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  1. Steven wrote
    Ralph Kruhm wrote

    Tolkien is, of course, very hard to read if you hate, well, books. biggrin


    I love books! But I hate Tolkien (I tried Lord of the Rings, but gave up before they even left the shire.)

    I wouldn't ever presume to hate something if I've only read about a tenth of it. It requires a lot of patience and takes a long (long long) time to get going, but give it another shot.

    It's not for everyone, I'll admit. But for cripes sake it's a million times better than Twilight.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2014
    A tenth of a Tolkien book is still a tome in itself. But then I've also seen enough of the films and the documentaries to realise Tolkien isn't my sort of thing.

    I've not read Twilight.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2014
    Steven wrote
    I've never read the book, and have no desire to. I'd rather read Twilight than Tolkien.


    *sigh*
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2014
    Steven wrote
    A tenth of a Tolkien book is still a tome in itself. But then I've also seen enough of the films and the documentaries to realise Tolkien isn't my sort of thing.

    I've not read Twilight.


    Now that's more like it. wink

    I'm actually with you on the Tolkien books, I just couldn't get into them at all.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  2. I read everything Tolkien that I can get my hands on. There are passages in "Hobbit", "Ring" and even "Silmarillion" that I can recite by heart. I have the books (premium hardcover), the DVDs, the audio dramas (all English and German). A part of my livingroom cupboard is kind of a Tolkien Shrine. and of course I have all incarnations of Middle-Earth film music CDs there ever were. I guess I like Tolkien. smile

    Indeed Tolkien is extremely popular in Germany. The romanticism, the melancholy, the idealism, the clear cut good and evil, the high pathos language, the Nibelungen references ... that is all very appealing to the German soul.

    Volker
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
  3. But Captain Future, you have not read Tolkien, until you have read him in the original Klingon.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
  4. biggrin
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2014
    franz_conrad wrote
    But Captain Future, you have not read Tolkien, until you have read him in the original Klingon.


    Note to the Galley; Romulan Ale no longer to be served at diplomatic functions.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2014
    I didn't like reading Tolkien either, but I liked the Lord of the Rings films. That probably makes me an idiot of some sort.
  5. Guess whose coming to dinner.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
    •  
      CommentAuthorSouthall
    • CommentTimeApr 17th 2014
    What we require now is a feat of linguistic legerdemain and a degree of intrepidity.
  6. I'd give real money if he'd shut up. wink
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
  7. I've never trusted Klingons, and I never will.
    A butterfly thinks therefore I am
  8. Spiderman 3

    I don't know what to think. After two decent-to-very good movies (I wouldn't say that part two is "the best superhero movie ever made", it's great, but while Molina does steal the show, it could be pushed a bit further; part one has a great performance by Dafoe, though his death scene is overly theatrical), this is a combination of very good with quite painful. Maguire can't handle the "evil Peter Parker" at all to me, consisting of making some weird pseudo-evil faces, mostly, though his brooding is quite decent. Thomas Haden Church is sadly underused and not given the possibility to explore his range better, there is a great character in there somewhere (I love the recurrent motif of "good people turned evil" in the franchise). Topher Grace could use more screen time. Raimi's directing of Franco in the Goblin mode is somehow misguided, Harry's much better in his good side. James Cromwell is always good to see, though again, I wish I saw more of him.

    But what totally ruined the film to me is a scene that had a lot of potential, but was conventionally ruined and I don't know what it was supposed to be... Was it supposed to be overdone comedy? A dramatic scene showing how evil the symbiote made Peter? Some kind of a musical? Totally overdone, not in tune with the rest of the film on a conventional level. Terribly overacted by Maguire and a completely misguided Bryce Dallas Howard, whose Gwen Stacy is resorted to be a kind of stupid blonde stereotype, a bit comically overdone, anyway. The only actor in the scene to retain ANY class there is the poor Kristen Dunst, whose great, realistic, acting is just proof how misguided Raimi was in the scene and what it could have been. That could be said for the only really good turn from Bryce Dallas Howard: Gwen's realization of what Parker is doing and her immediate apology to Mary Jane.

    I wouldn't say that the movie has too many villains, though neither was given enough screen time to really develop their respective characters. That said, the metamorphosis scenes are a great proof of what the film could have been - a very dramatic, almost tragic, particle accelerator scene and the horror-like introduction of Venom.

    And the flag appeared. Again.

    Christopher Young wrote a great score, methinks. The metamorphoses are beautifully scored and his theme for the Black Spiderman is closer to Elfman's superhero writing than Elfman's own Spiderman theme, which is quite decent with its slightly nerdy character.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    I think you spent far too much time writing about Spiderman 3.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
  9. Had to vent it out biggrin
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    Spider man 3 can be summed up in six words: the one where Tobey Maguire dances.
  10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

    Though the bad guys are so stereo typed in this one, I mean you know when they will transform, you know what they will do and you know when they will die, it still works. That's because Garfield is once again amazing portraying Spider-Man. I love how the way he interacts with the people, the villains but also his little bit of humor when he saves someone, or when he simply does something heroic. Though there isn't THAT much action per se, the movie flies by incredibly fast, never gets boring simply because of the humor, the characters (though stereotyped they work incredibly good) and the wonderful chemistry between Stone and Garfield.

    The music of Zimmer I wanted to hear first in the picture and it really works. Great superhero tune (nothing original but just perfectly fitting) and a wonderful inventive sound for Electro (one of the best musical moments in the film). I also love the way the movie ends. Emotional, kinda surprising but above all cool, not only for the way we're already getting info on the third upcoming movie, but also the way it takes its time.

    The fact the extra scene during the end credits piece is actually from X-Men: Days of Future Past (and not a teaser of Spider-Man 3) says that Webb used the time well, and didn't rush it during the end. He used the time well to give us closure on several elements and I like that.

    A lot more humor, not specifically more action (in fact less) but above all a much more lovable Peter Parker makes this one as good as Raimi's Spider-Man 2 (because that movie also had the chemistry and the emotion).

    Great film
    8 out of 10
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    I'd never have had Scottish tennis player Andrew Murray down as Spider-Man but he's doing quite a good job.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    biggrin

    A slightly better looking version at least.
  11. I think that ultimately Garfield makes a better Peter Parker than Maguire does, though his shyness is going to pathological levels.
    http://www.filmmusic.pl - Polish Film Music Review Website
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    I agree. He's far more likeable than Maguire, even with the pathological shyness.
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    ...but then he does hate Mondays.
    •  
      CommentAuthorMartijn
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014 edited
    Steven wrote
    Ralph Kruhm wrote

    Tolkien is, of course, very hard to read if you hate, well, books. biggrin


    I love books! But I hate Tolkien (I tried Lord of the Rings, but gave up before they even left the shire.)


    I think it may depend on exposure: when I first read Tolkien's rather formal, semi-legend style, I was blown away as I had never ever read anything like that.
    Of course I was 11, and it was 1980, so I hadn't had very much exposure to any fantasy other than what I got from the local library (which was fairly limited at that time, some books on Scandinavian, Roman and Greek folklore and legends).

    Having reread The Lord Of The Rings recently, I can safely state I still love it, and revel in its/Tolkien's rich and powerful skill and cleverness...but I also see the narrative flaws, the lack of character development and the limited psychological layers.

    I love that book.
    But I wouldn't say it's for everyone.
    'no passion nor excitement here, despite all the notes and musicians' ~ Falkirkbairn
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteven
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    This is why I would never say Tolkien and his books are "shit". Clearly there is a wealth of material in the world he created. But it is exactly what people love about Tolkien that just leaves me cold. I prefer stories to be primarily character based, and work from the inside out rather than coming up with a setting or premise and then fitting the characters around that. This is why I tend to avoid a lot of gimmicky TV shows.
  12. So I just saw Thor - The Dark World.

    The whole film feels like a pimped double episode of Stargate in places. Then again it is a hybrid of "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" aesthetically. Those fighting sequences in Asgard reminded me heavily of "The Phantom Menace".

    I found the story way too simplistic, I didn't care for any of the characters.

    Tyler's score is grating and diminishing the film. I just can't stand those always the same power anthems any more. They make me sick and angry.

    In summ: meh.

    Volker
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
    •  
      CommentAuthorErik Woods
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2014
    Meh indeed! I loved the first film so I was incredibly disappointed by the lacklustre second.

    -Erik-
    host and executive producer of THE CINEMATIC SOUND RADIO PODCAST | www.cinematicsound.net | www.facebook.com/cinematicsound | I HAVE TINNITUS!
  13. Agreed.
    •  
      CommentAuthorRalph Kruhm
    • CommentTimeApr 29th 2014 edited
    @ Thor: The Dark World

    I thought the best about it was the humour.

    Which is probably what shouldn´t be the best about a Thor movie.

    I´m very much okay with Tyler´s score approach. He´s obviously trying to build up a new continuity, and the best part of it was the new Marvel Fanfare. I can´t wait to hear it twisted as the new Avengers theme.

    ---

    @ Reading Star Wars & BSG books in our youth: beer

    ---

    Tolkien: I´ve been reading up for the first time on the "secondary" material quite recently. I think the "Silmarillion" has some brilliant stuff in it, most of all the creation myth, and the tale of Beren & Luthien; God, that is quite an epic love story.

    I cared less for the "Unfinished Tales", although the essays on Galadriel, the Istari, and the Palantiri were an eye-opener, so to say.

    I´m reading the LOTR appendices now, getting more backstory before I´ll dive again into The Hobbit and LOTR, which I both read several times.

    I can see why people may find the books hard to read, though, but regarding to world-building and creating settings, histories and long-term plot-threads, they are still - for me - unchallenged.

    They have lots of other merits, though. I remember quite fondly the night I read the Moria chapter for the very first time. Let´s just say I really should have read that at daylight.
  14. Ralph Kruhm wrote

    @ Reading Star Wars & BSG books in our youth: beer


    And not only in my youth. smile V.
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.