Elder Scrolls Film: Bethesda Softworks' Vice-President on Possibilities & Peter Jackson

     Finder spoke to Bethesda Softworks VP, Pete Hines, at QuakeCon about the possibility of their properties becoming films as so many other video game publishers are doing.  Just this year there's been Ratchet & Clank, Angry Birds, and Warcraft, with the soon to be released Assassin's Creed film and yet another installment to the Resident Evil franchise.  There's been plenty already, and even more to come, so it makes sense to inquire about some huge franchises such as Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.
     Hines actually goes above and beyond with the responses and talks about why it's doubtful they'll move towards a cinematic universe and the potential for something with Peter Jackson.

We’re seeing a lot of publishers at the moment taking their IP to the silver screen; how far into the conversation have you been in turning your franchises into movies? 

Pete Hines: We get asked to all the time, but the short version is; we make games. That’s what we are known for. And this conversation usually falls into the camp of; are we going to let some other person do their own interpretation of what Fallout is, or Elder Scrolls is, or Dishonored is? Or are we going to hold onto it and let the developers be the only ones that are able to say, “this is what Fallout is, or Elder Scrolls, or Wolfenstein, or whatever?” 

So we want our developers to decide what our franchises are about and not a movie director, or producer, or studio. 

Even when they say, “oh no, you will have total control,” well, I don’t know anybody who actually has total control over the film adaptation of their video game. If you did, why would you not just make it yourself? Of course the film studio and the scriptwriter and the director are going to have a tonne of say. They will have their own vision. So we get asked all the time, but we see it as a distraction. We’re a video games company; let’s do what we know. 

     From here he expands on what it might take for the current game directors to come forward and make a film.  For added insight Bethesda Game Studios is part of ZeniMax Media, which has a lot of big names that could be tapped for films if the need or want arose.

So it would have to take a Todd Howard to come out and say, “I’m going to make this film myself?” 

Pete Hines: I think if Peter Jackson [Lord of the Rings director] turned up at Todd Howard’s office and said, “I want to do Elder Scrolls,” well that would be a pretty serious conversation you would have to listen to. So I don’t see us any time soon looking at movies. And if you look at our board of directors, we have Hollywood heavyweights like Jerry Bruckheimer, Leslie Moonves and Harry Sloan, so it’s not like we don’t know where to go if we want to get a film or TV show made. 

It’s more about, “Is this something we really want to do? What are we getting out of it? What kind of distraction is it going to create?”

     To me this makes great sense.  Not everything needs to be a film or TV show, and certainly not a film or TV show that takes a direction the actual creators don't want.  I mean Christopher Tolkien hates what Peter Jackson did to the Lord of the Rings series ( 1 , 2 ).  As for the Hobbit, I've been more than displeased with Jackson's absurdity with taking what should've been a single film and turning into an over-stuffed abomination.  Time and again I've complained.  But, here, Hines leaves me feeling good that it probably won't happen and we may rest assured that Jackson won't ruin another beloved series for the fans.

     Source [ Finder ] via [ GameRant ]

LEGO Dimensions: Ghostbusters Packs & Adventure Worlds Announcement

     LEGO Dimensions has finally given Ghostbusters fans something they've wanted for years, a game.  Not their own video game, but rather a fully open and explorable LEGO Dimensions Adventure World.

     The Ghostbusters expansions will include a Peter Venkman World Pack (to unlock the open world) with ECTO-1 and a Ghost Trap, and two Fun Packs, a Slimer and Slime Shooter as well as the iconic Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and a Terror Dog.

     Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today that there will be 14 Adventure Worlds in total coming for LEGO Dimensions.  Each offering an explorable sandbox area like LEGO Marvel Super Heroes' open city area, which was easily the best part of the game.  The LEGO Dimensions main set will come with 3 unlockable worlds- a DC Comics world through Batman, a Lord of the Rings level through Gandalf, and a LEGO Movie level through Wyldestyle.

     Here's the official description:

"LEGO Dimensions, the upcoming entertainment experience that merges physical LEGO brick building with interactive console gameplay, will include unlockable Adventure Worlds that provide open-world environments for players to explore. Separate from the game’s main story, players will be able to access 14 distinct Adventure Worlds for each entertainment property featured in the game. Every character in LEGO Dimensions has the ability to unlock the corresponding Adventure World of its brand to provide additional gameplay."

     LEGO Dimensions will be available Sept. 27th for PS4, PS3, XBox One, XBox 360, and the Nintendo Wii U.

     Source [ Gizmodo ]

Lego Dimensions Extended Trailer, Thoughts, and a Ghostbusters Pack Hint

     Warner Bros have officially announced their take on the videogame/toy crossover collectibles to compete with the Amiibos, Skylanders, and Disney Infinity.  I have to admit, the trailer is brilliant and they are mining some of their already firmly established properties quite well.
     Joel McHale immediately got my attention, and I noticed Gandalf and Batman are voiced not by the Lego actors- but by the sounds of it- Ian McKellan and Kevin Conroy respectively.  I could be wrong, but that's what they sound like.

     There are already a slew of other packs and sets listed that will be available, as seen glimpsed through the trailer above such as:

• Back to the Future levels with a Marty McFly minifig
• Ninjago team pack with Kai and Cole figures
• Ninjago fun packs with Jay, Nya, and Zane figures
• DC fun packs with Wonder Woman and Cyborg
• Lord of the Rings fun packs with Gollum, Gimli, and Legolas
• The Lego Movie fun pack with Emmet, Bad Cop, Benny, and Unikitty
• The Wizard of Oz fun pack with Wicked Witch of the West

     This has got me very intrigued, but alas, I've noticed they already missed out on 3 distinct Lego properties that would have me 100% on board- Lego Star Wars, Lego Marvel, and Lego Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Maybe the property rights just aren't there, or conflict as may be the case with DC and Marvel?  I just don't know.  I do know that they are monstrously popular on their own as toy sets, so it would be a gold mine waiting to be plundered in the Lego Dimensions realm.

Is this a hint for a future Ghostbusters level or fun pack?

     What does catch my eye is this possible hint to a potential Ghostbusters pack when Joel McHale uses the PKE Meter to scan the Lego Portal (See picture above).  We've already seen that they have a 30th Anniversary Lego Ghostbusters ECTO-1 pack available for order on the official Lego website, so will they be included in a future game set as well?  They did show a tornado clip from The Wizard of Oz, then included a pack for that...

     The only downside is the high cost of the starter pack, which Toys 'R' Us has listed at a whopping $99.99- the set includes the Lego Dimensions game, the portal Gateway base, and playable Gandalf, Batman & Batmobile, and Wyldstyle from the Lego Movie.

     Lego Dimensions is being developed by Travellers Tales and will be launched on September 27 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U.

     Source [ Lego Dimensions ]

Lego Hobbit: WB Leaves Players Hanging Without The Battle of Five Armies DLC, "There, but NOT back again."

     In another case of unfinished games, Warner Bros have cancelled the end of Lego The Hobbit.  Players take up the role of Bilbo Baggins, we get to go "There," and in news today, we find we will no longer be coming "Back Again."

There, but not back again...

     The Warner Bros.' Statement:

     "The LEGO The Hobbit videogame gives LEGO and Middle-earth fans a fun, new way to experience the legendary adventures of Bilbo and company as told in the first two films of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy. The game provides an excellent set-up for the concluding chapter of Peter Jackson’s film, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. There are no plans to develop DLC based on the final film of the trilogy."

    WB have also stated they have NO plans for another game based on the film.  So apparently, Lego Hobbit purchasers have been slightly deceived.  We were led to believe that the concluding chapter would become available at a later date so the story would be complete- alas, we now know that it won't happen- leaving us with essentially only two-thirds of the game we thought we would have been buying.

     It is really disturbing to me that now we have WB and Traveller's Tales Games leaving things incomplete and selling us essentially an unfinished product.  What we instead get is a playable trailer and set up to watch the third film.  This is a poor trend in gaming, the selling of parts instead of a whole product.  What a frustrating thought.
     Funnily enough, I still haven't opened my copy because I was waiting for the 3rd part to arrive as they had mentioned at the London Toy Fair in January 2014.  This has also made me hesitant to purchase their upcoming titles Lego Marvel's Avengers and Lego Jurassic World.


     Source [ Gamespot ]

But What About Second Winter Part 2: Elevenses.

     Once again we Minnesotans are subjected to ridiculous weather.  We went from summer, to fall, then to winter, and spring, then winter, then spring, winter, and spring, and now we are somehow back in winter again with all the vast amount of snow Mother Nature feels like burying us in.

     Well, I made the second winter meme before it was cool, and now have made a follow up to go with the quote I was using in the first one- this time it's about Elevenses, which naturally comes after second breakfast.

     I have to say, after returning to winter once more, I am really getting sick of having to shovel my way out of the house.

J.R.R. Tolkien's Beowulf Translation and Commentary Being Published

     For years I've read about Tolkien's take on the old epic poem Beowulf and now we'll finally get the commentary and his own translation on it.  In addition we'll be getting a series of lectures Tolkien gave at Oxford about the poem.

     Tolkien said the story was, "laden with history, leading back into the dark heathen ages beyond the memory of song, but not beyond the reach of imagination."  I am quite eager to read more of his thoughts on the epic.

     It was evident in both The Hobbit and his Lord of the Rings trilogy that he was heavily influenced by old stories, and being a Professor of Old English- Beowulf undoubtedly left a mark on his own work.

     The book will be available on May 22.

     The image is a screen cap from the excellent Neil Gaiman penned, Zemeckis Beowulf film.

     Source [ The Guardian ]

The Hobbit: Fantasy Literature Formal Paper: "It Lies Behind Stars"

     Here's my first formal paper for Fantasy Literature.  I originally wanted to do a paper on the way a bunch of the group's encounters were in slowly darker and darker settings, and how that gave a kind of indication of how dangerous the adversary was, but I ended up focusing specifically on Gollum's Cave.  A strange place he lives far below the goblin's dark regions, and has a few other unique things about the setting- such as Bilbo being primarily blind through it due to pure darkness.  Maybe not completely, but close enough.

     Anyway, I titled it after a line of Gollum's riddle of the dark, which I believe ties in to most of his riddles and the situation at hand.  I also feel that this is possibly the most important scene in the book- when Bilbo faces both the physical dark, and the dark of his inner being.  Helpless he faces a challenge unknown to any of the others he's been separated from and he comes back a different person.

It Lies Behind Stars

During the reading of The Hobbit, I was struck by an interesting piece of setting and how it affected a specific character.  Originally I planned to do it on a type of setting- the dark.  All the adversaries the troupe of The Hobbit faces are in a form of dark such as the trolls at night, the spiders in the dimly lit Mirkwood, and Smaug in the Lonely Mountain itself- but the one that intrigued me the most was a different dark- the dark of Gollum’s cave.  The less light available, the more dangerous the situation, and the more profound the outcome.  I think the particular darkness of Gollum’s cave was something that heavily shaped Bilbo.

INTO THE DARK
     What initially sets this darkness apart is that Bilbo awakens into it.  “When Bilbo opened his eyes, he wondered if he had; for it was just as dark as with them shut. No one was anywhere near him. … He could hear nothing, see nothing, and he could feel nothing except the stone of the floor.” (68)  This sets up something more than just plain old dark.  He isn’t just deprived of his senses either.  He is now alone, without the aid of Gandalf or any of the Dwarves.  He starts out groping and feeling around on all fours, confused and lost, he is literally crawling in the dark.  Absentmindedly he picks up a ring, which comes in later after leaving the cave.  He couldn’t light a match because of potential threats being drawn to him, but he does find a small light.  His sword Sting- “It shone pale and dim before his eyes. … and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.” (69)  He is forced to go on his own, no other choices, and he doesn’t just accept it- the only thing to do in his mind is to go forward.

SEEMINGLY ENDLESS DEPTH, ROOTS OF THE MOUNTAIN
     "On and on he went, and down and down ... It seemed like all the way to tomorrow and over it to the days beyond." (70)  Bilbo was passing deeper and deeper into darkness, pushing through fear, “long he kept on like this, hating to go on, not daring to stop, on, on, until he was tireder than tired.” (70)  Physically draining him, and even Sting’s light was fading, leaving him at a pool in a cave.  I think Bilbo came across an external representation of something like Mimer’s Well in Norse mythology- a source of wisdom and knowledge.  He’s worn out and tired and come to a strange place under great circumstance, where he comes across a very curious being, Gollum.  Gollum is described with a few very important features here- he’s “as dark as darkness” and has big “lamp-like” eyes. (71)  I believe the references to Gollum’s eyes being like light’s in the dark, or his ability to see in the dark, is very, very important.  Bilbo is practically blind and he has come across something that can not only see, but uses the dark as a weapon.

     The fact Gollum doesn’t cause the water to stir, “but never a ripple did he make,” is of note as well, because that means Bilbo is up against a mirror of sorts. (71)  A match against something described as “quick as thinking” in what will be a battle of wits and cleverness. (71)  Bilbo is facing a creature that represents his ultimate villain, the darkness inside- which Bilbo picked up.  You see Gollum refers to himself as “my precious” at first, then the ring is called that a bit later (72).  Gollum can be seen as being part of the ring and the ring is a part of Gollum.  A piece of darkness made solid which Bilbo now carries.  So the pool has become a reflection of what he could become- namely a lone individual far from any society on an island in the dark.  A symbolic piece of himself being shown in the odd creature Gollum, displaying the fact he must overcome the dark and gain insight into the world.

THE ANSWER WAS ALL ROUND HIM
     Bilbo meets the challenge of the dark.  He cheats the one that wants to cheat him in a game of riddles.  Fighting the dark with dark’s own weapon.  Gollum poses this riddle:

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter. (75)

     Bilbo knows without even thinking what the answer is.  He has instant recognition of the situation somewhere subconsciously.  ‘"Dark!" he said without even scratching his head or putting on his thinking cap.’ (75)
     Bilbo could sense “that the darkness had sharpened” and “Though he was only a black shadow in the gleam of his own eyes” he knew he had to get out of the dark. (86)  “He must get away, out of this horrible darkness.” (86)
     His initial urge is to kill Gollum.  But he rises above the easy way, the dark path of simply killing Gollum.  “He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried to yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled in Bilbo's heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering.” (86-87)

     But in coming out of the dark a ways, on the way back to the light- he brings that light into his actions.  He takes a leap of faith and jumps over Gollum and into a new life.

IT COMES FIRST AND FOLLOWS AFTER
     Bilbo entered this cave in the dark (unconsciously), and in escaping back to the light (knowledge/wisdom), he waged his life and came out alive.  Bilbo was knocked unconscious and faced an almost warped mirror version of himself on an island, in a pool under the misty mountains- and when he emerged he carried that darkness with him along with a newfound perspective.

     When returning to the light Bilbo maintains his humanity (Hobbitmanity?) by sparing Gollum in recognition of the overwhelming darkness that he's trapped himself in.  Bilbo could allow the darkness to overwhelm, but he held the darkness at bay inside him- by sparing Gollum.

     But the darkness follows him.  He carries the ring which has a unique ability, “…and if you slipped that ring on your finger, you were invisible; only in the full sunlight could you be seen, and then only by your shadow, and that would be shaky and faint.” (81)  He becomes a faint darkness himself in the form of shadow.  He’s mastered the darkness he faced under the mountain, much deeper and darker than the dwarves with the goblins when they got separated, and came away with a ring and, much more valuable, a lesson that resulted in courage and bravery.  While all of the group went into the Misty Mountains and faced dangers in the dark, only Bilbo faced that inner darkness, without relying on physical strength or prowess, in the cave and reaped the most from it.


Works Cited:

Tolkien, J.R.R.  The Hobbit.  1937.  Revised Edition (1982)  New York: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1997.  Print.

The Hobbit: School Reading Response 3- "I AM LUCKWEARER" & Hobbitually Lucky

     Here is my 3rd and final reading response to the Hobbit.  It actually is something, that as far as I've found no one else has considered yet- the Bilbo does in fact have a sort of magic.  It would also explain all those moments that were all too convenient to save the group, or finding items like the weapons or even being just in the right place and time to see the moon-runes.
     Here you go, I may do another cleaned up and better written version just because.

Bilbo has more luck than all of the rest of Middle Earth combined

     The Hobbit has a strange underlying magic that I believe has gone long overlooked.  It has  to do specifically with our tiny friend Bilbo Baggins.  There is something mentioned constantly through the book and runs through it's entirety. 

     In the beginning of the story we get to hear that the highly revered wizard Gandalf has chosen a burglar for a group of dwarves, in the hopes he will help them retake their home from the dragon Smaug.  I had to go back and look up a bunch of things to make sure I caught them properly, but this is what I believe to be the initial idea- when the dwarves are all questioning why Gandalf would have chosen Bilbo, his response is, "You asked me to find the fourteenth man for your expedition, and I chose Mr. Baggins. Just let any one say I chose the wrong man or the wrong house, and you can stop at thirteen and have all the bad luck you like, or go back to digging coal."   

THE LUCKY NUMBER 

     Many people seem to have hinged the bad luck on the number, which very well could be partly true, but I believe otherwise.  I think Bilbo has a subtle form of magic- an aura of luck that surrounds him.  He was chosen specifically as the lucky number.  Gandalf didn't choose a great leader, or an amazing elf hunter, or even himself as a wizard- he chose Bilbo.  For being a burglar of all things!  He chose a little unassuming Hobbit to join the dwarves.
     After the party's first antagonistic encounter with the trolls, the signs have already begun.  Sure, when he tried to burgle a troll a talking purse gave him away, but things went oddly well, and Gandalf had arrived in the nick of time to turn the trolls to stone.  But in this encounter it gets a little bit better when they are attempting to locate a way into the trolls' stash:  "Would this be any good?" asked Bilbo, when they were getting tired and angry. "I found it on the ground where the trolls had their fight." He held out a largish key, though no doubt William had thought it very small and secret. It must have fallen out of his pocket, very luckily, before he was turned to stone."
     That seems like an awfully convenient occurrence. 

     Later when they are travelling in the mountains and the storm giants are fighting the group is once again blessed with luck as nothing crushes any of them. ("Boulders, too, at times came galloping down the mountain-sides, let loose by midday sun upon the snow, and passed among them (which was lucky), or over their heads (which was alarming).)  

     Then Bilbo just happens to find a ring, and not just any old ring either- the magical One Ring.  It happens that he finds clues and accidentally answers riddles with Gollum correctly.  A bit later than that luck saves Bilbo again when having the riddle contest with Gollum when he accidentally cheats (again, as the question posed was an unfair question that Gollum couldn't know) by asking himself what's in my pocket and Gollum guesses "Handses!"
     "Wrong," said Bilbo, who had luckily just taken his hand out again. "Guess again!"  If he hadn't pulled his hand out he would've been a much worse cheater because Gollum's answer would've been accurate. 

     The luck strikes again when fleeing the goblins ("There will be a bit of moon, if it keeps fine, and that is lucky."-Gandalf) and the Wargs ("For a time they were safe. Luckily it was warm and not windy.")
     Perhaps it is an indication that Gandalf may know about the luck, maybe even subconsciously, when he has to part ways with Bilbo and the dwarves and says, "I always meant to see you all safe (if possible) over the mountains," said the wizard, "and now by good management and good luck I have done it."  Maybe he suspects favor is on their side, but not the root cause of it. 

     The advice Beorn gives has a touch of it as well, "That is all the advice I can give you. Beyond the edge of the forest I cannot help you much; you must depend on your luck and your courage and the food I send with you. "  Do the magical type beings have an instinctual feel for magic somewhere deep inside them?  Like small magics calling to each other? 

     Gandalf makes a habit out of mentioning the luck.  "We may meet again before all is over, and then again of course we may not. That depends on your luck and on your courage and sense; and I am sending Mr. Baggins with you. I have told you before that he has more about him than you guess, and you will find that out before long."  And again when he says, "Stick to the forest-track, keep your spirits up, hope for the best, and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day and see the Long Marshes lying below you, and beyond them, high in the East, the Lonely Mountain where dear old Smaug lives, though I hope he is not expecting you." 

     Bilbo passes out due to elven magic in Mirkwood forest and is saved due to, you guessed it, LUCK!  ("They were just giving up hope, when Dori stumbled across him by sheer luck.")
     A bit later his luck is shown a bunch with the spiders.  ("Then the great spider, who had been busy tying him up while he dozed, came from behind him and came at him. He could only see the things's eyes, but he could feel its hairy legs as it struggled to wind its abominable threads round and round him. It was lucky that he had come to his senses in time. Soon he would not have been able to move at all.")  When dealing with the spiders, it appears his luck is in overdrive.  Maybe it's effects were enhanced by the One Ring- it could've been somehow compounding the luck.
     ("In the end he made as good a guess as he could at the direction from which the cries for help had come in the night - and by luck (he was born with a good share of it) be guessed more or less right, as you will see.")
     ("With that he turned and found that the last space between two tall trees had been closed with a web-but luckily not a proper web, only great strands of double-thick spider-rope run hastily backwards and forwards from trunk to trunk. Out came his little' sword. He slashed the threads to pieces and went off singing.")
     ("I don't suppose he would have managed it, if a spider had not luckily left a rope hanging down; with its help, though it stuck to his hand and hurt him, he scrambled up-only to meet an old slow wicked fat-bodied spider who had remained behind to guard the prisoners, and had been busy pinching them to see which was the juiciest to eat.") 

     Now for a slight proof that the ring and luck are separate, because some think it may be the ring itself.  ("Knowing the truth about the vanishing did not lessen their opinion of Bilbo at all; for they saw that he had some wits, as well as luck and a magic ring-and all three are very useful possessions.")  Just a tad bit more proof that the luck has been with them since Bilbo joined the group. 

     When he is trying to rescue the dwarves it is especially mentioned.  ("When he heard this Bilbo was all in a flutter, for he saw that luck was with him and he had a chance at once to try his desperate plan. He followed the two elves, until they entered a small cellar and sat down at a table on which two large flagons were set. Soon they began to drink and laugh merrily. Luck of an unusual kind was with Bilbo then.")  Not just any sort of luck, but an unusual kind.  An extraordinary kind.  It keeps popping up- over and over.
     His luck manages to save both himself and all the dwarves in the barrel escape section.  ("I do hope I put the lids on tight enough!" he thought, but before long he was worrying too much about himself to remember the dwarves. He managed to keep his head above the water, but he was shivering with the cold, and he wondered if he would die of it before the luck turned, and how much longer he would be able to hang on, and whether he should risk the chance of letting go and trying to swim to the bank.
     The luck turned all right before long: the eddying current carried several barrels close ashore at one point and there for a while they stuck against some hidden root. Then Bilbo took the opportunity of scrambling up the side of his barrel while it was held steady against another. Up he crawled like a drowned rat, and lay on the top spread out to keep the balance as best he could. The breeze was cold but better than the water, and he hoped he would not suddenly roll off again when they started off once more. Before long the barrels broke free again and turned and twisted off down the stream, and out into the main current Then he found it quite as difficult to stick on as he had feared; but he managed it somehow, though it was miserably uncomfortable. Luckily he was very light, and the barrel was a good big one and being rather leaky had now shipped a small amount of water.)
     Then after losing the dwarves he ends up finding them once again.  (He scrambled down as fast as his stiff legs would take him and managed just in time to get on to the mass of casks without being noticed in the general bustle. Luckily there was no sun at the time to cast an awkward shadow, and for a mercy he did not sneeze again for a good while.
     As he listened to the talk of the raftmen and pieced together the scraps of information they let fall, he soon realized that he was very fortunate ever to have seen it at all, even from this distance. Dreary as had been his imprisonment and unpleasant as was his position (to say nothing of the poor dwarves underneath him) still, he had been more lucky than he had guessed.) 

I AM LUCKWEARER 

     The Lonely Mountain shows that the luck continues.  Thorin says, "Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size, and if I may say so possessed of good luck far exceeding the usual allowance-now is the time for him to perform the service for which he was included in our Company; now is the time for him to earn his Reward."
     Part of Bilbo's reply is this, "Perhaps I have begun to trust my luck more than I used to in the old days"
     Then later Bilbo says, "I have no idea at the moment - if you mean about removing the treasure. That obviously depends entirely on some new turn of luck and the getting rid of Smaug."  And this does come to pass.  As the Thrush that overhears him passes the information to Bard the Bowman, who uses that information to slay the dragon. 

     While Bilbo, still thinks it isn't himself causing all the luck (Hurriedly Bilbo stepped back and blessed the luck of his ring.) but he thinks it's the ring doing it.  He has so much of it that it effects everything and everyone around him.  He has an inkling that it's there, but to how great an extant- he has no clue!
     When he starts his conversation with Smaug, and is asked his name he says, "I am the clue-finder, the web-cutter, the stinging fly. I was chosen for the lucky number."  Something I think is far more important and completely goes right by everyone.  "I was chosen for the lucky number."  Of course the conversation goes on- 

     "Lovely titles!" sneered the dragon. "But lucky numbers don't always come off." 

     "I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer" 

     "If you get off alive, you will be lucky." 

     "Why not say 'us fourteen' and be done with it. Mr. Lucky Number?" 

     Then Bilbo makes a break for it.  One in which he is saved yet again by ridiculous luck.  (It was an unfortunate remark, for the dragon spouted terrific flames after him, and fast though he sped up the slope, he had not gone nearly far enough to be comfortable before the ghastly head of Smaug was thrust against the opening behind. Luckily the whole head and jaws could not squeeze in, but the nostrils sent forth fire and vapour to pursue him, and he was nearly overcome, and stumbled blindly on in great pain and fear. He had been feeling rather pleased with the cleverness of his conversation with Smaug, but his mistake at the end shook him into better sense.)  He escapes by luck and circumstance!   

     After the battle of 5 armies- which Bilbo very luckily avoids any harm in against the Goblins and Wargs he meets up with Gandalf, who mentions again the luck of this Hobbit.  (When Gandalf saw Bilbo, he was delighted. "Baggins!" he exclaimed. "Well I never! Alive after all - I am glad! I began to wonder if even your luck would see you through!")
     The adds a nice little touch to the idea of Bilbo's luck- which makes me wonder- is Gandalf truly aware of it?  And Bilbo himself would probably just believe it was the ring- as he is quite content to be a little fellow of no esteem. 

     "Of course!" said Gandalf. "And why should not they prove true? Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!" 

     "Thank goodness!" said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar. 

     This luck would also explain all the coincidental occurrences throughout the story.  Each occurrence that happened in the nick of time, how everything fell into place just right, and how stuff like being in the right place and right time happened for the moon-runes.  It would explain how salvation was quite convenient. 

     In the end we readers happen to be just like Gandalf and the dwarves- we recognize there is something special about Bilbo, and there must've been a reason he was chosen.  The problem is we are all constantly failing to see what that something is.  His all pervading luck is just as unseen and overlooked as Bilbo is himself.  Could Gandalf see it truly?  Or was he aware of that odd something, like a fish not seeing the water that is surrounding them. 

     Smaug was right- Bilbo's luck didn't come off- time and again, it held through the entire journey, from there and back again it never faltered- it carried him the whole way.

     And if you've made it this far down here is a meme I adapted from one I made up for the Desolation of Smaug post I did.  A CSI: Middle Earth Meme, if you will.

Throughout There and Back Again,

It looks like Bilbo is...

( •_•)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)

Hobbitually lucky.

YYYYEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

The Hobbit: My 2nd Reading Response for Fantasy Literature: No Time For Describing Urgency

     Here's my 2nd reading response about the Hobbit.  It's kind of about my irritation about how the narrator breaks the story by telling you information and tell you about a situation's urgency, then cuts it off. 

Joshua Barsody
Reading Response 2 

     "No time now!" said the hobbit. (p178) 

     I have noticed that the narrator has a habit of inserting things to point out that there is a hurry.  Inserting offhand comments into the story to try and convey an extra sense of urgency of the situations in the part of the story being read.  I find it to be frustrating and annoying- actually making me somewhat angry at the story for disrupting the flow to say something like: 

     "There is no need to tell you much of his adventures that night, for now we are drawing near the end of the eastward  journey and coming to the last and greatest adventure, so we must hurry on." (p187) 

     Really?  If it wasn't important, why even bother drawing our attention to something unnecessary?  Why not just skip it?  Get to the important and urgent parts we want to read.  The same goes for the "as you will see."  Like when Bombur doesn't want a safety rope, "Luckily for him that was not true, as you will see." (p207)  We don't need to be told what to look for.  Even young readers will pick things up- not all readers, but I feel this is a redundancy in the book.  It would've been just as effective and just a bit less condescending to leave the "as you will see" off. 

     "That leaves you just ten minutes. You will have to run," said Gandalf. 

     "But-" said Bilbo. 

     "No time for it," said the wizard. 

     "But-"said Bilbo again. 

     "No time for that either! Off you go!" (chapter 2 online version) 

     They become speed bumps in the road and serve to knock one out of the story.  It becomes such a pain.  Here's a great example, and in fact the one I had the biggest issue with, "As a boy he used to practice throwing stones at things, until rabbits and squirrels, and even birds, got out of his way as quick as lightning if they saw him stoop; and even grownup he had still spent a deal of his time at quoits, dart-throwing, shooting at the wand, bowls, ninepins and other quiet games of the aiming and throwing sort-indeed he could do lots of things, besides blowing smoke-rings, asking riddles and cooking, that I haven't had time to tell you about. There is no time now." (p158)  If there wasn't time now you wouldn't have wasted an entire paragraph mentioning things that aren't at least a bit necessary. 

     It feels like a cheap way to direct attention, but it is more of a distraction.  Information that could've been threaded through the book in small spurts gets skimmed and shoved into a small note, and promptly written off.  Hey here's a bunch of information I could've told you earlier, but I forgot- so here it is, oops wait- no time for that now! 

     "No time now!" cried the raftman. (p188) 

     The story should provide ample evidence of dire circumstances, we, as readers, shouldn't need to be reminded constantly.  It deprives us of the discovery and experience that is occurring in the story.  I mean really, what's that old advice?  Show, don't tell.

     I would've liked to tell you about how I searched for the quotes, and how the class is discussing various things, but there's no time for that now.

The Hobbit: We Have a Gandalf Meme and a Reading Response

     I haven't blogged in a few days and I feel kind of bad about it.  The reason is because I'm back in school full time in addition to working 45+ hours a week in patient care.  Well, I figured I'd knock out a blog with a meme I thought of while writing a reading response to my Fantasy Literature class' first book The Hobbit.

     This is just a bit of irritation I feel at how Gandalf is used as a back door solution to EVERY problem that arises.  Clearly I'm not the best writer by any means, but you'll get the point.

     Here's the paper/response:

Joshua Barsody

Reading Response 1

     An issue of convenience.

     There is something that bothers me quite a bit about the Hobbit, and that is the problem of convenience.  Every step of the way a strange new peril arises and it's solution is so perfectly easy that it's a let down.  The peril wasn't really peril because [ fill in the blank ].  

     The first noticeable one is with the trolls encountered by Bilbo and the dwarves.  Bilbo tries to pickpocket a troll and the troll just happens to have a purse that happens to spek! (p36)  All right, a very odd occurrence in a strange land, I can accept that, but then things get better!  Gandalf arrives and saves the troup due to the stupidity of the trolls- and upon searching the trolls stash- they find two famous weapons(p42)!  Named blades, Orcrist and Glamdring, that Elrond know-it-all just happens to know on sight.  These two also happen to be recognized by goblins (later in the story), one would guess by such amazing verbal descriptions because I don't think goblins live long enough to recall something that happened "ages ago."(p52)  

     (Note: for the above, I know the weapons are named with runes, but wouldn't people name their weapons after others' famous weapons?  Perhaps, like naming a child after family or friends.  It just seems too easy for the weapons to both be singularly named and have a history known to Elrond and the goblins that probably should've been forgotten "ages ago.")

     Once again, that's not soooooo bad.  Now we get to a real whopper, the first one I rolled my eyes at.  “Moon-letters are rune-letters, but you cannot see them,’ said Elrond, ‘not when you look straight at them. They can only be seen when the moon shines behind them, and what is more, with the more cunning sort it must be a moon of the same shape and season as the day when they were written.” (p53)  Are you effin' kidding me?!?  So they just happened to not only be there looking at the map, but also in the same season, under the same shaped moon (with the map held up to it's light, instead of being read in candle light), AAAAAND also -quite conveniently- with an individual that can read them?!?  It feels so ridiculous that all that happened by sheer coincidence that it knocked me out of the story.

     "Of course it was Gandalf." (p65)

     For the biggest piece of convenience in writing- Gandalf, the get-out-of-jail-free wizard.  In most circumstances the dangers our Ereborian friends (and Bilbo) get themselves into don't feel like actual danger.  They have a wizard!  One that's power is whatever is necessary at the moment except when it's Eagles, because somehow, Eagles trump Gandalf's ace card.  And on top of that- if Elrond is Mr. Knows-it-all, then Gandalf is Mr. Knows-a-guy.  When he needs answers he knows who can.  Why aren't there unanswerable questions and mystery?  Why isn't there real danger?  Granted, there is a chance it may play to the fact that if Gandalf leaves it'll force the over-reliance on Captain Cop-out with magic to save the day to end, and make the others actually save their own butts.

     Bilbo and the gang run into trolls?  A wild Gandalf appears! (p41)  Caught by goblins and in need of saving?  Gandalf to the rescue! (p64)  Surrounded in warg territory and stuck in trees?  Gandalf is on the job... with the aid of some Eagles. (p 107)

     Gandalf, while needed for the story, is too bothersome with how often he continually saves them (and vanishes).  It is bothersome enough for me to wonder- what are the dwarves doing anyway- he's practically babysitting them, and other than Gandalf starting them all forward, none of the dwarves has really contributed to their journey in any meaningful way yet.  They are just bearded children following the fix-all grandpa Gandalf, and feel unnecessary in what should rightly be their own tale instead of a checklist of things they were saved from by Gandalf.

     So without Gandalf and all the convenient saves/problem solving the dwarves would all be dead.  Disturbing but true.

The Desolation of Smaug Full Trailer and a Hobbit Meme

     Since the new Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer has been released, I might have to say something about it.  We get some Legolas' love life, Bard the Badass Bowman, and Smaug's sultry voice.  Not too shabby at all.  Although I'm still not happy Peter Jackson has turned the smallest book into the bloated new trilogy, I'll see this and enjoy it anyway.  Although I still refuse to buy any of them until the 3rd film is released with a special edition set with ALL the extra features and footage included.  I'm not paying for the same movies 3 times over.

     And because I said I'd make a meme, and don't have access to Photoshop at work, I made an ASCII CSI Miami meme... ok it's CSI Middle Earth.

In the Desolation of Smaug Trailer-

It looks like Bilbo's becoming...

( •_•) 

( •_•)>⌐■-■ 

(⌐■_■)

A Hobbitual liar.

YYYYEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

     Yes.  I know I'm dumb.  But I hope you laughed anyway.

     ...and I'm still going to pronounce it SMOG, not Smawooooog.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Extended Edition

     My worst Middle-Earth fears are coming true.  The Dark Lord Sauron has deemed turning a 300 page book into 3 movies not enough!  Now he has used his evil arts to add more footage to a bloated movie.  I can't wait until he decree's that Peter Jackson is to pull a George Lucas in 20 years and add entire new CG characters and splice in Tom Bombadil's story.

     I CANNOT be the only person to feel like this when hearing about the extended edition:

     I love the Lord of the Rings films, but The Hobbit is stretching things out too much.  Jackson was right to axe a ton of material, so what happened?  I've said it in plenty of other blog posts- there needs to be an edit to crop all the extra fat off the film. 

     Anyways- we'll be getting more dickish Dwarves in Rivendell, more Goblin Town, Hobbiton, and a Goblin King song.  As well as...

"We are putting things in the extended cut that are going to play straight into the second film," explains Jackson, "like this character Girion, who is defending [the city of] Dale using black arrows against Smaug. And the black arrows play a part in an ongoing story, for they are the one thing that can pierce the dragon's hide." 

"There are also issues with [king of the elves] Thranduil (Lee Pace)," Jackson adds. "We get some of the reason why he and the dwarves had a falling out - to do with these white gems..."

     It sounds like some Silmarillion material to me...

     The extended edition of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released about a month before The Desolation of Smaug's December 13th release date.

Source [Empire Online]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer thoughts

     Once again Peter Jackson has graced us with extraordinarily long and sweeping shots of beauty in the next Hobbit's trailer.  Studio's incessant greed is getting out of hand and the films are suffering for it.  Really, the only way a trilogy should work in this case is if each film was a slim 30 minutes. 
     Concise and well edited, The Hobbit could've been a masterpiece.  But NO-O-O-O, gotta make the coin, and horde it like Smaug himself. 


Am I the only one that doesn't like Smaug's look?

     The first film was bloated on scenes stuffed into it for extra time.  The Necromancer storyline wedged in on top of the Orc, Azog the Defiler, being squished in for filler has gotten to be too much.  I would prefer a much tighter film, not a long, drawn out story that gets boring to watch halfway through.
     In all honesty, I'm not to pleased with Smaug's appearance.  Maybe it'll grow on me, so I'll wait to judge it any more harshly.
     Of course I'm going to see it, and enjoy it.  There is just something highly bothersome about stretching the smallest book into a massive trilogy.  I can't wait until Peter Jackson announces a 12 part film adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, over the course of 36 hours.

     And because, yet AGAIN, the embed codes are not working:
          The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Trailer.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug preview part 2

     Now that the preview event is over, and I am sad to say there was not a trailer or teaser.  They did however show a small clip involving Gandalf and Radagast at Dol Guldur investigating the Necromancer.  Apparently all the rooms were broken out of, not in to.  It may be of note that Radagast is confused as to why (or how?) he is there.  Will this help show how the Morgul blade came to be in the hands of Radagast?
     Maybe we'll find out where Radagast goes after all is said and done, as I'm fairly certain he just disappears, no death scene or explanation.

Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug Preview #Hobbit2SneakPeek

     Currently watching the Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug sneak peek online event with the code that came with the Hobbit Blu Ray.
     So far I got a couple screen captures of a scene.  It's Martin Freeman's Bilbo telling Bard the Bowman and the dwarves of something all Hobbit's learn at birth, the saying, "NEVER.  VENTURE.  EAST."

But what about second winter?

     With the recent drop in temps again to damn near zero... AGAIN, I just couldn't help myself.  Spent most of my last 2 hours at work laughing about this in my head, so when I got home I had to make it. 
     For the most part- I sincerely hope you read it in his voice!

 

     PS: Someone needs to punch our forecasting groundhog friend Puxatony Phil in his tiny face.  Then again, he's about as accurate as a real forecaster...

Lego Lord of the Rings: A Trilogy of Fun

SARUMAN: Moria. You fear to go into those mines. The Dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke there in the darkness of Khazad-dûm: Shadow and flame.

A creature of Lego and FIRE!

     As many know already, Traveller's Tales Lego games are pretty much always awesome.  Not perfect, but always fun and entertaining, as video games should be.  Lego Lord of the Rings is still improving on the formula for a typical Lego game. 
     I like the new "Hub world" system.  It's the map of Middle Earth and you can roam all over it, from level to level.  There is also "Map Stones" making fast travel between far points swift and easy. 
     There are now plenty of side missions to do as well.  Instead of just doing full story mode and free play, there are small puzzles and things to accomplish all over the main map hub world. 
     The addition of a "Treasure Trove" box of items in the inventory wheel is nice as well.  It gives access to a plethora of items aquired throughout the game.  I am liking the preorder bonuses in this catagory- particularly the Morgal Blade of the Ring Wraithes and the tiny Eye of Sauron's Tower Hat that causes everyone nearby to cower in fear when you look at them.  The Balrog helmet is nice and the 3 Elvish Rings of Power are nice as well.

     I have just made it to Rohan and freed Theodan of Saruman's influence and sent Grima Wormtongue on his way.  Throughout this play time I must say there are a few annoyances in gameplay mechanics.  ANY time you pick something up, it must be "placed" in your inventory.  Even if it's a single item.  EVERY.  SINGLE.  TIME.  This wouldn't normally be an issue, but it gets to be a a huge inconvenience when you're being attacked by a pack of orcs right after you pick up an item.  Seriously, why can't I just grab the object and go- like other Lego games.  Simply make the first item auto carry, then all subsequent pick-ups go to "inventory storage."
     Also- the mechanic for wizards floating items, formerly the Jedi tricks or telekinetic powers from previous Lego games, is still wonky and poses a fair amount of frustration.  Just targeting the proper piece you want can be an ordeal if they're in a pile too close to each other.  Almost a decade of Lego games and this mechanic still has the same issues.
     And my last complaint- the pick up/build/select inventory item button should be separated.  Roughly 60% of the time I want one action it does one of the others- let's say I want to build a pile of Legos, and I'll hold the button, and it opens the inventory, even though I've got the action symbol above my character- specifying the "build function," not the bring up inventory.  It quickly gets bothersome when it happens constantly.  Since there are multiple character selection buttons (on PS3- it's L1/R1 for quick change, and hold triangle for the character wheel) why not have hold L1/R1 bring up the wheel and triangle be the inventory???

     Other than these few small problems this game is still worth buying and playing the crap out of.  Typical Lego awesomeness.  Keep it up TT, I'm already looking forwards to Lego Marvel Universe.  These games may need a small bit of work, but they also continue to provide tons of entertainment value for both young and old players.  In an earlier post about an achievement/trophy in game I said I didn't believe this was they're best Lego game (http://joshuabarsody.blogspot.com/2012/12/lego-lord-of-rings-best-playstation-3.html)- I may retract that statement.  While it does have some issues, this is on par with Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes.  It feels like a better game after I've put more time into it.

     Considering that I was wondering about this game way back in 2008, before they had announced or thought about making it, I must say it was worth the wait: http://joshuabarsody.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-hell-isnt-there-lego-lord-of-rings.html

     Now I wonder will we be getting "To Lego and Back: A Hobbit's Tale?"  Maybe "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Lego."  We'll have to wait and see when the third Hobbit film arrives in a couple years.

Lord of the Rings: And My (Broke) Axe

     Here's another stupid comic I made that I've thought about for a long time.  Gimli offers his axe to assist Frodo the Ringbearer in the Fellowship of the Ring, literally minutes after destroying it on Sauron's One Ring of Power.  Thinking about it always gave me a chuckle, hopefully it does the same for you readers.  Perhaps he just has a large supply of backup axes.
     The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is out in less than a week, and I am super excited!
     *SQUEEEEEEEE!!!*

One does not simply walk into Mordor, but perhaps 9 can.

     I always laugh at some parts of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, here is one of them.  Pretty much right after saying one does not simply walk into Mordor, Boromir and the newly formed Fellowship of the Ring sets out to walk to Mordor.
     Made this while completing my yearly rewatch of the extended trilogy.  I'll put up another one later, probably more as the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey nears to theatrical release in a week.

Lego Lord of the Rings: Best PlayStation 3 Trophy Ever!

     I've been waiting for this game for quite some time- here's proof with a post about it from 2008.  http://joshuabarsody.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-hell-isnt-there-lego-lord-of-rings.html

     Anyway, not that it's here, it's super fun.  Just in time for generating a bazillion dollars along with the theatrical release of the Hobbit during the Christmas season.

     Well, I noticed that one of the trophies (or Achievements on Xbox/PC/other) is "One Simply Does Not..." and it is achieved by walking into Mordor.  This is quite possibly the best PS3 Trophy made ever.  Thank you Traveller's Tales for putting this in there.  I laughed for like an hour about it, and decided to make this meme.

     I don't believe this Lego game is quite as good as a couple of the other Lego games- particularly the first Harry Potter and the 2nd Batman, they are spectacularly well put together.  There are a few new mechanics in play that are decent and the way they changed the "hub world" will take some getting used to, but it's looking pretty good so far. 
     I still highly recommend this game, for whatever system you play on.