Last night, for no particular reason, I watched the first of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. (Thoughts on the trilogy as a whole here.) Watching it brought to mind a satirical video I’d seen years ago of the Rankin-Bass Hobbit Christmas special that should have been. Was it still online? A … Continue reading Christmas in the Shire
Category: Tolkien
I had a dream last night that I saw an advance screening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. And I was blown away by it. Not because it returned me to Peter Jackson’s version of Middle-Earth is awesomely spectacular fashion, but because there was something about the film and its narrative style that Jackson had … Continue reading On a Dream About The Hobbit
This search phrase brought someone to my blog today — “in lord of the ring the fellowship of the ring what did galileo say to the elves.” Yes, I too would like to know what Galileo said to the Elves. The cosmology of Middle-Earth is fascinating. Did making the world round when Numenor fell also … Continue reading On Galileo and Middle-Earth
A few months ago on a bulletin board I was drawn into a somewhat tedious argument over what, exactly, pipeweed is in The Lord of the Rings. My sparring partner argued that pipeweed was clearly tobacco, Tolkien said so, and that, clearly, was that. The problem with the identification of pipeweed with tobacco, I said, … Continue reading On Kirill Yeskov’s The Last Ringbearer
This needs to be preserved forever, before it falls down Facebook’s memory hole. NPR posted a link on Facebook to a segment on All Things Considered in which Bart Ehrman discusses his new book, Did Jesus Exist? Here’s the comment I posted on the comment thread to the link: I’ve read several of Ehrman’s books … Continue reading On the Historical Frodo Baggins
Last weekend at Farpoint this Tolkien fan found something that excited him — the soundtrack to the Rankin/Bass Hobbit on CD. It was pricey — $40.00 — but I knew I had to have it. It’s the Rankin/Bass Hobbit! I love the Rankin/Bass Hobbit! The vendor told me that he had the soundtrack to the … Continue reading On Rare Tolkien CDs
Today I read an interesting criticism from Ben Child of Peter Jackson’s upcoming Hobbit films — the films will be an extended exercise in stunt casting: With the news that Billy Connolly is to take the role of dwarf king Dain Ironfoot in his adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s debut Middle-earth-set novel, Jackson appears to be … Continue reading On The Hobbit’s Casting Choices
People are preparing for the Apocalypse. For instance, there are Christians who believe the Rapture will happen tomorrow. Or the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta offered advice for surviving the zombie apocalypse. NASA is even prepared for Viking raids. I’m sure there are pagans who are anxiously awaiting Ragnarok, and some Reformed Gallifreyists may … Continue reading On Apocalyptic Thinking
When I was younger, in those days before the Internet made mail order shopping so ridiculously easy, my family used to receive the NPR Shop catalog. And the Barnes & Noble catalog. I don’t know which catalog I saw it in, but I’m sure it was one of those two — the NPR radio dramatization … Continue reading On NPR’s Lord of the Rings Audio Drama
How many times have I watched this? I don’t know, because each time I do I start rolling on the floor laughing. What happens when the World Cup is held in Middle-Earth? That provocative question is answered in… The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Vuvuzela. Not coming to a theater near you. … Continue reading On Gandalf and the Vuvuzela
In May, HarperCollins is bringing out a new book by J.R.R. Tolkien. However, it’s not another Middle-Earth book, as there’s probably nothing else on the subject to publish. Instead, it’s something rather different. And for me, rather interesting. In the 1920’s, Professor Tolkien worked on a version of the Volsung Saga, The Legend of Sigurd … Continue reading On New Tolkien
Happy New Year! In the Shire, anyway. If we were Hobbits, if we lived in the Shire, today would be the first day of the new year, the 2nd of the month of Yule. Yule is a strange month. It’s only two days long. The first of Yule is the last day of the year. … Continue reading On the Start of the New (Hobbit) Year