The Rabbit Room

Because Never-One-Minute Review isn’t as catchy, after all.

And for my money, the one about The Hobbit is spot on, old fellow. Except maybe the make-up. That I don’t get.

On the other hand, I haven’t seen Les Mis yet…

Hmm… I have to disagree with the reviewer. I also saw the stage production, twice, once in New York and once in London, and was deeply moved both times. The music itself communicates powerfully in this story of sacrificial love and the redemptive power of forgiveness. But I felt that the film version did a wonderful job of offering things that a stage production cannot do, namely, the affective communication of the face that is so essential to catching meaning as a human being. I also loved the different-ness of the camera work; the ripped pieces of Valjean’s identification paper being blown into the air, then we are swept into his new life by the camera work…. etc. I went to this movie not expecting a stage production, and I was impressed. I admire the director’s courage and feel that he pulled some beautiful things out of the piece. My only disappointment was Russell Crowe’s rather flat performance, which may have been the director’s decision and which I feel was not true to Javert’s inner anguish.

Spot on, both counts. Except the makeup bit. I couldn’t see anything unusual in the theater I viewed it in. Perhaps I was in a lower quality theater? (it was digital) I’ve heard the best viewing of this film would be in the lower quality venues. (irony)

On the Hobbit, I really felt that the bits that were directly from the book were the best and every time they strayed it weakened the film. Rivendell’s visit is really pretty funny in the book and we only saw a half second of that in the film – instead we got to watch the mom & dad characters have a meeting. I would have rather seen the hilarity.

I also really didn’t like the pale orc for some reason. He felt too much like the malformed orc that came into Minas Tirith.

I loved Les Miz but I have not seen the stage version. This is worse than John Car…oops…don’t want to start that up again. Looking forward to seeing The Hobbit at some point. Always grateful for OMR!

Oh no! Please, please, please tell me that the LES MISERABLES review was 100% hogwash!

That Hobbit review was exactly how I felt. I was so psyched to see Middle-Earth again, and then when I got there, I kind of thought, “ok, that’s enough.” I certainly did not leave thinking, “man, I wish I could see more of _____.” There had been a few moments in Return of the King when I remember thinking were too long – but this was almost every scene. Especially the goblin tunnels.

What really bothered me about Radagast was that he seemed to be Merlin from TH White. The bird in his hat, the hedgehogs, the bug on his tongue – all felt like The Sword in the Stone. Just would have needed an “did I already say that?” I love The Once and Future King – first book I read as an adult that made me both laugh and cry – but I don’t want to see it in Tolkein. I wished he would have been his own character.

A question, an agreement, a comment, and a wait, wait:
Question: why is it not ok to compare a book to the subsequent movie, but ok to compare a stage production to a movie?
An agreement: Jackson made dwarf light. Gimli, where are you! These were extremely humanized. I was saddened by it. Where are the beards? Where are the short tempers? Where are the gruff natures? Where, again, are the beards!?!
A comment: I think the musical score in “An Unexpected Journey” was brilliant – especially the way they tinkered with the ring’s motif at certain points and then returned to the dwarf tune throughout. This music, however, not being grand in scale helped keep the lid on the “epic” feel they were clearly going for. I agree they are going for epic in a story that is too small and not sweeping enough in anthing but distance travelled.
A wait, wait: Beorn is coming! Aaahww Yeah!

I completely agree with the Hobbit review, however, other than agreeing with your assessment of the Les Mis camera work (it really did get obnoxious ) I absolutely loved it as a movie (and I had it fully memorized in highschool too! lol Glad I wasn’t the only one…) I enjoyed seeing the emotion, and I liked the raw feel of the singing – that it wasn’t perfect, but beautiful nonetheless- it made the characters come alive to me just a bit more than on stage (ironically).
As far as Russell Crowe’s singing – his voice isn’t amazing by any stretch, but I thought it fit the character well- a bit of a stringent fundamentalist, no-nonsense sort of dryness that is more inwardly than outwardly focused…

Laughed at the Les Mis one despite having not seen the movie yet.

But. In my opinion The Hobbit OMR is the hogwash one. Makeupwise, yeah, certain actors who were getting a little (cough) old were makeupy but what else can you do? I don’t think it was as makeupy-fake as Hugo was, and none of the dwarves or Bilbo had all that get up on. Also, I’m with my dad (do I talk about my dad too much?), these dwarves were waaay better than Gimli (his exact words were, “Gimli is kind of a clown” which I don’t totally agree with but I’m loving these ones). I like how they gave them all different personalities and looks because in the book I could never tell them apart (just imagined them all the same with different color hoods) except Fili and Kili (who remain my favorites), Thorin, and Bombur. In the movie I can actually recognize them and name… most of them. I still love Fili and Kili. I like Balin more than I did. Richard Armitage rocks as Thorin (and I don’t compare him to Aragorn because Aragorn is this awesome humble dude who becomes one kind of king and Thorin is this awesome proud dude who becomes another king of king). I love Bofur. And his hat.

Bilbo is brilliant. ‘Nuff said. And I agree wholeheartedly about him and Gollum–wowzers.

Didn’t really like the Pale Orc but I can live with him.

Also it was great seeing Elrond in effect after fighting orcs. And speaking of elves, I have to disagree with Melissa about the Rivendell bit. I was very relieved they didn’t have the singing and taunting going on there because while I really enjoy that part in the book, it isn’t really consistent with the rather solemn LOTR elves and especially not the movie elves.

LOTR was epic. The Hobbit was epic in a completely different way. All in all, I think this is a movie that you SHOULD compare to the book… Because they really captured the soul of the book in the movie: camaraderie, adventure, and dwarf songs. In the words of Thorin, “I can ask no more than that.”

But I want to know what the editor thinks.

*kind of king. Not king of king. Haha.

On Les Mis/An agreement and a challenge for myself:

I agree with the camera work, every moment was stronger emotionally in the seconds BEFORE he went in close and I found myself focusing on nostrils and lip shapes. It’s a mistake of the director to think that showing us a close up of someone experiencing emotion is the best way to bring us in to their pain.

I also felt like dialogue was needed to make the transition to the screen. In the stage theater, we accept that characters have to communicate through music in order to express their elevated emotions, and we breathe and sweat with them in real time. It’s not something we expect in movies anymore and I think we needed dialogue to transition scenes and carry us along on their emotional ride.

I had many other thoughts about the movie, however, I know that I’m someone that can get caught up in a critique and forget to look at the bigger picture. So I challenged myself as I left the theater to think bigger. I decided to land on these final thoughts:

This is an amazing story of the gospel, of one character who’s life is changed because of mercy and another character who thinks following God mean’s adhering to laws. It’s not a glossy christian flick that skirts around pain and darkness either. And so many people will go see this movie because of a certain actor they like or because it’s a well-known musical and they’ll see a powerful story of the gospel. In movie theaters across the world.

If we takes this piece of work and look at it apart from it’s previous incarnations, it’s a story with much to offer.

I’m guessing that the editor of the Rabbit Room thinks that the Hobbit review was hogwash. But that’s just me.

I more or less share Thomas’s opinion on _The Hobbit_. Could have done without the vast majority of the changes. I’m still looking forward to the next two installments though. Then again, maybe I’m just addicted to Martin Freeman. (Owen Strachan dared to say that his performance wasn’t perfect but quickly detected that it was third-rail material when I rushed to his defense on Strachan’s blog.) My own self-indulgently long two-part review is here:

http://southerngospelyankee.wordpress.com/2012/12/22/movie-review-the-hobbit-part-i/

http://southerngospelyankee.wordpress.com/2012/12/23/movie-review-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-part-ii/

I haven’t seen _Les Mis_ but was most disappointed to read about the sexual content. I think I’ll wait for the DVD so I can skip those bits. Thanks for preparing me for the sub-par singing. As a vocalist myself I was fascinated to learn of the choice to sing live, but I can see how that would have drawbacks.

Bailey. Bingo!

I was just waiting for you to do reviews on these!

Like other commenters I haven’t seen Les Mis yet….for me that can wait. But The Hobbit is a different story! Just to be back in Middle Earth was thrilling, and because of that I wasn’t very critical. Radagast was rather weird…and I thought the goblin king a bit much, and it did drag a bit, but other than that I can’t think of anything I particularly disliked… Thorin, in my opinion, was pretty awesome. Especially his song. And so was Galadriel. And Bilbo. And Gandalf of course. And Gollum, and the dwarves, especially Fili & Kili. =) Was anyone else practically jumping out of their seat when Frodo came in with the book under his arm, and then went off to wait for Gandalf?! errr….yea….

Now we just have to wait till next December! And the next…and then for the extended edition (anybody know if there will be one?). =)

Hannah, agreed, the charm of being back in Middle-Earth was still there, and it’s the first time I’ve seen a Tolkien movie in the theater, so that was kind of fun. Afterwards I just wanted to run around comparing notes with other bloggers and doing research for my own reviews.

Fili and Kili are cute. I liked how well Thorin and Bilbo played their scenes together, even if their conflict was exaggerated and introduced far earlier than in the book.

BTW, nerds might like this. I found a site that translated the entire contract Bilbo’s holding at the beginning. Someone wrote a real contract that really was THAT long:

http://thorinoakenshield.net/2012/10/02/the-hobbit-deciphering-dwarf-documents-part-ii/

I saw The Hobbit really early on, wrote my review, and proceeded to read the reviews written by everyone else on earth, so right now, I hardly know what I think except that I need to see it again. And Martin Freeman was great. When he ran out of Bag End with that contract, I was so happy. However, that was before Radagast Jar-Jar Binks the Brown turned up. Still, overall, I think it was amazing considering they finished the movie two days before it the premiere. Two days. Pretty dang amazing.

http://www.longish95.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-hobbit-adventure-but-not-great-one.html#more

“I saw The Hobbit really early on, wrote my review, and proceeded to read the reviews written by everyone else on earth, so right now, I hardly know what I think except that I need to see it again. And Martin Freeman was great.”

Yay, a Lady after my own heart. Left a comment on your review.

Hey Thomas, guess what? We actually are in agreement about something!

I too, felt glad to be finally in my seat, ready to enter the realm of my favorite tale, the Hobbit, which is my favorite of the ring books, and was glad to see the same familiar faces, but there lacked some sort of depth or a “punch” to it. I also found myself asking “why?” like for instance, the whole thing with the trolls. Why did they change how the trolls turned into stone? There was no reason to change it! We’re here for 3 hours, go ahead and show it. (I know I am comparing to the book, but it is a great portion I really wanted to see). Hope the bit with Beorn won’t be messed with in the next movie.

Funny you referenced Phantom Menace. I thought that most of the Dwarves were too cartoonish, like Jar Jar Binks, but 11 of them. Well, most of them at least.

It was a very good movie and I will own it one day but, I am with you on the review; bored as well in in a lot of it and uncomfortable with that too and not sure why.

I think both reviews were hogwash!

I have also seen Les Mis on stage…. AND sung it in my car, and while cleaning, and in the shower, etc. etc.
I loved the movie!!! I want Jackman to get an Oscar for this one.
I also noticed the close up camera shots, but I thought they were great! did you notice that they had a bloody tooth hole on Hathaway when she was singing? thought it was great.

and the Hobbit….
I accidentally slept through the first 40 minutes…. but when I woke up…. it was very entertaining! I have never read the book…. and I did not enjoy any of the LOTR movies. So to say that I enjoyed the Hobbit is a big deal!

have not seen Les Mis but i found the Hobbit something of a disappointment: mostly for the reasons mentioned here, some of them (like the makeup) i suspect are outworkings of telling the first story second… and i have heard Jackson say Gandalf was a challenge because he has become so much of an iconic figure in the ten years(!) since LOTR filming. And I too kept thinking – haven’t I seen this before (eg underground scences fleeing across scaffolding)
However on reflection my unease has more to do with the changes in my own life/faith – i became Christian a few weeks before the first movie came out and the series has been uncanny spot-on as to where i am at a given time (i do a great Gollum-at-his-pool-’master wouldn’t do that’-Romans7 impression). O what a wretch i am…The Hobbit just didn’t do it for me on that level. But isn’t that due to the different intensity/target audience between the Hobbit and the LOTR books?
Another imfluence has been the politcis of the movies…i happen to live in middle-earth (aka New Zealand) – Gollums Poll is a gentle Sunday stroll from my house – and the movie company/Jackson/national government here pushed through a significant change in labour laws here before ‘allowing’ the Hobbit series filming.
Changes that favoured the elite above the workers. I’m kinda amused that Les Mis is paired with the Hobbit on this post!
Loved the remarkably apt comment ‘ are self-indulgent and filled with more content than you need. That’s called being “meta.” Or “weta.” ‘ (sideline – google ‘weta’ and see the creepy insect alluded to!)

oh…given the fondness for Middle-Earth displayed here and all over the RabbitRoom – can i make a case for Hutchmoot at my house this year???

Helyn, if the Hutchmoot folk plan a conference in your neck of the woods, I want to come for sure!

It’s sad to think about the politics behind the movie, despite our love of them. Although I would love to visit New Zealand, for the sake of stepping into the beautiful landscape of Middle-Earth, I would hate to do so in a way that is dishonoring to the neighboring residents. I’m sure the tourism surrounding The Shire has caused some bona fide frustration for the nearby farmers and rural residents, right? Anyway, it’s the *thought* of visiting Middle-Earth that is so intriguing to me. And realizing that nothing short of Heaven and our renewed earth will satisfy the desire for such beauty is the only thing that brings me true contentment.

Full disclosure I generally think the exact opposite of OMR nearly every time but nothing has compelled me to comment until the Les Mis review.

I just saw the movie for the second time and while yes, some complaints can be made about the singing (but seriously are we going to pick on Russell Crowe and not Amanda Seyfried?!?) the sets were epic, the costuming gorgeous and the ability of the actors to carry the emotion with simply their faces was spectacular. The fact that Anne Hathaway made me actually hear the lyrics to a song that I have sung and heard sung a thousand times is incredibly commendable. I thought the choice to focus on the raw human emotion rather than the surroundings forced the story to be better and the audience to feel what the actor was feeling. Combine that with the already beautiful story line and you have a wonderful movie. (Although it must be said that the best singers were those coming from stage.)

I had heard before going to see The Hobbit that it was only part of the book, and I wondered how the story would be broken up. Unlike the LOTR story which has three volumes, The Hobbit is not written in clear segments.

I was impressed with how this first movie made the question of Bilbo’s acceptance its theme. It was tastefully done, that is, without overdoing the dwarves’ repudiation of him.

His reason for joining the quest–that the dwarves had no home as he did–was so well said. It felt like the call on our lives as Christians to take action on behalf of those fighting a battle they are too few and weak to win.

For that reason, I left the theater satisfied, disinclined to criticize its cinematic aspects.

On another note, I have not read Tolkein’s work in years but I remember The Hobbit feeling less epic than LOTR. So far this is true of the movies as well.

Tolkein is perhaps the first author in this genre that I ever read, seconded by Terry Brooks. It is sufficient to me that the movies do not violate my reverence for him.

There were some really nice reflections on homeland. I wish they’d been set up more smoothly though. In one scene, Bilbo’s explaining why he rejoined the dwarves after the escape from Goblin-town, when rejoining the company was the only sane, sensible option he had! (Either that or somehow find his way back through the caves, out the other side and then back over the mountains to Rivendell. Alone. Magic ring or no, good luck with that.)

First of all, I have to say that I found it funny that you’ve posted both of these reviews on the same post, since I saw both of these movies on the same day. ^_^
I loved the Hobbit, although the use of witchcraft didn’t sit right with me. The rest of it was fun and advenerous and I was honestly sad when the whole 3 hour thing ended, wanting more.
And I thought that I wasn’t able to fully appreciate Les Mis because I’m not really used to musicals, but what you’ve said about the gaps in the movie plot completely makes sense. I was totally confused when Anne Hathaway was fired from that factory… :/

I say, if you’re planning on spending 3 hours in a movie theater, go see the Hobbit.

Your 13-year-old daughter was with you at _Les Mis_? Wow, personally I think there were things in there I wouldn’t want my 13-year-old daughter to see. To see a woman be violated on screen is innocence-destroying.

I really thought both movies were true to their sources and very well done (and I am a rabid fan of both, so I feel it’s high praise whatever anyone else thinks of it). I could elaborate for paragraphs on end, but haven’t the time!

Thomas I think I offended you with a comment of mine here. My brother, forgive me if I crossed a line. Some things I feel very passionately about, and this is one of them, but I’ve seen your channel and I know how much you love your daughters. I wasn’t trying to bait you. If you want to let me have it just shoot me an e-mail…

Hey Rabbits, y’all might be interested in an article I recently wrote for a site called The Retuned that talks about the intersection of grace and justice in Valjean’s number “Who Am I?” Inspired by the movie, as I’d never seen the show before. Enjoy!

http://www.theretuned.com/who-am-i-harmonizing-grace-and-justice-in-les-miserables/

BTW, fellow Rabbit Roomer Bailey is also a guest contributor to this site, and you can read her first contribution here. It’s a great-looking site with lots of content about faith, art and music:

http://www.theretuned.com/worship-and-the-sweet-aroma-of-a-unified-musical-offering/

Thanks for the kind words Yankee Gospel Girl on the site and I would concur that both articles are really good reads. I would also like to point out that Yankee Gospel Girl and Bailey Gillespie pointed me to this site and I like what I see so far. Looking forward to engaging with you all.

Thanks Matthew. Matthew’s a good editor and a good friend.