‘RINGERS’ is not a film about freaks or even “cultists.” Rather, it’s a lovingly made tribute to a vast community of people — geeks and luminaries alike — who are drawn again and again to the trilogy’s themes of friendship, resilience and hope. And that’s something even Tolkien would have appreciated. [More]
Day: December 1, 2005
Hands down the ultimate movie magazine from the UK, EMPIRE magazine raves about the affection and fun shown in RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS (narrated by Manchester’s own Dominic Monaghan) with 4 out of 5 stars! Also reviewed alongside Star Woids, “RINGERS is a fun romp through the whole LOTR phenomenon!” BUYERS BEWARE of an error here, the RINGERS dvd in the UK (Region 2 format) does indeed have TONS of extras, including deleted scenes/interviews, Filmmaker audio commentary, memorable confessionals, and more! Check it out in our Scrapbook. [More]
“Longest of all the realms of the Eldalië shall Gondolin stand against Melkor. But love not too well the work of thy hands and the devices of thy heart; and remember that the true hope of the Noldor lieth in the West and cometh from the Sea.” Thus Ulmo warned Turgon at the founding of Gondolin.
This weekend, Hall of Fire resumes regular Silmarillion chats with Chapter 15 — Of the Noldor in Beleriand.
Hidden from all spying eyes, Turgon builds Gondolin as a replica of Tirion — the city lost to the Noldor in exile. Is it yearning for home? Is it hubris or defiance of the Valar or Morgoth?
And to whom does Ulmo’s warning refer? Is it the coming of Tuor from Nevrast (in the west) or a foresight of the Valar and the War of Wrath?
However, Gondolin is not protected by the enchantments of Ulmo alone. The eagles of Manwe also keep the spies of Morgoth at bay. Is this an indication that the Valar are working together in subtle ways to assist the Noldor? And how does this alter our views of the activity or inactivity of the Valar in opposing Morgoth?
We’ll also discuss events in Doriath where — slowly but inexorably — the shameful truth of the flight of the Noldor from Aman is revealed to Thingol and Melian. What impact does this have on the leaguer against Morgoth?
Is Galadriel reluctant to speak of those events out of fear or out of loyalty? Does she become complicit in events by concealing the truth? And what does it mean that Melian cannot pierce the shadows that hides Valinor?
Moreover, why does Galadriel stay in Doriath rather than with her brother Finrod? And what of Melian’s discussions with Thingol, his ditrust of the Valar and her portents about the importance of the Silmarils and warnings about the Sons of Feanor?
These are just a few of the things we’ll discuss this weekend on Sunday December 4 at 2.00pm EST in The Hall of Fire.
Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help.
America:
2.00pm EST (New York)
1.00pm CST (Chicago)
12.00 midday MST (Salt Lake City)
11.00am PST (Los Angeles)
Europe:
7.00pm GMT (London)
8.00pm CET (Paris)
Asia-Pacific
3.00am (Monday) Perth
5.00am (Monday) Brisbane
6.00am (Monday) Sydney
8.00am (Monday) Wellington
Our chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
Where?
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
Upcoming topics:
Sun December 4 – Silmarillion Ch 15: Of the Noldor in Beleriand
Sat Dec 10 – The Seven Heavenly Virtues in LoTR
Sun Dec 17 – Live Ringers Q&A
Sun Jan 8th – The Seven Heavenly Virtues in LoTR
Sat Jan 14th – Silmarillion Chapter 16: Of Maeglin
NB: Hall of Fire will take a break for Christmas and the New Year and will resume in early January.
Got a topic? Let us know your idea!
If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!
Join HoF Announce!
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Hof-announce@theonering.net
http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce
Who would have guessed that Hef is a Ringer too!? The groundbreaking new film RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS gets a rating of 3 out of 4 bunnies in the Dec. issue of Playboy magazine (with Marylin Monroe on the cover), hailing it as an “intriguing documentary … from hippies to Led Zeppelin to the movie trilogy!” Check it out in our Scrapbook — don’t worry kids, it’s completely G rated, of course! [More]
The greatest ‘geek’ magazine on the planet, WIRED, has also reviewed RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS in their December 2005 issue. Praising the sensibility of Tolkien fans worldwide, they declare: “Tolkien’s trilogy wasn’t always a hit with critics… but fans got it instantly!” The magazine scan is here in our Scrapbook. [More]
When you think of a man who is a veritable legend in his field, it’s hard to think of him as anything but god-like. It’s hard to remember that he has a family, or that he has to work for a living just like the rest of us. We picture him living large on royalties, basking in the glow of awe-struck fans. It’s hard to imagine that he might have financial difficulties.
Yet that’s exactly what renowned author of The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle, has. [More]