Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
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.
Prayers for her family and friends on the way.
One more thought... before I go. I know that alot of people believe it is our foreign policy that has caused the terror. My Arabic teacher thinks that and lectured me 2 hours on it 2 Saturdays ago.
I used to think that... until I began to read what they say... past the you, horrible, imperalist satan... and looked more deeply at the situation.
President Bush says it very simplistic... they hate us for our freedom... they hate us because Islam is to be the dominant culture and religion in the world. That did not begin when the oil flowed. That is 1300 years of thinking. Only when the oil flowed did they get the means to fight again. (Remember, they poured out of the Arab pennisula and almost conquered the world. They have been retreating slowly over the past centuries...)
It is a clash of civilizations in its simplest terms. It is nothing more or less.
If not, see you tomorrow!
"I said there was a society of men among us, bred up from their youth in the art of proving by words multiplied for the purpose, that white is black and black is white, according as they are paid. To this society all the rest of the people are slaves. For example, if my neighbour hath a mind to my cow, he hires a lawyer to prove that he ought to have my cow from me. I must then hire another to defend my right, it being against the rules of law that any man should be allowed to speak for himself. Now in this case, I who am the true owner lie under two great disadvantages. First; my lawyer, being practised almost from his cradle in defending falsehood, is quite out of his element when he would be an advocate for justice, which as an office unnatural, he always attempts with great awkwardness, if not with ill-will."
--Johnathan Swift,
Gulliver's Travels part IV, ch. 5
I understand that you don't think terrorism is state sponsored. Okay...
I believe it is... and have told you in posts why I think that. If you disagree with me... then that's okay too.
You and I are at cross purposes, and I don't think I can give you an answer to satisfy you. Two week ago, I posted 78 proofs linking Iraq and Al Queda. Do you reject those? If you do... fine... But, I don't. I see the link.
So, I'll continue to believe that terrorism is state sponsored... that's its a network... its all geared for one purpose... I'm not calling on the US to be the World's policeman. But I think the fight has come to us, and we must fight it. Where ever it occurs. Because I think we can win.
Wednesday, December 4 at 8/7c.
Hosted by Michael Rosenbaum, who plays "Lex Luthor" on The WB's hit drama Smallville, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, RETURN TO MIDDLE EARTH is more than a behind-the-scenes look at the highly anticipated second film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The special follows the life-changing adventure shared by the young stars of the feature. Thrown together for three years in the magnificent landscape of New Zealand, the actors' real-life challenges mirror the challenges faced by their characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastic world of Middle-earth.
In addition to on-location cast interviews and an exclusive, world-premiere clip from the film, the special gives viewers an in-depth look at the fantastic sets and costumes, as well as interviews with director Peter Jackson and Academy Award-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie. For the millions of fans of the trilogy, this is a not-to-be-missed television event.
There is a list of stations that carry it on their website. Here's the link: Stations
December 4, 2002
What’s wrong with Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers?
Well, to quote my 13-year-old nephew, “It wasn’t long enough!”
It’s only 2 hours 59 minutes. And that’s not enough time to explain why it’s called The Two Towers. I assume that it is a reference to Sauron’s tower and Saruman’s tower…yeah? Is that right? Beats me.
And I don’t really care.
The Two Towers proves that the Lord of the Rings series will probably stand as the greatest fantasy film trilogy of all time. It’s got all the making-kids-read benefits of Harry Potter, the strong characters of Star Wars and the visual singularity of The Matrix series that’s going to play out next year. It has it all.
Writing about this movie right now is a little weird. After all, so many people have read the books that spoilers aren’t true spoilers. Nonetheless, I’m not that interested in taking you through the story… that’s what the movie is for.
In many ways, The Two Towers is a classic middle movie. It jumps right into major league action from the first frames. And it leaves you ready for the big wrap up. But the idea that it is a “middle movie” devalues it in a way that is unfair.
As with the first film, a second viewing enhanced the glories of the film and settled my issues with some of the differences from the first film that I wasn’t quite as happy about the first time around. For instance, Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett are barely in this film… just barely. And I didn’t get nearly enough Gandalf for my tastes. Also, the fellowship’s split at the end of the first film continues here, so instead of having one story, you have three. Yet, on second viewing, it didn’t bother me as much.
The upside of the split is that it opens the door to new characters. For me, the greatest invention of The Two Towers is a fully participating Smeagal/Gollum. Like last year, Harry Potter and LOTR put their flags in some similar territory. There was a troll in Potter last year and then the cave troll in Ring blew it out of the water. Likewise, this year we have Dobbie in Chamber of Secrets, a CG character that is truly remarkable. And then you have Smeagal, who blows Dobbie right out of the proverbial water. Smeagal lives and breathes and has hair and skin and slightly over-sized eyes, but damned if you can’t imagine a CG human being in a few years that doesn’t look like it stepped out of a comic book.
Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin meet up with an anthropomorphized creature who starts as a quiet presence, but who becomes a big part of the film’s emotional grounding by the end.
And Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli get the lion’s share of screen time in this film. The fate of human kind is in their hands. Lending them more than a hand are Bernard Hill, Miranda Otto and a wondrously evil Brad Dourif, who slithers through his role as Wormtongue. This trio joins in the defense of Rohan, which leads them to Helm’s Deep.
There isn’t a lot more I really want to say about this film. It is a near-perfect piece of filmmaking. The map is, obviously, strong. And the work from Peter Jackson and his team is not only flawless, it is breaking through new barriers for the second year in a row.
We’ll talk more about the details as the film gets closer. But I’ll leave you with this… The Two Towers will disappoint no one. It is a great ride. And I can’t wait – though I will have to – for Return of the King. You can hear the heart beating already…
LOL! You got that right! One of the women on our state homeschool message board was all exorcised about that toy this morning!
ROFL! - Poor 2J!
Carton, I'm sorry about your friend. Prayers and thoughts coming your way.
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