Posted on by mwhybark

seisun?

Sunday night, walking up the hill from seeing Master and Commander (verdict: excellent if reactionary, a forgivable vice in an historical romance, featuring the best sailing-ship sea battles ever committed to bits’n’film) we ambled by Clever Dunnes, which bravely lofts the orange, green and white in my otherwise unconcerned with tradition neighborhood. I’ve mentioned Dunnes before (the food is good, generous, reasonably priced, and up to the competition hereabouts) and I’ve wondered if the place would get a seisun going.

Well, I looked in the window as we strolled by and saw two slightly bewildered-looking folks playing or singing along with a couple others, and I think I saw two acoustic guitars and a bodhran – which makes me think I saw a seisun a-borning.

After the holidays, I’ll look into this further – but if this is what’s happening, I really should drop by. It’s only blocks away.

Posted on by mwhybark

The King Thing

Movie Review | ‘The Return of the King’: Triumph Tinged With Regret in Middle Earth – Elvis Mitchell weighs in with hugs all around; the New York Film Critics’ Circle drops some science for the Academy to follow up on, and in general, advance word is good.

Alex Ross looks at Tolkien’s debt to Wagner in the New Yorker, whilst the magazine defers a review proper in this ish.

Not to worry, though: a few trolls are unafraid to loft their black banners in resistance to the praise. The San Diego Union Tribune’s David Elliott says, “The saga sags,” and goes on to mock an online fan. Clearly, he’s pledged to the Dark Lord.

Christopher Tolkien recently denied that he’d gone over to the dark himself, saying, “The suggestions that have been made that I ‘disapprove’ of the films, vent to the extent of thinking ill of those with whom I may differ, are wholly without foundation.”

Director Jackson, for his part, recently expressed interest in shooting the trilogy’s prequel, The Hobbit.

As someone who wrote with joy at great length about both previous movies and the books, I appreciated this sensitive, if brief, analysis of the books by John Garth in the Scotsman.

Tomorrow, the day the film is released, is also the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, and will see a reenactment attempt at 10:35am EST, 7:35am here. I’ll be out of bed looking for coverage.