vivdunstan

I started watching this film while Martin was away, and only finished it the other night.

I enjoyed it, but it felt like too little story over stretched. It tells the life of young Tolkien, from young boy, through school and university, experiences in the Great War, and a little after. It just felt too much like a series of vignettes, with things often under-explored that could have merited further depth.

A particular strength was in the portrayal of Tolkien's closest group of school friends, and their TCBS or "Tea Club and Barrovian Society". This carries through to their war experiences, and was very moving in places. I was also impressed by the actors playing the younger versions, including a young Ty Tennant.

The romance between Tolkien and Edith is well acted by both - I was especially impressed by Lily Collins - but again it felt sketched in too faintly. And then set aside for a long period.

The guest cast is strong. I was particularly delighted to see Derek Jacobi pop up as a key university lecturer in Tolkien's story. Though again he was underused, and this story not explored sufficiently for me.

A lot of the emotional heft was in the war and its consequences, but I found the war scenes overlong, especially the frequent more artistically slow motion versions, which were clearly trying to draw analogies with later characters and scenes in Tolkien's own books. I suppose I just wasn't engaging in the way the film makers hoped the audience would. But these scenes for me padded what was already a too underdeveloped story.

This sounds really critical reading it back! I did like a lot. But it was I suppose ultimately disappointing for me. Too little, stretched too far. I can't comment on the historical accuracy, and gather from prior reading that the film takes a lot of liberties. That doesn't trouble me so much as poor writing, pacing and in places directing, that even a strong cast couldn't lift.

Rating 2.5/5. I don't usually go for half scores, but 2/5 would be too low for me, and 3/5 too high!

This is a children's book, first published in 1992. Though I'd read most Terry Pratchett books - including all the Discworld ones - this series of three books is new to me. The main character is a young school boy, Johnny Maxwell. Who in this first book gets caught up in a computer video game crossing into the real world, and a desperate fight for survival. All set against the backdrop of the 1990/1991 Gulf War. Johnny has a gang of friends who help him to various degrees, and the book is a vivid insight into a school boy's life in the period, and computer gaming culture in Britain at this time. It's also a powerful anti war novel, and extremely contemporary to its time. There are also moments that struck me as familiar from now - one particular visual image is phenomenally reminiscent of the Covid era. Really good stuff, that I wish I had read long ago. And I will definitely read the sequels.

Briefly sitting up, and just played my 5th IFComp 2023 game. This one was written by someone in Russia, and is a powerful message against war in Ukraine, crafted in the form of a tale about a stuffed toy trying to save its little person. I had some critiques re the user interface, but it was a moving piece. The other person in the intfiction forum who's reviewed it so far also found it powerful.