A Unique Interpretation That Won't Work For Everyone
934753
The Great Gatsby is a novel that has famously failed to cross into other mediums. With this latest adaptation, by director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge), I was curious to see how Luhrmann's unique style would translate to this classic story. I entered the theater with a fair amount of trepidation, especially after the largely mixed reviews that I'd read. To my surprise, however, I really enjoyed this adaptation.

There were a couple of major alterations to the novel's original story, namely Nick's background and the events that take place after his time with Gatsby, but the film was mostly faithful to the novel. Many of the reviews argued against the director's style over substance approach, but I completely disagree with these claims. While there are moments of dazzling camera acrobatics and 3D effects, there are also many moments of quiet introspection. DiCaprio's Gatsby is probably the most sincere portrayal of this character that will ever appear on film. His interactions with both Maguire's Nick and Mulligan's Daisy seemed genuine, and I could really feel the soul of the man behind the facade he had made for himself.

This Unique interpretation will, no doubt, garner a variety of reactions amongst the faithful readers and casual moviegoers. In the end, it is probably impossible to perfectly translate the intentions of the novel into a film, but this one comes pretty close.
1831346
Aimard was highly regarded by Messiaen as a performer of his works; as such, it is understandable, if not predictable, that Aimard would would interpret the piano works of Debussy--a composer Messiaen practically worshiped--through the lens of Messiaen's complex tonal universe. While I find his interpretations overall successful, I find myself sometimes regretting the over-emphasis of tempo--while an absolute in Messiaen, fluidity of rhythm is a hallmark of Debussy's musical language. Poissons d'or sounds utterly rushed and its harmonies sound as if the performer were making a point of signalling their modernity to the listener. The etudes in particular suffer (or gain?) from this approach. Overall, one misses the properly symbolist or poetic element which makes Debussy so unique as a composer.
4645799
This movie is a great movie, BUT it is not easy to follow and understand, unless you have some previous knowledge about what it is actually about.

If you are expecting to see a movie with a superhero, with super power from another planet, or any Marvel styles movies, THIS IS NOT A MOVIE FOR YOU. Also, if you created an expectation or a pre-judgment based on the trailer. This is NOT a movie for you either.

This movie has a lot of metaphor, and scientific theories embedded in the story, which causes a lot of misunderstanding if you are no familiar with scientific theories, epistemology, foundationalism, and other basic concepts of reasoning.

Even if you do not have any background knowledge, it is very likely you will still understand the movie, if you do not bring any judgment over the movie itself, but try to gasp what are they really telling you, in other words, try to see beyond the action.

It is definitely an intellectual movie with great visual effects and great story.
2064842
The greatest benefit from reading this book is that it seeks to establish biblical eschatology within the context of the original authors/hearers.

The greatest challenge from reading this book is that it seeks to establish biblical eschatology within the context of the original authors/hearers.

What I mean to say here is that it would be fairly easy, I suppose, to assume that Perriman's eschatological reading is bound to the experiences of the first century Jewish Christians and nothing more.  In fact, some of the passing critiques I have heard about this book is just that - that everything for Perriman is dependent upon his preterist reading.  After working through the book I would argue against such a reading as failing to grasp the overall thesis of the work, while at the same time be willing to concede that some of Perriman's conclusions are not as clear as one might hope for (leaving some of his argument open to the criticisms).

The primary thesis of the book is found in the belief that New Testament eschatology, which is rooted in Second Temple Judaism, which told an important story about the coming of the Messiah, must be read in its original context in order to be understood.  This is key to understanding Jesus as an historical figure, and the only way in which we can properly understand the perspective of ancient Israel, the gospel accounts, or the early church.  In fact, most biblical scholars (who aren't fundy kooks or left behind idiots) would most likely agree that any text in Scripture cannot mean for us today that which it could not mean for the original audience (although, it might be able to mean more).  If we agree with this, then we are off and running to understand Perriman's work.

Thus, the book moves through some of the Old Testament background - beginning specifically with the Daniel narrative - and then through Jesus' teaching and activity in the Gospels, and then through the rest of the New Testament.  I'll not belabor the chapter-by-chapter argument which he provides.  In reading the material found in the Gospels Perriman draws back the reigns of the many wild assertions which fill Jesus' words throughout the Olivet Discourse (et. al.) into a first-century Jewish-Christian context.  In other words, he blocks the reader from simply reading the end-times scenario here as something which applies only to Western Christians living in the 21st century and returns to a reading which understands that Jesus was addressing first century Jews living in Roman occupied Jerusalem while waiting for God's Messiah.

A more accurate reading of the New Testament is found here: "But we should not lose sight of the fact that salvation is the response of God to a particular set of circumstances" (227).  This is absolutely true.  In fact, the entire Jewish faith is built upon this concept (i.e., Passover, the exodus event, many psalms. . .).  Only when we understand the timely nature of the message can we understand the timelessness of its truth.  We cannot apply a message into a contemporary situation if we never understood it in its original context.

At the end of the day, this is a good reading of New Testament eschatology.  In fact, it does more justice to the biblical text than many other competing voices.  I do not leave it without some of my own questions and contentions of how he handles specific points here and there, but these amount to minor quibbles in view of the strong contribution which Perriman has made to the field of work here.  This is highly recommended.

[grasshoppersdreaming.blogspot.com]
4169404
Before I assert some personal views, let me try and isolate the thesis and aims of the book.  As the title implies, Pearcey wants other Christians to see the entire world in terms of their faith.  Christianity is not merely a private faith between an individual and God, but a system that explains the goings-on of everything around us.  How we act, feel, and believe should all remain consistent with our personal worldview.

  To that end, I am in agreement with the thesis that Pearcey establishes:  that Christianity is a total life, not merely a set of presupposed ideas.

  Many of her arguments are strong not because they challenge the worldviews' direct truth claims, but pushes some of these initial presuppositions to their conclusion.  This is just good logic.  Some examples:

-The Darwinian worldview, or most of its modern offshoots, cannot justify a demarcation between man and beast.  That is an implication of its truth claims.

-If science is grounded on facts completely removed from philosophical bias, then it is a practice that itself establishes immutable truths (The section on 'realism').  Many Pearcey critics, ironically enough, are devout opponents who criticize her for asserting that human knowledge claims can be identified as immutable.  Simply put, people only want to accept the moral implications of relativism, not the epistemological ones that would generate skepticism toward the worldview in which they themselves are entrenched.

-If you reject the fallen nature of humanity, it seems harder to rationalize a higher anthropology in the scope of moral evil.

 Pearcey tackles many other philosophical conundrums in the world of Christianity.  I would encourage those who wrote negative reviews to at least check the way she implemented her research and related her thesis to the suggested additional readings, some of which were written by folks who wave their banner in another ideological camp.  I think they are being unfair to her, even if some criticisms ring true.

  In addition, some peoples' responses to Pearcey is unfair and even plain old mean.  She offers some autobiographical content, and some critics have chalked up her very faith as a drug-driven delusion.  Others have assaulted her intelligence, and some have assaulted scholarship that I'm fairly confident that they are not actually familiar with, as is Pearcey.  So please check the bibliography, which reveals a level of commitment to research that I find astounding.

  The book is also a very unique one, with content ranging from history to apologetics, integrating Pearcey's personal experiences with her understanding of philosophy.  On the basis that this book is a gifted blending on the author's part of thorough research and the happenings of everyday life, I would highly recommend "Total Truth."
4462421
This movie has a lot of deep symbolism in my opinion and needs to be watched closely to full appreciate. However, at the end of the day the movie feels "easy" and shallow. I don't really know why, its hard to explain. I think that the movie could have been better and leaves too much to the imagination. The movie keeps certain important aspects sort of unknown and a mystery. The characters are interesting and funny. The movie is very romanticized and so is the plot. Its a very interesting movie and its very unique.
All in all, the movie is worth watching. I think that some people will love it and some people will hate. Its a very polarizing movie like that. I wish it was less mysterious and was more clear on certain aspects.
4179212
Beethoven's Ninth: A Political History is a rare book in considering both the sources of political myths and their expressions . . . from the perspective of one part of the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, that work of classic genius, The Ode to Joy.
Everyone has their own associations for Beethoven's Ninth.  For most people, these associations are positive . . . such as remembering a wonderful concert.  For others, the connections are more sinister . . . such as those who remember The Ode to Joy as Rhodesia's anthem, Hitler's use of the music for the Third Reich (including encouragement of playing the music in concentration camps), and the disturbing scene in "A Clockwork Orange."
Unless you know German, however, the music is mostly sound.  What do those words say?  Did you know that they are based on Schiller's poem in which the ideal is expressed that "All men will become brothers"?  In that context, the work takes on a whole new dimension.  Also, its use by tyrants and those who do not favor brotherhood becomes much more egregious as an inappropriate thing to do.
Basically, the work is so appealing to people that they want to use it . . . without necessarily honoring its meaning.
For many decades, many people have falsely claimed that Schiller meant the work to be an Ode to Freedom rather than Joy.  Although there's no basis for that claim, the desire to turn this work to that theme caused Leonard Bernstein to change the wording in that way in his concerts to celebrate the demolition of the Berlin Wall.  So even the nontyrants are tempted to misappropriate the message.
This book does more than recount those appropriations and misappropriations.  You will also learn about the rise of national anthems in Europe, the building of Beethoven's myth, and how The Ode to Joy has become the anthem of the united Europe that is emerging today.
As a side note, I was pleased to see that the words for the national anthems were so carefully developed in the text and connected to the prevailing political themes.  I found much improved understanding of these works by seeing their words in the same book in English.
If you are a fan of those who criticize pomposity and ignorance by quoting them at length, then you will have a lot of fun with this book by seeing how many people have made fatuous statements about Beethoven and The Ode to Joy.
How could the book have been better?  I would have liked a little more about the music itself.  It's a shame that there's not an audio version that could include snatches of the music.  As it is, the book is filled with scores and lyrics, so if you can read music (and hum along) you can almost provide your own accompaniment.
After you finish this book, I encourage you to share The Ode to Joy (along with the words) with someone who does not know the music.  And then explain what the music and the words mean to you.  In that way, we can keep the true heritage of this remarkable music alive.
4843987
I read this book because I am writing a PhD dissertation on the Lord's Prayer.  As an evangelical Anglican, I was a bit apprehensive about reading a book by John Dominic Crossan. The experience was not as painful as I anticipated, and there were sections of the book that I really enjoyed.  But overall, my feelings are a bit ambivalent.

At the outset, Crossan explains, "I have been thinking about Jesus in his first-century Jewish and Roman matrix for about forty years. One obvious way to test my conclusions about him was to see how they compared with the Lord's Prayer itself."(p 7)  Thus, Crossan's interpretation of the Lord's Prayer is inextricably bound to his framing of the person of Jesus. This is not, therefore, a rigorously exegetical work. Rather, it a reflection on the message and ministry of Jesus as seen through the Lord's Prayer.

In Crossan's eyes, Jesus was a champion of distributive justice, restorative righteousness, and the rejection of violence in all forms. The Lord's Prayer is about upholding the honor of God. As the supreme Householder of Creation, his name and reputation are honored when we on earth choose to do his will and follow his ways; thus collaborating with him to establish his leadership on earth.  This is good stuff.

However, there are many ways in which Crossan's theology differs from orthodox doctrine. For example, in Crossan's eyes Jesus was (and is) not, the only way to God. Nor was his death a vicarious sacrifice for the sins of the world. (I must comment that in his defense of this latter point, Crossan's scholarship was surprisingly faulty. He suggests that our traditional doctrine of the Atonement was largely formulated by Anselm around the year 1098. I find it hard to believe that Crossan would be unfamiliar with "The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus" or Eusebius's "Oration in Praise of the Emperor Constantine". Both of these documents pre-date Anselm by centuries, and demonstrate that the doctrine of vicarious atonement was hardly a novelty when he wrote Cur Deus Homo.) It should not come as a surprise that Crossan's non-traditional perspective on Jesus colors his interpretation of the Lord's Prayer.  In some ways, the results are intriguing; in other ways, disappointing.

In conclusion, I would say that this book is worth reading.  Crossan is a renowned scholar, and love him or hate him, he cannot be ignored. Bear in mind that any claim to the effect that this book uncovers the hidden or revolutionary message of the Lord's Prayer is just marketing.  This is a portrayal of the Lord's Prayer which reflects this author's conceptualization of Jesus. It is thought provoking, and hopefully will stimulate the reader the reader to further investigate this wonderful prayer.
3901270
[note: this is a review of the poem generally, not this particular translation]

Beowulf is one of those Medieval works of literature that many have heard about but few have read. However, it's worth reading, if only to experience a story so different from modern sensibilities. The poem extols Beowulf's physical courage and bravery against monsters and dragons. It's an odd mix of early Christian and warrior ethos. Beowulf is not a modern hero. There's not much to recommend him to modern readers - he's boastful, relies on brawn not brains, and his search for glory ends up putting his kingdom at risk. Still, it's fascinating to read this type of story and realize how far away it is from our own times.

Because this is a translation of an Anglo-Saxon poem, it's worth saying a word about the text itself. It's readable, but isn't smooth reading for the uninitiated. I'd say this - if you don't like reading English-language poetry, you probably won't enjoy reading this poem. If you do make the effort, I'd recommend really making the effort. Go slow and make sure you understand the story. Don't skip over a few lines thinking they're not as relevant.
995840
As different readers will have their own private reasons for searching out a book that deals with biblical commentary, it is probably best to state up front my own reasons - this way, readers looking for substantially different results than what I had hoped for can then choose to find reviewers who better fit their needs.  In my case, I approached this translation and commentary purely from a secular standpoint; Genesis of course having had such and enormous influence on literature and culture that I thought a better grasp of the events and characters might help me to tease out parallels in more modern works.

I can't compare this version to any other recent translations - only to the parts of the King James' version I'd read before.  For my goals, there may have been any number of translations with commentary that would have worked, but I had read of this particular one in an essay by Cynthia Ozick several years ago, and based on her favorable opionion, it was the one I chose.  What I found was a very readable, densely notated, attractively formatted book that finally tied this entire narrative into a comprehensible whole for me.  Too often before, I had faltered at the KJ translation, and though I had probably heard and read Genesis piecemeal a hundred times over the years, I was still unclear on several points.

I can confidently say that Mr. Alter's version swept aside any confusion I may have had, and, incidentally, revealed a fascinating, powerful story.  In his introduction, Mr. Alter points out some of his philosophy behind translation, and the specific point I thought most interesting was his idea that many translations seek to interpret the text at the same time as translating it.  So, instead of seeking out a term that most closely approximates the Hebrew, some may choose a similar word or phrase which will (perhaps) make the point clearer to the intended audience rather than a literal substitution.  It was his stated intention to avoid this.

How well he succeeded is a question for others - I only know that I enjoyed the narrative much more than I expected.  With the copious amount of notes that accompany the text, it would seem that the author certainly had the opportunity to render a literal translation and still leave himself plenty of room for further explication.  On many pages, there are equal amount of text and accompanying notes.  This could be a problem for some readers if they find it a distraction; I overcame the issue by first reading the text portion of a chapter straight through, then flipping back to read the notes.  As each chapter is very short, this worked well for me.  I might suggest that those interested in the book take a quick peek at the look inside feature that Amazon provides in order to get a sense of the layout.

For the most part, I felt that the commentary was pertinent, though there were some notes I thought extraneous and some elements of the text that I would have liked to know more about.  But Mr. Alter's commentary is generally confined to either explanations of word choice or comments about cultural practices that are likely too obscure for modern readers.  His points do not veer in the direction of theology, or exegesis, or to comparative reading between the Old and New Testament.  In other words, regardless of its importance as a foundational text for major religions, the story here is treated more like a cultural document, which it is, among other things.  This treatment, above all, made it exactly the type of translation I was looking for.

My only nitpick here is that the text of GENESIS is also included in&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Five-Books-of-Moses-A-Translation-with-Commentary/dp/0393333930/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary</a>.  I can conceive of different reasons why some readers might want the first book only or together with the others - but had I been aware of the larger compilation, I would have purchased it instead.
2060966
The brilliance of The Ballad of the Sad Cafe lies in the fact that it teaches us how to identify ourselves.  The crux of the story seems to rest on what may be called an explicit explanation of the lover and the beloved.  It's a critical distinction that most do not make; and may well explain why so many human relationships fail. McCullers writes:
"First of all, love is a joint experience between two persons--but the fact that it is a joint experience does not mean that it is a similar experience to the two people involved.  There are the lover and the beloved, but these two come from different countries."
The author asserts that the beloved is only a stimulus for the stored-up love of the lover.  She then goes on to say that the beloved can be of any description.  "The most outlandish people can be the stimulus for love."  The preacher and the fallen woman. The greasy-headed person with evil habits.  "In fact, the most mediocre person can be the object of a love which is wild, extravagant, and beautiful as the poison lilies of the swamp." McCullers concludes this passage by saying: "Therefore, the value and quality of any love is determined solely by the lover himself." This is a significant point worthy of a lifetime of memory.
As The Ballad of the Sad Cafe unfolds the reader watches the characters' roles transfer from the lover to the beloved.  Marvin Macy (the lover) seeks the affections of Amelia Evans (the beloved).  But Amelia rejects Macy.  Then Amelia (the lover) becomes enamored with Cousin Lymon (the beloved); and then Cousin Lymon, the lover with the hunchback) seeks the attention of Marvin Macy (the beloved).
In the end, Marvin and Cousin Lymon destroy Amelia--physically, mentally, and spiritually.  For her, lost love has been a terribly destructive force.  She is never the same.
What is clear is that as humans we are often out of character in our relationships.  Who are we: the lover or the beloved?  Without this understanding our relationships are doomed to fail.  This may not have been McCullers' deliberate intent in the work, but it certainly is a distinction well worth making and remembering.
464951
You'll really have to adjust your approach to and expectations for reading when you take up this book.  It's not intended to answer your questions or give you a history of Celtic culture.  It's really more of a prose poem, meant to support reflection and even meditation.  It's postmodern in the sense that it centers on the concept of our deepest desires, but I wouldn't call it New Age as some other reviewers have.  Just because something makes connections between traditions from various cultures and times doesn't make it New Age.  If you let yourself share in O'Donohue's sense of wonder that similar wisdom arose in places removed from each other in space and time, you will discover the heart of the book.
2484876
A difference in culture made somethings a bit odd
60511
I really wanted to give this Bible two separate ratings -- 5 for fascinating innovations in how the text is phrased and presented, that make it more accessible to a modern audience -- and a 2 for reliability -- the translation of many passages expresses the authors' theological or interpretive preferences, sometimes at the expense of accuracy.

So I settled on a three.

The Voice is very innovative -- there are a lot of explanatory paragraphs placed within the text, to clarify historical references and topics that would be unknown to the modern reader, making many passages more understandable. The text is translated into a slangy modern English that is surprisingly engaging and brings the ancient stories back to life.

I'm very familiar with the Bible, but I was engrossed in The Voice's retelling of many stories and passages that I thought I already knew very thoroughly. It is like a new text, almost like a novel in some parts.

However, the authors occasionally reword the traditional translations in ways that I feel really stretch or depart from the exact textual meaning.

The authors try to make it clear where they have inserted their own interpretations -- or even entirely new words and sentences that are not in the original Biblical text at all -- by italicizing the insertions, but it is still startling, especially if you disagree with a particular theological slant of theirs represented by the new text that they have inserted.

Ultimately, I decided that this is not a Bible I can add to my library, because of the repeated tinkering with the text.

I know many theological conservatives are disturbed by the tinkering and insertions in the text. I am a liberal Christian, and it bothers me as well.
340435
There is an old, politically-incorrect adage regarding the translation of a literary work from one language to another. A translation is like a woman: if it's beautiful, it's not faithul; if it's faithful, it's not beautiful. This saw kept buzzing through my brain while I was reading Vladimir Nabokov's 1964 English translation of Alexander Pushkin's novel-in-verse "Eugene Onegin". The poem has a unique place in Russian literature, required reading in schools -- required memorization, from what I understand. It seems an odd choice for school rooms, being an ironic love story with a sardonic edge; but then American students are required to read "Silas Marner", George Eliot's tale of greed and redemption. Nabokov, the author of the dazzling "Pale Fire", was born in Old Russia in 1899 and became a master of his native language as well as English. His version of Pushkin's masterpiece doesn't attempt to maintain the meter or rhyming scheme of the original, thereby leading to the danger of "piped-in background music", but presents a literal translation of "humble fidelity". There have been several English translations, and Nabokov sternly appraises them all. (Tchaikovsky's opera is dismissed as "slapdash".) He even goes so far as to compare his work with that of other translators. Thus, Onegin's flirtation with a serf in Book Four is translated by Nabokov as: "sometimes a white-skinned, dark-eyed girl's young and fresh kiss". In his notes Nabokov is amused by an earlier translator's "And, if a black-eyed girl permitted, sometimes a kiss as fresh as she" and is positively aghast at this rendering: "A kiss at times from some fair maiden, dark-eyed, with bright and youthful looks". Now, to an English-only reader, these don't really sound that ridiculous; but Nabokov, in his bilingual security, can be a caustic critic. (As evidently are some of his admirers: I've noticed in Amazon.com that "Eugene Onegin" causes some emotional responses.) By the way, the notes alone are worth the price of admission. Ferociously erudite, Nabokov can also be extremely witty, as when he is discussing Byronic heroes: "Judged by a number of early-nineteenth-century English and French novels that I have perused, the four main outlets or cures for ennui found by the characters suffering from it were: (1) making a nuisance of oneself; (2) committing suicide; (3) joining some well-organized religious group; and (4) quietly submitting to the situation." So, you've been alerted. Get out your dictionary (you'll need it), dust off your French (there's lots of it), and settle down to what might be called Nabokov's labor of tough love.
746438
Granted, it's not for everyone but it does not deserve the low star rating it currently has. This movie is for mature people who want something more than just pure escapist films - there are plenty of those around. This film offers a unique perspective on life and death and everything in between.
2045777
From this point on, for better or worse, it will probably be impossible to read The Lord of The Rings without the very successful film trilogy (currently still a duo until next December) looming in the background. Probably the best thing about the films is that they will likely entice the reading of the book. The book is very different in some spots, verbatim in others. For example, after seeing the films, it's hard to think of Frodo as being 50 years old when he leaves the Shire (Elijah Wood, Frodo Baggins in the films, barely looks out of his teens), but in the book he is well aged by the time Gandalf sends him on his way. This is only one of many many examples.
It's interesting to read the one-volume edition. It's how Tolkien intended it to be presented, as one large novel (Tolkien's publisher divided the story into three parts against his wishes). With the one-volume edition you feel like you're reading something hefty, an old tome from mythology, something with real weight and umph. It's a massive 1008 pages (not including the appendices and index), but it's a fast fast neckbreaking page turning read. It isn't difficult reading (i.e., not much unfamiliar vocabulary apart from terms coined by Tolkien and the passages in Elvish or Mordor), but it is detailed, far more detailed than a film could ever hope to be. It is a book that will reward many repeated readings.
Some of the basic themes of the book seem to be hope, despair, singularity, and plurality. There are many places in this book where things seem beyond hope for the heroes. In some places this leads them to despair, which does them no good. Finding hope in despair seems to be one of the book's main themes: we don't know what will happen, so why despair before the fact? All you can do is keep going. In a way the book is an analogy for our lives which are filled with hope and despair, but we keep going on even against impossible odds.
Concerning singularity and plurality, on one side there is the fellowship of the ring which is made up of a diverse cast of beings: hobbits, a dwarf, humans, and an elf. They set out to meet their task together while trying their best to put behind their differences. On the other side you have Sauron and the One Ring or singularity. Sauron is trying to bind the world to his single will which is embodied in the ring of power. It ruins those who try to possess it (Humans are particularly susceptible to it). It is pure self-obsession and self-importance. This singularity is put forth as evil, while the plurality of the fellowship is presented as good. It's an interesting dichotomy.
Fans of the films will be shocked to see the differences in the story line, especially in "The Two Towers." In terms of suspense, the book is far superior to the film (I'm sure the filmmakers would completely agree). I literally could not wait to begin reading "The Return of The King" and I could not put the book down until I reached page 1008. The book sometimes kept me reading obsessively until 3 or 4 in the morning (such as when I was reading the chapters with Shelob in "The Two Towers" - amazing).
This book deserves its place amongst the greatest works of the 20th century. It is a story that can re-invent itself in terms of the time it is read in or the perspective it is read from. It is this ambiguity and multi-facetness that makes the book timeless. Doubtless people will be reading this for hundreds of years while they face the hope and despair of their own lives and times.
It will be fascinating to see how "The Return of The King" turns out. Unfortunately, I had a hard time not thinking about this while I read the book. I tried. Nonetheless, the book will likely prosper beyond the films. Technology will develop and this book will be presented again in film or some other medium, of that you can be sure. At the heart of it all, regardless of the hype, will be the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.