Think about it. Please.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

That I get. Clearly. But what mystifies me is why would someone who does not like movies, prefers books, etc. even come to the Movies section here and bother posting?

That does sound insane. Don't know if these people truly 'hate' the movies. Maybe they do and feel it their duty to let the world know. As below, when you mention game sites, I've read a few posts on said forums (to help my son) and it seems there much time is wasted telling people how wonderfully tough one is. Surely if someone studied this, they'd find that some need is being met (obviously).

With you its killing hours off work. At least thats what you humorously claim. And I am all in favor of putting it to the boss. Is that what is happening here? Lot of people getting paid to one job but goofing off having a fun time of it? Its got to be more than that. I hope. Or maybe western civilization is indeed a lot worse off than we thought.

Okay, so I may be fibbing regarding that reason. Could it be that my posts in the Books section go unanswered? Do others observe the same, and so, knowing that the movies, being a different and visual medium, produce a more visceral experience, and so attract more rabid posters like myself, which then at least gets some response? If a post falls in the woods...

I'd also consider ease of access. Some may be put off by the Books, but everyone has watched movies, and so may feel more comfortable posting here, especially if you can find something that at least a few others find contentious. Could it be age related? As more and more of the world is video (i.e. YouTube), do our younger members find more interest in the movies, as that's what they live with 24/7?

I'd hate to blow my cover, but I spend more time reading the books than critiquing the movies.

Using myself as an example. I am not a video gamer. Have never played any of them and have zero interest in ever doing so. Thats probably because I am old and they did not have them when we were being chased by the neighborhood dinosaurs. But I do not go to game sections of boards and pick fights with people and rant and rave about how empty or meaningless their lives are or criticize their entertainment of choice. That would make no sense to me to do that.

Sense? What sense does anything make?

What is so unique about the books/movies crowd here that the dynamic is so totally different? People seem to enjoy rattling the others trees to see what shakes out.

Must be the medium. Hmmm...

[Lalwendë]

I'm not sure the video game analogy works because while you might never play video games, everyone watches films.

But that kind of illustrates the point following on now...

Tolkien fans, myself included, are Nerds (or Geeks or whatever is correct these days). And nerds are probably the biggest pedants you are ever likely to meet. Nothing is quite so enjoyable as proving your mastery of utterly trivial facts or winning an inconsequential argument about Balrog wings. It's also very important to make sure all the other fans know just how cool you are by making a big noise about dissing all the right things to diss and having all the right editions and not opening the packaging and so on and so forth. Rather like Comic Book Guy off The Simpsons.

It's something shared not just by Tolkien fans but also by fans of a hundred and one other things e.g. Star Wars, Star Trek, and so on...

And I say that with complete honesty, thinking about the hours I've wasted on Facebook doing the Lord of the Rings trivia challenge, the vast amounts of cash I've splurged on Tolkien stuff and the way I secretly hope someone will see my Tolkien Society badge when I'm haunting the sci-fi section in Waterstones...



We do it because it's fun and it's just part of the territory of being a nerdy fan. I do it even though I enjoyed the films so much I bought around 100 of the action figures.

"Worst episode ever..."

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Sauron the White

What is so unique about the books/movies crowd here that the dynamic is so totally different? People seem to enjoy rattling the others trees to see what shakes out.

Perhaps we, both book and movie fans, are desperately hopeful of finding the entwives and believe they can be found if we could only tease out the right leaf or blossom, never while really thinking that they can be found?

[Sauron the White]

A heartfelt thank you to all here who posted their thoughts and feelings. It does help me understand.

What about the idea that I put forth that no film or series of films could stand the continual and longterm scrutiny that is given by the Tolkien community to the LOTR films? Is that valid? Is there truth to it?

Here is how I put it in my opening post:

I wonder... if you took any film(s) which is/are based on a well known and well loved book such as LOTR... and that book had a significant following of intelligent people such as the folks here with LOTR ... and they could have years to watch and rewatch the film(s) over and over and over again .... and if they could read the thoughts, writings, articles, journal entries, musings and books of others on the subject of adapting the books into film(s) .... and many of those same people had some sort of axe to grind, some sort of personal antagonism towards the film(s) ....... and many of those same people are considered experts in that field and have spent decades honing their knowledge and espertise...

I wonder if any film or set of films could stand up to that sort of examination for that length of time in that sort of detail under those conditions?

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Well, those who have looked into other forums - Harry Potter, for example - will notice the fanatic attention given to details there. And of course there is discussion of various film versions of Jane Austen's novels, to mention other literary adaptions of well-loved books. I have participated in discussions of the latter, and they go into character changes for better or for worse - though they tend to be rather more civilized than the discussions I've looked into briefly on Potter forums. Then, that could be simply a matter of age and maturity...

Perhaps some of you who know Potter forums can share your experiences there?

[Sauron the White]

Estelyn... I am not a Potter fan but is not a huge difference the fact that the movies were made with the support and input of the author J. K. Rowling? And would not her participation in the movies somewhat mitigate the level of criticism directed at the movies?

I wonder about other beloved books that were made like LOTR - without the input of the author.

Are there OZ people who are huge fans of the books but who are somewhere still complaining about how Judy Garland was just too old for Dorothy..... the addition of those songs which were not in the book ..... the change of color from silver to red for the all important slippers ..... or how they changed the essential character of one character or another .... and lets not forget about all the stuff they left out like the Winkies ... or even worse added that was not in the book.

I wonder if when the OZ people talk with each other or get together do they still complain about those things?

I wonder if there are Margaret Mitchell fans who love the book but find fault with the film GONE WITH THE WIND? I don't think she wrote the screenplay.