What are you currently reading?

Started by facehugger, April 07, 2007, 12:36:10 AM

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Karl Henning

Dude, I get that movies are not meant to be literal interpretations of novels, entirely.  Some of the departures are fine, some of them are fundamental re-drawing of central characters.  I suppose it's a matter of opinion, but I disagree entirely that the latter are exactly the kind of departures you have to make for a movie.  I agree completely that the Council, as it is written in the book (and artfully, too) is too expository to be presented literally on screen;  I think there are ways to make it cinematic without violating the fabric of the novel.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

But of course, now that I stand revealed to you as so utterly hardcore a LoTR fan, you expect me to take this line ; )
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

DavidW

Quote from: karlhenning on May 08, 2012, 04:27:48 AM
But of course, now that I stand revealed to you as so utterly hardcore a LoTR fan, you expect me to take this line ; )

Indeed I do! >:D  I am more selective in my criticism.  What they did with Faramir was terrible.  That criticism of the council of Elrond scene is just nitpicking.

But my problem was not that you criticized the departure, it was that North Star described all such changes as "for no reason".  Peter Jackson is just as much of a fan of Lord of the Rings as anyone else, and he put alot of thought into the changes that he made.  The movies are a labor of love from a fellow fan.  He had to wrestle with the fact that in these days to reach a large audience you have to make a wall to all wall action movie, any other approach to the epic would unfortunately flop.

There is reason to the changes, and many changes I don't personally agree, but I don't think that they were irrational or arbitrary.

Karl Henning

Quote from: DavidW on May 08, 2012, 08:13:29 AM
That criticism of the council of Elrond scene is just nitpicking.

WHAT??!!??!!! ; )
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

North Star

Council of Elrond and Faramir were not done well. If they only didn't touch to the cleansing of shire, especially since Galadriel showed the vision to Sam in the movie...

David, 'no reason' wasn't exactly right, i agree. Jackson undoubtedly had reasons, but I don't think they were sound.
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

Karl Henning

There are false notes galore in the Rivendell sequence. Elrond tells Gandalf that the Ring cannot stay there (something which Gandalf already knows, for mercy's sake), and Ian McKellen practically snorts in apparent surprise.  Tolkien's Council is orderly and sober.  Now, we all agree that it were impossible to block the scene "faithfully" to that chapter of the book — I have no quarrel with such things as the fact that Bilbo is absent from the Council, or that Gimli is present (it was his father, Glóin, who represented Dain's people at the Council in the book, of course), nor the fact that Jackson wants to explain the danger of the Ring.  But the loss of that orderly sobriety of the Council is just the most obvious of the distortions.  Boromir pipes in first (or about first), and not merely reaches physically for the Ring, but sneers at Aragorn; Legolas of Mirkwood, of all people (he himself doesn't actually know who Aragorn is, before the Council, does he?) is the one to try to chide Boromir; Gimli actually swings an ax in the middle of the Council.  It is all much less like how one of the mightiest Elves would host a Council in his own house, and more like a weekly meeting of the staff of the Gingrich campaign.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Philoctetes

GRE Prep Books so I can remember effing Geometry.  :-\

DavidW

Quote from: North Star on May 08, 2012, 10:55:33 AM
Council of Elrond and Faramir were not done well. If they only didn't touch to the cleansing of shire, especially since Galadriel showed the vision to Sam in the movie...

David, 'no reason' wasn't exactly right, i agree. Jackson undoubtedly had reasons, but I don't think they were sound.

I think we're on the same page then.

Karl Henning

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

DavidW

Quote from: North Star on May 08, 2012, 10:55:33 AM
If they only didn't touch to the cleansing of shire, especially since Galadriel showed the vision to Sam in the movie...

That blasphemous change of the ending reminded me of in the Critic when they changed the ending to Casablanca--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr1Jm5cK2b4&t=5m0s

Ataraxia

You guys need to read more books.  ;D

Karl Henning

Quote from: MN Dave on May 22, 2012, 10:52:57 AM
You guys need to read more books.  ;D

Only reached the beginning of The Return of the King to-day . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Ataraxia

Quote from: karlhenning on May 22, 2012, 10:56:29 AM
Only reached the beginning of The Return of the King to-day . . . .

I'm reading a Western. Dang tootin'. Or whatever.

DavidW

I read 32 Fangs and something by some hack named Wilbanks. ;)

Currently reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy by John le Carre and Healing Anger: The Power of Patience by the Dalai Lama.


DavidW

btw your book was exactly 100 page turns on my favorite settings on my kindle.  That meant that every time I advanced a page it the percent increased by 1%.  I thought that was neat. :D

Ataraxia

Quote from: DavidW on May 22, 2012, 12:58:17 PM
btw your book was exactly 100 page turns on my favorite settings on my kindle.  That meant that every time I advanced a page it the percent increased by 1%.  I thought that was neat. :D

I planned it that way just for you.

DavidW

It was a pretty good read btw.  It amused me during my trials of stress.

Ataraxia

Quote from: DavidW on May 22, 2012, 02:55:29 PM
It was a pretty good read btw.  It amused me during my trials of stress.

Thanks, bud. Much appreciated. I was going for that Heavy Metal (movie) vibe.

Philoctetes3

Finally started by book reading portion of the researching. First up: