Ramble On to your local theater for precious Hobbit tickets

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits movie screens on Dec. 14, and advance tickets are now on sale at your local theater; but you’ll want to be sure to weigh your viewing options before you snag your opening day passes or you might miss out on seeing the movie in its optimum format.

Unless you’ve been living in a hole in the ground you are probably already aware that The Hobbit director, Peter Jackson, has shot this film using new technology that captures the all the Middle-Earth action at 48 frames-per-second, which (after doing the math) is twice the rate of the normal 24 FPS rate used for most motion pictures – and that might not be a good thing.

Allegedly the 48 FPS rate is closer to the way our eyes actually function and Jackson is proposing that this will make for a much sharper and more realistic 3D experience; although the early critical reaction to this method has met with mixed results and some are suggesting the new clarity makes the film look like it was shot on a TV-movie set. (See this Huffington Post article about footage presented at last April’s CinemaCon.)

Movie audiences are used to seeing films presented with a bit of blur that occurs at the 24 FPS frame rate, which is fine because unrealistic details are lost in the blur and allow us to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy a picture’s story. But that blur doesn’t necessarily translate well into 3D and while the 48 FPS rate creates a crisper picture, it looks somewhat like seeing a stage-play up close – which is not how we are used to enjoying our movies.

Nonetheless, I can’t wait to try out this new film innovation and my fingers are crossed for an improvement in the 3D technology (a format I typically hate – but that Hollywood is determined to stick in our eyes.)

There will only be a select number of theaters in the Phoenix metro area that will have the capability to show the new film in the format it was shot with. So if you are interested in seeing the movie in the High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D) format, ensure you get your tickets at one of the local theaters below. This list is subject to change – please check your local theater for details.

• Harkins Tempe Marketplace 16 (Tempe)
• Harkins Superstition Springs 25 (Mesa)
• Harkins Arizona Mills 25 with IMAX (Tempe)
• Harkins Gateway Pavilions 18 (Avondale)
• Harkins Santan Village 16 (Gilbert)
• Harkins Chandler Fashion Ctr 20 (Chandler)
• Harkins Arrowhead Fountains 18 (Peoria)
• Harkins Scottsdale 101 14 (Phoenix)
• AMC Westgate 20 with IMAX (Glendale)

NERDVANA BONUS – Lord of the Rings Trivia: If you were alive and rocking in the 1970s, then you probably already know that the classic 1969 Led Zeppelin song, Ramble On, was based on the J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings stories. The song was co-written by singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page and in addition to direct references to Gollum and Mordor, the female (girl, baby, queen) referenced throughout the song is said to be the precious “One Ring.”

What other Zeppelin songs have Tolkien references embedded? Do you know any other songs based on the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings stories? Let us know about them in the comments below.