Lord of the Rings

After the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we have all eagerly been awaiting to venture back to Middle-Earth. Most of the Tolkien fans danced of joy when Peter Jackson announced that the prequel The Hobbit would be poured into 3 movies also. Finally, I had a chance now to see the first part of The Hobbit, called 'An Unexpected Journey'. And it's brilliant.

A lot of criticism mentioned the slow pace of the movie, but that did not bothered me once. What a beautiful role for Radagast, the odd hermit wizard which hardly got any attention in the Tolkien books. The attention to the Tolkien world has again been so intense, that after the movie I dove into the books to check on some details (who were the two blue Istari which Gandalf says he forgot the names of ? Has Radagast really been into Dol Guldur ? And so on). And Martin Freeman is just brilliant as the young Bilbo, wandering around in the magnificent scenery of New-Zealand.

Are there no bad points to give out ? Sure, some of the digital hocus-pocus really disappointed, such as the character of Azog, which always remains rubbery and never comes to life. Also, the goblin cave is just a digital splatterfest, and just feels too crammed and noisy onto the screen. The humor that was so prevalent in the book has been cut down drastically so the movie feels a bit too much of Wagnerian proportions. There has also been taken way more freedom into diverging away from the book : Radagast has never been into Dol Guldur and Galadriel was never mentioned in 'The Hobbit'.
But that's nitpicking.

You want to write your name in Elvish, but every place you go seems to make it harder than it ought to be. Elvish writing looks beautiful and mysterious, but it really doesn't have to be impossible to understand. Starchamber.com has an explanation how to write your name in Elvish in ten minutes.

What does a bored nerd got to do ? Create some vector-based maps of Middle Earth, off course !

I Am A: Chaotic Evil Human Fighter Ranger

(This is weird ! I never fancied myself as Chaotic Evil...)

Alignment:
Chaotic Evil characters are the most 'evil' people out there. They are willing to do anything to get ahead, and will kill anyone who stands in their way. A chaotic evil person sees no value in order and governments, and believes to the utmost in the tenant that 'Might Makes Right'.

Race:
Humans are the 'average' race. They have the shortest life spans, and because of this, they tend to avoid the racial prejudices that other races are known for. They are also very curious and tend to live 'for the moment'.

Primary Class:
Fighters are the warriors. They use weapons to accomplish their goals. This isn't to say that they aren't intelligent, but that they do, in fact, believe that violence is frequently the answer.

Secondary Class:
Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.

Deity:
Talos is the Chaotic Evil god of storms, forest fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, and destruction in general. He is also known as the Destroyer. His followers fear him more than worship him, and they revel in the destructive fury of nature - while praying to be spared from its wrath. Talos's symbol is three lightning bolts, of different colors, coming from a central point.

Find out What D&D Character Are You?

I've finished reading the Silmarillion for the second time. The first time I've read it, was during my student years. Some years ago, I bought the book, but never could bring myself to finish it. It's really hard to begin reading the arcane language, but once you're immersed into the world of Beren, Luthien, Turin Turambar and Finrod, there's no way to stop reading.

rotk-see.de.vu has some new images and chapter information about the upcoming extended edition of Return of the King, the last part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It's official, 25% more unbelievable greatness in the Special Extended Edition of Return of the King, the 3rd movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

" The linked description (on the official LotR site) starts "DISCS 1-2: The Feature FEATURE (approx. 250 minutes) - A new version of the final installment in the epic trilogy! The Academy-Award winning film now has 50 minutes of never-before-seen footage incorporated into the film for this highly-anticipated video release."

The extended version can be ordered starting on Oct 1st. Whoo-hoo !

Whoo-hoo ! 'Lord of the Rings' Director Peter Jackson is planning to film 'The Hobbit,' according to this Associated Press article. Jackson is waiting for New Line and MGM, the two studios with rights to the film, to battle it out for rights to make the prequel. Jackson also mentions wanting the movie to feel just like the LOTR trilogy, including having Ian McKellen return as Gandalf.

In this prank version of LOTR, they're all gay and the diaries are cleverly intertwined. Very funny. From Sauron's diary :

Day Three Million Twenty-Six:

Fellowship in Lothlorien. Oh god, Galadriel Galadriel Galadriel. It's always about HER. Paint my toenails, Sauron. Don't touch my hair, Sauron. I want a pretty ring, Sauron. Then she goes off with slabbish oaf Celeborn. Bet HE cannot forge twenty rings of Power.

(via Jeroen)

Just seen ROTK; the movie really is as good as everyone says. I enjoyed every minute of it, especially the scenes with the mamukal, and with Shelob. Only I had expected a more frightening spider, now she only resembled a normal spider in closeup. The last 20 minutes are indeed a bit long, but 20 minutes in 10+ hours is a fraction. Now let's hope the Extended DVD sets do appear quite soon.