A Not Unexpected Movie Trip...

I went and saw the Hobbit yesterday afternoon at 1 pm. :)
I had woken up that morning and hadn't been able to relax enough to go back to sleep. We were finally going to see it!!!
My family has been waiting for the Hobbit for years. I renumber when 2012, even 2011 seemed like such a long time to wait. But now that it finally came I am very happy to say that it was well worth the wait!
It has to be the best movie I have seen so far at the cinemas I think, it outstripped The Avengers even, by just a small amount.

We were one of the first people in line for the Hobbit. When we first arrived there was a bit of a crowd there but to my relief most of them were waiting for Les Miz (don't know why people would go to that when they could go see the Hobbit BTW).
We haven't been to the cinema in  Wagga so far and so I didn't have much of an idea of what it looked like inside. It was very different though, compared to the cinema we had back in Tasmania.
Mum and Dad went the to the 8:30 pm, 3D session on Boxing Day. When they got back at about 12 o'clock Mum said she couldn't wait for it to come out on DVD and she said Gollum was actually funny! Now, for Mum to think Gollum is funny, it must have meant that it was rather amusing as I think Gollum in the TT is kind of funny anyway, to me. :) Dad said that it was excellent and I remember Dad complaining about how the Hobbit was going to be split into three parts AND go for about three hours and it looked like he wasn't that interested for it after that.


Anyway back to the story:
We arrived at about quarter past twelve. That is, Mum (who went the night before and had driven us there) Autumn, Eden, Saxon, Rogan and I.
Mum got the popcorn for us while we started to get into the line and Autumn assisted her.
We actually got movie ticket vouchers from Mum and Dad on Christmas and Mum and Dad booked the tickets in the early afternoon of Boxing Day. Most of us wanted to see it in 3D because it sounded like it could be really good in 3D and so we did.

We waited in line for about half an hour and just before we went into the cinema I quickly went to the toilet. When I came out the others were just getting their tickets ripped and we hurried up the stairs to cinema n. 5.
You enter the cinema from the top instead of what we are used to, that is, from the bottom and we scored excellent seats. I was smack bang in the middle of the second highest row.
Than we had to spend about 15 agonizing minutes waiting in the seats all pent up and excited. Me and Rogan were sitting next each other and on the other side of Rogan, Eden was sitting and we kept on asking her (because she had a watch) how long it was. No need to say, Eden got quite annoyed.
At last the cinema went dark and you had the normal adds and trailers. We watched the animated trailer called 'Epic' which looked pretty cool and 'Man of Steel' which is going to be the new Superman coming out soon and it looks pretty good. We kept our eyes closed and ears blocked during the third trailer which Mum had said not to watch, It's always been our practise to do so if the trailer isn't anything which we should watch. Consequentially, I spend a lot of time during trailers which I can't watch praying 'Hail Mary's' and 'Guardian Angel Prayer' because it sort of blocks out the noise and keeps you focused on good things.

The movie began and I was very pleased with the start.
I liked how it began with Bilbo hiding away some of his things especially the reference to Lobelia and how she had started to 'acquire' all the spoons. :) And seeing Frodo put up the 'No Admittance Except on Party Business' which brought a chuckle from me. Also the fact that he was eating while he did so. Oh, Hobbits, they never miss a moment to eat.

Just before I go any farther into this post you should know that I haven't read the Hobbit yet. *cough, cough* I was GOING to. I even started it but than I got distracted and than Advent came along and before I knew it it was Christmas! So I AM reading it. I actually got a box set of the Hobbit and LOTR for Christmas and have started to read it again.

So the plot: The plot was excellent, I thought it was better how it showed how the Arkenstone was found and the glory of the dwarves. Did anyone else find it irritating how you didn't see all of Smaug at the same time? I did. I liked how the younger Bilbo was suddenly there blowing smoke rings and Gandalf came along and totally flustered Bilbo indeed. All of the Dwarves arriving for tea was also very well done. Balin and Dwalin greeting each other was very good too. Who ever heard of handshakes when you can do head-knocks. Fili also giving Bilbo all of his weapons and telling him to be 'careful with these' was very amusing. It was good how Thorin came last it made it showed that he was indeed the leader.

Dwarf table manners aren't very good but their singing is excellent. I found it quite funny how Bilbo fainted when he's reading the contract and Bofur is helpfully telling him about incineration and dragons and all that sort of thing. :)


 I liked how it also added in Radagast coming to tell Gandalf about the shadow growing in Mirkwood and also the fact that he had been to Dol Guildor which I found a little creepy especially when that statue is trying to kill him!
The scene with the trolls was very enjoyable to watch especially the troll exclaiming 'look what I came out of my hooter' and how the dwarves all rushed in and gave the trolls a fair fight instead of coming in, in twos and threes. Bilbo's distraction was nice. I didn't mind that it was Gandalf who was suppose to be distracting the trolls. It was cool though, how the rock sort of split and there was Gandalf!
 The Parasites line was funny, but Dwarves can be really thick in the head sometimes. :P
I also liked the added in plot of

This is Azog. 

Azog tracking down Thorin and it also helped with the part where they are in the trees and the Wargs are chasing after them because (as far as I understand it) the Wargs and Goblins are just chasing after them because they don't like them and also that they escaped the Goblin caves. Golbin town was very well done.




The Golbin King kind of annoyed me though because of how huge he was and stuff like that. How the Dwarves got captured was very clever. I don't exactly fancy falling down a chute and waking up as you fly down it to find that there are goblins all around you. The escape was fantastically done and I liked how the dwarves used everything to escape. The showdown between Thorin and Azog was brilliant, Bilbo coming in and stopping Azog finishing off Thorin was great and than some of the dwarves also came. It was lucky for all of them that the eagles came at last.  Thorin's gratefulness to Bilbo was great and it was like 'high five, they're friends at last'' kind of thing, :)
'Riddles in the Dark' was excellent. Bilbo was wonderful and so was Gollum. I liked how Gollum kept on talking to himself. :)
I didn't want the Hobbit to end. It was a very good ending but afterwards, like I get at every movie you sort of walk around in a daze for the rest of the day.

Now *ahem*  moving on to my favourite characters.


Bilbo of course :P He was great and Martin Freeman did an excellent job of portraying him as a Hobbit who misses his Hobbit hole and the peace that it brought him but also he's not afraid to to carry on and do what he thinks is right. The part in Bag End where all the Dwarves begin to come and Bilbo waiting on them and giving them lots of his food which he himself liked a lot, also his whole 'I am a Baggins of Bag End' and 'Nasty horrible things, adventures. Make you late for tea.' Was done well indeed. Also 'I've forgotten my pocket handkerchief!' I also liked. The scene between him and Gollum was good as well. Bilbo was trying to be calm and cool but you could also see that he was getting rather nervous with Gollum hanging around him asking if Bagginses tasted nice and such things as that. I liked how he stayed with the dwarves, even by accident. I was sort of afraid that he would walk away and than come back after Golbin Town, and that would be very trying to endure indeed. I think that the young Bilbo and also Frodo are now competing as to who I like better.


Thorin Oakenshield was also a good character. His grouchiness was sometimes annoying but you sort of get explained to, why he is sort of like that. His quest for his people to recliam there home was very heartening and I liked that a lot.  Hi distrust of the Elves was sort of annoying but also founded upon something which he saw the elves of Mirkwood do, not of Rivendell. He is a strong leader and very brave, I liked how he got the name Oakenshield, and his face down with Azog was pretty impressive. You could tell it was Richard Armitage, just by his voice.He did a wonderful job of Thorin and I look forward to seeing him in the next part of the Hobbit.



Kili was also one of my favourite characters. I should probably add Fili but I didn't like him AS much as I like Kili. ;) I wouldn't be surprised if I end up being a bit teary after seeing the third part.
I was so excited when I first saw

Kili and Fili at Bilbo's door and I'm pretty sure that I grinned.
Kili's choice of weapons a bow and a sword were spot on. He had a nice voice and he just reminds me of Legolas in some ways except I think he's cooler than Legolas and he's got more character. Fili's and His trust in Bilbo and his exclamation of 'we thought you were gone' made me smile. The 'orc joke' I was smiling through but than Thorin came in and burst the bubble. I wish Kili had had more dialogue though and I look forward to seeing him and Fili in the next part of The Hobbit.


Gandalf though maybe not one of my favourite characters was done very well. I also liked Bofur, Balin and Radagast. Mum said I would like Radagast and I did not disappoint her.
We didn't see it in 48 frames I pretty sure, but the 3D was excellent.
Oh, yeah and me and Rogan sort of dressed up for the Hobbit as well. We wore shoes though and so here's me just before we went. :)

Favourite quotes:
Bilbo Why don't we have a game of riddles and if I win, you show me the way out of here Gollum And if he loses? What then? Well if he loses precious then we eats it! If Baggins loses we eats it whole!

Bilbo I have... I have never used a sword in my life. Gandalf And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one.

Balin It's just the usual; summary about pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements so forth.
Bilbo Funeral arrangements?
Bilbo Oh, up to but not exceeding one fourteenth total profit if any. Seems fair. Present company shall not be liable for injuries including but not limited to laceration, evisceration... incineration?
 Bofur Oh, aye. He'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye.
Balin You all right, laddie?
Bilbo Yeah, I'll be. Feel a bit faint Bofur Think furnace, with wings.
Balin Flash of light, searing pain, then poof, you're nothing more than a pile of ash.
Bilbo Yeah, I-I-I need air Bilbo long pause No. (faints)

Galadriel Why the Hafling?
 Gandalf Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? That's because I am afraid and it gives me courage.

Bilbo to the trolls, about cooking the dwarves)Well, I mean, have you smelled them? You're going to need something a lot stronger than sage before you can plate this lot up!

And so I am finally done here! If you managed to finish reading this post than I salute you! And I am just gonna add 

Fili and Kili agree. :D

THE HOBBIT IS AMAZING!!!! CANNOT WAIT TILL DEC 2013! :D

God Bless

We went to Bethlehem!!!

On Saturday night after mass, we went to a real-life representation of what Bethlehem would have been like in Jesus' day and age.
The pictures are watermarked from my Mum's blog if anyone is wondering by the way.
Hopefully I'll be posting some more during the Holidays. :)
It was so cool! :D I really, really enjoyed it and everyone else did too.
It was called going to Bethlehem. Here's so pictures which we took while we were there.



This was the sign at the front where you had to take a census, just like how Mary and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem.

This was where we payed to get inside. That's my Dad's head you can see there paying. It was great that they didn't have the whole 'two adults, two kids' thins which is the ONLY family card you can seem to get at some things. it would've been easier if we were Hebrews though. :P


As you came through the gate there were two Roman soldiers guarding the gate. The Roman's were one of my favourtie things, by far!




As you walked in they had a pen with a little lamb in it. Lambs are soooo cute! :)

They also had sheep in another pen. The only thing they didn't seem to have this year was goats.

I've never actually seen a camel before and let me just say, they are huge! Maybe the double hump camels are smaller but these were really big. as we were leaving they started to growl and Trahaearn grwoled back at them, with the encouragment of Saxon. ;)


You could get a wool bracelet here which was how they made rope and stuff like that. It was fascinating to see how it worked!



I love this sign.


This was were you could get sewn things and notice the loom in the background. I didn't really explore this place as much though, as there was a lot of other things to do.


That's me in the picture people, standing next to the peice of paper I had just made whuch was exactly like how they made it in Jewish times.








This was the carpenter shop. I got a little boat here. One fo the best things about going to Bethlehem was everything you could get in the time period tents (yes, tents/dwellings) were for free!






This was one of the wise men. They spent most of their time down at the manger.

This is King Herod's palace.













I LOVE this chariot






Another picture of the Romans. This was jsut before they finshed for the night. They did go around and accuse people a bit actually. :P







A jewish alphabet, I'm pretty sure.




That jewish alphabet was in the Jewish School place.


















This was also at the Jewish School.

See those little boats Autumn is holding in her hand? One of them is mine. :

A jewish home.


Watching how to make paper.

Glueing and cutting.


This was the carpenter who made my ship. I just walked straight up to him and he asked what I wanted. I said, 'boat please.' and he asked if I wanted to make it myself. I said no thanks, and he handed me a boat! :)

They had this room on the side which had lots of naitvety sets and other stuff like it. I didn't get to see much of it though as Corbyn wanted me to take him to see King Herod and his palace.
















The Donkeys! Arwen says the favourite thing which she saw was the donkeys. They were outside the manger.


And Ta-da! The manger.




Even though the manger scene is the most important part. It was one of my least favourtie things to see. You might also notice that one of the Wise Men went AWOL. They got a real baby for baby Jesus too, which I was very impessed with.

i love this sign! I didn't actually see it the night we went there but saw it in the pictures instead.





Here was where you could get unleavened bread and wine. Grape juice for kids! No need to add Trahaearn loved the grape juice. :)











THis is me and Arwen grinding wheat together. It was really fun and I liked trying it.

I think I'd be interested in volunteering next years as it runs for three nights including Christmas Eve and would be a great experience.

And last but not least, I'd like to wish you all a very late Christmas and a Happy New Year!
God Bless