Friday, January 3, 2025

Born on this day – J.R.R. Tolkien:


J.R.R. Tolkien


Writer

January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973

Credits:

Books:

A Middle English Vocabulary; Sir Gawain & The Green Knight; The Hobbit: or There and Back Again; Farmer Giles of Ham; The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King; The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book; Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle; Tree and Leaf; Smith of Wootton Major; The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle; Bilbo’s Last Song; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo; The Father Christmas Letters; The Silmarillion; Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien; Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth; Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien; The Old English ‘Exodus’; Mr. Bliss; Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode; The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays; The Book of Lost Tales, Part I; The Book of Lost Tales, Part II; The Lays of Beleriand; The Shaping of Middle-earth; The Lost Road and Other Writings; The Return of the Shadow; The Treason of Isengard; The War of the Ring; Sauron Defeated; Morgoth’s Ring; The War of the Jewels; The Peoples of Middle-earth; Roverandom; Tales from the Perilous Realm; The Children of Húrin; The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún; The Fall of Arthur; Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell; Tolkien On Fairy-stories; The Story of Kullervo; A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages; The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun; Leaf by Niggle; Beren and Lúthien; The Fall of Gondolin; The Nature of Middle-earth; The Fall of Númenor; The Battle of Maldon, together with The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth.

Movies and television:

A Passage to Middle-earth: The Making of 'Lord of the Rings' (2001); A Simple Walk Into Mordor (2012); Adventure Quest (1983); Allting i ett (2021); An Awfully Big Adventure (1998); An Everyday Tale of a Seeker of Gold (1986); Angband (1993); Arte Journal (2023); Atop the Fourth Wall (2014); Bookstand (1962); Born of Hope (2009); Colossal Adventure (1983); Death Battle (2022); Der kleine Hobbit (1980 / (1984); Die gefährten (2010); Die zwei türme (2010); Dungeon Adventure (1984); Epic Rap Battles of History (2011); Fastitocalon (2006); Golden Moustache (2013); Guardians of Middle-Earth (2012); Hobitit (1993); Horn of Gondor (2020); Icons Unearthed (2024); J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings - The Definitive Guide to the World of the Rings (2004); J.R.R. Tolkien: The Origin of the Rings (2002); J.R.R.T.: A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien (1996); Jackanory (1979–1985); Jet Set Willy: Lord of the Rings (2000); Kingdom O' Magic (1996); Kot (2005); La fraternité de l'anneau (2018); La Somme, une bataille mondiale - Documentaire sur la Bataille de la Somme (2024); Lego the Hobbit (2014); Lego the Lord of the Rings (2012); Les deux tours (2018); Lingua Franca (2018); Lord of the Brush (2005); Lord of the Rings (1990); Lord of the Rings: Game One (1986); Making of Hunt for Gollum (2010); Mashup at the Movies (2021); Master of the Rings: The Unauthorized Story Behind J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (2001); Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014); Minecraft Adventure Maps (2012); Moria (1975 / 1983); Mr. Bliss (2004); MultiVersus (2024); National Geographic Explorer (2001); Nerdrotic (2022–2024); Olifaunt (2006); Quest for the Ring (2001); Release (1968); Review (1972); Riders of Rohan (1991); Sagan om ringen (1971); Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (2003); Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's 'the Hobbit' (2003); Seelenjäger (2014); Shadowfax (1982); Skazochnoe puteshestvie mistera Bilbo Begginsa, Khobbita (1985); Sleuths, Sorcerers & Spies: Andrew Marr's Paperback Heroes (2016); Story Box (1964); Super Power Beat Down (2012); Tale of a Timelord (2016); The ABCs of Book Banning (2023); The Crack of Doom (1989); The Fall of Gondolin (2019); The Fellowship of the Ring (1991); The Fellowship of the Ring Animated (2022); The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The Hobbit (1966 / 1968 / 1977 / 1991 / 2003 / 2007 / 2012); The Hobbit Software Adventure (1982); The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Extended Edition Scenes (2013); The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012); The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Extended Edition Scenes (2015); The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Extended Edition Scenes (2014); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013); The Hobbit: The Swedolation of Smaug (2014); The Hunt for Gollum (2009); The Last Journey (2021); The Lord of the Rings (1978); The Lord of the Rings Online (2007); The Lord of the Rings Starring Cats: A Meowy Earth Adventure (2025); The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (2010); The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (2009); The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (2023); The Lord of the Rings: Sons of Elrond (2005); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II - The Rise of the Witch-king (2006); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II (2006); The Lord of the Rings: The Empire of Saruman (2025); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001 / 2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003 / 2007); The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–2024); The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2003); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 / 2021); The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring (2003); The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024); The Lord of the Rings: Vol. I (1990); The Lord of the Rings: Vol. II (1992); The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (2011); The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2002); The Return of the King (1980); The Return of the King: Book Three of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The Shadows of Mordor (1988); The Silmarillion (2015 / 2023); The Standard Deviants: Rings, Kings & Things (2002); The Two Towers: Book Two of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The UnXplained (2022); The Worlds of Fantasy (2008); Tolkien Remembered (1984); War in Middle Earth (1988); Weekend Sunrise (2016); Who the 'Ell Is Tauriel? (2013); Wings Over Arda: The First Age (2011); Wonderland (2022).

Recommending reading - The Switch (1978):

The Switch

By Elmore Leonard.

Published by Mariner Books.
First published 1978.
Paperback.
ISBN-10: 0062206133
ISBN-13: 978-0062206138

Description:

“My favorite Leonard book….He writes the way Hammett and Chandler might write today, if they sharpened their senses of ironic humor and grew better ears for dialogue.” – Dallas Morning News.

“The best writer of crime fiction alive.” – Newsweek.

“The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!” – The New York Times Book Review.

“An absolute master.” – The Detroit News.

Dangerously eccentric characters, razor-sharp black humor, brilliant dialog, and suspense all rolled into one tight package – that’s The Switch, Elmore Leonard’s classic tale of a kidnapping gone wrong…or terribly right, depending on how you look at it. The Grand Master whom the New York Times Book Review calls, “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever,” has written a wry and twisting tale that any of the other all-time greats – Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, John D. MacDonald, James M. Cain, Robert Parker…every noir author who ever walked a detective, cop, or criminal into a shadowy alley – would be thrilled to call their own. Leonard, the man who has given us U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (currently starring in TV’s Justified) is at his storytelling best, as a spurned wife decides to take a rightful – and profitable – revenge on her deceiving hubby by teaming up with the two thugs he hired to abduct her.

Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. Looks good until they learn the lowlife husband doesn't want his wife back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing – with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.

George R. R. Martin, on reading:


I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey.
I grew up in the projects.
I never went anywhere.
But I have lived a thousand lives and I've loved a thousand loves.
I've walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time.
Because I read.

- George R. R. Martin.

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Born on this day – Jean Adamson:


Jean Adamson


Writer

Illustrator

February 29, 1928 – December 15, 2024

Credits:

Books:

ABC: A Picture Alphabet (1962); Animal bounce (1969); Busy Builders (1997); Chestnut Tree (1974); Family Tree (1968); Hop Like Me (1972); Neighbours in the Park (1962); People who Help Us Stories (1999); Red Boots, Yellow Boots (1997); Surprises for Topsy & Tim (1971); Topsy & Tim Have Their Hair Cut (1989); Topsy & Tim's Safety Book (1973); Topsy + Tim Meet the Ambulance Crew (1996); Topsy and Tim and the Bully (1994); Topsy and Tim and the New Puppy (1992); Topsy and Tim at Granny and Grandpa's (1996); Topsy and Tim at School (1968); Topsy and Tim at the Bank (1985); Topsy and Tim at the Farm (1970); Topsy and Tim at the Seaside (1965); Topsy and Tim at the Supermarket (1996); Topsy and Tim Can Play Party Games (1981); Topsy and Tim Go for Gold (1977); Topsy and Tim Go Shopping (1977); Topsy And Tim Go Swimming (1973); Topsy and Tim Go to London (2014); Topsy and Tim go to the Hospital (1971); Topsy and Tim go to the zoo (1968); Topsy and Tim move house (1979); Topsy and Tim Stay with a Friend (1987); Topsy and Tim Visit the Tower of London (1976); Topsy and Tim: First Sleepover (2016); Topsy and Tim: Go Camping (1977); Topsy and Tim: Go on a Train (1990); Topsy and Tim: Go on an Aeroplane (1979); Topsy and Tim: Go to the Doctor (1982); Topsy and Tim: Halloween Party; Topsy and Tim: Have a Birthday Party (1971 / 2010); Topsy and Tim: Have Itchy Heads (1996); Topsy and Tim: Have Their Eyes Tested (1982); Topsy and Tim: Help a Friend (2005); Topsy and Tim: Learn to Swim (1973); Topsy and Tim: Meet Father Christmas (2013); Topsy and Tim: Meet the Firefighters (1989); Topsy and Tim: Meet the Police (1989); Topsy and Tim: Our Day Clock Book; Topsy and Tim: Play Football (1991); Topsy and Tim: Start School (2003); Topsy and Tim: the Complete Audio Collection (2017); Topsy and Tim: Visit London (2012); Topsy and Tim's ABC (1982); Topsy and Tim's Big Fun Book; Topsy and Tim's Friday Book (1961); Village Green (1972).

Television:

Topsy and Tim / 64-episode TV series (2013–2015).

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

On this day in music history - The album American II: Unchained, by Johnny Cash (1996):


American II: Unchained

Album by Johnny Cash,
released on November 5, 1996.

Track list:

Rowboat; Sea of Heartbreak; Rusty Cage; The One Rose (That’s Left in My Heart); Country Boy; Memories Are Made of This; Spiritual; The Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea; Southern Accents; Mean Eyed Cat; Meet Me in Heaven; I Never Picked Cotton; Unchained; I’ve Been Everywhere.

Monday, August 12, 2024

Recommended reading: The Ninth Configuration (1999):


The Ninth Configuration

By William Peter Blatty.
Commentary by Mark Kermode.

Published by Screenpress Books.
Published in 1999.
Paperback.
Screenplay.

ISBN-10: 1901680207
ISBN-13: 978-1901680201

Description:

“The finest large scale American surrealist film ever made” – People Magazine.

Towards the end of the war in Vietnam, an unusually high percentage of American servicemen suddenly manifested symptoms of psychosis. To investigate this mystery, the US government established a network of covert study centers.

They send the crazies to Center Eighteen. Men who think they can walk through walls. Men who want to stage the complete works of Shakespeare using dogs. Hudson Kane is plagued by nightmares and memories not his own. Only Hudson Kane is not an inmate. Hudson Kane is in charge…

William Peter Blatty – the creator of The Exorcist – directed this self penned script that quickly became a cult classic for its brave philosophic tone, remarkable visuals and endlessly quotable dialogue.

This is the first time that Blatty’s originally screenplay has been published. Fully annotated by acclaimed writer and critic Mark Kermode and illustrated with many previously unpublished stills.

This is the definitive edition of the script that its creator believes to be the true sequel to The Exorcist.

Winner – Best Screenplay Golden Globe Awards.

Recommended reading: The Ninth Configuration (1966):


The Ninth Configuration

aka Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Kane.
By William Peter Blatty.

Paperback.
Published in 1966.

ISBN-10: 0765337304
ISBN-13: 978-0765337306

Description:

Hidden away in a brooding Gothic manor in the deep woods is Center Eighteen, a secret military "rest camp" currently housing twenty-seven inmates, all officers who have succumbed to a sudden outbreak of mental illness. Have the men truly lost their minds, are they only pretending to be insane to avoid combat, or is some more sinister conspiracy at work?

Desperate for answers, the Pentagon has placed a brilliant Marine psychiatrist in charge of the base and its deranged occupants. A man of deep faith and compassion, Colonel Kane hopes to uncover the root of the men's bizarre obsessions. But as Center Eighteen descends into chaos, Kane finds the greatest challenge may be his own buried demons. . .