Yes, Tolkien is Wonderful, but...

[Nerwen]

But aren't all plot lines of all stories just a series of arbitrary events?

Only up to a point. The author has total control over what happens, yes– but if the story totally fails to make internal sense it's usually not very satisfying to read. Of course, that depends a lot on the reader.

I'm just saying that in the hands of a lazy writer, magical realism = all-purpose plot-device. The high fantasy equivalent is random magic that does whatever the plot requires.

On the other hand, Tolkien (with his equally grand and layered history of Middlearth) has the advantage over SW: if he didn't imagine it happening in ME's history, it didn't happen.

Try telling that to fan fic writers...