laughter in the dark

the requisite TT dissection/drool entry
January 09, 2003 | 3:44 p.m.

Inocompetence. I am drowning in a fathomless, clinging mire of helpless incompetence. Most of it isn't even mine, either! I happen to be skilled in the art of organised chaos. I mean, my room may look like I stood in the middle of it and, cackling insanely, flung all of my belongings at random walls for a good hour or two, but I can still find anything I want. Usually. Some people, though... I wonder how most of them manage to walk in a straight line and eat without plastering food all over their faces and random passing dogs.

'Fathomless, clinging mire.' Heh. Someone's been reading a lot of LotR fic (perhaps too much? No, impossible) over the past few days..

I seem to be getting into the habit of leaving a week between updates. I don't mean to, it's just that I've been busy the last few weeks. Not with work so much as.. crap. Irritating, time-consuming crap. My life is generally composed of it all the time though, so I don't know why I'm complaining.

I also got the extended DVD of FotR for Christmas, so I've been watching that. A lot. The commentaries are amusing. I haven't had chance to watch all of the director, writer and technical staff ones yet, because like a shallow squealing fangirl I went straight to the cast ones first. I was surprised that there are a few comments that could conceivably be taken as criticism. Very few, but they are there. The hobbits talk over each other a bit which I suppose is to be expected. Those crazy kids. Much as it pains me to say it, I find something Orl*ndo Blo*m (I don't really want to be the result of a barrage of google hits for him) says at the scene where the fellowship comes out of Moria after losing Gandalf slightly irritating - he mentions that he wanted to make Legolas look confused as if he had never experienced death before (the elves being immortal and all) and was now wondering where Gandalf had gone and why he didn't come back. Though yes, elves are immortal, they die from injuries the same way mortals do. Coming from Mirkwood, surely Legolas would have experienced death? In fact, I'd say that he would be pretty familiar with it. But of course I'm just a nitpicking fan with too much time on her hands.

Sorry if you're not at all interested in LotR. But, I am, and this is my diary, so ner I say to you. Ner.

The mistakes are fun to look for too - and there are a lot. I'm not sure if there really is a car in the background in the Frodo and Sam scene with the scarecrow or not - it looks more like a chimney to me, though it does appear to be moving from right to left.

I saw TT over the holiday too, and I'm not really sure what I thought of it. I liked being swept up in all the action, but afterwards I started to wonder if there was too much action, if it lacked the heart of FotR somehow. I know things are more urgent and there are battles to fight and so on... speaking of battles, Helm's Deep did not disappoint. It was stunning, despite the fact that it was a veritable CGI orgy. Haldir turning up with the kick-ass elves of Lorien was.. odd. Seeing as, like, that doesn't happen in the book. But I suppose they decided they were going to get their money's worth out of him, seeing as they made all that Lorien set and all. Plus, someone Aragorn knew but who wasn't too important had to die. I knew someone was going to catch it before it happened - I was narrowing down the list and realised it had to be Haldir. Shame. I liked him. Oh, and he doesn't die in the book either.

At the end, you know what would have been cool? Flesh-eating trees to devour the retreating orcs. That would have been really cool.

Here's the best parody script I've read so far! Yay! I heart parody scripts!

OLD MAN loses his COOL and shoots an ORC.

ORCS

Well, we were just going to stand here and do our little dance for awhile longer, but I guess we’ll start the battle now.

Yeah, what is it with the beginning of the battle?! Is there a protocol to these things? How long were they going to stand there?! It was raining like hell, I'm sure they wanted to get it over with.

I was laughing too much, as well. Call me a miserable cow (like many before you have done, and many after you will surely do also) but I don't think this movie should be too humorous. Merry and Pippin are gone, so Gimli has to be the comic relief, and he's well up to the task, falling over and rolling down various hills like the short, fat, inherently mockable character he is. Half of Legolas' lines are taking the piss out of him and/or admonishing him to hurry the fuck up, stupid dwarf. And the thing with him being too short to see over the parapet - come on. I'm not Gimli's biggest fan, I admit, but still. Yeah, Legolas is arrogant, I get it. Less of the dwarf-humour. More of Legolas. He can be as arrogant as he wants as far as I'm concerned. The swing thing onto the horse... and the look on his face when Aragorn goes over the cliff... and his face, full stop... and the rest of him... he is possibly the finest fucking thing I have ever seen.

Yeah, I'm back now. They messed up Faramir's character. He was pretty fine, too, but he's not Boromir. He doesn't want the Ring. He's not even tempted, I don't think. Frodo's supposed to feel safe with him, but I suppose we can't have that.

I bet I have more to babble on this tomorrow.

<3
gf

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