Wel Assault freak, that's a very kind offer, but sinse if Cx2 is right about there being audio described copies available then that will be fine. also, much like Lorien's partner, my brother is highly adept at describing bits I need described, and I've watched all the films through with him (and that's the extended versions of course), several times.
appologies, but as I myself first read The silmarillion at age 12, in braille, I'm afraid I'm not overbearingly impressed Assault freak, -- lol! i actually really loved the language it was written in, not to mention finding out all the history, and I remember reading through the first volume (first of eight), in one evening, which took me past the birth of the Quendi I believe. I remember being rather amazed at just how old Galadriel really is!
As I've said, I think the lack of bog standard fantasy hack and slash violence is one of the strengths of the book, ----- though of course before Tolkeen, there hardly was! any standard fantasy (and in some ways, I wouldn't count Tolkeen as fantasy anyway).
I'm afraid I disagree with you on several points Lorien. While I did in fact like the fact that you saw a lot more of Arwen in the film, the hole character change for Elrond seemed incredibly odd.
His grand father on one side, and great grand father on the other were both men (which amusingly enough, makes him elrond five eighths elven!), and his brother was first king of Numenor (blasted Hal and Accents).
He also basically acted as Aragorn's father while Aragorn was growing up, which is how Aragorn and Arwen met.
Aragorn and Elrond are both fully aware of what Aragorn is going to do as far as becoming king goes, so there's no forbidding involved.
the main point of Lotr for me was always about the hobbits. compitant Aragorn was just a necessary foyle for the various hobbits, and also tolkeen's litle nod in the direction of traditional legends, ---- such as the tales of King Arthur, where there's always a long lost prince somewhere.
the Anxt for Aragorn in the film really got on my nerves to be honest, sinse it transformed him totally, and just made him the fairly standardized hollywood anxt-wridden hero we always seem to get in films these days, ----- whatever happened to Luke Skywalker!
Please don't make a mistake, I did really enjoy the films. the way they showed the journey, and the charactorization of people like Saruman and Gandalf was just fantastic. I just rather wish they hadn't fallen slightly into hollywood cliches in certain parts.
for some highly good articals on the Lotr films, and the differences betwene films and books (some significant, some just vaguely interesting), see The encyclopedia of Arda Which also happens to be my favourite tolkeen site as well!
The game menue thing sounds good Cx2, I particularly like the litle touch of the storm trooper giving you that sort of warning.
Oh, and Lorien, it is not in the least sad to observe computer games, it's something I've done for years. Games I've seen played through from end to end (often with helpful reading), include final fantasy 7 and 8, Xenogears, (which has actually changed my life in several ways), Secret of Mana, the first two Resident Evil games, ----- and the list runneth on!
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)