This week, ‘TORn Book Club’ will be airing early due to a scheduling issue. Instead of airing at its normal time of 3pm PST, it will be airing at 11am PST, and there will be plenty to discuss!
We will be reading the winner of November’s Rewrite Tolkien contest, and Sarumann will be doing a special live SPOILER-FREE review of The Desolation of Smaug! Since this will be live with an online audience, we’d love to answer your questions about what to expect! You can email your questions to Sarumann@theonering.net so that they don’t get lost in the chat or become affected by the lag.
Continue reading “Tune In Early This Sunday For A Special ‘TORn Book Club’ LIVE Review of ‘The Desolation of Smaug’!”
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[Editor’s Note: Fear not, dear readers, TORn staffer Quickbeam presents our first official review of DOS *spoiler-free* until loudly noted in the later section (with plenty of buffer space) where inquisitive minds may read further with spoiler-iffic abandon.]
The Great Schism: Splendid Smaug Splits Fandom?
or
Hobbit Version 2.0: Jackson Does it Differently
I know it’s been a long year to wait. Ringer fans are going into ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ with high hopes for another thrilling chapter in the ongoing saga adapted by our fellow fan, Peter Jackson. Indeed it is thrilling. And indeed it bears all the hallmarks of a P.J. film, replete with energetic action set pieces and gorgeously realized creatures and places that only cinema can properly provide to our senses.
Be forewarned Book Fans, because of the extent DOS deviates from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a very vocal fan reaction, if not an outright scream of frustration from one or two up in the balcony. The filmmakers have certainly delivered the goods; it is a very enjoyable movie that pretty much blows the audience away with well-crafted storytelling. It is by turns breathlessly paced and frightening and funny and gorgeous (Smaug especially has much of his “muchness”). But by the end credits, it no longer resembles the book you read as a kid, not by a long shot.
Which is something I must mention up front because of the laborious efforts towards fidelity in ‘An Unexpected Journey.’ In fact, much of the LOTR Trilogy was a concentrated effort to (mostly) honor the source material. True, there were odd bits that didn’t ring true to Tolkien; like Faramir dragging the hobbits to Osgiliath and Frodo sending Sam home (piffle) but what happens in DOS is just completely off the rails, especially in the third act.
Continue reading “Quickbeam’s Desolation of Smaug Film Review: Splendid Smaug Splits Fandom?”
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We’re halfway there! Last weekend we watched The Two Towers Extended Edition. This Sunday (December 1) from Midday ET (that’s New York time), we’ll be continuing our LOTR and Hobbit marathon fun in the Barliman’s chat as we haul out our copies of The Return of the King Extended Edition and all press “play” at the same time.
Mark it in your calendar and come join us for an entirely geeky viewing of The Return of the King where you can share thoughts and observations with fellow fans!
Continue reading “Join us as we watch the The Return of the King Extended Edition this Sunday in the Barliman’s chat!”
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Last weekend we watched the Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition. This Sunday (November 24) from Midday ET (that’s New York time), we’ll be continuing our LOTR and Hobbit marathon fun in the Barliman’s chat as we haul out our copies of The Two Towers Extended Edition and all press “play” at the same time.
Mark it in your calendar and come join us for an entirely geeky viewing of The Two Towers where you can share thoughts and observations with fellow fans!
Continue reading “Join us as we watch the The Two Towers Extended Edition this Sunday in the Barliman’s chat!”
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Just a reminder that November’s Rewrite Tolkien contest – The Hobbit as written by J.K. Rowling/ The Harry Potter series – ends on Monday, November 25th at noon, Eastern Standard Time. The winning entry will be read on TORn’s newest show, TORn Book Club. So get those entries in soon, and tune in on Sunday, December 1st at 3:00 pm Pacific Time to hear the winner at TheOneRing.net Live. The winning entry, as well as 2 runners-up, will have their entries posted on TORn’s home page.
Submission guidelines for the contest can be found here. Good luck!
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Over the next four weekends — as the debut of The Desolation of Smaug in cinemas around the world approaches — the Barliman’s chatroom will be playing host to movie marathon of each of the extended edition movies that Peter Jackson has thus far released from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
And you’re invited to join us!
We’ll be watching one film each weekend for the next four weekends — starting with The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition this Sunday from Midday ET (New York time). Continue reading “Join us as we watch the LOTR and Hobbit EEs each Sunday for the next four weeks in Barliman’s chat!”
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This week, ‘TORn Book Club’ will be airing early due to a scheduling issue. Instead of airing at its normal time of 3pm PST, it will be airing at 11am PST, and there will be plenty to discuss!