The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey won its third consecutive weekend against new movies Django Unchained and Les Miserables. While the two new movies have been critical darlings, none of them are as all ages as The Hobbit so the victory doesn't come as much of a surprise. It will be interesting to see how many weekends it stays at number 1 as there really isn't any serious competition coming out for several weeks. The Hobbit dropped a tiny 11% from last weekend for a domestic take of $32.9 million for a US total of $222.7M. Not sure its international box office but the current total is $464M for a worldwide total of $686.7M. The film should easily be the 15th film to cross the $1 billion threshold.

The Hobbit Three-peats at Box Office. There are any The Hobbit Three-peats at Box Office in here.

New Zealand Stuff reports that Oscar winner Mike Hopkins died at the age of 53 after his inflatable raft slipped on the Waliohine River, NZ around 3pm Saturday December 30th. Hopkins won his Academy Awards for Sound Editing on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2003 and another on King Kong in 2006. He was also received an Oscar nomination for Sound Editing for Transformers in 2008. He was the Supervising Sound Editor on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Kung Fu Panda, and more. Condolences to his family and friends.

R.I.P. Mike Hopkins, Sound Editor on LOTR. There are any R.I.P. Mike Hopkins, Sound Editor on LOTR in here.

The Afflicted (2010)
I usually find that it's not a good idea to watch a movie purely for the actors in it. I checked this one out a little bit and was all, "Leslie Easterbrook and Kane Hodder? Sure, I'll watch that one." Bad, bad idea. It's about a mother who basically goes insane after her husband "leaves" her (I put that in quotes for a reason... read my spoiler after the break and you'll get it) and she starts spouting off religious baloney while beating the snot out of her kids. Sure, Easterbrook does a great job of being a psycho like always,  but the whole movie was nothing more than escalating the scenes of abuse and humiliation until by the end you have absolutely no faith in humanity anymore. And that is not a good feeling.

As for Kane Hodder getting top billing... Total bullshit. He dies in the first ten minutes. Sorry about the spoiler, but the movie is not really worth watching anyway.

Well now, this movie should not have been as good as it was. Directed by Joe Dante, The Hole turned out to be a cute little thriller comedy thing that is more geared toward teens, but I enjoyed the hell out of it. Two brothers discover a seemingly bottomless hole in their basement and when they look into it, it starts to haunt them with images of their deepest, darkest fears. There's actually some really good creepy moments in The Hole - for one, because the littlest brother's biggest fear is clowns. It's scary without being too terrifying for even very young kids to watch and there's plenty of cute humor throughout to keep things light as well. The ending is a little bit hokey with the special effects but not overly so, and I'm surprised at how mature they went with the subject matter on this part. Overall, this movie was a big surprise. Very entertaining, with some great acting by the three main kids.

Michael (2011)
Gosh dang you, Maynard. I know I said I sort of liked these kinds of dark, depressing movies but I did not need to see this fucked up pedophile shit. Michael is an Austrian film about a boring insurance agent named Michael who has a young boy, Wolfgang, locked in his basement. In case there is any confusion about the "relationship" between these two, one of the first scenes shows Michael walking into the boy's room, and then the next shot is Michael washing his penis in the sink. OMFG. The movie never actually shows any of the abuse but scenes like this are enough to put your imagination into overdrive. Michael is very reminiscent of Michael Haneke's Funny Games in the almost boring way it is shot and the scenes that seem meaningless and mundane, but that's what makes the movie so good and hard-hitting. There is some heavily implied fucked up pedophile shit; however, don't let that shy you away from seeing this.

Weekly Movie Roundup: 12-23-12 to 12-29-12. There are any Weekly Movie Roundup: 12-23-12 to 12-29-12 in here.

So, Excision is like, a really weird movie. Like, seriously REALLY weird. It's so weird that... what, wait a minute... Screw that, I love weird movies! Oh yeah! In that case, Excision was not only really weird but also really awesome at the same time.

Seventeen-year-old Pauline has got some problems. Her odd interests and fantasies isolate her from her classmates, her mother is a controlling bitch, and her little sister is dying of cystic fibrosis. After taking care of some little personal things like losing her virginity, Pauline works on a plan that will both save her sister's life and finally gain the approval of her mother.

The movie starts off cold, with just a quick title card, that then goes right into one of Pauline's fantasies. You see, Pauline has a pretty serious case of haematophilia. She likes to lie in bed and have these bizarre fantasies that always have something to do with blood or cutting people up or some crazy shit like that. The first one we see (and the one I liked the most) is Pauline sitting in a chair across from herself, basically having an orgasm while watching her other self vomit up blood and bleed from her nose. From then on, what Pauline can conjure up just gets more and more bizarre and graphic, until she manages to think of something much, much worse for real life.

All of these bizarre fantasy scenes are shot beautifully and make for very striking images. Pauline and anybody else who appears in her messed up mind are always wearing white, and in a room with blue tiled walls, both of which make a great contrast against the very pretty red blood. Hey, wait a minute - red, white and blue? Are they trying to say something with that? Eh, maybe. Anyway, these scenes are sadly too short sometimes, but it was good that they didn't focus so much on them and stuck more to Pauline's twisted story. There is a ton of dark, sadistic humor throughout to keep you laughing and creeped out at the same time.

Everybody and their brother loves AnnaLynne McCord in this thing and I don't feel the need to add to the pile-on of praise. She is beyond awesome in Excision and that's all that needs to be said. I'm also not going to praise her for being all "brave" in taking this role and making herself ugly in a movie. I really kind of hate it when people do that. Goshdarnit, these people are actors and it is their freaking job to do whatever is necessary to bring reality to a role. On that note, I will totally give McCord praise for being a freaky bitch and committing 100% to every crazy and freaky thing she had to do for this movie. She rocks.

And Traci Lords? Forget about it. She is really wonderful as Pauline's mother, who is obsessed with manners and her daughters being proper ladies. I'm glad that Lords has managed to make a (small) name for herself in mainstream movies because she is a great actress. She gives Phyllis all the hoity-toity mannerisms of a woman with a real stick up her ass, but also shows a real desire for a connection with her daughter. It's a wonder that she can be so accepting of Pauline's behavior, while in hindsight she should have done more than just send her to talk to the local priest  (played by John Waters - which cracked me up) instead of a real psychiatrist.

Now the ending, while still pretty shocking, actually comes as no real surprise. Take into account Pauline's obsession with blood, her desire to be a surgeon, the revelation that her sister needs a lung transplant, the title of the movie... are you putting the pieces together yet? Yup, that's what happens. However, the scene is still a shock because, considering Pauline's genuine love for Grace, you don't want to believe that she would actually do that to her, knowing the probable outcome. With all the dark humor, the movie makes you completely forget that Pauline is insane, and was totally capable of this act the whole time. You like Pauline - to a point, maybe - and you don't want to see her fall so hard and commit any atrocities, even though it was inevitable.

Excision is, as they say, perhaps not a movie for everyone, but it sure as hell is for me. I kind of loved it, and all those insane images have been in the back of my head ever since I saw the movie. AnnaLynne McCord gives a performance so good that it's ridiculous and the other actors (John Waters, Malcolm McDowell, Marlee Matlin, and Roger Bart) all bring their own dose of awesome to the movie. It's an interesting film to say the least, and one you should give a chance if you think you can take it.

Movie Review: Excision (2012). There are any Movie Review: Excision (2012) in here.

For those very familiar with The Hobbit, a story point left out of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is detailing exactly how Gandalf got involved in Thorin's quest. In the novel and LOTR Appendices Gandalf found Thrain (Thorin's father and a Ring Bearer) dying near the Necromancer's HQ of Dol Guldur. Before dying Thrain gave Galdalf the map and key to reclaim the Lonely Mountains for his people. Vulture spoke with The Hobbit co-writers Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens who explained that this bit of Middle-Earth history will be seen in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Jackson also said on Smaug "We've shot it, we've cut it, and we just need to refine it".

"We did try it at the front of this movie, and then we moved it," [Boyens] said. "...it's very important that we're going to be doing that. We will be meeting Thráin, and it may be in unfortunate circumstances. It may involve torture. The discovery of who or what is in Dol Guldur is a fantastic part of the storytelling, so yes, of course we went there."

"There's a lot of potential, isn't there?" Jackson teased. "You never know what we've already filmed as well. But there's certainly a lot of great material, and we'll make good use of it."

Desolation of Smaug Editing Done, Has Gandalf Back Story. There are any Desolation of Smaug Editing Done, Has Gandalf Back Story in here.

.... or Chanukah or Kwanzaa or whatever!

*artwork by ToniTiger415*

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey continues to dominate the box office for the second weekend in a row beating out new films Jack Reacher and This is 40. The film took in $36.7 million over the weekend for a US total of $149.8. The take does represent a rather significant 57% drop so it seems the bad reviews from the 48FPS crowd has had a negative impact on the perception of the film. A near 50% drop for the 2nd weekend is expected but higher then that indicates its long term take will not be nearly as high as hoped with it probably topping out around $300M. At least on the US side. Internationally the film seems to be doing just find at $284M for a world wide total of $434M. At current rate I suspect the film will just barely cross the $1 billion with 70% coming from over seas sales and further indicates why Hollywood is doing more to make tent pole films more friendly worldwide (with casting decisions, locations shoot at, enemy choices and the like). Next up is the Christmas holiday with new competition from Django Unchained and Les Misérables so odds of remaining on top remain high.

The Hobbit: AUJ Tops Second Weekend in Row. There are any The Hobbit: AUJ Tops Second Weekend in Row in here.

Philippa Boyens, the lovely co-writer of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. spoke with Collider about some of the various choices that were made in taking the children's book The Hobbit and converting it for the big screen. Below are few of her comments or can read the entire interview here.

...I think one of the most incredible moments to happen in the Tolkien canon happens in that little story when Bilbo doesn’t kill Gollum. And as Gandalf goes on to point out, the pity of Bilbo ruled the fate of many. It is an extraordinary moment and I think it’s extraordinarily played by Martin Freeman. I think the notion that the seeds of impending doom exist within the film. But you are putting your finger on something that is really important, and it’s something that as writers we knew going in, which is how to tackle this story, which was written as a childrens story. Now that it’s set against the greatest trilogy, which came first. I’m pretty sure that if we hadn’t done the Lord of the Rings first this would be a very different film.

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Philippa Boyens On Choices Made for The Hobbit Script. There are any Philippa Boyens On Choices Made for The Hobbit Script in here.

I did pretty good this week, guys! I almost have too many movies to talk about, and I couldn't pick which one would get the actual review treatment yet, sooooooo I'm a-talk about them a bit in my roundup and maybe that'll help me decide, yea?

This eclectic week of movies includes topics like pendulums, presidents, fish hangovers, turtle torture, and strangling people with jump ropes. Sometimes I just love my life.


Despite some pretty low expectations for The Raven, I actually quite enjoyed it and had a really good time watching it. At first I wasn't entirely sure how I would feel about Edgar Allan Poe's life and work being put up on screen in such a fictionalized manner, but I found out pretty quick that that was easy to overlook with this movie. It's just a fun, nice paced, and not too thought-provoking little flick that easily killed a couple hours while I was recovering from my wisdom teeth surgery. John Cusack's performance of Edgar Allan Poe was not particularly convincing for me as being an honest portrayal of the real man, but at least he was charming and funny. The Pit and the Pendulum murder was nicely gory, I have to say; didn't expect that. One thing I also loved about the movie was the recitation of Poe's poem "Annabel Lee" by Emily in one scene. That one has always been a favorite of mine.

Okay, now, this one was exactly the opposite of The Raven. For Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, I had pretty high expectations and was so incredibly excited for it. In the end, though, it really let me down. The title and premise right away offers up the opportunity to have so much fun with the story that I almost couldn't believe the final result. The movie takes itself way, way too seriously! It's about Abraham Lincoln being a secret vampire hunter, for crying out loud! Why am I not laughing at campy one-liners and hilarious vampire deaths at the hands of Honest Abe with an axe? Why are they trying to be so historically accurate? I thought the whole point of the movie was being completely historically inaccurate? Another thing I hated about it was the style. I am really so sick of modern movies adopting this completely unrealistic, CGI-inflated, way-too-much-use-of-random-slow-motion style that is all about the visuals and absolutely no substance. It looks terrible and I hate it. So seeing it in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was a big disappointment. So sad. Maybe the book is better. I do love that poster, though.

My Classic Monster Movie Marathon from a little while ago got interrupted by my moving into an apartment, but I had totally meant to include Creature from the Black Lagoon in it. So I finally watched it the other day and... well, I'm kinda glad I didn't have to review it for my marathon because I don't really have that much to say about it. Oh, sure it's nice and B-movie campy and there's a guy in a rubber suit and some hilarious homoerotic subtexts with the two guys who are fighting in their swim trunks all the time, but the movie just didn't interest me as much as some of the other classic monsters. I like the monster himself, though, especially the costuming which is actually a really nice design. The underwater scenes are filmed well too (although they tend to go on a little long sometimes) and the set design of the monster's secret home or whatever is cool. I might give this another look in the future but for right now I'm kinda meh about it.

Dudes, where has this movie been all my ghost-loving life? I mean, this is so freaking up my alley and I can't believe that I haven't heard that much about it before. The whole package was simply amazing - a huge, gothic mansion; two creepy, possessed children; a ghostly mystery; and a heartbreaking story with an equally heartbreaking ending. It seems like there is a lot of the talky-talky going on at first but everything that is said is important and warrants your attention from the start. There is the one amazing scene where Miss Giddens is wandering around the house at night and hears all kinds of creepy-ass whispering and laughing, but all the little tidbits thrown in the movie that add up to things not being all right with the children are pure perfection. Flora asking if tortoises can swim, Miles requesting a goodnight kiss... yeah, something's going on with those two. Deborah Kerr is wonderful in the lead role and carries the film beautifully. This is a new favorite. Really, really excellent ghost movie - I loved it!

Bloody Birthday (1981)
I have almost no shame in saying that Bloody Birthday was actually my favorite of all the movies that I watched this week. I know. I should say The Innocents 'cause it's all classic and stuff and I really did love it, but Bloody Birthday was so freaking awesome. Three murderous kids who take out anybody they don't like for whatever reason? And they use bows and arrows, cars, guns, jump ropes, and baseball bats? I love these kids. And the movie itself isn't really all that bad either. The acting by the three kids is very convincing - they're not trying to all psychotic and scary, just normal kids who kill because they have no conscience (I guess being born under a total eclipse does that to you). The story is interesting, and the usual 80s camp is surprisingly very minimal. This is a nice little sleeper classic that deserves a bit more recognition. Great movie!

Weekly Movie Roundup (The Strangely Eclectic Edition): 12-16-12 to 12-21-12. There are any Weekly Movie Roundup (The Strangely Eclectic Edition): 12-16-12 to 12-21-12 in here.

Below is an interesting video from Online MBA that is done in a style similar to Minute Physics that break down the dollar numbers of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films. Interesting tidbits include around $2.25 billion on the books, $4 billion for the LOTR trilogy, 40% increase in tourism for New Zealand, and more.

Economic Impact of the Lord of the Rings. There are any Economic Impact of the Lord of the Rings in here.

A new article from a photography breaks down why so many critics (and movie goers) disliked the 48 frames-per-second (aka high frame rate) format of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The writer decided to watch the HFR and the regular 24fps version of the movie on the same day. From that experience he realized he not only didn't enjoy the 48FPS version but it gave him no connection to the story. The however completely enjoyed the 24FPS version.

The article is an attempt to explain this conflicting reaction to what is essentially the same movie. What it comes down to is the increased clarity of image cause all details to come into focus. The increase is visual details essentially causes a sensory overload preventing you becoming immersed into the film as unable to track both the events of the story, take in all the details and know what to focus on all at the same time. In addition, the increase in details also means every little mistake pops out more then would otherwise. Click here to read the whole thing to get more detail about why his experience indicates that 48FPS might be dead on arrival.
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Why 48FPS Fails. There are any Why 48FPS Fails in here.

Just an FYI -- having all four of your wisdom teeth removed does not make for a fun weekend. I've about had it with pudding and applesauce; you really don't realize how much you miss actually chewing and eating real food until you can't do it anymore. Bleh. Anyway, here's a little something about a movie I got sent a screener for...

For perhaps a better review of the film, check out what my blog buddy Maynard had to say about Gut here.

Movie Review: Gut (2012). There are any Movie Review: Gut (2012) in here.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had an impressive opening weekend, breaking multiple box office records for December. In the States the film made $84.7 million on 4,045 theaters and internationally $138.2M on 18,200 screens. The total first week take so far is $223M. The records broke so far is biggest Friday weekend (at $37.5), biggest IMAX opening in December (at $15M), and biggest December weekend. For comparison, the second highest grosser for the weekend was Rise of the Guardians with a $7.4M weekend. Considering the weak "give me an Oscar" line-up for the rest of the year, it is possible that The Hobbit might have a chance to enjoy Avatar like numbers (its opening was $77M).

The Hobbit Breaks Weekend Records. There are any The Hobbit Breaks Weekend Records in here.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a love letter to JJR Tolkien, Middle-Earth and New Zealand from Peter Jackson. The look, the feel, and the use of the source material could not have been handled more skill while New Zealand as Middle-Earth could not look more stunning. The story itself is actually pretty straightforward. A company of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) have called on the assistance of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) on the advice of Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) to assist them in getting their home and treasures back from Smaug the Dragon. Like any adventure, the path from here to there is never easy or straightforward. Meanwhile, the "B-story" Gandalf has greater concerns then reclaiming lost land as it seems an ancient evil may be returning to threaten all of Middle-Earth.

Jackson and company make changes from the source material but almost always for the better and that approach has not changed with An Unexpected Journey which follows The Hobbit book much more closely than the LOTR trilogy while adding more to it than the initial novel had. The result is an entertaining film that starts slow (takes time to introduce 14 characters) but gets better as you watch.

I watched this in the same format as The Lord of the Rings trilogy as in regular 24FPS as a result I cannot speak to the 48FPS concerns. The film looked and sounded great and hit along the trilogy just fine. If I go back for a second viewing I will give another format a try but I was perfectly satisfied with the regular way of viewing a film.

As someone who had to force himself to read the Lord of the Rings books, it never ceased to amaze me how Jackson took such dry (but imaginative material) and make it come alive. The Hobbit, being essentially a children's story, moves at a much faster clip (again once get past the dinner party introduction of all the characters) so the result if often Tolkien would skip over the amazing (mountain giants fighting) in just a sentence or two or presenting mysteries (where does Gandalf keep going?) that the novel itself never answered. With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Jackson gets into the those glossed over nook and carnies presenting a much deeper story then the novel itself had. How with depth comes length and at 3 hours you will be starting to clock watch if only wondering when to hit the bathroom. I just can't think of what could have been easily cut short of the action scenes and who wants those to go? Almost all the "dull" talking scenes are necessary and to cut them would have harmed the film more than helped.
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure Review. There are any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure Review in here.

Two new videos have popped up online that show some of how the visual effects and sound effects were done for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. As always with things like this is it fascinating to see just how much is done with digital effects, often more then you would even expect. The second video on the sound effects is a lot less informative as it is more sales pitch then informative but still get to see some of the behind the scenes stuff.


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The Visual and Sound Effects of The Hobbit: AUJ. There are any The Visual and Sound Effects of The Hobbit: AUJ in here.

Peter Jackson has the 10th and final installment (at least for An Unexpected Journey) of his production videos that track the making of The Hobbit trilogy. In this video the focus is on preparation for and the day of the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington, New Zealand on November 28th.

Video #1 | Video #2 | Video #3 | Video #4
Video #5 | Video #6 | Video #7 | Video #8 | Video #9

The Hobbit Production Video #10 - The Premiere. There are any The Hobbit Production Video #10 - The Premiere in here.

Warner Bros has posted five new TV spots for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The first is an extended version while the next four are to promote this weekend's release of the movie.
TV Spot #1 | TV Spot #2 | TV Spot #3 | TV Spot #4 | TV Spot #5 | TV Spot #6
TV Spot #7 | TV Spot #8 | TV Spot #9 | TV Spot #10 | TV Spot #11 | TV Spot #12 | TV Spot #13
TV Spot #14
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey #14-18. There are any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey #14-18 in here.

Below are two videos that sort of go behind the scenes of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Before getting to those I highly recommend you read the article from FX Guide as they explore the digital effects of the movie that includes video interviews with members of the FX team as they discuss crafting the film. That story is here.

After that the first video from Bleeding Cool is an interview with Joe Letteri who is the senior supervisor of visual FX and worked on the film. The second video is from Tribute.ca as they do a behind the scenes/promotional interview for the film.
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More Behind the Scenes from The Hobbit. There are any More Behind the Scenes from The Hobbit in here.

It turns out that unlike in the Lord of the Rings where Peter Jackson's cameo had to be left until the extended edition of Return of the King, this time The Hobbit trilogy director was able to get his appearance in. According to Empire, he plays a dwarf and might spot him if look very carefully.

If you haven't seen it already, it's probably best if you don't know – but if you have seen the first Hobbit movie already, here's where he was hiding: in Erebor, dressed up as a dwarf, high-tailing it away from Smaug as the wicked wyrm blasted his particular brand of fiery halitosis all upside The Lonely Mountain.

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Peter Jackson's Hobbit Cameo and the Movie. There are any Peter Jackson's Hobbit Cameo and the Movie in here.

As of now The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is officially released in the States. Depending on time zone it has either been out for hours or about to come out. If everything is going according to my plan, I am sitting in the theater reading for it roll. To get into The Hobbit spirit below is my playlist of their various videos promoting the movie. If don't want to watch the whole list, just click any one of the links below. Feel free to comment on what you thought of the movie and make sure to mention what format you watched it in.
Trailer #1 | Trailer #1.1 | Trailer #2 | Posters

TV Spot #1 | TV Spot #2 | TV Spot #3 | TV Spot #4 | TV Spot #5 | TV Spot #6 | TV Spot #7
TV Spot #8 | TV Spot #9 | TV Spot #10 | TV Spot #11 | TV Spot #12 | TV Spot #13 | TV Spots #14-18

Production Video #1 | Video #2 | Video #3 | Video #4
Video #5 | Video #6 | Video #7 | Video #8 | Video #9 | Video #10

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is Officially Released. There are any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is Officially Released in here.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is just hours away from its midnight premiere in the States. In the meantime here are two clips from the movie. I believe both have been repeatedly used in TV interviews if they seem familiar. The first features Bilbo meeting Gollum and the second is Bilbo reviewing this contract with the dwarves and not liking what he finds.


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Two New Clips from The Hobbit: AUJ. There are any Two New Clips from The Hobbit: AUJ in here.

In an interview with i09.com, Martin Freeman discusses filming the "Riddles in the Dark" scene that first introduced Gollum and his discovered of a gold ring. Highlights below, full interview here.

How did Peter Jackson direct you to handle the ring?
Martin Freeman: With curiosity, I think. That was what we kind of went for. When I first see it, when it drops out of Gollum's pouch in the goblin tunnels, to just literally notice it and go "oh." It's just a flash of color in this dark place. A flash of gold. And as I get closer just to have curiosity and not to imbue it with a great kind of force or a sense of epic-ness. Like a trinket. Then there's something magpie-ish about Bilbo and he thinks, oh I'll have that that might come in handy. But there's no sense of a semi religious import.

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Martin Freeman On Filming Riddles in The Dark. There are any Martin Freeman On Filming Riddles in The Dark in here.

Not even 24 hours to go, here is TV spot #13 for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

TV Spot #1 | TV Spot #2 | TV Spot #3 | TV Spot #4 | TV Spot #5 | TV Spot #6
TV Spot #7 | TV Spot #8 | TV Spot #9 | TV Spot #10 | TV Spot #11 | TV Spot #12

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV Spot #13. There are any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV Spot #13 in here.

Here we are, less then 24 hours from the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to most countries worldwide. In the 16.5 minute interview from 12/8, Peter Jackson answers a few questions about The Hobbit. Highlights and video below.

Peter Jackson
- Verified there will be an extended edition release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. No date for release. About and extra 25 minutes of footage.
- Around 9 hours of Gandalf the Grey total once include the extended cut versions of the entire trilogy.
- The last shot rendered was Smaug sitting on his piles of gold (essentially a pure CGI shot)
- Gollum has more "digital muscles" so that the performance capture is essentially 1:1 between Andy Serkis and the CGI render.
- Was asked how break up the next two movies but only said that would include a lot more Appendix story lines especially involving Necromancer and Gandalf.
- Would see the White Council in action in the second film.
- Thinks will start filming the pick ups to complete the trilogy footage sometime in June or July of 2013.

Peter Jackson BNAT Q&A. There are any Peter Jackson BNAT Q&A in here.

Freaks is a very rare kind of movie. In the special message prologue preceding the movie, it is said that "never again will such a story be filmed" and I think for the time being that that is probably true. Though based on a much darker short story called "Spurs," director Tod Browning still wanted to be able to tale a truly horrific story with Freaks - something he very much succeeded in because the film was widely controversial upon its release. Over time, audiences have come to more appreciate this tale of deception, prejudice and revenge; though it no doubt also still has the power to unsettle and disturb those who see it.

As a sort of "circus soap opera" (as one interviewee on the DVD feature put it), Freaks follows the behind-the-scenes lives of performers in a traveling sideshow circus. When dwarf Hans becomes infatuated with Cleopatra, the "normal"-sized beautiful trapeze artist, she plays along with him to get him to buy her things and laugh at him with her real beau, strongman Hercules. Cleopatra then finds out that Hans is actually due a large inheritance, and she schemes to marry him and then slowly murder him with poison to collect the money. Hans and the other freaks at the circus discover this and soon concoct their own plan for revenge.

(Simply for the purposes of brevity and avoiding confusion, let me just say that I will refer to any of the actors with real deformities here as "freaks." I'm not trying to be disrespectful or mean, obviously. Hopefully you get it.)

I loved this movie, but it's almost hard for me admit to that without feeling a little bad. My conflict is this: while I think the movie is well played out and expresses great empathy for the freaks, something in me niggles a bit at Browning's choice to cast people with real physical deformities. Freaks is often described as an exploitation film probably because of this choice. If (goodness help us) Freaks were ever remade today, there is no absolutely no chance that they would ever get away with using people with real deformities. I don't think Freaks is an exploitation film in the sense that it uses the real freaks to shock us. I think it is that the audience only feels like they are the ones exploiting these people simply by watching the movie, and perhaps trying to see as much as it can of their lives and what they can do. I felt like a peeping tom looking in on their private lives and guilty for wanting to see more.

Browning seems to even play on this a few times. There are several seemingly unimportant scenes with a few of the different freaks and Browning's intentions are either confusing or misinterpreted, depending on who you ask. He has short bits with the Living Torso lighting a cigarette with his mouth, one of the Armless Girls eating dinner with her feet, and a sideplot with the Siamese Twins and their respective fiances. Because these scenes have nothing to do with the central plot, I can see how some might think Browning included them just to "show off" the freaks and their freaky skills. It seems to me though that Browning actually had a lot of respect and love for them, though, and these scenes were included to show that the freaks were very normal people and it was only what was on the outside that was different about them.

All this confusion is made all the more difficult to deal with while watching the movie because the freaks are all awesome people. Aside from Venus the animal trainer and Phroso the clown (who is actually very annoying at times), it is the so-called normal people - Cleopatra and Hercules - who are the ones we hate the most for their prejudice of the freaks; their self-centeredness; their manipulation of Hans and Frieda; and their greed. The freaks are sweet, fun people who obviously feel very comfortable and at home in their community, despite the fact that their jobs are to show off their deformities for gawkers. Even when the freaks take their revenge at the end, a part of you is definitely rooting for them. I also have to point out here that while I hated her character Cleopatra, I absolutely loved Olga Baclanova's portrayal of her. The way she speaks and all her little gestures really sell that this woman is completely full of herself and just a really bad human being. Olga at the wedding feast is fantastic - every annoying drunk person you ever knew, right there.

That wedding feast scene and the final scene are probably the two most famous from the film. The former because of all the freaks chanting "We accept her, we accept her! One of us, one of us!" and the latter because of its very creepy and scary imagery. The whole sequence is really just stunning as the freaks go after Hercules and Cleopatra during a rainstorm. The shots of the freaks crawling in the mud under the wagons, weapons in hand, or running in the woods toward Cleopatra are all so incredibly beautiful and well composed and very disturbing all at the same time. It's what everybody remembers most about the movie, except maybe for the reveal of Cleopatra as the human duck thing in the next scene. In the version of the movie I watched, there was this whole denouement scene with Hans, Frieda, Venus, and Phroso, but I really didn't like that or think it was necessary. I think it would have been much more effective to end the movie on Cleopatra the duck.

So I've finally seen Freaks and I'm so glad that I did. Like I said before, it is a very, very rare movie in that we will never see anything like it ever again. A truly unique and fascinating tale, Tod Browning's Freaks was saved from obscurity to be enjoyed and appreciated for future generations and I think we all need to do our part to keep that going.

Catching Up On The Classics: Freaks (1932). There are any Catching Up On The Classics: Freaks (1932) in here.

Below is 42 minute video from Hero Complex with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey's director Peter Jackson. The video was recorded at the San Diego Comic-Con back in July before it was announced the then two picture Hobbit would become a trilogy. In the video he discusses his approach in making the movies, 48FPS format, visual effects, and more.

Peter Jackson Video Interview. There are any Peter Jackson Video Interview in here.

As Sir Ian McKellen continues his world tour to promote Friday's release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the actor revealed to the Daily Mirror that he has prostrate cancer. The 73-year-old acting legend said "I’ve had prostate cancer for six or seven years. When you have got it you monitor it and you have to be careful it doesn’t spread. But if it is contained in the prostate it’s no big deal. Many, many men die from it but it’s one of the cancers that is totally treatable so I have ‘waitful watching’. I am examined regularly and it’s just contained, it’s not spreading. I’ve not had any treatment. ...How do you know if it is spreading? You keep being tested."

The actor commented on his overall health saying "I just got hearing aids, I am going to have a cataract removed from my eyes, I am having an implant in my mouth, I am dealing with the prostate…I am absolutely fine thank you very much! I am lucky, I don’t have aches and pains. I do pilates regularly which is a series of stretching exercises and I recommend it to anyone of my age because the temptation is not to exercise when you get older. Well you should. ...It is really, really wonderful that in your old age you are protected by specialists who understand your problems and sort them out for you. Well, isn’t that what we all need?"

So to sum it up, the legend is doing fine (a relief) and doing what everyone should do - getting regular check-ups to and being aware when things don't quite seem right with their own bodies and acting accordingly. Good advice that sounds very Gandalf in its wisdom and common sense. Thanks to John W. for the link.

Sir Ian McKellen Reveals He Has Cancer. There are any Sir Ian McKellen Reveals He Has Cancer in here.

Just a friendly reminder that the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack has been officially released. You can find the regular edition or extended edition in stores or can download digitally. If decide to order from Amazon please use links above so site gets credit. The extended edition has six additional tracks and longer versions of seven tracks then the regular version. Below is one of the tracks (and a scene) from the movie. Just three days to go...
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack Out Now. There are any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Soundtrack Out Now in here.

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies co-writer Philippa Boyens sat down to discuss the films with Bleeding Cool.

Philippa Boyens Talks Writing the Hobbit. There are any Philippa Boyens Talks Writing the Hobbit in here.

Below is the TV Spot #12 for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey that is now just three days from release.
Trailer #1 | Trailer #1.1 | Trailer #2 | Posters
TV Spot #1 | TV Spot #2 | TV Spot #3 | TV Spot #4 | TV Spot #5
TV Spot #6 | TV Spot #7 | TV Spot #8 | TV Spot #9 | TV Spot #10 | TV Spot #11

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV Spot #12. There are any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV Spot #12 in here.

The cast promoting tour for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey continues as the movie is just days away from release. The cast participated in an interview with VH1 & AP, Andy Serkis talks Gollum, Richard Armitage talks with TORn and Hero Complex posts 60 photos from the movie (many repeats). Links, VH1 video and highlights below. If have limited amount of time, the Richard Armitage interview was the least repetitive info wise of this group while VH1 video was most amusing.

Andy Serkis | Armitage I | Armitage II | Cast Interview | VH1 | 60 Images
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Movies like Silent House are tough for me to form a strong opinion about. My initial reaction tells me that I should say that it's great, because it kept me totally transfixed until the end, and because I was immensely impressed with the filmmaking technique used (more on that in a bit). On the other hand, the climax seems like one of those contrived rip-offs that everyone always complains about. Can I stand by my belief that you shouldn't turn your back on the whole movie just because you don't like the ending? Let's see...

Silent House is actually a remake of a fairly recent film from Uruguay called La Casa Muda (The Silent House). It is the story of Sarah, a girl who goes to the family's summer house with her father John and Uncle Peter to fix up the place before selling it. Strange noises first make the dark house unsettling, and then terrifying as Sarah realizes someone else may be stalking her, and there is no way out.

Now, what this film (and the original) is known for - and what you should notice pretty quickly - is that it is in real time, supposedly in one long continuous take. Though nothing new, the technique is still fairly rare as far as I know and of the movies I've seen that utilize it, it's always been a success. Silent House pulls it off well. Of course, they don't actually use one hour-and-a-half long take for the movie - edits are hidden in there in 12 to 15 minute intervals - but the effect is pretty well flawless and impressive.

The movie starts on an overhead crane shot of Sarah sitting on some rocks in a lake, and then goes down to follow her as she walks into the house. From then on, the very crafty cameraperson is able to go from room to room, down hallways and stairs, through cramped spaces in the basement, outside following Sarah as she's running, and inside a vehicle and out of it again. Really, the variety and dexterity of the shots and compositions was wonderful to watch. It very rarely felt like a "shaky cam" type of movie except in the above mentioned part where Sarah is running outside. The only real visual problem I had with Silent House is how some of the very dark scenes came out looking on my Netflix. Very pixel-y and very much a bit of a distraction from the movie.

Now if there's one thing that wouldn't before have popped into my head when thinking about horror movies (or "thrillers" as this one is billed) is anybody from the Olsen family. Elizabeth Olsen is the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley, and I'm sorry, but she got all the talent. She does look a lot like her famous twin sisters, but I guess the absence of all the baggage from being a huge child star did her a lot of good. Olsen got wonderful reviews for her role in Martha Marcy May Marlene, and while she kinda just does a lot of frightened, contorted-face things in Silent House, I enjoyed her performance. She's able to turn on a dime pretty well in some of the last scenes, she has a pleasant voice, and for someone who is on-camera for nearly every single second of the movie, she just all around does an amazing job.

Okay, the ending. I guess I won't totally spoil it here, even though I really, REALLY want to. I can be more vague because my problem with the ending is not so much the story ending itself but rather the logic, or lack of, behind. Let's just say that it's a psychological thing that happens, okay? Similar endings have been used before, and guess what? They didn't make any sense then either. It's like the writers and filmmakers made up their own way for certain types of psychoses to emerge without caring how they are actually manifested in people suffering from PTSD or repressed memories or whatever. So while the audience may initially think, "Well, huh, I didn't see that coming! That's kind of cool!", stopping to think about it will make them think, "Well, how did she... why did they... who is... what is the point of..." about several things that are revealed in the climax. It's not necessarily a lazy ending or a cop-out to me, it just brings up more questions than answers.

Regardless, I like the movie. The effect of the single shot technique, the intrigue of the mystery, and the film being carried by a pretty competent actress are enough to let me overlook - or at least set aside for the moment - the ending. There are a good number of jump scares (I think I actually 'yelped' at one of them... don't think I've ever done that before) but mostly the movie is this like this confusing, but in a good way, labyrinthine journey through this house and through Sarah's mind. I'm giving it a thumbs-up. I dug it.

Movie Review: Silent House (2012). There are any Movie Review: Silent House (2012) in here.

With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey less then a week away from release here is the 11th TV spot for the film courtesy of Warner Bros.
Trailer #1 | Trailer #1.1 | Trailer #2 | Posters
TV Spot #1 | TV Spot #2 | TV Spot #3 | TV Spot #4 | TV Spot #5
TV Spot #6 | TV Spot #7 | TV Spot #8 | TV Spot #9 | TV Spot #10

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV Spot #11. There are any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey TV Spot #11 in here.

To go along with the first image from The Hobbit: There and Back Again (3rd film), now and image from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2nd film)has been revealed by Entertainment Weekly. The movie will be out on December 13, 2013. In the image Bilbo Baggins is on the pile of treasure that Smaug the dragon is protecting after stealing it from the Dwarves in the opening sequence of An Unexpected Journey.

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Below is a video with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey composer Howard Shore as he discusses his process for creating the score to the movie along with watching the orchestra as they work on it. Worth watching if a fan of the music. You can listen to the tracks from the soundtrack here. The extended edition and regular edition are available for pre-order and will be released on December 11th.

Creating the Music of the Hobbit. There are any Creating the Music of the Hobbit in here.

This week The Colbert Report held its "Hobbit Week" to promote The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Stephen Colbert is a huge fan of Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings trilogy often making references to both on his show. Last summer he was invited to the set for an unconfirmed cameo. Below are links to the full episode and the The Hobbit specific segments from each of the four episodes.

Videos
The Pundit: Or Colbert and Back Again Opening
December 3 - Full Episode | Opening | Sir Ian McKellen | Sign-Off
December 4 - Full Episode | Opening | Martin Freeman | Sign-Off
December 5 - Full Episode | Opening | Andy Serkis | Sign-Off
December 6 - Full Episode | Opening | Sir Peter Jackson | Sign-Off

Hobbit Week on The Colbert Report Clips. There are any Hobbit Week on The Colbert Report Clips in here.

The winners of The Hobbit Treasures of Middle-Earth art contest that launched in September has officially been revealed. The winners and 9 runners-up were chosen from hundreds of pieces of artwork submitted by fans. The contest was broken down into four categories - character, creature, weapon and location. The winning art was chosen by Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit artists John Howe, Alan Lee and VFX master Richard Taylor. To view all of the submitted art, click here. Congrats to all.

The Winners
Best Character - An Unexpected Party by dstoreystudio (won items from Sideshow Collectibles)
Best Creature - The Great Debate by Glaib (won items from Weta Workshop)
Best Weapon: From the Dragon's Hoard by Shaylynn (won items from United Cutlery)
Best Location - The Hall of Durin by GabeY (won items from Venderstelt Studio)

The Hobbit Treasures of Middle-Earth Contest Winners. There are any The Hobbit Treasures of Middle-Earth Contest Winners in here.

Entertainment Weekly has posted the first image from The Hobbit: There and Back Again which is the final movie in the trilogy and not coming out until July 18, 2014. The image shows The Bard of Laketown having a conversation with Legolas (Orlando Bloom), likely before the climatic Battle of Five Armies.

“He’s [elven king] Thranduil’s son, and Thranduil is one of the characters in The Hobbit, and because elves are immortal it makes sense Legolas would be part of the sequence in the Woodland Realm,” director Peter Jackson explains. Conferring with Legolas is one of the Hobbit trilogy’s major new faces: the heroic human Laketown warrior Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans). “Bard is an interesting character, but [in the book] he’s kind of a random character who comes in after the fact,” says screenwriter and producer Philippa Boyens. “We take more time introducing him. We know from what follows that he was a father, so we [explore] that. I don’t think we take liberties, because it’s all there in the storytelling.”

First Image from The Hobbit: There and Back Again. There are any First Image from The Hobbit: There and Back Again in here.