THE  HOBBIT  VS  LORD  OF  THE   RINGS

Is it just me or is  The  Hobbit :  An  Unexpected  Journey  a better movie than The Fellowship Of  The  Ring  ?

Its certainly more enjoyable to watch,  moment for moment and scene for scene.  Dare I say it but at times,  Fellowship was almost too portentous and heavy going for its own good. Free of such baggage, The Hobbit strikes a perfect balance between epic and intimate.

Peter Jackson didn't need to prove himself again  -  he can do this fantasy stuff in his sleep. He didn't have to make another Tolkien trilogy but he did anyway and I'm so glad..  So  many moments linger in the mind  -  Bilbo's smoke ring forming the movie's title....the death wraith  materialising over Radagast in Dol Goldur......the expression on Bilbo's face as he decides to spare Gollum's life.  ( kudos to Jackson and Martin Freeman for nailing this crucial and pivotal scene  )

I should point out that I've never seen this movie at the cinema only on dvd and television. So the whole 48 frames controversy passed me by completely.  Not only is the Hobbit gorgeous to look at,  it also contains some of the most beautiful images ever seen in fantasy cinema.   The scene of the dwarf party being carried into the valley of the eagles resembles the cover of a fantasy novel come to life.  Truly breathtaking.    

Prequels are usually redundant affairs but  not so with The Hobbit.   Jackson very cleverly expands upon the original story,  incorporating new material  ( including an apparent affection between Gandalf and Galadriel  -  who knew ?  )   How wonderful to see the late Ian Holm one last time as Bilbo  (  Martin Freeman having clearly studied his  body language  )  and to see the great Christopher Lee as a slightly less sinister Saruman.

A full decade elapsed before Jackson returned to  Middle-Earth and he did so with even greater confidence and assurance.   An Unexpected Journey finds him  in joyous and buoyant form,  aided greatly by the music of  Howard Shore  who builds upon his previous work to stunning effect.

I love The Hobbit for its sunny, pastoral tone,  its epic sweep,  its sense of adventure.  If there is one scene that encapsulates these qualities,  its the moment when Galadriel asks Gandalf why he chose Bilbo.   Gandalf replies that Bilbo gives him hope. - the music then soars as we segue way to the continuing journey of the dwarves.  Emotion and grandeur all at once.   Truly magical.

So that's why I prefer The Hobbit to Fellowship Of The Ring.

Or is it just me ?

SERVALAN IN STARBURST

I've  only  recently  unearthed  this  interview  from   STARBURST.


So  here  is  another  nice  tribute  to  the  late   Jacqueline   Pearce.

GARY KURTZ IN STARBURST

Almost  going  un-noticed  recently  was  the  passing  of  Gary  Kurtz  who  produced  the  first  two  STAR  WARS   movies.


He  also  produced   THE  DARK  CRYSTAL ,   RETURN  TO  OZ   and  ahem ...SLIPSTREAM but  its  the  Lucas  epics  that  he'll  be  best  remembered  for.


There  was  scant  coverage  of  his  death  in  the  uk  media which  is  puzzling ,  considering  how  much the uk  was  a  part  of  those  Lucasfilm  epics.


Even  if  George  Lucas  was  the  more  well  known  public  figure,  its  undeniable  that  Kurtz  was an  equally  significant    '  force  '   in  the  actual  production  of  those  movies   especially   EMPIRE  STRIKES   BACK,   still  widely  regarded  as  the  best   Star  Wars  movie  of  all.




Here  is  a  vintage  interview  with  Kurtz  in   STARBURST   at  the  time  of   EMPIRE's  release :

JACQUELINE PEARCE IN STARLOG

So  farewell  then  to   Jacqueline  Pearce ,   another  icon  from  the  Star  age.


Despite  her  many  genre   roles  including  several  Hammer  horrors  and  a  guest  spot  on  Dr Who ,  she  will  be  forever  immortal  as   Servalan ,   the  arch enemy  of    BLAKES'S  7..


Coverage  of   her   passing  was   disappointingly  thin  in  the  uk  media so  to  compensate  , here is an  interview  with her in   STARLOG.




Maximum   power   !

ELLISON IN SCI-FI UNIVERSE

SCI - FI  UNIVERSE  must rank as one of the best  genre magazines to emerge from the glut of  similar titles during the 1990's. 


And their interview with the late Harlan Ellison was a humdinger.


The irascible writer made no secret of his loathing for both the phenomenon of   STAR   TREK  and its fans.


This was actually one part of a three part interview,  the other parts being published in  COMIC BUYERS  GUIDE   and  HERO ILLUSTRATED .


Sadly I don't have those parts to hand for scanning. 

ELLISON REVIEWS ST:TMP

Again,  from the pages of   STARLOG  -  Harlan Ellison's  review of   STAR  TREK :  THE MOTION   PICTURE.

ELLISON VS CONNERY

After  taking Mark Hamill to task over  STAR WARS ,   Harlan Ellison also subjected  Sean Connery to the same treatment over his remarks on the script for OUTLAND.




First of all, the interview with  Connery :

and then Ellison's angry riposte a few issues later :