Star Trek Into Darkness Super Bowl Trailer

We get a few more glimpses of the villain...

J.J. Abrams Set to Direct New Star Wars Film

The news articles started popping up yesterday announcing J.J. Abrams as director for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII. Today, Disney made it official. Abrams, of course, is the current director for the Star Trek reboot, with the second film, Star Trek into Darkness, set to release soon.

A good choice? Well, personally, I did enjoy Star Trek and if Abrams can bring some of that same style to Star Wars then perhaps he can breathe some new life into this sagging franchise:

                       
         I hope Abrams can also make Star Wars a "fun and watchable action-packed thrill ride."

           
       J.J. Abrams directing both Star Trek and Star Wars? Mr. Plinkett predicted it. Well, sorta...

The Hobbit is Here Part 2

I posted a few reviews for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey before, but here are a few more I wanted to share (HT: Mrs. Darwin):


- Ilana Teitelbaum, "Has Hollywood ruined Tolkien?" Salon

- Anthony Lane, "Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' Review," The New Yorker

- J. Hoberman, "Tolkien vs. Technology," The New York Review of Books 

- Mr. Darwin, "This is Your Hobbit on Steroids," Darwin Catholic

I finally saw the movie a week ago. I'm not sure if I'll add my own review, as my thoughts on the movie are mostly in line with the mixed response by most of the critics to whom I've linked.  But if I can figure out a unique way to give my spin, I'll reconsider...

The Hobbit is Here

I've been looking forward to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for some time and now it's out in theaters. I still haven't seen the movie but I hope to get a chance sometime this week. But for now, I'll link to a few interesting reviews from around the Christian blogosphere:

- Steven D. Greydanus (SDG), National Catholic Register

- Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer

- Peter Chattaway, Film Chat

- Arts and Faith, Forum discussion of The Hobbit

- Leah Libresco, Unequally Yoked

- Mrs. Darwin, Darwin Catholic

- Alan Jacobs, The American Conservative

- John Mulderig, Catholic News Service 

Upcoming Attractions III

Just a few previews.

First, here's a clip from Entertainment Weekly for the upcoming MLP: FiM episode "Sleepless in Ponyville" on Saturday. I imagine this episode involving Scootaloo won't be as epic as "Magic Duel." Wait a minute...  Princess Luna sighting!  (HT: Equestria Daily):

                               

The Cutie Mark Crusaders

MLP Facebook page

Applejack with Apple Bloom and Rarity with Sweetie Belle

Princess Luna in Scootaloo's nightmare

Next, a new trailer for Star Trek into Darkness:

Don't forget, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases next Friday, Dec. 14:

Twilight: Breaking Wind

This is probably the only post I'll do that mentions the word "Twilight" and doesn't refer to Twilight Sparkle, the egghead unicorn from MLP: FiM:

Twilight wants her 8 bits back...

Anyway, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part Two, the finale of the movie series, is releasing tomorrow. I won't watch/review the film. Instead, I think I'll link to Lucy Knisley's superb comic-strip summary of the entire plot of the Twilight books. (HT: Brandon)

Fine, I'm guilty! I watched the first three Twilight movies...

...But I certainly didn't enjoy the sparkly vampires, muppet running and angst-ridden romance...

The Wonderful World of Star Wars

I'm a little late to the news about Disney buying Lucasfilm and planning to make more Star Wars sequels (HT: Jeffrey Overstreet). Many thoughts flood my mind, some good, some bad, and others downright horrifying. Questions pop out at me. I wonder where exactly the screenwriters will draw their stories for Episodes 7, 8, and 9. Will Luke, Leia, and Han return with new actors? Will the new movies supersede the expanded universe stuff (Leia and Han marrying and having kids, Luke opening a Jedi academy, the Thrawn Trilogy)? As the B-Movie Cathechist mentions, movie canon always takes precedence. But hey, maybe Chewie won't have to meet such a lame end (a moon crushes him in the comics). I wouldn’t mind that bit of jossing.

Of course, I'd preferred a reboot of the prequels with better writers, but what can you do?

The Hobbit Trilogy

According to director Peter Jackson, the Hobbit will now be split into three movies, as opposed to two. (HT: Peter Chattaway and Kyle Cupp)

Two quick thoughts. First, the second movie, originally titled There and Back Again, needs a new name. Second, I'm guessing Jackson must be very ambitious in his plans for incorporating material from outside the book (Gandalf and the White Council fighting the necromancer in Dol Guldur) to consider a third movie, unless he found new ways to pad the story. We'll probably get the full scoop in  2013 or 2014.

Don't forget the inevitable release of The Hobbit Trilogy Blu-ray set in 2014 or 2015!

Now, just imagine if Peter Jackson has more extended editions up his sleeve...

The Hobbit Movie Update

The poster from Comic-Con 2012 in San Diego, wish I were here

According to the Lord of the Rings fan site TheOneRing.net, Peter Jackson just finished principal photography for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which will release December 14. As you can imagine, a Tolkien geek like me is definitely excited by the news. In fact, I'm so jazzed that I feel like sharing a few Hobbit-related Youtube videos! December just can't come early enough!

First, the trailer for The Hobbit released last year (HT: Brandon)

Next, the animated version by Rankin/Bass from way back in 1977:

SDG's review

Finally, Brandon uncovered the weirdest take on The Hobbit yet, from 1966:

Slag the Dragon...that is all.