The Second Hobbit Movie Has a Title

So what could follow The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey?  Well it was sort of a toss up to what the second movie would be called for awhile, but it now officially has a name.  The second installment comes to theaters in the United States on December 13, 2013 under the name of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

The Dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf will continue their journey onward from the Misty Mountains to try to get the gold back from Smaug the dragon.  The third installment will be released July 18, 2014.  We fans won't have to wait as long for that one. I for one am looking forward to the barrel escape and getting a glimpse of Smaug himself. 

Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I really liked The Hobbit!  I saw it the weekend it came out with all of the other Tolkien fans.  Bilbo was fantastic and exactly how I pictured he would be.  Some complain the movie starts out a bit slow.  The book actually starts out slow and descriptive which is how this kind of book/movie should, I think.  I thought the movie pretty much stuck to the story in the book or tried to create some back story for some of the characters, such as Thorin Oakenshield.  Overall, I think it did a fine job of telling the tale of The Hobbit. 

One of my favorite parts in the book is where Elrond gets a look at the map and discovers the moon runes.  This was well done in the movie and it was nice to see Rivendell again.  Another part that was true to the book was when Bilbo actually finds the ring and has to try to escape Gollum through a series of riddles (the Riddles in the Dark chapter in the book).  This was very well done, down to the point where Bilbo has the chance to kill Gollum but thinks better of it.  A very important part in the book.  All in all, the movie was very entertaining and visually stunning.  I can't wait to see the next installment next December.  Let me know what you think!

The Vocabulary of The Hobbit

Here is the first installment of my Hobbit lessons.  The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey is coming to theaters in December so what would be better that reading The Hobbit once again?  I couldn't really think of anything.  I reread the book to complete this vocabulary study and found it to be as delightful as I remembered it.  This product has over 90 pages of vocabulary words from The Hobbit in graphic organizers.  Many of these organizers have student-friendly definitions, ways for students to rate their understanding of the word, and space for non-linguistic representations.  Take a look at the preview below.  If you like it, it can be found in my store at:
The Vocabulary of The Hobbit


Hobbit Vocab Preview

Gandalf Bookmark

Here is a new bookmark just listed on my Etsy shop.  Gandalf the Grey is now in bookmark form.  He is made of wool and eco-felt and 100% cotton thread.

 
 Gandalf is complete with his staff and hat and is outlined with a neat blanket stitch.  He can be found on Etsy for $8.00 at this address:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/104837481/gandalf-felt-bookmark

Hobbit Wallpaper Generator

There is a very cool wallpaper generator for The Hobbit out currently. This generator lets you crop and expand a collage of scenes from The Hobbit and Unexpected Journey.  It can also generate mobile wallpapers, Facebook covers, and twitter skins.  I think it's a great idea and look forward to creating a Facebook page or something equally fantastic with it.  You can zoom out and in and scan the entire picture for a great image.  Here is an example:

Here is the link so you can make your own creations:
The Hobbit Wallpaper Generator

Previewers of the Hobbit Dislike 48fps Format

To "future proof"  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for years to come, Peter Jackson elected to shoot The Hobbit in 48fps (frames per second).  Some previewers of The Hobbit disliked this saying that it took away the warmth of the film and made it look like a sporting event or a behind the scenes featurette.  Peter Jackson countered the criticism by saying that it is easier to watch in 3D and the smoothness and clarity is enhanced.

This may very well help the film look better in the future as film technology becomes more advanced.  We have all seen an old film and realize it is the film technology that makes it look old.  As for the overall look of The Hobbit, I guess we will just have to wait and see!

Lord of the Rings Legos Available Now!

The Battle of Helm's Deep Lego Set

You can now buy Lord of the Rings Lego sets.  Sets available now include Gandalf Arrives ($12.99), Shelob Attacks($19.99), Uruk-hai Army ($29.99), Attack on Weathertop ($59.99), The Mines of Moria ($79.99), The Battle of Helm's Deep ($129.99), and The Orc Forge ($39.99).  You can also play with an interactive map of Middle Earth which is very cool.  It looks as though there will be more sets on their way as the map has many empty spots.  You can find the interactive map here:
http://thelordoftherings.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx?icmp=COUS22HomeWN1LOTRNewWebsite