I went to see the Desolation of Smaug
I actually went to go see it back in december but am now just getting around to writing about it. Such is life.
I have a friend whose opinion I generally respect a great deal, who posted on facebook how much he loathed this film. He's a huge Tolkien fan, and as far as I could remember he loved the first 3 LotR films. And then, I saw many of my online friend's comments on LJ who seemed to really love the film. So I had no idea what to expect! But since I was NOT a fan of the first LotR films, yet I did rather enjoy the first Hobbit film, I really didn't stress my head over it. Long since gone are the days when I cared what Peter Jackson did with these books. But I was curious.
Also, amusedly, since I was a wee kid back when I read The Hobbit the first time, I have always pronounced Smaug like Smog. So, I have been saying to people, "Oh, I'm going to see that Smog film," or "I saw that Smog film. You know, Smog, the dragon," and I get this blank look. haha.
Stuff:
~ Okay, it was waaaay too long. But I guess that's what you get for splitting it up into 3 parts. My least favorite part of the book is the war of the 5 armies, and it seems like that's what the 3rd part is mainly going to contain, well and the killing of Smaug, which is just going to be a lot of fighting, and I'm not really looking forward to that.
~ I cannot count the many ways I adore Martin Freeman. He is a delight to watch in anything he choses to act in. His performance of Bilbo is spot on, imo.
~ Hey, they included Beorn! And his giant bees and his ponies. That part seemed a bit tacked on, but whatever, that was still cool.
~ I had forgotten how Gandalf just abandons them at the door to Mirkwood like that. WTF Gandalf, that's not cool, lol.
~ Elves to the rescue! Eh, I didn't much care for that change. I like how Bilbo rescues them all on his own. And I kind of miss the way the dwarves and Bilbo keep trying to get to the Elf Feast, three times before they're taken captive, but I guess I can see why PJ changed that. hmph.
~ I liked Tauriel and the Elf/Dwarf thing! It was good to see Evangeline again. I am all for kick ass elf women, and I loved her inclusion in the story.
~ Although, doesn't Kili die in the war? I thought both Kili and Fili die. Wasn't that why the dwarf from the Blue Mountains took over ruling the Lonely Mountain? Since Thorin dies and his heirs, Fili and Kili die. It's been a while since I read the Hobbit. How much of all of this is PJ going to change? He kept some of the dwarves in Dale, which does not occur in the books. Maybe those dwarves get to live? (I can't entirely remember which dwarves live or die). I'm not sure how I feel about that.
~ Back to Tauriel, I had forgotten the whole Sindarin/Silvan elf thing and had to go look that up. I don't know guys, being an elf is complicated! They are not making it look appealing, imo. I had also forgotten that Elrond and his children were actually half-elvan, but I guess the half that is elf is still superior to the silvan elves. And no elf on Middle Earth is as elevated as Galadriel apparently. Even as a kid, the Tolkien elves made me uncomfortable, and they still do. I want to like them! But they're not very friendly! I'm not sure I can even admire them much.
~ On a design/casting note, I find it fascinating that PJ has cast such dark-haired, dark-eyed actors like Orlando Bloom and Lee Pace (and Martin Csokas) to be the uber blond elves. The wigs and the contact lenses add to their freakiness.
~ Speaking of Thandruil, I did love the reveal about his face, though. Nice touch.
~ I didn't much mind the story change of Legolas and Tauriel following the orcs and the dwarves to Dale, but I'm a little so so on the Orcs following the dwarves so aggressively. Maybe I just find the Orcs tiring...
~ I loved Smaug.
~ I also loved Bard.
~~~
In other news, things continue over here. My mother has had a cerebral angiogram so the docs can have a look at her special brain. We hoped this would clear her for general anesthesia so she can have the gallbladder surgery, but no luck. They want another MRI or something. Oi.
Meanwhile, she's planning on going out of the country for a couple of months, so many of these things will have to be delayed.
I bought her an iPad mini for Christmas. Instructing my mother on how to use an iPad has been... fun? lol.
I am... almost done editing. By almost I mean not really done at all, but done with the big stuff anyway. Yay!?
I am also thinking of buying a new car. Soonish.
I fell down the stairs carrying a GIANT bag of laundry and hurt my food. It is nearly all better now, though I have a smallish lump on the side and my toes are still bruised. It was pretty banged up, and as I lay on the ground cursing my first thought was "Oh fuck I can't ride tomorrow," haha. Only, I did ride. I rode on it all bruised and swollen and stuff all that week, because I am a badass. No actually, while it was pretty bad, it was okay to walk on and stuff, so I figured it was okay to ride.
I have been watching Scandal with my mom while she's in town. I never would have watched this if she hadn't wanted to. I am of two minds about this show. I like it sometimes. I mostly like Olivia Pope, I like her team, but then I find it immensely frustrating and ridiculously predictable. I'm too lazy to do another cut tag, so maybe I'll talk about it in anther post sometime.
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I have a friend whose opinion I generally respect a great deal, who posted on facebook how much he loathed this film. He's a huge Tolkien fan, and as far as I could remember he loved the first 3 LotR films. And then, I saw many of my online friend's comments on LJ who seemed to really love the film. So I had no idea what to expect! But since I was NOT a fan of the first LotR films, yet I did rather enjoy the first Hobbit film, I really didn't stress my head over it. Long since gone are the days when I cared what Peter Jackson did with these books. But I was curious.
Also, amusedly, since I was a wee kid back when I read The Hobbit the first time, I have always pronounced Smaug like Smog. So, I have been saying to people, "Oh, I'm going to see that Smog film," or "I saw that Smog film. You know, Smog, the dragon," and I get this blank look. haha.
Stuff:
~ Okay, it was waaaay too long. But I guess that's what you get for splitting it up into 3 parts. My least favorite part of the book is the war of the 5 armies, and it seems like that's what the 3rd part is mainly going to contain, well and the killing of Smaug, which is just going to be a lot of fighting, and I'm not really looking forward to that.
~ I cannot count the many ways I adore Martin Freeman. He is a delight to watch in anything he choses to act in. His performance of Bilbo is spot on, imo.
~ Hey, they included Beorn! And his giant bees and his ponies. That part seemed a bit tacked on, but whatever, that was still cool.
~ I had forgotten how Gandalf just abandons them at the door to Mirkwood like that. WTF Gandalf, that's not cool, lol.
~ Elves to the rescue! Eh, I didn't much care for that change. I like how Bilbo rescues them all on his own. And I kind of miss the way the dwarves and Bilbo keep trying to get to the Elf Feast, three times before they're taken captive, but I guess I can see why PJ changed that. hmph.
~ I liked Tauriel and the Elf/Dwarf thing! It was good to see Evangeline again. I am all for kick ass elf women, and I loved her inclusion in the story.
~ Although, doesn't Kili die in the war? I thought both Kili and Fili die. Wasn't that why the dwarf from the Blue Mountains took over ruling the Lonely Mountain? Since Thorin dies and his heirs, Fili and Kili die. It's been a while since I read the Hobbit. How much of all of this is PJ going to change? He kept some of the dwarves in Dale, which does not occur in the books. Maybe those dwarves get to live? (I can't entirely remember which dwarves live or die). I'm not sure how I feel about that.
~ Back to Tauriel, I had forgotten the whole Sindarin/Silvan elf thing and had to go look that up. I don't know guys, being an elf is complicated! They are not making it look appealing, imo. I had also forgotten that Elrond and his children were actually half-elvan, but I guess the half that is elf is still superior to the silvan elves. And no elf on Middle Earth is as elevated as Galadriel apparently. Even as a kid, the Tolkien elves made me uncomfortable, and they still do. I want to like them! But they're not very friendly! I'm not sure I can even admire them much.
~ On a design/casting note, I find it fascinating that PJ has cast such dark-haired, dark-eyed actors like Orlando Bloom and Lee Pace (and Martin Csokas) to be the uber blond elves. The wigs and the contact lenses add to their freakiness.
~ Speaking of Thandruil, I did love the reveal about his face, though. Nice touch.
~ I didn't much mind the story change of Legolas and Tauriel following the orcs and the dwarves to Dale, but I'm a little so so on the Orcs following the dwarves so aggressively. Maybe I just find the Orcs tiring...
~ I loved Smaug.
~ I also loved Bard.
~~~
In other news, things continue over here. My mother has had a cerebral angiogram so the docs can have a look at her special brain. We hoped this would clear her for general anesthesia so she can have the gallbladder surgery, but no luck. They want another MRI or something. Oi.
Meanwhile, she's planning on going out of the country for a couple of months, so many of these things will have to be delayed.
I bought her an iPad mini for Christmas. Instructing my mother on how to use an iPad has been... fun? lol.
I am... almost done editing. By almost I mean not really done at all, but done with the big stuff anyway. Yay!?
I am also thinking of buying a new car. Soonish.
I fell down the stairs carrying a GIANT bag of laundry and hurt my food. It is nearly all better now, though I have a smallish lump on the side and my toes are still bruised. It was pretty banged up, and as I lay on the ground cursing my first thought was "Oh fuck I can't ride tomorrow," haha. Only, I did ride. I rode on it all bruised and swollen and stuff all that week, because I am a badass. No actually, while it was pretty bad, it was okay to walk on and stuff, so I figured it was okay to ride.
I have been watching Scandal with my mom while she's in town. I never would have watched this if she hadn't wanted to. I am of two minds about this show. I like it sometimes. I mostly like Olivia Pope, I like her team, but then I find it immensely frustrating and ridiculously predictable. I'm too lazy to do another cut tag, so maybe I'll talk about it in anther post sometime.
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