[ClearCase_guy]

Tolkien's service in the Boer War

Sigh. This writer states (correctly) that Tolkien was born in 1892, but also sees him as a Boer War veteran. Not bloody likely! In fact, Tolkien served in WWI and was present at the Somme. Much of the horror of Mordor can probably be traced to Trench Warfare and the devastation caused by modern war. Why bring in the Boer War? Note: Tolkien was born in South Africa, but left when he was 6.

[JenB]

(Liv Tyler's character Arwen comes not from the story but a footnote, obviously a ravishing one.)

Not entirely accurate, she was in the books. It was the extended romance bits that were based on the appendices.

Ring ping!

[MarkL]

I'm going to see this movie when it comes out, and I have no doubt that I'll love it, but I've been seriously thinking about NOT seeing anything, including these movies) that have Vigo Mortenson (sp?) in it...

One night, a few weeks ago, I couldn't sleep, and I was channel surfing, and I came upon an interview with Peter Jackson. It turns out that it was the Charlie Rose show on PBS, and I decided to watch it. Elija Wood, Jackson, and Vigo Mortenson were on, and Vigo was wearing a tee shirt under a sport coat that he had written "No More Blood For Oil." That's something that I could tolerate, but when Rose asked Vigo about the shirt, he started going off on how evil the US foreign policies are, and how if any comparison of "The War on Terror" is made to Lord of the Rings, it's that the US is actaully the evil ones, comparing the US to Sauraman.

I will never see him in another film. Except the Two Towers and Return of the King ... Darn it!

Mark

[Dante3]

My husband and I thought the first "Lord of the Rings" should have won the Oscar. We are looking forward to seeing the second. Just wondering how the second compares to the first one which we thought was one of the best films ever made.

[VOA]

'Lord' films run rings around the rest because of words

And the images and scenery.

This very morning, Peter Greenberg (aka, The Travel Detective on The Today Show)
had the Prime Minister of New Zealand on his radio show here in Los Angeles.

Of course the P.M. talked up tourism to New Zealand mostly, but Greenberg said he had
already seen the next film...and that the images/special effects in the
last hour of the film simply blew him away.

Oh, and Greenburg has a special on New Zealand tourism on The Travel Channel tomorrow
(Sunday) night.

[AnAmericanMother]

Boer War? Only if he fought as a child of 10 (max) . . . it was over in 1902.

It's howlers like this that make me mistrust an entire article.

[Luis Gonzalez]

[Rightwing Conspiratr1]

...despite a notable lack of enthusiasm from Tolkien's colleagues in university literature departments...

There's a reason for that. There is no moral relativism in Tolkien's works.

[Grig]

It's going to be a late, great night for geeks. I have my ticket for 12:01 am late tonight.