Today, Hall of Fire will be playing compare and contrast as we take a look at the CGI…
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Today, Hall of Fire will be playing compare and contrast as we take a look at the CGI of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Join us at 5pm EST for what should be a lively debate.
Whether it’s the Balrog of Moria, Gollum, Azog, The Eye of Sauron of the Great Goblin, what is it about these creations that makes them work? When are they less than convincing, and why? Continue reading “Hall of Fire today: CGI in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings”
We began reading through Fellowship of the Ring chapter-by-chapter in Hall of Fire last March. Now, almost a year after we began with A Long-Expected Party, our discussions of the first volume of The Lord of the Rings conclude as we delve into the final chapter of Book II.
When they had eaten, Aragorn called the Company together. “The day has come at last,” he said: “the day of choice which we have long delayed. What shall now become of our Company that has travelled so far in fellowship? Shall we turn west with Boromir and go to the wars of Gondor; or turn east to the Fear and Shadow; or shall we break our fellowship and go this way and that as each may choose?” Continue reading “Hall of Fire today: the breaking of the fellowship”
Fan reaction to The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has been broadly supportive, and the commercial success of the film is undeniable. But we all recognise there are divergences from the canon of Tolkien’s legendarium.
That’s why, this weekend, Hall of Fire will revive our traditional Tolkien Purists’ Whine and Cheese Party™, and pick apart all the changes that Peter Jackson and his crew chose to make.
We’ll be asking … what were the things — big or little — that bugged you? Continue reading “Hall of Fire today: the Hobbit whine and cheese party”
We return to our read-through of Fellowship of the Ring chapter discussions in The Hall of Fire this weekend to find the remaining members Fellowship faced with a difficult decision.
“Now is the time, when those who wish to continue the Quest must harden their hearts to leave this land. Those who no longer wish to go forward may remain here, for a while. But whether they stay or go, none can be sure of peace. For we are come now to the edge of doom.”
FoTR Book II Chapter VIII: Farwell to Lórien Continue reading “Hall of Fire tomorrow: Farewell to Lórien”
Word of Gandalf’s fall deeply troubles the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood.
‘Alas!’ said Aragorn. ‘Gandalf the Grey fell into shadow. He remained in Moria and did not escape.’
At these words all the Elves in the hall cried aloud in grief and amazement. ‘These are evil tidings,’ said Celeborn, ‘the most evil that have been spoken here in long years full of grievous deeds.’ Continue reading “Hall of Fire tomorrow: The Mirror of Galadriel”
Later today, Hall of Fire resumes reading through Fellowship of the Ring as Aragorn assumes command of the Company.
The Ranger leads them away from the Khazad-dum toward the Elvish refuge of Lothlórien.
‘There lie the woods of Lothlórien!’ said Legolas. `That is the fairest of all the dwellings of my people. There are no trees like the trees of that land. For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring comes and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers; and the floor of the wood is golden, and golden is the roof, and its pillars are of silver, for the bark of the trees is smooth and grey.’ Fellowship of the Ring. Book II, Chapter Six: Lothlórien
FoTR Book II Chapter VI: Lothlórien
Stopping briefly to tend to Frodo’s injury, Aragorn is amazed to find Bilbo’s coat of mithril, which saved Frodo from his spear wound in Moria.
When they move on, Legolas and Aragorn are relieved to reach Lórien ahead of pursuing orcs. However, Boromir is wary: among Men, the name of the forest is surrounded by strange rumours.
The elves of Lothlórien prove equally mistrustful, especially when they discover a dwarf in the party. They guide the party into Lórien, but later demand Gimli be blindfolded. Gimli objects they seem destined come to blows until Aragorn steps in with a deft solution — all the Company shall go blindfolded.
Join us in the Hall of Fire this Saturday, November 23 at 5pm EST (New York time), as we chat about all these questions and much more as we continue our Fellowship of the Ring read-through!
Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help. Alternatively, check out our Event Announcer on Time and Date to find the right time in your city.
America:
5.00pm EST (New York)
4.00pm CST (Chicago)
2.00pm MST (Denver)
2.00pm PST (Los Angeles)
Europe:
10.00pm GMT (London)
11.00pm CET (Paris)
Midnight EET (Helsinki)
Asia-Pacific
8.00am AEST (Sunday) Brisbane
9.00am AEDT (Sunday) Sydney, Melbourne
11.00am NZDT (Sunday) Wellington
How long do your topic chats go for?
Our chats usually last an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation! However, our main room, #theonering.net is open 24 hours a day. We don’t always talk Tolkien there, but if you have a burning question, you’ll usually find one or two of “the regulars” up for a chat!
Where — connection details
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net — the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our embedded Mibbit client that works inside your web browser.
Alternatively, you can install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer and just plug in the following connection details.
Server: irc.theonering.net
Port: 6667
Channel: #thehalloffire
