Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: grampster on September 03, 2022, 01:22:06 PM
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I'll admit I've been looking forward to last night. The new Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power series was to begin. There has been some internet warbling about it not being very good. I usually take those sorts of comments with a grain of salt. The cost was nearly a billion dollars it is said. For that kind of money you'd think It'd be pretty good....It is a Lord of the Rings adventure, albeit 1000 years before The Hobbit. I read all the books. The first time every one of them continuously 24 hours a day with naps while I recuperated from a foot surgery in the early 80's. Then a couple times after that over the years. I've seen the movies and really enjoyed them. I'm not a nit picking fan, but I was pleased at how the movies were compared to the books.
Well, mark me disappointed with Amazons major foul up. The first two episodes were on last night. I kept nodding off during the first episode. If there was a plot, I must have been nodding off when it was displayed. I managed to stay awake for the beginning of the 2nd episode, but I quickly became bored and actually picked up my phone to see if I had any messages. I wound up turning it off and going to bed. In the words of the immortal whatsizname, "I am disappoint."
They must have spent all the billion dollars on special effects and background, and forgot to check for good writing. The players make up was fairly good, except for the elves who didn't look very elfish except for the pointy ears. The dwarfs were done pretty well, but the hobbits were a scroungy bunch and not very hobbit like at all. I think I may have had a glimpse of an ogre just a nanosecond before I turned it off.
Sigh...
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They must have spent all the billion dollars on special effects and background, and forgot to check for good writing.
I haven't watched it, and don't know if I will, but that seems to be the consensus: Outstanding visuals, but absolute crap writing.
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How many here have read The Silmarillion?
I have and from what I've seen on YT I have no intention of seeing RoP.
Not helping that Amazon, studio, and some of the actors are calling anyone who doesn't like it racist and bigoted
Epic Backfire! The Rings Of Power BLASTS Fans After Bad Reviews But THIS Time It Doesn't Work!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Eyt8H9NFU
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They hate heritage American values.
They hate Christianity.
They hate heritage American culture.
They hate classical Western literature and everything stemming from it, in any form.
They hate White European culture.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that they to invert, converge, pollute and attempt to ruin anything that has to do with The Lord of the Rings.
Knowing the small crowd that hangs out here I feel confident they hate you as well.
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They hate heritage American values.
They hate Christianity.
They hate heritage American culture.
They hate classical Western literature and everything stemming from it, in any form.
They hate White European culture.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that they to invert, converge, pollute and attempt to ruin anything that has to do with The Lord of the Rings.
Knowing the small crowd that hangs out here I feel confident they hate you as well.
Need a They Hate Me tee-shirt
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Here is what other's think of it. The Hollywood reviewers, of course, believe that anyone who didn't like it, were "racists". LOL.
"However, the reviews tell a different story. Many of the people panning “Rings of Power” say it’s a visual masterpiece with an impressive score, but the dialogue is clunky and it’s difficult to connect with the characters. They are not angry about diversity initiatives. They just think it’s an unworthy adaptation.
“Complete disaster of a show, boring story, horrible characters (especially Galadriel), poorly written dialogs [sic], and it’s just two first episodes of the show. Above else, no respect for Tolkien and his work,” one person shared.
“The first episode was painful to watch. Not even the gorgeous CG backgrounds could save this mess. The dialogue was baffling. It sounded like they asked an AI to write it. The acting was uninspired and the protagonist was unsympathetic and unlikeable,” another agreed.
“While the visuals do not disappoint, not once did they manage to make me care about any of the characters,” another person shared.
“They forgot to spend their big budget on what matters: the dialogue is robotic and lifeless, the way the story is written conveys little to no emotion, and everything feels generic as if it was an unlicensed adaptation. The soul is just not there.”
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... "The soul is just not there.”
Soulless with a different spirit.
Tolkien believed in the transcendence of the Virtuous, the True and the Beautiful as well as a transcendent spirit of evil that brings corruption, death and destruction.
Draining the material of its life and housing it in a technologically amazing golem is more or less what should have been expected.
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Is Lord of Rings a movie series or something?
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Is Lord of Rings a movie series or something?
Amazon's woeful attempt at a series and playing off the LoTR. 750 million dollars of disjointed, plotless dreck so far.
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Amazon's woeful attempt at a series and playing off the LoTR. 750 million dollars of disjointed, plotless dreck so far.
Sorry grampster =(
The Peter Jackson movies actually exceeded my expectations, I was pleasantly surprised at that adaptation. Not perfect but a solid achievement.
Then the Hobbit movies didn't stack up and from everything I was reading leading up to the Amazon series, it was an easy call they were going to be a trainwreck.
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How many here have read The Silmarillion?
I have and from what I've seen on YT I have no intention of seeing RoP.
Not helping that Amazon, studio, and some of the actors are calling anyone who doesn't like it racist and bigoted
Epic Backfire! The Rings Of Power BLASTS Fans After Bad Reviews But THIS Time It Doesn't Work!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Eyt8H9NFU
They don't have the rights to the Silmarillion, only some appendices was what I heard. Hence the contrived story with original characters. They're adding a bunch of nonsense to the Second Age that Tolkien didn't write.
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Amazon is Buffalo Bill, and lotr is the skinsuit.
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^ Nice one!
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How many here have read The Silmarillion?
Yeah. Once. Too tedious for a regular re-read.
To be perfectly honest, if Tolkien hadn't been sort of the first to do an epic Fantasy work in the more or less modern era, I wouldn't even say he was a great writer. Even the Hobbit/LOTR series can be tedious to read. It's a great story, don't get me wrong, but there are parts that are just plain wordy and boring.
After what Amazon did to WoT series, I'm not even going to attempt to watch their interpretation of Tokien's world until I see some sort of stellar feedback.
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The bad news for Amazon: You have a giant global disaster on your hands.
The good news: The Memes! :rofl:
Still watching but that was at the very beginning
Here's Nerdrotic
The Rings of Power is ABYSMAL | Amazon's Billion Dollar DISASTER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnEXip1KsLk
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OMG
Miscast
Badly written
WTF? dialog
Awful acting
This could have been spectacular but instead we got
(https://media0.giphy.com/media/853jNve3ljqrYrcSOK/giphy.gif)
Thanks Jeff
Now where are my *expletive deleted*ing rocket engines?
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I've come up with a name for the people writing fantasy for Amazon:
RingRafes.
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[Shelby] But remember, no hate watching! No fooking hate watching! [/Shelby]
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Watched the first 2 episodes. Less woke than I feared so far. More woke than I’d hoped for though.
The proto-hobbits were disjointed and not especially coherent. Adding random black actors seemed strange. I mean, white chick with a black husband and producing white kids was kinda strange. At least they should be consistent.
And the meteor guy needs a lot more explanation (guessing he must become Gandalf or something, probably a Maia at any rate). And the black lady as Durin’s wife didn’t make a lot of sense. I don’t care especially, but a medieval kind of setting, with Scottish accents just doesn’t work with black actors. An accent other than Scottish and maybe it might have worked a little better. The black guy playing an elf? Eh, whatevs. Don’t mind that so much.
Galadriel is too wooden. When she’s not cartoonish. She needs to be more than a revenge obsessed automaton.
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RoP is to Peter Jackson's LotR what Ghostbusters 2016 is to Ghostbusters.
Brad
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I saw that Amazon is deleting negative reviews. :laugh:
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I saw that Amazon is deleting negative reviews. :laugh:
Also IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes
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Needs Orc orgies
Part of me would have loved it if Amazon had done a George R.R. Martin and sexed up Middle-earth a little, giving us orc orgies and horny hobbits (and, in the process, perhaps giving a whole new meaning to “Lord of the Rings”)
Oh and more you're a racist if you don't like it
Amazon’s ‘The Rings of Powers’ Is Not for Purists or Racists
https://www.haaretz.com/life/television/2022-09-04/ty-article/.premium/amazons-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-is-not-for-purists-or-racists/00000183-0789-d0be-a7ef-cfbf72ec0000
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Also IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes
I don't know who owns rotten tomatoes, but I believe imdb is still owned by Amazon.
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Turns out the reviews are more entertaining than the actual show.
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I saw that Amazon is deleting negative reviews. :laugh:
I just went to Amazon looking for reviews. Supposedly for my account, this critically acclaimed and long awaited production has zero reviews. [popcorn]
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I just went to Amazon looking for reviews. Supposedly for my account, this critically acclaimed and long awaited production has zero reviews. [popcorn]
There are no reviews because they deleted all the bad ones :rofl:
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I also see zero ratings and zero reviews. When I hit "Write a review", I get:
Review after watching
We welcome your reviews. Please come back after you have finished watching the video.
Fair point, but are they saying zero people have watched "the most watched Amazon series in history"?
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Maybe Jeff should stick to rocket engines
Oh wait....
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The other point is that The Terminal List, now I guess the second most watched series, was not edited for reviews in any way. Amazon was happy to keep the one star reviews from people crying "white extremist!" up on the site.
Jack Carr was doing Youtubes where he highlighted all the one star reviews and laughed about them. I guess the diverse cast of RoP don't have the same thick skin and sense of humor. =)
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Bored of The Rings
Bad writing, bad characters, bad acting and the writers seem to have zero clue or even worse maybe don't even care what made Tolkien's work so special while Jackson did.
Oh but the visuals are good.
Overall he's calls it lazy
Here's Dave Cullen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UphmBMZQOU
BTW: There is Bored of the Rings book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bored_of_the_Rings
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Bored of The Rings
Bad writing, bad characters, bad acting and the writers seem to have zero clue or even worse maybe don't even care what made Tolkien's work so special while Jackson did.
Oh but the visuals are good.
Overall he's calls it lazy
Here's Dave Cullen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UphmBMZQOU
BTW: There is Bored of the Rings book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bored_of_the_Rings
That review sums up what I have heard. I haven't tried to watch it yet. Not sure I want to. I might watch the first episode just to confirm what I think.
Nearly done with Terminal List and it is good. Saw Top Gun: Maverick last week and that was great. Not perfect (there were one or two "and then a miracle happened moments), but pulled me into the story pretty good.
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Bored of The Rings
Bad writing, bad characters, bad acting and the writers seem to have zero clue or even worse maybe don't even care what made Tolkien's work so special while Jackson did.
Oh but the visuals are good.
Overall he's calls it lazy
Here's Dave Cullen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UphmBMZQOU
BTW: There is Bored of the Rings book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bored_of_the_Rings
Lazy is exactly how I'd also describe seasons 5 and 6 of The Expanse. Like they fired the A-team that knew the lore and how to do their jobs and assigned it to some minimum wage hacks that churned out some Expanse flavored shlock by rote.
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:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
How Hollywood Reboots Franchises (Lord Of The Rings)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ51EbV0Pc8
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Inexperienced Showrunners Figure They'd Better Hire A Few Black Actors So They Can Cry 'Racism' If The Show Sucks
https://babylonbee.com/news/incompetent-showrunners-figure-theyd-better-hire-a-few-black-actors-so-they-can-cry-racism-if-the-show-sucks
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Rings of Woke Mary Sues
It got worse.
New episode starts out with a nationalistic movement giving off MAGA vibes railing against immigration. And in case you think Nerdrotic is stretching the nationalistic comparisons a bit he cuts to an interview where the cast is talking about it. .... yeah
Here's Nerdrotic
The Rings of Power is Pure CRINGE | Amazon LIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYCe0NQ-7Mc
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The Pronouns of Power:
https://youtu.be/efZnIBoF7Eo
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Now it's all Elon Musk's fault. :rofl:
But given this is Lord of the Rings, the bar is insanely high. And nobody knows the stakes better than Payne and McKay. They’re two first-time showrunners who embarked on an unexpected journey nearly five years ago to make their J.R.R. Tolkien passion project and have now found themselves, as McKay puts it, “on the fault line of the culture war,” with everybody from armies of anonymous Tolkien fans to the two richest men in the world weighing in. It ain’t easy to focus on writing scripts and managing a cast and crew of 1,300 on the most complicated TV production of all time when Elon Musk is slagging you on Twitter.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/the-rings-of-power-showrunners-interview-season-2-1235233124/
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That they're, in their minds at least, serious is both scary and hilarious at the same time.
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Get a load of this
Literature scholar Craig Franson has been researching the culture wars and neo-fascist politics in Tolkien studies. In a podcast he hosts with historian Dani Holtz, an expert in American conservatism, they discuss how online fascists use mass media “to harness blockbuster cultural productions,” as in the far-right backlash to Amazon’s Rings of Power series.
Then goes on to claim criticizing ROP is a threat to our democracy...or something :O
Tolkien is not above negative criticism. Neither is any adaptation. We can ask productive questions about the purpose and methods of adaptation and the corporation funding it.
Tolkien readers hold a broad range of views, and they won’t all agree when discussing the creative choices in this particular adaptation.
But prejudging it based on far-right talking points harms people, weakens our democratic social discourse, and will not lead to a better understanding of adaptation. We must certainly draw the line at engaging with racist and misogynist disinformation and abuse.
Count the number if times she says "Far Right"
‘The Rings of Power’: Every adaptation is re-interpretation so ignore the haters
https://theconversation.com/the-rings-of-power-every-adaptation-is-re-interpretation-so-ignore-the-haters-190481
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(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A1iTH_KCo4ioxiNE4W6wnhMiLFP1u1e2bsCofc1DIT3RXbrXIez8TRHEMvDJOR7SH7NlfbMDGcTJld3y8i-7jACj138PON6u_nutV4JggumA_IGIcqMfI46MagzglPvsBdsxlvJR8MmDEv_1gct9DoxH2ablEbBpSrkoch5CwkSfaMIvveUJ8NRVhw/s16000/90mimb_b0a227b0762cc8b3ba5ab3c57b5ca4c5_d418d6d2_640.jpg)
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(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A1iTH_KCo4ioxiNE4W6wnhMiLFP1u1e2bsCofc1DIT3RXbrXIez8TRHEMvDJOR7SH7NlfbMDGcTJld3y8i-7jACj138PON6u_nutV4JggumA_IGIcqMfI46MagzglPvsBdsxlvJR8MmDEv_1gct9DoxH2ablEbBpSrkoch5CwkSfaMIvveUJ8NRVhw/s16000/90mimb_b0a227b0762cc8b3ba5ab3c57b5ca4c5_d418d6d2_640.jpg)
:rofl:
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Who's the guy singing with John Lenon?
Faromir?
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Who's the guy singing with John Lenon?
That's Chuck Berry.
https://youtu.be/ZbGuxGGOIV0?t=108
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Holy crap, that does not look like him! At least what I remember him to look like...
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That's Chuck Berry.
https://youtu.be/ZbGuxGGOIV0?t=108
I'm cracking up that if the comments are accurate, the sound guy turned of yoko ono's mic. :rofl:
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I'm cracking up that if the comments are accurate, the sound guy turned of yoko ono's mic. :rofl:
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/IncredibleSevereFiddlercrab-size_restricted.gif)
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Word is Jeff and gang is making changes.
It's too late Jeff, you killed it dead already.
Rumor: Amazon To Retool ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’, Sideline Current Showrunners After First Season Was “More Of A Failure Than They Could Have Been Anticipated”
https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/10/25/rumor-amazon-to-retool-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-sideline-current-showrunners-after-first-season-was-more-of-a-failure-than-they-could-have-been-anticipated/
(https://boundingintocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022.10.25-09.00-boundingintocomics-63584e76bb095.png)
(https://boundingintocomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022.10.25-09.00-boundingintocomics-63584e7889100.png)
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"“More Of A Failure Than They Could Have Been Anticipated”
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
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"One failure to rule them all"
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Audience score fell every episode and now rumors of a reboot.
He then adds, “I also heard that they’re going to go for a full on reboot with this series and try to pretend that the last two months didn’t happen. Roll out the publicity, maybe roll out some more influencers and try to get people to binge The Rings of Power. Good luck.”
New Rumor Claims Prime Video To Completely Reboot ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ After Creatively Bankrupt First Season
https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/11/08/new-rumor-claims-prime-video-to-completely-reboot-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-after-creatively-bankrupt-first-season/
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I hope they don't fix it.
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I hope they don't fix it.
As a kid I was really into Star Wars. Watched the movies, bought and read a ton of the expanded universe, the usual stuff. When the movies were re-released and Greedo shot first, I was annoyed, but whatever. We still had an old VHS version that was correct. I got real excited about the prequels when they were announced and rushed out to see the first one. It was pretty bad, but I gave the second one a shot too.
After watching the second one I didn't get angsty or angry or anything, I just stopped caring about the franchise. Never saw the third prequel, any of the shows (even when we had Disney+ for a year and there would have been no incremental cost to watch them), or any of the most recent movies. Even when the Mandalorian was getting great reviews, it just wasn't something I enjoyed anymore, and I couldn't work up enough of a giveacrap to follow it anymore. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the original movies anymore, I just don't care about any of the Disney fanfiction or really anything that followed the initial trilogy.
Pretty much at the same place with LoTR at this stage.
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As a kid I was really into Star Wars. Watched the movies, bought and read a ton of the expanded universe, the usual stuff. When the movies were re-released and Greedo shot first, I was annoyed, but whatever. We still had an old VHS version that was correct. I got real excited about the prequels when they were announced and rushed out to see the first one. It was pretty bad, but I gave the second one a shot too.
After watching the second one I didn't get angsty or angry or anything, I just stopped caring about the franchise. Never saw the third prequel, any of the shows (even when we had Disney+ for a year and there would have been no incremental cost to watch them), or any of the most recent movies. Even when the Mandalorian was getting great reviews, it just wasn't something I enjoyed anymore, and I couldn't work up enough of a giveacrap to follow it anymore. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the original movies anymore, I just don't care about any of the Disney fanfiction or really anything that followed the initial trilogy.
Pretty much at the same place with LoTR at this stage.
That is a lot of what I am hearing from a lot of people. Mandalorian was okay, but it was pretty basic and uncomplicated in the first season or two. I didn't watch anything after that.
I think not hiring people based on ability has caught up to Disney and other outfits. There are far too many people getting hired based on connections, favors, and politics who have little or no experience or ability to do the job. I heard the two guys who ran the Rings of Power show took part in maybe one episode of a series. They had almost no experience to take on a project like that and it shows.
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IMO, a reboot of RoP won't matter and is more of a tokenized nod to actual fantasy and mythology buffs than a fix of the endemic problem.
They can't fix this without making a significant culture statement that fantasy literature is abused and maligned when editorialized during adaptation. Tolkien, in particular, "cordially dislike[d] allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers viewers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader viewer, and the other in the purposed domination of the author [screenwriter]."
What they did to Tolkien, against his robustly worded and clearly intended wishes, was tantamount to an excavation of his corpse and desecration thereof. It makes no matter if the next exploited fantasy world is Piers Anthony, Robert Jordan (already done and desecrated), Terry Brooks (also desecrated), Jim Butcher (not too terribly done, actually), or Roald Dahl. All fans of those worlds have a keystone commonality in Tolkien.
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When banging the racist drum doesn't work bang it louder.
They just won't let go of thinking that race is the issue.
‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Actors Continue To Attack Tolkien Fans As Racists
https://boundingintocomics.com/2022/11/17/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-actors-continue-to-attack-tolkien-fans-as-racists/
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I would love to see a breakdown of the show's audience by race. Be willing to bet it's nearly all white which would mean even POC are staying away.
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Apparently Amazon thinks the problem was.........men
Rings of Power Season 2 BANS male directors! Amazon hires ALL FEMALE team to lead new direction!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4HR3T7da-8
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Please keep digging! =D
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Maybe they should just ban men from watching it?
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"The world of men will fall"
Hears horns blowing
Men: We would like to have a word with you about that.
And just think, they refused to let Jackson work on ROP
Jackson: Top this
Return of the King: The Ride of the Rohirrim [4K]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lwJOxN_gXc
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Thanks. I love that scene.
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Arise,_arise,_Riders_of_Theoden!
Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!
spear shall be shaken, shield shall be splintered,
a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!
Ride now, ride now, ride! Ride for ruin and the world's ending!
Death! Death! Death!
Forth Eorlingas!
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Thanks. I love that scene.
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Arise,_arise,_Riders_of_Theoden!
"Page does not exist."
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I just tried it and the page exists for me.
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I'm almost afraid to look
Fans of the blockbuster "Lord of the Rings" franchise came out in force on Twitter after it was announced another film series was in the works.
The Warner Bros. movie studio announced Thursday that the studio had struck a deal to make "multiple" films based off the beloved book series by J.R.R. Tolkien, Variety reported. The project would be developed through WB label New Line Cinema, which produced the original three films directed by Peter Jackson and released in 2001-2003.
'Lord of the Rings' reboot inspires outrage from fans: 'We get it already y'all hate Tolkien'
https://www.foxnews.com/media/lord-rings-reboot-inspires-outrage-from-fans-we-get-yall-hate-tolkien
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WLJ's post reminds me:
Evidently Miranda Otto is reprising Eowyn from Jackson's films, in an animated adaptation of the War of the Rohirrim.
https://collider.com/lord-of-the-rings-anime-cast-miranda-otto-eowyn-war-of-the-rohirrim/
Then my post here was a little too prophetic:
IMO, a reboot of RoP won't matter and is more of a tokenized nod to actual fantasy and mythology buffs than a fix of the endemic problem.
They can't fix this without making a significant culture statement that fantasy literature is abused and maligned when editorialized during adaptation. Tolkien, in particular, "cordially dislike[d] allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers viewers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader viewer, and the other in the purposed domination of the author [screenwriter]."
What they did to Tolkien, against his robustly worded and clearly intended wishes, was tantamount to an excavation of his corpse and desecration thereof. It makes no matter if the next exploited fantasy world is Piers Anthony, Robert Jordan (already done and desecrated), Terry Brooks (also desecrated), Jim Butcher (not too terribly done, actually), or Roald Dahl. All fans of those worlds have a keystone commonality in Tolkien.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/20/roald-dahl-books-rewrites-criticism-language-altered
Evidently making villains fat or ugly is WrongThink for some reason.
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Supposedly Season 2 is suppose to drop this year but so far it's been
https://youtu.be/K8E_zMLCRNg
as far as info