Hobbit Fans angry at Oscar Nominations

The Hobbit, the Unexpected Burn Out:

Peter Jackson's highly anticipated The Hobbit has failed to grab any of the major Oscar nominations, angering faithful fans and continuing an Oscar trend of favouring drama over fantasy film.

The Hobbit received three nominations for best production design, visual effects and makeup and hairstyling but was sidelined in the best picture, best director or any of the leading actor categories.

Today's announcement has angered faithful Hobbit followers who have taken to fan sites to vent their anger.

"They deserve more than three nominations. Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman were awesome and the music of Howard Shore, the cinematography, the adaptation... it can't be more disappointing," posted Luxo on theonering.net.

"I'd give it one Oscar for Gollum's special effects. It deserves no more than that I'm afraid," noted another fan.

The Hobbit - the first installment in the trilogy - debuted in November to mixed reviews. Jackson's decision to shoot the film using 48-frames-per-second technology was lauded for creating hyper-real scenes while some found the experience too jarring and difficult to watch.

Film critic Darren Bevan, who covered the Wellington premiere of The Hobbit for onenews.co.nz, said it was no surprise the Hobbit failed to score major nominations.

"Since the first Lord of The Rings film debuted back in 2001, a lot of the cinematic landscape has changed. Hollywood had never really seen a fantasy epic like it, since Star Wars. But since then, we've had the likes of Avatar which changed the landscape for FX films. That, from James Cameron, didn't pick up wins from its major nominations but scored for technical achievements.

"The Academy voters don't have a previous track record in recognising fantasy films as Oscar worthy - preferring to go for films which could be seen as more worthy (such as Lincoln)."

Bevan, along with many Hobbit fans, is hoping the success of the last installment of the Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - is a sign of what is to come for the Hobbit trilogy.

 

The Return of the King swept the 2003 Oscar's with 11 awards, including best picture, after the first two films only received seven awards between them.

"Sir Peter Jackson and the team shouldn't perceive this as a major snub - after all, the Return of the King swept the Oscars when the final film in the franchise was released," said Bevan.

"In fact, if anything the aspects of the film which really raised the bar and were Oscar worthy have been recognised and that in itself should be a cause for celebration."

The Return of the King is the only fantasy film to have taken out the best film category in the 93 year history of the Oscar Awards.

However the Unexpected Journey may yet reach a different immortality in the form of a New Zealand mountain peak, Mount Tolkien.

Fiordland Advocate - Hobbit Fiordland

Posted to Hot Topic Fiordland Advocate  26 January 2013

Though the Jackson Movie Machine rarely tells about its “Hobbit” locations one has been unofficially confirmed by other sources from  the Unexpected Journey Film as the lake Victoria Waterfall off the Iris Burn in the Kepler Mountains Between Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau. The Lake is a popular spot for Wedding Party Flights as it is only a few minutes by Air from Te Anau Township. Lake Victoria Was named in the 1980s by the son of Sir Allen Mark the well known Fiordland Guardian, Though Old Sid Cormack the late historian from the Riverton Rununga once described it as “Ice Maidens Lake” after a Spirit from Maori Folklore.

I suspect the Falls will become another attraction now on the Tolkien Tourism Circuit if it becomes official.

Another feature in the Hobbit movie is where the Eagles Land on a crazy looking CGI outcrop which looks just like central Fiordland and it looks like you can see Mt Irene in the Distance...  Perhaps it is Peter Jackson paying a sneaky homage to his Lost Salome Movie set located near Mt Irene in his Forgotten Silver Mocumentory.

Word is More Local Locations are to come in the Next two Films.



                               
            (Still from the Hobbit with Giant Eagle) Lake Victoria Falls?

Radio NZ - Hobbit Tourism Shortfall

Sent To Jim Mora's Afternoons Show 24th January 2013 

                                                                                                   


Yes I am afraid that our Prime Minister like many before is all talk and no action when it come to trickle down tourism jobs.

As you may recall in 2009 I tried to put forward a proposal to Name a section of the River Between Manapouri and Te Anau after it’s role in the Lord of The Rings Trilogy... I was looked on as a Tolkien Fanatic but it was out of desperation because no one in authority was interested in Signposting, accessing or promoting these places.

To make matters worse the only Guide book was printed by a Wanaka Tolkien Fan who was unfamiliar with the local topography and gave the wrong directions and omitted others for reasons unknown.

This time around I see the Hobbit has avoided our more memorable landmarks in favour of more remote and obscure locations, they are also so munted with editing CGI and Location jumping as to be near useless as future tourist attractions.

Tolkien Tourism is very simple, People want Fly Here to take their camera and shoot pictures they can see on the movie. Warner Brothers and John Key just don’t care or don’t get it.

If our Tax money is to be put to good use the Movie Production Team need to do the Guide Book and Secondly the Government needs to coordinate what kind of infrastructure and marketing is in place Nation Wide, dragging Local Government along by the ear if necessary.

Dominion Post- JRR Tolkien's Citizenship Scandal

Letter to the editor Dominion Post - Sent 20 Jan 2013

Re your segment on the Bid to Posthumously Honour JRR Tolkien by Geography in New Zealand, Dec 1st 2012
I have to report the reactions seem at very widely, though the BID ticks the boxes for historical location context, tourism, timing, National Kudos and Folklore
There seems to be a problem with JRR Tolkien’s Birth Certificate, there are claims that he was actually born in AFRICA and also is not now or has at any point been a member or affiliate of any Maori Tribe.. Seriously...

However on the up side he seems to have a devoted following in the intellectual elite around the World who view him a great scholar and philosopher so it’s going to be Interesting To hear what the LINZ rules when they review the submission. That is if the Tolkien Estate Lawyers don’t demand compensation from NZ for appearing to use their brand support that rascal Peter Jackson!

BTW if you are interested Mark Winter of the Southland Times had done a Cartoon on the Subject, I would attach but I know it is forbidden in your paper.

Fiordland Advocate - Frana Cardino

Letter to Hot Topics 19th January 2013

Could the good people in the Southland District Council please not undermine their Mayor, We love our Friendly Lady Mayor from Te Anau to be our Figure Head.
But we can’t have her speaking on behalf of a council who has members who act out of step with what it’s elected figurehead is saying.

Frana is the suppose to be the eyes and ears of the Council and we need to know if she says something we can take it to the Bank. And as too Nice she is unlikely to tell her people to pull their socks up, so I think Council Member need to to mindful that it can look bad from the outside if you appear to undermine your leader.

Southland is a Rich stable province, surely it can handle proper Democracy and Unity.

I have seen this mask crack over the last couple of years, especially in the area of Tourism Strategy. In particular View Hill Manapouri.

Southland Times - Jack Murrell

Letters to the Editor Southland Times January 13th 2013

The anti Tolkien Comments by Jack Murrell in your paper recently remind me of the bigotry surrounding John Hall Jones restoration of Spanish Place-names.
Everybody in authority here seemed to be against him restoring those historical Names to the Map of Doubtful Sound because they felt they just didn’t fit

Mr Hall-Jones had to make his case international before they eventually ruled in his favour and even when Fiordland Travel put on a special Bi Centenary cruise for the Spanish Landing it was boycotted by our local and National representatives, indeed my Wife & I ended up chatting to the Spanish ambassador most of the way as he had no one to talk diplomacy too.

And shame, the ODT did a full page colour Spread and put the Southland times to shame.

There are some similarities in this story  John Hall Jones had one advantage Alassandro Malaspina was not an inspiration for the Movie Industry with all the pent up resentment that seems to bring out these days.

Interesting though, as yet those Spanish Names have so far evaded our popular culture, not being used in the Tourism Industry, Boats or street-names Tolkien’s names are there if you go looking, including inside the very Mountains of Fiordland. But he himself has never really been honoured.

Don’t mind me Uncle Jack, Like Dr John I am doing the right thing in the right place for the right reasons. History will be the Judge on March 28th.

Southland Times - Steamer Tawera

Story Submission 13 January 2013

I happen to know that Real Journeys is thinking about what to do with there 114 year old Lake Steamer Tawera which is sitting in their Yard, Rusting.
She was gifted to the Fiordland Museum Trust set up by the late Les Hutchins but the trust never past the Talking Stage and has become largely irrelevant.

In 2007 I was part of a failed bid by group of enthusiasts who set out to restore the old girl to her original specs as a Historic Icon.

As this Steam once Beautiful Launch is the last surviving artefact of 19th Century Te Anau and the Early Milford Track days I figure some sort of Public Poll
Might be in order.

If you are interested there are 4 main options that have been considered to date, firstly strip her down and place her in Lions Park for the Kids to Play on.
Secondly place her inside a Museum (Yet to be built) thirdly Fully Restore her to Original Specs as a working Museum Piece. Fourthly Restore Her to look like her original self but with a diesel motor and put her to work as the Milford Track transport Barge thus making her the oldest working ship on Lloyds Register.

I Have a Fifth Option too.... Dress her up as a SS Mini Ben Lomond and put her to work with the Kingston Flyer at the Kingston Quay doing Photo cruises.

Anyway what ever happens her fate should involve the Community and the maybe even the Nation as she should be a historic treasure.
The Cost would be negligible, the rewards great.

Southland Times - Inside Tolkien's Mountain

Letter to the Editor - Southland Times
Sent 2nd January 2013

I wonder if Lloyd Esler or Uncle Jack (Murrell) would know this bit of local trivia
The Mountain Recently Submitted to the New Zealand Geographic Board
As Tolkien Mountain is in fact part of a Geological Formation named after Gondor from
The Lord of the Rings, so it may not yet be a Tolkien Mountain on the outside but it certainly is on the Inside... 

Anyway happy 121st Birthday JRR Tolkien the World’s most loved writer for the young and young at heart.
Go Southland!