The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure

 THE HOBBIT- AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

Film buffs, let’s be honest anything that Peter Jackson has his name on ends up being some sort of a success. When you hear the name Peter Jackson, you probably think of The Lord Of the Rings. If you’re a little more clued up than that you’ll think of District 9- which I still don’t think can be classified as a South African movie!- King Kong, The Adventures of Tintin and most recently, The Hobbit. Ah, The Hobbit. 

I had to put that very British “Ah” in there for the sake of our South African born, JRR Tolkien- surprising right? That he’s South African born, I mean. Who knew that such a mind could be birthed in Bloemfontein, South Africa of all places? :) No…er… offence.

Moving swiftly along dear film buffs. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will inspire the first of the two part series in 2012. The plotline is pretty simple, unassuming Bilbo Baggins, our neighbourhood hobbit, is summoned by Gandalf the White on a journey that with thirteen other dwarves. Danger, battle, magic and the presence of a dark and strange magic quakes beneath the very earth they tread upon. Goblins, shapeshifters, sorcerers, Wargs and Orcs of every imaginable kind fill the atmosphere with nightmarish fear. Neverthless, Bilbo and his merry men must don on the belt of courage and wade through swamps of magic.

Nevertheless, they must fulfill their epic quest. They must repossess that Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the clutches of the dragon, the dragon which stirs up fear in the hearts of every creature, Smaug. 

But the epic voyage doesn’t end here. In fact, it’s just the beginning because the destiny of Middle- Earth is embroiled in the chance meeting between Bilbo and of course… Gollum. Gollum possess an enchanted ring that holds the power of life and death. Bilbo will possess this ring, as we know, and life as they know it, will be changed forever. 

Martin Freeman

(you might remember his performance in The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, or you might just remember… 42 ;) ) plays Bilbo Baggins and the rest of the cast has relatively remained the same. The same being the likes of Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom.

Toby Maguire (the first Spiderman franchise) was actually considered for Bilbo Baggins’ role which I think would’ve been awful because how does Pete Jackson expect anyone to dissociate Toby Maguire from Spiderman. Half the time we’ll be wondering why he didn’t use his spider sense against “Gobby”- granted there are enough Goblins and giant spiders to fill our screen, choosing Maguire would’ve been superfluous :p. 

Oh, one last thing. Can I say before I go that I absolutely love that this cast is gorgeously UKish or at least has some connection to the Queen, by that I mean New Zealandish or Australian. Like James Nesbitt, the great Ian McKellan and Legolas…ahem… Orlando Bloom.

 It somehow restores an original somethingness of Tolkien’s work. Anyway, it outta be a gripping watch. Maybe this time I’ll actually watch it in the cinema :). Wait…did I just admit to being a pirate…? ;). 

Here’s the trailer: thefilmkid.tumblr.com

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Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger

Those who know have dubbed 2012 the year of the superhero.

What with the advent of Marvel showing off on the silver screen with major blockbusters like Thor and Captain America and other major releases like Cowboys and Aliens, and Green Lantern. If you stayed past the credits- as any respectable film buff should (!!) ;) - you’d know that 2012 will see the first full installment of Avengers the film.

Recently, I’ve been getting into my superhero stories, I can’t lie, I love the action plot.The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Captain America begins with a few men looking amongst the Arctic deep for investigative work. They happen to stumble on something unimaginable, something that’s been breathing beneath the surface for almost 70 years: Captain America (Chris Evans).

The story then backtracks in time to the mid 1940s, in WW2 Brooklyn, where Steve Rogers, a seriously sickly young man- he has asthma, scarlet fever, heart palpitations, you name it, he’s probably got it- who lacks good health, but doesn’t lack heart.

He becomes embroiled in the latest experimental technological-cum-whatchamacall-it research to become a super soldier. America got a hold of Hydra’s, Nazi Germany’s occult technology division; The latest technology will make him super strong, super strong, super fast and super resistant.

Steve Rogers becomes America’s sharpest propaganda tool, but he wants more. He wants to be on the frontlines. He wants to be a soldier. He wants to die for his country. He attempts to save Bucky, his best friend and in the comics, his teenage sidekick, in the film they’re remarkably the same age.

 Hmm- and meets Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving who puts on a very convincing German accent, I might add) the leader of Hydra (Hail Hydra! As his minions seems to chant at every opportunity) face to face. Oh, it’s on.

Steve Rogers sacrifices his life for the woman he loves, Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell who acts well too) and the city of New York before plummeting to his Arctic death. Except he’s not dead, because of his accelerated metabolism, he survived, with the ice preserving his life.

The year is 1944; the radio’s belting out baseball commentary and Steve Rogers is awake. Except something’s amiss. If it’s 1944, then why is the radio playing the wrong game? He breaks out of the room to find that hid whole world has evolved into a monstrous monolith of the capitalist dream. While he slept, New York became the city that never sleeps. Enter Nick Fury, the head of SHIELD, he wants Captain America.

I found the capitalist patriarchy and American dream undertones very interesting, specifically in the face of the Iraqi and Afghan wars and naturally, the war on terror. It’s as if America’s reasserting her position in the world and simultaneously boosting the morale of the American idea, world-over.

Just like Thor, I found the storyline lacking in many places, rushed in others. But not to worry, it’s only because the real Avengers movie, next year, will blow every Marvel comic book superhero (and sidekick) away. The 2011 releases are merely setting the stage for what’s expected to be more thundering than Thor the Thunderer

and mightier than… well, mightier than. I’ll have to get back to you on… oh, mightier than the Hulk, naturally ;).

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

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Careening. That’s what we are doing. Racing to end this year off in some spectularly unique way. Determined to convince ourselves that we are better.

Brighter. 

More beautiful than we were last year.

And I wonder if we are.

I started this blog with the intention to ramble a little about a few failed friendships. Failed because someone forgot to put batteries in the back of the clock, correct the time and now the long hand’s in the short hand’s territory, and we’ve failed to tell the time. Failed to see that there is no time.

Failed because I’ve been refilling the sand in the hour glass and my hands feel heavy, burdened with broken promises and wasted effort.


What we have left is a bunch of scrapbook memories

teaspoons of sweet nostalgia; photographs on facebook of a school experience and maybe,  comatose souvenirs that I’m not so sure I’ll keep on life support. That’s exactly it! I feel like I’ve been the one putting in all the effort…but now I’m effortless.

 I don’t want to be a                                                                                                                                                                          half-weathered friend: half sun, half shade. I don’t want to be an acquaintance-friend. I prefer to be an acquaintance. It hurts a lot, but I need to let go and move on with my life.

Don’t get me wrong at all.  You probably think that I blame you guys for everything. If that’s what you think, then overthink it. I know I’m too blame as well. I know that. I absolutely do, because I gave up on this… because it doesn’t have a tomorrow, just a yesterday…

 You’ve all made your decisions. You’ve lived with them, regardless of what anyone thinks. I’ve made mine too. When we were real friends, you were good to me. And I hope you can say the same about me. But there’s another road I must journey on, and I’m taking it. Lives are roads, they are, some cross never to meet again, others….others might intersect, meet at a junction, knife or fork.  I feel like saying I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything to be sorry for.

This road that I’m on… it won’t meet yours for a while, but maybe one day it will. I don’t know whether I should hope for that, or merely discard the notion with a shrug. This idea of friendship between us, has faultiness the length of the San Andreas. Fault lines that are as deep as personality traits, habits, genomes.

If I say sorry, it will because it’s courteous and not because I really feel like what I’m doing is wrong.

And I know that you care, but in a hello-how are you- I’m walking away as you give me the answer sorta way. In a background sort of way, the way that you know your phone is in your back denim pocket. You don’t have to pat it to know it’s there.

But when it vibrates, when it rings, when the fault lines cause a tremor… then you’re more aware. Then you’re interested. But I’m not. Not any more. I wish you all the best. I really do. Take that or leave it, because when you all come back, a lot won’t be the same.

Ours has been a sort of… stained glass friendship, it a looks pretty, but you can see through it.

I can see through it. To the emptiness that is the other side.  I think you’ll be all right without me.  I hope you will be.  I guess this is my way of saying goodbye. And then again, hello.  To something different. To change.

“Where I’m

going…

you

can’t

come.”

 

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the-joyfaithlove-diaries: w o n d e r f u l l y .lets have an acousticjam session in a prettynightime setting like this?(:

the-joyfaithlove-diaries:

w o n d e r f u l l y .
lets have an acoustic
jam session in a pretty
nightime setting like this?
(:

I'm Waiting: Please pray

absolutelyinlovewithhim:

Please pray for this young Iranian pastor. He is going to be executed shortly for refusing to recant his Christianity. Put his picture as your profile pic, post this on other peoples pages, do whatever you have to but get people praying…

IMPORTANT UPDATE! Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani…

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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

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lifeandloveandx:

Are You, Are You Falling For Me?

We’ve got all night just to make it all right 

 Would you take a walk with me? 

I’ll give you all I’ve got just spare me your time 
And I promise you won’t want to leave 
Are you, are you falling for me? 
This time, we’ll find what we both need 

There’s an old oak tree 
We can swing and sway 

 
We’ll lock arms and lay (You’re so far away)

 
When I look at you 
You’re so far away 
Oh so far away 
Oh if you could you just let go 

Would you rest with me just for a while 
I’ll take you out of harms way 
Like these branches that shelter the rain 
We could lay here in our own shade 

__under_the_tree___by_xxxeternaldreamxxx_large
Are you, are you falling for me? 
Just watch, the two of us will see 



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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

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lifeandloveandx:

If you find yourself here on my side of town,

 
I pray that you’d come to my door

and talk to me like you don’t know
what we ever fought about.

 
I don’t remember anymore.

 
I just know that she warms my heart


and knows what all of my imperfections are.


She says that I am the brightest
little firefly in her jar.

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You’ll. never. let. me go. 

You’ll.

never.

let.

me go. 

True dat

wearenotpoets:

Two things you will NEVER find me doing.. Reading/watching twilight.. And reading/watching harry potter.

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You never really remember the beginning of a dream…

Hmm.

Howdy, all those on the other side of this snow globe called earth,

Sometimes there aren’t enough words to rightly say what’s on your heart…or even to express what’s going through your mind. Sometimes I’m eager for a future that’s already happened to happen again, but let me not get all Inceptiony on you.

Inception. Now that was a good guy. All right, so I don’t wanna be the kind of film buff that can only talk about movies and when you try and have a normal, perfectly natural, conversation with them, they tend to start quoting movie lines or tell you, “You know, your situation was like Ally’s in the Notebook or you made the same choice that the main in Man On Fire did.” I don’t do that, do I?

Who am I kidding, of course not ;). Seriously though, I don’t ;p

Anyway, back to Inception.

I absolutely loved the screenplay: it was exact and emotional and calculated. It’s the type of movie that rewards you for paying attention and I really admired that… :)

Chris Nolan is my new favourite director and screenwriter- not just because he’s darn awesomeness personified- but ‘cause he’s beautifully intelligent and sees movie-making as an art: a type of weaving together of tapestries within tapestries and dreams within dreams. 

Mmm.

That’s it for now, I’ve gotta go and do a bit of filming.

Buckets of

hope…

faith…

and love

Pumulo