Yeah, in fact, I think the fact that the first film was released when 9/11 was still fresh in people's minds was a big factor in it's success. Gandalf's words of wisdom to Frodo in Moria is perhaps the strongest part of the film that fits in with the mindset of the time. I still tear up at that scene, makes me feel…

*high fives back* I know how it is being from a small town and seeing something as beautifully realized as those movies. Really quite liberating for the mind.

Most people I know prefer the extended cuts, and so do I. *shrug* Different strokes.

There were dark fantasy novels before the films as well, so I think it's meant that in a visual sense. As in, the look of the film has a lived-in and serious tone to it.

More and more, I just feel like arguing with certain people on the internet is just a waste of brain energy. However, reading them can be an enlightening experience and push me to be the better person.

I guess that's the double-edged sword. Look at the people complaining about the length of the movies. There'd be even more bitching if they were longer.

Most of Jackson's early stuff is VERY R-rated.

Agreed. Some people are just waaaaaaaaaaay too ADD anymore. LotR, and, I'm expecting, the Hobbit, are meant to be immersive experiences different than the typical movie.

Indeed, it's not fair to compare his writing style to more modern styles of prose. He was a master linguist and mythologist and that's important to keep in mind when reading.

It was 2001, I was about 16 years old. I remember going to a midnight showing. And I was absolutely stunned by what I saw. I couldn't stop thinking about the film for several days. I've never seen anything like it. It affected me emotionally. This scene in particular still makes me tear up in a good way. I think a…

There's alot of aesthetics from the 90s that I really like. The obsession with teal/aquamarine, though, was almost as embarrassing as the 70s obsession with Harvest Gold and Puke Green.

Well, yeah. Qilin/Kirin are common mythological creatures throughout east Asia. It's even called Kirin in Korea as well.

Maybe it's some kind of coral *shrug*

Maybe they just found a stash of some Japanese contraband.

Heh, I was being generic. Perhaps best to just call it the "cheap-looking off-greenish-bluish" spectrum. Here's something towards the bluish end of that spectrum.

Reminds me of the ubiquitous teal color nearly every single car had in the 90s.

I'm fairly certain that's how Snoop dresses every day around 4:20.

You sure that is a Tanuki? There's a distinct lack of a giant scrotum.

And the last time I saw Tintin anything in the US before the movie was the cartoon that was briefly on Nickelodeon in the early-to-mid 90s.

He was also on Colbert last night, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of Tolkien's mythos and beat Peter Jackson in a Tolkien trivia contest when he visited the set.