The Lord Of The Rings General Discussion Thread

[Kühni 485]

Ian McKellen in Gandalf mode: "Hobbits."

[KK 3,307]

 

 

 

I'm going to watch it after I'm done my marathon. But looks like they invited Howard Shore into this as well! Good form!

 

[Quintus 5,399]

I watched it and it was ace. Appears that Bernard Hill tried but failed to get on, but the ones who did make it were all lovely.

[Barnald 365]

Kind of funny that Jackson made that remark about what they really need in future is the orchestra on set. Perhaps a sly reference to issues with scoring The Hobbit? In any case, it's great to see that they didn't forget Howard.

[Fabulin 3,510]

.

[Chen G. 3,943]

3 hours ago, Barnald said:

Kind of funny that Jackson made that remark about what they really need in future is the orchestra on set. Perhaps a sly reference to issues with scoring The Hobbit?

 

Reading too much into a joke (which is really something coming from me) perhaps?

[Quintus 5,399]

8 hours ago, Fabulin said:

Never thought I would experience the behind the scenes magic of LOTR again.

 

How about side by side with an extended edition featurette?

[Arpy 4,145]

You haven't lived until you've attempted to watch the Extended Editions with Commentary and fallen asleep halfway through. I love them dearly.

[Holko 9,499]

*all of the 4 commentary tracks, one after the other. Now that's a marathon.

[Fabulin 3,510]

37 minutes ago, Holko said:

*all of the 4 commentary tracks, one after the other. Now that's a marathon.

When I learned of their existence, I actually listened to them all, one after another, over two days. Doable.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Oh cool, a Zoom meeting with the LOTR cast!  That should be fun

*sees that Josh Gad is the host*

 

[Holko 9,499]

It was pretty eh. I do not see the appeal of reenacting stuff and 50% of this is that, weakly. They all barely got to speak and mostly just retreaded ground covered in the appendices, it was just insufferable fluff and theatrics to bring on more and more and move on, it could have used at least 5 times this length for actual substance from everyone involved with perhaps some people tuning out when they're done instead of polluting the ambiance and talking over each other. Oh and yeah, this is the first I've seen of Gad but not a fan.

 

Jackson, Shore and Hill felt pretty old but Elijah is now looking like an actual proper somewhat aged version of himself unlike in that google search video where he looked like his face was deepfaked onto someone with a bigger wider head.

 

I hope at least the charity got a lot of money because of it.

[Quintus 5,399]

There's always one fuckin misery guts. 

[mrbellamy 6,272]

Somebody’s expectations were too high. 

[Quintus 5,399]

Holko was probably hoping for The Silmarillion to happen live on YouTube.

[Holko 9,499]

Sure enough, I was expecting more than "ooh you sed dis in da moovie say it agen" for 20 minutes, or "Hi Karl and Miranda, we're not even asking you anything, you're not important, just vegetate here while other more interesting people come on, maybe butt in when you can". Fuck me I guess.

[KK 3,307]

Just watched it. Loved it.

 

I don't think we were ever going to get anything we couldn't have found in the appendices. But it was a beautiful reminder of how much this experience meant to them as a group as it did to us as fans. And I think that's all this had to be. I mean, there's only so much you can do with 15+ cast members in a 50 minute conversation. And despite that, there were some lovely tributes in there. I was just again struck by how remarkably open this team has been to share that experience with all of us.

 

Also, Jackson clearly has a great sense of humour. And McKellan is as sharp as ever!

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

10 hours ago, Quintus said:

Holko was probably hoping for The Silmarillion to happen live on YouTube.

Wait this wasn't The Silmarillion??

[Arpy 4,145]

 

@Holko Agreed it could've been longer, but it was obvious it was cut down from a longer discussion. Shore said hi, then was cut off for the rest of the discussion, not totally unexpected, but it makes it seem like a waste of his time and everyone elses!

[Holko 9,499]

Yeah for most of it I couldn't even tell if he was still alive or his camera froze or he was just there to be there.

[Bilbo 3,709]

It’s too long for what it is but not long enough for anything really worthwhile. 

[mrbellamy 6,272]

It’s just about the hang. It’s impressive enough that he got all these people in random time zones and doing whatever the fuck at home. I don’t feel sorry for anybody who wasn’t included more, he asked pretty much everybody like one or two questions and gave everyone a scene and then the rest just piped up whenever they felt like it. Monaghan’s the most gregarious so took the most attention, all’s fair.

 

Idk, you gotta read the room. If this were me I would not be interested in any kind of serious LOTR discussion while I’m lounging around at home. I would be happy to say hi, check that everyone’s lookin good, gossip and joke around, play a few games, and peace out, love to all. Plus they'd know the more people who log on, the more eyeballs on it and thus the charity. I would be surprised if Gad pitched it otherwise. It’s just an easy opportunity for them to see each other without some big arrangement, public or otherwise, and somebody else even put it together for them. Fun.

[Quintus 5,399]

Unbelievable really that you even had to type that out. I really do wonder about the inner workings of people's brains sometimes.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I was delighted by the video.  Is it some great perfect discussion?  No but it's charming and wonderful to see them all "together" and obviously it's directed at a wider audience than the hardcore nerds.

[mrbellamy 6,272]

If it was some hour of just Elijah Wood or whoever answering super basic LOTR questions from some corny host for an hour, then that’d be dumb as hell, who’d watch that. It’s the group that makes it, you’ve got nearly everybody you’d really want to see and even the absent Ian Holm and Bernard Hill are accounted for. It was especially heartwarming to see how excited and surprised they were to see each other, you can tell with each intro that he didn’t give them any notice who was going to show up or not. That was the best part.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

3 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

you can tell with each intro that he didn’t give them any notice who was going to show up or not. That was the best part.

 

Agreed on this, it was a big reason I was charmed by the thing

[KK 3,307]

Indeed. Besides, at this point, what about this production isn't known that isn't available in other resources anyway? We just wanna see these guys hang!

[Fabulin 3,510]

34 minutes ago, KK said:

Indeed. Besides, at this point, what about this production isn't known that isn't available in other resources anyway? We just wanna see these guys hang!

That's not the most fortunate phrasing 

[Quintus 5,399]

KK's gone harsh AF lately. He's a total thug.

[KK 3,307]

5 hours ago, Quintus said:

KK's gone harsh AF lately. He's a total thug.

 

Trying a new look! You like it?

[Quintus 5,399]

[Incanus 5,713]

Well that was a fun little nostalgic get-together of the cast and crew and it is really the whole family feel when these people meet in this kind of informal chat that makes it heartwarming to watch, not so much the whole re-reading of their lines etc. As they mention the whole set of those wonderfully thorough LotR documentaries on the DVDs and Blu-rays is what actually invites you in as an audience member into the behind-the-scenes world and in a strange way makes you also feel more part of the this thing than you actually are and so when the crew gets together it is in a sense like seeing old friends reunited after a long time and you could really see and feel that during this 50 minute talk. A good example of this is how they good naturedly made fun of each other and I still find it funny how Sean Bean seems to be the old slightly out of his element uncle who people tease constantly when he comes in.  

[Chen G. 3,943]

[Jay 37,287]

Is it true that "and my bow" is the only line Legolas says to Frodo in the entire trilogy?

[Holko 9,499]

In the movies, I think so. Maybe some less specific exclamations addressed to the whole group.

[gkgyver 1,645]

I don't think he has even a single line for Bilbo. Or Thorin, actually. 

So.... 

[Chen G. 3,943]

18 hours ago, gkgyver said:

Or Thorin, actually.

 

Not true. They have a heated little exchange.

[Faleel 5,340]

Yup, he asks Thorin how he came to possess Orcrist.

[gkgyver 1,645]

Now that's substantial. 

[Chen G. 3,943]

Its substantial in that its:

1. a payoff to Orcrist being set-up as an Elvish blade. Legolas, arriving at the same conclusion, assumes Thorin stole it and confiscates it for himself.
2. a setup for Legolas eventually giving Thorin the sword back (after Thorin saves his life twice), which allows Thorin to kill Azog: the Dwarvish blade he's using earlier doesn't seem to be very effective against Azog's armour.
3. Establishes Legolas (and the Woodland Realm in general) as xenophobic, which again, we're meant to believe is partially alleviated when Legolas finally decides to give Thorin the sword back.

 

Not too shabby for a single dialogue scene.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

 

[Quintus 5,399]

I got that beat. I got that beat...

 

 

[KK 3,307]

Brilliant!!

[Quintus 5,399]

It's still majestic in 8-bit too tbh.

[Kühni 485]

Good Lord.

 

 

Also: Let's spaghettify Spencer Friesen.

[Edmilson 7,392]

Seems cool!

 

A Lord Of The Rings-Inspired Hotel In Spain Lets You Stay In Real Life Hobbit Houses

[gkgyver 1,645]

I'm sure someone pointed it out before, but at the end when Gandalf picks up Frodo and Sam, he flies in with 3 eagles, suggesting that Gandalf hoped Gollum wasn't beyond redemption and could be saved still. 

[Faleel 5,340]

 

[Arpy 4,145]

Not sure if that's the case. More likely there were naturally more eagles than that they needed one eagle per person; Gandalf is riding one, whilst it also has Frodo in its clutches. 

[Monoverantus 363]

Would Gnadalf even know that Gollum accompanied them?