No lie there are interesting dynamics at play -- Tolkien's own loss of his father when he was small, his frustrations with his guardian after his mother passed. The Aldarion story was written (more accurately sketched out) in the 60s around when Christopher himself was going through a divorce and I've always wondered if that was the lens JRRT wrote it through; Christopher himself said nothing about that in print, perhaps unsurprisingly.
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 1 January 2023 15:56 (one year ago) link
i feel like the only possible response here is "oh no!"
― mark s, Sunday, 1 January 2023 16:15 (one year ago) link
Truly a smash success:
It’s long been an open secret that Jeff Bezos has yearned for his own Game of Thrones, and that Amazon’s big swing as it reached for its own massive hit was The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, believed to be the most expensive series ever made.Last September, the show began with a bang, delivering the biggest debut ever on the streamer in what Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke called “a very culturally defining moment” for the company. But when season one wrapped, the show was less defining than hoped, falling short of being the breakout hit that Amazon had envisioned. While Amazon, like other streamers, provides only limited data — and internally, it held information even more closely than usual on the series — sources confirm that The Rings of Power had a 37 percent domestic completion rate (customers who watched the entire series). Overseas, it reached 45 percent. (A 50 percent completion rate would be a solid but not spectacular result, according to insiders). The show has not been a major awards contender, either, overlooked by the major guilds with the exception of one SAG-AFTRA nomination for stunt ensemble. But according to Salke, the series has worked. “This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally,” she says. The second season, currently in production, will have more dramatic story turns, she adds. “That’s a huge opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of setting up.”
Last September, the show began with a bang, delivering the biggest debut ever on the streamer in what Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke called “a very culturally defining moment” for the company. But when season one wrapped, the show was less defining than hoped, falling short of being the breakout hit that Amazon had envisioned.
While Amazon, like other streamers, provides only limited data — and internally, it held information even more closely than usual on the series — sources confirm that The Rings of Power had a 37 percent domestic completion rate (customers who watched the entire series). Overseas, it reached 45 percent. (A 50 percent completion rate would be a solid but not spectacular result, according to insiders). The show has not been a major awards contender, either, overlooked by the major guilds with the exception of one SAG-AFTRA nomination for stunt ensemble.
But according to Salke, the series has worked. “This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally,” she says. The second season, currently in production, will have more dramatic story turns, she adds. “That’s a huge opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of setting up.”
You keep telling yourself that.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 3 April 2023 20:21 (one year ago) link
I thought the show was pretty entertaining, but possibly not for any of the reasons they were aiming for
― mh, Monday, 3 April 2023 20:31 (one year ago) link
I will accept this judgment.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 3 April 2023 20:41 (one year ago) link
it's just tragic they spent so much time and money on a Neverwinter Nights expansion pack
― the absence of bikes (f. hazel), Monday, 3 April 2023 22:03 (one year ago) link
cranking that Mount Doom ignition switch until that bad boy turns over
― mh, Monday, 3 April 2023 23:31 (one year ago) link
Squid Game had an 87% completion rate. Resident Evil was canceled for having a 45% completion rate. https://t.co/lMn7nyTLh2— Ed Zitron (@edzitron) April 3, 2023
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Monday, 3 April 2023 23:55 (one year ago) link
The whole thread with Zitron and David Ruddock's response there says it all.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 4 April 2023 00:50 (one year ago) link
“more dramatic story turns”
vacillating between “oh no” and “hell yeah”, the latter being more of morbid interest
― scanner darkly, Tuesday, 4 April 2023 03:50 (one year ago) link
Yeah I'm with you there. As I said elsewhere: "more dramatic story turns" = Galadriel and Halbrand are still in love, and are secretly long-lost twins. Meantime, Not Gandalf is arrested for wandering around with a tiny Harfoot. Elsewhere, whatshername and Kevin on Numenor take their relationship to new levels of drama by actually HOLDING EACH OTHER'S HANDS.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 4 April 2023 03:59 (one year ago) link
Oh dear elven gods do we have to buckle in for another 50 hours of hearing the exaggerated rolled R in Numenorrrrrr and Galadrrrrrriel and Elrrrrrrond?
Like, wouldn't the world be better off if someone had broken into Tolkien's house or hobbit-hole or whatever and simply rrrrremoved the rrr key from his typewrrriterrr?
― she loves me like a rock lobster (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 4 April 2023 04:19 (one year ago) link
The Lod of the Ings
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 4 April 2023 05:18 (one year ago) link
let’s not go to MorrrrrRRH’dorrrrrrrrrrRRRHH’ afterrrh all
― assert (matttkkkk), Tuesday, 4 April 2023 05:23 (one year ago) link
'Tis a silly place
― she loves me like a rock lobster (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 4 April 2023 12:32 (one year ago) link
Hahah no.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCwmXY_f-e0
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 15:14 (one week ago) link
I know I'll watch this and hate myself for it
― Muad'Doob (Moodles), Tuesday, 14 May 2024 15:28 (one week ago) link
same
― ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Tuesday, 14 May 2024 15:59 (one week ago) link
stupid sexy sauron
― the defenestration of prog (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 14 May 2024 17:08 (one week ago) link
I can't remember if I finished this or not... It made the Hobbit trilogy look like Godfather II in comparison.
― Mrs. Ippei (Steve Shasta), Tuesday, 14 May 2024 18:18 (one week ago) link
if you didn't finish it, you missed the key part of the story re: Mordor
― omar little, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 18:28 (one week ago) link
and therefore have no idea just how unfortunately literal that sentence is
― omar little, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 18:29 (one week ago) link
sauron in his cunning: https://toytales.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/DCS_2201-MT.jpg
― mark s, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 18:33 (one week ago) link
lmao omar
that is still one of the funniest scenes in recent memory
― ɥɯ ︵ (°□°) (mh), Tuesday, 14 May 2024 20:01 (one week ago) link
Oh god
― your mom goes to limgrave (dog latin), Tuesday, 14 May 2024 21:48 (one week ago) link
I will admittedly watch it, and will have a few laughs.
It's always good to remember that JJ Abrams is indirectly responsible for this.
― omar little, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 21:59 (one week ago) link
The second age is weird, there's like two epic wars that could conclude this series. Is this show ending on the first one with the fall of Numenor? Or the 2nd one, where Gil-Galad and Elendil get YOU DIED Elden Ring style by Sauron on the slopes of Mt. Doom? Would like to hope it's limited to 3 seasons and you get the downfall of Numenor this year and the final season depicts the established peace afterwards, founding of Arnor and Gondor and then the final battle in Morder...
And then can we get a proper showrunner for the First Age and Fall of Gondolin? Or just make the latter into a sick 3 hour standalone film?
Also now I really want FromSoft to make a game that takes place in Middle Earth.
― octobeard, Tuesday, 14 May 2024 23:17 (one week ago) link
All I want is a 12 episode Children of Hurin.
― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Wednesday, 15 May 2024 00:02 (one week ago) link
Dare to dream
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 15 May 2024 01:18 (one week ago) link
I’m not that invested in LotR so mostly wasn’t bothered by whatever bothered everyone about the first season. Except the last episode, which was really really bad.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 15 May 2024 01:57 (one week ago) link
“No, REALLY.” https://gizmodo.com/lotr-rings-of-power-season-2-behind-the-scenes-trailer-1851482298
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 17 May 2024 01:44 (six days ago) link