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'The Hobbit' stumbles on first leg of its journey, critics say
lat ^ | December 14, 2012, 3:25 p.m. | By Oliver Gettell

Posted on 12/14/2012 4:35:29 PM PST by BenLurkin

Edited on 12/14/2012 4:38:42 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

Although the first installment of Peter Jackson's three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel "The Hobbit" carries the subtitle "An Unexpected Journey," it wasn't entirely unexpected that the director would revisit Middle-earth after the worldwide success of his "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.


(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: TV/Movies; The Hobbit Hole
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1 posted on 12/14/2012 4:35:32 PM PST by BenLurkin
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Maybe Mr. Jackson should have stuck to: “Kill Smaug - Part One” and “Kill Smaug - Part Two”


2 posted on 12/14/2012 4:36:53 PM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: BenLurkin

i can easily see how you COULD fill 3 movies with everythign that takes place in The Hobbit (the first book I ever read ON PURPOSE - and which led me to a lifelong love of reading, gratefully) - the most he should have tried for is 2- especially if all 3 are not brought out to the theatres in rapid succession.


3 posted on 12/14/2012 4:41:13 PM PST by Mr. K (some days even my lucky rocketship underpants don't help...)
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To: Mr. K

He wanted to bring out the fullness of the LOTR world. As I recall reading the Hobbit, and it’s been a few years, it was fairly light in its atmosphere, except when Bilbo met Gollum.


4 posted on 12/14/2012 4:44:23 PM PST by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults.)
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To: BenLurkin
Let's see what the box office sez about these two ...


5 posted on 12/14/2012 4:47:14 PM PST by Liberty Valance (Keep a simple manner for a happy life :o)
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To: BenLurkin

I just want to see the 9 minute star trek clip they before the Hobbit.


6 posted on 12/14/2012 4:52:00 PM PST by miliantnutcase
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To: BenLurkin

saw it today, we did a school field trip - it was great.
It’s been 30 years since I’ve read the book - so it was fun to see how much of it I did remember.

I have to be honest, it was a pretty amazing break from the reality of the evil of the world today. It completely took me away for almost 3 hours.

The kids that went were from 2nd grade through 8th grade, all of them loved it - Wasn’t sure if my daughter would be afraid in parts of it, but she only covered her eyes during a couple of fight scenes.

I would love to watch it again, you’d catch different things every time you watched it.


7 posted on 12/14/2012 4:55:37 PM PST by porter_knorr
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To: BenLurkin

Pf. I don’t even give critics the time of day anymore. They’re usually wrong about what I like anyway. :D


8 posted on 12/14/2012 5:01:34 PM PST by Thorliveshere
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To: Liberty Valance

I bet they hardly ever say the n-word in The Hobbit.


9 posted on 12/14/2012 5:03:22 PM PST by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: Thorliveshere

Critics. Probably never read the book. They are to paraphrase the late Ian Mcharg “a festering putrescence on the ass of humanity”. Come to think of it the one who lives in the WH could be described similarly.


10 posted on 12/14/2012 5:05:38 PM PST by sitkaspruce
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To: Thorliveshere
Pf. I don’t even give critics the time of day anymore. They’re usually wrong about what I like anyway. :D

Unless Barack Obama is the hero, then the movie will get bad reviews.

11 posted on 12/14/2012 5:05:38 PM PST by mountn man (ATTITUDE- The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It.)
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To: BenLurkin

When will Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time” series become a film?

http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/A_beginning


12 posted on 12/14/2012 5:08:02 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I'll raise $2million for Sarah Palin's presidential run. What'll you do?)
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To: Mr. K

As I understand it, Jackson added stuff based on the context for Gandalf organizing an expedition against Smaug drawn from the appendices of LOTR and the chapter The Council of Elrond in the Fellowship of the Ring.

It makes sense to do this with the movie version being released as a prequel since the viewers are presumed to know Jackson’s version of LOTR.

It’s still not clear to me there’s enough there for three movies, but two would be easy.


13 posted on 12/14/2012 5:09:24 PM PST by The_Reader_David (And when they behead your own people in the wars which are to come, then you will know...)
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To: Liberty Valance

Q. T. is the only producer that masturbates himself more than Oliver Stone and puts the results on the screen.

If people are stupid enough to pay for his self-enjoyment there is nothing we can do.


14 posted on 12/14/2012 5:21:01 PM PST by freedumb2003 (Here comes bama claus here comes bama claus left down bama claus lane!)
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To: BenLurkin

I just saw the movie this evening. The color and 3D were very good. When the movie stuck to the book it was superb. Anytime the movie strayed from the book it broke the natural rhythm a bit but probably helped LOTR movie-goers who have never read “The Hobbit” since they are experiencing the movie as a prequel. All in all, I found it to be a most enjoyable movie. LOTR fans will not be disappointed. JRRT purists may shudder in a few scenes but they will recover.

A quote from the movie that left an impression upon me (from memory, so it may not be exact):

“[He] believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay; small acts of kindness and love.”

I am not sure why, from an epic fantasy adventure, that one line has stuck with me afterwards. Maybe because it is true?


15 posted on 12/14/2012 5:25:41 PM PST by FerociousRabbit
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To: The_Reader_David

I never read reviews. Most reviewers have an agenda. I’ll be in the cineplex this weekend to see The Hobbitt. BTW as I type this, I have a movie playing on my Kindle Fire, one that was nominated for multiple Oscars but didn’t win even one - True Grit with Jeff Bridges. Free download for Amazon Prime members. Academy members didn’t want to honor a film that honors what’s good about America.


16 posted on 12/14/2012 5:29:20 PM PST by Ciexyz
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To: FerociousRabbit

That IMO was one of the main themes in all Tolkeins work, a practical application of the parable of the mustard seed if you will.


17 posted on 12/14/2012 5:33:24 PM PST by Free Vulcan (Vote Republican! [You can vote Democrat when you're dead]...)
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To: Ciexyz

Another film available for free download with Amazon Prime is a film the critics hated - Red Dawn 1984, by director John Milius. No F word, no N word. Imagine that, making a film about teenagers fighting oppression and no one has a filthy mouth and the black teacher in the film dies a hero, is represented with respect. Whereas in our current era, the critics are pushing a film where the N word is used almost a hundred times. Disgusting!


18 posted on 12/14/2012 5:40:09 PM PST by Ciexyz
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To: Free Vulcan

“That IMO was one of the main themes in all Tolkeins work, a practical application of the parable of the mustard seed if you will.”

I agree with you about the themes in JRRT’s works. The cinematic delivery of the line — and several others like it in the movie — were quite powerful.


19 posted on 12/14/2012 5:41:05 PM PST by FerociousRabbit
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To: FerociousRabbit
“[He] believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay; small acts of kindness and love.”

Maybe, just maybe, some small acts of kindness and love could have prevented what happened today. It is, IMHO, the coarseness of our popular culture and society in general today that allows evil to feel at home and comfortable with us.

Tolkein really had a good message for us through his fiction -- if we are wise enough to heed it.

20 posted on 12/14/2012 5:48:35 PM PST by Ditto
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