I was going to review the Tolkien biopic I saw the other day. And I will: it was solid story telling, took some minor appropriate liberties with the source material to heighten the drama, yet didn't compromise much. I enjoyed it. Basically, it was another thoughtful narrative mostly around the effects of a difficult childhood … Continue reading Some enchanted telling
Tolkien
Big Bad Truth Tellers
Once upon a time, the villain of the piece was the King of Lies, who would lead the main character astray, away from the truth and light and all good things. Sounds epic, biblical even, doesn't it? Thing is, this has changed. The King of Lies has lost his crown and I'm not sure when exactly. Perhaps … Continue reading Big Bad Truth Tellers
Going into battle for The Battle of the Five Armies
I understand the flaws film critics see in The Battle of the Five Armies and I don't care. Warning: Spoilers. Look, I've got the cred, studied film theory, read John Berger's Ways of Seeing and stuff by Laura Mulvey. I understand the story mechanics of well constructed film. And I can comfortably forget everything I ever learned … Continue reading Going into battle for The Battle of the Five Armies
Be the Hero?
The new Hobbit trailer is out, partly because of this, and because of The Hobbit fan competition, and Halloween and 'cons' I've been thinking about the fan phenomenon. As The Doctor explained to Charles Dickens it’s about fanaticism. I was going to say such devotion is usually motivated out of a deep appreciation or love, … Continue reading Be the Hero?
Doctor Who: Goddesses, Captains & Parables
In space no one hears the countdown If Earth is Mostly Harmless, then Space is Mainly Lethal. Lack of air. Un-earth-like physics. People on the edge. In Doctor Who, space is dangerous because of 'grey area' moral dilemmas and countdowns. Seriously, they had an episode called 42 with a living Sun and 42 minutes until a … Continue reading Doctor Who: Goddesses, Captains & Parables
Stories: bigger on the inside
Analyse this? I came across a fairly thorough psychological interpretation of Harry Potter via FB recently. The page linking to it had a lot of comments - people were either upset as it had 'ruined' the books or they were angry that someone had 'bothered'. Whatever the complaint, there was so much entitlement, or ownership. I … Continue reading Stories: bigger on the inside
The Hobbit: Consolations of Structure & Dreaming
Structure and Imagination The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was mostly a triumph of restructuring and knowing what to do with a story once it's been written. Tolkien followed a dream when he began inventing a world in between stints in the trenches of WWI, and it was one that was continually reshaped over his entire life … Continue reading The Hobbit: Consolations of Structure & Dreaming
Eternal verities & Fairy Tales
The *in* thing So, there's Once Upon a Time, Red Riding Hood, Tangled, Snow White and the Huntsman and now Hansel and Gretel. Fairy tales are in. But fairy tales were always the in thing. There are feminist takes and post modern re-tellings and grunge and hyper-homogenised commercial versions. All worthwhile. And there's plenty to say about … Continue reading Eternal verities & Fairy Tales
Shelf Life: The Discarded Image
Thought I would try something different. I grabbed a random book from my shelves for something of a review, or a justification. I'm gonna call this, if it becomes a bit of a thing, Shelf Life. My favourite CS Lewis book is probably The Discarded Image. Forget Narnia, this is where Lewis really properly creates … Continue reading Shelf Life: The Discarded Image
