The Hobbit

[KC]

I liked Avatar and A Christmas Carol in 3D and would love to see the new Alice movie in either 2D or 3D, but for me, I think The Hobbit would be a little distracting in 3D. Especially since Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson are at the helm, and both always find something that terrifies me. I do not do well with something terrifying jumping out at me, but if they're in 3D... *shivers*

The execs are gonna do whatever they think will earn them more money, but I have a feeling I'm just going to see it on a good ol' movie screen minus the 3D glasses and upcharge.

[Bryancd]

I saw AVATAR in 2D and 3D and felt the 3D was a superior experience. I want to see Alice as well as Clash of the Titans in 3D.

[Meds]

What was Clash like as a film and then as in 3D

[Bryancd]

I haven't seen it yet, it's not out.

[jedijeff]

One small complaint I have about 3D movies is more with the Theatres, and maybe it is just here in Canada. The 3D movies cost a bit more then 2D movies here, so if you use a movie pass, you still have to put in some extra to cover the difference since the pass is based off the 2D price. Just a minor complaint, but sort of defeats the purpose of the movie pass a bit.
Does seem like a trend that these big movies are going 3D, but I guess if the option to see it in 2D is there, then that should satisfy some. I guess though it is possible the 2D showings would be in the smaller Theatres in the Cineplex's/Movieplex's, so might miss out of the big screen experience.
Wish I could wear contact lenses, as I don't like the idea of wearing a pair of glasses on top of the ones I am already wearing, but I am sure over time I will adjust as 3D becomes more common.

[Rico]

The price is $2.50 more for a 3-D movie at the theater I go to.  So a $5.00 matinee price becomes $7.50 each.  Not worth it, in my view.  For me, the movie, story and characters are what makes a movie.  Not any 3-D effect.  I think they should keep "The Hobbit" in line with the other films and really they don't need the 3-D gimmick.

[Bryancd]

How is 3D a "gimmick" and why do we assume that the format in which a movie is filmed has any bearing on the quality of the story? Certainly in the past, 3D movies were made around he premise that they would be in 3D, but it would seem that's has changed to 3D being simply a new part of a films overall visual experience, kind of like the introduction of surround sound and other technological advancements.

[billybob476]

The only 'real' 3D movie I've seen was Avatar. Initially it actually made me a bit motion sick (I almost had to walk out of District 9 on account of the shakycam), but eventually I got used to it and didn't really notice.

I agree with Bryan, I feel like going forward this will become an standard, I just hope that at some point the technology gets to a point where we won't need goofy glasses.

[Bryancd]

Yeah, I just don't see good 3D and good story being mutually exclusive.

[Rico]

Yeah, I just don't see good 3D and good story being mutually exclusive.

Never said they were.  I just don't need it.  Put it this way, if a film is good in my view, it doesn't matter if it's 3-D or not.  People will still see and enjoy a good, non-3D film.  It is being "tacked on" to some movies that were never meant or intended to be 3-D.  The new "Clash of the Titans" is one example.  And that's where the "gimmick" factor comes in.

[ElfManDan]

It's the Hobbit so the story I know to be good and with Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro I trust it will be amazing 3D or not. And Lord of the Rings has amazing visual effects and still held together as a great story. I think the Hobbit is in the most capable hands and if they want to go 3D I think I'm ok with that.

[Geekyfanboy]

I see 3D as a way of further enhancing the movie experience.. but that goes for movies that are developed and shot with 3D in mind.. Like Rico I don't like the movies that are already shot and they tack on 3D just because they can.. now I feel that's a gimmick and they are trying to cash in on Avatar's success. I'm looking forward to the Hobbit and if it's shot in 3D and it enhances the overall story then it's worth the extra few bucks.

[Jobydrone]

I think 3D's a fad, primarily being cashed in upon by the studios as a means of drawing more folks to the theaters on the coattails of Avatar's success, and we wont be seeing it very much except maybe for the minority of a few huge budget blockbusters.  Once you get past the initial "wow that's cool" factor I fall into Ric's camp of it being not worth any extra money.  Too many people claim they get headaches either from the experience or the glasses, people that actually wear prescription glasses to see are annoyed by the whole thing, then there's the cost in production and the cost to the consumer...I believe 3D will continue to be the exception rather than the rule for quite some time.

[Bromptonboy]

Hobbit Part 2 Script Handed In
Posted: 19 Apr 2010 11:37 AM PDT
Peter Jackson spoke to Inside Movies recently and tried to put a brake on some of the stories doing the rounds.
When asked about the rumored delay to the start of shooting he pointed out that as the Hobbit was still waiting for the official green light from the studio no official start date had been set so it couldn't be delayed.
PJ goes on to say that they have just handed in the second Hobbit script and are now in the process of working out a budget that fits with the studios targets and then they will be announcing a date for the start of shooting.
"I'd be pretty optimistic that we'll be shooting before the end of the year. I would imagine October, November, we'd be shooting by. I'm not announcing it, though."
When asked the obligatory "Who's getting the role of Bilbo Baggins?" question again he tried to put to rest some of the rumors.
"We haven't signed any actors up yet, because we couldn't do that until they greenlight the movie. But I would imagine that if we get a green light within the next month or two, we would be hopefully making some casting announcements by, I guess, the middle of the year. We've done a little bit of auditioning, but we haven't really done any meetings with actors or anything yet. We've just been totally committed to the scripts. Everything's a little bit later than what people assume it is. I think people think we've been sort of doing secret casting."
He also went on to say that he would love to get the same actors for any of the characters who are returning from The Lord of the Rings but points out none have been approached yet or if they have, no deals have been done.
It's interesting to note that Sir Ian McKellen has changed his blog comments about the start of shooting The Hobbit 3 times now. It originally said shooting to start in May, was changed to July and now says "at a time to be announced."

[Bromptonboy]

Lord Of The Rings on Blu Ray Released With A Whimper
Posted: 12 May 2010 10:13 AM PDT
The release of The Lord of the Rings trilogy on Blu-ray seems to have been given the cold shoulder by the majority of Middle Earth fans.
Amazon.co.uk knocked the price down within a month of the release date from £74.99 to just £29.99 following 454 mostly negative reviews left by British fans.
At the time of writing the Amazon.com site has a staggering 3320 customer reviews, again the vast majority complaining that these are not the extended versions of the movies. It's worth noting though that the price hasn't been dropped.
2974 have given it just a 1 star rating and there seems to be some discussion as to whether Amazon tried removing written reviews where the reviewer left a 1 star just before release date.
One customer wrote:
"Very disturbing indeed. Amazon removed my 1 star lord of the Rings Blu ray review too. It was there for the last couple of weeks with a high helpful rating ratio and now its evaporated. As far as I recall there were well over 2600 total LOTR-TE BR reviews last time I looked. Now there are 2271. Is Amazon covering up for the studios' ripoffs or is it even worse - Is Amazon.com neglecting the freedom of speech and constitutional rights of its customers?"
So when can we expect the extended versions to be released on Blu ray?
Well don't hold your breath. It is widely expected that they would be out shortly before The Hobbit movie was due in the cinema to help build up a Middle Earth frenzy.
With The Hobbit continually being put back though you could be waiting for some time. latest rumors say The hobbit will be out for Christmas 2012 rather than the expected Christmas 2011.