. Really, really awesome. You kind of just have to see it to believe it.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Thranduil.</span></b> Cool, but weird.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Fight down the River.</span></b> This whole scene was great. I loved every second of it. Oh, except whenever the camera focused on Kili. Didn't like that. My favorite part of this scene? Bombur and the whirling-axe-dervish of death. Had me laughing out loud. Good stuff.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Bard.</span></b> This guy was the best part of the movie, hands down. "Better than Smaug?" you ask. Yes. Well, maybe. I can't decide. My only complaint about Bard is that he looks a lot like Will Turner from Pirates of the Carribean. But other than that he's awesome. I thought that the addition of his children to the story––while unexpected––actually played out very well and made the character a lot more sympathetic.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Lake-town.</span></b> Wahoo! This is my new favorite location in Middle-earth. I loved the design of the place and the people. I can't say much more than that, except maybe that I want to see more of it. Too bad it's not going to be around much longer.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Legolas and Tauriel vs. Bolg and his posse.</span></b> Even though I hated the whole Kili Got Shot sub-plot, I actually really enjoyed watching Tauriel and Legolas kill a ton of orcs in and around Lake-town. Also, the final showdown between Legolas and Bolg was pretty sweet too. And unless I'm crazy, there was a critical teaser during the fight. Legolas rams Orcrist right through Bolg's gut, <i>and</i> <i>it doesn't even phase the dude</i>, he just keeps on fighting. There have been numerous rumors swirling about that Azog may have actually been brought back to life by the Necromancer, and I think Bolg may have just confirmed it. Has Sauron brought both orcs back to life, or given them some kind of un-death? We'll just have to wait and see, I guess.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Erebor.</span></b> It was a treat to see more of the dwarf city, interior and exterior. For all my complaints below (see #8), the scene where the company climbs up the gigantic statue of Thror was awe-inspiring. Inside the mountain, I loved the transition from rough-hewn tunnels just beyond the secret door, to progressively more refined halls and chambers, until Bilbo reaches the massive treasure room in the heart of the mountain. I also really enjoyed getting to see the foundries and the "Hall of Kings" or whatever it was.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Smaug.</span></b> What more can I say than has already been said? Smaug was amazing, and Cumberbatch did a fantastic job of portraying him.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Most of the Battle inside Erebor.</span></b> Much to my continued surprise, I actually kind of enjoyed watching the dwarves and Bilbo play cat and mouse with Smaug. It was funny at times and always exciting, and it gave Thorin one last chance to be the hero before things start to really go downhill (although, I would argue that he didn't really need to be a "hero", because Tolkien never intended him to be; but . . . whatever).</li>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Things I disliked about The Desolation of Smaug:</span></b></div>
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<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Pacing.</span></b> Let me make something very clear: the Hobbit never was, and never will be a thriller. It's just not. It's the story of a journey and the personal growth of Bilbo Baggins. Now sure, a lot of cool battles and things ensue during the journey, but fundamentally, the Hobbit is the tale of journey. Because of this, the movie DOES NOT NEED TO MAINTAIN THE TEMPO OF A THRILLER! It just shouldn't be that fast. You lose too much of what is important about the story. I know that a lot of critics and moviegoers panned <i>An Unexpected Journey</i> because it was too slow; but I'd be willing to wager that nearly all of those people were movie watchers first, and Tolkien fans second (if at all). Personally, I felt that the tempo of <i>An Unexpected Journey</i> was perfect––<i>especially</i> (and I cannot stress this especially enough) if you're taking a single book and turning it into a three movie trilogy. The Desolation of Smaug, on the other hand, felt rushed from beginning to end. I mean really rushed. Maybe Mr. Jackson was trying to please the critics who'd wished for a faster AUJ, but if that was his goal, I think he definitely overcorrected. You lose all sense of passing time while watching the film because everything happens so fast . . . you actually start to forget you're watching a journey at all. In the book, the trek through Mirkwood takes DAYS, and yet in the movie you don't see a single night pass. In the book, the dwarves are literally starving by the time they're captured by the Wood elves, but in the movie they're still fed and fit enough to kill more spiders than Bilbo does (more on <i>that</i> later). In the book, Thorin and Co. are held prisoner by Thranduil for weeks . . . Bilbo has to resort to thievery to keep himself fed while he wanders the halls. Those long days trapped in dark cells would have been the perfect opportunity to see Thorin descending into depression and bitter rage, and a chance to show Bilbo growing more confident and self-reliant as he learns to provide and fend for himself. Instead, in the movie it seems like Bilbo has the dwarves out of their cells and into the barrels mere moments after Thranduil imprisons them. Finally, by rushing the pacing, the movie fails to convey the immense size of Middle-earth. In the book, readers come to feel just how <i>big</i> Mirkwood is because the heroes can't seem to get out of it. In the movie, Mirkwood seems like just another wooded park. And what really drives me crazy about this is that Peter Jackson is taking THREE FREAKING MOVIES to tell the story of the Hobbit. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO RUSH THINGS!!!! Gaaaaah! Ok . . . sorry. Moving on.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The battle with the Spiders.</span></b> It can be argued that Bilbo's battle with the spiders is one of the most pivotal moments in the book. Its right at that moment when Bilbo finally begins to realize that he is capable of great things. Wearing the ring, he slays numerous spiders and manages to lead the rest of them away from the weary, befuddled dwarves who can barely stand. But in the movie, Bilbo only wears the ring for a little bit, and then––for no good reason––he takes it off in order to startle a spider. Now, I'm no warrior, but I find it really hard to imagine a situation when I'd take off the magic ring that is making me basically invincible. Why on earth would I do that? And why did Bilbo do that? It just doesn't make any sense. What's worse, once Bilbo takes off the ring, his part in the fight is essentially over––the dwarves leap out of their webs and immediately begin pummeling the spiders. And here is where we run across one of the biggest logical failing in the film. In the book, the dwarves have been wandering so long in the forest that they're already practically dead by the time the spiders attack them. It makes sense then, that the spiders are able to overpower and capture them. It also makes sense that once Bilbo rescues the starving, envenomed dwarves, they're basically useless in the fight. But in the movie, there are all kinds of problems. The dwarves haven't been in Mirkwood long enough to be starving (at least, it really doesn't seem like it), and they still have their weapons, so why are the spiders able to overpower them in the first place? Maybe it's because they've been weakened by the disorienting powers of the forest, which the movie dwells on (for too long); but if that's the case, why are the dwarves so agile and deadly once Bilbo cuts them out of the webs? They're still in Mirkwood, so they should still be in a stupor. IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! If Peter Jackson had taken more time to show just how long they'd been wandering, and if Bilbo had done most of the dirty work like he's supposed to, it all would have been fine. Instead, this scene––despite how visually cool it was––left me dissatisfied and scratching my head in confusion.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Tauriel and Kili.</span></b> Why Peter? WHY?????!!!! Why did you feel the need to do this? What did it add to the story, except needless complication? What does it teach us about tolerance and diversity that Gimli's relations with Legolas and Galadriel didn't already teach us? AND WHY THE HECK DOESN'T KILI LOOK LIKE A DWARF?! He's got fat fingers and he's short . . . other than that he's pretty much a bearded elf! What have you done to my beloved story? *Sob*</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Thranduil.</span></b> Cool, but weird.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">Barrels out of Bonds.</span></b> My biggest complaint about the actual escape from the elven halls was that it happened too fast. You don't really get the chance to understand Bilbo's sudden stroke of genius.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Master of Lake-town.</span></b> Meh. Just meh. Stephen Fry did a great job, and I liked the look of the character, but there were too many anachronistic references rolled into this character for my taste. Oh, and too much political commentary. When I want biased, thinly-veiled political commentary, I'll watch MSNBC, thank you very much.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Whole "Kili Is Really Sick" Thing.</span></b> So, I know it sounds like I'm hating on Kili in this review . . . and that's because I am. I'm fairly confident that this entire sub-plot was a poorly concealed effort to make sure that when Smaug comes a-calling to Lake-town in Movie 3, characters that we care about will be there to be put in danger, making the attack even more fraught with danger and emotion. Only . . . the movie already did a good job of making us care about Bard and his family (all of whom I like better than Kili, even though I don't know any of the kids' names), so why would I need to care about <i>more</i> people?</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Thrush Knocks Thrice.</span></b> One of my favorite parts of the Hobbit is Thorin and Co.'s careful exploration of the exterior of the Lonely Mountain and their painstaking search for the secret door. Over the course of several days, the dwarves (and Bilbo), scour the mountain looking for the door, giving readers some idea of the true size of the mountain, and introducing cool locations like Ravenhill, an old watch-station on a spur of the mountain, where some of the company make camp. In the movie, we get none of this . . . again, a chance to more fully explore Middle-earth in general (and the Lonely Mountain in particular) is sacrificed for speed and tension. The journey from Lake-town to Erebor seems to take less than a day, and the company quickly finds the location of the secret door. A little bit of suspense is built up when the sun sets and the dwarves give up (what happened to the "stubbornness of dwarves"?), but then Bilbo quickly discovers the secret to finding the door and we're racing along again. Missed opportunity . . .</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #990000;">The Gold.</span></b> This might be a stupid thing to complain about, but as a geologist, one detail of Erebor keeps jumping out at me: the sheer amount of gold piled high inside the mountain. Why do I have a problem with it? Because there is literally NOT THAT MUCH GOLD ON PLANET EARTH. At least, not by my rough calculation of volume. There's just too much. Sorry, dumb thing to complain about, I know, but there it is . . .</li>
<li>The End of the Battle of Erebor. Why did they have to try and drown Smaug in gold? Why? It looked dumb. That's about the best thing I can say about it. Trying to crush the dragon with rocks would have been better, or something along those lines. The whole melting gold statue thing was just silly. In fact, I really believe that if this one thing had been left out of <i>The Desolation of Smaug</i>, I might have ended up liking it better than <i>An Unexpected Journey</i>; but it wasn't, and I don't. Oh well. Better luck with the next movie I guess.</li>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Conclusion</span></b><br />
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To finish this (long) review up, just let me reiterate that––despite the ten points I detailed above that I really didn't like about the movie––I really enjoyed it overall. It was a lot of fun, and I think the good things about the film definitely outweigh the bad. Plus, there's always the Extended Edition to iron out some of the wrinkles I mentioned (hopefully). And to be honest, if the past four LOTR/Hobbit movies are any indication, I'll probably end up liking The Desolation of Smaug a little bit more each time I see it. To that end, I'm going to go see the movie again in a few days, and I'll let you all know afterwards if a second viewing seriously changes any of my opinions.<br />
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Good film. Go see. Have much fun.<br />
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Later . . .Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-75095298998911253992013-12-15T22:27:00.000-08:002013-12-15T22:27:19.502-08:00Coming Soon: A Review of the Movie<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5t2Prhvddc/Uq6c9bSkPYI/AAAAAAAAUiQ/XJYEjX_C1rU/s1600/IMG_20131212_232028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5t2Prhvddc/Uq6c9bSkPYI/AAAAAAAAUiQ/XJYEjX_C1rU/s1600/IMG_20131212_232028.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: small;"><b>See, I was there. I promise.</b></span></td></tr>
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Hey folks . . . just in case you were wondering, I DID go to the movie on opening night, and I DO have a review in the works. It's just that the last few days have involved a lot of travel and only a little down time––but in case you were wondering, my goal is to have it up by tomorrow.<br />
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Later!Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-21977315121276948362013-11-08T11:12:00.001-08:002013-11-08T11:12:55.539-08:00Desolation of Smaug Pictures: A Long-Awaited Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, so I've gotten really far behind on the posts. Over the next few days you'll witness my miserable attempt to catch up. First up is a batch of (relatively) new Desolation of Smaug photos . . . some of which I may have posted before, but I decided to post again to have them all on a single page. There is a lot of good stuff here, so enjoy!</div>
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-58240076320294252682013-10-04T14:36:00.000-07:002013-10-04T14:36:56.616-07:00Is this Girion, Lord of Dale?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you're familiar with the Hobbit, you know that Bard is the descendant of the last King of Dale, Girion. This quick scene in the latest Desolation of Smaug trailer is clearly a flashback to the attack, and I'm wondering if its also our first look at the doomed lord of Dale. What makes me think so? Notice all the bodies piled around him. Those are soldiers, unless I miss my guess, and they all seem to be wearing the orange/brown cloaks typical of the Dale soldiers we've seen so far. Girion (or who I think is Girion) on the other hand, is dressed in a pretty flashy looking suit of armor . . . he kind of screams nobility. Plus, he just has that noble look to him.<br />
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I dunno, what do you guys think?Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-90722905239275221112013-10-02T09:00:00.000-07:002013-10-02T09:00:00.539-07:00Another Awesome Desolation of Smaug Poster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Man, they're coming fast and furious now, aren't they? This new poster featuring Legolas and Tauriel might be my favorite, along with the poster of Bard (whom I'm beginning to like more and more). Can't wait for this movie!</div>
<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-49139194861360363382013-10-01T09:26:00.000-07:002013-10-01T09:26:34.215-07:00New The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug Trailer!<div style="text-align: center;">
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It's here! Check out the newest trailer for the Desolation of Smaug. It's . . . pretty much amazing. More screenshots and comments to come later today!</div>
Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-42534112779433291062013-09-30T19:49:00.000-07:002013-09-30T19:52:09.933-07:00THREE New Desolation of Smaug Posters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, so it's getting redundant now . . . but here are not one––not two––but THREE new posters for the upcoming sequel to the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. And what's even better? They're hi-res and "clean" . . . they don't have any logos on them. Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-35163525874926015952013-09-30T15:53:00.002-07:002013-09-30T18:16:32.711-07:00Hi-Res Desolation of Smaug Posters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I missed one! Thanks to Dark Jackal over at <a href="http://thorinoakenshield.net/">thorinoakenshield.net</a> for posting higher-res images of not 1, but 2 (!) new Desolation of Smaug posters. Click on either image, then open the image in a new tab to get the full-res version.<br />
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Jump past the break to see the other poster!<br />
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-38494903061068529282013-09-30T12:22:00.000-07:002013-09-30T12:22:03.366-07:00New Desolation of Smaug Trailer Tomorrow + New Poster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hobbit news! <a href="http://movies.uk.msn.com/exclusives/world-exclusive-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-first-look-poster">MSN</a> has released an exclusive new poster for the upcoming The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.</div>
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A new trailer for the Desolation of Smaug is being released tomorrow, so stay tuned: I'll get it posted up ASAP tomorrow morning.</div>
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Later . . .</div>
<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-82999186477958722802013-09-27T09:00:00.000-07:002013-09-27T09:00:05.979-07:00Fridays at the Mathom House: Quimtuk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's another fantastic friday, and that means we have another fantastic Middle-earth artist to acquaint you with. Today's art is by <a href="http://quimtuk.deviantart.com/">Quimtuk</a> (and you should definitely check out the rest of his stuff), and is decidedly lighter in tone and style than a lot of the art I've shown so far . . . I think that's why I picked it. Anyways, he doesn't have a tone of Hobbit-related art, but what he does have is fantastic. Jump past the break to take a look:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KmhoK_Yvrnc/UkR9SagLOpI/AAAAAAAASm4/-AJk13NbT5c/s1600/The_Battle_of_Five_Armies_by_Quimtuk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="334" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KmhoK_Yvrnc/UkR9SagLOpI/AAAAAAAASm4/-AJk13NbT5c/s640/The_Battle_of_Five_Armies_by_Quimtuk.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-59798586313603927192013-09-25T08:00:00.000-07:002013-09-25T08:00:05.234-07:00The Children of Aulë: A Depressing Illustration of the Forced Migrations of the Dwarves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I've put together geneological charts for both the elves and men of Middle-earth, and I was really looking forward to doing the same for the dwarves––they've always been my favorite anyways. However, I have to admit that after doing the work and the research to make this chart . . . I'm mostly just depressed. Those dwarfs had a <i>crappy</i> history. No, I'm being serious. You probably don't even want to hear about it. It was <i>that</i> bad.</div>
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If you don't believe me . . . well, just jump past the break and you'll see:</div>
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Let's count how many times dwarves were driven out of their homes or forced to migrate due to poverty and the like: Belegost, Nogrod, Gundabad, Moria, Erebor (the first time), the Grey Mountains, and finally Erebor (Smaug's fault this time). That's like SEVEN disasters that forced the dwarves to move. And keep in mind, this tally is only dealing with the Longbeards, the Broadbeams and the Firebeards. We have no idea how many times dwarves from the other Houses (Ironfists, Stiffbeard, Blacklocks, Stonefoots) were driven out of their ancient holdings.</div>
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But, considered in another light, this brief illustration of dwarf history also presents us with a story of perseverence and endurance. These dwarves were not ones to forget their history . . . the wrongs done to their distant ancestors seem to have weighed as heavily on the minds of individual dwarves as insults they themselves had received personally. How else can we explain their drive to reconquer and inhabit both Erebor and Moria (and they were eventually successful in resettling both!)?</div>
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Another thing that jumped out at me as I reviewed the history of the dwarves is how little we really know of them. Sure, we have a fairly detailed history of the Longbeards (Durin's family), and we know a few salient points of history concerning the Broadbeams and the Firebeards; but we're left in the dark in regards to the achievements, migrations and disasters of the other four Houses . . . we know next to nothing about a majority of the dwarvish race!</div>
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And just now, while writing this, I had an interesting thought: generally, the Longbeards are considered the most important of the dwarvish Houses, and Durin the most eminent of the original Seven Fathers of the Dwarves. We believe this because of two things: first, the Longbeards tell us so; and second, because Middle-earth historians (probably elves?) tell us so. But . . . that is an incredibly biased record. Of course the Longbeards are going to tell us they're the most important dwarves––in their own eyes they probably were. And of course elves are going to consider the dwarves that they interacted with most often the most important. But we have no guarantee that among the dwarven race the Longbeards were actually preeminent. In fact, since the Longbeards spent the majority of the Third Age getting kicked our of their homes and wandering across Middle-earth, it's not impossible that they were considered poor or inferior by their eastern cousins. Now, that's conjecture on my part . . . but fun conjecture.</div>
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Anyways, below is the figure I put together tracing dwarvish history. Click on it and then open it in a new tab to see it at higher resolution. Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-22682479477161748252013-09-22T20:04:00.001-07:002013-09-22T20:04:40.133-07:00JRR Tolkien Sings "That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates"<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F68279352" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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I always enjoy hearing the songs of Middle-earth out of the Maker's own mouth. Enjoy!Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-48590776368749601112013-09-16T16:29:00.001-07:002013-09-16T16:29:17.433-07:00The Men of Dale and Laketown, and the Beornings too: A Brief History of Beorn and Bard, and other Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So have you ever wondered how a bunch of Men ended up in Dale, Laketown and the eaves of Mirkwood, surrounded by dwarves, elves, goblins and dragons and miles of wilderness? It's actually quite an interesting story that involves a lot of migrations, wars and possibly some inbreeding . . . I'm not really sure. Anyways, jump past the break to read more:</div>
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In a lot of ways, Men are the runts of the Middle-Earth litter . . . they're the second born, having awoken after the Elves had dominated the scene for thousands of years. They're mortal and frail, physically weak compared to Elves and prone to sickness. They're also more easily corrupted than elves, and over the millenia many men have given service to the Dark Powers. They're not as hardy as dwarves, and they certainly aren't as talented in metal and stone working. But, despite all of these disadvantages, men apparently have a lot of pluck (and they breed like rabbits compared to elves, dwarves and hobbits) because they manage to spread all over Middle-earth in a fairly short time.<br />
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So, to help untangle the relations among Men, I've made a little family tree of all the groups of Men you're likely to encounter in Middle-earth. Click on the image to enlarge it to full-size.<br />
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It was interesting to me that the men of Dale and Lake-town, as well as the Beornings, are actually more closely related to the men of Gondor (think Boromir) and the men of Arnor (think Aragorn) then either group is to the men of Bree. This surprised me since Bree is located within the old borders of Arnor, and culturally seems to be a lot more similar to the two Numenorean cultures than the Beornings and the men of Dale and Laketown.<br />
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Another thing to note is that the Beornings, the men of Dale and Laketown, and the Rohirrim all descend from a common ancestor: the Northmen. These kindreds are called "Middle Peoples" by Tolkien, signifying that they are more closely related to the "Edain" . . . those families of men that became close allies of the Elves during the events of the Silmarillion, thousands of years before the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.<br />
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-78174861861595123442013-09-13T15:54:00.000-07:002013-09-13T15:54:45.604-07:00I Wish Thorin Looked More Like This:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is my (unskilled) attempt to craft a Thorin that is more in keeping with the book. There are a lot of things I like about movie Thorin, but at the risk of offending a lot of Richard Armitage fans out there, I'm goint to admit that there are also a number of issues I have with him. Mainly, I just think he's too young, his beard isn't long enough, and his face doesn't look "dwarfy" enough.<br />
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So here is my own version of Thorin. What do you think?<br />
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And yes, I stole Gloin's beard to lengthen Thorin's. Big deal.Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-86939420477372116572013-09-13T00:30:00.000-07:002013-09-13T00:30:02.212-07:00Fridays at the Mathom-House: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Friday! I meant to get this posted up last week . . . but didn't. This week's Mathom-House will be featuring the amazing illustrations of <a href="http://sceithailm.deviantart.com/">Sceithailm</a>, who has a gallery full of amazing stuff over at <a href="http://deviantart.com/">deviantart.com</a>. All of her work is great, but to me, her depictions of Middle-earth are the cream of the crop. The texturing she works into the fabrics and skin of her characters is amazing.</div>
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Jump past the break to enjoy a feast for the eyes!</div>
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Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-27134700972260401632013-09-12T09:53:00.000-07:002013-09-12T11:18:50.290-07:00Learning to Love Azog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Now, I'll be the first to admit that <a href="http://hole-intheground.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-reviewthe-hobbit-unexpected-journey.html">Azog isn't exactly my favorite character in the first Hobbit movie</a>. Not because I think he was poorly done or anything; I just don't understand why Bolg couldn't have been used in exactly the same way. But I really don't get why people are pouring so much hate on the Pale Orc. I mean, he wasn't that bad, was he?<br />
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Well, John Ruddy over at <a href="http://theonering.net/">theonering.net</a> seems to think so. He writes a good, well-reasoned argument and you should definitely take a look at it; but for me at least, his logic fails on a few points. So I've decided to play devil's (or is it "orc's"?) advocate and jot down my own thoughts on everyone's (least) favorite orc, in an unabashed effort to get you, faithful reader, to not hate the poor guy so much.<br />
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Jump past the break to read on!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>John's complaints about Azog can pretty much be summed up as:<br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Sub-par CGI</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Black Speech and sub-titles</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Azog vs Lurtz</span></li>
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What follows are my thoughts on each of these points.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Sub-par CGI</span></b></div>
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Gotta admit, I'm not sure where this idea comes from, but I've heard a lot of people expressing it. In my opinion, you can judge a CGI character on three things:<br />
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<li>The DETAIL of the CGI animation</li>
<li>The LOOK of the CGI animation</li>
<li>The ability of the animation to CONVEY the expression of the actor</li>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">CGI Detail</span></b><br />
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So, as far as I'm concerned, Azog the movie character was fantastic in all four of these categories, but let's go ahead and look at each category of possible "hate-makers". First off, let's look at the detail of the CGI animation . . . we'll compare it to both Gollum and the Great Goblin:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbGVmL8uidk/Uh7yeK5oWKI/AAAAAAAASK8/uEpOunGq9ns/s1600/Azogollgob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KbGVmL8uidk/Uh7yeK5oWKI/AAAAAAAASK8/uEpOunGq9ns/s640/Azogollgob.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Keeping in mind that the shot of each character was taken at a different distance, I can't discern any difference in detail. All three are incredibly complex renderings right down to the pores in their skin––even Azog.<br />
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But we should keep in mind that a CGI character depends on a lot more than just how realistic its skin looks. Maybe the actual <i>animation</i> (i.e., the character's large body movements, motion-capture technology, etc.) was of a lower quality than that of Gollum or the Great Goblin. Take a look at this clip and decide for yourself:<br />
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Now again, this is just may admittedly untrained eyes, but the movement/motion capture of Azog seems to be pretty darn good. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Azog has better animation than the original Gollum in The Two Towers (which is to be expected since WETA has had something like ten years to improve their technique).</div>
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Pay particular attention to the animation starting at 1:55, when the fight between Thorin and Azog starts. Did you see the Azog's movements? The physics are amazingly realistic . . . go back and watch Azog swinging his mace. There is a real sense of weight behind the orc's swings, you can even watch his feet lift up off the ground as he brings the weapon down on Thorin's Oakenshield. Every move is fluid and natural . . . there's real meat on them bones, if you will.<br />
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Feel free to take a look at other scenes with Azog in them . . . the orc moves like a real creature. So in summation, I don't think its the CGI detail or animation that people are having a problem with. It must be something else.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">CGI Look/Design</span></b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iMrSrwZg3Mk/Uh72b6E_KWI/AAAAAAAASLI/hS9kzIbgMAs/s1600/Gothmog_-_Third_Age.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iMrSrwZg3Mk/Uh72b6E_KWI/AAAAAAAASLI/hS9kzIbgMAs/s320/Gothmog_-_Third_Age.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">Gothmog: Voted "Least-likely to become a successful Warlord"<br />by his graduating class</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If its not the detail of the animation that is bothering people, maybe its just the look or design of Azog. Actually, this is <i>exactly</i> the problem I think folks have with Azog. He's not what they were expecting. And its kind of a shame, because if you just <i>look</i> at the orc, without any Tolkien- or LOTR-related preconceptions, he's a pretty beasty looking bad guy. I'll admit that he looks very different from the orcs in the original LOTR movies . . . but for me, that's not such a bad thing. I mean, do you remember Gothmog? Talk about a random, weird, throw-away bad guy who was probably going to die of cancer even if Aragorn hadn't killed him in the ROTK extended addition.<br />
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Here's why I think audiences were surprised by Azog: first, he looks like no other orc we've seen so far in the film versions of Middle-Earth . . . and unlike the smaller orcs, there is nothing remotely comical or silly about him; second, he doesn't crouch and do the monkey-walk like the lesser orcs of Moria, Mordor and Isengard, but he's not an Uruk-hai; third, to an even greater extent than the uruk-hai, he's physically intimidating, towering over the film's protagonists like Thorin and Bilbo; fourth, his range of expressions are much greater than the orcs we've seen in LOTR.<br />
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Roll everything I mentioned above together, and you get a villain that visually shattered people's expectations. Unlike the prosthetic-covered LOTR orcs, Azog looks so real that we as viewers are thrown straight down to the bottom of the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley">Uncanny Valley</a>"––Azog is so close to looking real that our minds naturally reject it, creating an instinctive negative reaction to the character. Not because he doesn't look real or good, but because he looks <i>too</i> real, <i>too</i> good.<br />
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If you ask me, this is the true underlying reason people don't like Azog. But, for the sake of being thorough, let's look at the other points brought up by Ruddy.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">CGI Expression/Emotion</span></b><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n5k5r13_iNI/UibKD3TFOoI/AAAAAAAASNc/rcFQR1qxM28/s1600/Azog_collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="556" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n5k5r13_iNI/UibKD3TFOoI/AAAAAAAASNc/rcFQR1qxM28/s640/Azog_collage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm pretty sure this picture says it all. For a character who is pretty much a schoolyard bully (and let's face it, that's all Azog is supposed to be)Azog still manages to convey a late of emotion and facial expression (granted, most of those emotions are a variant on "ooh, look at me, I'm scary!" but hey, he's a thug. That's what thugs do. They be scary). So, I'd say he wins on that point.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Black Speech and Subtitles</span></b></div>
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Some complaints have focused on the fact that Azog speaks in Black Speech, and not with the cockney accent that all the LOTR orcs use. In his piece, Ruddy explains:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">The orcs of The Lord of the Rings movies spoke with Cockney accents. It was consistent throughout the films amongst Isengard and Mordor orcs. It allowed the actors to use an accent that has the ability to come across as rough and aggressive.</span></span></blockquote>
Now, I'm not sure exactly what Ruddy means by "Isengard and Mordor orcs", but the Lurtz, the Uruk-hai (from both Isengard and Mordor), and Gothmog, do not speak in Cockney accents. Here's a quote from Andrew Jack, a language coach that worked with the actors in the first LOTR films:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<span style="color: #990000;">We had intended that the Orcs and Uruk-hai would sound evil, with a guttural vocal quality without any accent. However, the decision was made for the Orcs to be "Cockney," thus bringing a modern urban sound to what was otherwise a rural and altogether separate world of accents. The Uruk-hai retained our original intention.</span></div>
</blockquote>
Jack specifically says that the Uruk-hai "retained [their] original intention". They didn't speak in Cockney accents. And like I mentioned above, Gothmog––who probably has more speaking lines than any other orc in LOTR––doesn't have a cockney accent either.<br />
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Now, to be fair, Ruddy's argument isn't just that Azog doesn't speak with a Cockney accent, but that he speaks in a completely different language: the Black Speech of Mordor. And yes, it's true that Azog is the first orc we've seen in the movies to use the Black Speech, but the language was used quite extensively by Sauron, the Nazgul and even the "voice" of the One Ring. What's more, in the books, the orcs use words of the Black Speech quite often, and we're told (both in the narrative and in the appendices) that the orcs did use the Black Speech to communicate with each other. So there is nothing non-canonical about Azog speaking in that language.<br />
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But does the fact that we have to read Azog's lines in the subtitles subtract from the character? I'm willing to concede that possibly they do . . . but they certainly didn't for me. I didn't even notice it as being out of place until Ruddy pointed it out in his article. In fact, I quite enjoyed it . . . hearing the Black Speech just pulled me a little bit further into Middle-earth.<br />
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So, I guess the thrust of this section is this: not all orcs spoke in a cockney accent in LOTR, so the fact that Azog doesn't really isn't a problem for me, and the fact that he speaks the Black Speech is just plain cool.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Azog vs. Lurtz</span></b><br />
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In his article, Ruddy also makes the argument that Azog should have been as good a villain as Lurtz––the chief Uruk-hai in the Fellowship of the Rings movie. I have to admit, this argument made me scratch my head. As good a villain as Lurtz? What did Lurtz do that made him such a good villain?<br />
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Like Azog, Lurtz is a Peter Jackson creation––he does not appear in the books––but for me, that's pretty much where the comparison between the two ends. Lurtz the Uruk-hai has maybe ten minutes of screen time, <i>tops</i>, and has (I think) two lines: "Saruman!" and "Find the Halflings!" Azog, on the other hand, has more screen time (again, I think . . . I haven't summed the times up) and quite a few lines. Lurtz–– possibly due to the fact that he is an actor wearing a prosthetics suit––has a limited range of expression. As we've shown above, Azog is capable of expressing a wide range of emotions.<br />
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Case in point, take a look at a video and a picture. The video is of Lurtz, who is about to shoot Boromir in the face (jump forward to time 3:30 for the exact scene):<br />
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Sure, there may be just a flicker of a smirk on Lurtz's face when he's notching his arrow . . . but mostly he just has the same grimace he has through the whole movie. What he's about to do is terrible, but you don't really get the sense that he is enjoying it all that much, or that he even cares. He's just doin' a job.</div>
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Now take a look at Azog:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mh7sP2rwwf0/Ui-wmIVDJFI/AAAAAAAASOI/EpOEqkaDOh8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-10+at+4.51.23+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mh7sP2rwwf0/Ui-wmIVDJFI/AAAAAAAASOI/EpOEqkaDOh8/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-09-10+at+4.51.23+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This comes from the scene at the end of TH:AUJ when the wargs have pinned the Dwarves, Gandalf and Bilbo up in the trees. Can you see that expression on Azog's face? He is <i>enjoying</i> the moment, savoring the sight of his enemy trapped in a hopeless position. To me, this is a much scarier villain than Lurtz.</div>
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Now, before I go on, I just want to clarify one thing: I am in no way saying the end of An Unexpected Journey is better than the end of the Fellowship. No way. In my mind, nothing can beat the end of the first LOTR movie. I'm just saying that Azog is a far scarier/more detailed villain than Lurtz.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Summary</span></b></div>
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So after all that, here's what I think: Azog isn't as bad as we'd like to think––he just isn't what we were expecting, and that is what throws people off. In my opinion, he looks great, and makes a much better villain than Lurtz in FOTR. Now, having said that, I still think they should have just used Bolg. It would have stuck closer to the story and made just as much sense. But who knows? Maybe the Desolation of Smaug will reveal some plot twist that will make this whole Azog/Bolg thing make sense. In three months we'll find out.</div>
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Sound off below to let me know what you think!</div>
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Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-16974281532655970732013-09-02T23:14:00.001-07:002013-09-12T11:19:10.409-07:00Desolation of Smaug Photos and Plot Spoilers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e6Lnon4s23U/UiV0FfhmlXI/AAAAAAAASMM/LaK8v_7-Jo0/s1600/dos-annual-2014-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e6Lnon4s23U/UiV0FfhmlXI/AAAAAAAASMM/LaK8v_7-Jo0/s640/dos-annual-2014-2.jpg" width="544" /></a></div>
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So after a long drought of Desolation of Smaug info, the internet seems like its been raining and pouring Hobbit-related pictures, mostly from the Hobbit Annual. Additionally, the Annual has provided some (limited) insight into the plot of the Desolation of Smaug. If you're into spoilers, click <a href="http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/08/31/78018-hobbit-spoilers-from-the-desolation-of-smaug-annual/">here</a>. If you just wanna see the pics, jump past the break!</div>
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What can I say about Tauriel? She looks awesome . . . but then, who was not expecting that? The thing I can't decide is whether or not she will fit into the narrative of the film. And then there are those persistent rumors floating around that there will be some kind of romance between her and Kili (and the first image in this post, which of all the dwarves only highlights Thorin and Kili may re-enforce those rumors). I hope (nay, pray) that they're just rumors, 'cuz a needless little side-romance would be distracting at best, awful at worst.</div>
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More dwarves in barrels. I can't decide how exactly this whole scene will play out. If the dwarves aren't completely hidden inside the barrels, I assume that the elves don't throw them into the river thinking they're just empty barrels. So if the elves don't release the dwarves by accident, does Bilbo do the whole thing by himself?</div>
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Since we've seen shots in the trailer of the elves shooting at the dwarves as they bob down the stream, I'm betting the scene plays out something like this: Bilbo sees the routine with the empty barrels being dumped into the river, and hatches his plan. He waits until the jailor is drunk, then takes the keys and releases the dwarves. As he's loading them into the barrels, they're discovered (possibly by Tauriel? or maybe Legolas?) and he has to dump the dwarves into the river in a rush and then dive in after them. After that, its a running battle down the river. And it looks like Azog and his ilk will get into the act as well.</div>
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See, its not actually that hard to tell boy and girl elves apart. Girl elves have LONGER hair.</div>
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I have to admit, the more winter scenes I see from the upcoming movie, the cooler Bard's coat is seeming.</div>
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These are the first images of Bard that actually look really, really cool to me. I'm looking forward to seeing how the character interpretation actually pans out.</div>
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Beorn! Bear! Huge!</div>
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Okay, I've been meaning to get this image up for the past week (or maybe two), and this seemed like a good place to do it. Legolas and Tauriel, chatting.</div>
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And lastly, a nice collage of Bilbo and Thorin. I hadn't considered it before, but the scene where Thorin sends Bilbo into the Lonely Mountain alone will be very interesting. Jackson and Armitage have portrayed Thorin in a much kindlier light than he's given in the book, playing up Thorin's nobleness and honor while omitting much of the character's greed and avarice. So if Thorin is so kingly, noble and honorable, what possible reason could he have for sending Bilbo in alone? Will he be so overcome by fear (maybe some kind of PTSD?) that Bilbo volunteers to go? Will he simply demand that Bilbo live up to his end of the contract, masking his own fear? Or will he play the angle Gandalf suggested at the beginning of TH:AUJ and insist that Bilbo is the only one of the company whose scent Smaug will not recognize? Can't wait to find out . . .</div>
<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-82199417987913339862013-08-01T14:44:00.000-07:002013-09-12T11:19:33.871-07:00The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition Sneak Peek!<div style="text-align: center;">
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AWESOMENESS! Here is our first glimpse of some of the bonus material that will be in the TH:AUJ Extended Edition. I love this little interaction between Elrond and Bilbo . . . and the scene manages to sneak in a couple of classic lines from Fellowship of the Ring to boot!</div>
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Enjoy!</div>
Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-28970611129398202962013-07-05T11:01:00.000-07:002013-07-05T11:01:21.956-07:00Friday at the Mathom-House: Nick Keller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nick Keller is one of the concept artists that worked on TH:AUJ, and he has posted some of his <a href="http://nickkellerart.com/">Hobbit work</a> (along with a lot of other great stuff) over at his website <a href="http://nickkellerart.com/">nickkellerart.com</a> and shared it with folks at <a href="http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/nailbiter111/news/?a=82170">ComicBook Movie</a>. Jump past the break to see some awesome artwork of warg riders, dwarves and lots of weapons and armor:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Warg Scouts</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Dwarves and their weapons</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">Miscellaneous</span></b></div>
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Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-29694684837370510922013-07-01T23:35:00.000-07:002013-07-01T23:35:33.212-07:00Desolation of Smaug vLog!<div style="text-align: center;">
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An update from Mr. Jackson himself! Here is the first official video blog for the Desolation of Smaug (the eleventh vlog in total, if you keep track of that kind of thin). What things was I excited to see? Jump past the break to find out!</div>
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In no particular order, here are the little tid-bits I found really interesting:<br />
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These swords from the Dale armory are awesome. I particularly like that they are a little reminiscent of the Rohan swords from LOTR . . . which makes sense, since the two peoples sprang from a common ancestor. </div>
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I presume this is a shot of dwarvish armor inside the Lonely Mountain. I'm really looking forward to seeing the armor that Thorin and the dwarves put on and wear into battle at the end of the Hobbit. Will it look something like this, or be even more ornate?</div>
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These knives are sick. Hopefully we'll see some of the dwarves claiming these. Same goes for the spears below . . . they're not axes, but they still have the blocky, angular look that sort of screams "dwarf".</div>
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Lots of elves! Two things in the images above and below jumped out at me. First, while the armor that these elves are wearing has a similar aesthetic to the elvish armor we've seen before, it doesn't seem quite so . . . refined, if you will, as if the smiths that created it weren't quite as skilled as the High Elves that forged Elrond's armor. What's more, the Wood Elves' armor seems to have a lot more serrations (not the pauldrons on their shoulders) . . . giving the armor a slightly more savage feel. Same goes for the swords, which are more hooked and barbed than other elvish weapons. I'm diggin' it.</div>
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This picture is kind of a continuation of my last thought. These would elves are wearing armor that doesn't seem quite as fine as that worn by Elrond in TH:AUJ, or by any of the Elves in LOTR. And that makes sense, since the Wood Elves are a bit less refined than their High Elf cousins.</div>
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So, apparently this is a shot of Gandalf and Thrain sneaking through the labyrinth of Dol Guldur. I'm looking forward to seeing how Thrain fits into the story line of the Desolation of Smaug. In the book, Gandalf meets Thrain in Dol Guldur many years before Thorin's quest. So is this a flashback, or has Mr. Jackson shuffled up the timeline?</div>
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Ruined Dale looks like it's gonna be sweet.</div>
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Ok . . . I can admit it. Thranduil manages to look pretty sick in his armor. What is he doing in Dale? Is this our first glimpse of scenes that will be in the last of the three Hobbit films?</div>
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Blurry image, I know. But these orcs with their heavy helmets look distinctly different from anything we've seen so far in the Hobbit movies. Are they orcs from Dol guldur, perhaps?</div>
<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-3492977001479524712013-06-25T12:07:00.000-07:002013-06-25T12:07:24.642-07:00Empire Magazine Desolation of Smaug Cover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-39433131524452173622013-06-12T20:49:00.001-07:002013-06-12T20:49:02.821-07:00The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, call me crazy, but the picture above was my favorite shot from the trailer. It's just . . . just . . . awesome. Ruined Dale, Lonely Mountain, dwarves . . . it has everything. And the rest of the trailer? Yeah, it was pretty sweet as well. If you haven't seen it yet, here it is:<br />
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Now just jump past the break to see a whole mess of screen shots and my reactions to (some of) them:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Is it just me, or is the mountain getting cooler the closer it gets? I love the fact that this portion of the story takes place in the winter . . . not sure why, but I do.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Um . . . awesome.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Dwarves climbing up a giant dwarf. How cool is that? I assume that this is a statue on some other part of the Mountain than the Front Gate, since this statue does not look the same as the two giant statues flanking the Front Gate. Did that make any sense?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">The Halls of the Elven King are quite possibly the most beautiful environment I've seen yet from the movies . . . they did an excellent job of making you feel like this is in a forest, without making you forget that this is actually a cave.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hate dwarves. And puppies. Especially puppies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYWT1tDUOBs/Ubjp7GKUydI/AAAAAAAARWI/RJ0cA10Wook/s1600/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-richard-armitage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYWT1tDUOBs/Ubjp7GKUydI/AAAAAAAARWI/RJ0cA10Wook/s640/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-richard-armitage.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had a puppy once . . .</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously there are no butterflies in the Shire.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reserving judgement.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes. Just <i>yes</i>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only an elf as cool as Legolas could slip on rotting leaves and then make it look like he'd done it on purpose.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bNafIqQVdlA/Ubjp6_VCgYI/AAAAAAAARWc/-bUtTRXL36E/s1600/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-orlando-bloom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bNafIqQVdlA/Ubjp6_VCgYI/AAAAAAAARWc/-bUtTRXL36E/s640/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-orlando-bloom.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok . . . he's pretty cool looking.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mKKtQZ3fDhk/UbjpwwX2PAI/AAAAAAAARRU/JHluTcToaw4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.55.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mKKtQZ3fDhk/UbjpwwX2PAI/AAAAAAAARRU/JHluTcToaw4/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.55.31+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love how Ori is getting his trusty old slingshot ready. That's right Ori, shoot his eye out!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZYpmeDUIFc/Ubjpx59NYRI/AAAAAAAARRo/XXv9oqaXJB8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.56.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZYpmeDUIFc/Ubjpx59NYRI/AAAAAAAARRo/XXv9oqaXJB8/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.56.17+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is totally how I feel when there is free food at work and nobody bothers to tell me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G0s-p6p9diI/Ubjp6eOaZFI/AAAAAAAARV0/fl1KbiCljG0/s1600/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-martin-freeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G0s-p6p9diI/Ubjp6eOaZFI/AAAAAAAARV0/fl1KbiCljG0/s640/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-martin-freeman.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yeah, this is how I imagine my coworkers feel when they realize I've found them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBFavVcRtzU/Ubjpx02XV8I/AAAAAAAARRk/24nUtnEIvXM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.57.40+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aBFavVcRtzU/Ubjpx02XV8I/AAAAAAAARRk/24nUtnEIvXM/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.57.40+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't be looking at Kili. Please don't be looking at Kili.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNNEf1jeM5M/Ubjpx3i3wMI/AAAAAAAARRw/2r4L9wglfIo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.59.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QNNEf1jeM5M/Ubjpx3i3wMI/AAAAAAAARRw/2r4L9wglfIo/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+8.59.35+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">To my surprise and despite the fact that she is a "fake" character, Tauriel did not disappoint me. All right fake elf-lady, you're on probation.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Npln5t0UqvE/Ubjpyh0ifaI/AAAAAAAARSA/8Ltenpb1T5U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.00.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Npln5t0UqvE/Ubjpyh0ifaI/AAAAAAAARSA/8Ltenpb1T5U/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.00.35+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second favorite shot from the trailer. Not lying. Laketown!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgWN1OIMTE4/UbjpzKBZ2VI/AAAAAAAARSQ/WTqyi7q9mpk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.01.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgWN1OIMTE4/UbjpzKBZ2VI/AAAAAAAARSQ/WTqyi7q9mpk/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.01.08+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">In case you wanted to know, it looks like our two elf friends are standing on glacially modified terrain. This was the high-point of the trailer for geologists everywhere.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zc4zKn1b83k/Ubjp538SaiI/AAAAAAAARWA/lkakXwBcWkI/s1600/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-evangeline-lilly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zc4zKn1b83k/Ubjp538SaiI/AAAAAAAARWA/lkakXwBcWkI/s640/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-evangeline-lilly.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again, I found myself taking Tauriel more seriously than I expected. Hmphf.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S565bL-EqNg/UbjpzUp08qI/AAAAAAAARSM/2WvvsHrxwxM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.01.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S565bL-EqNg/UbjpzUp08qI/AAAAAAAARSM/2WvvsHrxwxM/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.01.55+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">This sequence was surprising to me. Is Radagast wimping out here? Is this where we get to see why Gandalf is THE wizard, and Radagast––no matter how fun he is––is just an "almost-er"?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7f6n9cqrQwA/Ubjp6PsKsLI/AAAAAAAARVk/_eJGLADd4_4/s1600/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-ian-mckellan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7f6n9cqrQwA/Ubjp6PsKsLI/AAAAAAAARVk/_eJGLADd4_4/s640/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-ian-mckellan.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">I grew up believing that––were they placed in the same situation––both of my grandpas would have been as cool as Gandalf. And you know what? I still believe that.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FYMlqa9KzU0/Ubjpz5z7vTI/AAAAAAAARSY/FZLqpjyWZHE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.02.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FYMlqa9KzU0/Ubjpz5z7vTI/AAAAAAAARSY/FZLqpjyWZHE/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.02.13+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do you folks feel about the look of Dol Goldor? I go back and forth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cSRi9rgm-Xg/Ubjpz_AtVZI/AAAAAAAARS0/qDMOgOt2Jcw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.03.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cSRi9rgm-Xg/Ubjpz_AtVZI/AAAAAAAARS0/qDMOgOt2Jcw/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.03.06+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just so cool . . . and twisty.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Yz9w8j5bCo/Ubjpz09SutI/AAAAAAAARSo/T-zW4H1cuGo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.03.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Yz9w8j5bCo/Ubjpz09SutI/AAAAAAAARSo/T-zW4H1cuGo/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.03.22+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaah! Eyebrows!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rgCaOOBf4TY/Ubjp0AIZ0QI/AAAAAAAARSw/qbMqg2z2BsQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.03.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rgCaOOBf4TY/Ubjp0AIZ0QI/AAAAAAAARSw/qbMqg2z2BsQ/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.03.41+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where'd this armor go when Legolas was with Frodo? Did he decide <i>not</i> to take his coolest get-up to Rivendell?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBXa9x5WP28/Ubjp0tTQldI/AAAAAAAARS8/IJoXd_GSQyc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.04.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBXa9x5WP28/Ubjp0tTQldI/AAAAAAAARS8/IJoXd_GSQyc/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.04.07+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hmmm . . . this awesome looking elf deserves further analysis. More coming.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3MtQlNgFzeg/Ubjp7NH8LgI/AAAAAAAARWU/7dQzwlPLUVI/s1600/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3MtQlNgFzeg/Ubjp7NH8LgI/AAAAAAAARWU/7dQzwlPLUVI/s640/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A-FH3F7LmME/Ubjp0xz4KaI/AAAAAAAARTc/LsXFWg9_Qf4/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.05.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A-FH3F7LmME/Ubjp0xz4KaI/AAAAAAAARTc/LsXFWg9_Qf4/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.05.22+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many spiders can you see in this picture? I think I see three . . .</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0hVUQt0vTcU/Ubjp1H0VIHI/AAAAAAAARTM/9A2KGJgVjSs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.07.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0hVUQt0vTcU/Ubjp1H0VIHI/AAAAAAAARTM/9A2KGJgVjSs/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.07.06+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unless I miss my guess, this is our first glimpse through the Secret Door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UjcyO7oRM8I/Ubjp6Il4VtI/AAAAAAAARV4/ZlDYOlcKIJg/s1600/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-luke-evans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UjcyO7oRM8I/Ubjp6Il4VtI/AAAAAAAARV4/ZlDYOlcKIJg/s640/the-hobbit-desolation-of-smaug-luke-evans.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Ok, ignore Bard (towards whom I'm still feeling ambivalent) and check out the guards. Cool or what? They seem to be going for a Slavic vibe, and I'm definitely digging it. And Dwalin's tattoos make me grin every time I see them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uYdz3teU5E/Ubjp1TAfJjI/AAAAAAAARTQ/Y9tmPsbCV20/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.07.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0uYdz3teU5E/Ubjp1TAfJjI/AAAAAAAARTQ/Y9tmPsbCV20/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.07.28+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Again, note the cool armor on the guy on the left. Sah-weet! Oh, and Thorin is looking . . . Thorin-ish, I guess. Overall, I am very pleased with the look of Laketown. Not because it looks like what I imagined, but because it is even better. Nailed it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y8M_NQZvdSA/Ubjp1xGgyKI/AAAAAAAARTs/ZvD9OhP34NY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.08.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y8M_NQZvdSA/Ubjp1xGgyKI/AAAAAAAARTs/ZvD9OhP34NY/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.08.25+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Again, every once in a while Legolas just looks really, really sick. In the cool way. All of these fight scenes involving the elves look really fun . . . and it looks like their is going to be a lot of the crazy flying around that we were introduced to in the first installment of the Hobbit. You know what I'm talking about? Trolls tossing dwarves, dwarves tossing weapons, goblins being flung every which way. Fun for the whole family.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1vCru7-M9A/Ubjp2ES9WUI/AAAAAAAARTw/_qRJUt8gNUA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.09.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t1vCru7-M9A/Ubjp2ES9WUI/AAAAAAAARTw/_qRJUt8gNUA/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.09.39+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She can jump real high.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3R9NZfGyTs/Ubjp2q1_NnI/AAAAAAAART4/wJljSqPPI58/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.10.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3R9NZfGyTs/Ubjp2q1_NnI/AAAAAAAART4/wJljSqPPI58/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.10.09+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">So . . . any idea how this scene is going to be integrated into the film? This is obviously Thorin's crazed dad getting the jump on Gandalf. But . . . when is exactly is this happening? The trailer makes it look like Gandalf and Radagast have traveled to Dol Goldor together and that this scene happens once Gandalf is inside the ruins. But he's already given the key to Thorin in the first film . . . which he supposedly received from the crazed dwarf pictured above. So I have no idea what is going on. Is it a flashback?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dI45uXDpQe0/Ubjp2hjv7VI/AAAAAAAARUU/UatGy4WxORc/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.11.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dI45uXDpQe0/Ubjp2hjv7VI/AAAAAAAARUU/UatGy4WxORc/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.11.02+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">I think I'm going to dedicate an entire post to how much cooler the orcs in the Hobbit look than the orcs in the LOTR movies. I even like the look of Azog. I know, I know . . . weird.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMA6osAxlvc/Ubjp2yMnOYI/AAAAAAAARUM/y80zcAIQahA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.11.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NMA6osAxlvc/Ubjp2yMnOYI/AAAAAAAARUM/y80zcAIQahA/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.11.41+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">I can't wait for this scene in the movie. Bilbo is drowning, Fili is drunk, Kili has clearly lost his mined (either due to his harsh imprisonment or to Tauriel's unwanted advances), and Thorin is attacking the river with Orcrist. Just like in the book.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tVfb9_6qn48/Ubjp4B1_z7I/AAAAAAAARUw/4UByvdghZ00/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.13.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tVfb9_6qn48/Ubjp4B1_z7I/AAAAAAAARUw/4UByvdghZ00/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.13.04+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">I wonder why the dwarves got whole new outfits? I assume they're compliments of the Lake Men. Did the elves steal their clothes? If so, why do the dwarves all still have their weapons? Or, at least Thorin does . . .</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xtkwnFu28Os/Ubjp4YSwaYI/AAAAAAAARU0/M2C3-zwgHhs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.13.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xtkwnFu28Os/Ubjp4YSwaYI/AAAAAAAARU0/M2C3-zwgHhs/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.13.22+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balin is still my favorite. And this scene rocks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__BL9kLPTwU/Ubjp5CRiOZI/AAAAAAAARVI/3ahOEPhulTk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.15.02+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-__BL9kLPTwU/Ubjp5CRiOZI/AAAAAAAARVI/3ahOEPhulTk/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.15.02+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First look at Smaug! And why the heck isn't Bilbo invisible? Or . . . is he, and we just can't tell?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kTOeK49asMY/Ubjp5h-W61I/AAAAAAAARVc/HJqQl__AetA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.20.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kTOeK49asMY/Ubjp5h-W61I/AAAAAAAARVc/HJqQl__AetA/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.20.47+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I feel like I still haven't seen enough of Smaug to pass judgement yet . . . but to all those who don't like the look of this guy, I'll just say this: what were you really expecting? There is only so much you can do to a dragon without making it look not like a dragon. Sabes?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDll8EvgzeM/Ubjp45c_h3I/AAAAAAAARU8/y3fupJmk1hg/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.13.42+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDll8EvgzeM/Ubjp45c_h3I/AAAAAAAARU8/y3fupJmk1hg/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-06-11+at+9.13.42+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excited!</td></tr>
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Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4815456409511951973.post-11278550486110610182013-06-11T12:36:00.000-07:002013-06-11T12:36:39.445-07:00First Desolation of Smaug Trailer . . . and its AWESOME!<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10102354395589186" width="690"></iframe><br />
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Enjoy. I'll be posting a review later.Landonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01377475986639770455noreply@blogger.com0