Posts related to the books of J.R.R. Tolkien as well as derivative works.
A few weeks ago, I learned of a massive audio interview project being conducted by Marquette University to gather the input of 6000 Tolkien lovers on what made them fans and what his work has meant to them. Each interview is limited to 3 minutes. I figured, why not? I’ll do it! As it turned out, I spent considerably longer than that writing up my notes ahead of time and editing repeatedly...
I saw The Return of the King for a second time with my sister yesterday. It was more enjoyable than my first viewing, maybe because I had already identified my major nitpicks and could move beyond them. What affected me most this time was the relationship between Frodo and Sam. Yes, there is some undeniably romantic subtext there (“There are times when […] you want to stand up and...
Just saw The Return of the King. As with the other two Jackson films, I had some serious gripes, but I do agree with Orson: it was the best of the three. Things I liked: Minas Tirith looked just as I thought it should, complete with the concentric levels, the forward-thrusting blade of rock, and the white tree. The first shot of the tower of Cirith Ungol, when Frodo glimpses it between the...