Creating " The Hobbit"

If you're a big fan of the movie version of "The Lord of the Rings" ( as I am ), you probably can't wait for the two-part movie version of "The Hobbit", which is being directed by Peter Jackson. From what I've seen and heard about these films so far, we are in for a treat.

Ian McKellen is reprising his role as Gandalf the Grey, as is Hugo Weaving as Elrond. At one point I had heard that Orlando Bloom would return as Legolas ( he is a Wood Elf, after all! ), but at this time I haven't been able to confirm that info. I can, however, confirm that Evangeline Lilly ( Kate of "Lost" ) will play a female Wood Elf, and Stephen Fry has been cast as the Mayor of Laketown and has been shooting his scenes. I follow Stephen ( Bones, Black Adder, Fry and Laurie, etc. ) on Twitter.

Of great interest to me as an artist is the painstaking recreation of Rivendell and Bag End---quite a feat! Those were extraordinarily beautiful sets. Reconstructing Bag End must've been particularly complicated as several versions in various scales had to be constructed in order to make dwarves and hobbits appear to be smaller than Gandalf, when all the actors are approximately the same size.

Much as I can hardly bear the wait, I want the creative folk involved to do their utmost to make these two movies up to the same level as the first three. I have every confidence they'll do their absolute best!

All for now,

MRTighe

Classics, New and Old

Lately, in certain online discussion groups there seems to be an unfortunate tendency to deify the classics of SF&F, and therefore, to denigrate anything NEW, particularly from unfamiliar authors. Well, I'd just like to remind those who tend to think this way that many of the authors of those great classics are now dead! There will be no new writing from them. Would you really want to be confined to reading only THE CLASSICS for the rest of your life? Or are you willing to take a chance on authors you've never read before?

As I've admitted ( shamefacedly! ) one of the biggest mistakes of my life was reading only the first page of The Hobbit---and promptly putting it back on the shelf. I'd never even heard of J. R. R. Tolkien! Fortunately, I rectified that mistake and later discovered The Lord of the Rings, in my opinion one of the greatest fantasies ever written.

Of course, those who have recently discovered some of the great classics are in awe of them. But time doesn't stand still, and many of those who were influenced by those books are now writing SF&F of their own. Don't be too hasty to lump all those books into the category of "non-classics" and therefore dismiss them, untried.

In my lifetime I've started and failed to finish a good number of books---mainly because they failed to hold my interest or weren't up to my standards; however, I at least gave them a try. Be daring! Try reading a new book by an author unfamiliar to you. Try reading a new genre. You never know when you just might discover a new classic!

All for now,

MRTighe

From The Hobbit to Harry

Believe it or not, I do read things other than science fiction, and I fully admit to being  a huge Harry Potter fan. I've read all the books through several times over, have a collection of the movies to date, as well as a few busts and sculptures that are movie-related. And I can hardly wait until the final installment is released!

Since I first learned to read, I was enthralled by fantasy fiction, although there wasn't much of it available when I was a kid ( and even less SF for children! ) During my college years I got hooked on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I think I can recognize a classic when I read one, and I believe the Harry Potter books fall into that category and should and will be enshrined among them.

The latest "Harry" development, of course, is that J.K. Rowling has just made her books available as e-books---along with a few fun gadgets for her fans. I hope that the popularity of books such as Harry Potter will lead future generations of children to grow up with a life-long love of reading ( in whatever form! )

I must agree with Rona Scott in Chapter Two of Judgment on Tartarus: reading is a painless way to broaden your education---as well as being just plain ol' FUN!

Read away, then!

MRTighe

A Comic Book Summer

I spent many a summer reading comic books. Looks like some great SF movies coming out this summer based upon comic book heroes, among them: X-Men First Class, Green Lantern, Captain America. Unfortunately, I never got into these three, but my husband did. He's a serious collector of comics and graphic novels, and I dare say an expert on the subject. Super-heroes like Superman, Batman,Spiderman, and Iron Man, as well as the more recent Thor, have proven successful at the box office. Therefore, I'm willing to bet we'll see more films based upon comic and graphic novel heroes.

It may sound like an oxymoron, but those that take comic books seriously tend to be more successful. Try to cheat the fans or take the attitude that they are simpletons and the box office will take the hit. Personally, I think movie-makers are missing a sure bet by pretty much ignoring fantasy ( with the notable exceptions of The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia! ) Yes, I know The Hobbit, Parts 1 and 2 are coming---ostensibly to be titled Unexpected Journey and There And Back Again. But there are many more classic fantasies that haven't yet been tapped. If you haven't seen pics from The Hobbit, there are links on my Judgment on Tartarus fb wall.

I live in hope that SF and F will someday be taken more seriously by the general public and become more popular.

MRTighe