One Last Time

Holly and Kelly: Dear readers, we apologize for not updating in a while. It has been a very crazy month of going here there and everywhere. But we are fine, all is well and now we are back. Thanks for hanging tough and bearing with us.

Yesterday was the final hurrah. The big finale. The movie to end all movies. The Battle of the Five Armies. And it was glorious.  It was also a time of gathering. As you all know, in September we attended ALEP (see our post on ALEP weekend here!) and met some pretty awesome people during that time. It was discussed at that time that there was a group who usually met up in December to see the current Hobbit movie in Nicholasville (about an hour from Berea). This group met up at Shaker Village the night before for a merry gathering, since it's almost Christmas. So needless to say we jumped all over that! We stayed at the village Friday night and got to meet up with some of the folks we met in September for snacks, conversation, laughing, a long slideshow and a little bit of tasty wine. Come Saturday we rolled out to Brannon's Crossing in Nickyville and gathered at the theater for pictures and a bit of singing, such as Misty Mountains and I See Fire- which was pretty incredible. Before we knew it there were other people taking pictures and videos of all of us, as the majority of the group were in costumes. It was awesome. Truly awesome. We kept saying "I love us." This group, these movies, as Kelly said, it was a celebration of the Christmas season, the love of Tolkien and Peter Jackson's work, how the books/movies have impacted us and our lives, and celebrating each other.

Now for our movie opinion; we LOVED it!!! We don't want to give too much away, because that's just not nice and we went into this movie having read no reviews, not viewed any clips, or seen anything else other than just the trailer.  We expected a few things, naturally, just because we're fairly familiar with the book, but it far surpassed our expectations!  There were quite a few moments that really surprised us, and of course, there were things that we weren't too thrilled with (but that's the case with the previous 2 Hobbit movies, and even LOTR too).  But what really made this movie special, aside from it being the last Middle Earth hurrah, was the company that was able to witness this cinematic adventure with us.  Many we met from AL3P, but we didn't get to have as many in-depth conversations and fellowship as we had wished (though there was still plenty!!), so it was really memorable to share life with these people.  We all come from such different walks of life, such different parts of the world, and when we all come together united by this love for Tolkien, wonderful things happen.  Now every time we see Five Armies, we'll think of this group, this family that we've been so fortunate to be welcomed into.  Plus...Billy Boyd's closing song is complete perfection to the end of an incredible movie series...and to our parting.  We will see each other soon, though.  There is no such thing as goodbye!

So ends this day
The road is now calling
And I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where light has never shone
By silver streams that run down to the Sea
Under cloud, beneath the stars
Over snow one winter's morn
I turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me, I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day to bid you farewell

One Last Time! (Photo c/o Kelly Gable) 

30 Days of Doctor Who: Most annoying character/Favorite Actor

Holly: This is probably the longest 30 day writing challenge in existence.  haha.  Gosh, life just has a way of sneaking up on you and allowing the days to just fly and fly and fly, right on by.  We're combining a couple of days again, so I'm (briefly) chatting on what we think is the most annoying character.  Which, I think, is kind of mean, but whatever.  All for the sake of writing, I suppose.

We were not a fan of Lady Christina de Souza, who was in the Tenth special "Planet of the Dead."  To be honest, we weren't a fan of the episode altogether.  I (Holly) was really looking forward to another strong female companion but I just didn't see that in her.  She was really "my way or no way" and kind of greedy, at one point holding on tightly to a sacred treasure instead of letting it go to save a bus full of innocent people.  Not really much of a moral compass either.  Although I have absolutely nothing against the actress (watch Steven Moffat's Jekyll, she's brilliant), but yeah.  Just didn't roll with us too well.

Kelly: So it's no secret on who our favorite actor is.

Yup. You guessed it!

Oh my gloooooooooooooooooooooooooooobbbbbbbbbbbbbb. Talk about talent. Nothing short of genuine, pure raw and amazing talent. I mean seriously. Something that we do is when we like a new show or movie, we do our best to watch some of the other things the leading gent (or leading lady) have been in in the past. We've just started doing this with Matt Smith, and we've seen a good bit of David Tennant's other work besides as the dear Doctor himself. One thing that I really love is that he genuinely cares for and about his fans, and it's super sweet. Don't really know too many people in general who spare a second thought to those outside of their little comfortable network. We have some of our favorite pre/post Doctor media, like Broadchurch, Single Father and Nativity 2 (we strongly encourage you lot to check them out). But my personal favorite of his other than the Doctor is his role in a TV movie that came out a few years ago titled Recovery. Recovery tells the story of a man who after a tragic accident suffers from a traumatic brain injury. This changes his personality, his ambitions and his life as he struggles to relearn how to be a husband, working class individual and father. You will laugh, you will cry (or at least I did) and I hope you will spare a thought for those who have gone through what the story portrays.

Having been exposed to injuries and illnesses of that nature, I have to applaud David's performance, because in not only my personal, but as a healthcare provider, it was pretty spot on! But seriously, if you all have a favorite actor/actress, stray away from the role that they are "known" for, look into some other things they have done, and let me tell you you will have such a new found appreciation for them not only in their careers but as people. Yes. They are people before they are actors/actresses. I think that that is so often forgotten. So there you have it! 

Something funny....or a few funny things.

Kelly: So today we thought it would be funny if we tickled our funny bones. Not that either of us have had a bad day/week, but still. Sometimes you just need to post some random funny things. Plus we just watched a pretty intense episode of Doctor Who...go figure. MOFFAT! The first funny bit is from a series 5 episode titled The Lodger. It was my favorite from the season, but overall I thought the season was just kind of meh. I thought this episode was witty, fun and cute. This bit made me laugh so much.

Have some rent

Then today, I re-watched the movie Holes, which is one I watched often growing up. I remember seeing it in theaters when it came out with Holly and our mom. GET ME A WRENCH, READ MY LIPS, GET ME A WRENCH! So many good one liners. Found myself quoting it often, but yes. An all around good movie. Ok so most of our funny stuff is pertaining to Doctor Who, but oh well. Enjoy it anyway. I also stumbled upon something on Facebook that was trending. Apparently Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen have been in New York for quite some time working on a play....sadly I can't remember which one. Anyway, they posted this ridiculous but hilarious compilation of pictures from their trip. I have posted the link below.

Patrick and Ian in New York


Holly: I like laughing.  It's one of my favorite things to do.  We hope you enjoy our funny things :)

Can you hold? I have to eat a biscuit.

And this (fun fact: the first season with the Eleventh Doctor, as I just learned, aired four years ago TODAY.  Wow, time flies.  We were still in school)

Fish fingers and custard

I haven't stopped laughing at this in about a week.

This last video was from a sermon a few Sundays ago.  But it's so relevant to life! 

Procrastination

God's Not Dead!!

Holly: Kelly is banished from reading this post until she sees this movie.  Which is looking like Wednesday night at this point.  Because I WILL see it again.  So Kelly, if you're reading this, stop.  Stop now.  Moving on...

Today I saw "God's Not Dead".

I hadn't heard about it, really, until about a month ago.  I'd seen posts about it mostly on Facebook and Twitter, and just a couple of days ago it was really brought to my attention.  Some members of my church were planning on getting together and seeing it because it was showing in a theater nearby.  I was interested, so I took a ticket.  Watched the trailer.  Admittedly was not all that impressed.  Honestly.  Not all that impressed.

Remember how I blogged earlier about how I wish I could travel back in time and smack myself across the face? (I promise I'm not a violent person..?).  Yeah....

First off, I believe that every single college student in America needs to see this movie.  I'm completely serious.  For those of you who don't know much about this movie, the jist of it goes like so: a college freshman enrolls in a philosophy class taught by an outspoken atheist professor.  He has the class write "God's not dead" on a piece of paper, sign it, and hand it in, thus avoiding debate and debacle between philosophical ideas and theist-based ideas.  One student, a Christian, refuses.  The professor challenges the student to defend the "antithesis", so to speak, that God is, in fact, not dead.  Through this, the student is challenged, his relationships fall apart, and he is belittled and threatened by the professor.  There are numerous other character storylines that all intersect as well; many of the characters either don't believe in God at all, or do, but are keeping it secret.  And yet, at the end, all are affected by Him in some shape, size, form, or fashion.

My first thought was what would I do if I were in that student's situation.  I'd like to think that I would take a stand for God, but the sad truth is that I'm not entirely sure what I would do.  I immediately began thinking of my own college days.  While my faith was challenged, yes, I was never publicly belittled, threatened, or forced to believe in something I didn't.  Maybe none of us would every really know what we would do.  God has a time and a place for everything.  One of the things the student kept saying throughout the movie was "I feel like God wants me to do this."  I suppose that, given the circumstances, I would know what God would want me to do.

The biggest take-home message, for me, was this: every single moment is precious, and our time on this earth is limited.  We don't know how much time we have left.  I would say that the storyline that really struck me was that of the atheist professor.  Without giving too much away, all he has for God is hate, but I won't disclose why...spoilers (for which that argument is rebuked by "How can you hate someone that doesn't exist?").  Literally at the last possible second does he see the light of Christ and turn to Him.  I wasn't expecting it to end the way that it did, which is why it probably struck me as much as it did.  Life is so short, too short.  In light of this, I will say that I realize that I don't act as Christ's ambassador as much as I should.  I don't speak or act for God as properly as I should.  I don't reflect God's likeness as I should.  Yeah, I've had people tell me that they can tell I'm a Christian because of how I act, how I handle stress, etc, but it's not good enough to just be "good enough" anymore.  I pray that God will use me, and anyone else who sees this movie, to shine for Him, to stand for Him, to witness, to be brave.  I'm doing my best to live for Him, and I pray every day that others will see Him.  I will keep praying that prayer.  Always.

My God's not dead, He's surely alive! 

One of the lines from the movie was how that we might be the only meaningful experience with Christ that someone will experience.  We only get one chance.  I'm praying that my faith will be strengthened and that God will shine through me.

Wrap up: Run, do not walk, to your nearest movie theater and go see this movie!!! Please!  You will not be disappointed.  God is awesome and this movie was a great reminder of how God works in awesome ways.  P.S. It features the Newsboys (briefly), and I've met them before.  They're super cool- Duncan the drummer follows me on Twitter.  Seriously!  Oh, and there's Duck Dynasty too.  Which (I guess???) is kind of a big deal nowadays :)

Took me a little while to write this post- I have my own personal editor :)

Smaug, as seen by H and K: A hasty review

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN "THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG" YET, PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER.  MAJOR SPOILERS LIE WITHIN.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Holly: I'll be totally honest, going into this I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  Ok, that's not entirely true: I knew that we were going to see Smaug (I mean...duh).  I knew that we were going to see Laketown.  I knew there was going to be more stuff about The Ring.  Aside from that, that's basically all I had to go on. There hadn't been much in terms of advertising: we watched two production blogs from Peter Jackson, one live streaming of the premiere in LA, and a couple TV spots here and there.  Compared to AUJ, there was a LOT less media hype.

I'm glad there was a lot less hype.  The Desolation of Smaug was leaps and bounds better than what I expected.  Leaps.  And.  Bounds.

I'm not going to delve into all my favorite bits, because, quite frankly, that'd be a whole other post in it of itself (Yes, I really did enjoy it that much).  I will share a few things I liked though:

1. SMAUG.  Oh. my. gosh.  Oh my gosh!  Guys, I'm 23 and I was scared, ok?  Benedict Cumberbatch was PERFECT.  Just perfect.  I looooooooooooovvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeedddddddddddddd his voice.  And I think a lot of people forget that he literally WAS Smaug: he wasn't just the voice, he did the movements too.  So it was Benedict Cumberbatch playing, living, breathing, moving Smaug...asldkfjlakjsdf!!! To those of you who want a brilliant and scary beast, you will not be disappointed.

2. The barrels scene.  It's fast-paced, it's wet, it's action-packed, it's like riding a roller coaster.  A wet one, with orcs and elves and such.  There's even a funny Bombur bit that had Kelly and I rolling! Honestly, that was one of the parts I was most looking forward to and, again, it did not disappoint.

3. Tauriel, the new elf character.  I was VERY skeptical at first., but I liked her a lot more than I thought I did.  She's fierce, she's a fighter, she kicks serious butt.  But she also has a heart to her.  There's a scene in Laketown where she heals Kili, and it was such a beautiful scene it brought tears to my eyes.  I'm curious to see where the next movie will take her.

I could go on and on.  Martin Freeman continues to shine as Bilbo; he just keeps getting better and better.   What I loved the most was how he portrays the Ring already starting to take its hold on him.  I won't give anything away on that, but it's enough to send a chill down your spine.

My verdict: Go see it, as soon as you are physically able to do so!  There's more action, more humor, more heart, and of course, Smaug,...I don't think that you will be disappointed.

Kelly: I thought this movie was 10x better than An Unexpected Journey. I feel like that There And Back Again will be a little bit better than this one. I could be wrong. I will share one more tidbit that I really enjoyed, but also some things that didn't roll too well with me. Gosh, I know!

Holly told me about this review of the movie that said the characters lacked "development" and "heart." I have yet to find this review, but I am now offering my rebuttal. Sis touched on this briefly but I'm going to expand on it. What really hit the most with me in the movie was none of the above, but something TOTALLY unexpected. There is a scene between Kili, Oin, Fili, Bofur and Tauriel. I won't give too much away, but there is a moment between Kili and Tauriel that is NOT romantic but rather a series of beautiful encounters that just stick with me. It is by far probably one of the most beautiful pieces of a movie or TV show that I have ever seen. Ever. Like "oh my gosh my eyes were watering of the beauty" kind of beautiful.

Having said that, there was one thing I didn't really care for, which was in the beginning with Beorn. In the book, the dwarves come in in pairs every 5 minutes in an attempt to plea Beorn into letting them stay in his house. Gandalf all the while is telling their story, and the constant interruptions keep Beorn in suspense and wanting to hear the story. But in the movie, the company literally runs into the house, since Beorn is chasing them, and slams the door in his face. I understand that by sticking with the original story in the book it would have taken time, but still. Nothing similar? But overall it did not hinder from my experience of enjoying the movie, which I did.

I feel like all the actors's performances were above and beyond the first movie. I can see growth in each and every one of them, and my goodness! The roles of their lifetime! But yes, I will repeat what sis said; it is definitely worth a watch! Peter Jackson and the rest of the crew have put out yet another spectacular piece of film. You will thoroughly enjoy it!

The Hobbit: what the book and movies mean to us

Holly and Kelly: We are now 10 days away from the second movie of the Hobbit Trilogy; The Desolation of Smaug. Now I am sure that most of you are sick of seeing the stuff we keep posting on our social media sites. Here's just a few reasons why we are so excited for the upcoming flick:

*Lord of the Rings: Yep, we totally missed out on that movie trilogy. We were 11, 12 and 13 when the movies hit the big screen. I remember seeing previews for those movies and thinking how stupid they looked. Someone should have gone Sam with a frying pan to our heads.

*A story of hope, courage and inspiration: When you get past the scary Wargs, Orcs, trolls and goblins, that's exactly what this story is all about. Bilbo is basically an average Joe Hobbit who is so preoccupied with his space and things. But out of the blue, Gandalf takes all that away from him, stating in the movie "it will be very good for you." In my life, God has been the Gandalf in my life; taking away my comforts and putting me on this roller coaster that's called being in a relationship with Him. It's crazy, but worth it!

*The actors and crew: I cannot stress this enough, they really do care about their fans! Peter Jackson was quoted saying "I don't make these movies for the Oscars. I make them for the fans." He also does video blogs and hosts fan events. How many movie makers do you see doing that? Not too many. We were watching the World Premiere last night that took place in Hollywood. The actors spent a LOT of time with the fans signing things, talking to them and taking pictures with them. I will post a video at the end that brings this point home. You'll see what I mean.

*Tolkien; He was a Christian! Need I say more?! If you read the book you will see hidden Christian themes, or at least I do. My favorite is at the end when Gandalf tells Bilbo " you really don't suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit?" (and yes this is straight out of the book). Bilbo then states "Thank goodness!"

*Our faith: We can honestly believe that these stories have strengthened our faith and relationship with Christ. When you read about Bilbo and his struggles, Frodo and his struggles and the other characters and their struggles, you know they're real, even though the characters are not. Let's face it; we've all dealt with fear, pride, worry and doubt, and we've all had a Sam or a Gandalf in our lives to help us fight the good fight. Accountability partners? Exactly. I read about these struggles, reflect upon mine, am inspired and I thank God for what He has brought me through and for blessing us with an author and movie director that has inspired many, ourselves included. So there. Now you have it.

Prepare to grab some tissues for this one.

Debunking the stigmas

Holly: It's not much of a surprise that society tends to put people into "boxes".  You have your haves and have-nots, your loners and social butterflies, your twenty-somethings and your elderly, your single people and your couples...you get the idea.  Then there's us.  We're more on the "haves" side of things, we fit somewhere in between loner and social butterfly, we're both single, and we're both in our 20s.  We're also Christians.

I've seen a lot of stigmas associated with being a Christian.  I'm sure you have too.  "Christians don't know how to have fun."  (Whatever that means, anyway.  I guarantee my definition of "fun" and your definition are totally different).  "Christians think everyone's going to hell."  "Christians only listen to Christian music and don't watch movies with swearing or sex or any of that stuff."  "Christians are so hypocritical."  "Christians don't drink or smoke or any of that." "Christians are so judgmental."  "Christians think everything is BAD!" You get the idea, right?

I'm going to debunk ALL of these by saying that they're all full of crap.  Last night, Kelly and I went and saw "The World's End" in theaters.  I will be the first to say that it's filthy.  There's a lot of bad language and a lot of inappropriate-ness.  However, we saw it anyway.  Why? Because it's JUST A MOVIE.  It's not like Kelly and I are going to suddenly embark on a mile-long pub crawl.  No.  And that's where I debunk all of these stigmas.  Movies, tv shows, books, etc, things that are "questionable" are merely in this world for the sole purpose of entertainment.  It's just a movie.  It's just a book.  They're not real.  There's a quote from Facing the Giants in which someone asks "So you think God cares about football?"  The rebuttal is that God cares about our faith.  We can indulge in a totally stupid and funny 2 hour movie and keep our integrity in check.  Watching a movie is not a sin.  As for music...give me Mumford and Sons any day of the week.

Kelly: I remember at the first church I attended when I was about 8 years old. As you all know, Harry Potter had just come out and was starting to get well known. Holly and I were in our Sunday School class and our Sunday School teacher was very anti-Harry Potter because of the magic, witchcraft and wizardry that obviously happens. She blatantly said that Harry Potter was a sin. I remember going home and being very upset because I was thinking about reading it but because of what she said I didn't. Maybe that's why we waited so long to read them...anyway.

Last night, like she said, Holly and I enjoyed an R rated movie. I also have been known to enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage. (Bear in mind I said OCCASIONAL). I think what it just boils down to is ignorance. Just because we carry the name of Christ doesn't mean we're these sheltered, Bible-thumping fire and brimstone kind of people. No. When I was in Scotland 2 summers ago, I was the oldest in my apartment and my roommates were into that kind of party scene that included bar-hopping and the such. I am not really into that. Never have been. I remember I was in the kitchen making dinner and after repeatedly declining their invitations one girl asked me if I was a Christian. I said that I was. She then asked "oh so you don't drink because you're a Christian?" I'm going to use a Martin Freeman picture again to express my frustration then and now.

Again, I think it just boils down to ignorance. It's frustrating. So if anyone out there asks me how I spent my weekend, please please PLEASE do not gasp and be all flabbergasted if I reply that I went and had a drink with my friends. I believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with alcohol and R-rated movies. It's just if we let the drinking go farther than our limits and we start behaving in the way that R-rated movies sometimes are, then that in my opinion is when they can become problematic. Yet again there's another struggle, because today's culture is immersed with this type of behavior ALL the time. More often than not these types of behaviors are just casual, brushed off with "oops it just happened" or "oh it's ok. I'll clean up better next time." Now I ain't trying to preach, but it seems to me that the line between right and wrong has been so blurred in the past few years or so. And let's face it, our society has become so accepting of basically just a "doing it your way" type of lifestyle. Hey, that's great and all, but in my world living for myself is too small a thing to live for. God made me as the person that I am today; I think I owe it to Him to take care of this vessel He made in me. He's built something in my head that started young, because I've never been one to follow with what is "right" in today's world. So in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy what I enjoy and live my best for God. That's all any of us can do really. 

The Two Greatest Commandments

Kelly: A few nights ago, Holly and I were having an interesting conversation, as is the starter of the majority of these blog posts. As you all know, we are followers of Christ, or at least we claim to be. By the way, if you see or hear us acting not in such a manner, please let us know. Sometimes we are not aware of our own words or actions, am I right? Anyway, in Matthew Jesus answers the question what the two greatest commandments are. Simple. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul mind and strength. The second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself. In today's world, it seems to me we need to go back to basics with the latter.

I've heard before ad nauseum, especially from these other "churches" who say "we love God and He is our Savior, but you all are burning to hell because of xyz." Yes, I'm talking about the latest people population that has been targeted; gays. Now please don't misunderstand me, I am in no way shape or form discriminating against anyone who is gay. In fact, some of my friends are gay and I love them dearly. The question that Holly and I posed while we were having this conversation is can you love God without loving other people? ALL people? My answer? No. I don't think you can. Jesus didn't discriminate against ANYONE, therefore we shouldn't either, whether or not you claim to carry the name Christian. If one is selective about who they want to show love to, then in my opinion you're missing the message that Jesus was trying to carry. But it's not just the gay population that is being targeted, no. Again, like I said, I feel like the world needs to go back to basics. I think some people have just forgotten how to simply be nice. I was reading on Yahoo! news that this family received a letter stating that their mentally challenged young son was a disgrace to their neighborhood and that the parents were shameful for letting him play outside.

Ironically, Holly and I viewed Lee Daniel's The Butler this evening. There was one line that President Kennedy (as portrayed by James Marsden) is watching the TV and footage of African Americans being relentlessly beaten on the streets. He sinks his face in his hands and says "I can't believe that this is my country." Sadly, this is what our country was and unfortunately what our world is becoming. Ya'll, this is the point I'm trying to say; it doesn't matter what your views are on Christianity, gay rights, etc. Just show some common courtesy to ANYONE you meet. You don't know what they're going through.

Holly: We love because He first loved us.  ~1 John 4:19

Jesus dying for the sins of the world on the cross- how much more of a powerful way can you say "I love you?'  He also makes very clear the two commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Nowhere is there any subtext that says love your neighbor as yourself....EXCEPT if he's gay, black, weird, pink, straight, yellow, male, female, a dog....NO.  There are no exceptions.  Period.

I've mentioned this in a post or two previously, but I think love just goes beyond love.  I believe love also comes with acceptance.  Jesus loves who we are, everything about us, flaws and all.  I don't think you can love somebody without accepting all of them.  Now that goes without saying that you don't have to fully adopt their lifestyle choices- no.  That's not it at all.  But stay open-minded and be respectful.  Eventually you look past all the things that originally turned you off from them and you see them for who they really are; a child of God, a living, breathing human being.  If you really think about it, when you boil everything down, we are all essentially the same.  We are all created in the image of God.  I know I need to remember this when I yell at the questionable drivers I encounter on a daily basis (I have terrible road rage).

I'm caught thinking of Westboro Baptist Church.  This is an institution that is supposed to be proclaiming the love of Christ.  Instead, they spread nothing but utter hate and ignorance and oppose anything that threatens their little box full of blasphemy that they've sadly put themselves in.  They absolutely refuse to listen to any reason whatsoever and they believe they are perfectly valid.  I do not consider them a church.  I do not consider their members to be Christians.  Heck, I don't even know if the life I'M living will be considered Christian when I am judged by God at the end of my earthly life.  But it's spelled out as clear as day: we are called to love.  And I'm doing my best to do just that.  Please let me know if you see me doing otherwise.

30 Days of Sherlock: Favorite Sherlock actor

Note: Today, we would like to dedicate this post to our dear friend Brian.  Eight years ago today he was killed in a car accident.  He was supposed to graduate high school with our brother.  He was a truly remarkable and wonderful friend who gave the best hugs and knew how to make anyone laugh.  We miss you, Brian.

Kelly: All I can say is thank God that I am not the same person that I was when I was that unsure, angry and upset 15 year old. Anyway, thanks to the website Sherlockstuff, I've been able to track my favorite Sherlock actor (and one of my favorite favorite actors anyway) and see some of his other work. He's been involved in a variety of other roles, in rom coms, historical flicks and of course, Bilbo Baggins in the upcoming Hobbit film trilogy.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am tipping my hat off this morning to Martin Freeman. I've only known the name for about a year, but did recognize him in Shaun of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and Love Actually before I knew who he was. It was right around this time last year that we got into Sherlock as well; if I'm not mistaken we viewed Reichenbach on this day last year. When I saw Martin's performance in that episode, and seeing the real hurt and numbness that comes upon finding out your worst fear, that's when I fell in love with him not only as an actor but as John Watson. If you have never experienced loss before, you don't know what that feels like. I don't know if Martin has, but I have. And I remember watching the episode and thinking "that is EXACTLY how I felt when I heard about Brian." And just like that, I was 15 years old again.

So if you haven't seen some of Martin's other work, I would highly recommend it. I would recommend The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, The Good Night, and Nativity! (those are my favorites that he's in). 

Holly: I too also love Martin Freeman.  And not just because he's John Watson (Seriously, you crazy Sherlock fans.....seriously.  Watch his other stuff.  He's so much more than that.  I seriously doubt he went through the training and schooling he did just to be known by "Jawn"...he's Martin Freeman! Ok, ending rant now).  I love him for his versatility.  I've seen the majority of his work, and every performance of his is completely seamless.  I especially love him in Nativity; he portrays the crochety Scroogy primary school teacher so well.  He's so believable! Like Kelly, I also recommend her recommendations, but I also recommend a comedy show called Bruiser.  He's quite funny!

Another good scene of his is from "Swinging with the Finkels."  Unfortunately, I gave the movie a half hour before I quit watching it, so I skipped to the end and ohhhhh....it's so sweet.  That last scene!!!! I'm not even going to post it here; you can find it on YouTube.

My recommendation for any actor you really like: watch their other works.  Branch out of your box a little.  I guarantee that your respect for him/her will increase exponentially.  And then you can daydream about meeting them and having an intellectual conversation with them, instead of something like "OHMYGLOB I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN AND I LOVE SHERLOCK AND YOU'RE SO GOOD AS DR WATSON AND akljdgflkajdsgbkand.bkn.adjf...gkajewoituaoweut."  Catch my drift?

Bruiser: Touchy

Bruiser: Overanalyzing  (do apologize, there is a bit of language)

Newly beloved Ringers review The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Holly: DISCLAIMER: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE YET, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS.  WE DO NOT WANT TO RUIN THE MOVIE FOR YOU! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Sorry...typing this in between segments and commercials of Return of the King.  Bear with me.

Like Kelly mentioned, we viewed The Hobbit for the second time today.  The old cliche really is true: stuff is better the second time around.  In its second week I was still surprised to see a decent amount of people in the theater.  Then again, perhaps not.  In an earlier post of ours we mentioned that we completely missed the LoTR theater fandemonium, so we didn't really know what to expect.  I will say that I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, moreso the second time.  So...

WHAT I LIKED/LOVED:

*The pace/overall feel.  Yes, it is long (almost 3 hours), but for me it goes quickly but doesn't feel rushed.  It's much lighter than LoTR; I laughed so much in this movie!  I'm still exhilarated and excited, thrilled, given chills, the entire time.  It's absolutely beautiful.  The scenery/imagery is breathtaking as well; literally there are moments where I hold my breath.  It's just beautifully shot.  I don't know how they do it.

*The "Princess Bride"-esque bookend of older Bilbo and Frodo telling the story in the beginning.  I LOVE that.  LOVE it.  I think I loved it more than the average person.  When I read that Elijah Wood and Ian Holm were reprising their roles for the movie I was hoping they would be woven in like that.

*The casting of Martin Freeman as Bilbo.  OH MY GOD.  OH. MY. GOD.  Seriously!!!!  You know how everyone fell in love with Elijah Wood as Frodo?! Yeah...I foresee these movies going a lot like that.  Now, perhaps I am a bit biased because I have seen the majority of his works and find him a really good actor, but I think that he makes the PERFECT Bilbo!  I mean, Peter Jackson halted production for HIM just so he could have him as Bilbo; that's how bad he wanted him.  I honestly think it's one of the best decisions Peter Jackson made for this movie. Martin's performance is spectacular; it delights me to no end.  It's wonderful...truly wonderful.  I hope to meet him someday and tell him myself.

*The individuality of the dwarves.  MAJOR, MAJOR kudos to the production team.  I've seen a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and they did not have an easy task: creating 13 individual, unique dwarves.  But each one is portrayed perfectly.  Bofur and Balin are my favorites.  :)

MEH/DIDN'T FLY WITH ME TOO WELL (but still not enough to ruin the movie for me):

*The introduction is a bit long-winded.  But I do love the story.

*The storyline of Azog the pale orc versus Thorin thing.  I don't think Azog needs to be in the film; I think he's in it just so there's a "bad guy".  But oh well.  Bilbo does kick some serious tail in the end there.

*There was mention of Beorn/the barrel scene in the trailers but not in the movie.  That kind of frustrated me!  Guess we'll just have to wait until Smaug, I reckon.

Bottom line: If you are a die-hard Tolkiener that takes the books as gospel, proceed with caution.  Otherwise, it really does live up to the hype.  I simply cannot recommend it enough.  Fans of the LoTR movies and Peter Jackson will not be disappointed.  Go see it.  As soon as possible! :)

Kelly: Hey, Return of the King is on! Pippin is about to sing his beloved song.

This afternoon, Holly and I watched the first installment of The Hobbit movies for a second time. We first laid our eyes on it last week in Lexington for the midnight premiere. We were seated in front of our theater for over an hour waiting for it to open, but not before enjoying some Denny's and feasting on some milkshakes from The Hobbit menu. The theater was PACKED!!! Such a wonderful experience though and one I will surely not forget anytime soon. Today's experience was much different. We were in a smaller theater and it was just the two of us who went and saw it; post-coffee and chatting came afterwards as we met up with a good friend we have known since high school. Twas a lovely afternoon. I will now get onto the good and the bad, in my opinion:

THE GOOD:

* Martin Freeman's breakthrough role. Seriously. I have seen a lot of his work and his role as Bilbo Baggins is on the top of my list! These performances in the next three installments are going to make his career HUGE!!!!

* The Christian themes that are intertwined into the film. Love, grace, discipleship and compassion are a few that I observed many times. Especially loving your enemies; Bilbo spares Gollum's life as he is over run with compassion for the pitiful creature. It is a lovely reminder of how we should treat those who wrong us, and again, Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis both perform so well!

* Unlikely friends joining together for a common theme. A rag-tag of 13 dwarves, a wizard and a hobbit, all on a quest to seek the lost kingdom of Erebor. Not a likely company by any means, but it works well. Quite well actually; though there is doubt and uncertainty in the beginning, it disappears as many of the characters deem themselves worthy companions for the company.

* The humor. Though it is a very action-filled movie for the most part, the humor that is involved really lightens the rather gruesome fights that are involved in different parts of the movie. In the Lord of the Rings franchise, the humor comes from Merry and Pippin. In The Hobbit, it's a bit of everyone.

*There are many more good qualities that I enjoy and I overall enjoyed the movie quite well. I cannot wait to see it again!

THE BAD:

* The beginning sequence seemed a bit dragged on to me. Part of me enjoyed it, but part of me was wondering "ok....just get on with it." Ian Holm's soliloquy explaining it though was good, just a bit long in my opinion.

* I hate to play annoying Tolkien lover, but man I really wish the elements in the movie were somewhat linear with the book. Riddles in the Dark is the 5th chapter in the book but doesn't appear till near the end of the movie. Hey, I'm not a director by any means but it works out. I just wonder what it would have been like if it was like that. More linear with the book. Ok I'm done now. There you have it; my novice review of the movie. My opinion now? Go see it!!!

Why we are so excited about The Hobbit (AKA Tomorrow night!!)

Kelly: As you all know, Holly and I entered the Tolkien fandom rather late in life...as in this summer to be exact. This time tomorrow, we will be in Lexington awaiting to see The Hobbit movie at midnight!!! We are SO EXCITED! Now, here's a bit of news as to why we are excited.

*I am in love with the story line. If you haven't yet, PLEASE read the book! I've read it twice! P.S. If you want to borrow it from us let us know as we have a copy. It is such a terrific tail of an unlikely hero who gathers with unlikely friends and goes on an unlikely journey in his life. He doesn't know it at the time, but this journey is pivotal in the life of Bilbo Baggins. I cannot wait to see this pivotal journey on the bigscreen.

* Martin Freeman!!!!!!! Need I say more? I have really enjoyed learning about him more as an actor and from reading interviews he got into the storyline late too, just like us. I encourage you, all of you, to see some of his other work. We particularly like his work in Sherlock, but there are others of his we like too :]  (Um...that's a lie.  We pretty much like everything he's in.  Hi Martin, we're not psycho, we swear.  Let's have tea sometime.  ~Holly)

* Since we started into the Middle Earth journey so late, we missed out on seeing LOTR on the big screens. In fact, we saw the extended edition DVD's before we even read the books! Never saw them in theaters; we were 13 when Return of the King came out into the theaters. So yeah. This is our first Tolkien trilogy we are seeing on the big screen! And yes we are going to go all out!!! Better late than never, eh?

* If you really pay attention to some common themes, there are some Christian themes. I know!! It's not just about kicking butt, killing orcs and being invaded by dwarves. There's love, friendship, compassion and grace intertwined into the souls of the pages and the lives of the characters! To me it reflects Tolkien's character as well. So yes. This is why I'm excited about it. I hope you all get to enjoy it as much as we will! :]

Holly: FAR OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVER, THE MISTY MOUNTAINS COOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLDDDD!!!!!

Sorry.  I'm a bit slap-happy.  I'm sure you can figure out why.  :D

And I completely agree with all of what Kelly said.  Mostly I'm excited because of the experience of Middle Earth in the form of theatrical premieres.  We entered this fandom recently and later in life.  We weren't the fans who grew up with the books and movies, or had parents who did the same.  We didn't even watch the movies and read the books until a few months ago.   And we completely missed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and all the hype surrounding it.  Now we're going to be getting a little taste of what that's about, and it's pretty exciting.  And we get to enjoy it with two of our rockin' awesome friends.  And Martin Freeman, of course.  He's lovely.

We watched the live stream of the London premiere this afternoon, and during an interview the guy asked Martin Freeman to give a message to all the fans who were watching from all over the world.  He said "I dare you to be disappointed."  I know I won't be.  So many people have waited months, even years, heck, some probably even their whole lives, to see Bilbo Baggins on his grand adventure with the baker's dozen of dwarves come to life on the big screen.  For me, the anticipation has been unreal.  I'm looking forward to a return trip to Middle Earth.  The anticipation is insane, the fandom is going crazy.  I'm so ready!

Below are a few pictures I've collected over the last few months.  Enjoy.

AND...in the spirit of all things Christmas, our favorite Christmas flick is...............

Holly: This one!

So the IMDB is a little weak in terms of a plot, description, what have you, but the basic gist of it is a Scroogy failed-actor-turned-primary-school-teacher, Mr. Maddens, who gets suckered in to directing the school's nativity play.  In the midst of all of that he gets bombarded by his childish, highly immature (but hilarious) teaching assistant, Mr. Poppy.  It's basically doomed to fail on all accounts, especially when Mr. Maddens begins this intricate web of lies (in order to impress his fellow teacher rival, Gordon Shakespeare, who's absurdly full of himself) circling around his ex-girlfriend Hollywood producer flying herself and her crew out to watch their nativity play. The blowing up of the lies begetting lies and lies growing and growing and Mr. Maddens getting himself into deeper and deeper hot water is what makes most of the humor.

So you're reading this and probably thinking, Gee, Holly, well that sounds all fine and dandy, but why is it your FAVORITE Christmas movie? I mean, there's so many other good ones out there!!!!

Yes.  That is true.  But I....well, we....have a couple reasons.  The main one for me is because in the beginning of the movie, Mr. Maddens has absolutely no hope: in Christmas, in his students, in himself for doing a good job of directing, in Mr. Poppy.  As the movie progresses we learn he's still in love with his ex-girlfriend, even traveling great lengths to put his heart and the hearts of his students on the line.  As the movie progresses the students go from not believing in themselves, not thinking they can do anything, to "sparkling and shining" and redeeming the lost cause that their school once was.  And wishing the absolute BEST for their teacher that they love so dearly and admire.  My recommendation is this: watch the movie.  It will make you cry.  And it will definitely make you laugh and warm your heart.

Kelly: On top of what was already said, I have nothing really to add. What I get from this movie is quite simple. There's one part where Mr. Maddens has just spoken to an unsure student about wanting to participate in the play because she didn't want to wear "a stupid costume." After he sends her off to lunch, he stumbles upon "Christmas post" in which the students write letters to Santa asking what they want for Christmas. A few of them are traditional things like this and that. As he continues to read them, more and more of them say along the lines of "I just want Mr. Maddens to be happy." He gets quite emotional by the end and once he walks back into the auditorium the passion just lights up. These same students that he called "useless" in the beginning of the movie still want nothing but the absolute best for him.  And that's just awesome. I feel we should always feel that same way towards all people, even those who have wronged us any way or have said we're useless. Even if that person is ourselves.

Then there's Mr. Poppy. Despite receiving constant criticism for his over-the-top behavior and enthusiasm, he continues to do that and then some. I consider myself to be like Mr. Poppy at times. Here's what I mean; today I received a comment from one of my clinical instructors that said "I wish that everyone was as cheerful and enthusiastic as you are." It just goes to show you that when you carry that sort of attitude, like me, like Mr. Poppy, though it doesn't seem like it at times people do notice. And they appreciate it. Lastly, what else I get from this movie is of course the fact that Martin Freeman is in it! He has easily become one of my favorite actors and to me is more than just Tim from the Office or soon-to-be none other than Bilbo Baggins himself. I think we so often forget that actors, despite their various roles, are regular people too and live regular lives just like you and I. Since Martin has become one of my faves, I've brought it upon myself to see him in more of his work. I really do appreciate him more as an actor and as a person! So yes, I will close by saying, definitely watch this movie. It really is gold as far as Christmas movies go!

***Holly adds her actor/actress worship pet peeve/rant: Because I've read interviews, etc, and they don't like that.  For example, Kelly and I like Martin Freeman, and we've seen a lot of his work, and I've read interviews with him and he said at one point he got really tired of hearing "Tim!!" being shouted in the streets. While I love the character Tim from The Office, that's not who they are.  Actors and actresses aren't defined by their characters; they're defined by THEIR character.  They're ordinary people, just like you and me, who just happen to be spectacularly good at their jobs and also...they love what they do. I challenge you: if you have a favorite actor/actress, watch their other works (besides the one work that made you fall in love with him/her).  Your opinion will change.  //end rant***

"From the smallest beginnings come the greatest legends..."

Holly: If you are a Hobbit/Tolkien fan, watch it.  If you aren't....watch it anyway because it's just that AWESOME!

NEW Hobbit Trailer!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and P.S: To Martin Freeman, I've always liked you, but now I just freaking LOVE you.  You are the perfect Bilbo Baggins and I can't wait to see it for myself.  :)