Spirit of the River

When I first heard of Sherlock (kind of when I learned more about Martin Freeman due to my interest in the Hobbit), I never thought I would turn into someone who actually likes the series. At some stage this year, I had the chance to watch episode 1 of season 3. I only watched a few minutes, and then gave up on it. It seemed like the kind of series where you needed to watch everything right from the start to understand everything. I just didn't have the motivation - and simply didn't want to spend money on it (and I also don't do illegal downloads). A few weeks ago, however, when I volunteered in an organic garden, I was accommodated in a static caravan, and the DVD collection included season 1 and 2 of Sherlock. One evening, I thought I might as well give it a real chance. After all, Smaug and Bilbo were the main characters! I enjoyed the episodes more than I expected, and was disappointed that they didn't have season 3 in their DVD collection. So a few days ago...

“Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.” - J.R.R. Tolkien on his critics J.R.R. Tolkien is the writer and linguistic who inspired me since I was a teenager, he's been part of my life for more or less 18 years. I always enjoy reading " The Hobbit " and " Lord of the Rings " and try to read at least one of his books each year. I also enjoyed a lot of his other works, including his more linguistic and historic works. In this post, I would like to share some of my favourite Tolkien quotes with you - and many of you will be able to guess who said what! J.R.R. Tolkien All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be w...

My Hobbit holiday After following the progress of the making of the movie (by watching the production videos, reading interviews and articles), I was very eager to finally be able to watch the movie. I had planned a little holiday just for this purpose (and I needed time off anyway). I went to Auckland for three nights and had planned to watch the Hobbit at least twice: once in normal 3D and once in HFR 3D – to see the difference. A lot has been written about the content of the movies. Critics were quite critical and wrote lukewarm reviews. Of which I didn't really read any, because what do I care? I wanted to see Ian McKellen as Gandalf again and nothing a critic would write would have been able to stop me. I was looking forward to the experience and I have to say that I was not disappointed. I ended up watching the movie three times, twice in HFR and once in normal 3D on an IMAX screen. Normal 3D vs. HFR 3D So, did I notice a difference between the two for...