Saturday, March 23, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For March 23rd & 24th
- Strider @ 14:44 PST
With the Oscar hype reaching new levels as of late, its' easy to forget about this week's Hall of Fire, but the topic for this weekend is a good one: the Nature of the Ring of Power. The One Ring which Frodo brings from the Shire to Mordor, that thousands of men and elves have died for ever since Sauron forged it in secret. Despite the well documented forging of the One Ring in the Silmarillion, it's appearance in The Hobbit and it's pivotal role in the Lord of the Rings, the nature of the One Ring itself has often been a mystery. Though it is said that a lot of Sauron's power went into it as it was forged, it is often described more as having a life of its own rather than being an inanimate object, with it 'betraying' many of its owners throughout the years. Peter Jackson deliberately portrayed the ring like this in the Fellowship of the Ring, even giving it a voice of its own. And also the powers that the One Ring grants seem to vary from one owner to another. The ring also seems to have the ability to corrupt even the strongest of wills with delussions of grandure, from Galadriel to Gandalf. Only Boromir is foolish enough to not respect the ring's potency to corrupt and pollute. And even then, was he so ignorant in not fearing a simple ring? Perhaps Boromir was amazed at the amount of respect being afforded to 'such a small thing'. Does the One Ring reflect an intricate flaw in the moral fibre of human beings? Does it reflect all the bad things about our character..greedy, hate and desire? You can discuss all of this and more as we discuss this great topic this weekend! Upcoming Discussions Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Mar 30 & 31: FotR and the Oscars
Apr 06 & 07: TTT - The Riders of Rohan
Apr 13 & 14: LotR, Stereotypes & Racial Class
Apr 20 & 21: The Two Towers - The Motion Picture
Apr 20 & 21: Literary Merits of LotR
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Hall Of Fire Chats For March 23rd & 24th
- Strider @ 14:41 PST
With the Oscar hype reaching new levels as of late, its' easy to forget about this week's Hall of Fire, but the topic for this weekend is a good one: the Nature of the Ring of Power. The One Ring which Frodo brings from the Shire to Mordor, that thousands of men and elves have died for ever since Sauron forged it in secret. Despite the well documented forging of the One Ring in the Silmarillion, it's appearance in The Hobbit and it's pivotal role in the Lord of the Rings, the nature of the One Ring itself has often been a mystery. Though it is said that a lot of Sauron's power went into it as it was forged, it is often described more as having a life of its own rather than being an inanimate object, with it 'betraying' many of its owners throughout the years. Peter Jackson deliberately portrayed the ring like this in the Fellowship of the Ring, even giving it a voice of its own. And also the powers that the One Ring grants seem to vary from one owner to another. The ring also seems to have the ability to corrupt even the strongest of wills with delussions of grandure, from Galadriel to Gandalf. Only Boromir is foolish enough to not respect the ring's potency to corrupt and pollute. And even then, was he so ignorant in not fearing a simple ring? Perhaps Boromir was amazed at the amount of respect being afforded to 'such a small thing'. Does the One Ring reflect an intricate flaw in the moral fibre of human beings? Does it reflect all the bad things about our character..greedy, hate and desire? You can discuss all of this and more as we discuss this great topic this weekend! Upcoming Discussions Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Mar 30 & 31: FotR and the Oscars
Apr 06 & 07: TTT - The Riders of Rohan
Apr 13 & 14: LotR, Stereotypes & Racial Class
Apr 20 & 21: The Two Towers - The Motion Picture
Apr 20 & 21: Literary Merits of LotR
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For March 16th & 17th
- Strider @ 17:37 PST
For years, the topic of Balrog wings has been hotly debated by Tolkien experts and geeks alike. Due to the ambiguity of his writing, the debate over whether a Balrog has physical, touch-with-your-hand wings or not depends, as with quite a lot of Tolkien's Middle-Earth, on the mental image of every single individual. Even Peter Jackson made sure that Weta created a Balrog that appealed to all spectrums of the debate, in an attempt to give the fans the best adaptation of Tolkien's work possible without restricting the individual's ability to create their own Middle-Earth with their imagination, as generations before have. We have the chance to discuss the Balrog now after seeing the big screen interpration of it in Fellowship of the Ring: why not use it? Now's a good time as any to bring back that debate of 'wings of shadow' versus physical wings. Where do you stand? Do you believe that Tolkien had actual wings in mind when he wrote the 'Bridge of Khazad-Dum', or did he deliberately write it so that fans could debate the subject, like right now? Is it good to have a bit of mystery in Lord of the Rings? Or do you think its a topic not even worth talking about? This weekend, come join us as we discuss one of the oldest arguments in the history of Middle-Earth itself. Upcoming Discussions Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Mar 23 & 24: The Nature of the Ring of Power
Mar 30 & 31: FotR and the Oscars
Apr 06 & 07: TTT - The Riders of Rohan
Apr 13 & 14: LotR, Stereotypes & Racial Class
Apr 20 & 21: The Two Towers - The Motion Picture
Apr 20 & 21: Literary Merits of LotR
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Saturday, March 09, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For March 9th & 10th
- Strider @ 16:40 PST
While the release of The Two Towers is December 18th, months and months away, preparation in anticipation for the next installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy begins already in the Hall of Fire as we begin our already succesfull chapter by chapter discussions on The Two Towers and its first chapter: The Departure Of Boromir In an odd twist, the beginning of The Two Towers is where the Fellowship of the Ring motion picture left off, as Aragorn finds Boromir mortally wounded near Parth Galen, repentant of his deeds as his live extinguishes, the bane deemed by Iluvatar to be suffered by men. With the prince of Minas Tirith dead Aragorn desperately tries to piece together the events that took place and the whereabouts of the four hobbits. Lamenting Boromir's death and giving him the ceremony worth of a prince who would one day be the steward of Minas Tirith in his father's place, Aragorn Gimli and Legolas are faced with a difficult decision: follow the Ringbearer and Sam to Mordor or track down Pippin and Merry on the way to Orthanc? The first chapter of The Two Towers is as much a tribute to the death of the first member of the Fellowship as it sets in motion the events in the book itself. Come join us this weekend as we discuss this chapter and how it was portrayed in Fellowship of the Ring! Upcoming Discussions Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Mar 16 & 17: Peter Jackson's Portrayal of the Balrog
Mar 23 & 24: The Nature of the Ring of Power
Mar 30 & 31: FotR and the Oscars
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Friday, March 01, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For March 2nd & 3rd
- Strider @ 19:53 PST
With the rapid growth in popularity of DVDs over the last three years and nearly becoming a standard medium, Tolkien fans were relishing the idea of a Fellowship of the Ring DVD even before the film was released. The attraction was not just the excellent quality picture that DVDs provide, but the range of extra features that have become an essential part of a complete DVD. Rumours of a Peter Jackson Director's Cut, commentary from the cast, lost and deleted scenes and 'making of..' documentaries have all been mentioned when referring to this topic. This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew invite you to join us in discussing the FOTR DVD: The Wanted and Expected Features. If there is one thing to be learned from the last three years, its that New Line Entertainment and Peter Jackson both acknowledge and value the fans of Lord of the Rings, and seem to be continously working in their best interests on this amazing project. Therefore, the expectation that New Line and PJ will deliver some extremely satisfying material on the Fellowship of the Ring DVD is very high, and many an article has been written on what *could* and *should* be on the DVD. Concrete information is only becoming available on what features will be added. And what do you think should be on the DVD? PJ fans have cried out for a Director's Cut of the film, and Peter himself has dropped hints on New Zealand TV that he is presently recording a commentary track on the film. What about the standard fare for DVDs, like Behind the Scenes documentaries? And what fan can go without the deleted scenes that didn't make it into the final cut of FotR: how can the film be complete without the gift-giving at Lothlórien, or the extended sequences in Bree and the Midge Marshes? It's for you to decide as we discuss the dream Fellowship of the Ring DVD this weekend. Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Saturday, February 23, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For February 23rd & 24th
- Strider @ 16:15 PST
As soon was Fellowship of the Ring was released into theaters around the world on December 19th 2001, movie fans and Tolkien fans alike compiled their lists of the mistakes Peter Jackson made in the filming of his three hour epic. However, these 'mistakes' have been hotly disputed as to whether they are really mistakes, to the extent that the New York Daily News even wrote an article on it. This weekend the Hall of Fire crew discuss the mistakes in The Fellowship of the Ring, and how they can be explained. One of the most popular 'mistakes' that were discussed after December 19th was Gandalf's staffs. Saruman took Gandalf's staff during their battle in Isengard, and he was staff-less when Gwaihir swept down and rescued him from the top of Orthanc. Yet when Gandalf led the Fellowship into the mines of Moria, he had a staff with him once again which he used as a light in the darkness. However, this was soon shot down as it became clear that Gandalf used two clearly different staffs. Similarly, fans believed that Gimli's axe magically repaired itself when he used it later in the battle with the Cave Troll after he used it at the Council of Elrond in a failed attempt to break the One Ring. However, the eagle-eyed movie fans noticed that it he took the axe from one of his Dwarven colleagues, and did not use his own. These are just a couple of examples where the 'mistakes' in Fellowship of the Ring have been corrected by the fans. This weekend, we're asking you to explain and correct some more of them. Related Links Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Movie-Mistakes.com
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For February 16th & 17th
- Strider @ 21:13 PST
On February 12th, millions of people all over the world turned on their television sets and with anticipation watched as this years nominations were announced for the 74th Academy Awawrds, the most important awards in the movie business. Not without its usual suprises and upsets, it was clear what would be the making the headlines for all the right reasons: thirteen nominations for Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson's first installment of Tolkien's epic trilogy brought to the silver screen. Thirteen nominations is quite a feat in itself, but thirteen nominations for a fantasy film is quite incredible. And it was clear what it meant to both Peter Jackson and Sir Ian McKellen as they gave interviews to the media within the hour of the announcement: for Sir Ian it was a mixture of relief and delight, while for Peter Jackson it was not only pride for what he had achieved but happiness for all two thousand five hundred plus involved in the Trilogy. Only four other films have shared the (un)lucky number thirteen in the Academy's history: Gone With The Wind, From Here to Eternity, Mary Poppins, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Only two more, All About Eve and Titanic have gone one better with a record-breaking fourteen. Yet unlike the last few years, this Oscar race is a neck-and-neck race to the finish,, where A Beautiful Mind, Moulin Rouge and The Fellowship of the Ring are heading into April with a room full of awards and accolades between them. The only thing that is certain about the 74th awards is that nothing is certain. This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew want to get your reaction on the week's events and how The Fellowship of the Ring will fare when it comes to Oscar night. Peter Jackson commented on the level of believability and credibility Sir Ian McKellen gave to the role of Gandalf...will it be enough to give him the Best Supporting nod? And what about PJ himself, will his debut at the Oscars be greeted with success? And what about Moulin Rouge and A Beautiful Mind, will Fellowship of the Ring be able to see off their claim to the golden statue? It's all for discussion this weekend as Oscar fever begins to kick in! Upcoming Discussions: Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Feb 23 & 24: The Misconcepted 'Errors' in FotR
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Wednesday, February 06, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For February 9th & 10th
- Strider @ 14:42 PST
As a child actor, Elijah Wood was always expected to achieve big things in his acting career, impressing in films such as Forever Young, The War, and North. But of all the roles he would play to date, none would compare with the role of Frodo Baggins, the main protagonist in the 'greatest book of the 20th Century'. When Wood heard that Peter Jackson would be making a movie on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, he immeaditelly sent in an audition tape in which he was dressed in midievil attire and recited lines from his own copy of Lord of the Rings. Two years later, and Elijah Wood had finished arguably one of the most gruelling film shoots in history with an 18-month shoot in picturesque New Zealand. Peter Jackson, by picking Elijah Wood (an actor whose previous movies he hadn't seen before) amongst thousands of other actors, had made the Hobbit actor a star at the age of twenty. A star who for months had the worry of how critics would find his performance as Frodo Baggins hanging over his head like a dark cloud. But on December 19th, fans and critics alike saw just why Elijah Wood was destined for big things only a few years ago. But now the honeymoon period is over as the Fellowship of the Ring, arguably the easiest of the three performances in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has been and gone and the real hardship on the road to Mordor begins next December in The Two Towers. How does one portray such a gradual deteriation as the one Frodo Baggins experiences in the Lord of the Rings? That was the question both Elijah and Peter Jackson had to ask themselves after so accurately portraying the innocence and spirit of Frodo Baggins in the Fellowship of the Ring. So how do you think Elijah Wood will cope with the challange in front of him? One person recently described Frodo 'deteriorating before your very eyes' when referring to the upcoming The Two Towers trailer. Does this bode well for the future? And how would you go about portraying such a difficult change, especially when jumping from one movie to the next in a hectic 18-month schedule? We'll be discussing all this and more this weekend at the Hall of Fire! Upcoming Discussions: Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Feb 16 & 17: The Misconcepted 'Errors' in FotR
Feb 23 & 24: The Needed and Wanted on the FotR DVD
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe