HOBBIT

Last December that was so eagerly awaited was back in 2003 when the Lord Of The Rings saga ended with "Return Of The King"...actually, it's December 2009 and Avatar.
Epic adventure continues. Hobbit is the movie of the year in my book.

 It met all my expectations. It is painted in the same shades of "Great" as LOTR trilogy. This prelude to LOTR trilogy will blend in and make the most epic hexology that has ever been filmed.
I need to point out that as many of us, I was a bit concerned about the HFR aspect. My led tv has this tru-motion setting that interpolates usual 24 frames to 48, or 50, or 60, in tv, and gives this smooth, almost "speed up" feeling that can be associated to tv soap operas and documentaries. I dont like that setting and I keep it at off all the time. It alienates me from the film. I feared it might ruin the experience of the Hobbit. Since the non Hfr versions plays only in small screen halls I decided to see it on  the big screen with Hfr and the 3D. It is just a movie at the end of the day and there is no point of obsessing and making drama about the "first viewing experience".
First couple of shots were expectedly "soap opera" like. But after about 5 to 10 minutes in I forgot about it. The ambient,  the characters, the movie, it overcame this tech aspect.
I really enjoyed the ride and everything that came with it. I have read the Hobbit book twice. After seeing the movie, I'm sort of itchy to read it again.
The dwarves gang was fantastic. Just the right amount of singing :) If they followed the book more closely in that department, we would have ended up with a musical. The Misty Mountain Cold song spawned goosebumps all over my back, blurred vision due to watery eyes, magnificent! 

 Critics resent that the Hobbiton/Bilbo dinner scene was way dragged out. I could watch that bunch of characters eating and chatting whole night long. Critics, both "professional" and plane critical people are actually a very funny bunch. They resent how everything feels dragged out unnecessarily and how it gets to a point of being boring, and then we get to the Goblin lair scenes where they resent to much details, to much Goblins, to much happening. You can never please these folk I tell ya.

But to return to the subject. I enjoyed the pacing of the movie. It was good to see some old faces, sorts of Ian Mckellen as Gandalf, Woods as Frodo, Serkis as Gollum, and awesome new faces in Dwarf characters, both actors and costume/make up artists made a brilliant effort with stunning results...

 There are so many things I liked. I like how PJ incorporated different elements taken from other parts of the J.R.Tolkiens universe to make up ground for splitting the book into three parts, elements like the albino Orc character, Azog the defiler.. We get to see bit of Smaug, tho obscured in fire and smoke and gold :) Cannot wait enough to see how they go about Smaug in what is to come. The dragon speaks in the book. I guess the movie version will speak as well. The way I see this happen is in a telepathy sort a way. No cheap lipsinc stuff. It must be made on the similar level the way the "Lidless Eye a.k.a Sauron" on the tower spoke to Frodo in LOTR whenever he had the ring on. Or the way Galadriel went all psycho on Frodo near the mirror.. "....Treacherous as the Sea! Stronger than the foundations of the Earth! All shall love me and despair!.."
So much to look forward to, especially now that the first installment passed with flying colors.
Looking back at all the negotiations and all the director names that got connected to the Hobbit prior to production, and at the start of production with Guillermo Del Toro and all, I'm glad PJ took over. I somehow think GDT would smear the universe if he got to direct Hobbit. He has different style to PJ and it would probably just feel off.
Hobbit is awesome!