I Finished Lord of the Rings!

Not like it matters to anyone, but I'm exited! I loved it all the way through, and by the end I almost felt like I was about to cry, though in honesty maybe it was because of the fact that I had gum stuck in my braces again. No, I'm pretty sure it was the book. ;D

"Sniffle! This ending is so happy and sad that I'm melting down!!"

Anyway, I did have a few issues. Just because I like to spoil the fun. Sometimes the prose felt like it was taking itself a bit too seriously (And the star of Third-Hamenhanger-Dingen-Darin hung about Aragorn's manly breast as he slay his enemies in various gruesome ways...), but seeing as that's an issue in most books (Except for The Hunger Games, which actually doesn't seem to care that much about it's own plot) I don't really hold that against it. I also thought Arwen was bland, but maybe that's because the movie had me thinking she would be a bit more interesting and have a personality beyond being pretty and looking like Luthien. And I still want to know how they told Faramir that his dad went crazy and burnt himself to death. But that would be awkward, so that's probably why we never find out. :)

Now, on with the fangirly rambling that the world hasn't seen since I finished A Tale of Two Cities.

ASDFGHJKWEAIHEBLCKAJSHPUFHAKJBDVIAUEY;OAIWHEFUSAH;FKH;ASDALSKDJF
L;KFKSAMISWONDERFULANDGANDALFISAWESOMEANDIFEELSOSADFORSMEAGOL!!

Ahem, what was that? Let's hope that never happens again!
Well, despite the fact that this book is most certainly NOT an allegory, I actually did notice some of the not-quite-allegorical bits that people are always saying are there. Like the bottled star that Galadriel gave Frodo and Sam reminded me of The Rosary. They used it in dark places and it chased the darkness away and gave them hope. The Lembas bread is said to nourish the spirit and give strength to the will, and that made me think of the Holy Eucharist. Especially the bit about how when you relied less and less on mortal food and more on Lembas, the more of an effect the Lembas has on you.

My favorite characters were Sam, Gandalf, Sam, Faramir, Eowyn, and Sam. I mean, Sam Gamgee is just so completely awesome! He resisted the Ring's temptation, he fought his way up a tower and when hope seemed lost he sang, he carried Frodo up Mount Doom, he helped to clear all those nasty men from the Shire, and in the end he got to marry his sweetheart and have kids! Sam is just as cool as Aragorn, and certainly one of the best characters in the book. Um... in my opinion.
And I felt so sorry for Sméagol. Really, the whole Sméagol/Gollum thing really broke my heart.

Ahem, again. Faramir and Eowyn's little romance was one of the least mushy love stories ever, and I totally squealed in delight when they kissed (in sight of everyone!). Despite the fact that I had read that part many times when I was 13 and had a huge crush on Faramir. Was that out loud? ;)

The Verdict: A+
Because yes, this kind of was I review I suppose. A really ranty one, with lots of capital letters.
Well, I totally understand why these books are so popular, and I'm so glad I read them! When I have time I'm going to read the Luthien bit in the Silmarilion, and the Appendices. Yay, I feel literate now!

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien [1954]

...Well! Wasn't this book so awesome? Dialogue, Prose, Characters, Plot, practically everything about this book is terrific. :)
I know the stories inside out, or at least I thought I did. Random little things are different, so there were still surprises and what not around every corner! Uh, page turn! Like Frodo singing on a table at the Prancing Pony to distract the bar attendees from Pippin blabbing about their quest! Or Frodo actually having a sense of humor... Reading this book totally ruined Movie Frodo for me. XD
Anyway, I'm not sure where to start. I suppose the writing would be a good place to start. Tolkien's writing is descriptive (especially the landscapes) and so poetic. There are a lot of songs and poems, and they're very pretty. Especially the one about Luthien Tinuviel. It's a writing style I hadn't really had experience with before, and it kind of cast a spell on me. ;)
I really liked the characters, especially Gandalf! He's a little quick-tempered and maybe a little mean, but never in a serious way. Sure, he yells at poor little Pippin, but it's not like he really did want him to throw himself into that well. Or did he? I think this verse from a song the elves sang about him sums up Gandalf the Gray quite well.

A lord of wisdom throned he sat,

Swift in anger, quick to laugh;

An old man in a battered hat
Who leaned upon a throny staff.

 

Sam Gamgee too, is a terrific character. He's brave, loyal, and emotional but not excessively so. And Gimli. Such a sweetheart. A very gruff one. ;)

A lot of people talk about the allegorical qualities of this book, but because I'm not perceptive at all, I wasn't able to isolate a whole lot of examples. Maybe when I'm finished with the whole series I'll be able to ramble at length about the Christian imagery. I did really like this bit that's in the first half, where Gandalf and Frodo are talking about Gollum (in the movie this scene takes place in Moria). I think that the whole Gollum storyline is tragic and at the same time a little mysterious, I don't know how to explain it. It's like one of those things that you think is really unfortunate, but turns out to be exactly how things were meant to be. How many times do we ask God to lift some misfortune from us, only to find that this 'misfortune' is exactly what helped us along the right path. As Gandalf said, that is an encouraging thought! Man, I did not do a good job at all of explaining that, but I'm sure its a very obvious reflection that you noticed already. :)
I'm trying to find something to nitpick so that I don't sound like a starry-eyed fangirl (though I kind of am one. Sorry. Okay, no I'm not.), so um... well, the pacing might be a little slow to readers used to modern fiction. The last book I read before starting this was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which is very fast paced, so for a little while it felt a tad slow.
There are some books that you read fast, in one day. And there are other books that you read slowly and savor, and I think that LOTR is one of those kinds of books. :)

The Verdict: A+
I um... not sure what exactly to say here. I mean, this wasn't really a review so much as a rant. I really enjoyed this book, and it's definitely one of my favorites. :)




Happy Birthday, Professor!

 

I'm not sure how Mr. Tolkien would feel about me portraying his characters in such a horrendously cutsey art form, but since I can't write in Dwarfish runes yet, this will have to do! :D

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug [2013]

Okay, there are going to a lot of spoilers in this, so whenever you see This loud font, skip the paragraph. Unless you like spoilers, in that case, knock yourself out! :)
Okay, we've been waiting a whole dang year for the sequel to An Unexpected Journey, and now that it's finally here, how does it measure up?
I'll start with the bad, then the good, so that we can end on a positive note.

The Bad
A lot of CGI. I know that it's hard to do a fantasy movie without it, but I'd like if the sets were a little more real looking. You'd think that with such a huge budget, they'd be able to spring for some nice, big sets.

Also, the spiders. No, not the spiders themselves, because they were great, but the way that scene was done. I wish that they had kept in the part where Bilbo rescues the dwarves while taunting the spiders with a funny song. Yeah, it was a little cheesy, but not anymore so than the romance between Tauriel and Kili. Which brings me to my next gripe...

Why did there have to be a half-baked love triangle between Tauriel, Legolas, and Kili? Not like it didn't have it's moments, but it seemed a little strange. Plus there was a rather *ahem* crude comment which seemed a little out of place for Tolkein. I see that the romance plot benefited the main plot of the movie, but it wouldn't have to be there if they had stuck to the relatively simple plot of the book.

It seemed like the stuff from the book that they kept in were very rushed to make room for the things they were adding. Like Mirkwood. There weren't any chilling nights spent in terror of the creatures of the forest, or any business involving that river Bombur fell in, then was asleep for ages... Plus, no crashing the elves feast, either. They meet up with the elves during the spider part.

Spoilerificness Ahead! Read on, if ye dare!
The thing that bugged me the most about this movie though, was the way they did the Lonely Mountain bit. Bilbo doesn't even come out with any gold after first conversing with Smaug, instead the Dwarves come in, and there's a long fight scene that finishes out the movie. I was actually a little afraid that it would have the dwarves kill Smaug, because it ends with Thorin and Company dousing Smaug in liquid gold. Then of course, Smaug bursts out of it(How was he still alive? And don't say 'Because he's a magic dragon'), crashes out of the mountain, shakes off the still-liquefied gold(Well, maybe the gold is magic), and flies off to destroy Lake Town. Then the movie ends on a royal cliff-hanger. I felt like the action sequence here was kind of jumping the shark. Oh, and what was the deal with Gandalf and Sauron at the end?! Why do they always break the poor guy's staff?
Spoilers end here.

Beorn didn't get that much screentime either. He was there though, that's what counts I suppose.
The violence, too, got a little over the top. I mean really, we were getting into really cartoonish Orc-Killing Methods. Speaking of which, did I miss the part in the book about the Orcs chasing them?
I suppose by now I sound like a grumpy ol' purist. I suppose I am a purist, but I'd like to think that I can be well-humored company when I try hard enough.
Let's get onto the 'good', yeah?

The Good
Omigosh, Smaug looked terrific. He actually was quite frightening, (Well, not like I'll be having nightmares or anything, but I could totally see why he was feared), and the voice work was awesome. He sounded so fierce and evil, sounded just right. The scene where he and Bilbo were talking was also a definitely highlight of the film for me, even if it was staged a little differently.

Bilbo. He was great. His actor is so likeable in the part, I think that him and Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug were the best performances in the film. Not to say the others weren't good either, I really like Balin, and Gandalf. Radagast also seemed a little less zany than in the previous film.

The music, as usual for a LOTR movie, was beautiful. The credits song was allright too, not as good as The Song of the Lonely Mountain from the last one, but still better than the cheesy theme song from the Cartoon version.

Despite what I said earlier about the sets being a little too digital, I have to admit that they did look stunning. Especially the inside of the Lonely Mountain, and Lake Town.

The Verdict: C
Well, I had a lot of fun watching it, but it just didn't seem 'Tolkien' to me.
The Hobbit is much lighter source material to work from than The Lord of the Rings, so yeah, maybe it doesn't have that sort of melancholy. But The Hobbit is a very charming, whimsical book. It's the kind of book that apologizes for the bad table manners of trolls. I didn't get that charm while watching the movie.
That being said (aren't I such a Puddleglum?), it was fun to see it, and the good parts were worth the parts that weren't that great. Because heck, it's just cool to see Smaug in a live-action adaptation. :D

So it's not the most faithful adaptation of a book ever, but it's not the worst adaptation of a book, either.

Hope you're having a good Advent!
-Xochitl

The Music of Lord of the Rings

I was sort of at a loss as to what to write for the LOTR party, but as you can see, I finally thought of something. :)
Even in the books, music is a large part of Lord of the Rings. The books are filled with beautiful, powerful poems and songs, and one can only wonder what the tunes would be.
The question is partly answered by the music for the movies. Mr. Howard Shore did a wonderful job with the music for the film trilogy(and is continuing to do a great job with the music for The Hobbit), and I'd like to think that Tolkien would approve of it. The soundtrack is perfectly fitting with the melancholy atmosphere of the series.
I'll highlight some of my favorite tracks from each movie, starting with Fellowship of the Ring.



One of my favorite tracks from the first movie is the Shire Theme, 'Concerning Hobbits'. It's very rustic and gentle sounding, beautifully illustrating the simple nature of the Shire-Folk. I love the instruments they use, like a wood flute, and some sort of mandolin-ish sort of thing (It's really visible at about 01:20, I'm not sure what kind of instrument it is). It makes it feel like something Hobbits would actually listen to. :D Basically, this song just makes me very, very, happy.


And now the other end of the mood spectrum. In my family, we affectionately call this the MEN theme, because it plays when our heroes are doing something manly and heroic. This track is many layers of awesome, with powerful brass, high-tension violins, and here's something cool. The ominous male chorus in this song is actually singing in the style of native New Zealand warriors. I thought that was a neat touch. I love how the song goes absolutely nuts at the bit where the Balrog comes in. Totally gives me shivers.
Then of course, there's an abrupt mood change when Gandalf is apparently 'killed', and the song becomes very mournful.


Now for the awesomeness that is this. I know in the book that the Ents sang a cool song as they marched on Sauruman, but I think that this breathtaking music makes up for not having singing trees.


As I recall, this played as Aragorn and Theoden King decide to ride out and take out as many orks as possible, even if they don't win the battle. Then after they ride out, Gandalf is there with the Rohirrum, and there's a cool, heroic reprise of the usually melancholy Rohan theme(Which I also love <3).


I feel like this post is long and ranty enough, so I'll finish out with what's probably my favorite, albeit, really depressing, LOTR song- The Sacrifice of Faramir. Yeah, the title is so dramatic that I had to put it into italics.
But seriously, this song is so terribly sad, heroic, tense- all sorts of moods mashed up together. And then Pippin starts singing. That's the metaphorical cherry on our metaphorical sundae.
This was a really good scene in the movie, too (well, except for Denethor's table manners... eugh...), always makes me sad for poor Faramir. And Denethor, too. Since he does love Faramir deep down, but he just doesn't realize it.

Well, there it is. *some* songs from the mind-numbingly awesome LOTR soundtrack. Because I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say about anything else. And even this post was basically just me going: "[drool] Duh, this song iz puritty..." XD Well, minus the drooling.
Later, amis!

Celebrate LOTR Tag

Over at her blog Classical Ramblings, Miss Jane Bennet is having a Celebrate LOTR blog party!
As a fan of LOTR, I thought it'd be fun to participate, and maybe get to know the series a little better in the process. Let's get started, shall we?

What was your first introduction to Lord of the Rings?

When I was little, my mom read me the books as bedtime stories. And then a short time after that, the movies started coming out, and I got to see those, too.

   

Have you ever read the book?

I've read the Hobbit all the way through(does that count?), and I've read all my favorite parts in the books, too. Sad to say, I've never been able to have a copy of the books handy for long enough to actually read them. They all get caught up in the quagmire of books that my bed consists of. I'd really like to read them all through someday though. :D

   

Which version of the movies do you prefer – the extended version or the theatrical release?

I don't know, the extended ones are a lot of fun to watch with the new scenes and such, and they kind of fill in stuff that they didn't have time for in the theatrical releases. I think that I like to actually watch the theatrical versions better though, since they're shorter, hence, we have time for them more often.

   

Who is your favorite character and why?

My favorite character, hmmm... For a while it was Legolas(For... obvious reasons), then it was Faramir(again... for obvious reasons), but right now I'd have to say that my favorite characters are Gandalf and Sam. Sam, because he's such a loyal friend, and pretty much everything you could want in a best friend. Gandalf, because he's a rockin' awesome wizard who gets some really good moments and lines. I can't forget Sméagol though, he's a sad character, and so important to the storyline. I like how things work out with him.

   

Which of the other books concerning Middle-Earth have you read?

I've flipped through the Silmarillion, and as I mentioned before, I've read the Hobbit. I also have an elvish dictionary, does that count?

   

If there was one thing about the movies you would change, what would it be?

I think I'd make more of an effort to show how Sauron had been breaking Denethor's mind with the Palantir. I also think that I would cut out all the Faramir being tempted by the ring stuff. But that's two and I have to pick one, so I think I'll go with the Faramir thing.

   

What is your favorite scene in either the books or the movies?

My favorite scene in the books, well, I've got a few. I like the scene where Faramir kisses Eowyn while they're recovering in Minas Tirith. That scene just struck me as being very sweet, and it shows how much of a romantic Mr. Tolkien was.
I also like the Barrow Downs from the Fellowship of the Ring. Really chilling, and so cool. I'm a little sad it didn't make it into the movie.

Speaking of the movie, my favorites scene in the whole series was the march of the Ents to Isengard. The music, the shot of all the Ents marching, everything was just awesome!

   

How would you rate your addiction to Lord of the Rings – Aragorn being the lowest and Gollum/Smeagol being the highest?

Erm... I'm going to say... Frodo. When he was at Mount Doom and said 'The Ring is mine!"

   

If you could be any Lord of the Rings character, who would it be?

Um... Gandalf? Or Legolas, and shoot a wicked awesome bow and arrow.

 

Well that was fun! :)

I'll see if I can think of anything to do for the LOTR week, but if not, I'll see you later!