What are you currently reading?

[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]

But of course, now that I stand revealed to you as so utterly hardcore a LoTR fan, you expect me to take this line ; )

[DavidW]

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!   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]

That criticism of the council of Elrond scene is just nitpicking.

WHAT??!!??!!! ; )

[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.

[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.

[Philoctetes]

GRE Prep Books so I can remember effing Geometry. 

[DavidW]

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]

Dang, we all agree! : )

[DavidW]

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. 

[Karl Henning]

You guys need to read more books. 

Only reached the beginning of The Return of the King to-day . . . .

[Ataraxia]

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.

[Ataraxia]

Ouch!

[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.

[Ataraxia]

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.

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]

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: