Articles written by: eviebowman

Evie was introduced to Tolkien's work by her boyfriend, over a beer in the Eagle and Child pub in Oxford. She went home, read the books and, a while later, married her boyfriend. She has only recently discovered fandom, after years of eye-rolling by her husband and children, and is delighted to find it warm and welcoming and not-at-all weird. As well as tracking down bits of news and sharing them with others, she leads ponies for Riding for the Disabled and loves the cinema and theatre and her wildlife garden.

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Breaks Debut Record in China

Congratulations! The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has opened in China with thundering box office takings of $32.7 million! This makes it the top Warner Brothers film ever for opening earnings in China. Over three […]

New ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ VFX Reel

Here’s a nice little video showing scenes from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug before and after the special effects are added. There’s Beorn and his house,  Bilbo and Kili with the spiders, Gandalf, Smaug, and, […]

‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Motion Poster

Wow! Look at this! It’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug motion poster brought to us by Trailer Addict.  It’s really quite hypnotic! If you have trouble with the player above, click on the picture […]

Academy Awards for Weta Digital

Congratulations to Martin Hill, Jon Allitt, Nick McKenzie, Dr Peter Hillman and Areito Echevarria of Weta Digital on winning Oscars at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards, 2014. Martin Hill, Jon […]

B-Roll of Filming The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Here is a great behind-the-scenes look at the filming of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.  Watching this we can really appreciate things like the size of the Lake-town set and just how wet the […]

Exclusive Interview with Ryan Gage, Alfrid in “The Hobbit”

  British actor Ryan Gage makes us smile and squirm as Alfrid Lickspittle, the Master of Lake-town’s councillor, in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Alfrid himself is not the most likeable character, but Ryan plays him […]

Could Smaug Lead to Smog?

Apparently not! Dragons have a “minimal impact on the carbon emissions of Middle-earth,” say scientists at the University of Cape Town, and they can prove it too! The scientists from the Climate System Analysis Group modelled Smaug […]

BAFTA NY ‘In Conversation’ with Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch will be the first guest on a new series of  “In Conversation” interviews from British Academy of Film and Television Arts New York in partnership with The Standard. Benedict who provides the motion […]

Schoolboy’s Bucket List Includes Seeing Smaug

Seeing The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and having a hobbit house in his garden are two of the dreams on the wish list of seriously ill schoolboy, Reece Puddington. 11 year old Reece was diagnosed with […]

Cate Blanchett: Jackson has a ‘Refined Sense of Ugly’

Cate Blanchett, who plays Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies says Peter Jackson has, ‘… a refined sense of ugly. He’s so feral and childlike as a filmmaker and up on […]