The Desolation of Smaug anticipation thread [SPOILERS]

[Elentári]

Nice interview for the BBC by MF (not just about CGI!)

CGI could leave actors out of a job - Freeman

[Passdagas the Brown]

BTW, haven't seen this mentioned here yet, but did anyone spot Stephen Colbert's cameo?

Apparently he was the Laketown spy with the eye patch...

A friend did, and pointed him out. He has a bit of stubble (and yes, an eye patch) so it's not an easy one to spot!

[Primula Baggins]

I just bought eight tickets for Friday to see it in IMAX 3D. My kids, two significant others, my husband and I, and my brother.

Getting a bit misty-eyed as I remember bringing the same gang to opening night of Fellowship (well, minus significant others, as the kids were in grade school). We couldn't make opening night, but we'll be there!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I'll be seeing it at around the same time, with Beth and a couple of friends. But I will consider myself with you as well!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Like they did last year for AUJ, the Smithsonian magazine has a piece on The Tolkien Nerd’s Guide to “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” featuring comments from John Rateliff and Mike Drout:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-cult ... z2nyfEX3pI

The point about the disorientation in Mirkwood being similar to the Girdle of Melian did not occur to me, I must admit. It makes me like the scene better.

[axordil]

And adds to the overall Sil-resonance.

[Elentári]

I missed the "sharku" bit inn the film (still only seen it once so far)...was that what some reviews were thinking of when they said the orcs/Sauron were calling Gandalf by his "real" name? I guess "Tharkun" could have been mistaken for "Sharku" as they sound similar...

[Alatar]

Isn't Sharku "old man" or something? That would work.

[Primula Baggins]

I'm excited, and I will definitely enjoy thinking of you seeing it at the same time, Voronwë.

This has been rather a hellish holiday season, all things considered, and though things are much better now (parents' health, etc.), I am still working 16-hour days to try to catch up from all that plus being sick, yet again, as a lead-in to Christmas. Trying trying trying. With any luck I'll be done with work by the 27th. Not what I wanted, but there it is.

Christmas and Christmas dinner will happen (if I keep working 16-hour days plus a few hours extra, per day, for holiday prep). So hey.

IOW, I am really grateful that my son insisted we go see this movie. A few hours of actual fun. And Christmas will be actual fun. It's just paying for it afterward that I'm not looking forward to.

Next year in Jerusalem.

[Elentári]

Wow! This is a very revealing interview with EL and PB on just how and why Tauriel's character was created. Boyens confirms the romance with Kili was in from the start, and that she herself decided on the love triangle with Legolas...

Evangeline Lilly Talks Tauriel, Tolkien and Love-Triangles in DoS

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Very interesting indeed!

[Dave_LF]

After watching the film again this morning (2nd time), I very much got the impression that Tauriel, while curious about Kili, really has eyes only for Legolas. She's just keeping that to herself because she believes it's impossible.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I agree. I think she has sympathy and curiosity for Kili, but little more than that.

[Elentári]

What did you guys make of Boyens comments on creating a reason for Legolas to hate the Dwarves in FotR??

And also interesting with Legolas, because one of the things we were trying to do was he hates Dwarves in The Fellowship of the Ring. There’s this animosity, this whole kind of … that had to have come from somewhere. What was it about? And we wanted to make it a little bit more emotional than just, “I don’t like them.”

Is this because they can't use anything from The Sil?

[Dave_LF]

I don't really think that's necessary, but whatever. As long as it isn't bad.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I have no idea what the utility of setting that up is. Legolas' animosity towards the dwarves lasts about 2 seconds in FOTR, and then it's essentially over. Hardly something worth setting up over two hobbit films!

This is just Boyens performing logical gymnastics to justify the pure fan service that is Legolas' presence in these films.

[kzer_za]

I could have done without Legolas except maybe a brief cameo, and the orc attack on Laketown is probably the movie's weakest scene.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

What did you guys make of Boyens comments on creating a reason for Legolas to hate the Dwarves in FotR??

And also interesting with Legolas, because one of the things we were trying to do was he hates Dwarves in The Fellowship of the Ring. There’s this animosity, this whole kind of … that had to have come from somewhere. What was it about? And we wanted to make it a little bit more emotional than just, “I don’t like them.”

Is this because they can't use anything from The Sil?

Except that they all but do use the Nauglamír story from the Silmarillion, but brought forward to the third age. Surely Legolas's father's dispute with the dwarves over their withholding his jewels from him would be enough for Legolas to hate the dwarves.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

According to TheHutt at TORN:

User Gash from our forum found 3 scenes where you can see sleeping Bombur in the background (as we know, there is a scene from the book where Bombur falls into an enchanted river and falls asleep. It was filmed and will probably make the extended cut).

- In the scene as Bilbo is touching the spiderwebs, you see dwarves in the background carrying a stretcher
- In the scene as Bilbo sees himself double, as he looks forward at himself, you see Thorin and another dwarf carrying the stretcher.
- In the scene where Bofur finds the tobacco pouch, you see two dwarves put the stretcher on the forest floor; you actually can see Bofur lying on it.

I did not catch that at all. Did anyone else?

[Smaug's voice]

i am going tomorrow. I will look out for it!!