OT - LOTR - what do you think??
- Thread starter overanalyzer
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007
Active Member
Originally posted by fender
Tolkien was an incredibly gifted world builder and had a huge influence on writing, pop culture and the imagination of millions of people, but I wouldn't consider him one of the greatest writers of our time by any stretch. There are parts in the LOTR that DRAG and are painful - and add no value to the story as a whole. Tolkien was a good writer and a great linquist. Artistic and meticulous yes, a great literarary genious....no. This coming from a fan that has read the LOTR and the Hobbit as well as the lost tales and Silmarillion - many times.
I couldnt agree more.
BTW . . . a best seller means NOTHING. Do you know how many books out there are "best sellers"? All this means is that the book sold well off the shelves. It could be a terrible book . . . but if Oprah liked it . . then it MUST be good.
A true mark of a great author is a Pullitzer Prize. Correct me if I am wrong but . . . . I dont think that LOTR or ANY tolkien book for that matter has ever even been nominated.
flamewrasse03
Member
YET.................haha
All it depends on the publicity the author gets. Now with these movies out I wouldn't not be suprised if he got a Pullitzer, hell he should get the nobel peace prize.
All it depends on the publicity the author gets. Now with these movies out I wouldn't not be suprised if he got a Pullitzer, hell he should get the nobel peace prize.
T
tygerfifteen
Guest
REALLY? special endings after the credits? dang I left before that.But I enjoyed the movie , worth the money paid.
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by fender
Tolkien was an incredibly gifted world builder and had a huge influence on writing, pop culture and the imagination of millions of people, but I wouldn't consider him one of the greatest writers of our time by any stretch. There are parts in the LOTR that DRAG and are painful - and add no value to the story as a whole. Tolkien was a good writer and a great linquist. Artistic and meticulous yes, a great literarary genious....no. This coming from a fan that has read the LOTR and the Hobbit as well as the lost tales and Silmarillion - many times.
Name any author who does not have a part that drags or they feel is necessary??
The best hting about stuff like this is IT IS ALL OPINION.....
Now - like Bronco said - his works are read world-wide in hundreds of languages. It was one of hte most smuggled books into the old soviet union (right after the Bible). The book has inspired countless thousand of people to read, the format has developed its own genre of literature (or legitimized Science Fiction with a new sub realm that was widely read - Fantasy). He tooks the Fairy Tale and made it OK for adults to use their imagination.
He is published articles, novels, short stories, poetry and papers on a variety of subjects outside of the fantasy realm. He has displayed a nimblness of writing that is not seen in the traditionally listed "greatest Writers" of all time.
As an English major (which you would not guess by my spelling) I have read lots and lots of "stuff" for those great writers - but I think Tolkien is the best by far ....
tru conch
Active Member
the greatest author of the last century was james joyce
im not a 100% sure the name of the committee/group, but it was basically a census of english profs who said that james joyce was the greatest author and had greatly influenced the likes of hemmingway, stienback, and others.
as far as its not as great as star wars, you need to got to the hospital, b/c you are out of your rabid mind. i am only talking about the original 3, starting with a new hope. without star wars all of those great special effects in LOTR would not be possible, bc star wars pioneered "the blue screen" and made sci-fi/fantesy movies cool.
i am looking forward to seeing LOTR when i get home, im hoping that its still in a theater somewheres so i can get the big screen effect.
im not a 100% sure the name of the committee/group, but it was basically a census of english profs who said that james joyce was the greatest author and had greatly influenced the likes of hemmingway, stienback, and others.
as far as its not as great as star wars, you need to got to the hospital, b/c you are out of your rabid mind. i am only talking about the original 3, starting with a new hope. without star wars all of those great special effects in LOTR would not be possible, bc star wars pioneered "the blue screen" and made sci-fi/fantesy movies cool.
i am looking forward to seeing LOTR when i get home, im hoping that its still in a theater somewheres so i can get the big screen effect.
broncofish
Active Member
Originally posted by 007
A true mark of a great author is a Pullitzer Prize. Correct me if I am wrong but . . . .
That's like saying that if a movie does not get an OSCAR it sucks, if a quarteback never wins a superbowl he isn't one of the best etc.... A bunch of snotty people sitting in a room smoking cigars and deciding who is going to get a pulitzer....yes that is what makes a classic author
007
Active Member
You know what . . . . you are entitled to your own opinion . . . . if you believe that J.R.R. Tolkien is THE greatest author of the past 200 years then fine with me. Better than all of the other classically considered greats, then hey more power to ya! But may I suggest getting a library card?
bullshark
Member
I loved it, can you tell by the avitar? Good movie, good books.
No need to argue over this. If you didnt like it, cool. Dont watch it. If you dont think Tolkien is a great writer, no problem. Is he the best? The best I have read. Maybe this is not true for you. Whatever you like.
I really like the part where Legolas kills the Oilphant and all its riders, slides down the fallen Oilphants trunk and lands right in front of Gimli and nods his head. To which Gimli replies, "That still only counts as ONE!"
Great line! Great movie. Humor where it should be, awesome battle scenes, and it really brought out the emotions where they were meant to be brought out.
I really appreciated when Gollum finally got the ring and was falling into the fire and was obvilious to it, consumed by the ring, smiling. Had he been screaming and yelling, knowing he was falling it wouldnt have been right.
As far as the whole Saruman scene being cut out, thats what the extended DVD is for......
No need to argue over this. If you didnt like it, cool. Dont watch it. If you dont think Tolkien is a great writer, no problem. Is he the best? The best I have read. Maybe this is not true for you. Whatever you like.
I really like the part where Legolas kills the Oilphant and all its riders, slides down the fallen Oilphants trunk and lands right in front of Gimli and nods his head. To which Gimli replies, "That still only counts as ONE!"
Great line! Great movie. Humor where it should be, awesome battle scenes, and it really brought out the emotions where they were meant to be brought out.
I really appreciated when Gollum finally got the ring and was falling into the fire and was obvilious to it, consumed by the ring, smiling. Had he been screaming and yelling, knowing he was falling it wouldnt have been right.
As far as the whole Saruman scene being cut out, thats what the extended DVD is for......
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by 007
You know what . . . . you are entitled to your own opinion . . . . if you believe that J.R.R. Tolkien is THE greatest author of the past 200 years then fine with me. Better than all of the other classically considered greats, then hey more power to ya! But may I suggest getting a library card?
THat's just wrong - may I suggest you re-read my post?? I'd hazard a guess that I read more books in a year than most of my contemporaries and there is only one or two people I know of who read as rabidly or as varied a content as I do.
James Joyce - I was trying to remember who those tweed wearing - suede elbow patch having pompous windbags picked as the greatest writer of all time.
Alls I know is that most kids are forced to read James Joyce and they choose to read Tolkien.
So it comes down once again to the fact that this is all opinion. Personally I would rather have kids reading then having a minority read Joyce.
(Having said that I really like James Joyce - but sitting here I can only think of one story of his off the top of my head ....)
D
daniel411
Guest
It is pretty silly isn't it. People actually get together and try to rank authors, art, etc. Than make it "official".
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by Daniel411
It is pretty silly isn't it. People actually get together and try to rank authors, art, etc. Than make it "official".
:notsure: makes you wonder - doesn't it?? like those top 100 songs of all time .... :notsure:
elfdoctors
Active Member
As you can see by my avator, I'm a fan. I've read the books multiple times over the past 23 years. The books were actually quite formative for me as I developed my personal morality. I named my dog Pippin 10 years ago! I've looked forward to the movies since I heard about them coming out in 2000. I've been a member of the fan club (and got my name in the credits of the extended edition of Fellowship of the Ring). I bought 22 tickets so that many of the office and hospital staff were able to see it together last night before Christmas.
The 3rd movie is excellent. It has its good and bad points. I liked it better then the Two Towers but am withholding judgement about whether it is the best one until after I see the extended edition of this movie. I am going to have to see this movie a few more times also. I left the movie theatre with a sense of melancholy. The 6 endings were certainly in that theme. I feel that the world has lost some of its magic. There were certainly elements that were glanced over which I would like to see fleshed out in the extended edition. However, the triology has been an excellent adaptation of the books, particularly in that there was more than just special effects and action. The many social themes, particularly of friendship, and responsibility to society, were not overlooked - IMO that is really what gives these movies their special status. They will eventually make the hobbit, but I am not looking forward to that one as much because that book is really only a children's story.
Even though I feel that this is one of the best literary books in history, I agree that Tolkien is not the best author. The Hobbit and the Silmarillion and his smaller works are no equals in quality to his masterpiece.
The 3rd movie is excellent. It has its good and bad points. I liked it better then the Two Towers but am withholding judgement about whether it is the best one until after I see the extended edition of this movie. I am going to have to see this movie a few more times also. I left the movie theatre with a sense of melancholy. The 6 endings were certainly in that theme. I feel that the world has lost some of its magic. There were certainly elements that were glanced over which I would like to see fleshed out in the extended edition. However, the triology has been an excellent adaptation of the books, particularly in that there was more than just special effects and action. The many social themes, particularly of friendship, and responsibility to society, were not overlooked - IMO that is really what gives these movies their special status. They will eventually make the hobbit, but I am not looking forward to that one as much because that book is really only a children's story.
Even though I feel that this is one of the best literary books in history, I agree that Tolkien is not the best author. The Hobbit and the Silmarillion and his smaller works are no equals in quality to his masterpiece.
harlequin
Member
A: there were no special things after the credits, the really looong credits.
B: Star Wars remains one of the best trilogies of all time, (I dont count those last two). Really hard to compare sci-fi and fantasy, I liked them better than Lord of the Rings, but not by much.
C: Tolken may not be the best but he is one of the best writers. I personally did not care too much for the trilogy, even though I did bull through them. They had good parts, but alot was really not needed and extremely long winded. I am glad they left out certain scenes like Tom Daffodil or whatever his name was. I thought The Hobbit was great. I like them both more for the ideas rather than actual how it was written.
D: I read alot of books, averaging two a week, I went to a college prep high school and have finished all of my English requirements for my degree and I have never heard of James Joyce or if I have, I dont remember. What did he write?
I dont put alot of clout into what people consider classics, The Scarlett Letter is a "classic" and that book sucks so much a$$ it isnt even funny. So just because some grey haired English proffessor says something is a classic, doesn't mean it is any good. I'll take David Drake, David Gemmell, and RA Salvatore any day.
B: Star Wars remains one of the best trilogies of all time, (I dont count those last two). Really hard to compare sci-fi and fantasy, I liked them better than Lord of the Rings, but not by much.
C: Tolken may not be the best but he is one of the best writers. I personally did not care too much for the trilogy, even though I did bull through them. They had good parts, but alot was really not needed and extremely long winded. I am glad they left out certain scenes like Tom Daffodil or whatever his name was. I thought The Hobbit was great. I like them both more for the ideas rather than actual how it was written.
D: I read alot of books, averaging two a week, I went to a college prep high school and have finished all of my English requirements for my degree and I have never heard of James Joyce or if I have, I dont remember. What did he write?
I dont put alot of clout into what people consider classics, The Scarlett Letter is a "classic" and that book sucks so much a$$ it isnt even funny. So just because some grey haired English proffessor says something is a classic, doesn't mean it is any good. I'll take David Drake, David Gemmell, and RA Salvatore any day.
almarktool
Member
hey girls relax huh,
it is just a point of view by everyone let it go ,
no need to have the thread locked
it is just a point of view by everyone let it go ,
no need to have the thread locked
N
nanoambiance
Guest
I thought the return of the king was wonderful. I could not have hoped for the movie to be any better, but I cannot wait for the extended dvd to come out. The Two Towers extended is a great movie! ANyway, ROTK had wonderful visuals, war scenes, good music, heart tugging scenes well placed also.
My "proverbial hat" is off to peter jackson and of course the author, Tolkien. I was sad that it ended after the past few years, but will be a cherished movie collection of mine!
My "proverbial hat" is off to peter jackson and of course the author, Tolkien. I was sad that it ended after the past few years, but will be a cherished movie collection of mine!
chinnyr
Member
Anyway,back to "what we think"...I saw it the night before it was out,and I actually enjoyed it. I have'nt been to see a movie in a long time that kept me captivated.It was a little long though,and I did not get out of the theater until almost 4 in the morning.Made for a crappy day of work the next day,I tell ya!:sleepy: All in all I give it 2 thumbs up!
tru conch
Active Member
well since i brought it up heres a few answers to the joyce ?s
his work that everyone rants and raves about is ulysses
also wrote the dubliners (i enjoyed this much better)
i think tolkien is a great writer, esp for the fantesy genre, but my taste in authors is ecclectic as i am.
i was going to school majoring in english (creative writing) before i was called up to go hang out in the middle east for a year. so i can relate to overanlayzer on reading a ton of books.
his work that everyone rants and raves about is ulysses
also wrote the dubliners (i enjoyed this much better)
i think tolkien is a great writer, esp for the fantesy genre, but my taste in authors is ecclectic as i am.
i was going to school majoring in english (creative writing) before i was called up to go hang out in the middle east for a year. so i can relate to overanlayzer on reading a ton of books.