The Lord of the Rings... Back in Theaters
To say that JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth is nothing new to us at Hollywood Jesus would be quite an understatement. Our Managing Editor, Greg Wright, "spent five... years assembling the site's Rings coverage--and enjoyed the heck out of himself doing it!" At least that's what Greg says in his mini bio at the top of the Lord of the Rings Index page--where you can find links to all our archived articles about the movies.
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| Mark Sommer, Fantasy Editor |
HJ's "Rings coverage" is how I found out about Hollywood Jesus, back in the days when we had a Lord of the Rings Forum. I was one of the main contributors to the postings there. (Unfortunately, the Forum was lost when HJ had to change Internet hosts. How many times I have wished I had a back up copy of those postings!) Anyway, I was completely floored when Greg asked me to contribute an article. For better or worse, you can still find it there under the title, Addicted to the Ring.
I won't bore you with more details. Suffice to say that after losing touch with HJ for a few years, I began contributing articles about C S Lewis and JRR Tolkien in August of 2007. Some 1,047 posts later, I am still here. During all that time, I haven't been so excited about the prospects of seeing JRR Tolkien on the big screen again... until now.
Lord of the Rings fans have long known of plans to film The Hobbit. We've known, and we have gone through excruciating pain watching Peter Jackson struggle through the briars and brambles which kept springing up in the way that led to the big screen. Now that PJ is actually filming (Pinch me! Is it really happening?), our hopes and dreams of watching Bilbo go "there and back again" seem to be nearing fruition.
But one event--actually three--has fueled my enthusiasm more than even seeing production started on the Hobbit movies. It's (they're) coming this month.
As I reported recently, the extended versions of the three Lord of the Rings movies are going to be shown in select theaters starting this week. There will be special events on three sequential Tuesdays, beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring on June 14, 2011. FathomEvents.com has a link to a partial list of participating theaters, and you can also put your zip code in their search box to find additional theaters and buy tickets. Click here to visit the website.
So, what's the big deal? Many of you have your own copies of the Extended Edition which you can watch any time you want. So do I. You may even be planning to upgrade to Blu-ray when the set comes out at the end of June. Why go through all the hassle of interrupting your week, fighting the crowds, and--most importantly--making sure you have tickets purchased in advance?
Here are couple reasons why I'm going:
The Lord of the Rings was made to be watched on the big screen. As advanced as television is today, there is nothing like the experience of watching a movie--especially one that you love--in its "native environment." There is also the crowd factor. It may be fun to watch a movie in your own living room with a few close friends and family, but experiencing a film in a theater crowded with people you don't even know has its own unique quality. Just experiencing an audience laughing as you laugh and gasping as Frodo meets that new danger... there's nothing like it.
If that weren't enough, FathomEvents.com tells us
The events will begin with a new and personal introduction for each film from The Lord of the Rings™ director Peter Jackson captured from the set of his current film, and The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit, and will be immediately followed by the Extended Edition feature presentations which altogether include nearly 3 hours of additional feature footage carefully selected by Peter Jackson. [Emphasis added.]
So, Tuesday, June 14, my wife and I plan to make the 25-minute trip across town to experience the adventure once again. Even though it means returning home way too near the 5:00 am alarm, it will be worth it!
In other (selected) news...
Earlier today, May 30, 2011, several sources are reporting that the official titles and release dates have been confirmed in a press release issued by the studios.
Very early this morning (Friday afternoon Eastern time in the western hemisphere) Producer/Director Peter Jackson confirmed on his official Facebook page that Orlando Bloom will be returning to Middle-earth in the Hobbit movies.
Jackson Makes Casting Announcements Peter Jackson announces a replacement for the role of Fili, and the actor who will play the Elven King Thranduil.
The rumors that Peter Jackson is shooting the Hobbit movies with cutting-edge 48-frames-per-second technology (instead of the industry standard 24 frames per second) are true. Click through to find out what Peter Jackson and another film industry expert are saying.
It is Monday in New Zealand, and production on the Hobbit movies has officially begun. Click through for the official Press Release.
