My Trip to New Zealand Begins
It took about a month of planning–figuring out what places to visit, how to travel to each, the availability of the transportation, the kind of transportation, the time and distance it took to walk to the accommodations, the availability of the accommodations, making sure I filled government requirements for passage, adjusting flights to allow time […]
The Paper Mache Smaug
Dan Reeder has done it again. He’s created a paper mache version of Smaug the Terrible, and he’s videoed every step of the process. Watch: Uploaded by GourmetPaperMache May 8, 2016. More details here.
A Portrait of Smaug by John Howe
Now THIS is a dragon! Yet another magnificent achievement from the magical fingers of John Howe.
Slay the Dragon! Slay the Dragon!
Say good-bye to Smaug, most loathsome lizard in all of Hobbitland. Farewell to the eloquence of speech, the expressions of arrogance, the massiveness of dragon destruction. The curtain closes on a fine vocal performance by Benedict Cumberbatch. From The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies: https://youtu.be/F_QD2Uy_H_w
How to Desolate a Dragon
In its first two weeks of release, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug became the fourth highest-grossing film of 2013, ultimately earning $958,366,855 worldwide in its theatrical venue. Do these enormous box-office revenues make the film immune from criticism? Here’s an Honest Movie Trailer: Posted online on December 16, 2014 And author John C. Wright […]
Never Laugh at a Live Dragon
On December 11, 2014, Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central interviewed none other than Smaug the Tremendous. This is a brilliant piece, with the fire drake showing more emotion than he ever did in The Desolation of Smaug–eye-blinking, tongue-licking, hackle-raising and the like. Considering the enormity of resources involved in bringing the dragon to Hollywood, could […]
Missed! Ha-ha!
A clip from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: http://youtu.be/1UeqXEKrT10 Poor Bard. He missed the one vulnerable spot in Smaug’s hide. One appetizer for the dragon, coming up.
Smaug Alert
Dragons are born in New Zealand. It’s true! Thanks to the talented artisans at Weta Workshop, these amazing creatures come to digital life with astonishing detail. Now, Weta has published a book that celebrates the creation of Smaug the Terrible, from Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Here’s a page in which Weta Digital […]
Making Middle Earth: Calgary Expo 2013
What does it take to build Middle Earth? Fans at Calgary Expo 2013 found out at a panel featuring Weta Workshop co-founder Richard Taylor, actor Craig Parker (Haldir), Mark Ferguson (Gil-Galad), and Weta model-master David Tremont. Palomino A-E, April 27th, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. FlipOnTV has posted a video of the panel here. Disclaimer: Profanity. […]
