It’s been nearly ten years since Middle Earth unfurled across the screen, and in that time, the Lord of the Rings films have cemented their place in cinematic history. The actors have aged, technology has evolved, and the influence of Peter Jackson’s trilogy is evidenced in all the three-plus-hour epics we’ve seen over the past decade.

Jackson slips back into this world seamlessly, elevating the grandeur but also reigning it in; instead of army battles and global chaos pitting kings against wizards and demons, this is a merrier tale of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and a band of dwarves hunting a lost treasure guarded by the fierce dragon Smaug.

Smaug, we’re told (and cleverly not shown until the very end) attacked the thriving dwarf city of Erebor years ago, evicting dwarven kind from their homeland (writing that I’m starting to wonder if there’s a parable here, big noses and all…) and forcing them to have it out with every other race in Middle Earth, from the orcs at Moria (the chief of whom kills the leader dwarf, Thorin’s, grandfather and becomes the main antagonist) to the elves at, uh, Elvania (the elves chose not to help the dwarves in the battle against Smaug).

It’s not a secret that The Hobbit is one of the most anticipated films coming out this year. While we wait for it to be relased Peter Jackson and company have been kind enough to share some making of and behind the scenes videos with us.

A new one has arrived and it’s pretty cool. This one is a tour of the New Zealand sets where the movie is being made and shows some of the actors at work.

This is another in a series of videos that helps people understand all that goes into the making of giant spectacles like Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Let’s hope it helps build the appreciation for all the work that goes into them and all the people, especially those not in the spotlight, who do that work.

Check out the video after the break.

Up yours, Snow White! Fans of dwarves and fantasy alike will be pleased to see the latest photo from Peter Jackson The Hobbit, featuring all 13 dwarves doin’ their dwarf thing.

From the left, they’re Jed Brophy as “Nori,” Dean O’Gorman as “Fili,” Mark Hadlow as “Dori,” James Nesbitt as “Bofur,” Peter Hambleton as “Gloin,” Graham McTavish as “Dwalin,” Richard Armitage as “Thorin Oakenshield,” Ken Stott as “Balin,” John Callen as “Oin,” Stephen Hunter as “Bombur,” William Kircher as “Bifur,” Adam Brown as “Ori,” and Aidan Turner as “Kili.” [Not pictured: Wilford Brimley as “Groin,” Brian Cox as “Drunky,” and Rip Torn as “Farty.”]

Reprising their roles from the Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy are Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom. Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) will star as Bilbo Baggins.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is scheduled for release December 14^th, 2012; The Hobbit: There and Back Again December 13^th, 2013.

Click through for a larger version of the pic.

Hanna is no ordinary assassin. With piercing blue eyes and an angelic countenance, the teenager looks more suited to be homecoming queen than cold blooded killer. Only that was not her lot in life. Hanna has been isolated from the populace in the frigid confines of Northern Finland, learning survival skills from her well versed father Erik (Eric Bana), who is an ex-CIA operative.

It’s obvious that Erik is trying to prepare Hanna for something; in addition to survival skills, he quizzes her in multiple languages, and educates her on topics of science, current events, and literature. Hanna spends her evenings poring over Grimm’s Fairy Tales by candlelight.  You could say she is a true Renaissance woman.

The opening scene on the frozen tundra shows Hanna shooting a Reindeer with a bow and arrow. When the creature still writhes about, she calmly shoots it, then dresses it right in the field. She goes about these gruesome tasks with robotic precision and complete detachment.

Later, Erik and Hanna decide it is time to move on from their self-imposed exile; Hanna is ready to go out into the real world. Erik has been honing Hanna’s skills in anticipation of being pursued by Marissa (Cate Blanchett), another CIA agent dead set on getting rid of Hanna. Erik and Hanna go their separate ways, but make plans to meet at a safe-house in Germany.

If we learned anything from Chloe Moretz’s performance in this year’s Kick-Ass, it’s that chick assassins are in. More in than when Natalie Portman was just a teenager. So of course, with that knowledge, Hollywood is going to be snatching up intellectual property in that department until they realize it’s no longer “cool”. That’s where the new trailer for Hanna comes in.

From director Joe Wright (Atonement) comes this dark thriller that will more than likely end up with a big twist in the final act. Here’s the full synopsis.

Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these  come from being raised by her father, an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own. As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

Not only do we get Hollywood’s “next big thing” Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) in the titular lead, but Eric Bana plays the paranoid father, and Cate Blanchett takes a swing at a Southern accent. Check out the full trailer after the jump, and catch Hanna in theaters on April 8th.

On paper, Robin Hood appears to have it all: an amazing cast, beautiful costumes, spectacular set pieces, meticulously choreographed fight scenes, and a beloved protagonist. Yet somehow, I found the movie stultifying. It’s dull, complicated, and waaaaay too long.

Essentially, this serves as an origin story for Robin Hood. Russell Crowe stars as Robin Longstride, an archer fighting with King Richard (Danny Huston), who stumbles into a sequence of events that ultimately result in him being condemned and banished as an outlaw.

I was rooting for this Robin Hood retelling: after all, my last name is Hood, and I have had such a life-long affinity for the character that at my wedding reception my father made a toast about me finally meeting my Robin. I have been trying to pin down exactly why this movie just didn’t do it for me, and I offer you the following observations:

We all know the original story, but director Ridley Scott’s take is more of a historical drama. Admittedly, Scott has an astute eye for detail. That’s admirable, but most of us associate Robin Hood (the character) with swash-buckling heroics and swoon-worthy romance, not body odor and grimey fingernails. In the opening sequence, do we really need to see Robin playing parlor games? Of course not.

Though this was one of the weakest years for trailers at the Superbowl, it did give us one of the first HD looks at Russell Crowe’s newest project, playing the leader of the Merry Men in the upcoming Robin Hood. The first trailer looked cool, but a little bit like every other Crowe film. We new get a brand new trailer to snack on that gives us a bit more eye candy.

This incarnation of the classic goes a bit further into the lore than any other story (with the exception of the brilliant BBC series). The film spans over the time of Robin’s parents, his journey to the crusades, and his return to Sherwood Forest where he leads a revolution against the corrupt King John.

The film stars Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, and the now ubiquitous Mark Strong. Robin Hood marks the fifth collaboration between director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe. Check out the newest trailer, courtesy of Yahoo, after the jump, and catch Robin Hood in theaters on May 14th.

We just discussed the recently released trailer for Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, and a host of other excellent actors, But, now Yahoo has the exclusive trailer for the international audience; and it shows far more Robin Hood-like action, and even the prerequisite shot of the camera being the arrow flying through the trees at a target.

Instead of a pounding “metal” tune backing up the images in the last trailer, this time it seems that the music for this trailer is from The Dark Knight, backed up with some added violins; and then some much more decidedly British-isle sounding music.

We also get a good smattering of dialogue, including the soon to be classic, “Are you ready to be, who you are?” There are glimpses of Marian in action, the Sheriff (Matthew MacFayden) yelling at someone, and the still engaging Max von Sydow giving his best Commissioner Gordon speech, or maybe he’s Alfred.

Despite the fact that I can’t see much of a difference between it and the trailers for Gladiator or even Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, I have to say I’m still interested in seeing what this film has in store for us. I’m not one of the people that claims Gladiator was deserving of it’s Best Picture Oscar in 2000, but I do think that it’s a pretty good flick. And I’d expect similar quality from these same filmmakers.

Check out the newest trailer for the film after the jump, and catch Russel Crowe’s Robin Hood on May 14th.

The Courier Mail has a gallery of photos from the new Robin Hood film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong, Danny Huston and Matthew Macfadyen. The series of images focus mainly on showing Crowe on horses, either sitting idly with what appear to be his merry men, charging into battle, and a couple of Ridley Scott and his crew working.

The movie is supposedly written as a more historically accurate telling of the Robin who becomes the famous hood. Apparently we’ll be treated to visuals of battles in France, battles in England, and the beauty of Cate Blanchett all dirtied up to look authentic. But, not too dirtied up.

The casting and obviously the pedigree of the filmmakers behind this movie have me interested. The screenplay is by Brian Helgeland, who has written a number of great movies (Payback, Man on Fire), along with a couple stinkers (The Taking of Pelham 123). But he has a couple of interesting projects coming out soon with the films Green Zone, with Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon and Salt, with Angelina Jolie and Phillip Noyce.

The newly released international trailer for the movie is pretty bombastic with it’s drum and cymbal soundtrack, but it works. It definitely has the Ridley Scott vibe to it, and it’s nice to see Crowe in action – and fit – again. Robin Hood hits theaters on May 14, 2010. Check out the trailer and the larger photos after the jump.

Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox has picked up quite a lot of marketing steam in the past few weeks since the first images popped up online. Now, the very first trailer has hit the web, and it already looks to be a new direction into the world of stop-motion animation from the Anderson camp.

The film stars George Clooney in the titular role of Mr. Fox, where he must outwit three mean-spirited farmers who try relentlessly to take out Fox and his family. The story was originally adapted from the Roald Dahl children’s book and also stars Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Willem Defoe and a few Anderson favorites such as Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman.

The film hits theaters November 13th, and you can catch the first trailer after the jump.