G3

After 10 months of idle speculation here on G3, it looks like the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (LOTR:ROTK for you Tolkien Geeks) special edition DVD (SEDVD for you Needless Acronym Geeks) is going to be 4 hours and 10 minutes of hobbity goodness. Huzzah!

All Hail Extended “King”

- W

Star Trek enterprise has started production on season 4. For the first time, it will be filmed in High Definition Digital. Check it out here. Plus confirmation of Brent Spiner’s guest appearance.

The media channels, major and minor, are all abuzz about Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” and what is perceived to be anti-semitic scenes that accuse the Jews of killing Jesus. The protest by many is that the Romans killed Jesus, not the Jews, and any depiction of their involvement is anti-semitic.

But let us be very, very clear: Mel Gibson did not invent the claim that the Jews were behind the execution of Jesus. That claim is made by the New Testament itself.
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The SciFI channel has announced that approval for the new Battlestar Galactica series has been given. For more info…

I saw Cheaper by the Dozen last night, at the request of my wife.

For fans of the book or the 1950 movie, note the following commonalities:

1) They have the same title.
2) There are 12 kids.

Other than that, this new offering by Steve Martin has nothing to do with the original book or plot.

I found the movie to be mild family entertainment with very little compelling content. There was little conflict that really felt genuine, and the acting seemed at times to be reduced to “now it’s time for my line.” Bonny Hunt played the most genuine character in the cast, in direct opposition to Hillary Duff, who seemed to be posing for Teen Beat more than actually, you know, like, acting.

While it was nice to have a “safe” movie to take my son to, what it lacked in objectionable material it also lacked in substance. The biggest dramatic moments centered around a frog. No, really.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a C.

Sauron lives, and he does toy marketing. From the Eye that brought you orcs and ringwraiths, try some of these middle-earthy products:

- The most respected wizard character ever written in fantasy literature is now immortalized with a oversized, spring-loaded noggin: Gandalf as a Bobble Head. Perfect next to the Taco Bell dog in the back window of your ‘87 Ford Escort hatchback.

- Why use “plush” just for cuddly teddy bears when you can use it in the recreation of a gangly, maniacal, schitzophrenic murderer? Get thee a Talking Gollum Plush Doll. I’m sure the kiddies will sleep so much better at night with this thing under their pillow.

- But for the coup-de-grace of creepy toys, there can be nothing so horrifying as the Lord of the Rings Barbie and Ken set.

The very effort of containing Barbie and Tolkien in the same thought… I had to take three Legolas Elven Action Migraine Relief Tablets to stave off the ensuing headache.

Word on the streets in Denmark is that the Extend-O-Happiness DVD version of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King will be a whopping 4 hours and 15 minutes:

Possible running time for Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition DVD

At least with a DVD you can pause it to recycle that 64oz coke you drank. Not to mention refills on popcorn.

I’ve been a Tolkien fan since childhood, and have done quite a bit of research and study on his works over the years. As a Christian, I’ve identified with his writings in perhaps a different way than many fantasy readers: I see his faith in God and the values he held dearly from his own beliefs clearly permeating his writing in the Lord of the Rings.
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For those who were the right age in 1978, Battlestar Galactica was one cool sci-fi show. The premise is simple. You are on an aircraft carrier in space. Then the world ends. What happens to you? The Sci-Fi channel is retelling the original story in a miniseries format. It premiers Monday December 8, 2003.

Check it out at: http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/
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Went to see the movie The Last Samurai last night, and I must say, since Braveheart came out in theaters, I have never seen a more powerful movie. It had the action, it had the drama, it had the comedy, and more. There was nothing the movie lacked, and I recommend it to everyone.