Sunday, February 02, 2003
Important News For Barliman's Regulars
- Demosthenes @ 18:57 PST
This evening we'll be upgrading TheOneRing.net's IRC server software. Most of the changes will be invisible to chatters, but will result in a better, more reliable chatting experience for everyone. We strongly encourage you to take the time to acquaint yourself with these new features by reading through our brand new chat FAQ. One change in particular will impact on everyone who has a registered nickname. This is a significant change to the registration process that regular chatters must be aware of. This is extremely important information, that you must read if you're not to be totally confused by the changeover! [More]
Friday, January 17, 2003
Hall Of Fire Chats For January 18th & 19th
- Strider @ 20:10 PST
Of all the relationships that exist in the latter parts of The Lord of the Rings, the triangle between Frodo, The One Ring and Gollum is one of the most intriguing and arguably the most important to the story itself. This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew invite you to join us as we put this relationship under the microscope and examine what really was the key factor by which Frodo controlled Gollum. Many people believe that Gollum's newly-found obedience when leading Sam and Frodo through the lands outside Mordor was inspired by Frodo's kind treatment of him; through Frodo's kind treatment, Gollum began to find redemption in assisting those who captured him. However through a chance encounter with Faramir and the Men of Gondor, whatever trust Gollum had for the Hobbits disintegrates, and he knowingly leads them to almost certain death in the form of Shelob's Lair. But was it the humanity that Frodo showed Gollum that made him revert to the more morally bound Smeagol persona? Or was it simply that Gollum was so bound to the Ring that he had no choice but to lead the Ringbearer through Emyn Muil, under the control of the allure of the Ring? Could it be that The One Ring was the true reason that Gollum guided the Hobbits safely the the Black Gate of Mordor and beyond? Or was Gollum ever really under their control, his re-discovered conscience all a ruse to recapture his Precious? If you share any of these opinions, then stop by the Hall of Fire this weekend and be prepared to join in on what should be a fabulous debate! Upcoming Discussions: Place:
Jan 25 & 26 - Arwen's Immortality Choice
Feb 02 & 03 - RotK Chapter One: Minas Tirith
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Saturday, January 11, 2003
Hall of Fire Chats - Jan 11&12
- Demosthenes @ 03:50 PST
No single character from Two Towers has caused more controversy than the writing of Faramir. Some people have been outraged enough to brand it "character assassination". Keeping in mind that there's much more of Faramir to come in RoTK, what do we think so far? The Movie Characterisation of Faramir. Success or Failure? Is Faramir off-base and miscast, as some have suggested, or have Jackson and Boyens brought onto the spotlight the darkness within and desperate desire for his father's approval? What can we expect to see in Return of the King? And regardless, does Jackson's interpretation enhance or detract from Two Towers? [More]
Friday, January 03, 2003
Hall Of Fire Chats For January 4th & 5th
- Strider @ 14:33 PST
Though The Two Towers has been in the most part a greater success commercially for Peter Jackson et al. than The Fellowship of the Ring, there is no doubt that the second film in the trilogy has attracted greater criticism from Tolkien fans and purists, particularly on the Internet. This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew invite you to join your fellow purists in arms as we rant and rave about the changes made to The Two Towers in what we call The Second Annual Tolkien Purists Whine and Cheese Party™. Though many fans accept that due to running time constraints and the nature of film as a media, Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh and Stephen Sinclair have made some changes to The Two Towers that have been met with a mixed reception from 'Rings fans across the world; drastic changes to the character of Faramir, drastic changes to the Elves participation in the War of the Ring, numerous changes to the story in general - all have been met with firm criticism in one form or another. Is Peter Jackson's The Two Towers a masterstroke or a massive blunder? Is the portrayal of Faramir in the movie an accurate portrayal or a shambolic misinterpretation? Can some fantastic CGI be enough to excuse the shortcomings of apoor screenplay? Whether you share or disagree with these views, visit us this weekend for one heck of a discussion! Upcoming Discussions:
To Be Announced
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Monday, December 16, 2002
All-New Moviechat Channel
- Demosthenes @ 19:22 PST
It's movie release time, and the spoilers are definitely ramping up. So, to save the sanity of those who are avoiding movie spoilers, we've created a special movie talk channel - #moviechat . If you want to discuss the Two Towers with likeminded people, head to #moviechat . (People who've never been there before, please note that our guidelines prohibit swearing.) For our java users, it's as simple as selecting moviechat from the dropdown list and connecting. For other clients, type /join #moviechat once you've connected to the server. Reminder: Do not take your spoilers into #theonering.net as it will only annoy the moderators there! Some people have to wait till after Christmas to see the movie, and we don't want their experience ruined. Hope to see you there!
Friday, December 13, 2002
Hall Of Fire Chats For December 14th & 15th
- Strider @ 19:16 PST
The time for discussing chapters from The Two Towers is over. The time for analysing the latest trailer frame-by-frame and marvelling over our first glimpse of the CGI Gollum has come to an end. The many hours spent speculating over whether PJ's changes to the storyline will work or not are now in vain. Next Wednesday, The Two Towers will be released worldwide and the lives of many Tolkien fans, for better or for worse, will change dramatically. This weekend, the Hall of Fire staff invite you to join us for the final pre-'Two Towers discussion to be held by TheOneRing.net: The Two Towers Movie Preview When The Lord of the Rings went into pre-production in the latter part of the last century, the name 'The Fellowship of the Ring' was on the lips and mind of every Tolkien fan for countless months...until December 18th 2001. Once The Fellowship of the Ring was released to the masses, their appetite for more was whet; a desire to see more of this beautiful Middle-earth that Peter Jackson had created from real locations and computer graphics; a desire to see more of Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn; and the name on every pair of lips and every mind soon changed to The Two Towers. Parallels were quickly drawn up between the second installment of Tolkien's trilogy and George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy: The Empire Strikes Back is a superior film to A New Hope because the situation that the characters find themselves ensnared in is incredibly bleak and hopeless, something which could also be argued of the subject matter in The Two Towers. Many people prophesized before the first trailer was even released that this would be the finest part in Jackson's version of The Lord of the Rings - we shall see soon enough. This weekend, join us as we take a detailed look at The Two Towers in a spoiler-filled discussion detailing what we know about the movie's storyline based on the last year's worth of news. From Oliphaunts to Fell Beasts, from Faramir to Wormtongue, we will discuss every aspect of The Two Towers in hope of maintaining our patience between now and December 18th 2002; the day The Two Towers is upon us, and the anticipation for The Return of the King begins. Upcoming Discussions:
Dec 21 & 22 - The Two Towers: The Movie
Dec 28 & 29 - The Two Towers Mystery Discussion
Place:
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Questions? Topics? Send ‘em here.
Thursday, December 12, 2002
Log of Brian Sibley live chat
- Arathorn @ 01:29 PST
If you missed Saturday's live chat with Brian Sibley, author of the definitive LoTR movie companion books as well as adapter of LoTR for the legendary BBC Radio series, the transcript of the chat can now be read in our features section. [More]