Category Archives: Literature

The Hunt for Gollum Independent Film

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Our friends over at film-book.com introduced me to a independent fan made trailer several weeks ago based on the characters from the epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. With a shoestring budget of just over three thousand pounds, The Hunt for Gollum is actually a pretty impressive feature. With its humble beginnings starting in 2007, the film was officially released online on May 3rd, 2009 and can be exclusively found online courtesy of Daily Motion. Be sure to check it out!

The Films Disclaimer
The Hunt For Gollum is a non-profit film being made for private use, and is not intended for sales of any sort. No money is being made from this film, and no one was paid to make it. It is in no way affiliated with, or sponsored or approved, by Tolkien Enterprises, the heirs or estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. or any of their respective affiliates or licensees. The content is for the private use of the downloader and should not be sold, rented, or used for any commercial enterprise in any way, shape, or form. We make no claim to any characters, storylines, prop designs, names, logos or situations that are trademarked, copyrighted or otherwise protected by federal, state, international or other intellectual property law. This work is produced solely for the personal, uncompensated enjoyment of ourselves and other Tolkien fans.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

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Prince CaspianAfter the announcement was made that Walt Disney Pictures had decided to continue The Chronicles of Narnia series, I thought it be in my best interests to refresh my memory by re-reading the 2nd book in the saga entitled Prince Caspian. I haven’t read the Chronicles since my adolescence, so this refresher was actually very helpful in my recollection of what exactly happened in book two.

The story of Prince Caspian begins at a railroad station with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy preparing to leave for another year of boarding school. During their wait at the station, something magical happens and they find themselves wisped back into the enchanted kingdom of Narnia.

Although it has been only a year since returning to the world of men, the foursome begin to realize that many changes have occurred in their short absence from the Land of Narnia. As their adventure continues, they discover that their return was not a mere coincidence. The Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve had been summoned by a greater force to help save the enchanted kingdom from evil and utter ruin.

The actual literary work written by C.S. Lewis is really short. With just a little over two hundred pages in length, an experienced reader can finish this book in a single sitting during their spare time on a weekend of before going to bed.

I personally enjoyed re-reading the book primarily because it brought back many nostalgic moments for me and it was one of the first books that actually made me an avid reader of fictional stories.

Due to its short length, I’d highly recommend that you read the book before watching the film. The books are almost always better than the movie, and The Chronicles are so good you can’t afford to ruin it with the chance that Disney might release a poor theatrical version of the story. Although I did enjoy The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe in theaters, the book was much more fulfilling when I read it for the very first time. I am really hoping that Disney continues to stay true to the storyline and continues to wow its audiences like the book did for me the first time I picked it up.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

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spiderwickI typically like to preview the books in my classroom before I place them on my library shelves for students to read. So during my free time at work (lunch and teachers prep), I read through the entire Spiderwick Chronicles written by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.

The Chronicles are divided into five well crafted books. The Field Guide, The Seeing Stone, Lucinda’s Secret, The Ironwood Tree, and the Wrath of Mulgarath.

The first book, The Field Guide, introduces the the Grace children. They consist of two twin brothers and their sister who move into their aunt’s old estate and quickly find themselves caught up in an adventure filled with faeries and other strange creatures. In Book 2, The Seeing Stone, the story picks up the pace a little more as the three young children begin to learn the rules about their newly discovered world.

By book 3, Lucinda’s Secret, the kids are diving deeper into the history of the estate and their family, know that faeries are real, and find that many of these strange creatures are not as charming and well-mannered as portrayed in popular fairy tale stories. Book 4 becomes personal. A family member is kidnapped by several of the estate’s resident creatures and a rescue mission is in order. This sets up this series for the grand finale with a satisfying conclusion in the Wrath of Mulgarath.

Overall, this was a very entertaining children’s series. The story is creepy enough to keep a child interested, yet safe enough where children won’t have any sort of nightmares at bedtime. The plot and storyline had nice appeal to it, and the progression of the the story was continuous and did not drag at all. Children of all ages will love these books and I would recommend this to anyone with kids to pick up this series for a great bedtime adventure.

I’ve also found out recently that The Spiderwick Chronicles will be hitting the big screen sometime in 2008. So this will definitely be great books to read before watching the film with your kids!