The Hobbit: First Look At Smaug

Hobbit fans may be interested in this...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9465138/Hobbits-Smaug-debuts-on-Air-NZ-plane

 

Looking forward to this movie. Less than 2 weeks!++

 

Should be good....

 

My wife is seeing this at the movies right now. I got her into a preview screening.

My father-in-law wanted to see it, so he's escorting her.

To put it lightly, "this isn't my kind of movie". I'd rather be home on the forums, listening to the new McCartney in hi-rez eating hummus (it's like there's a camera in my house right now!)

I've sent out more of these Hobbit pins, pencils and other swag to friends who are into this LOTR thing. I'll just stick with my LOTR pinball (although "The Hobbit" pinball is coming from Jersey Jack).

Saw "Nebraska" yesterday and really liked it.

Jeff

 

Every now and then I get "jealous" of other people's opportunities. This time is one of those. I SO wish I could have been there watching this movie tonight. Que sera!

 

I'll report back on how she liked it!

But it might be tomorrow morning. Often, she eyes me on the computer and goes, "Are you on that SH Forum again??" when she's cranky and wants to talk. Well, not really talk - just wants to make sure I'm listening while she complains. But I'll ask her about the movie because she does love this series. And then I'll be back.

Jeff

 

That would be great! Thanks!

FWIW, I plan on seeing the movie this coming Sunday morning. We've discovered that the crowds are minimal at the first show on Sunday mornings at our favorite theater.

 

Does anyone else find the pronunciation of "Smaug" in the trailer voice-overs a bit off-putting? I grew up reading the book and pronouncing it "smog" in my head. Smog - like the air over Los Angeles. To hear it pronounced, "Smowwwwwwwg" just makes me giggle a bit.

I understand the difference in pronunciation between British and American, but I would envision it's a bit more subtle than how the voice-overs are presenting it.

Anyway, I'll get over it if the movie delivers.

 

She loved it. She didn't like the first Hobbit but she said this one was an action-packed epic. I won't say much since I don't know what a spoiler is and what isn't, but as you already know, it's about that dragon destroying towns/cities.

I asked her to tell me the whole story thus far in chronological order and though I couldn't keep up with the names and who does what, I know the theme in this one is about greed. The dwarves are greedy (they dig too deep and cause problems - digging for what I do not know). And you hear about "greed" constantly.

This installment is all action. She thinks the fans will all love it. This is not the second prequel in Star Wars. This film will actually please fans and she kept saying it was non-stop action - not just walking.

I know the "cool" spoiler in the last 1/4 of the film that will begin the third film (a certain shot) and there's another cute reference with one of the two main dwarves she says - pay attention to the dwarf's locket.

Enjoy!

Jeff

 

Cuz most people don't pronounce "Smaug"correctly

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/12/09/the-hobbit-schools-tolkien-fans-on-how-to-pronounce-smaug/

 

That sound good!

 

Thanks for the info. Don't be too worried about spoilers for me. I've read the book many times. I just enjoy the movies for the sheer fun of them and wanted to hear her reaction. I'm glad she enjoyed it.

 

Great news, maybe we'll go 12/18 when I take off for my b-day

 

My parents are taking me out for lunch and then to see this for my birthday. Should be a great time. They did the same thing for the last film.

 

Ha! Doing the same for my daughter. She's so excited to see it on her birthday this weekend. We did the same thing last year. Hopefully give her some nice childhood memories.

 

My entire life I have always thought it pronounced Smorg.

 

They're saying "smowg" in the trailers, as opposed to "smog," as we'd say in LA.

If I wanted to see the Desolation of Smog, I'd just go to Riverside in July when it's 114 degrees.

 

I'm sure if you're in post, you're in Burbank most of the time - you get your fill there. No need to drive to Riverside!

Jeff

 

Okie dokie, smowwg it is.

 

Riverside usually is rated worse than most cities in Southern California during high smog/smaug alerts. Bakersfield, Merced, and Fresno are far ahead of LA in terms of pollution.

 

I'm off work Friday so will get a jump at Noon matinee....

 

I got to see it yesterday afternoon at the noon showing before work. I liked it, kept me engaged and was nice to see a bit more development. Guess it will be one more year now until the final part of this movie comes out.

 

I loved the movie! Smaug is great!

 

Saw it today. Pretty good. If feels more like an installment of LOTR since characters from that movie show up. I wasn't exactly swept up in excitement by the movie for the same reasons -- ten years down the line, as much as I like LOTR, the franchise has gotten a little too familiar. Its not that I no longer love LOTR, it's just that its not as fresh and exciting as it once was. When you first saw Legolas speed-jumping around it was brilliant. Now its like: "Oh, Legolas is doing his thing...." Not sure if I liked the first Hobbit or this one better, probably this second one, but the first one felt slightly more inventive. Smaug was a good, solid movie if nothing jumped out at me like: "Wow, I've never seen anything cool like that before!" Didn't really build to a massive climate and ended just like an installment of a series. But the she-elf was uber hot (edit: Oh, it was the girl from LOST. Hmm, I like her A LOT better with elf ears! I didn't even recognize her. She was kinda the best thing about the movie.)

 

Saw it today and enjoyed it. I think its probably one of those movies you would enjoy more if you never read the book. This one (IMO) wanders from the book more than any of the other four films.

Smaug is extremely well done btw. Pretty much just as I imagined him 30 years ago reading The Hobbit for the first time.