Ringers “Lord of the fans”

[Lush]

*cough*

So, having watched "Ringers" recently, here's what I have to say:

Movies that are made "by the fans for the fans" are generally kinda tame. There's just not that much interesting stuff in "Ringers" specifically. There's lots of padding, in fact (I got the point when the hippie chick started dancing the first time around, goshdarnit).

I think a really cool film about Tolkien fans can be made, but it would have to focus on the good, and the bad, and the plain awkward. It would have to include flame-wars. It would have to include crazy people stalking Orlando Bloom (I'm totally not one of those people, stop grinning). It would have to be made by someone who can at least detach himself or herself from the scene. It doesn't mean they have to be a non-fan, or merely a clinical observer, but that they look at the project the way the people behind "Trekkies" looked at theirs.

You know what I'd pay for? To see a (metaphoric... maybe) cage-fight between someone like davem and one of my old academic acquaintances with a penchant for Tolkien.

As it stands, "Ringers" struck me as very sweet. It certainly achieves its own aims. But I am still waiting for that great documentary on Tolkien fans.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Lush

You know what I'd pay for? To see a (metaphoric... maybe) cage-fight between someone like davem and one of my old academic acquaintances with a penchant for Tolkien.

You sort your end out and I'll sort davem out for it

I wrote a review (of sorts) of Ringers somewhere on the Downs. I was a bit disappointed by it, really. All those stupid linking sequences really irritated me (it was like watching a YouTube remake of an Austin Powers dance sequence) and I thought the film makers focussed far too much on the films. What was very frustrating was they'd plainly been to Oxonmoot to interview Colin Duriez and Chris Crawshaw but never bothered to talk to any ordinary punters there - did they think they were too boring or were they just frightened when they saw people doing the Springle Ring?

Still, it 'filled up the corners'. There can't be enough Tolkien documentaries really. The best one bar none is JRRT A Film Portrait of JRR Tolkien, which is completely superb but not available now for many years; there is also an old BBC Omnibus one which is also very good, and earlier this year was the BBC4 documentary on Tolkien and Peake which was decent, too. Not much that's great about Fandom though. However, Ringers was the first 'go' at this and maybe there will be more with the coming of The Hobbit film?