The Tolkien Revival

I am so excited that work on the the "Lord of the Rings" prequel, "The Hobbit" is underway! I have been a longtime Tolkien fan and I will always be thankful to an old girlfriend of mine who introduced me to two things: the music of the Doors and Tolkien! The appreciation for his masterful works of fantasy fiction is at a fever pitch and I think it is well-deserved. I must also recommend, through my endless quest for more material to watch on youtube, two fantastic fan made films: "The Hunt for Gollum" and "Born of Hope" which tells the story straight from the appendices of the book LOTR of Aragorn's father and mother's struggle to keep their world from becoming extinct from Sauron's growing power. Also, "Hunt for Gollum" is from the appendices as well so these are Professor Tolkien's own extensions of the classic story of the One Ring. Both films are excellent for different reasons and they prove that one does NOT need an over-inflated Hollywood budget with big stars to make a high quality movie; they were made on shoestring budgets but the beauty is that one could not really tell even with close scrutiny. "The Hunt for Gollum", directed by Chris Bouchard is very Peter Jackson-like in the direction and feel of the movie whereas "Born of Hope" directed by the talented and lovely Kate Madison, who also produced and co-starred in the movie, has a different mood but well worth watching because it acts as a natural extension to the world of Middle Earth.So for all of those revelling in the Tolkien revival like I am, go to youtube and check out these gems; you won't regret it! BKT

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