Growing up it was always, "Name the 7 dwarves!" as the common memory challenge, but can you name the 13 Dwarves?
I can do it now without looking it up, but that's because they all fit a rhyme scheme except for 1, and that 1 is the one i always forget, because so many other Middle-Earth names of importance jump right in front, like Thorongil, Thror, Turin, etc...

And i'd have also completely forgotten about the first one, had i not gone to see the movie.
Well, here goes:
Dwalin, and Balin (Balin was whose tomb Gimli was crying over in Moria)
Oin, and Gloin (Gimli's dad)
Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur
Ori, Nori, Dori
Kili (guess they still needed a "sexy one that shoots arrows") and Fili
And finally Thorin Oakenshield.  

It's too bad the movie didn't take the time to introduce them all individually: that should have been priority one.

-I mean, i know Dwalin for being the bald one, the first to enter.  
-And Balin had a rather significant role (was he Gwildor in the bad He-Man movie? he has a similar presence... though he is much less annoying as Balin, and he's a comforting character), plus his long white beard.  
-Gloin was the really red-haired one, the one who lead Operation: "long term deposit" of the Treasure chest in the troll horde, "Get the shovel!"
-Bofur was the one who wished Bilbo luck when he was gonna sneak off.  He's the one with the flippy hat, and oppositely flippy mustache, and he always reminded me of the singer from Red Hot Chili Peppers... or Iggy Pop - i feel like i've seen the actor elsewhere... But yah, I liked Bofur!  He was another comforting character, a real good potential friend for Bilbo.
-Everyone knows who Bombur is (everyone who read the book had no troubles spotting him).
-Now, i think the one with the weird beard tied in simple "lattices" around his head was Dori... but i couldn't point out whose name goes with Nori or Ori, or even Bifur - i don't even remember which one was the young one with the slingshot.  
-Kili, again, must have been specifically designed, and cast, for the young ladies and the some guys to have a dwarf to drool over, and it did not escape my notice that his weapon of choice was the Bow and Arrow, this movie's answer to Legolas.  Only Kili and his actor both seem to have more personality than Leglando Bloom.
-Fili also looks familiar, like i should know who the actor is ... kinda reminds me of Andy Samburg, but just not quite.  Similar facial structure.
-And of course, the movie doesn't let you forget who Thorin is, and that's all right.  I would have believed the actor for Thorin as being Aragorn  more than Viggo, (physically speaking i mean, in looks - except that in this case Viggo Mortensen seems to have more personality than Thorin's actor).  Especially when he was standing in that golden light, holding the oaken shield during Balin's tale of how Thorin got his nickname.  I thought to myself,
"Now THAT's how i picture Aragorn to look!"

And it's awesome to see Brett Clement back in the movie!  He was the dark haired elf who greeted the... 14, saying Elrond was not yet home.  He's one half of the folk parody duo, "Flight of the Conchords".  Had a TV show, which was absolutely hilarious, and they write such funny songs, too!  
He was in Return of the King as well, traveling with Lady Arwen, and when she decides to leave the line of elves going toward Valinor, he was the one that stepped back and said, "My lady!"  (maybe something else, too... it's been a while since i've watched those).  Just a neat fact!

I'd already started reading Fellowship of the Ring again, because after watching the Hobbit for the first time in theatres i just wanted to be enveloped in Middle-Earth lore again, but didn't feel like reading the Hobbit again.  
After seeing it the second time i knew i just had to read the Hobbit, too. Hehe.  

So i am reading both at the same time!  (wish me luck!)  But the Hobbit only as far as the movie went, because i just want to see for myself what has been changed.  It's been a while since i read The Hobbit, and i've only read it once (unlike LotR, all 3 of which i've read at least thrice...), and i could sense some changes in the confrontations, i don't remember Azog, the Pale Orc (goddamn, they did a great job on his face, i recognized EVERY single expression from every bully i ever knew growing up, all in that CGI face - Bravo, Weta!  You've successfully made me hate a character down to my bones!), i thought the orcs nabbed the Dwarves while they were sleeping in the cave, sneaking from a trap door in the wall, rather than falling through a giant trap door to a giant orc kingdom...  which i thought was likely too giant, but again i don't quite remember, so that's why i'm reading it!
But other than those things, and some minor script rearranging, everything else seems to be happening exactly how i pictured!  

And to SHUT everyone UP about, "why don't they just use the Eagles?"
Because the Eagles are more snobby than the elves when it comes to caring about the other races.  They owe Gandalf some favours, but even that they hold to with a bit of humour.  The only reason they picked up Sam and Frodo was because they saved the fucking world, and they thought, "Well, i guess we can hold a couple of filthy mortals in our claws if they've prevented us from dying... But this is the LAST time!"  

Did anyone else get all giddy as soon as you saw Sting clink down into the dark, following Bilbo and that Orc?  I kept saying in my head, "I know what's coming neeeext, i know who's coming neeeext!" bouncing in my seat, and my goodness was it worth it.  

Gollum was friggin AMAZNGLY done!  So much improved, and just ... ahh, good ol' Smeagol.  Like that person you know, who you'd rather not hang out with, but you just are happy to know they exist, warms your heart in a twisted sorta way...

See, this would be a movie franchise where i might not be so upset if Peter Jackson decided to pull a George Lucas and re-update the Gollum face in the LotR movies, and perhaps replace the beginning scene where Bilbo finds the ring, with the new Bilbo finding it...  Because this is a chance for the cgi improvements to be JUST that: improving what's already there, not adding random crap that takes away from the original experience.

Anyway, i ended up seeing it a 3rd time.  It's sort of a tradition to see it with my Dad, since i saw the first 2 movies of all the big ones [Star Wars prequels, Matrixes, LotR's] with my dad before i moved to Newfoundland, then got to see all the 3rd installments out there, so as i have come back, gonna re-make the tradition with the Hobbit movies - i'll see them 3 times in theatre, at least once each movie with my dad!)

I saw it in regular 2D first with Jen.  No problems at all, excellent show.  Then I saw it alone in "AVX" 3D format next, which just seemed like a regular 3D theatre, but maybe clearer sound?  Not enough of a difference to notice.  I thought it was going to be that 48fps frame rate that everyone says looks weird, but it didn't seem any different, so it was probably still 24fps.  Then saw it in regular 3D with Dad, and it wasn't much different from the AVX 3D either.
At least it was all the same price, even in 3D.  Except the last show, which raised the price on tickets by $2 for some reason.  

Anyway, i enjoyed it, wished i'd have spent the ticket money one of those showings on Django Unchained - i hear across the board it's Classic Tarantino Fun, and i live for that kinda shit.  (though inglorious basterds was a little slow and didn't keep my attention very well... but i love Kill Bill and Death Proof!)
Maybe next time i have a day off on my own and some extra cash before it goes away...

Anyone have any other thoughts on the Hobbit?  What parts you liked, didn't like, what changes didn't seem right, or worked for the better, etc...