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The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Hobbit:
Freeman or Armitage - Who deserved an oscar?

DainPig
Gondor


Jul 17 2015, 11:31pm

Post #1 of 19 (1483 views)
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Freeman or Armitage - Who deserved an oscar? Can't Post

And why?

I've heard of many peoples (fangirls): "Oh, I loved Thorin. Richard Armitage should had an oscar!"

Kilidoescartwheels said it in her blog once: " I especially think Richard should have gotten a Best Actor nomination for the Oscars – his performance was AMAZING! Everything from the Acorn scene to his “Throw him from the Ramparts,” and his tragic death scene; oh, the FEELS!"
https://hobbitized.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/congrats-to-richard-and-other-stuff/

But I do not think so... In my opinion, Martin Freeman is THE GUY, the trilogy is about Freeman! He just made and INCREDIBLE job as Bilbo Baggins, and he really deserves an oscar! Thanks to MF, we have now a perfect Bilbo at the screen. Thank you Martin!

Well, Richard's Thorin is a good fellow. But his perfomance wasn't so amazing, he just made a pigheaded guy.


And you? What do ya think?


(sorry for the bad english)

How aaaaaaaaaaaaaare you all???


Spriggan
Tol Eressea

Jul 18 2015, 12:13am

Post #2 of 19 (1420 views)
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Neither, I don't think. [In reply to] Can't Post

Both were jolly good but, surely, not the best of the year.


OldestDaughter
Rohan


Jul 18 2015, 12:32am

Post #3 of 19 (1409 views)
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I love both [In reply to] Can't Post

But I think it should go to Martin Freeman. I loved the whole Hobbit trilogy, and I think he made it all the better!


CathrineB
Rohan


Jul 18 2015, 3:52am

Post #4 of 19 (1349 views)
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Well [In reply to] Can't Post

Neither role seem like the typical Oscar winner type. And I'm going to go ahead and say that by now the Oscars are so unimpressive to me (same ole', same ole'). I think they both deserve recognition, but the Oscars? Meh. They can do "better." Laugh

But Martin deserves whatever award for his Bilbo too. Heart


Starling
Half-elven


Jul 18 2015, 4:31am

Post #5 of 19 (1334 views)
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Agreed. // [In reply to] Can't Post

 




dormouse
Half-elven


Jul 18 2015, 10:45am

Post #6 of 19 (1280 views)
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I think both were exceptionally good performances.... [In reply to] Can't Post

Thorin stands out because he has so much more depth than the character in the book and I'd say it is an amazing performance; he's far more than just pigheaded. (It's also a bit insulting to Richard Armitage to talk about fangirls. The man can't help what he looks like and he does take his acting very seriously.)

Martin Freeman's performance is equally good - lovely subtle gestures and expressions. I think he was made to play Bilbo.

Oscars is another subject altogether....


Glorfindela
Valinor


Jul 18 2015, 11:07am

Post #7 of 19 (1269 views)
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Definitely Richard Armitage [In reply to] Can't Post

For me, Richard Armitage made the films and gave the depth and passion that was needed to the role of Thorin. The effort and thought he gave to the part was extraordinary. He was the main draw to the films for me.

Freeman, though a great choice for the role of the Hobbit, acted in much the same way that he always acts – he does not have the acting ability of Richard Armitage, in my view.


Elarie
Grey Havens

Jul 18 2015, 12:53pm

Post #8 of 19 (1251 views)
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That's the problem with great ensemble casts [In reply to] Can't Post

There should be "group" Oscar! I think the Hobbit is a good example of great actors making everything better by the way they act together and react to each other. The Gandalf/Bilbo scenes, the Thorin/Thranduil scene, Thorin and Bilbo, and actually, practically every scene in the movies is wonderful because of the way all the people relate to each other. That's what really makes these movies for me - going along on the adventure with all these people.

Frankly, I would have settled for Best Picture. Smile Wink

__________________

Gold is the strife of kinsmen,
and fire of the flood-tide,
and the path of the serpent.

(Old Icelandic Fe rune poem)


Crunchable Birdses
Rohan


Jul 18 2015, 3:58pm

Post #9 of 19 (1184 views)
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How about neither? [In reply to] Can't Post

I mean, each actor did great considering the terrible script and the "emoting to tennis-balls-on-sticks" greenscreen nightmare that overwhelmed the entire production, so credit is due - but Oscar-worthy? Nah.

* crunch *


Avandel
Half-elven


Jul 18 2015, 4:00pm

Post #10 of 19 (1183 views)
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Speaking as one of those Fan-gir-iells..... [In reply to] Can't Post

Re:

Quote
I've heard of many peoples (fangirls): "Oh, I loved Thorin. Richard Armitage should had an oscar!"


Normally I don't bother talking about it, because I suspect a number of RA/Thorin fans have enviable educations and skills - but you seem to be saying English is not your first language...

So in response, of course, RA/Thorin is, to quote a fan, "so beautiful it hurts to look at him." That said, re:


Quote
Well, Richard's Thorin is a good fellow. But his perfomance wasn't so amazing, he just made a pigheaded guy.


IMO since you mention a blog, perhaps go and look at comments from TORn and all over the 'net and critical comments and there are so many descriptions of RA's Thorin being "extraordinary", "haunting", tortured, "remarkable", "the movie suffers when he's [Thorin] is not onscreen" and so on.

Not all love or even like RA's interpretation of the character, and that's fine - it's like looking at art and that is a personal thing. But re Thorin, because of the way the character was portrayed and the depth that is seen by many - Thorin may be considered beautiful (by Western standards at least), but IMO in no way did RA have any investment in that fact (indeed, he comments that he was pleased at his initial "craggy" older dwarf appearance).

Which, I think, lent itself to the overwhelming success of the character with much of - not all - of the male/female audience. As for my own and I suspect other celebrations of a stunning visual presenceCoolAngelic - it's tongue-in-cheekCool (at least on TORn) with an undercurrent of truthHeart - but would anyone care so much (at least on TORn) if besides truly *jaw-dropping* hairCool, Thorin's portrayal had not been so powerful, sensitively done, and so charismatic?

I think not, myself. I think I would have been laughing to myself and making bets on the "when does the obligatory shirt-come-off-for-no-real-reason" scene, which seems so popular in modern moviesCoolEvilLaugh

Personally, I don't like pitting two remarkable performances re any awards against each other, as for me Thorin and Bilbo are like the twin suns of the films, orbiting around each other, neither becoming what they would be without the other.



The feels? You bet! And lots of them!HeartHeartHeart




Avandel
Half-elven


Jul 18 2015, 4:10pm

Post #11 of 19 (1179 views)
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I disagree, just sayin'..... [In reply to] Can't Post


Quote
I mean, each actor did great considering the terrible script and the "emoting to tennis-balls-on-sticks" greenscreen nightmare that overwhelmed the entire production, so credit is due - but Oscar-worthy? Nah.

Although perhaps I COULD say neither performance is Oscar-worthy, in the sense that the Oscar selection process is SO suspect and full of holesFrownFrownFrown I am none to sure it deserves the prestige it gets - if it still does zzzzzzzzzz.

But thanks for the mention of the green screens and tennis balls - IMO that's just another thing I forget, how incredible the cast wasHeart, dealing with all of that - I can't even imagine the strain sometimes on the actors, all that relentless green, and having to act and there's nothing there to act WITH. Looking at the Star Wars SDCC footage, those guys look like they have it easy by comparison - full blown sets and the like.

PS. IMO the scripts have many outstanding lines, for me.HeartHeartHeart


bungobaggins
Lorien

Jul 18 2015, 7:20pm

Post #12 of 19 (1138 views)
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Who deserved an oscar? [In reply to] Can't Post

No one! That's why there were no nominations! The acting was passable for a giant blockbuster, nothing more!


Kilidoescartwheels
Valinor


Jul 19 2015, 2:41am

Post #13 of 19 (1059 views)
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Hey, thanks for quoting me! [In reply to] Can't Post

Nice that someone actually remembered something I said. Yes, I'm a fangirl, guilty as charged, but that doesn't mean Richard's acting wasn't phenomenal! Yes, Thorin certainly was pigheaded (I'd probably say "grumpy" more than "pigheaded") at times, but in BOTFA I think he really pulled out all the stops. So many people mention the acorn scene - a case of him going from angry to appreciating Bilbo's friendship and back to crazy. Even his statement "Those who lived through dragonfire should rejoice" seemed to be tinged with crazyness, but a very subtle kind, not screaming or gloating, and (thank God1) no evil laugh.

That's certainly not to say Martin didn't do a fantastic job - the other half of the acorn scene, after all, and then Thorin's death scene, I mean they just owned the screen with that one! And for the record, I DID say I'd give the award to Martin for DOS, definitely. But I think more people agree with you than with me - a few months ago I did a "Rate the Actors" poll on the Pollantier, and I said it would probably come down to Richard vs Martin, and it did (btw, Ken Stott got Best Supporting actor) - but Martin pulled ahead and won that poll.

So how 'bout a compromise? Martin for Best Actor, and Richard for Best Supporting Actor, which I believe is what he got the Saturn award for.Cool

Proud member of the BOFA Denial Association


Bombadil
Half-elven


Jul 19 2015, 10:48am

Post #14 of 19 (1008 views)
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Agreed with Elarie [In reply to] Can't Post

There was plenty of Depth in these Movies
in the Principle's
ACTING..but Oscars go to a Category of
Actors that are in
Actor Movies, not
Action Movies...

The above Sentence is Spelled
quite closley together but
there is BIG Difference in
the Minds of the "LESS than 2,000"
people Voting.

There must be some List of those Select few people Somewhere..?

SOO as others above have said, this Contest is pretty much
Old Fashioned, because the Minds of these few people ARE
OLD Fashioned.

IT's Also a part of a VAST marketing plan, MAYBE? with a lot of
Back Room bribery going on..as in any politics.

The Term PAYOLA come to mind? in the Music industry..

Hollywierd, is just as Dirty,
as is any other Industry

THIS opinion is a Personal opinion...Nothing more..
Crazy

www.charlie-art.biz
"What Your Mind can conceive... charlie can achieve"

(This post was edited by Bombadil on Jul 19 2015, 10:56am)


Glorfindela
Valinor


Jul 19 2015, 2:10pm

Post #15 of 19 (974 views)
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Nope [In reply to] Can't Post


In Reply To
So how 'bout a compromise? Martin for Best Actor, and Richard for Best Supporting Actor, which I believe is what he got the Saturn award for.Cool


It's Richard Armitage as Best Actor for me (certainly out of all performances I saw during the relevant year). I loved his performance so much and it was the main thing I was looking forward to in the films after I first saw him. And yes, Ken Stott was also brilliant – I would have liked to see more of him, though.Unimpressed


Avandel
Half-elven


Jul 19 2015, 4:02pm

Post #16 of 19 (946 views)
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Too true [In reply to] Can't Post

*Meh* along with an article I read that said many voting on the Oscars hadn't even seen the movies they were voting on!Unimpressed

Awards are "nice" but IMO far nicer (for the fans anyway) is the purchase of films you know you will watch and savor over and over, as opposed to taking up space on the bookshelves.Unimpressed


Arannir
Valinor


Jul 20 2015, 9:13am

Post #17 of 19 (870 views)
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Neither one of them. [In reply to] Can't Post

Imho, there were too many roles more Oscar-worthy in all three years (mind you, I said oscar-worthy, not "better").

Both bring their characters to life as the story demands... and Martin Freeman comes close to exceptional several times. But that is it.

Both do not reach the level of McKellen's Gandalf, Bean's Boromir or Hill's Theoden - imho the three best performances in all ME movies.

I know it is very unpopular to say here - but I find Thorin pretty un-engaging. Though that might be more due to script and writing and not (just) the acting... and the fact that I am absolutely sure an older Thorin woud have made for more interesting dynamics with the characters surrounding him.



"I am afraid it is only too likely to be true what you say about the critics and the public. I am dreading the publication for it will be impossible not to mind what is said. I have exposed my heart to be shot at." J.R.R. Tolkien

We all have our hearts and minds one way or another invested in these books and movies. So we all mind and should show the necessary respect.



Goldeneye
Lorien


Jul 20 2015, 1:25pm

Post #18 of 19 (833 views)
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Neither, really [In reply to] Can't Post

Not to discount either Freeman or Armitage, but neither of them gave performances that typically attract Oscar votes. I remember being so excited when Ian McKellan was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in FOTR...a well-deserved nod but also completely unlike what the stale Academy goes for.

Martin Freeman gave his best performance in AUJ. He was totally lost amidst the battles and subplots in BOFA, and only really began to shine as the movie wrapped up. Richard Armitage was solid across all three films, but there was nothing really Oscar-worthy about his performance.


mirkwoodwanderer
Lorien

Jul 21 2015, 10:19pm

Post #19 of 19 (738 views)
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the one who was the Sauroman [In reply to] Can't Post

he shouldhave had it.
andnow he is gone

 
 

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