Lord of the Rings

Is Lego Lord of the Rings possible?

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Warner Brothers announced the purchase of a controlling share in Rocksteady Studios, who are the creators of the excellent Batman: Arkham Asylum video game.  It’s almost as if they allowed Rocksteady to use the Batman license as a trial run, in anticipation of a purchase later on.  Rocksteady certainly proved themselves, and I hope that they also give Superman a shot, once they’ve finished Arkham Asylum 2.

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The Hobbit to be Two Films

Friday, April 17th, 2009

The HobbitAfter much talk about the Hobbit film being shot as one film, with a second film to bridge The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings, a final decision has been made. Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro have made an announcement about the make-up of the Hobbit films to be made:

‘We’ve decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur,’ says Del Toro.

‘We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie,’ adds Jackson. ‘The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the [Lord of the Rings] trilogy.’

This is a sensible decision and I’m glad that they went this route, rather than attempting to craft a second film that might have largely been their own invention for a bridge film. This is excellent news.

As far as future films in the saga, The Children of Hurin and The Silmarillion are both ripe for the picking!

The Hobbit release dates are as follows:

The Hobbit – Part 1: December 2011
The Hobbit – Part 2: December 2012

Song: This Man by Jeremy Camp || Lord of the Rings

Monday, August 29th, 2005

A song today… it’s been a while since I’ve posted lyrics, and after a long long long post, I think it’s time for a short one. This song, although simple, is very deep at the same time.

This Man
Jeremy Camp

In only a moment truth was seen
Revealed this mystery
The crown that showed no dignity he wore
And the king was placed for all the world to show disgrace
But only beauty flowed from this place

Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands

He held the weight of impurity
The Father would not see
The reasons had finally come to be to show
The depth of His grace flowed with every sin erased
He knew that this was why he came

Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands

And we just don’t know
The blood and water flowed
And in it all He showed
Just how much He cared

And the veil was torn
So we could have this open door
And all these things have finally been complete

Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands
Would you take the place of this man
Would you take the nails from his hands,
from his hands, from his hands, from his hands…

————————————————————–

And here is a great explanation I found for those that consistently get the Lord of the Rings WAY wrong. It always ticks me off as Sam is my favorite character. So eat this:
“Samwise and Frodo Aren’t Gay; yes, I have had that argument many times with my friends. No, they certainly were not gay (J.R.R. Tolkien, a lifelong Catholic, would be shocked that people think so). But there is a quintessentially British class relationship known as “master and man.” It is a relationship that no longer really exists in the modern world, but up to World War II there is a body of literature that depicts the relationship between a hero (usually but not always, upper class) and his faithful servant (usually, but not always, lower class). It was assumed that the lower classes were ignorant of, and possibly immune to, the “finer feelings,” and that it was the duty of the upper class to provide examples for them to live up to. And it was the duty of the lower classes to demonstrate loyalty and provide a practical grounding for the hero. After all, you can’t expect a hero to slay the dragon and also polish his own sword or think about such mundane matters as tonight’s dinner. That’s what the faithful servant was for.

Later, between World War I and World War II, this was twisted into the comedy routine of the bumbling upper-class twit and the (much smarter) servant. See Jeeves & Wooster or more recently Spamalot, with its hilarious number “I’m All Alone,” sung by King Arthur as his servant visibly wonders, “What am I, chopped liver?” Arthur, of course, means that there is no one of his own social rank present to share and understand his (upper-class, kingly) feelings. In a class-based society, this counts as “alone,” even if there are a hundred servants standing around.

Anyway, to return to the point, the relationship of “master and man” is not a gay one … it is simply two people who would be best friends, if it were not for the limitations of their different classes.

And it is a symptom of our modern-day cynicism that we can’t see deep friendship and respect between any two people without assuming that sex is involved.

Jessica S. Lucens
http://www.scifi.com

Star Wars

Tuesday, April 5th, 2005

Time for a general entry. Not to say that this will be a boring entry by any means. I was having a conversation with my friend Deb, when I realized something simple, yet profound.

I know what it is about Star Wars that made like it more, and makes me love it. My mom once told me that my Grandpa loved Star Wars, and loved talking about the spiritual elements of the films, and how much fun it would have been, talking to him about the new ones. She also said that he would have LOVED talking to me about the Lord of the Rings.

My Grandpa was a convert to the Catholic Church, a Father of nine, and the Doctor for a small town. He passed on when I was 12.

Somehow, I feel a connection to him, through Star Wars. I realize now, that is why I defend the prequels, and part of why I enjoy them. I look beyond the surface, of what people would consider a “bad” movie, to the things that I think my Grandpa and I would have talked about. We would have had some mighty good discussions about both of the new films.

Now with the third film coming out, people are scared that they’ll be let down, again. I’ve got no fears about this film. While Episode I is a flawed film, it’s not without its’ moments. The same goes for Episode II. I’ve felt they could have covered the material of Episodes I and II in film one, the clone wars in film two, and the third film to be, well, pretty much what it is: The purging of the Jedi, the rise of the Empire, and the birth of Darth Vader.

I’ve got here, two review samples. The first, is of the Novelization of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, by a man named LargeFarva, on FilmRot.com:

At least, in print, it does appear that the movie will tie together all of the plot threads successfully. The major issues most fans have speculated and dared Lucas to explain are included in the novelization, from Qui-Gon Jinn’s non-disappearance, to Kenobi’s claims that Yoda was his master. There is even strong evidence that a few characters in the original trilogy knew quite more than they let on, and with plenty good reason. Also, it is true that the first character to speak in the original trilogy has the last line of the prequels. Finally, after reading the epilogue, I’m finding it hard to continue laughing at Lucas’ claims that Sith is “a real tear-jerker”.

I’ve read the other novelizations and this is by FAR the best, the one we’ve been waiting for since the announcement of the prequels.

I’m predicting that most fans of the [Original Trilogy] will consider there to be four films-the [Original Trilogy] and Ep. 3 is the single prequel to them.

This is very promising news. Another review, is of the Screenplay, now available as an ebook, by Bill Hunt, Editor of TheDigitalBits.com:

I have to tell you that I was awfully uneasy as I began reading the script. The first third of Revenge of the Sith feels very much like parts of The Phantom Menace… and I don’t mean the good parts. There’s a lot of Anakin and Obi Wan bantering back and fourth as they fight scores of battle droids, and the dialogue is pretty bad. BUT don’t despair, because once you get past this, the film gets a lot better. About a third of the way in, the Sith lord’s nefarious plot really starts unfolding… and it’s all dark and intense action from there on out. The script finishes well, setting up A New Hope beautifully. There are a couple of great surprises, and the plot threads all tie up nicely. You’re going to be left with a strong sense of “Wow… so THAT’S how it all happened.” I’ve heard from people who have seen most of the film that the action and visuals are astonishing – the best yet from Lucas. Add to that John William’s final score, which you KNOW is going to kick ass, and I think the vast majority of Star Wars fans will enjoy this film. If Lucas pulls it off, it’ll easily be the best of the three prequels. Whatever you think of them so far, there’s nothing like a strong finish. When I get the chance to SEE this film, you can be sure that I’ll post a review.

Both of those reviews sum up pretty much all I know about the movie, save for the footage I’ve seen in the trailers, commercials, and some of the music I’ve heard on the official site, StarWars.com. And from what I know, we’re in for a real treat.

Go into this movie expecting it to be just what it was meant to be. Entertainment and the origin of Darth Vader. This is how it happened folks.

I’m not looking for comments on this post to talk about whether or not you’ve seen Star Wars, or if you think the prequels suck, or that this one will suck. Any comments like that will be deleted, no questions asked.

I want to give this last Star Wars film a shot at being a great film, and to expect anything less from it, would be contrary to what it very well could be. The third film of any trilogy should justify the first two. However, this film isn’t meant to end the story, it’s to set the stage for the beginning of the original trilogy, and to build the arc that puts Darth Vader right where he’s always been: the main character and centerpiece of all six Star Wars films. The Fall and Redemption of Anakin Skywalker. Redemption is the theme, folks, but redemption from what?

“Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate, show no mercy.”

We talk about forgiveness a lot, and it is one of the hardest things to ask for, and the hardest things to do for others. This story is about one man who fell, and for years walked a dark path, and finds forgiveness in people that weren’t even there when he fell. That is a testament of how we should live our lives for others. Forgiving everyone, everything, NOW! Not WASTING TIME holding onto hatred or anger. There’s just no point. Save the anger for true evils.

Lord of the Rings indeed

Saturday, March 5th, 2005

My friend Kathy sent me this. Too hilarious not to put up here!

The Best of 2004

Friday, December 31st, 2004

My favorites of 2004:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King :: Best Picture of 2003 :: 11 Academy Awards

Movies:

Finding Neverland
Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban
The Incredibles
Napoleon Dynamite
Ocean’s 12
The Passion of the Christ
Spider-Man 2
The Village

TV:

Alias
Arrested Development
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
Lost
Scrubs
StarGate Atlantis
StarGate SG-1

I hadn’t seen a single episode of any of those shows before 2004. Now I’m a huge fan of all of them.

Tolkien vs. Rowling

Thursday, July 29th, 2004

At MatrixFans.net, someone posted a Harry Potter versus Lord of the Rings thread. While I did enjoy the third film, I don’t believe Potter holds even a burnt out candle to Lord of the Rings. Here’s what I said:

J.R.R. Tolkien was a professor of Language, who didn’t take a real place and make a false place or a parallel dimension or any such thing.

Tolkien, in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings created a WHOLE WORLD, with Histories, and races, and wars, and all sorts of incredible characters and they even had their own languages! Languages that fit logically with the characters. The Black Speech of Mordor is very harsh, while the Elvish tongues of Sindarin, etc. are very beautiful. Tolkien’s novels were released 50 years ago this year for the first time. While the Silmarillion was started in the trenches of World War I, I believe in 1917, it wasn’t finished or published until 1976, after Tolkien passed on. The Hobbit was out in the mid-30s. It took Tolkien 15 YEARS to craft THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

Tolkien carefully crafted the entire book to the full. It is something that people of nearly any age, with a brain, can get into and enjoy. If you can’t, I feel sorry for you.

J.K. Rowling, like it or not, needs to tighten up her writing. Remove all of her “said Harry angrily’s,” and “said Harry really angrily’s,” and replace them with simply “said Harry.” Not only will that save ink, but also paper. The Order of the Pheonix has about 20,000 of those words. That is the length of a short story. No wonder they book appears to be so long. It’s not really. It’s just got a lot of extra wording padding it, making it appear longer than it is. The problem isn’t that she USES those explanations for how a character is talking. It’s that she uses them ALL THE TIME.

Also, given that Potter hasn’t yet ended, to compare the entire SEVEN BOOK Harry Potter to the ONE BOOK Lord of the Rings (as intended, although LOTR is actually SIX Books, with an appendix of what happens next as well), is foolish. You do not know what will happen at the end of Book Seven, and the whole series is dependent on that, like it or not. The end of The Lord of the Rings is perfect. You are happy, but sad as well, because you realize the price of freedom and at what price everything they fought for had. You see all the other people that were untouched by the war, that you don’t know if they even care or know anything about the hardship you went to to bring that peace. You want to read it again, to have these adventures and meet these friends, and you can, because the books are so long that you can’t possibly remember every little thing at first. And the films compliment the books wonderfully. They capture the spirit of the story written by J.R.R. Tolkien. You can sit down and watch all three in roughly 12 hours depending on food breaks and what not. Or you can spend a few weeks on the books, and travel with the characters, and you end up investing yourself in at least one of the characters. The one that you see yourself in the most. For me, reading it for the first time years ago, that was Sam. I realized this when I got to “The Choices of Master Samwise” and he had to make the decision to take the Ring and go the rest of the way alone.

Harry Potter hasn’t had any of that as of yet, and I don’t think it’ll end up being more than Voldemort making one last try at returning, and being stopped for the last time, no more than a typical evil wizard story told time and time again. Granted, it should be bigger than this, but that we won’t know for probably 3 years.

http://forums.matrixfans.net/showthread.php?p=378851#post378851

Some of the best DVDs of 2004

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2004

A Mighty Wind is a fine and funny movie. It’s really impressive that the whole thing is improved.

The Shawshank Redemption should be available on DVD this year, but hasn’t been announced yet, as far as I know. Sure, I own it on DVD already, but I’m talking about the 10 year anniversary edition, featuring a ton of special features and an audio commentary with the Writer/Director Frank Darabont. As this is one of my favorite movies, I’ll be purchasing this edition as soon as it’s available.

As far as DVDs go, this is a great year for DVD:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – The theatrical cut, clocking in at 3 hours and 17 minutes, was the best movie released in 2003. Period. This was an incredible adventure with an ending that destroys the endings of all movies that I’ve seen previous to this.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Special Extended DVD Edition – At 4 hours 10 minutes, this should make Return of the King the best in the trilogy, as well as give it more of an emotional oomph.

The Shawshank Redemption – Special Edition – One of the best movies ever made. Get it when it comes out.

The Star Wars Trilogy – Finally.

The Matrix Revolutions - The most misunderstood movie of 2003. Brilliant.

Big Fish – The most understated film of 2003, one of my favorites.

The Iron Giant – Special EditionThe best animated film that nobody knows about. It’s brilliant. It was undermarketted, severely, but everyone that watches it, loves it.

The Passion of the Christ – The best film of 2004, worth owning to watch once or twice a year and for retreats.

So there you have it. My list of the best DVDs for 2004, as of this moment.

Song: She Cries

Wednesday, March 17th, 2004

Artist: East West

Won’t you come away with me tonight?
We can fly past the moon and the starlight.
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been before
On a night like this
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been before
I’ll love you like this
(And she cries, she cries, yeah)

Can’t you see, I won’t leave
But you have to open your eyes
Here I stand, take my hand
Let go of the fear that you hold

Don’t throw your pearls to the swine tonight
Don’t let them take your innocence
Just remember the times that I held your hand and kept you close
Remember the times I held you up and now
(She cries, she cries, yeah)

Can’t you see, that I won’t leave
But you have to open your eyes
Here I stand, take my hand
Let go of the fear you hold

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