The New Hobbit Hole

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The New Hobbit Hole
Concerning Hobbits
The New Hobbit Chronicles

This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.

In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:

Our discussion has been light:

It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog

However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB

Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr

Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog

Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB

Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed

To the very philosophical:

…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla

To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…

…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB

Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog

…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1

Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed

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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom

…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253

Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed

So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.

[BibChr]

I may be the only hardcore here who will say a kind word about the Bakshi version. I do think it was an earnest attempt, and I think there's a lot to like about it. A minority opinion here, but mine own.

Now, the RANKIN-BASS abominations are an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MATTER....

Dan

[BibChr]

Good heavens! How many times have you seen it NOW?? My Valerie doesn't even lurk here, and she asked me yesterday, BY NAME, "Well, how many times has 2JedisMom seen it?" I'm to 15; where will YOU be in a month if it comes out in a .50 theater? Are we going to have to do an INTERVENTION because your little Jedis are being unable to identify you by face??

Dan
(c8

[2Jedismom]

I've seen it 16 times now and if it come out in the fifty cent theater, my jedis will go with me! I can just go get popcorn with them during the bad parts.

My six year old was figuring up how many times he could see it with his tooth money! LOL

[HairOfTheDog]

If I was still counting, I would know how close I am to your stats... but I am not counting! - I do know that I stopped counting at ten.... Five to Seven viewings ago.

[Penny1]

LOL

I made sure to stop counting as well.... ;)

[HairOfTheDog]

Everything I was supposed to do in Seattle has been cancelled, so it doesn't look like I am coming up there. Will we have a chance next week to see it there if I put off our viewing? - Any guess how long it will be at the Cinerama?

[Penny1]

We won't know till Thursday whether it will last past this week's showing. I haven't been down there at all to see what the attendance is like. I would guess it will be at least a 2-week run, just because I think that's what they tend to do--2 weeks at a time per movie, unless it's a first release of a big hit like LOTR.

We could take a chance and wait, if you want.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I would like to wait till next week... I hate commuting to Seattle on days where it is optional! Even though seeing the film would soften the blow....

[Penny1]

That's fine with me...I'm willing to take the chance, and I certainly understand you not wanting to drive up here if you don't have to. ;)

Just an FYI, my access to FR at work is not at all certain anymore, someone's been playing with the firewall again. Today I had access all day until about 4:45 when all of a sudden I was being blocked again.

:: sigh ::

[2Jedismom]

Well, it seems my computer is not going to let me chat this evening... :-(

I hope you enjoy your disk (that's the last thing I saw you say before it crashed). I enjoy mine, but hated having to go to my mom's house to watch it on her computer! Oh well, if it comes to the .50 theater, I'll be in business till I get the new computer!

I'm going to go read. Gandalf just told Frodo to keep it secret and safe.

[Overtaxed]

I should do something really cruel in return, like introduce you to something else that will addict you and take away your free time.

All my free time has already been taken away by other addictions. :)

[Samwise]

I wouldn't mind seeing a Star Trek thread start up.......hell maybe I'll do it myself. hehe

Ping me if you do. And welcome to the Hole.

[Penny1]

Good Morning!

Guess who finally learned how to make screen caps from DivX files? :) :)

[Penny1]

The software to use to capture frames from DivX files is called virtualdub. It works like a dream, you just move the scrollbar to whichever frame you want and capture it to your clipboard.

Here's the link to their website:

"Virtualdub.org"

That only took me about a month to find! ;)

[JAWs]

Although the "where there's a whip" song is catchy.

And kinky!

[Penny1]

And lest anyone think that the only thing I like from the movie is Aragorn, here's a very VERY cool shot:

And here's one for the guys:

Whew....must....stop....posting.....pictures.....

Sorry...got just a little carried away there.

[irishtenor]

Fly away hair? And probably has split ends, too. :>)

[Penny1]

I was wondering when you were going to show up... ;)

[irishtenor]

You're up awful early...

[irishtenor]

I am busy reading the Fellowship of the Rings (for the first time in 30 years). Did you know that Bilbo and Frodo's birthday is one day after mine? Interesting:>)