Synchronized Viewing

Tonight -- yesterday, technically -- I had a great time watching the extended edition of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which was only screening once at selected theaters around the country. I've already seen that installment many, many times: three times in the movie theater during its first run; once more in the movie theater, this time in the extended edition, preparatory to the third installment's premiere; and over and over on DVD, since my daughter Skylar was too young to see it on the big screen but was fascinated by the picture at that age when repetitive consumption was her default mode.

The best part this time around was that she had reached an age when seeing such a lengthy and intense epic in the movie theater was feasible. So while I was situated at the El Con here in Tucson, she and her mom were watching it at exactly the same time at the Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego. Interestingly, my theater was 85% full by the end -- some folks came a little late -- while theirs was mostly empty. I guess that's further proof that Tucson is not only a better book town than the much larger San Diego, but a better movie town as well. Then again, we don't have an ocean.

After the screening, I talked with Skylar while her mom drove her back to the motel in Encinitas where they are staying on their mother-daughter vacation. Skylar was bursting with excitement and also very happy to talk with me in particular, which boosted my spirits. But I was already feeling much better after watching the film, which continues to inspire me. I love war movies that let me root for the underdog. Mind you, I recognize that my response is no more valid than that of the people who interpreted it as a post-9/11 call to arms for the West. Both the books and the films provide plenty of fodder for conservative viewpoints. Yet that doesn't stop me from perceiving the trilogy as a repudiation of imperialism, whether German, Russian, Chinese or American.

What struck me most in this viewing was how much care Peter Jackson and his crew put into depicting the ruins of a failed empire, whether in the north -- Amon Sul -- or south -- the area near the falls of Rauros, I love the way these settings work visually, but they also provide a consistent reminder that control is fleeting. Even the elves in Middle Earth, though they have the potential for immortality, had to learn to scale back their ambitions in the service of the good. I realize that Aragorn must learn to accept his role as Isildur's heir and become who he was born to be, but the fact that he only does so reluctantly and from a place of humility sets him apart from those who desire to dominate others.

The changes to the extended edition of The Fellowship of the Ring may be subtle, but they greatly enhance the experience of the film. First and foremost, a lot of the material that was cut for the original theatrical release is of a humorous nature, the sort that may not advance the plot but provides important leavening. There's a lot more Elvish, which is a huge bonus for folks like me and Skylar -- she wrote two Elvish poems in study hall this spring -- who love the linguistic angle to Tolkien's creation. And the character of Boromir, so crucial for the first film's climax, is fleshed out a lot better. Finally, there's even more of the tremendous scenery that made New Zealand a hot destination in the wake of the trilogy.

For Those Who Care a Lot

One of the things I was doing during the time I was mostly absent from Live Journal was trying to get a new publication off the ground. I kept putting off making an announcement here until the kinks were ironed out, but have come to realize that, just as the protagonists of The Cat in the Hat Comes Back find that removing a spot from one place merely displaces it to another, no amount of steam seems capable of making the site lie completely flat.

So here, creases and all, is my declaration that Souciant is live and in need of readers. I'll say more in a later entry about the editorial philosophy, which began with ideas I had for running counter to the diminishing attention spans of the Facebook era, but for now will direct your attention to today's lead article, in which my longtime friend and collaborator Steven Rubio from Bad Subjects: Political Education For Everyday Life -- he comments here as masoo -- considers the fate of personal blogging from a similar angle.

It's an honor to have Steven join Souciant's list of contributors, as it would be to have my Live Journal friends follow in his footsteps. Please do check out the site to let me know what you think. And stay tuned for further announcements, including posts in which I link to my own pieces there.