January 8, 20223 yr Author Recently I have been listening to some of the LOTR/Similliarin (Middle Earth lore) audiobooks and reading the wikia lore. I watched the LOTR trilogy (extended). It is nearly 12 hrs long. Previously, I only saw 1 and 2 in theatres and didn't watch 3. LOTR is really the foundation for Western fantasy, the most influential series. The audiobooks for Game of Thrones are extremely long (around 35-50 hours each, times 5 and there is "Fire and Blood" part 1 (out of 2) which is very long, and also compilations of prequel short stories that are long too. I am starting to see that GRRM wrote himself into a corner, he was far too ambitious. Instead of publishing "Fire and Blood" book 1 and all the prequel short stories he could have simply gotten book 6 done.
January 8, 20223 yr Author As far as the LOTR films go, I like Fellowship of the Ring (Extended) the most by a considerable margin. The whole film is great, and has a sense of mystery about them with many good scenes. The Twin Towers and the Return of the King are spectacle films with a lot of politics that feel a bit too "basic/simple" especially in the current age of fantasy TV shows with strong character development (Game of Thrones, Vikings, etc.). There are also a lot of emotionally manipulative set-ups/tropes that are too easy to detect. I find myself not really wanting to watch 2/3 again (except for parts, like the battle for Helm's deep is still one of the best battles in film). 1 is a classic. Game of Thrones is the LOTR on steriods in terms of characters & structure. The main characters of the Vikings series IMHO are better developed than the GOT ones.
January 8, 20223 yr Author Gollum is the Jar-Jar Binks of LOTR, they could have drastically reduced his role. When will Frodo and Sam have sex? : D I don't think something like the LOTR trilogy could be made in the way it was ever again.
January 9, 20223 yr Author @Enrico_sw Have you noticed how Dark Souls is influenced by the Hobbit/LOTR films in terms of visual design? what is your favorite movie of the LOTR trilogy and what do you think of them?
January 9, 20223 yr Author @frenchkiki @Enrico_sw What do you think of Les Miserables? I have audiobook, not sure if I will do it. I am watching Fassbender/Collitard's Macbeth. Wow, their performance is shit- as if they don't understand the words they are reciting.
January 9, 20223 yr Author The Hobbit movies are as long as the book itself, it clearly has tons of fan fiction. I looking around I've come to the conclusion that it is always better to watch the show/film before reading or playing a game, otherwise you're destined to have an unenjoyable experience.
January 10, 20223 yr Author @elfstone Your SN is from Lord of the Rings??! https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Elfstone “But the Queen Arwen said: 'A gift I will give you. For I am the daughter of Elrond. I shall not go with him now when he departs to the Havens; for mine is the choice of Luthien, and as she so I have chosen, both the sweet and the bitter. But in my stead you shall go, Ring-bearer, when the time comes, and if you then desire it. If your hurts grieve you still and the memory or your burden is heavy, then you may pass into the West, until all your wounds and weariness are healed. But wear this now in memory of Elfstone and Evenstar with whom your life has been woven!' And she took a white gem like a star that lay upon her breast hanging upon a silver chain, and she set the chain around Frodo's neck. 'When the memory of the fear and the darkness troubles you,' she said, 'this will bring you aid.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
January 13, 20223 yr Author I like Sean Bean's charisma and presence in films, however it really does seem like he plays the same character in every film (and also dies..). A lot of his successful Richard Sharpe series is uploaded onto youtube. I watched his acting bits in episode 1 and literally it's the same character (himself?). This show first aired in the early 1990s.. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Richard+Sharpe+best
January 14, 20223 yr Author Both Macbeth movies kind of suck from what I've seen (Fassbender and Denzel Washington). They are big hollywood names but don't "get" shakespeare, their performance shows lack of understanding of the text. Denzel is awkward and Fassbender is just reciting lines in monotone. Embarrassing! The British Shakespeare company actors are far superior and the BBC Macbeth with Patrick Stewart is the best. In terms of visuals, the classic Polanski Macbeth movie is the best.
January 15, 20223 yr Author I have finished half of the LOTR history & lore book (Simarillion). The Amazon LOTR show will be based on it. The book is boring and only mildly interesting. It is written in the style of religious scripture and is highly pagan. And it's not actually a book but lore notes that Tolkien's son collected and pieced together. So there is no real point to actually care about most of the characters in the lore book.
January 15, 20223 yr Author James Cameron's Avatar films may potentially be the biggest flops of all time due to COVID19's devastation of the theater industry. The original film lacked quality but due to successful marketing/hype building ended up being one of the highest grossing films of all time. When it ended, it ended like Game of Thrones- everyone forgot about it. Cameron's billion dollar project looks more like an excuse to employ a large staff of creative workers and programmers- to give them something to do while promising studios megabucks in the "future".
January 20, 20223 yr Author I read all 27,000 Marvel comics and had a great time. Here’s what I learnt https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/jan/20/douglas-wolk-27000-marvel-comics-dark-reign-trump-iron-man-unbeatable-squirrel-girl I feel bad for this writer, reading 1 marvel comic that isn't "Punisher Max/Garth Ennis" is torture enough
January 20, 20223 yr Author The people in charge of developing the Amazon LOTR show have rather unproven professional credentials (like the subpar talent that made the Witcher show) for a 1 billion dollar production. Emperor Bezos has too much money these days.
February 2, 20223 yr Author Recently I rewatched Taboo Season 1, finished the audiobook for Heart of Darkness and had a good experience. Unfortunately, like Bioshock 4 and Witcher 4, Season 2 of Taboo has few signs that it will be made although director/actor have both repeatedly signaled their interest since 2017. Then other stuff I like... Game of Thrones and Vikings shows, both had 2 weak (final) seasons. https://www.reddit.com/r/TabooFX/ These disappointments remind me of precarious these projects can be. When something great comes up, continued success and quality does not guarantee the next installment. Real world obstacles appear and prevent the franchise from moving forward, or business/market trends like woke etc. ruin it, and that unfortunate Cyberpunk release fiasco. Bioshock Infinite sold well and was well reviewed but the studio shut down regardless.
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