Expected more

An Exercise In Nonsense

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

...although I understand that approach entirely, "Ringers: LotF" doesn't quite reach Mount Doom to fulfill its quest. From the looks of its IMDb entry, though, it appears that many people felt the same way, despite the other blurbs you'll find here. Perhaps this is just the result of poor theatrical and video distribution, or a general waning of interest in the subject in the several years after Jackson's film trilogy swept box offices worldwide; I don't know. What I do know is that I wish this doc had been better, more willing to probe, more interested in detail and thoughtful commentary. Director Carlene "This was my calling card" Cardova and writer/director Cliff "Yeah, me, too" Broadway are obviously devotees of Tolkien and his masterwork, but in their eagerness to cover as many bases as they can, they end up with a somewhat shallow final product, or so it felt to me.In its attempt to marry the whimsical with the serious, "Ringers: LotF" somehow cheapens the widespread influence Tolkien's fantasy epic had when it was "rediscovered" in the Flower Power 60s; Monty Python-esque cartoons and bogus recreations of hippie "read-ins" just don't cut the mustard, no matter how many straightforward interview snippets with counterculture spokespersons like David "Kung-Fu" Carradine or literary mavens like Peter S. "The Last Unicorn" Beagle are shoveled into the mix. It feels like Cardova/Broadway were a little too worried about minimizing the geek factor in their peek at Tolkien fandom; their apparent desire to distance their film from *Trekkie-ness* gives the film a certain desperate veneer, as if they're somewhat embarrassed by the underlying obsessiveness of the legions of new fans spawned by the Jackson films.This is not to say "Ringers: LotF" is without merit. It does possess many charms. It's worth a watch, primarily by the legions of faithful. It seems a shame, though, that so few of those legions have bothered so far.

Finally! A high-spirited and really fun movie about us! My friends and I have waited so long for such a fun and totally respectful film to tell the whole story of how Tolkien has touched the world! And RINGERS delivers on every count. You've got everything here that Tolkien purists would want and plenty of what the newer generation movie-fans want (i.e., very thoughtful hobbity actors Elijah, Sean, Dom, and Billy waxing poetic about the phenomenon they themselves took part in -- and Viggo is singularly intelligent here too). This is a movie about the POWER OF BOOKS to change the landscape of world culture, especially the power of Tolkien's achievement. But there's so much rock music too -- so yeah I'll go ahead and say it: "RINGERS Rocks!"Many revealing bits of this RINGERS movie surprised me. Who knew that John Lennon was so driven to play Gollum that he and the Beatles were calling up Stanley Kubrick asking him to direct??? And who knew that there was once a Gandalf dial-up modem? Or that so many children with reading/literacy problems have picked up a book like Lord Of The Rings trying to get closer to understanding the world of Middle-earth? Thank God for Hobbits and Harry Potter -- at least kids are reading again! There are some sly, witty animated bits as an homage to Terry Gilliam where Tolkien's worst critics are given a wacky send-up in their East Coast Ivory Tower ("A Place of Great Snobbery") **grin** and the funniest thing I think is the razor sharp Mariachi "Sing Along" that makes fun of bad LOTR merchandising! What an inspired goofy idea --- my family and many close friends watched RINGERS over here Thanksgiving weekend and had to pause the DVD several times with gales of laughter at the sing-along! I watched this docu and kept thinking: "so that's how long we've been fans!" Ah, nostalgia for the American counterculture! :)I understand why Dominic Monaghan wanted to narrate this film, and work with these filmmakers here. His dad loved LOTR more than anything, and had his children reading it early on..... and so Dom now shows his gratitude to the generation before him. He honors his father greatly. And RUSH lead singer Geddy Lee loves this project so much he gave the filmmakers one of RUSH's greatest songs "The Spirit of Radio" for free, just to support RINGERS. This film has generated so much good faith among all Tolkien fans, and deserves their support (dare I say they will love it). And any movie that can have both extremes of the spectrum of "fandom" --- between an erudite, cigar chewing Clive Barker speaking with a twinkle in his eyes about the "mythological weight" that modern audiences are starving for, right on down to the awe struck honeymooners who enjoy a remarkable pilgrimage to discover the "real Middle-earth" down in New Zealand --- well, this kind of comprehensive reach makes RINGERS very cool. You get a wide perspective of world fandom from RINGERS -- and it's so playful, with these cheesy college dorm rooms that keep changing each decade (low rent, tongue-in-cheek funny!) -- it's like a big TIME CAPSULE of pop culture over the years. This is not a serious-minded exploration of Fans' psychological obsession. Thank God RINGERS does not exploit the fan-base in any way (that's treason you know ---- to profile your interviewees as basket cases, and then cash in by making them look like laughable freaks as Trekkies once did). For fifty years' worth of Ringer fans, this documentary is a godsend that does nothing but celebrate the best aspects of Tolkien's masterwork. I thoroughly believe the words from the Amazon.com Editorial critic Jeff Shannon who said: "Unfailingly noble in spirit and delightfully comprehensive, RINGERS is a collector's gift that can proudly stand alongside Tolkien's books and Jackson's timeless movie trilogy." Well said! GO RINGERS!

If you've enjoyed Lord of the Rings, you'll enjoy this look at the history of LOTR and the development of LOTR fandom. Yeah, there's a bit much focus on the folks in costume and the people who'd spend days in line to be "first" in the theater to see a movie. But there were good interviews with both random people and unexpected fans (like David Carradine and Cameron Crowe). The photography is very nicely done. There are also clever reenactments throughout. The documentary suffers a bit in the editing; some of the transitions are quite abrupt. There was also an odd contention that public appreciation of Lord of the Rings pretty much died after the infamous cartoons of the late '70s. Still, it's a fine documentary on one of the more enjoyable pop culture phenomenons of recent times.

I feel very fortunate to have seen the award winning "Ringers: Lord of the Fans" at the USA Film Festival this past Thursday. I was impressed with the amazing job they have done in making a movie that is equally appealing to die-hard fans of any generation and those only casually acquainted with Tolkien's works. The movie introduces us to the early history of Tolkien and his novels in a clever Monty Pythonesque manner. Ringer's wry, tongue-in-cheek humor had the audience erupting in fits of laughter only moments into the movie which continued all the way through to the final credits. It becomes apparent early on that the film, while very earnest about it's subject, does not take itself too seriously. The film handled the subject matter very reverently, never poking fun of the fans (or fanatics as some might think of them) but instead provided a window of opportunity for them to share their love of these timeless stories with the rest of the world. It's obvious that the film makes are, themselves, Ringers.The movie spans nearly a half-century of fandom, from the flower-empowered sixties, the groovy seventies, the radical eighties, the age of the internet in the late nineties and finally the phenomenal rebirth of interest in the LoTR world that Peter Jackson and his multi-talented crew can be credited with. It examines more than just the fans and their costumes, but the entire pop-culture that Middle Earth has inspired in several generations across the globe. Musicians such as Rush front-man Geddy Lee and Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmeister discussed how the philosophy of Middle Earth inspired musicians of the past decades (as demonstrated, in part, by one very psychedelic Leonard Nemoy and the oddest "hobbits" you've ever seen.). It was also nice to hear popular modern fantasy authors Terry Brooks and Terry Pratchett respectfully acknowledge Tolkien's considerable influence as the father of modern fantasy.The interviews with fans, both in and out of costume are the true highlight of the movie, though. From the Klingon-fan spouting praises of Sauron to the 'average Joe,' each person has a reason for loving the concept of Middle Earth. Perhaps one of my favorite segments occurred during the credits, when one young man's enthusiasm for all things "Lord of the Rings" will leave you rolling on the floor with laughter. I hope that they issue a release date soon, because I know this is one movie that I will see again and again. Perhaps the only negative thing one could say about Ringers is that it was much too short. Let's hope their affiliation with PJ has instilled a healthy respect for the DVD loaded with extras, because I, for one, want more Ringers!!!!