I didn't realise trying for a baby was like asking for the moon on a stick. Infertility and all that jazz.

Thursday 20 December 2012

Luna Geeks Out...

source


Firstly, sorry for going dark. Life has been hectic and a half over the last week and I have barely had time for vital nourishment and elimination functions let alone blogging. Christmas is happening, despite my Grinchiness and I need to be ready.

Now a warning, I am about to write an unashamedly geeky and filmbuffy post. Feel free to flee whist you can.

Yesterday I went to see The Hobbit. I loved it, LOVED IT, but as an uber film fan part of  my enjoyment of a film is the deconstruction afterwards. So, possible spoilers for the film and book ahead.

Here goes:

  • Martin Freeman nailed it. He nailed it hard and I love him and all his quirky no-verbal communication. He was the perfect choice for this role and it was an understated and subtle performance. 
  • Serena McKellan, *that thing the French do when they snack their lips and kiss their fingers, that*
  • Hummm, Peter Jackson said he wished he could have done CGI orcs in the LOTR and was glad he could do them this time. I am not sure Peter. I liked the 'real' orcs in LOTR. I find it harder to suspend my disbelief for CGI. Also, not sure about the king of the goblins, bit too cartoonesque for me. Again, my disbelief was not suspended. A smaller realer goblin king would have been more believable.
  • Action - dare I say there was a tidly bit too much. Plus, when the action moves so fast my brain can't actually keep up with what is going on the whole point of the action is lost, no? I would rather have had fewer, clearer and less frenetic action bits. But that is just me, Remus came out saying, 'I liked that, it wasn't as slow as LOTR'. If things are not being blown up of heads chopped off he gets a little bored. I think I just wanted a bit more clarity and subtlety. Sometimes the camera moves so fast it is all just a blur, how is my brain supposed to enjoy and process that? 
  • Radagast the Brown. Flash backs to my childhood and a Dr Who with the best scarf ever made. Good old Sylvester McCoy. He, incidentally, has, without doubt, the best line in the film. It is to do with Rabbits, watch out for it. Perfect example of an addition that really worked. 
  • Andy Serkis is perfection. That is all. 
  • The dwarves were great, although even the younger ones really ought to have had slightly longer beards. Some looked more dwarvish and some more manlike, but I liked that they managed to give them all separate characters. 
  • Did anyone else notice that the attention to height difference was not as consistent as in LOTR. At times Bilbo looked as large as the dwarves and Gandalf was not as tall as I remember. Just a niggle.
  • I loved that they gave the whole film a very different feel from LOTR whilst keeping true to its heart. The comic bits, the party at the beginning and the witty lines Tolkien wrote were handled with skill and a really gentle touch. Fabulous.
  • Great building up of the darkness that is coming.
  • The soundtrack kicks butt, I loved all the echos to LOTR and the new bits. I was wondering how they would do the dwarvish singing and it was perfect. I came out humming the song.
  • Who knew I would come out fancying Thorin Oakenshield. Oh Richard, Mr Armitage, I have loved you since North and South and the Vicar of Dibley. Swoon.
  • I can't wait for the next one. 
So, anyone else seen it? Anything I have missed? What do you all think?

Right, I am all geeked out and am off to wrap more prezzies. 


14 comments:

  1. I haven't seen it yet but I am excited to! Although when I read it was going to be stretched to three movies I lost a little interest...
    Much though I am also as you know a Tolkien geek I am, i think, more excited about Les Mis...!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they could have done it in two, but I love Peter and what he does so much I think I can cope.

      There was a trailer for Les Mis and I almost squealed outloud in the cinema. I am so so so so excited.

      Delete
  2. The Hobbit is one of my favourite books, so I was really looking forward to the film. I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as I enjoyed LOTR. I question the decision to drag the story out into three films - long ones at that. I felt that the beginning could have been pared down quite a bit. And I honestly wasn't crazy about them including the dwarvish songs. BUT, I loved the actors and I loved the bits of humour throughout. The scenes with Gollum were perfection. Andy Serkis is brilliant.

    Geek confession: I have an elvish tattoo on my right ankle and my husband's wedding ring is a silver version of The One Ring. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did love it, but I think you are right, it was not as on the button as LOTR. I could have done with more concise action. That would have lost a half hour or so.

      The only other relationship of mine that was any good was with a gorgeous geeky guy who, if i had married him, would have been totally up for that sort of thing.

      Delete
  3. Hahaha... I've been a film critic for one of the major newspapers here for 6 years now, and I never have as much to say about a movie as you just did here! :) Totally agree about Martin Freeman - fell in love with him in The Office (he was SO perfect in that role), and he was great in Hitchhiker's Guide, too. As soon as I saw he was cast as Bilbo, I was like, "Oh yeah, obviously."

    Anyway, eating and pooping definitely comes before blogging, so take care of yourself (and THEN come back to your Interweb friends). :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would LOVE a job as a film and theatre critic! Half the enjoyment for me is dissecting it at the end.

      And in Love Actually when he jumps down the stairs! Gorgeous.

      Delete
  4. Ah! I didn't read this because I haven't seen it yet, but I am so, so, so excited! I will return after I see the movie.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have not read the book (I know...bad Janet) but I did go and see the movie in 3D with the HFR (high frame rate). I LOVED it and ran out the next day and bought the soundtrack.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooh, the soundtrack was brilliant wasn't it!

      Delete
  6. I grew up watching the Hobbit special on TV. It only came on once a year, wherein I stayed glued to the couch. It was a big deal to me when I was little. Then I read the book and quickly became convinced that no movie could ever do it justice. But with the LOTR movies came out- I thought 'well hell, I can't wait for The Hobbit'. I haven't seen it yet and am saving for a special viewing nearer to Christmas. But I love that a story that touched me when I was just a wee-bit has followed me along to adulthood. I think we all need to get lost in a fairy tale once in a while.

    Merry Christmas my luv. May it be happy and bright.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I went to see it at the midnight showing opening day, so I'm a little foggy on all the details. We want to see it again when we're more awake. I just mostly remember that the Goblin King made me nauseated. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't seen it yet, but I want to. Glad you liked it! I've heard mixed reviews, so it's nice to hear something good from someone I trust!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Didn't read the whole thing because I really want to go see it....I"ll come back and read your breakdown after I've made my trip to the theater.

    ReplyDelete

I love a bit of a gossip, spill, spill, spill...