Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The force is strong with this one

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  • Kyle Matthews,

    That'll be Walsh. Fran Wilde is the one who freed teh gays.

    Duh. Switch brain on before demonstrating fanboy knowledge.

    And while I'd definitely frak Viggo with the lights on, I don't know how many more vaseline-caked shots of Liv Tyler looking vaguely confused I can handle.

    They've resigned Andy Serkis for gollum, and Ian for Gandalf. No mention was made of Aragorn. No mention has been made that I've seen of Viggo. Aragorn's role pre-LOTR is pretty minor, and since he finished up the big hero king in LOTR, they'd struggle to now put him in an ordinary bloke part. I'm picking he won't be in it.

    I can't imagine they'll write Arwen back into it. Liv Tyler was a absolute disaster in filming, they rewrote helms deep to take her out of it (they had to digitally remove her from various shots, she was originally pulling Aragorn up on that rope), and there was a screening of bloopers for movie insiders at Jackson's studio which largely consisted of her being very 'blonde' while riding on the fake barrel horse.

    Agreed about Saruman - but didn't teh necromancer episode occur before the events in the Hobbit?

    Same year. 2941 the White Council drove Sauron out of Dol Guldor.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Rowe,

    I'm guessing no chance.

    Logically the intermediate film would advance the story of the ring of power: less hobbits, more wizards and elves. More Gollum. Perhaps intertwined (Godfather Pt 2-like) with the story of Aragorn.

    More than enough for a film, difficult to keep coherent though.

    Lake Roxburgh, Central Ot… • Since Nov 2006 • 574 posts Report Reply

  • Deborah,

    but didn't teh necromancer episode occur before the events in the Hobbit?

    No - recall that Gandalf leaves the dwarves and the hobbit on the outskirts of Mirkwood, and then goes away to deal with some other business, which turns out to be driving the Necromancer from Mirkwood.

    New Lynn • Since Nov 2006 • 1447 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    The issues people are having with secondary ISPs kind of validates my call not to mess about and just go with Telecom. I know some people regard IT acquisition as an opportunity to make a political point, but I prefer to just live with my single point of blame.

    Course, if you need to download a terabyte a month, I can see one might be a bit stuck.

    Also, I think this also tends to support my view there will always be an incumbent telco which is almost, if not entirely, a monopoly. So the regulation regime should bite that bullet, accept that pricing and service standards need to be regulated and stop pretending that lots of little ISPs will spring up and provide magic green fields of competition.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • B Jones,

    It would make a lot of sense for the elves from Rivendell (and Legolas in Mirkwood) to do a bit of a cameo reappearance even though the story doesn't call for anything more than Elrond and Thranduil plus Elf 1, Elf 2 etc. Providing they all haven't aged too much it would be a nice touch.

    I don't know how you could turn the events between Hobbit and LOTR into a good film. Sure, plenty happened what with Aragorn hanging out undercover in Rohan and Minas Tirith and chasing after Gollum etc, but where's the mystery? If they want to create something in which everyone doesn't already know what happened (one of the many failings of the Star Wars prequels) they'll have to create a lot of new material.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 976 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Rowe,

    Lake Roxburgh, Central Ot… • Since Nov 2006 • 574 posts Report Reply

  • andrew llewellyn,

    No mention was made of Aragorn. No mention has been made that I've seen of Viggo. Aragorn's role pre-LOTR is pretty minor

    Well... he won't be needed for The Hobbit, but I imagine he'll make some appearance in the second - didn't he & the rangers track Gollum down for Gandalf? (um... been close to 35 years since I read it)

    but didn't teh necromancer episode occur before the events in the Hobbit?

    No - recall that Gandalf leaves the dwarves and the hobbit on the outskirts of Mirkwood,

    Oh yeah! Thanks Deborah.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    I don't know about 'Vodaphone price gouging on roaming' - doesn't everyone buy a cheap local SIM card instead? I know I have a nice little collection

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    Just to be contrary, the thought of more hobbits on screen depresses the hell out me.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • andrew llewellyn,

    the thought of more hobbits on screen depresses the hell out me.

    I think that it will be mandatory to have hobbits in every New Zealand film made from now on.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    I don't know about 'Vodaphone price gouging on roaming' - doesn't everyone buy a cheap local SIM card instead? I know I have a nice little collection

    well, firstly they expire rather quickly so that collection may be worthless. Secondly there seems little point, sitting in an airport for three or four hours, which I often do, buying yet another number so one can send a text or two to ones family.

    If one uses ones Vodafone card much of Asia now, the per-txt cost is 80c, via a local provider. If you buy a card for same said provider the local cost of the same SMS is in the cents.

    Now, I'm no expert on the rates charged inter-company (or, often, intra-company as these sometimes are Vodafone opcos) but a sometimes 1000% differential does seem excessive, no?

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • andrew llewellyn,

    More to the point - who will play young Bilbo?

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Rowe,

    More to the point - who will play young Bilbo?

    Another string to Russell's bow?

    Lake Roxburgh, Central Ot… • Since Nov 2006 • 574 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    Well... he won't be needed for The Hobbit, but I imagine he'll make some appearance in the second - didn't he & the rangers track Gollum down for Gandalf? (um... been close to 35 years since I read it)

    The things that Aragorn does between hobbit and LOTR are meet Gandalf, serve for 20something years in the armies of Rohan and Gondor, and then spend 15 or so years hunting Gollum, finding him in the Dead Marshes. I can't see a major theme in a movie there.

    It's going to need to be bumped way up to make it a significant part of a hollywood movie.

    In practical terms, if Aragorn was to be a major part of the movie, I think they would have negotiated with Viggo by now, and we would have heard something. If that's the hook the movie is going to hang on, and Viggo isn't on board, you've announced a movie that is going to lose a major star who played the role in three previous movies. Serkis and McKellen were both on board before they announced a director.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Are there going to be Hobbits in The Dambusters?

    "I say ginger he's on your tail, he's on your tail"
    "Sorry wingco, I'm too short to reach the controls, being a hobbit and that, old bean"

    Or Jackson could remake his best film, Braindead but have hobbits instead of zombies in the climactic "lawnmower zombie shredding" scene.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    Cliff Curtis has to be Bilbo.

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    Simon - true - some places you can top them up I keep a US one alive most of the time - but then we have a US VOIP number at home in NZ - mostly we used roaming to text "I'm staying at <insert hotel number>" and even that can be avoided if they offer free wifi - I'll be picking up an iPhone or whoever else first offers the ability to preferentially talk to my Asterisk box whenever wifi is available

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg,

    Paul, my experience is in Asia mostly, and, true, here one can top up although I rarely remember sadly. However my newish Indonesian on-account phone roams through the region so I'm going to be able to avoid the Vodafone charges and instead use my Telkomsel number to make my 6c an SMS international txts pretty much anywhere (including, they say, NZ) outside the US.

    Makes me smile, as does my last cellphone bill, some NZ$8.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Knightly,

    Could you do a one-hour Doctor Who show, I wonder?

    Just did a search and found this: 30 years of TV history condensed into a few minutes.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 25 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    I used to use a service in the UK which gatewayed an 0845 (national toll rate, 2p/minute or so) number into email - you got a mail with an MP3 of the message. Did fax as well.

    I haven't heard of that here, but we don't have the inbound revenue share thing.

    I think (but am prepared to be proved wrong) that the service Paul wants won't be provided in "official" functionality by any phone thats sold by an ISP on a subsidy plan. You could probably hack something together on Windows Mobile - or maybe Android, if it ever happens.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    s/ISP/mobile telco

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Ben Austin,

    I've been seeing £100 iphones, unlocked in a few rather, or at least potentially, dodgy stores around London of late. However there is apparently some sort of legal action going on in the background from Apple to stop this. Either way I won't even consider getting one till the 3G models are tried and tested.

    London • Since Nov 2006 • 1027 posts Report Reply

  • Felix Marwick,

    At the risk of joining the Tolkien geekdom.

    I would suggest there are certain aspects of the Silmarillion that would make a good film. For example the Narn I Chin Hurin - it's got all the elements you need. A curse, a family split apart, unrequited love, incest, and suicide (actually make that suicides) to name but a few.

    Delightfully dark and no annoying cutesy hobbit folk

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 200 posts Report Reply

  • Felix Marwick,

    it's got all the elements you need. A curse, a family split apart, unrequited love, incest, and suicide (actually make that suicides) to name but a few.

    Oh and I almost forgot.

    Murder at semi-frequent intervals.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 200 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    Since the stuff between Hobbit and LOTR are not written in long novel form, they can do anything. We know the basic plotlines that link the books, but they can make up an entirely new story if they want.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

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