The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[HairOfTheDog]

I agree. I think oldies but goodies, found on a trip to the video store bargain rack, would be great.

[Corin Stormhands]

I have a feeling that today will be a busy news day......but probably not as busy as tomorrow will be.

I know, and I have to drive to the People's Republic of Charlottesville tomorrow for a Bored Meeting...

[Pippin]

HOWDY, RM!

4 platters each of sausage and nice crispy bacon along with all that other good stuff?

YEEEEEEEEEEE! HAAAAAAAAAAA!

[Pippin]

Hi, Corin!

[Pippin]

Hi, HOTD!

[2Jedismom]

Does it have to be DVD? Can it be VHS? I can get it at Walmart for $19.95

[Lil'freeper]

Ok, Children of Dune, part III

It was ok. It would have been much better with an extra hour or a fourth installment. They attempted to tell too much story in too little time. The result was a shallow treatment of grand and complex themes that came across as a ‘made-for-TV-movie.’ The viewer was left scratching their heads asking one question, ‘huh’?

The positives. Throughout this miniseries, I have been particularly impressed with the portrayal of the women: strong, stoic, and tragic to the very last. They exemplified the feminazi’s nightmare of women choosing duty over happiness (that and all the evil ones get their comeuppance). I found this to be terribly moving. They were all creatures capable of great love who were denied it in return. The acting was fantastic- especially the Ghanima and Irulan characters. The actress who played Alia got stuck with some really silly lines, like having to announce that she’s the “Holy Imperial Regent Who Rules in Their Name… and is the supreme authority here…” after every commercial break. (Is there any way to sue IHOP for such irrrrrrrritating commercials?) She had a tremendously expressive face and the film would have been better served by giving her fewer lines and more ‘aha! expression’ moments. One example of fine acting was the scene where she greeted her mother. The hope on her face that she would finally receive her mother’s affection was so clear as was her conclusion that Jessica would deny her that love in favor of the grandchildren. No line could have done the moment justice. Unfortunately, expressiveness aside, the Alia actress’ voice couldn’t support the more demanding aspects of her role- namely, deranged cruelty, madness, revenge, rage. She just didn’t get the job done.

And that is important because I have decided that Alia is the main character of this tale (It’s heresy, I know, but the movie would have been just fine without the twins). As I stated before, citing Orson Scott Card, the main character is the one with the most complexity, the most development, not the all-powerful one. That is Alia! She is surrounded by love, but sees only rejection and betrayal. She falls in love with a dead guy and takes a traitor as a lover. She saw prescience destroy her brother but destroys herself seeking the same. She suffers from her gifts and out of love wants to drag her niece and nephew down her same path. She desperately wants both a loving relationship with her mother while plotting her assassination. She desires to be a great and powerful leader and her oppression turns her people against her. She is a totally deranged and wretched creature, desperate for power yet ultimately an utter failure, and we were with her every step of the way. Bravo- it’s a great story! It should have been called “Alia of Dune”.

The twins, on the other hand. Who were they again? Oh yeah, the “Children of Dune”. As stated in an earlier post, we learned too much about them too quickly. The viewers were not invited to explore their relationship beyond seeing them finish each other’s sentences and being creepy. We don’t know what motivates them really, what scares them, what their doubts are. We don’t see them discover their path or grow in understanding. We just see them run away from some cheesey CGI tigers and then Leto runs off to find his Golden Path. Ghanima is more sympathetic as she takes on the mantle of dutiful, political wife- a role which we understand from watching Irulan evolve.

But the Golden Path. What the heck is that? I remember from reading the books many years ago, that it is a long peace- enforced by the oppressive rule of Leto- that allows mankind to scatter throughout the universe, survive big, scary threats, and generally escape the Lansraad paradigm. Ok, but that is not explained in the movie and you shouldn’t have to read the books to ‘get’ a movie- especially a made-for-TV miniseries. The movie left the audience wondering 1) what is the Golden Path 2) why is it better than Paul’s path 3) why couldn’t Paul do it 4) why is it such a ‘big sacrifice’ and 5) how is it supposed to benefit mankind? All we get to see is a lonely Ghanima and Leto evolving into a worm (he’s a goooood looking worm, though).

The obvious explanation is that far too much story was attempted for the time allotted. Herbert’s universe, like Tolkien’s, is vast, complex, and nuanced. Like TTT, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, are middle stories- a snapshot of a larger story that runs far into the past and into the future; it lacks resolution. The first installment of the CoD miniseries was so potent because it recalled characters that we had invested in and had seen develop. Their ending was so moving. It will take another miniseries, God Emperor perhaps, to bring resolution and context to this one. I’m game.

[Sam Cree]

Hi, Corin, too bad I am in Miami at the moment, since you are going to the PRC. Drive careful, though.

[Corin Stormhands]

Mornin' Pippin.

[Corin Stormhands]

Okay, you've convinced me at least to try reading the Dune series again this summer...

[Pippin]

I have some extra copies of LOTR books. just tell me where to send them so they can get to the troops.

[2Jedismom]

I'm waiting for several checks that have been mailed and also the labels that Bear made. Sounds like eveything should be here by early next week. I'll work on getting all the shopping done next week and then shipping the boxes out say...that next Monday? That would be exactly 2 weeks since the last shippment.

[HairOfTheDog]

Great! Pippin they should go to 2J.... You two should meet in FRMail!

[HairOfTheDog]

Does it have to be DVD? Can it be VHS? I can get it at Walmart for $19.95

Maybe we should send one of each! I think either/or/both would be fine. The DVD's may be a bit more durable than tapes, and have the extra stuff that the VHS doesn't have, for the folk that are into it.

[2Jedismom]

I gotta take Joshua to the doctor...vaccinations again.

Be back later and we'll talk some more.

Where's OT??

[RMDupree]

Hey Pips! :)

[HairOfTheDog]

OT has been around this morning.... The job thing is probably getting in her way.

I have been up for 4 hours and it is only 7:00 here! - Egads!

[RMDupree]

Give Josh a smooch for me. I cannot stand vaccination appointments for the babies. I wish I could take them instead and just transfer the protection by osmosis! LOL!!

OT is probably in the kitchen swiping the last of the biscuits. *grin*

[RMDupree]

AAAHHHHH--

[RMDupree]

CHOOOOO!!