January Sweeps - Day 352

Today is a holiday, and I chose to spend it (or some of it, at least) editing, sitting around, watching "30 Rock" (okay, one episode), and eating (okay, I spent a lot of yesterday eating too.  Food is good).

It's not that I deserved a day off (and I spent a few hours at the end of it working), but I took it, and didn't much concern myself with responsibilities.

I watched TOLKIEN, the 2019 Biopic about JRR Tolkien's youth.  It was . . . well, I don't want to say it was bad, but . . . it was head-scratching, puzzling.  It deals with his childhood and young adulthood, bookended by him in the trenches of the first World War.  But, is that why anybody would want to watch a movie about the man?

I enjoyed THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS, about Charles Dickens eventually writing "A Christmas Carol."  And I am the world's biggest fan of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, which details (fictionally and brilliantly) his writing of "Romeo & Juliet."  There are other Biopics I've enjoyed too, about famous people (remember that one where Johnny Depp was inspired to write Peter Pan by Kate Winslet's family?).  But among them all, I have never seen a single one that's not about what made their subject famous.*

It just doesn't make any sense.  WHY do we revere JRR Tolkien?  Because he was an orphan, right?  Or a friend to other boys?  Or a romantic who fell in love with a nice girl and won her heart?  Or a soldier?  Yes, that must be it.  Oh, it's because he really enjoyed languages, and made up his own.  That must be the reason.  Not anything else, that's for sure.

Wha's that you say?  He was a writer?  He wrote a book that would go on to inspire that cool "The Greatest Adventure is what lies ahead" song?  He created the most influential books in the history of the Fantasy genre?  Well, that must have been covered in TOLKIEN 2, because it's not here.  In fact, he sits down to write "Once in a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit" in the last fourteen seconds of the movie, then it fades to black.

Then, of course, text comes up to tell what happened with his book, and his children, and his life, his death, and the book of poetry his dead friend wrote.  No mention of "The Lord of the Rings" whatsoever.  I . . . I just don't get it. 

 

This poster is much more accurate than the U.S. and British ones.

I could come up with a better comparison, but let's say there was a biopic made of the musician Sting, all about his childhood in Newcastle and his struggles with his father and schooling, and him enjoying music with some pretty girl, and then, at the end of the movie, he says, "I'm going to start a band," and a friend of his says, "Ah, I know a bloke named Summers that's looking to start a band too."  And Sting says, "Is he any good?" and it fades to black.

Now, that's an oversimplification--TOLKIEN at least shows glimpses of what inspired him during the war to create Sauron and magic rings and a Balrog of Morgoth, but it honestly feels like the first half of a miniseries about the man, and all the writing and publishing struggles and fame and influence are coming in the second episode . . . which never comes.  I guess wrong-headed is the word I'd choose to describe it.

It was not a badly-made or -acted film, but it was immensely frustrating.  And just as bad (?), it was super forgettable.

Sit-ups Today: 100
Sit-ups In January: 2064

Push-ups Today: 50
Push-ups In January: 1563

My brother-in-law was watching football yesterday, and I discovered that they get completely different "Jake from State Farm" ads than I'm used to seeing.  You see, his are about buff black guys having a good time with Jake, and cool, manly white guys sharing a laugh with Jake.  When I watch "30 Rock," I see the one about the pierced, tattooed lesbian stacking up raw meat for Jake, or the dorky, mouth-breathing beekeeper offering honeycombs to Jake.  I guess that's the difference in target audience, isn't it?

You got Jaked.

Bet you football-watching a-holes never get to see the Taylor Swift "Cardigan" Capital One commercial, though.

Anyway, I guess that's it for today.  I hope yours was a good one.

Words Today: 260
Words In January: 12,205

*Seems like I saw parts of a movie many years ago about the childhood of Jesus Christ, Him playing with other kids, studying with the Rabbis, bringing dead animals back to life, being inspired by his saintly mother, trying out for Little League, helping Joseph in his carpentry shop.  I guess that's the closest I can think of, but that was an interesting experiment, with a built-in audience that probably wouldn't be disappointed they didn't get to see the three documented years of Christ's life.  Not like this.  Not . . . like . . . this.