[quote=""MorgulMike""]What they most likely left out is that trailing behind Elrond are 200 warriors from Lothlorien, with Haldir and Arwen at the front of the column. [/quote]

ooooo....I think Morgul Mike got it right...at least I hope he has.

That would be such a cool scene...especially if Arwen (the Warrior Princess) weren't there.

[quote=""Deimos""]ooooo....I think Morgul Mike got it right...at least I hope he has.

That would be such a cool scene...especially if Arwen (the Warrior Princess) weren't there.[/quote]


Uh... no, no, no.... wrong, wrong, wrong!

The quote says Gandalf and Elrond go there to "check it out." From the writings, Gandalf entered Dol Guldur twice, possibly a third time during the attack on the fortress. This sounds like a scouting mission, possibly even the bit when Gandalf finds Thrain in the dungeons. I'm ok with Elrond tagging along, but there positively should not be a whole troop of elves behind them, or so much for the secrecy of Gandalf's mission and the whole purpose of a scouting mission in general. Most definitely no Arwen... please, let's not go through this again. If there is to be an army of elves at Dol Guldur, it should be during the White Council's attack to drive Sauron out, not before, and not for any other reason.

Oh alright.....I'll concede to the more knowledgeable Tolkien scholar(s)...no elven army.....

It's okay, Deimos. Valkrist is just having some indigestion due to the Silmaril he swallowed a few months ago when the whole Elf maiden thing was running rampant.

[quote=""Jamanticus""]It's okay, Deimos. Valkrist is just having some indigestion due to the Silmaril he swallowed a few months ago when the whole Elf maiden thing was running rampant.[/quote]

Yeah... and passing that thing was no fun either.

Actually, it'd be cool to see Haldir again, simply because Craig Parker owns.

Well, since Galadriel should theoretically take part in the White Council attack, it wouldn't be a stretch to see Haldir with her at all. I'm all for seeing some of the minor characters return... I just want their placement in these movies to be logical and not gratuitous.

[quote=""Valkrist""]Uh... no, no, no.... wrong, wrong, wrong!

The quote says Gandalf and Elrond go there to "check it out." From the writings, Gandalf entered Dol Guldur twice, possibly a third time during the attack on the fortress. This sounds like a scouting mission, possibly even the bit when Gandalf finds Thrain in the dungeons. I'm ok with Elrond tagging along, but there positively should not be a whole troop of elves behind them, or so much for the secrecy of Gandalf's mission and the whole purpose of a scouting mission in general. Most definitely no Arwen... please, let's not go through this again. If there is to be an army of elves at Dol Guldur, it should be during the White Council's attack to drive Sauron out, not before, and not for any other reason. [/quote]
I can see it as a scouting mission as well. I can visualize and feel the intense suspense, Gandalf & Elrond alone in Dol Guldur would be a nail biter knowing that if they get caught, they're in for serious trouble.
With a troupe behind them it wouldn't be a scouting mission, it would have to be an assault. Who takes more than just a few on a scouting mission anyway?

And after the Itaril crap being dropped, and the Arwen warrior princess in LOTR being cut, I sure hope they've learned where to go and not to go with story lines.

[quote=""Thranduil""]I can see it as a scouting mission as well. I can visualize and feel the intense suspense, Gandalf & Elrond alone in Dol Guldur would be a nail biter knowing that if they get caught, they're in for serious trouble.
With a troupe behind them it wouldn't be a scouting mission, it would have to be an assault. Who takes more than just a few on a scouting mission anyway?

And after the Itaril crap being dropped, and the Arwen warrior princess in LOTR being cut, I sure hope they've learned where to go and not to go with story lines.[/quote]

I haven't read the appendices so I don't really know about the battle of Dol Guldur, all I know about it is that the white council are worried that the Necromancer a.k.a Sauron is growing in strength. So does Elrond take part in the battle?

It wud be cool to see him fight, I know we saw him in the FOTR during the battle of the last alliance, but it was very brief.

Also I hope we see Arwen again, there's no reason not to

[quote=""Valkrist""]Yeah... and passing that thing was no fun either. [/quote]

I've heard of putting it where the sun doesn't shine, but I guess you're saying the Silmaril does shine there.

[quote=""Thranduil""]And after the Itaril crap being dropped, and the Arwen warrior princess in LOTR being cut, I sure hope they've learned where to go and not to go with story lines.[/quote]

Don't be too hasty in assuming that the Itaril crap has in fact been dropped. I heard a rumor that while she now won't appear in Part I, a possibility for a Part II appearance still exists. Also, Evangeline Lilly has been officially cast in the new role of Tauriel. That is a part that is not in the books and could simply be Itaril renamed. Even if not, it shows that PJ & Co have not necessarily learned their lesson about monkeying with the story to target various demographics.

[quote=""Elvenguard13""]I haven't read the appendices so I don't really know about the battle of Dol Guldur, all I know about it is that the white council are worried that the Necromancer a.k.a Sauron is growing in strength. So does Elrond take part in the battle?[/quote]

First of all, I'm not aware of any passage in Tolkien's books that says definitively that it was a battle. There are references to an attack, and there's at least one reference that I can't lay hands on at the moment that refers to the White Council "putting forth its power" and driving the Necromancer out. That last bit to me sounds like magical conflict. However, I have no doubt that PJ will depict it as a typical battle. I think most people e xp ect that, and he has professed an aversion to stories where people shoot lightning out of their fingers (take that, Emperor Palpatine!), so I don't really think it's going to be a big magical conflict. We'll have to look to the last Harry Potter movie for that, I guess.

Anyway, here's an interview with Richard Armitage, Thorin, from TotalFilm.com:

Richard Armitage talks The Hobbit

Richard Armitage has spoken exclusively to Total Film about his role in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.

We recently sat down with the British actor to talk about his role as dwarf Thorin Oakenshield in the two-part Tolkien epic, and he told us: “There’s going to be quite a lot more humour.

“The book is so focused on the dwarves, so I think it’s a chance for Peter [Jackson] and Fran [Walsh] to really look at that whole race in more detail, their heritage and what they’re like as characters.”

The dwarves aren’t just there as comic relief though, as Armitage has learnt while wielding the Orcrist, Thorin’s legendary goblin sword.

“It’s bloody heavy!” he told us. “But it’s absolutely beautiful to look at. Every time they bring something new out everyone gasps. The armour that the dwarves emerge from the mountain wearing at the end of the film will be the armour of all armour.”

Tolkien fan Armitage said that he’s in his element shooting in New Zealand: “There was a scene in The Lord Of The Rings where they find the stone trolls, and they’re identical in The Hobbit.

“I love those moments, when you link into the world of the film that you’ve seen before.”

The Hobbit: An Une xp ected Journey opens on 14 December 2012.


Read more: Richard Armitage talks The Hobbit | TotalFilm.com

[quote=""Olorin""]Anyway, here's an interview with Richard Armitage, Thorin, from TotalFilm.com:

The dwarves aren’t just there as comic relief though, as Armitage has learnt while wielding the Orcrist, Thorin’s legendary goblin sword.

“It’s bloody heavy!” he told us. “But it’s absolutely beautiful to look at. Every time they bring something new out everyone gasps. The armour that the dwarves emerge from the mountain wearing at the end of the film will be the armour of all armour.” [/quote]

ooooo.....finally another sword and, evidently , a real beauty.
Wonder how much of the Dwarven Armour wil be licensed for sale?
Time to start putting more nickels in the piggy bank for the next 18 months.

Thorin's legendary goblin sword

Details, details... Orcrist is NOT a goblin sword, it is a goblin-slaying sword made by elves!

Anyway, the pic is kinda small, but here's how I always pictured the assault on Dol Guldur. From top left to right, you can make out: Saruman, Elrond, Gandalf, Radagast, and Galadriel.

http://www.icewebring.com/ICE_Products/ ... Guldur.php

Edit: Found a clearer and slightly larger picture of that. It is the seventh one: http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Category ... us_McBride

Speaking of Radagast, is it clear who will play him?

Yep, Sylvester McCoy.

Ah, sweet, he'll be perfect =P

[quote=""Valkrist""]Details, details... Orcrist is NOT a goblin sword, it is a goblin-slaying sword made by elves!

Anyway, the pic is kinda small, but here's how I always pictured the assault on Dol Guldur. From top left to right, you can make out: Saruman, Elrond, Gandalf, Radagast, and Galadriel.

http://www.icewebring.com/ICE_Products/ ... Guldur.php

Edit: Found a clearer and slightly larger picture of that. It is the seventh one: http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Category ... us_McBride[/quote]

If there was any doubt which one was Radagast, it should be settled by the parrots flying around him. Arrrrhhh, matey!

So are those flying orcs in the background, or have they been impaled a la the handiwork of Vlad the Impaler?

[quote=""Olorin""]If there was any doubt which one was Radagast, it should be settled by the parrots flying around him. Arrrrhhh, matey!

So are those flying orcs in the background, or have they been impaled a la the handiwork of Vlad the Impaler?[/quote]

Those are jays, not parrots, oh blind one!

Yes, they are orcs impaled on spikes on the road to Dol Guldur. I guess they displeased Sauron in some way, like not tidying up their rooms when told.

I've never seen a bird that looks like that (other than tropical birds like parrrots). I'm guessing this is some sort of species that's not native to eastern North America. We have a blue jay that is, well, blue, but nothing like those. It's a very pretty looking bird, actually, but it has an obnoxious voice.

I love those pics you linked there, Val. The Easterlings and Haradrim don't feel very Middle-Earthy though, I feel like he leaned pretty heavily on the obvious Mongol and Arabian influences there.

[quote=""Olorin""]I've never seen a bird that looks like that (other than tropical birds like parrrots). I'm guessing this is some sort of species that's not native to eastern North America. We have a blue jay that is, well, blue, but nothing like those. It's a very pretty looking bird, actually, but it has an obnoxious voice.[/quote]

Huh? It looks like a jay to me, it's just green where it should be blue. The feather patterns match with that of a jay, as does the shape of the feathers on the head. Maybe there's jays of that colour in Middle-earth. I have the large, magazine cover-sized print of that art and I never thought it was anything other than a jay with odd colouration.

Anyway, pretty pointless thing to be arguing about, but I think Radagast has green jays for friends and I'm sticking to it.

Fin, I love the McBride art and have all of his ME-themed covers. I see what you're saying about the real-world influences, but you have to admit Tolkien was thinking along the same lines when he envisioned those peoples. Even PJ went down that road in the movies.

Speaking of birds, I'm actually considering getting a raven or a hawk, lol

[quote=""Valkrist""]Anyway, pretty pointless thing to be arguing about, but I think Radagast has green jays for friends and I'm sticking to it. [/quote]

I didn't think we were arguing; I just wondered if it was some bird that you were actually familiar with from your area or something.

Say, isn't it about time for someone to put out the Rankin-Bass animated Hobbit on BD? I guess that will probably happen next year as Hobbit movie frenzy is moving toward a crescendo.

Wow look at this pic!!!

First look at Ori, Nori and Dori

love that dwarven sword!

[quote=""Elvenguard13""]Wow look at this pic!!!

First look at Ori, Nori and Dori

love that dwarven sword![/quote]
Very cool!
Thanx EG!

http://movies.yahoo.com/photos/movie-st ... 3491/#info


Oin and Gloin -- LOVE that Gloin looks so much like Gimli. These dwarves are looking great so far!

Oin and Gloin pic!

Gloin is holding the walking Gimli's walking axe and has one of his little throwing axes on his belt!

Hopefully we'll get one of Thorin holding Orcrist soon!

woops sorry sed, you beat me to it lol

I don't remember seeing these trading card-like shots of the cast in costume when LOTR was in development. I guess much of the mystery is gone now surrounding how these characters should look, so PJ has no problems releasing these promos to drum up excitement for The Hobbit.

I also love that so far, these dwarves look like warriors that mean business and we won't just have thirteen buffoons farting and belching their way from Hobbiton to Erebor. Well... they may still do that, but at least they will do so while looking mean and capable.

[quote=""Valkrist""]I don't remember seeing these trading card-like shots of the cast in costume when LOTR was in development. I guess much of the mystery is gone now surrounding how these characters should look, so PJ has no problems releasing these promos to drum up excitement for The Hobbit.

I also love that so far, these dwarves look like warriors that mean business and we won't just have thirteen buffoons farting and belching their way from Hobbiton to Erebor. Well... they may still do that, but at least they will do so while looking mean and capable. [/quote]
Val, I can't tell you how nice it is to hear you say good words in this thread.
You're the one person who really made me understand how nail biting bringing these things to life can be.

I keep thinking about Weta Workshops dedication to creating culture, and thrilled to see them continue to do so. So far I'd say they're really happy to bring Dwarven culture, and it's own kind of beauty, to life.

I'm thinking the costumes are looking pretty impressive, but aren't these guys all exiles? I guess they have done well enough since their rout from the Lonely Mountain that they have nice things again, even though they fled with only the shirts on their backs (and whatever weapons were to hand).

[quote=""Elvenguard13""]Oin and Gloin pic!

Gloin is holding the walking Gimli's walking axe and has one of his little throwing axes on his belt!...[/quote]

EG, youve got it backwards!

Gloin is not holding Gimli's Walking Axe nor does he carry one of Gimli's Throwing Axes on his belt.
He is carrying his own Walking Axe and Throwing Axe.

Gimli ["Son -of-Gloin"] carries his father's Walking Axe and Throwing Axe(s).

New vid!


http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php ... 7&comments

Great video!

"Porta-loos," LOL.

The new PJ is really starting to look like the old PJ. He just needs big glasses again, and he's there.

Andy Serkis is starting to look like crazy Walter (John Noble) in the asylum flashbacks in Fringe.

You know you've got a big budget when you take a fleet of helicopters location-scouting!

Thanks, Thrand.

I know I sound like a grump most of the time, but these books mean a lot to me and I do want them to be given a proper treatment.

Olorin, I'd say you are correct in your assumption that Thorin's people are by no means swimming in wealth, but they did conduct some brisk business with the folks of western Eriador with whatever they were able to glean out of their mines. I remember reading once that Thorin's Halls were located at the site of the flooded dwarven city of Belegost. If that's the case, maybe they found an old treasure or two in the depths, though obviously not enough to make them forget what Smaug stole.

[quote=""Olorin""]Great video!
You know you've got a big budget when you take a fleet of helicopters location-scouting![/quote]
Lol, that's just what I thought as well.
I kept hearing that Wagner piece from Apocalypse Now when they showed all those copters flying together.

I love the smell of celluloid in the morning!
Smells like,,,,
Victory.

[quote=""Thranduil""]Lol, that's just what I thought as well.
I kept hearing that Wagner piece from Apocalypse Now when they showed all those copters flying together.[/quote]

I think that was "The Ride of the Valkyries" but it's been so long since I saw that movie that I don't remember. And right now I can't remember what "Valkyries" sounds like—all I can hear going through my head is "Carmina Burana."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V92OBNsQ ... re=related

=D

I knew I had only to mention the name and someone would post a link to it.

Thanks!

PS Here's what I had been hearing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNWpZ-Y_KvU

And then of course there's this ditty that was heavily used in the LOTR trailers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ajQbMqIR10

[quote=""Darlak""]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V92OBNsQ ... re=related

=D[/quote]

Ah, yeah I know that one! If I was president, they'd be playing this when I walked in the room.

And then of course there's this ditty that was heavily used in the LOTR trailers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ajQbMqIR10

Holy crap Olorin, that's some powerful ****. I've actually never heard that one before.

[quote=""Darlak""]Holy crap Olorin, that's some powerful ****. I've actually never heard that one before.[/quote]

Really??? It was used in most of the trailers in the US, but I guess not in Norway. It's called "Gothic Power" and was created by someone named Chris Field, who writes original music for trailers and other promotional things. http://www.chrisfieldmusic.com/content.php?show=credits

Trans-Siberian Orchestra does an awesome version of Carmina Burana, well the whole entire thing is Carmina Burana, the most famous movement is the O Fortuna

Boy, I'm glad I brought that Wagner up.
Thanks Darlak, the artworks that accompanied that piece were very LOTRish.
I finally got the lyrics to Carmina Burana, YEAH! After 30 some years of wondering, after Excalibur. Thanks Olorin!
Gotta go hunt down that TSO version, thanks BC.
And Fin made me laugh again, two points! High five.

One for each of you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcMALFsNsNA

There is a live TSO performance of Carmina Burana in pretty good quality, but it is on the Night Castle album, which also includes Toccata-Carpimus Noctem, which is an awesome song... TSO is awesome live!

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming of The Hobbit...


Maybe Andy Serkis will get a haircut during his break from shooting

[quote=""BladeCollector""]Maybe Andy Serkis will get a haircut during his break from shooting[/quote]
I thought he was aspiring to be a dwarf.

It really blew my mind how much Andy had aged over the years since the trilogy. Oh well, I guess some of us just aren't destined to hold onto our youth as long as some! (I'm sure tiredness has a lot to do with it though.)

(I'm sure tiredness has a lot to do with it though.)

Andy Serkis always looks tired... =P

Seen that movie where he plays Einstein? Haha =P

Soooo nobody talking about this yet?


http://media.social.s-msn.com/images/bl ... 003550.jpg



I think it LOOKS LIKE CRAP. Worst one yet. *** are with those weapons!?

Considering Narsil, one of the most beautiful swords in the world, was made by Dwarves, I'm failing to see how these current designs reflect their e xp ert craftsmanship. In fact, they look like JUNK. What's with the asymmetry? This is not what I e xp ect for dwarves, who I picture as being very structural and symmetrical (in contrast to the elegant and wispy elven blades).


Not impressed...

[quote=""Sedhal""]Soooo nobody talking about this yet?


http://media.social.s-msn.com/images/bl ... 003550.jpg



I think it LOOKS LIKE CRAP. Worst one yet. *** are with those weapons!?

Considering Narsil, one of the most beautiful swords in the world, was made by Dwarves, I'm failing to see how these current designs reflect their e xp ert craftsmanship. In fact, they look like JUNK. What's with the asymmetry? This is not what I e xp ect for dwarves, who I picture as being very structural and symmetrical (in contrast to the elegant and wispy elven blades).


Not impressed...[/quote]

I like the Dwarven weapons. I think they are very in keeping with the style that has already been set up.