Axis

Dec 21, 2013 13:17

1. In the South, in Alabama and Georgia, this day was always genuinely a point where I could breathe a sigh of relief. Usually, by December 21st the worst of the cold and gloom was over. I knew that by the end of February there would be signs of spring, and that by April, almost always, the world would be warm and green. But here, instead, December ( Read more... )

the hobbit, good movies, winter, 3-d, solstice, "oranges from africa", peter jackson, elf pr0n, depression, weather, tolkien, the south, hope

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Comments 17

kambriel December 21 2013, 18:37:35 UTC
If you & Spooky ever need to get away from the Wintry depths, you're welcome to visit. Perhaps we could even roadtrip to Savannah to spend some time with Dame Darcy.

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greygirlbeast December 21 2013, 18:48:03 UTC

That's kind of you.

I wasn't aware Dame Darcy was in Savannah. Apparently, Spooky was though.

I still entertain fantasies of one day being repatriated to the Southeast.

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kambriel December 21 2013, 19:00:45 UTC
She seems to have made it her permanent home (as of earlier this year also now has her own house there) & seems very content. I think the Southern Gothic atmosphere, as well as its proximity to the ocean, suits her perfectly.

But yes, the offer is there for an utterly low-key visit anytime you'd like. We could converse with the raptors and Spooky could raid my fabric scraps.

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greygirlbeast December 21 2013, 19:58:28 UTC

She seems to have made it her permanent home (as of earlier this year also now has her own house there) & seems very content. I think the Southern Gothic atmosphere, as well as its proximity to the ocean, suits her perfectly.

I have always loved Savannah. I have thought of living there. But friends who lived there warned it wouldn't be a friendly city for me.

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setsuled December 21 2013, 18:42:27 UTC
Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug. Wow. Perfect. What a gloriously terrifying beast, with just the right measure of egotism, grandeur, fury, and vanity.

I agree. I think it's significant the best parts of these movies so far have been this scene and the riddle scene with Gollum. Just Bilbo confronting another mind. What do you think of Martin Freeman in the role?

the film is showing on four screens, but only one of them is 3D, and the one that's 3D is a broom closet. This is a good thing, and I hope it reflects, to some degree, waning interest in a fad.

I saw it in 3D because it was the only convenient showtime when I got to the cinema. I still say the best parts of a 3D film are the one or two points when you stop noticing the 3D. Which of course makes it pretty pointless.

The Hobbit lags well behind his The Lord of the Rings, and this is primarily because of the former's compromised cinematography.

More complex cinematography certainly sets Lord of the Rings above Hobbit though I also found the writing far more effective in Lord of ( ... )

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greygirlbeast December 21 2013, 18:53:22 UTC

What do you think of Martin Freeman in the role?

He's very good. Probably not as good as Ian Holm, but better than Elijah Woods' Frodo (though I did not dislike the latter).

though I also found the writing far more effective in Lord of the Rings

With LotR, the screenwriters had better source material, so....

I remember not quite agreeing with their idea of maintaining a focus on Frodo when the books were anything but focused on just one point of view.

Maybe it's because I've seen the extended version several dozen times, but I'm not sure what you mean. Frodo doesn't get more screen time than the other narratives; not at all.

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setsuled December 21 2013, 19:07:56 UTC
Maybe it's because I've seen the extended version several dozen times, but I'm not sure what you mean. Frodo doesn't get more screen time than the other narratives; not at all.

It's something they discuss a lot in the DVD commentaries--it's less noticeable in the extended editions because the extended versions contain a lot of scenes they deliberately trimmed in order to maintain focus on Frodo. But it wasn't just sticking to Frodo scenes from the book--they actually altered dialogue at times, like when Frodo solves the riddle on the door into Moria instead of Merry.

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greygirlbeast December 21 2013, 20:03:20 UTC

Okay, well...I don't know. I don't see it. Obviously, then, it must be there, but it has never detracted. I'm tempted now to watch it and time the scenes. But, clearly, a screenwriter would have to choose narratives to focus on, when adapting any work with multiple characters and story lines. Simplification is unavoidable. I have always said, Jackson could not film the books. They are, as written, unfilmable. Hell, when I was asked to adapt Threshold (nothing ultimately came of it, but), I began by tossing out two major characters - Dancy and Sadie.

Truthfully, I'm impressed Jackson made good, solid films from LotR. Even the extended versions are very short, compared to the source material.

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martianmooncrab December 21 2013, 18:44:35 UTC
thanks for the warning about the end credits song, so, was there a Godzilla trailer before the movie?

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greygirlbeast December 21 2013, 18:53:58 UTC

was there a Godzilla trailer before the movie?

Yes. Impressive. Sadly, also a 3D film.

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martianmooncrab December 21 2013, 19:05:14 UTC
as long as its shown in 2D, life can be good.

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alumiere December 21 2013, 20:01:32 UTC
I'm looking forward to seeing The Hobbit, and it makes me happy voices I trust are mostly enjoying it. Our nearby theatre has 3D on all right now, hopefully next week I can go.

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greygirlbeast December 21 2013, 20:05:20 UTC

Then I'm glad I took time to write about it.

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jacobluest December 24 2013, 21:08:48 UTC
I highly, highly recommend the Arkenstone Edition fan-edit of The Hobbit. I watched it with some friends and we were blown away by how much better it was than the original edit. The editor took out all the video game-y scenes and spliced in other stuff to make the story much more focused on the characters and less gimmicky, as well as introducing a better sort of continuity into the piece. I'd post the link but then my comment gets blocked as spam...but if you google for hobbit "arkenstone edition" you can check it out.

It was good enough that our first reaction after seeing DoS was "oh man, I can't wait for the fan edit of that!"

~Jacob

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