Nick1Ø66

Indeed. My sources tell me that Helm Hammerhand's hammer will Feel free to post (anonymously, of course).

Nothing can dampen your spirits Chen. I admire your hope (even if it remains a fool's hope). BTW, what's this I read about Fellowship of Fans getting played with disinformation?

I don't doubt for a moment mother Boyens in-depth knowledge and insight into Middle-Earth. But having that expertise alone doesn't for a good screenplay, or film, make. The show runners of Rings of Power seem to know and love their Tolkien fairly well, and even if they didn't, they had plenty of experts to call upon. They said all the right things and made all the right references before the show aired to calm people down. And that show is a disaster. I mean, I like to think I know Middle-Earth pretty well, but I wouldn't write fan-fiction and call it Tolkien. And frankly, I didn't see anything in that interview that leads me to believe that the two kids actually writing the film share Philippa's knowledge of Tolkien. They listed as their credentials liking anime, growing up around the corner WETA and watching the movies once a year. And if Boyens can lend her expertise to her kid, why couldn't she do it for the original screenwriters? Obviously, that's a rhetorical question, but you'll forgive me if I'm sceptical. To adapt something, you must first have something to adapt. When you strip it down, what we're getting is basically an original animated film, written by two green screenwriters, set in Middle-Earth, using a few names and an event Tolkien once referenced. At best, the film, like the series, is "Inspired by characters and situations created by J.R.R. Tolkien".

So why are Addiss and Matthews no longer on the project?

Well I made the mistake of venturing to TORN and listening to an interview with the "fresh-faced" writers of this film and....well I'm not filled with hope. Looks like we're going to get another project that's 95% fan fiction written by two people with very little life experience and almost zero significant writing experience, especially at this level. One of which is a nepo baby. But we're told not to worry because they grew up loving anime. Oh, and because Alan Lee and John Howe are involved. One can only hope Boyens is actually writing this thing herself and just helping get her daughter a major screen credit (which has been known to happen). But I'm starting to get the same feeling I had early on about Rings of Power.

Yes I'm sure the whole thing simply breathtaking.

I can't Thumbs Up your comments about Ms. Marvel. However, since I always enjoy your posts, I've decided to highlight the parts of your review I agree with.

Every season has been a “save the Universe” mystery box retread, and by looks of it (see :36 in the trailer), season 5 literally looks like it features a mystery box.

Right. The MCU is a well-oiled machine. Their "studio system" for churning out these films (mostly) worked through Endgame. Sony really hasn't been able to replicate that with Spider-Man. Nor has LucasFilm with Star Wars or WB with either their DCU or the so-called (and aborted) Monsterverse. I guess we can chalk to the "it's not as easy as it looks" department. That said, I don't even know if Clarkson had a "vision" for the film to be ruined by the studio in the first place? I dunno. You either need a great director or a studio head that knows what they're doing. Something tells me there was never a good Madame Web to begin with.

Oh, I don't necessarily think she's to blame for whatever technical failures plagued the film. At the same time, let's not give her too much credit for how technically proficient the TV episodes she directed were either. It's recognized that once you get to post, especially on a film like this (and certainly on TV shows), such things are typically out of the director's hands, especially one with little clout like Clarkson. I don't doubt that she's a competent director. That said, even if the film had no technical problems, it still wouldn't have been good film. Let's put it this way...there are plenty of movies that are technically superior but suck. Conversely, if a film is otherwise great, it's easy to overlook technical issues. Madame Web failed on all levels and there's plenty of blame to go around, and that includes the director. I just think it's lazy to throw the blame on "studio interference".

I think the “studio interference” excuse is getting a little played. The studio interferes on all these films. As far as I know WB is the only studio that leaves their directors alone in superhero movies…and only well established directors at that. So yeah, if you’re a director signing up for a franchise film, particularly one involving Disney or Sony, you know what you’re signing up for. Every director of these films has to deal with studio interference. If your vision and gravitas isn’t strong enough to overcome that, that’s on you. And let’s remember one of the reasons these inexperienced directors are chosen in the first place is because the studio wants someone they can control. What, Disney or Sony is supposed to give the keys to the kingdom to someone who directed a few episodes of Gilmore Girls and say “have at it”? The MCU wouldn’t be what it’s been if not for studio interference. Sometimes having inexperienced (or TV) directors works out (e.g. the Russos), sometimes it doesn’t (e.g. Taylor, Clarkson, DaCosta). But the studio interferes in most cases either way. However when a film from a franchise we love is great, it's the director who is praised, but when it fails, the old “studio interference” excuse is trotted out. I’m not saying meddling executives can’t ruin a movie. They certainly can and have. But sorry, there’s no good version of Madame Web in there. And I’m not defending the studio system and this approach. However for good and bad, it is what it is. The MCU films work together in the way they do for a reason. If you like their consistency, understand it's a product of a system.

There should be a "feels like" run time for movies, kind of like with the weather. No Time to Die (2021) Run time: 163 minutes Feels Like: 4.5 hours

Yeah, potentially excellent news for those who still collect physical media. It should mean that more Disney catalogue titles get released on disc, and hopefully also means existing titles that are only on DVD & HD get an upgrade to UHD. Sony is just better equipped to manufacture & distribute physical media than Disney, and if it's more cost-effective to do so, more titles should see the light of day.

Those Sam Mendes Beatles movies look fascinating. What a cool, ambitious idea! Mendes is a director I like, and excited to see what comes of it. Civil War, on the other hand, looks cynical and exploitive. I don't like mean-spirited movies, and this just looks like it wants to do nothing but play on people's fear and hysteria about what's going on in America right now. I almost hope it is brain dead, because otherwise it's a Purge movie that's trying to take itself seriously and wants us to do the same. Hard pass.

Perhaps we need a disenchantment thread about disenchantment with the Star Wars Disenchantment thread. A thread that realizes @John's original vision. "Star Wars Disenchantment: The Special Edition".

Guys, this is a family forum. Take it to Tinder.

I tend to agree with @Jurassic Shark that the logo is a little, well, unremarkable. I didn't realize right away it was supposed to be an "F", it looks like, I don't know, an upside down ribbon to me. That said, you're the creator, and you should absolutely stick with your vision if you're committed to it, no matter what we lot say. Cool idea and I shall watch your progress with great interest.

Don't forget defrosting. There must be defrosting.

"Who is more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?" would seem most apt for this thread.

You can check out any time you like.