I saw "The Hobbit. The Battle of Five Armies" this past week over the holidays. It is exactly what the title says it is, so I should not be surprised if I thought most of it was special effects and war ad nauseam. If it is true to the author of the story, that might be why I never finished reading The Hobbit as a book so many years ago.
It did get me thinking about art and commerce and why the two cannot wed and are continually in a battle for leadership, one a quiet warrior with ideas as weapons and another warrior with dollars to be used to bludgeon the artist.
Then I remember this National Book Award speech I saw a week or so ago. I have not read her works, but now I want to.
The link follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et9Nf-rsALk#t=216
aah, the Lathe of Heaven. We all need to be warriors, just in different venues perhaps.
ReplyDeleteBest ever, love watching her, she is a treasure.
ReplyDeleteEven my big Hobbit hobbyist son Josh said it wasn't that great. We opted for Interstellar, which had some worm holes and plot loop holes, but was still good fun to watch and consider.
ReplyDeleteI have read The Hobbit and LOTR several times, and I enjoyed the LOTR films quite a lot. But not so The Hobbit.
ReplyDeleteI read the Hobbit years ago as a teenager and I don't remember five armies at all. it was a simple book building to Lord of the Rings. I fear Jackson has given it too big and heavy a treatment.
ReplyDeleteWe went to see it today thinking we had seen the two previous I stallaments. We were a little confused until we realized we hadn't seen the second one. Oh well, we have both read the book so knew what was going on. Yes, battle scene after battle scene.
ReplyDeleteI do believe I'll just wait for it to come out in DVD.
ReplyDeleteI always wait for the cheaper dvd. I still haven't seen the Desolation of Smaug episode of the Hobbit yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the overdone opinion Stephen. It'll be easier to wait!
Audiences are so used to the computer mass-warfare action effects now...
That was a great link. Good for her. Definitely how I feel about it. She is in a position to speak out and have many listen. A lot of writers are afraid to do that-- even the famous ones such as her.
ReplyDeleteI could never finish The Hobbit either, and I have seen none of the movies.
ReplyDeleteI guess my cultural literacy is lacking, but I still have the power of choice. Warriors and battles and special effects are not what I seek in entertainment.