French DoS Posters!

Although I would normally probably count as a Gallophobe (a person with an extreme aversion to France, French, and all things and people French... mostly because the sound of the language is like nails on a chalkboard for me), somebody on TORn (where I get all of my news nowadays) found these lovely posters for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in French. So I shall post them.

Well, most of 'em, since I didn't bother with the Tauriel one. My attitude toward her is neither positive nor negative. It is a mix of, "Meh," and, "Wait and see."

While the Bilbo poster isn't the greatest, it is infinitely better than that horribly photoshopped one released the other week. Everyone hated it; some suggested firing the whole photoshop team and starting anew. This one is passable, however. Even the Legolas one is lovely and looks quite interesting.

Everyone loved the Thorin poster, of course. All hail to His Majesty.

You know, I might even keep these pictures, because they *are* quite nice. And now I cannot say the words, "Quite nice," any more without saying it in the voice of Tom the troll from AUJ... *sigh* The perils of belonging to a fandom.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

Not At All Sorry For The Hobbit Spam

Looks like Bilbo with the map on the side of the Lonely Mountain. Can't wait to see the secret door!

It's Bard the Bowman and his kids (what happened to Mrs. Bard? Is she dead?). The boy is named Bain, and is canonically mentioned in LOTR/Appendices as having succeeded his father. The two girls, however, are thrown in for cinematic purposes. I don't mind, however, since I always figure that there must have been more children than just the lone son and heir. Plus, coming from a larger family myself, I always think that only children must get so lonely without siblings.

Although, that being said, siblings can also drive you crazy... Even so, wouldn't trade 'em for the world.

Bonus points: Bard's daughters are played by James Nesbitt/Bofur's girls. They look amazingly similar, don't they? (To each other, not to him necessarily.) It will be very funny if they run into Bofur in the movie... XD

I can't remember if I've posted this before or not. If I have, too bad. Here's Kili in Beorn's house or Laketown, one of the two. He appears to be giving someone a rather annoyed look. Not sure why. Guess we'll find out!

Is that Dale in ruins? Ahh, Thorin, what are you doing, wandering around in the snow dressed like that? Gloves or something would be of great use here. (I realize it's probably just a set picture, but even so...) Then again, maybe Dwarves are just naturally resistant to cold and heat. It makes enough sense.

On a completely different note, the red does look quite nice on Thorin, although I miss the blue coat. ;)

Five weeks exactly now, people!!!

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

Thranduil Being Fabulous... Again

A new image of King Thranduil was released! ...And I can't stop laughing. Behold:

One of these days I shall post something not related to The Desolation of Smaug... but it is not this day!

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

New DoS Trailer!

I know this one has been out for a couple days and that, if you're as much of a Tolkien nut as I am, you've already seen it. But I'm putting it up here anyway. I'm just posting this stuff slowly so I can make it last until December!

*goes off to listen to I See Fire for the fourteenth time*

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

I See Fire - Music Video

Look what Sir Peter Jackson posted. It's even more beautiful when clips from AUJ and DoS are thrown in to emphasize the point of the song.

This is what people on the Internet have been able to decipher of the lyrics:

Oh, misty eye of the mountain below,
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls,
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin's sons.

If this should end in fire,
Then we should burn together,
Watch the flames climb higher into the night,
Calling out for the rope, sent by and we will
Watch the flames burn over and over
The mountain side.

And if we should die tonight,
Then we should all die together.
Raise a glass of wine for the last time,
Calling out for the rope.
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn over and over
The mountain side.

Desolation comes upon the sky

Now I see fire
Inside the mountain.
I see fire
Burning the trees.
And I see fire
Hollowing souls.
And I see fire,
Blood in the breeze.
And I hope that you remember me.

Oh, should my people fall in,
Surely I'll do the same.
Come finding mountain holes,
We got too close to the flame.
Calling out for the rope,
All fuzzing we will
Watch the flames burn and over
The mountain side

Desolation comes upon the sky

Now I see fire
Inside the mountain.

I see fire
Burning the trees.
And I see fire
Hollowing souls.
And I see fire,
Blood in the breeze.
And I hope that you remember me.

And if the night is burning,
I will cover my eyes,
For if the dark returns then
My brothers will die.
And as the sky's falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow on the ground
I hear my people screaming out.

Now I see fire
Inside the mountain.
I see fire
Burning the trees.
And I see fire
Hollowing souls.
And I see fire,
Blood in the breeze.

I see fire (fire)
And I see fire (fire)
And I see fire (fire)
And I see fire (burn on and on and mountain side).

 

There are already videos on YouTube offering to teach you how to play this song. No, seriously. It's been out for, what - a day? This is the fandom to which I belong!

 

This is what Peter Jackson has to say about it on his Facebook page:

 

We have a tradition in our Tolkien films of having a song over the closing credits. It's very important that the song feels right for the world of the movie - and also carries the emotional resonance of the end of that particular film.

The Desolation of Smaug is no different. The ending of this film requires a voice and sensibility that will allow an viewer to process what they have just experie...nced.

It's always tricky to think of the right person to create and performance these songs. Someone who shares our passion for Tolkien, and somebody who is prepared to respect the film.

This year we are thrilled to have Ed Sheeran write and perform our closing song, "I See Fire".

My daughter Katie, deserves total credit for bringing Ed to our movie. He was touring New Zealand earlier this year, and Katie introduced me to his music. Beautiful haunting songs, full of passion and coming from a very genuine place in his heart.

We heard that Ed was a fan of our movies, so while he was playing in Wellington, we invited him around for a tour.

He then headed off to join Taylor Swift on a concert tour. But we had exchanged e-mail addresses.

A few weeks ago, we were puzzling about who to approach about the song that had to be written and recorded very quickly. We now had a strong feeling about the tone of the song, but we needed to find the right voice.

Katie reminded us about how great Ed's voice was, and how right it would be. Fran and I got it the second she mentioned it.

And I had his e-mail address.

I wrote to him on a Sunday morning, and asked if he was interested. He would need to fly down to NZ to see the movie, because it was critical he write from the perspective of the audience.

Within 48hrs he was in Wellington, having immediately jumped on a plane from London with his manager Stuart Camp, who was instantly supportive and helpful.

Ed watched the movie at Park Road Post, immediately went into a room, and started writing and singing. Much of what you will hear on this song was recorded that same day, with a few overdubs and tweaks the following day.

Despite having never played the violin in his life, Ed thought he might try overdubbing one himself, and Katie raced out to borrow a rather battered one from a school friend.

Pete Cobbin from Abbey Road was at Park Road mixing Howard's musical score, and was able to mix the song with Ed.

It was a great experience, and what you will see in this video are moments captured by our behind the scenes team during the creation of the song.

But the images are only supporting Ed's wonderful song. This is his direct emotional response to seeing The Desolation of Smaug, written and performed on the same day he saw the movie.

I am very proud to present "I See Fire”.

We're all going to see fire, come December 13th.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse



I SEE FIRE

The ending credits song for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has been revealed as, "I See Fire," by Ed Sheeran. Now, I know absolutely nothing about this guy, so I had no expectations as I listened to the song. At first, I was confused, since it sounds quite different than the rest of the songs from Middle-earth. (Then again, so did Song of the Lonely Mountain.) Guitar isn't the first instrument I think of for Middle-earth.

However, I kept listening... and at the end, I was crying.

Just listen to it all the way. Give it a shot. Don't do anything else while you listen to it. Just close your eyes and focus on the lyrics. This song is full of worry and terror and loyalty. I can practically see the destruction Smaug has wreaked and will wreak.

Listen to it here.

Do it.

I am so going to cry in theaters, I just know it.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

Our Loveable Dorks

The good thing about the AUJ EE, even if I do not get a physical copy of it until 2015 or whenever in the SEE, is that it has a lot of bonus material. And people take screencaps and make gifs of this bonus material. And I can find their gifs and screencaps and blog them.

Today: Aidan and Dean being their usual loveable, adorkable selves. For some reason, I have gifs of Dean and pictures of Aidan. Go figure.

Do they ever think before they make these facial expressions? Because you have to wonder sometimes...

I really want to know now what he's saying here, because that grin and nod just has mischief written all over. I still cling firmly to the belief that Fili instigates a lot of the trouble that Kili gets in trouble for. Hey, canonically, in The Unfinished Tales' "Quest for Erebor" Fili is the one to make fun of Bilbo's name when Gandalf tells the Dwarves he's found them a burglar. And so my idea is that Fili told Kili the hobbit's name was, "Mr. Boggins."

Headcanons. I've got a lot of 'em.

I'm... not real sure what they're doing here. Aidan's walking along like, "I'm cool," or, "Just chillin'," or, "Peace," or I'm not sure what. And behind him Dean's just walking along like he owns the place. I'm sure that Graham is not impressed with their antics. He does 'Grumpy Uncle Dwalin' very well, in my opinion. XD You know he had to have had a hand in training them and is actually quite fond of them underneath his gruff exterior.

I mean, just look at the way he groans, "Oh, you great galumphing git," when Fili walks across Bilbo's table. Dwarf families. Gotta love 'em.

I have a similar screencap, but this one's funnier, since his eyes are closed in it. XD Randomly pausing a DVD is always good for a few laughs.

The barrettes make me laugh every time. XD Reblog all the barrettes!

Bad hair day for Aidan, although he doesn't seem bothered by it. Happy Kili is happy. :)

On the other hand, adorable Fili is adorable. Can I just keep this gif on repeat at all times on my computer? Because reasons of Fili. Blond guys for the win.

Aidan, what are you doing? Kili and Fili are obviously having too much fun flying on a giant green-screen eagle... which is what they were doing in this screencap. Huh. What gave Fili those scratches? I suppose something must have nicked him when he, Kili, and Dwalin came to Thorin's defense there at the end. Wish I had been able to see it, though.

DESOLATION OF SMAUG NEEDS MORE FILI. You hear me, PJ? IT NEEDS MORE FILI!

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

All Souls' Day

Yesterday I was discussing with my sister about how we have no fear of graveyards. The stereotypical ones with the blackened, wrought iron railings, cracked tombstones with gargoyle faces on them, hostile owls peering down from dead trees, and long grass are never the ones you see, anyway. Ours is a very well-kept place (albeit the ground is rather squishy due to a mole problem) and it is not creepy at all.

In our parish, every Sunday closest to the Feast of All Souls we process to the cemetery and pray the Stations of the Cross out there for our departed brethren. It's very calming, actually. The words of the Stations are familiar, the rhythm of the Stabat Mater a cappella is familiar, the rustle of the wind in the trees is familiar, the sight of the graves is familiar. Nothing is in the least bit frightening or hostile. Why should it be? We go merely to greet those who have gone on before us, to assure them of our continued love and devotion. We pray for them and we ask them to pray for us.

Why is it that so many people fear or ignore the dead? One of the saddest Protestant mindsets I have ever encountered is their persistent belief that the dead are cut off from us, that we cannot help them (or should not!) and that they cannot help or hear us. They ask their living family and relatives to pray for them, but they will not ask their family and friends who have passed on before them to look down upon them from Heaven and put in a good word for them with our Heavenly Father.

It just makes no sense to me. The Communion of Saints is one of the most beautiful and consoling of all Catholic doctrines, in my opinion. What could be more comforting that the knowledge that those who have died before you are still truly with you? It turns what pagans thought of as an irreparable loss into merely an absence. Our departed brethren have not passed into the Void and can hear us no longer. They are still very much alive, and, God willing, we shall see them again one day.

The belief in the Communion of Saints, in addition to the familiarity of the All Souls' Day service, must really be what makes a graveyard such a calming place for me. It's a family reunion that transcends time and space. While waiting on the priest and the servers to arrive, we find the graves of our great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents and wait there until Stations begin. We do not have some superstitious fear about walking over graves, since we mean no disrespect. We are there to greet them and pray for them, and I think any soul whose body is buried in our cemetery is glad to see us gathered there.

Catholics have no fear of death. It is only a passing thing. We know that those who have gone through it are alive in Christ, on the other side, and we know that our day, too, is coming. What they have endured, we shall endure also. It is an heartening thought. We do not walk this life alone. We have the wisdom and prayers of all the saints before us to lead us on our way.

And now, because I found this gif and want to use it:

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

It's Brilliant, Brilliant, Briliant, I Say!

*cackles insanely*

In the words of the person on whose blog I found this: I HAVE WAITED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS GIF.

...You know, whenever I say, "It's brilliant!" to myself - even when I'm just thinking and not saying anything out loud - I say it in an Yzma voice. No kidding.

Then again, I can recite this entire section of the movie from memory and am not at all ashamed of that fact. In fact, anywhere from, "Pull the lever, Kronk," up to, "It's dinner time!" is fair game. Yup, I know it all. It's one of my weirder accomplishments. But who cares? XD

In Pace Christi,

Elyse

About A Month Left, Y'All!

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

It just sounds awesome. I need to say it out loud, full-length, more now. Oh, and, in case you're wondering, the gif is from a clip of the AUJ Extended Edition, which is available digitally now. I'm not sure if it's out on DVD and Blu-Ray yet. It probably is, in some places.

I'm not sure whether to get the EE's now, or wait until they do a Special Extended Edition (because you know they will). I have the SEE's for LOTR and would like the SEE's for TH as well. I may also be hoping that the SEE's will have cast commentary on them, because AUJ EE does not. Grr.

Oh, and news about the DOS soundtrack is coming out now!! *happy dance* It appears the cover will be purple. O.o. Whatever. I'm hoping that the cover for the TABA soundtrack is white and not teal, as some were suggesting, because I don't want the full TH set to look like Mardi Gras. Plus, if we do get a Battle of the Five Armies in the snow, a white soundtrack cover and movie case would tie in excellently with that.

Gargh. December 13th cannot come fast enough.

In Pace Christi,

Elyse