Roablin

THANK YOU! Finally someone else understands why the sequels sucked!

Well, I'm glad to see that someone has taken an interest in this kit again. This kit was the drawing point that brought me to BZPower, and I made quite a few additions for it back in the day. I assume you have already seen my brickshelf gallery, but for anyone who hasn't, there is a lot of quality material here (and it is all credited). Also, for that person who wanted the plushies, you can find both the Huki and Macku versions here.

Happy Easter!

YUSS That is a glorious picture.

Having read quite a bit of SW, I can say that the quality of the franchise varies wildly, and unless you really love the universe or know the authors than each book is hit and miss on its own. That said, I would strongly suggest the Thrawn Trilogy for a fantastic beginning, as well as any other SW novels by Timothy Zahn. They are the books that got me hooked, and compelled me to trudge through a lot more books that weren't quite as good. Also, good luck with LotR.

eyeBrow STUPID RAT CREATURES

half, battle And I did not know that Aaron was Elvis's middle name (assuming you weren't joking).

So for how many years will you be stuck in the galleys?

How long did it take to make said money?

This strikes a discordant note in my philosophy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Oh, thank goodness for this ask entry. I have three questions that I've been simply dying to ask you. Can you please answer specifically? Which way to Albuquerque? How many willowzillaries can fit in a hectare of land? What was Rutherford B. Hayes' favorite vowel? P.S. You can't google the answers.

HIPY PAPY BTHETHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY Which is to say; Happy Birthday.

Transitive property of multiplication. Choo choo. EDIT: also Casey Jr.

A red Mike & Ike.

Are you playing the full version? I've used the demo and I haven't left the atmosphere yet.

I haven't seen most of these movies, but I imagine my own list would be structured similarly. Except I would have The Dark Knight Rises up high and For Greater Glory probably. I would also move The Hunger Games lower, simply because I didn't care for it.

It seems as if everyone loved the Riddles in the Dark scene near most. Andy Serkis was just perfect for Gollum, and all the acting there was really well done. It's interesting that you thought the movie was darker than the book, I saw it the other way around. The part where I notice this most is in Goblin town. I don't mean the physical darkness, but the goblins in the book are much more savage and the movie tries to make them comedic. I liked the character of the goblin king, but I felt his attempted eloquence took away from the usual goblin's barbaric nature. I can definitely sympathize with your wish for a book accurate version of the movie. I understand why they chose to cut and add the things they did (besides perhaps the speaking eagles, why would they cut that?), I do pine for a rendition of the book I know and love. The issue is that the thoughts and hidden intents of some characters can't be translated to the screen without tampering with the plot. I don't know how a movie could properly depict the intents of the goblins and wargs to an audience that hasn't read the book; so I'm sure that's the reason for the addition of Azog. He's a villain that is shallow, but that allows the average audience to pick up on his motives right away. I would love a version that keeps all the acting the same, in which I could remember the intents just from reading the book. If they added the infamous wallet back to the troll scene, I would be in heaven. But of course all that is completely far-fetched for Hollywood. Speaking of Tolkien being a good author of children's books, I totally agree. Roverandom remains my favorite fairy tale to this day. Well, maybe after The Hobbit.

I finished The Hobbit for something like the seventh time the day I saw the movie so my perspective is heavily slanted upon that, but frankly, I thought that almost every action scene was overly dramatic. In a sense, it's too much like the crazy action of The Avengers. I'm afraid my suspension of disbelief is lost during the countless parkour scenes and the times they fall dozens of feet without getting hurt. I know dwarves are tough, but sheesh. I'm also not fond of some of the additions. Not because of their very existence, but because of how they were executed. Take Saruman, who I was originally excited to see. He called a white council, not because of the rise of the Necromancer, like in the book, but because of Gandalf's little quest of his own. Saruman disregards the Necromancer in favor of something that should be irrelevant to him. The issue is that although these events are based on events in the book, they play out completely different from how Tolkien would have had them play out, and subjectively it shatters my suspension of disbelief. The reveal of the Fall of Erebor was one of my favorite parts, but I must agree with you on the error of not showing Smaug. You are quite correct, keeping him "hidden" adds nothing. On a first viewing, not seeing him is trivial, but if you consider watching the entire trilogy multiple times, Smaug really should be seen at that part.

I agree with most of what you loved and what you disliked. I too am disappointed with the omission of the wallet. I didn't expect to see it, but why not add it? I love that wallet. I'm also with you on hating Azog and a few of the other side plots. The book was episodic, and I wish they had left it that way.

There is a question, and an answer that doesn't satisfactorily answer the question.