Movies | RAFrenzy

What’s a Beard To Do?

Most of you know how I feel about Richard’s beard, and I was disappointed when he was without it at The Hobbit premiere, but has anyone noticed his silence? Not Richard; I mean RichardsBeard. He’s been very reticent the last several weeks. It was hard to see his removal since I love the beard and have wanted to see him interacting again. I tracked him down to find out how he’s feeling:

Me: You were with Richard for so long during the filming of The Hobbit. I mean he wanted you with him. Even favored you over a fake beard! Yet when the reward came, he seemed to cut and run. I would accuse him of bald face, but well….and it just has to be hard for you to be hair and gone again.

RichardsBeard: ::sighs:: To beard, or not to beard? That was the question. But it’s true what you’ve heard that hell hath no fury like a beard shorn…especially when it begins to grow back.

Of course it was disappointing not attending, and it was especially hard when I knew RichardsStubble shadowed himself, but I’m always pragmatic. Remember my motto: A shaved beard only comes back stronger. #Beardhappens.

Truthfully, being left out was partially my fault. As a beard, I could be a bit nettlesome. I insisted Richard share my ideas with Sir Peter for alternate movies titles — There and Beard Again (not to be confused with Hair and Back Again), Lord of the Beards, and my personal favorite, Beards Behaving Badly.

And though normally I’m not prone to bouts of dipsomania, since becoming a #displacedbeard I do admit to spending some time in the pub waiting for my agent to call. #beardslikebeer

Me: Is that anything like a wild hair?

RichardsBeard: You could say that, yes! Maybe more like a #Wild Hair of Durin. This is also a sticking point between me and Richard’s Tastebuds since they seem to prefer wine. The taunts of #LagerisforLosers are especially cutting, but I just tell them #AleingkeepsmefromAiling

Me: I see Sir Peter at least paid tribute to you in one of his vlogs.

RichardsBeard: I’m completely chuffed about the beard segment of Sir Peter’s vlog. My fellow beards and I stole the show, and we’re letting our hair down. #Thebeardsarebasking. We make The Hobbit #beardtastic, even though the Hobbits themselves apparently grow their beards on their feet.

Me: Ooh, that must be tuft for the Hobbits.

So what are you doing now?

RichardsBeard: #KeepingCalmandBeardingOn. It isn’t my intention to dissemble, but after all, that is what a beard does best. #beardyblather

Me: Yes, a beard does conceal if nothing else, but I think you’re capable of much more. And you do it so well! You must be itching to be back at work.

RichardsBeard: Literally. ::laughs:: You know, a little bit, a tad, just a hair of #VisageVengeance will be rather sweet. #TheBeardisn’tBitter, but it may turn out that RichardsFace and I have a purely Antipodean relationship.

Me: Well, I’m hoping when you emerge, that you survive much beyond New Zealand. Perhaps #BeardtoEternity.

note: If you want to catch up with RichardsBeard, you can find him at Twitter.

Photo courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.Com

January 3, 2013
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: crazy people, fun, hashtag fun, Hobbit Premiere, puns, Richard Armitage, Richard's Beard, Richard's Stubble, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 26 Comments

Happy New Year!

2012 was quite a ride for Richard Armitage. Too much happened to recap it! Not even going to try especially when there are so many others who have done such a marvelous job of it, and if you don’t want a recap and just want to immerse yourself in information and photos about Richard Armitage, try Places to Get a Fix or The Addict List.

As for me, I’m taking a day off and celebrating! I may go skiing, and I may go see The Hobbit again. It occurred to me I was tense about SO‘s take on the movie and couldn’t really enjoy it like I wanted. So back to the movies without him. Until then, I’ll be outside.

And now a word or two to our guy:

Richard,

I hope you can take the day off. It’s lovely weather for skiing somewhere, and you’ve got the funds to go where you would like. Yes, I realize you know that, but with someone like you, a reminder may be in order.

If you take it into your head to grace our slopes in the U.S., there are plenty of great places. I’m not even going to mention my area although it’s great too!

Wherever you go, I hope you can get outside. That’s where I’m headed. I adore being outside, and I don’t mind saying it’s days like today that make me want to pinch myself because I live where I do.

Hope you have a great day and don’t break a leg. :D

Signed,
One of your crazy fans, who wishes she could do this:

P.S. If you missed it, check out my other letter about skiing. I’ll be back tomorrow ~~to give you a hard time~~ with my speculation about what you’re doing. :D

January 1, 2013
Categories: Movies, SO, The Hobbit . Tags: celebration, crazy people, fake fan letters, fun, New Year's, Richard Armitage, skiing, yes crazy people have the most fun . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 6 Comments

There and Gone Again

Looking backward. Isn’t that what today is about? I guess it’s infected me because the subject I’m about to broach was not something I was going to revisit. However, recent reports I’ve read and new thoughts I’ve had compel this post. :D

I’ve run through a range of musings about The Hobbit premiere in New York. One of my first thoughts was New York is too cool to get excited about a movie premiere. This is a matter of pride for New Yorkers. They love to let you know they make barely a flicker of an eye when the famous pass by them. After countless trips to New York and living there one summer, I can attest to the sheer numbers of celebrities strolling around the streets and making the ho hum attitude understandable. But another thought was remembering the fanfare I’ve seen there. “Ticker tape” parades so huge the surreal feeling takes days if not weeks to go away. When these people throw a party, they know how to throw a party!

Outside at The Hobbit premiere was like a meeting. No party atmosphere but the distinct feeling it was all business. I could almost hear the marching orders repeating themselves in the heads of some of the cast who came to the fans lined on the street, “If you greet the fans, make it short. Don’t linger. Get it done and get inside the theater. And for God’s sake watch the cars coming down the street behind you!” Yep, the normal traffic flow was not completely blocked but rather interspersed with the celebrities’ cars stopping in front of the Ziegfield Theater which made it a dicey affair for the cast to be on the street. Then there were the thugs (TheQueen has another name for them) trying to get autographs to hawk on eBay. Since I had effected the New York cool, I wasn’t too worried about them even if they could have easily pushed me down on the barricade and busted my kneecaps. No problem. I was there to see Richard Armitage blast it! and after my deal with the thugs, no sweat (picture the optimist who was put in a room full of horseshit. :D)

But I’ve been wondering if the sober feeling from many of the cast was actually the ominous thought of combating traffic and facing the New York thugs. Something has to explain the wary looks I saw from some of them. Their demeanor was certainly a far cry from the cheerfulness in Wellington, Tokyo and London. It makes me wonder if this is the norm for New York premieres. I’ve never been to a movie premiere in New York. Never been to a movie premiere, so I really don’t know. I had only seen two live streaming until this one.

But despite all of that, I must give thanks to someone for a very enjoyable part of my premiere experience:

Dear Andy Serkis,

Man, I love you! Thank you for injecting some party atmosphere into the affair known as The Hobbit Premiere NYC. Thank you for the time you spent with the fans lined on the street. You almost single handedly made me forget the feeling of a business arrangement.

And I have a suggestion for your colleagues at next year’s premiere to make them feel secure about dealing with the fans, the thugs and might help with dodging traffic. I’m passing this along now so they have a whole year to practice.

Signed,
One of Richard’s crazy fans who thought your wife was also lovely. :)

P.S. I watched Distant Voices, Still Lives the the other day. Wow.

And a big thank you to @nancyjohnson1 for holding a place for TheQueen and me since yours truly had to run errands until about 45 minutes before the premiere. Phew!

Watch someone take all of this seriously. Yes, I’m talking to the action fans. This subject isn’t about a cure for cancer nor a solution to world strife, so it is not serious. LOL!

December 31, 2012
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: Andy Serkis, fake fan letters, Hobbit Premiere, New York, New York cool, New York thugs, red carpet, Richard Armitage, serpentine, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 17 Comments

The Black Sky Mashup

Since there’s been more talk lately of Richard Armitage’s future projects, I’m going to hit the question and yes, the fear about his next film, right up front. Will special effects be the star of Black Sky? We’ve all heard how Steve Quale, the director has been a protege’ of James Cameron. And many of us know while Cameron’s movies can be long on thrill ride, they can also be short on story. Will Quale be the same? And where does that leave Armitage who can certainly do action but puts a premium on story and character? How does Gary Morris (Armitage’s character) navigate a disaster?

That’s the question Todd Garner wants answered, “What does a normal person do in that situation?!” And “situation” in this instance cannot just be an allusion. It must seem real, which is where Quale comes in and necessitated by the video game era with the target audience being the video game age — 30s and below. A problem you say? Oh, I don’t know. I just saw a wonderful movie, which recently hit the half billion mark on revenue at less than two weeks after release, and it was primarily aimed at the video game age. Had a lot of special effects too.

But that was Tolkien, so the material was already great, and this can’t be as good? Black Sky may have something more appealing than The Hobbit. Yes, I really said that, and I’m a Tolkien fan! But I do not make a steady diet of fantasy. Most of the time I prefer movies that focus more on the human condition and with quirks. Enter Simon Beaufoy who is one of the writers of the Black Sky screenplay. His CV includes Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and The Full Monty. He’s got human condition and quirkiness down. The other writer is newcomer John Swetnam. I don’t know much about him although I was made aware of him a couple of years ago by Scott Myers at Go Into the Story. It seems Swetnam could be part of the impetus for the found footage story of Black Sky,and that’s an aspect that has fantastic possibilities for the character finding the footage. I’ve also looked at Swetnam’s Twitter timeline, and if it’s any indication, he’s quirky and witty. He seems a good match for Beaufoy. I can’t wait to see the mashup of these two and Quale.

And aren’t mash-ups the thing now? Some are so unlikely. Those are the ones I love. The unexpected that makes me consider from a new viewpoint, that takes my thinking out of a box. When I consider Black Sky‘s unlikely mashup of talent, the special effects are less threatening in upstaging Richard’s portrayal and are the obvious place for his creativity in crafting characters. I imagine him coming with a fascinating answer to Garner’s question about Gary Morris.

December 28, 2012
Categories: Black Sky (Into the Storm), Movies . Tags: Gary Morris, John Swetnam, Richcard Armitage, Simon Beaufoy, Steve Quale, Todd Garner . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 17 Comments

Can We Have a #1?

For those who don’t know it yet because you’re still not on Tumblr or Twitter, Richard Armitage just made #2 on IMDb’s StarMeter.

Maybe that’s a not biggie for some actors, and yes, the likes of the Twilight stars have made #2 and even #1. But for our guy to do it when he is still almost a complete unknown in America is fantastic. Now he needs to reach #1. Yes, I’m greedy. Sue me. :D

December 26, 2012
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: IMDb, Richard Armitage, StarMeter, the rest of the world catching on, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 29 Comments

Something Sweet For Christmas

Now that my major control freak is satisfied for a while by telling Richard Armitage what I think he ought to do :D, I want to leave you with a little treat for Christmas. At the end of my last piece, I said I was emphatically not against Richard being cast as a romantic lead. But what kind of romance? A period drama? An epic? Yes, he could do those well, but what I’ve been thinking is a little more down to earth. It’s called the sweet romance which I’ve been rediscovering through Beverly Farr, a fellow blogger and RA fan who is also an author. She’s been schooling me about it through her contemporary books, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the education.

She says of herself and her writing:

I love stories. I love romance. I write sweet stories about how love should be.

more here

When I first read that, I wasn’t sure what to think, but I took a chance and read one of her books, and it was hard to deny the grin on my face when I finished. Then I read another one, and then I knew I wanted to talk to Beverly.

ME: Some truth. I didn’t expect to like your stories. I was biased about the “sweet romance” in a contemporary setting. It’s not that I like lurid writing for itself, but I just didn’t have great expectations of a good, modern story that didn’t have something explicit in it. How jaded am I?

BEVERLY: Unfortunately, a lot of people think sweet means stupid or boring. And maybe my stories aren’t sweet. I don’t know. I just don’t know what word to use. I think my stories are like Jean Arthur. Sweet because of content, but with the occasional sting or snarkiness.

ME: I love that mixture, and yep, you’re right. The word sweet has been perverted into something boring.

BEVERLY: Like in my fairy story where the heroine’s brother was eaten by a cat. That bothers people, but makes me laugh.

ME: I bought that book but haven’t read it yet. I’ve read Her Ex Next Door and The M Word. At the risk of sounding offensive, I was stunned at how much I liked these stories.

BEVERLY: Thanks for the comment. I like the “stunned” idea. It gives me hope. My stories are difficult to market because they’re not what some people think of as “sweet” but they’re not the basic contemporary novel, either.

ME: No, they’re not. They are in a class by themselves from what I can tell. I haven’t read romances in years, so I may not be the best one to make an analysis of that.

What got you started on the “sweet romance?”

BEVERLY: When I was younger, I read nearly every romance novel I could find, sweet and otherwise. Over the years, however, I realized that I really don’t want to know the details of what the characters are doing in the bedroom. I prefer to leave that to my imagination. I love the romantic movies — drama and comedy — of the 1930s through the 1950s. The good movies from that era are romantic and sometimes very sexy, without any details on screen. For example: Clark Gable was incredibly sexy and I don’t remember him being in any on screen love scenes. My other favorite actors are James Stewart, Cary Grant, William Powell, and Ronald Colman. All beautiful and brilliant.

So basically I write books that are like the movies I enjoy — sometimes sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, but with no detailed love scenes. I had a reviewer who said one of my books was technically “clean” but there was still a lot of talk about sex (it was necessary for the plot). My response to that is that grown-ups in a romantic relationship are going to talk about sex eventually. I want to write books that grown ups enjoy, but I hope that whatever I write will be honest and respectful enough that it will be appropriate for teenagers to read as well.

I’d like to be the Frank Capra of romance writing. But that sounds pretentious.

ME: No, it doesn’t. I think you’re making a good start. I need to think about The M Word characters and which Capra characters they remind me of. Did I mention that I loved The M Word? :D What gave you the idea of using La Traviata as a framework for the story?

BEVERLY: I adore Marriage of Convenience stories, so The M Word started as a twist on that familiar theme. My hero Marius loved opera, but I knew little about it other than liking Carmen, so I started researching. I skimmed books on opera, on Placido Domingo, and watched a film version of La Traviata. At that point, I saw my story had parallels to it, so I expanded on that theme, which made for a deeper, more interesting story. I often start a novel with an interesting premise or character and start asking, “What if?” questions. I know I ultimately want a happily-ever-after ending, but I can write half a book before I figure out how to get there.

ME: Maybe it’s just me, but I pictured Richard Armitage as Marius.

BEVERLY: Well, he looks a little like Thorin, but he’s more like John Standring, and there is one scene that reminds me of Lucas North. Marius is also a little like Monet, because he’s European and likes good food. The more I look for similarities, the more I find. :)

But to be honest, those are afterthoughts. As much as I love Richard Armitage, the character of Marius was created before I first watched North and South and became an addict, so he was his own person earlier. Of course, if Richard Armitage wanted to play him on film, I would be thrilled.

ME: I would pay to see that!

And I understand Richard Armitage has inspired you. How so?

BEVERLY: First of all, he’s beautiful and beauty has a way of inspiring people. But he’s intelligent and that’s even more inspiring. He is a detailed actor who gives the viewer a glimpse into his character’s thoughts and feelings. His performances are carefully crafted, but there is a sense of honesty, sincerity and depth in his portrayals. For me, he makes me think about the characters, then about human nature, and finally about what is important in life. That prompts me to write. And watching his creativity, taking the words of the script and putting it into action, inspires me. I want to have the same detail and dedication in my work. When I write, I imagine a movie in my mind. What do the characters look like and how do they move or sound? I try to add the descriptive details that I would notice in a film, but then I add the emotions that I’m guessing they feel. Watching Richard Armitage has helped me see the complexity of characters and has helped me find the good in my bad characters and the bad in my good ones.

ME: I can’t wait to see what you have coming.

Do you mind if my minor control freak throws an idea at you? Maybe a contemporary story based on Gary Cooper’s character in Good Sam?

Okay, I think my control freak is fully satisfied — at least until after Christmas. ;-)

I hope you will check out Beverly’s works and please be sure to check out her blog as well. She just published a great series on Christmas movies that begins here.

I haven’t said this to Beverly but what I most admire about the male leads in her books is their steadfast love for others and of course including their love interests. The stuff of only Jane Austen’s and Elizabeth Gaskell’s days? Maybe, but I can tell you without hesitation SO is one of those males, and as I sit here on the morning of Christmas Eve 2012, I’m remembering 30 years ago today right around midnight that he asked me to be his mate for life. Should I mention we were watching It’s a Wonderful Life at the time? Or would that sound too sweet? :D

December 24, 2012
Categories: Interviews, Movies, SO . Tags: Beverly Farr, Richard Armitage, romantic leads, sweet romance, what's in the future?, writing . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 9 Comments

Taking Richard Out of His Box

Not long ago a body was unearthed from its burial place under a car park in the UK. It may be the corpse of King Richard III, the last monarch in the War of the Roses. Various tests have been done to help determine the identity as a small group of zealous supporters longing for the king to gain his rightful place in history have watched the world become aware of him. Despite confirmation, Richard III will still be confined to a villainous image. He will still be seen by a significant number as the man Shakespeare portrayed as a scoundrel who callously killed his nephews and anyone else who stood in the way of what he wanted. And if he really has been unfairly maligned by the Bard, few will appreciate the fact. Such is the effect of a drama with a powerfully developed character — its ability to drown out anything that would give lie to it.

Richard Armitage in The Hobbit is also an unearthing. It is a star emerging to all but a few rabid fans who have waited for several years for the public to recognize it. Despite this rise to the larger public’s notice, will Richard, like his namesake, also remain confined to an image? I hope not. I hope his Thorin Oakenshield will be sufficient to give lie to the notion that he’s only a heart throb. But when I consider the effect of his portrayal as John Thornton in North and South followed closely by Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood, and hear the current rhetoric about the hot dwarf, it’s hard not to see him remaining in the box marked tall, dark, handsome man who is extremely masculine and sensitive and must be a romantic figure.

When women in the U.S. alone get hold of the almost Svengali like appeal of his, the marketing of his roles will be narrowed to romances. Much like was done with Colin Firth and Gerard Butler only they aren’t Richard Armitage. He goes way beyond them in sex appeal. Yes, I’m biased, but I’m also not blind. Some women I know have never seen the likes of Richard Armitage, and those who have really watched him are blown away. One told me, “I laughed at your reaction. I really did. I thought you were just having a mid-life meltdown with all that’s going on in your life. Phew! I was wrong! I have never seen anyone like that!” To which I said with as much humility as possible, “I know.”

But for a good long while I’ve been finding that a trap. He’s too capable to be left to roles as a mere love interest, only useful for awakening desire. Granted, he does love interest so well, but how long can we dwell there? Doesn’t it get passe’? Or is our need as women so intense we must continually feed it with characters who engender passion? I can only answer for myself. I’m bored with this. And I’m way past the place where I wrote about his characters’ effects on me. I was actually past it when I wrote the piece but was compelled to capture the phenomenon so I wouldn’t forget. Now I want what I always want — a good story and characters that move me but without the added noise of squeeeing.

I’m all squeeed out for now. And it’s only my snark gene that continues on with the appearance of it yet with a twinkle in my eye hoping some of you catch on to my mirth at the manipulation we receive as fans.

I long for more from Richard Armitage. I long to see him leverage his ability as a chameleon and apply his fine sense of a story. When do we get to see that without the pr machine pandering to women? Playing them like a fiddle? Harsh words you say? What else to make of this? LOL!

Yes, I know I’m whining, but really, I just hate to see Richard getting in the box however big it may appear. A little Armitage Protection Mode at work? No question. And my control freak dictates this:

Dear Richard,

I hope once you get past all the hype for The Hobbit that you can really sit back and consider what’s next and do not feel compelled to give people exactly what they want. You once said of a character that he was only interesting when he didn’t get what he wanted, and it would be over if he got it. The same logic could be applied to you and your fans. Please don’t give what it seems we want. We don’t know what’s good for us. Yes, I am a capitalist, but not when it comes to art. Ignore my capitalist, please. Go with your heart.

Just please stay out of the box, or at least don’t let the marketers close the lid on you.

Other than all of that, I hope you have a Merry Christmas.

Signed,
One of your crazy fans who knows you have much more in you in than tall, dark, handsome cotton mill owner

P.S. Maybe a little chat with Viggo Mortenson might be helpful. Yes, I’m a control freak. Now listen to your mother, er, big sister. :D

The rant is done, and I want you all to know I am emphatically not against his being cast as a romantic figure, and I’ve been thinking about what I would like to see in that respect. More coming up on that and on Richard III. I’m not even close to being done with the “good” king.

edit: I am not down on Richard Armitage. I think he’s a great talent, which I would like to see succeed as some other great talents have succeeded. Neither do I begrudge him making money. Money is necessary to live.

But I had to say something about what I am seeing. More later on contributing to facilitating this. That’s the post where I admit my guilt. LOL!

December 22, 2012
Categories: Fandom, Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: Armitage Protection Mode, fake fan letters, marketing, Richard Armitage, Richard III, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 296 Comments

Richard Finally Beat 52!

I was waiting until New Year’s Eve to post this because I thought Richard Armitage wouldn’t beat 52 until the movie had been out at least a week or two. But I was so wrong, and I’m glad. He just reached number 4 on IMDb:

Someone needs to make a new graphic! All of you Photoshoppers out there need to get busy so we can have another picture with a toast. :D Tanni?

December 17, 2012
Categories: Movies, The Hobbit . Tags: IMDb, lots of people looking him up, Richard Armitage, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 21 Comments

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey — A Review with Spoilers

Some of you have been wondering about my absence. It’s a two-fold issue. There is a lot going on with my family and my business. It’s all good, but it’s time consuming. I also had to step away from The Hobbit full court press machine in order to preserve enjoyment of the movie. That’s not a knock on the PR. I understand they had to do it for the general public who hasn’t been following along. But with over two years of immersing myself in information about it and then going to New York and being bombarded by its presence, I knew the movie would be ruined for me if I didn’t step out of the fray.

Okay, enough of my excuses for not being here, I’m ready to review this puppy. Unfortunately, I suck at analysis of movies and books, so I will be deferring to SO for most of this.

We saw the 48fps 3D version. Honestly, I loved this version. It was very clear but not in a buffoonish way as was suggested about 48fps 2D. Most noticeable to me is I came away without the slight headache and nausea I usually get from 3D. With the negative space severely restricted in the higher frame rate, my eyes were not continually straining to focus, and it made for a very pleasant experience. So I think 48fps as the basis for 3D is a big win and here to stay for those who will take the time to try it.

Our 12 year old and one of her buddies went with us, and thankfully, they sat at the very back so we could perhaps escape being subjected to their muffled giggles and their incessant need to go to the restroom. Such is the life of middle school girls. Oy. Despite my sometimes distraction by the two girls, I enjoyed the movie. Mostly, I wanted to know what SO thought since he’s the writer, he’s the movie connoisseur,and he hadn’t been biased by an avalanche of information about The Hobbit!

We had not even reached the exit door after the movie was over when SO announced with a surprised grin, “I really liked that!”

I cut my eyes at him and wanted an explanation, “Really? What did you like about it?”

“It was fun!”

After all of the time talking on and off about The Hobbit, I was hoping for a bit more from him. He continued, “Yeah, it was fun. I was 12 again, and I loved the adventure.”

“So nothing beyond it being an adventure?” I asked still hoping for an examination from him. C’mon give me something I was thinking.

He said, “Well, it was too long, but then that’s Peter Jackson, and I’m sure he has an eye toward people watching this at one sitting when the series is out on DVD. Something to be savored over and over. Isn’t that what Ringers do?”

Yeah, it is. “But why do you think it was too long?” I persisted.

“The whole Frodo part was extraneous. The time in Bilbo’s house with the dwarves was also too long and too much singing. They should have kept it to one song and then sung the one about the mountains later. But then that may just be me.”

I had felt the song was out of place as well, but I was curious about his thinking. “Why do you think the singing was a problem?”

“It did little to develop the characters or the story. I knew it was supposed to move me, but it did not. When I read the book about a hundred years ago, I didn’t care for the singing then either. It seemed disjointed from the rest of the story. A bit lame. At least that’s how I remember it. As I think of the movie now, part of the problem was that your guy was not developed enough for me to really get the significance of the Misty Mountain song. I did notice the other dwarves were in awe of him when he came to Bilbo’s door, but that wasn’t really enough to show me why they were in awe. Yes, he was the leader, but all I knew of him was he was a deposed prince and angry at the Elves for not helping his people. What in all of that should generate awe? What made the audience really care to know about him? It wasn’t until Balin told more of Thorin’s past and the maiming of the Pale Orc that I understood he was a badass who deserved the reverence from the others. This should have been near the beginning.

The Badass Dwarf

“And of course none of this is Richard Armitage’s fault. I think he did a good job, but the writing failed there.”

I was stunned. Not by his breaking down the story but at the use of Richard Armitage’s real name. LOL!

He continued, “Then again, Peter Jackson was slow to develop Aragorn, and your guy [yeah, I noticed Richard no longer had a name. :D] is very much like that character in the sense that he is really the Man as it became evident that Aragorn was the Man.”

“But what about Bilbo?” I asked.

“Sure, he’s the physical conscience whereas Gandalf is the spiritual conscience, but the story is about Thorin. He is ultimately the center of this piece. And I did not realize how much Armitage was going to be the central character in this movie. This is Thorin’s story! I guess I kept thinking about the last thing I saw with him — a five minute bit in Captain America and didn’t realize he was essentially going to have the starring role in The Hobbit.”

“Oh, but he’s not the star!” I corrected.

SO laughed, “Yeah, right. Although he didn’t have many lines in this segment, he’s going to be Aragorn at the end. Hide and watch.”

“But the story isn’t the same as the Lord of the Rings,” I said still trying to set him straight.

“No, it’s not, but Thorin is an Aragorn in the sense of the pivotal character.”

I agreed with everything he said and was compelled to keep asking questions, “What did you like best about the movie?”

“Too much to narrow it down, but the ending was fantastic. I’m ready for the next installment.”

“Wow. You really did like it.”

“Yes, I did.”

I have more thoughts about it, but I’ve added it to another post. For now, just know that the movie was worth $12.50 a person, and more important the almost three hours investment of time.

And the biggest plus to me personally is SO now wants to watch other pieces with Richard Armitage. Thank you, Peter Jackson. :D

December 17, 2012
Categories: Movies, SO, Spoilers, The Hobbit . Tags: badass dwarf, movie reviews, Peter Jackson, Richard Armitage, screencaps, Thorin Oakenshield . Author: RAFrenzy . Comments: 15 Comments