I must admit it – I love disaster movies. Since I saw Airport and The Poseidon Adventure, I was hooked. Most recently, The Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, and Dante’s Peak have been my guilty movie pleasures. Lots of death and destruction with just a little pathos from the family connections. So how does Into the Storm shape up so far in this respect? Well, I LOVE it so far!
The airplanes in the trailer – LOVE! The fire tornadoes? LOVE! Admittedly not much to see in the way of family pathos so far, but since Richard Armitage is in it, I absolutely believe there will be a human element to it. Some storyline that will make the death and destruction more meaningful. I don’t ask for a lot. Just something to hold it together.
Richard Armitage at CinemaCon
And then there is the CinemaCon publicity. I LOVE the look of Richard Armitage in this publicity push for Into the Storm. Although he is in the guise of Chop, the character he plays in Urban and the Shed Crew, the film he is shooting right now in Leeds, England, he still looks his handsome self. I, personally, am not too crazy about the moustache, but I understand it’s for the character.
So what about The Hobbit? There and Back Again is the last installment of the trilogy, scheduled to come out this December. I must say that I totally forgot about it when information on Into the Storm was released. Sacrilege! I am a life-long Lord of the Rings obsessive! <sigh> I guess Desolation of Smaug did me in. Although I liked the movie when I saw it in the theater, watching it on my television is, well, meh. I am so not crazy about this film. It’s just striking me as kind of dopey right now. Thorin fighting the dragon with melted gold? Really? Just not that interesting.
Thorin Looks Suspiciously at Bilbo
Peter Jackson is reportedly busily editing the final film. I’m sure it will be heart-breaking, even if Desolation of Smaug was not that compelling to me. I can’t imagine not being moved by the final madness and end of Thorin. If I found the Desolation of Smaug less than compelling, I never found that to be true of Thorin. I think Richard Armitage, with the help of Peter Jackson, brought such intensity and majesty to Thorin that it’s hard to take your eyes off him when he’s in the scene. I’ll be bringing a box of tissues to There and Back Again for sure!
Marlise from The Anglophile Channel
New Armitage Army member Marlise, who runs The Anglophile Channel and who interviewed Richard Armitage when he won their Favourite British Artist of the Year Award, attended CinemaCon and ran into Mr. Armitage. As you can tell from the video above, Marlise is doing us proud as an AArmy member. She even remembered to smell him this time! LOL! She notes in the video that Mr. Armitage’s suddenly long hair was, well, enhanced. I wonder if she asked him if his hair was REAL, as he asked her in their interview! LOL! I was touched that Mr. Armitage wanted to know about how the fans felt about the interviews. I hope this is a sign that he will be communicating with us a little more than in the past. Marlise seems like a good conduit for that kind of communication, at least until he gets that Twitter account!
Into the Wet Shirt?
I also want to note another good development for Richard Armitage’s online well-wishers. RichardArmitageNet.com seems to have made a good connection for information about Mr. A. She had the info that he was going to be at CinemaCon for the Into the Storm publicity before Todd Garner, producer of the film! Excellent news! Hope that connection keeps going strong!
And even MORE media promotion for Mr. Armitage to look forward to – he will be on ITV This Morning on Monday, March 31, and he will be doing an #AskThorin event on Hobbit Movie UK Twitter account, and The Hobbit Facebook page has announced Richard will be answering fan questions on video for their page. Forward Into the (Media) Storm we go!
All these new images and information have made me happy this week. For some reason I keep thinking about the CinemaCon images. I don’t like the moustache, but the whole look with the long hair and the energy he is projecting in these pictures made a big impression on me. Glad to hear he is enjoying his work filming Urban and the Shed Crew. It shows!
Obsessive Behavior 
I don’t mind the mustache–I mean, it’s not like something from American Hustle 😉 Somehow, that man can pull off an amazing variety of hairstyles, facial hair looks or lack of it, and so much more. He looks healthy and confident and in a good place in his life and that makes me very happy for him. I am sure he will be a bit tired out from running about promoting the DVD release and shooting the Urban film, but he seems to handle it all with great aplomb.
As for DoS, I am not getting the first DVD set because I wasn’t blown away with the film either. I loved Richard’s performance–he never fails me– but there were things about the film that bugged me, too. Money is very tight and I would rather invest in the new audiobook by RA than to get DoS right now (especially when i know Benny has absolutely no interest in watching the film again).
I am looking forward to seeing RA in something without prosthetics—and hear his American accent. 😀
I just don’t like moustaches, I guess. I forgot about the audiobook! Yes, I agree that it would be a better purchase than the DVD of DOS. I downloaded it, but I’m not sure if I’m going to watch it much.
great post, Marie! 😀 I am loving that Marlise is our cheerleader! and so much RA goodness is headed our way. I’m excited for Into the Storm, even though it will freak me the freak out. I’m more apprehensive about There and Back Again, just b/c I know it will rip my heart out 😦 it sounds like the kind of performance that will definitely get Richard the accolades he deserves though; so much to look forward too 😎
I KNOW! It all of a sudden hit me that there is such a lot to look forward to! And I even forgot about the audiobook. Duh! Thinking about my love of disaster films makes me think of the similarity with very violent movies. I cannot watch movies where people are hurt by other people, but I guess it’s okay when it’s Mother Nature doing the hurting! Have to think about that one. And Yay, Richard! 😀
I thought of that too. when I said I liked films w/guns, you were like “REALLY?”, & seeing that you like disaster movies I’m like “REALLY?” LOL!! maybe guns seem more personal b/c they target specific people while nature is wild and does not discriminate? I think it’s funny when our likes go against our personality though; the heart wants what the heart wants 😛
So interesting. I have to think about that!
Marie, this is a great round up of what we have to look forward to.
Thanks, Perry!
Those flying airplanes and trucks certainly outdid the flying cows in Twister. I also would rather see movies about people coping with natural disasters than man made destruction.
Having an audio of RA’s voice would be wonderful. I love audios of books or plays when they are done well. One of my favorites is still Sean Bean reading one of the Richard Sharpe novels.
Yes Sean Bean is equally as compelling as RA as an audiophile reader. I have several audiobooks read by Sean Bean. Having just listened to the excerpts posted of RA reading the new Hamlet novel, I must say I am really looking forward to that! Sounds amazing!! http://bit.ly/P5Ra2y
Absolutely! Thanks for your comment!