12.10.2004

LOTR rules

Lately, they've been showing The Fellowship of the Ring on cable television, and it's as incredible as ever. The Lord of the Rings screams "I'm excellent" every time I watch it. It is a masterpiece, a work of art, and it's made it difficult for me to see any other movie in a theater. Everything about it is quality, which is difficult to find in our crass pop culture.

I didn't see The Fellowship of the Ring when it came out a few years ago because I wasn't interested in fantasy. But a friend of mine convinced me that The Two Towers was great, and after enduring his nagging, I went to the movie theater and saw it, and loved it. Of course, I had to go back and watch the first movie on DVD to understand the context.

After I saw both movies a few times, I read JRR Tolkien's biography, and was really inspired by his brilliance and creativity. He spoke and read several languages, he wrote, he was quirky, he was unapologetically intellectual, a unique thinker.

Peter Jackson has not only made a stellar cultural contribution, but he has even helped his country's economy. How many people have done that, with integrity?

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