The Hobbit

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Have y'all seen this?

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I'm checking it out. Interesting.

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Duke of URL, thanks for posting that link. I watched the movie yesterday (and the behind the scenes stuff, which is very interesting), and it's impressive. Made on a nothing-budget (3000 pounds) by dedicated fans of Tolkien and Peter Jackson's movies and the look of it is spectacular imo. The orcs and the glimpses of Mordor and all the big mountain-landscape stuff (a lot of which was done with CGI) is really nicely done. And Aragorn's got some beautiful eyes as well! I really hope the people behind the movie get some jobs and recognition for this movie, because they've worked very hard for no money at all making this.

And I'm totally biased because one of my friends, Julianne who is featured in the behind the scenes bits, is one of the co-producers. But it's a lot of movie for something made with no money at all. Definitely worth a look-see. Especially since it's totally free!

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Wow, Duke of URL, that was really interesting. Thanks for posting it. I liked it alot, and they did a great job with little money.

[HarpofLorien]

May 31, 2008 22:17:08 GMT -4 bklynred said:

May 26, 2008 15:32:26 GMT -4 @mimmilina said:

Yeah, it's funny how the RL JRD was actually the tallest guy in the Fellowship! I loved those things from the LOTR movies, in the DVD-extras when they showed how they did some of the stuff with Gandalf looking so big and the hobbits looking small... PJ & Co really used all the tricks in the book for that.

I thought the height visual tricks were some of the most interesting effects in the movies, for sure.

I realize this is a little dated, but I had to respond. A year or two after the last LOTR movie came out, a group of tolkienistas (me included) went to Houston to see The Lord of the Rings exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural History.

One of the exhibits used the same visual effects as was in the movies to show height difference. I had my picture taken with a friend, sitting on a wagon (as Gandalf did with Frodo) and although we are the same height you'd never know it from looking at the photos we got.

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Very cool HarpofLorien! It was neat how Peter Jackson used some real "simple" tricks in the movie, as well as some major CGI of course. I remember from the DVD stuff that there was something with the scene with Frodo and Gandalf having tea at the table in Bag End where they totally used forced perspective and stuff that made the illusion completely convincing. And the models for the buildings! Amazing stuff. Hopefully DelToro will create some of the same magic for The hobbit.

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And for the scene at the pub they used stunt people walking around in giant people costumes to make the hobbits look smaller. It really is amazing all the different kinds of tricks they used.

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Guillermo del Toro is no longer directing The Hobbit. And because of MGM's extremely dire financial straits, the movie has not yet been greenlit and is seemingly languishing. Full press-release at the link.

Guillermo Del Toro announced today that he is no longer directing the two movies based on J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, but will continue to co-write the screenplays. Out of respect to the legions of loyal Tolkien fans, both Guillermo and Peter Jackson wanted to break the news to The One Ring first. They are both committed to protecting The Hobbit and will do everything in their power to ensure the films are everything that the fans want them to be.

“In light of ongoing delays in the setting of a start date for filming “The Hobbit,” I am faced with the hardest decision of my life”, says Guillermo. “After nearly two years of living, breathing and designing a world as rich as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I must, with great regret, take leave from helming these wonderful pictures. I remain grateful to Peter, Fran and Philippa Boyens, New Line and Warner Brothers and to all my crew in New Zealand. I’ve been privileged to work in one of the greatest countries on earth with some of the best people ever in our craft and my life will be forever changed. The blessings have been plenty, but the mounting pressures of conflicting schedules have overwhelmed the time slot originally allocated for the project. Both as a co-writer and as a director, I wlsh the production nothing but the very best of luck and I will be first in line to see the finished product. I remain an ally to it and its makers, present and future, and fully support a smooth transition to a new director”.

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Dude. I am so disappointed. He was my number one choice after Peter Jackson.

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I am terribly disappointed too. The only thing that could save this might be if PJ directs it himself. Del Toro really did seem to be a HUGE fan of the book and after Pan's Labyrinth I was convinced he could do an awesome job. The financial situation with MGM is just screwing this up beyond anything I'd imagined.