The Hall of Fire

Is there a chance that the EE will be released much earlier this time, given that PJ doesn't have a new Hobbit film to deliver in December?

PJ's King Kong is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Right behind Lovely Bones.

I could even see an multit part cable series like GAME OF THRONES being attractive as an attention getter for a cable network. That would be a dream come true, as long as its not on SyFy (though I would want to see LOTR done this way, not a bunch of appendices material). Hopefully it happens before...

yov, As with most Eastwood films, I liked it. I'm not on the same page with him politically (for the most part), but he sure knows how to direct a film. Re: the controversy. As far as I understand it, the actual person the character is based on is thoroughly disliked (for apparently being a braggart...

...those with more typically "liberal" views seeing it as disgusting pro-war propaganda and dishonest hero worship. I have a feeling that opinion comes primarily from people who have not seen the film. It does not resemble that description at all. But I suppose for some, any story that fe...

Most memorable The Misty Mountain song, including Bilbo listening from his bedroom, and the scene ending with the camera climbing up into the sky above the chimney. Hauntingly beautiful, and captures the essence of that scene in the book. Most moving Bilbo's mix of relief and profound disappointmen...

Probably true. It's a subject that inspires some serious fatalism!

I may have killed this thread by bringing in some of the actual strategic rationales behind Saudi Arabia's near "diplomatic immunity" when it comes to its human rights record. Sorry for doing that, but I believe it helps illuminate the issue. I find that a focus solely on Saudi Arabia's OP...

As a "tone" purist, I think LOTR is the greater violator, as it has an excessive melodrama that I find very much at odds with the tone of the books. The Hobbit is guilty of this from time to time, but is generally less "bombastic" when it comes to scenes of emotion. On the other ...

That's all definitely a part of it, Lord_M, but the assistance against those terrorist organizations (and I would add the Shiite Hezbollah, and al Shabaab, as prominent members of that list) are added benefits to cooperating with Saudi Arabia, and not at the core of why the US maintains a very deep ...

He's saying he'll still work with Republicans because he is. If anyone thinks (or hopes) that NO legislation is being discussed between the White House and the GOP-led Congress, they're in for a surprise/ rude awakening. Laws will pass these next two years, oftentimes with direct participation from ...

V-man, I don't see how your "Most Missed" offering would "probably be impossible to capture," given how inherently cinematic it is. A similar scene preceding a brave choice was handled with considerable aplomb by PJ and company, and that's the few moments before Bilbo runs out of...

The Saudi regime does not have a stranglehold on US foreign policy exclusively (or even primarily) because of its role in the global oil market (though this is a very important reality that should be the focus of change for our energy policy). That's far too simplistic a narrative. Our outsized frie...

Dp

The post-battle part of BOFA, IMO, is Peter Jackson's best film yet. The desire to see all those plot threads tied up is somewhat baffling to me. Couldn't disagree more with that cartoon, as it reflects exactly what I think is wrong with blockbuster cinema (and fandom) today. God forbid ambiguity le...

Very encouraging to see that the Children of Men writers are involved...

Yup. R2D2 was an early mainstream movie version of that plot device. So perhaps we have Lucas to blame for its overuse in modern cinema (and genre fiction).

It just seems funny that it's the only specific element of the script that they single out as being a partially GDT idea. Can't help but think that PB may be deflecting some rabid purist fan criticism!

Sorry, I missed that.

Though I have to say that controversy over the portrayal of Lyndon Johndon, hardly the most revered former President, would affect the Oscar chances of a film as critically acclaimed as Selma.

But perhaps you're more aware of strange Hollywood politics than I am!

But most of the time, these are representations of computers IN THE FUTURE, when they (and their operators) seem to be simultaneously far more powerful, and far more stupid. Whatever characteristic suits the particular plot point in question!