Halflings and Reporters
GAH THE TRAILER FOR THE HOBBIT CAME OUT!
I know I got the news late; the trailer came out about a week ago. THAT DOESN’T REDUCE MY SQUEEING AT ALL.
I am a huge Tolkien fan. I first read Lord of the Rings in sixth grade and reread it countless times since then. I find Tolkien’s world amazing because I’ve never seen as much original world-building as Tolkien did: unique languages with dialects, histories and annals, he even threw some creation myths in there. The Silmarillion draws me in particular, probably because most of the stories are only briefly outlined and never fully written like The Hobbit and LotR, which gives me plenty of imagination space. Besides, even though they were Kinslayers, the Fëanorians (and the Noldor) are utterly fascinating.
Although The Hobbit isn’t my favorite book in Tolkien’s legendarium, I’m still psyched for a movie. The LotR movies completely blew me away. I know a lot of Tolkien fans don’t like the Peter Jackson adaptation because so many events and details were altered from canon, but I love them so much. It might have something to do with the fact that I watched the movies (and found them scary) before reading the books, but I have very little nitpicks with the movies. And the music is unbelievable. Just the soundtrack alone could make me jump and cheer or reduce me to a blubbering mess. Howard Shore is a GENIUS.
So I’m totally ready for The Hobbit and everything that comes with it: singing dwarves, hungry trolls, suspicious elves, disappearing wizards, a treasure-hoarding dragon, and of course Bilbo Baggins. I’m especially excited to see Thranduil and the Mirkwood elves; Peter Jackson always did a great job depicting elven havens. Ever since I heard that there was going to be a Hobbit movie, I’ve wanted to see it…
…and I still have to wait a whole year. :|
-goes and sits in emo corner-
…I hate waiting. But still, it’s great that I’ll be able to visit Middle Earth again on the big sceen. Now if they’ll only make a Silmarillion movie, I’ll be in heaven.
And while I’m still on the topic of movies, I just watched The Adventures of Tintin today. :D
The movie did not disappoint at all. I’ve only read a few of the classic Hergé comics, and I love them for their twisting plots and moments of hilarity. Tintin is just amazing. He looks to be in his late teens or early twenties, but lives alone and is worldly and mature. Besides being able to do absolutely everything (from dodging bullets to piloting airplanes), he is also extremely lucky and can always walk himself into a mess of an adventure. The movie captured that very nicely: it was nonstop action all the way. The first five minutes was the obligatory story exposition, then the whole beginning was blown up into tiny pieces to kick-start the action. Not even the ending was a quiet, peaceful one. But that’s just how Tintin is.
Captain Haddock was his usual drunken and charming self in the movie. He never did manage to become completely sober. I was surprised that he was able to part with his precious whisky, even if it did help take out a few mooks. Still, I’ve always wanted to give the Captain a hug; he’s like a huge, gruff, alcoholic teddy bear. The two police/detectives Thompson and Thomson also get moments of the limelight where they made (their usual) blunders and added to the hilarity. I love them both.
I think Steven Spielberg did a fantastic job. The movie captured the spirit of Hergé’s stories perfectly, rolling action, humor, and mystery all into one. The Adventures of Tintin was definitely worth watching, and I would love to watch it over a few more times.