The Hobbit Wellington Premiere

Well a great time was had by all, and as promised here are few pictures from the Wellington Premiere. It was a blazing hot Wednesday afternoon and there was a lot to see, and the air was buzzing with excitement  I've posted some of the clearer pictures I took , a lot of them involved avoiding heads, and other photographers didn't come out so great.

It was a long wait, the cavalcade of stars not arriving until about 4.30 pm at which time I had been waiting for two hours and was about ready to drop. But we were all in good spirits even if some of us were moaning about not getting a Gandalf style promotional Hobbit hat.  I had bought a Hobbit premiere t-shirt so looked the part, but as you will see from my pictures there were a lot of cosplay characters dotted around. I counted quite a few Hobbit s, 1 Gandalf and one Wring Wraith. Fortunately there were no Gollums present.

Hobbit premiere , artisan market, and Gandalf at the Embassy

Well today Sunday 25th of November was spent with my family in Central Wellington. I had but two goals. To view the Embassy canopy with its new Gandalf installation.

Then with a sharp turn left we were met by our local councils tribute to Middle Earth. It shows Wellington city rising up in the heart of Middle Earth. Now imagine this scene on the day of the Premiere this street will be closed off to traffic and filled with fans hoping for a site of the stars and the films director.

But the main purpose of our being in Wellington CBD was the Artisan Fayre which I referred to in  my last post. So what follows is just a flavour of Sunday at the Fayre. Various craftsmen and women, plus larger companies such as NZ Post and Air New Zealand advertised their links with the new film and various practical demonstrations of makeup, clothing and weapons were taking place on a small stage with large screen pumping out images to the gathering crowd. It was a family day out and there was a great atmosphere. I have a feeling that getting anywhere near the Embassy theatre on Premiere day will be optomistic. But I will be taking my camera.

So here are a few images as promised  to give you and idea at the interest approaching the Premiere.

Bag end arrives in Wellington.

Well by next weekend my mission will be to photograph the new Bag End sculpture that today arrived on the canopy of the Embassy cinema in Wellington. The home of the Hobbit premiere on November 28th. Traffic was being diverted today as the artwork was being put in place.




Also this week the Waitangi Park Artisan fare at will open which in the lead up to the Hobbit premiere will be showing the Lord of the Rings trilogy on giant screens. It will also be televising Premiere highlights as they take place. Again due to its close proximity to the Embassy I will be out with my camera to try and capture some of the things going on and sharing on my blog. More importantly the Artisan fare will give those artists and craftsman a place to showcase their skills and work to the public.

Birthdays, the Lighthouse and Blu Rays

Well its been a wicked fortnight spent on the one hand celebrating birthdays and on the other battling the stomach bug from hell. Now I would be a lier if I even attempted to claim that this had curtailed my cinema going. It didn't, simple truth of the matter is Rock of Ages was the only new film in town, and to be quite honest it didn't really appeal. But last Saturday was spent celebrating my sons 4th birthday and Thursday my own 46th. 

   Well if you have been a follower of my blog you will know that Birthdays in our household mean a visit to Amazon.co. UK , a time when my wife unleashes the Visa card and sets me loose. As you well know when placed in this intolerable situation I tend towards a mix of the old and the new in the blu ray selection process. So this years official Mark's birthday selection is as follows.

1. The Yellow Submarine, if there is one other love outside of cinema, then it would be for the music of the Beatles. As a young kid in the 70's they were something I grew up with, and became a part of my make up. The Yellow Submarine to a kid brought up on Disney is like a shot of adrenaline , very much a product of its time, and yet timeless due to its wonderful stylistic choices. I already have the DVD but I now have the 4K blu ray restoration. It was the one film I did watch on my birthday and Its never looked better.
2. Transformers 3 The Dark side of the moon. Purchased to show off my 3D set up and because I actually enjoyed this third effort. 
3. X Men complete collection, it was on special and as it had X Men First class and for this reason it jumped to the top of my order along with
4. The Jurassic Park Collection, Spielberg, Dinosaurs, what more can I say. Its not Jaws but that Blu ray is out soon so this will help the wait.
5. Despicable Me 3D what can I say, I love this animated marvel, and its one I can share with my son.
6. The Italian Job, this is the original and in my eyes greatest version. Michael Caine, Benny Hill, Cool Britannia and a brilliant Quincy Jones soundtrack. I've yet to see the Blu Ray but its one I cant wait to hold in my hands and put into the player.

So although my blog has been quiet, my film watching hasn't been. I was even taken aback by the Blu Ray of Highlander which I had been led to believe was barely better than the DVD version. ( Its a lot better, it shows its age, but I was pleasantly surprised). 

    

     But normal service is about to resume, later today I will be taking the family to our local Lighthouse cinema to see Ice Age 4 and then tomorrow I will be taking my wife to see Brave. We would have taken my son but reviews have led me to believe that it might be for a slightly older audience. So watch this space. Also in the next week or so we will have Spiderman and the Darknight films to look forward too.

      But tonight I have something else to look forward too. Rialto film channel is showing Kill List the Ben Wheatly movie which I have been waiting to see for nearly 12 months to see. It didnt get distributed in Wellington so this is my first chance to see it and I'm pretty excited so I might expect my views in the next roundup I post.

The Roxy and Wellington

Here is a link to a great article about Wellington over Easter with tips on places to visit, tours to take. I include it here due to it touching on Mirmars new cinema The Roxy. Take a look for a flavour of Wellington and for anyone viewing it locally for a few idea's of things to do over the Easter break.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10720085

Also if your are visiting over the break  The following events are taking place at the Weta Cave.


Friday 22 April 11am-12pm - Digital Painting Demo with Weta Concept Designer Paul Tobin

Saturday 23 April 11am-12pm - Make your own chainmaille with Weta Workshop Artist Philip Sharpe (Please note - there is a $7 charge for materials you will be using in this demonstration)

Sunday 24 April 11am-12pm - Digital Sculpting demo with Weta Workshop Designer and author Scott Spencer.

My favourite Wellington cinema

Since moving to Wellington back in 2006 to marry my Kiwi partner I have been spoilt by the abundance of wonderful cinema's in the area. This is a city where suburban cinemas have survived by showing a healthy mix of art house and popular fair.
My favorite cinema is the Embassy which was refurbished in time for the Lord of the Rings Premiere. Its interior is a joy to behold and its seats luxurious.

Opposite the cinema is a WETA designed statue that is striking and befitting its location with the Paramount and Reading cinemas literally just a short walk from its location.

Stone St Studios and Mirimar and New cinema development

Yesterday being a bank holiday I decided to take a drive with the family to Mirimar, the home of Weta and Stone St Studio. The main reason for our visit being the Chocolate Frog cafe where I had an excellent cooked breakfast and fantastic black pudding. Here are a few snaps taken on the day.

Being a bank holiday all was relatively quiet. Soon the Hobbit will be full ahead and saw a brief glimpse of a wooden set near to the mocap stage but nothing you could connect to that film. But soon this will be a hive of major activity.