Heh, yeah. I just think that it's important to the atmosphere of The Hobbit that when Gandalf disappears for big chunks of it, you don't really know where he's gone, or why, or whether he'll come back. I think filling in those gaps can only hurt the story.
(Although I've not read it for 20 years, I may be remembering wrongly - maybe he does explain all that stuff really).
― JimD, Saturday, 25 July 2009 23:14 (fourteen years ago) link
Betcha Middle-Earth has a magical creature with eyes in its hands that we won't have known about until this movie comes out.
― Beanbag the Gardener (WmC), Saturday, 25 July 2009 23:16 (fourteen years ago) link
And I for one would be happy to have that around.
There's a quick mention of the Necromancer at the start and end of the book, the end part being Gandalf and Elrond talking in Rivendell about having driven the Necromancer out of Mirkwood but that he's still at loose. So there is a brief explanation but that's it, and it's after the fact, so yeah, it's the lack of information about his departure which makes the story.
(That said -- I can't remember if these details I just mentioned were always in the story or were part of the revisions Tolkien introduced in the second edition done as part of his retconning after LOTR.)
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 25 July 2009 23:18 (fourteen years ago) link
Someone told me yesterday that the Necromancer is actually Sauron. Is this true? I only recall the Necromancer from RPG supplements...
― Nate Carson, Sunday, 26 July 2009 00:11 (fourteen years ago) link
Yes, same character.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 26 July 2009 00:38 (fourteen years ago) link
I think that's so.
― When two tribes go to war, he always gets picked last (James Morrison), Sunday, 26 July 2009 00:39 (fourteen years ago) link
wait, 'pan's labyrinth' is not good?
― keythkeythkeyth, Sunday, 26 July 2009 02:34 (fourteen years ago) link
'pan's labyrinth' is good. greenwood becomes mirkwood due to the creeping penumbra that is sauron reconstituting himself as the necromancer
― kamerad, Sunday, 26 July 2009 04:01 (fourteen years ago) link
i think there are people here who don't think pan's labyrinth is good and they are people you can ignore
― akm, Sunday, 26 July 2009 16:24 (fourteen years ago) link
Feel free to ignore me then! Love, love, love Devil's Backbone but Pan's was just pretty, boring, drivel. I disliked Children of Men too, if that helps your casual dismissal.
― EZ Snappin, Sunday, 26 July 2009 16:35 (fourteen years ago) link
yes
― akm, Sunday, 26 July 2009 17:02 (fourteen years ago) link
An epic Smaug will be great. I still remember Smaug from the animated movie, thinking "Jeez, how are they going to kill THAT guy?" His voice was awesome - "I can hear your breathing. I can smell your breath." Damn!
I, for one, hope they go with an elongated, wyrm style dragon, instead of a shorter, stouter dragon, a la Reign of Fire.
Turns out, I quote the passage about Bard's black arrow whenever I find something I've misplaced - "You have never failed me, and I've always recovered you!"
Especially funny when you've misplaced a cocktail two or three times.
― NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dude, yessssss! (B.L.A.M.), Sunday, 26 July 2009 17:08 (fourteen years ago) link
Haha nice. (And yeah that speech of Bard's might actually be Tolkien's best take on epic dialogue.)
Smaug as a character similarly is his best out-and-out evil character, as opposed to the ominous but ultimately near voiceless Sauron and Gollum and his broken psyche. Gives him a chance to create a creature who is nothing but sneering spite and cruelty and needs no other explanation.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 26 July 2009 17:52 (fourteen years ago) link
His voice was awesome - "I can hear your breathing. I can smell your breath." Damn!
Fuck yes, Richard Boone. I wish he'd lived long enough to do more voice work.
― Beanbag the Gardener (WmC), Sunday, 26 July 2009 18:03 (fourteen years ago) link
Complications:
I've collected several knowledgeable accounts of what happened during yesterday's multi-hour contentious MGM conference call with bondholders who were "very loud and very upset". Here's why:The call was for the benefit of the lenders, and MGM management made the presentation along with Stephen F Cooper, that Zolfo Cooper restructure specialist. MGM made a desperate plea for money because the studio had missed its numbers and was going to be out of funds very soon. "The implication was that it's teetering on bankruptcy," one source told me. MGM said it needed $20M in short-term cash flow to cover overhead, and an additional $150 million to get through the end of year and continue funding its projects, and to start Peter Jackson's Hobbit.
The call was for the benefit of the lenders, and MGM management made the presentation along with Stephen F Cooper, that Zolfo Cooper restructure specialist. MGM made a desperate plea for money because the studio had missed its numbers and was going to be out of funds very soon. "The implication was that it's teetering on bankruptcy," one source told me. MGM said it needed $20M in short-term cash flow to cover overhead, and an additional $150 million to get through the end of year and continue funding its projects, and to start Peter Jackson's Hobbit.
The Bond franchise is the other big one under consideration in all this. Comments in the story speculate Warner will swoop in to lock it all down.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 25 September 2009 18:59 (fourteen years ago) link
(Lock down the Hobbit, not Bond, etc.)
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 25 September 2009 19:00 (fourteen years ago) link
the hobbit would be a much bigger money maker than bond. cost more though I guess.
― akm, Friday, 25 September 2009 23:19 (fourteen years ago) link
I guess I just am comfortable with the fact that I read these books decades ago. So if someone wants to make a spectacular $200million fantasy film based on these properties, I'll gladly get high and watch them.
this is the the best outlook on this subject i've read.
these are also more conventional fantasy stories - not nearly as complicated or as much info to try to squeeze in as LotR, so i'm actually more hopeful about these than i was about the Fellowship of the Rings when it was announced. i just hope each one isn't 3 hours long. i really have no patience for long-ass movies.
― A polar bear you can see in a snowstorm (rockapads), Friday, 25 September 2009 23:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Thanks for the back-up rockapads. See you in the front row.
― Nate Carson, Saturday, 26 September 2009 01:28 (fourteen years ago) link
have changed outlook from 'not seeing these' to 'will be seeing these but am dreading them'
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Sunday, 27 September 2009 03:46 (fourteen years ago) link
That's years of dread dude. Bummer.
― Nate Carson, Monday, 28 September 2009 03:03 (fourteen years ago) link
it's fairly low level stuff, tbh. am coping.
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Monday, 28 September 2009 08:47 (fourteen years ago) link
How in the world is MGM 'teetering on bankruptcy'?
― Adam Bruneau, Monday, 28 September 2009 15:07 (fourteen years ago) link
Nvmd, this is a dismal looking list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer_films#2008
― Adam Bruneau, Monday, 28 September 2009 15:12 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost reparations for those traumatised by stargate
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Monday, 28 September 2009 15:13 (fourteen years ago) link
Maybe the MGM managers should go on a magical quest to steal some treasure off a big dragon.
― Oppositional Soup (Noodle Vague), Monday, 28 September 2009 15:15 (fourteen years ago) link
IT WAS NEVER ABOUT THE MONEY U FUK
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Monday, 28 September 2009 15:16 (fourteen years ago) link
BAGGINSES' JOB TITLE WAS "THIEF" FFS
― Oppositional Soup (Noodle Vague), Monday, 28 September 2009 15:17 (fourteen years ago) link
you may have something there.
― What are the benefits of dating a younger guy, better erections? (darraghmac), Monday, 28 September 2009 15:20 (fourteen years ago) link
Wow, how did MGM become such garbage?
― I HEART CREEPY MENS (Deric W. Haircare), Monday, 28 September 2009 15:35 (fourteen years ago) link
del Toro's out.
So happy about this. Love this guy's imagination, but he has a knack for making dreck.
Then again, you could do a lot worse. Fingers crossed for Alfonso Cuarón or, why not?, David Gordon Green.
― sean gramophone, Monday, 31 May 2010 06:51 (thirteen years ago) link
We're not talking about Brett Ratner here. Maybe he's made some stuff you didn't care for but "dreck"? Please to explain...
― VegemiteGrrrl, Monday, 31 May 2010 08:45 (thirteen years ago) link
time to get luc besson on dis ting, about a decade too late imo
― May be half naked, but knows a good headline when he sees it (darraghmac), Monday, 31 May 2010 10:11 (thirteen years ago) link
cometh the hour, cometh mcg
― history mayne, Monday, 31 May 2010 10:16 (thirteen years ago) link
up and coming s spielberg should probably get a chance at a big franchise
― May be half naked, but knows a good headline when he sees it (darraghmac), Monday, 31 May 2010 10:21 (thirteen years ago) link
It's all down to the basket case that is MGM and the extended unsureness around finally resolving a sale so they could get the funding locked in. Personally I'm pretty bummed about this, I think he would have done wonders. Jackson's indicated he's not directing so hmm. Might be interesting to see if he looks at home for someone; it would actually make a little more sense given his often-stated desire to continue developing NZ's film industry as a whole.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 31 May 2010 12:43 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah jeez del toro is perfect
― max, Monday, 31 May 2010 13:37 (thirteen years ago) link
o shi: JOHN BOORMAN
― transient truff (history mayne), Monday, 31 May 2010 13:38 (thirteen years ago) link
The main story on this:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2010/05/30/36920-guillermo-del-toro-departs-the-hobbit/#more-36920
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 31 May 2010 13:38 (thirteen years ago) link
i know these guys are rich and all but i do feel bad for people in such an all-or-nothing business that they can work on pre-production on something for a couple years and then just have it all go up in smoke like this
― Christina NAGLera (some dude), Monday, 31 May 2010 13:43 (thirteen years ago) link
Maybe he's made some stuff you didn't care for but "dreck"? Please to explain...
The two Hell Boy movies are pretty much my archetype of "cool design", "neat story and characters", "wow is that a shitty finished movie".
― sean gramophone, Monday, 31 May 2010 14:19 (thirteen years ago) link
^ OTM OTM OTM
― May be half naked, but knows a good headline when he sees it (darraghmac), Monday, 31 May 2010 14:22 (thirteen years ago) link
i wonder if his Hobbit movies would've had neat stories and characters.
― Christina NAGLera (some dude), Monday, 31 May 2010 14:22 (thirteen years ago) link
And let's not forget Blade 2
would've been pretty easy to snort "lol The Frighteners" a decade ago too
― Christina NAGLera (some dude), Monday, 31 May 2010 14:32 (thirteen years ago) link
yes, yes it would.
― May be half naked, but knows a good headline when he sees it (darraghmac), Monday, 31 May 2010 14:37 (thirteen years ago) link
I dunno: Frighteners felt promising, not quite the movie Jackson seemed to want to make. Whereas del Toro's failures just feel like he sorta sucks. (I enjoyed Pan's Labyrinth until the ending.)
― sean gramophone, Monday, 31 May 2010 14:43 (thirteen years ago) link
it turns out middle earth was just a figment of a little girl's imagination
― pokám0n (dyao), Monday, 31 May 2010 14:44 (thirteen years ago) link
Dreamed by a dog on an island.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 31 May 2010 14:45 (thirteen years ago) link
the little fat beardy girl forgot about tom bombadil, but misremembered in some fucking werewolves in the second film iirc
― May be half naked, but knows a good headline when he sees it (darraghmac), Monday, 31 May 2010 14:46 (thirteen years ago) link
Haha. I did the same. I'd complety forgotten about the barrel scene. In fact, I think I must have totally blanked them all out as the only thing I vaguely remember is the fucking atrocious Radagast sleigh bit
― groovypanda, Sunday, 10 March 2024 20:03 (one month ago) link
That was the lulz and best thing in the films, I wouldn't go so far as to say befitting the original conception of this children's book but nothing like the travesty of the barrel sequence, or the rollercoaster in the golbin caves.
― gene besserit (ledge), Sunday, 10 March 2024 20:57 (one month ago) link