Finally! 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!

Jump past the break to see two more images!

The Making of Smaug

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 Hollywood Reporter. Jump past the break to enjoy the fascinating (and brief) film!

Is this Girion, Lord of Dale?

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.

I dunno, what do you guys think?

New The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug Trailer!

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!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer Recap

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:

Now just jump past the break to see a whole mess of screen shots and my reactions to (some of) them:

Desolation of Smaug Poster!

Finally! Some updates! The trailer is coming this week, and here, for your viewing pleasure, is the first poster for the Desolation of Smaug:

I'm officially getting excited . . . only slightly more than 150 days to go!

Bard the Bowman!

 The folks over at comicbookmovie.com have leaked the first images of Bard the Bowman! I have to admit, he looks pretty cool . . . though a little more action-hero than I had imagined him. But whatever. It's just cool to see him leaping over the rooftops of Laketown during Smaug's attack. (Oh . . . spoiler alert. Oops . . .) Jump past the break to see more images!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Jon Hodgson

¡Veliz viernes a todos ustedes! Get set for some excellent Tolkien artwork courtesy of your weekly Mathom-House. This week we're featuring the amazing Middle-Earth art of Jon Hodgson as seen in The One Ring fantasy RPG game. All of Hodgson's art is great, but I especially like his landscapes . . . he really manages to capture the feel of all the key locations in The Hobbit, from Rivendell to the Lonely Mountain. By far my favorite is this shot of Lake-town below:

Enjoy more of Hodgson's fantastic art after the break!

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Belomlinsky

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Yeah, I started this post like a week in advance to make sure I got it up on time. Cheating? Probably. Necessary? Definitely. 'Course, the good thing is, nobody cares if it's cheating, because today is Friday and that means two things: freedom, and great Hobbit art here at the Mathom-house!

This week we're expanding our horizons a little and looking at some great (and a little goofy) Hobbit art from the Soviet Union, as featured on the blog Real USSR (which is a fascinating blog to browse through, even if you don't consider the Tolkien-related stuff).

These illustrations were included in a Russian translation of the Hobbit (the 1971 edition, if I'm remembering correctly), and were the work of Belomlinsky, who did a bang-up job, IMO. Now, as you look through these images, you'll not that not all of them are strict interpretations of the events in the book; however, I think the artist does a good job of capturing the "feel" or "spirit" of the Hobbit . . . that fantastic element that has captivated so many of us.

So, jump past the break and enjoy a little bit of Middle-Earth, brought straight to you from Mother Russia!

Wanted: Information on a mysterious dwarf

Well folks, make no mistake. There is a mystery afoot. We were all treated to the 6th Hobbit production video a few weeks ago, and towards the end of the ~12 minute video, we catch a glimpse of an unknown dwarf. Before reading any further, take a look for yourself, then jump past the break for a discussion of just who this guy might be.

The town of Dale

The super-sleuths at the German Lord of the Rings movies fan-site Herr Der Ringe Film have released the first ever photos of the town of Dale! For those of you who might not remember, Dale is the town of Men that was nestled at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. Thorin describes it to Bilbo near the start of the Hobbit:

Anyway they grew immensely rich and famous, and my grandfather was King under the Mountain again and treated with great reverence by the mortal men, who lived to the South, and were gradually spreading up the Running River as far as the valley overshadowed by the Mountain. They built the merry town of Dale there in those days.

––The Hobbit; Ch. 1: An Unexpected Party

 Sadly, Dale was destroyed by Smaug . . . and by the time Bilbo and his crew reach the Lonely Mountain, nothing remains of the once merry town but ruins.

HDRF asked that their images not be posted on other sites (sorry . . .) so I'll just give you the link to the pictures. As a quick note: the buildings all look to be in good condition, so I wonder if what we're seeing is Dale before the arrival of Smaug . . . and that just makes me wonder what the place will look like when Bilbo and the dwarves finally arrive.

For those of you who don't read German, here are the translated photo captions (courtesy of theonering.net):

• Structure of the set of Dale.
• The red roof tiles seem almost mediterranean.
• Archways, doors and arched windows in Romanesque style.
• Dale extends over several levels.
• The set is supported by shipping containers.
• Is this perhaps one of the bell towers of the town?
• The unfinished battlements of Dale.
• Plywood is the preferred building material on set.
• A set bridge or access way is built.
• A finished piece of wall with round battlements.
• The set of Dale.
• In this view one can clearly see the different levels.
• Back view of Dale and the bridge.
• A Dale building and a staircase in the building.

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Anke Eissmann

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Seven days done and now it's time for a batch of amazing Tolkien art. Yes, good reader, it's that time again: Fridays at the Mathom-house. This week we'll be showcasing the art of Anke Eissmann, who's website has an awesome section dedicated to her Tolkien art. Anke's art caught my eye because of her use of traditional mediums like watercolor and pen-and-ink, instead of the digital art you see everywhere nowadays. In fact, her watercolor paintings remind a lot of Tolkien's own watercolors. So, limber up your scroller-finger and sit back to enjoy some great Hobbit art:

Durin's Day

Fridays at the Mathom-House: Otis Frampton

The Mathom-house it was called; for anything that Hobbits had no immediate use for, but were unwilling to throw away, they called a ‘mathom’.

–The Fellowship of the Ring; Prologue 

Friday! Another week is over, the weekend is looming and its time to head on over to take a pit-stop here at the Mathom-House, where there's a whole lot of awesome-ness in a hole in the ground to celebrate! This week we'll be looking at the Hobbit/LOTR artwork of Otis Frampton. I stumbled on this guy's work a few months ago and couldn't get over just how good it is. His art has an amazing, stylized look, yet the details don't suffer for it. Frampton also does a great job of imbuing his images with atmosphere. Take a look for yourself:

Bilbo and the Dragon

The thing I like best about this first image is the sheer size of Smaug . . . the guy is HUGE, and Frampton did a great job of making the dragon's tail disappear into the haze of the chamber. Like I mentioned above, effects like that lend a sense of depth and atmosphere that make this picture really fun.

More great art after the break: