"RINGERS: Lord of the Fans" coming in November 2005!

[Barliman Butterbur]

"RINGERS: Lord of the Fans" coming November 22, 2005!

Okay all you TTFers, here it is! You wanted a new LOTR movie, and now you have it, ready for delivery right to your house in November! Read all the good news in this post, talk it up with your friends in TTF, but especially to all your friends who are still Tolkien innocents, and order your copy for this coming November — be the first kid on your block to have R:LotF!

Barley

===============================

EXCLUSIVE! New RINGERS Trailer and Pre-Orders Now Online!

One Book. One Ring. One World.

Today brings a double-whammy of exciting news! Watch the brand new
RINGERS trailer in full glory then pre-order your copy from
Amazon.com! Prepared and edited by the director herself, click and

enjoy the trailer for the award-winning documentary RINGERS: LORD OF
THE FANS, narrated by Dominic Monaghan. Both Windows Media and Real
formats are online (hopefully Quicktime will be available soon).

Click here to access the Sony RINGERS page and then choose “Trailers
and Clips” to watch all the hobbity goodness!

We have a new Countdown Clock to keep track of the fast-approaching
release date -- only 69 days until RINGERS will be released by Sony
Pictures Home Entertainment on November 22, 2005 -- definitely stay
tuned to TheOneRing.net for more exciting updates and events as the
release date approaches.

Did someone say Premiere Party? Big Event? Oh yes we did! Please
sign up here to
find your local Line Party where you will get all the latest updates
for your area. Big things are about to happen, so be sure to stay in
the loop with Line Party email updates and notices about upcoming
RINGERS events. Don’t miss out!
http://www.theonering.net/movie/lineparty/

The next “Lord of the Rings” movie is finally here!

This exciting,
festival smashing, groundbreaking, award-winning film was written,
produced, and directed by TORn staffers Carlene Cordova and Cliff
Broadway. Filled with stars such as Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Ian
McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Clive Barker, and rock legend Geddy Lee,
RINGERS has quickly become a phenomenon in its own right -- against
all odds, the filmmakers have made a wonderful documentary that is
true to the audience it loves.

THE CRITICS AGREE:

“There’s a new documentary to take you back to the Shire!”
– Premiere

“RINGERS is comprehensive, entertaining and informative pop culture history.”
– The Toronto Star

“The ‘Lord of the Rings’ phenomenon continues with RINGERS!”
–SFX Magazine

“... Will always be a salient part of ‘Lord of the Rings’ history...
See it, absorb it, love it!” – FilmThreat

Winner of “Outstanding Achievement” Award at the
Newport Beach Film Festival

RINGERS is the little indie film that attracted the brightest stars,
the greatest academics, legendary rock stars, and the biggest studio
on earth -- a victory for Tolkien’s true fans who wish to celebrate
50 amazing years of all things “Rings.”

Buy the DVD right here: HOW TO PRE-ORDER:

Pre-order the RINGERS DVD or the new PSP format at Amazon.com. :
Click here

United Kingdom & European Ringers can already Pre-order on the UK
Amazon site:
Click here

Thanks to Eledwhen's good tip UK fans can also buy it at Play.com for just £9.99 and free delivery! How cool is that? (You have no more excuses, Indy... )

Canada Ringers can Pre-order at this Amazon site:
Click here

Germany Ringers can Pre-order at this Amazon site:
Click here

Japan Ringers can Pre-order at this Amazon site:
Click here

RINGERS is also available at hundreds of other online retailers.

Visit the official RINGERS website at http://www.lordofthefans.net and sign up for the Newsletter to get all the latest scoop and announcements!

Ringers: Lord of the Fans
Visit our website!
http://www.lordofthefans.net

===============================

Click on the thumbnails below to see the full-size pictures.

Barley

 

[DGoeij]

Could be fun, but if I will pay the € 30 - € 40 for it that is usually the price for new dvd releases, I'm not too sure.

It sounds not too bad, but commercials never do.

 

[Inderjit S]

Looks like a great documenatry-and one which all Tolkien nuts should own, if they had enough cash that is. (Which I don't. )

Thanks for the links.

 

[Eledhwen]

Re: "RINGERS: Lord of the Fans" coming in November 22nd, 2005!

[Okay all you TTFers, here it is! You wanted a new LOTR movie, and now you have it, ready for delivery right to your house in November!
Barley

Just to let UK fans know (and to be fair to Amazon's competitors) this title is available to pre-order now on www.play.com.

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

Amazon.com Reviews LOTF, Due Out Next Month!

Here's latest the Amazon.com. review of RINGERS: Lord of the Fans! So save your shekels, drachmas, pesos, Euros, shillings, dollars, or whatever you use for money, and get your copy when it comes out! We'll have LOTS to discuss!

Barley

===============================

Greetings fellow RINGERS!

We just had to share this with you, Amazon.com has very favorably
reviewed our film! This is the official Amazon.com staff review that
can be read on the RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS Amazon page. Feel free
to visit the site and add your own review! And if you haven't
already, then pre-order your copy today!



Much Thanks!

Carlene Cordova
Director, RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS



***********************

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Of all the documentaries devoted to J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic,
Ringers: Lord of the Fans is the first and only one to respectfully
honor the good-natured depth and breadth of Lord of the Rings
fandom. Like Peter Jackson with his phenomenal Lord of the Rings
film trilogy, director Carlene Cordova and cowriter Cliff Broadway
(cofounders of theonering.net, the definitive LOTR fan site) were
the perfect team to create this wildly entertaining tribute.

The film's globetrotting ambition is constantly impressive, but Ringers
remains keenly focused on its lively exploration of Rings fan
devotion, presented here with a flawless combination of informative
objectivity and insider enthusiasm.

From the inspiration behind Tolkien's Middle-earth and the immediate success of The Hobbit upon its 1937 publication, to the hippie embrace of Rings mythology in the late 1960s and the revival of fandom in the wake of Jackson's trilogy, Ringers (the accepted nickname of devotees) has it all:
Influential authors such as Clive Barker, Terry Pratchett, and Terry
Brooks offer their Rings-related insights along with such
Tolkien-inspired musicians as Rush's Geddy Lee and Motorhead's Lenny
Kilmister, and literally hundreds of fans provide affectionate
testimonials to the source of their devotion. Peter Jackson and most
of the LOTR trilogy's primary cast are also included in the constant
flow of interviews.

Dedicated to Tolkien as a valentine by smart and dedicated fans,
the film generates its own infectious goodwill; it's so fun to watch
that even non-fans will concede (to borrow a phrase from another
world of fandom) that resistance is futile. (Oh, and speaking of
Star Trek, the vintage clip of Leonard Nimoy singing his novelty hit
"Bilbo Baggins" is absolutely priceless.) Actor Dominic Monaghan
("Merry" from Jackson's trilogy, before joining the ensemble cast of
Lost) perfectly delivers the film's eloquent narration, which runs
the LOTR gamut from intellectual appreciation to the hilarious
eccentricities of über-fan obsession. Unfailingly noble in spirit
and delightfully comprehensive, Ringers is a collector's gift that
can proudly stand alongside Tolkien's books and Jackson's timeless
movie trilogy. --Jeff Shannon

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000BBOUE0/

Ringers: Lord of the Fans
Visit our website!
http://www.lordofthefans.net

 

[Eledhwen]

This will be released November 21st in the UK (grrr! )
You'd think England had nothing to do with The Lord of the Rings.
Just noticed that's actually a day earlier than the date Barley gave.
I thought it had already been released stateside.

Anyway, the local Amazon UK url is here.

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

This will be released November 21st in the UK (grrr! )
You'd think England had nothing to do with The Lord of the Rings.
Just noticed that's actually a day earlier than the date Barley gave.
I thought it had already been released stateside.

Anyway, the local Amazon UK url is here.

You'll get yours a few days before me then — the delivery date here is around Nov. 29th.

Barley

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

Dear TTFers,

I just received the latest news about the release of Ringers: Lord of the Fans, and here it is:

===============================

Greetings RINGERS Message Board members!

This email is to inform you that our announced message board
migration is taking place immediately. The old message boards will be
going away and the new message boards are now in place at
http://www.ringersstore.com/forum

We hope you enjoy the new boards and the new
http://www.ringersstore.com website!

And just a reminder that the award winning documentary, RINGERS:
LORD OF THE FANS will hit the DVD shelves EVERYWHERE on November
22nd! Or you can order it online through the Ringers Store site below!

Thanks!

The RINGERS Team

Regards,
The Ringers Community team.

http://planetbb.com/forums/index.php

•••••

Check out www.ringersstore.com -- the brand new RINGERS website and online store -- a destination you absolutely must visit for details on the upcoming smash-hit documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS, and for specialty shopping items you can find nowhere else! The familiar old URL www.lordofthefans.net will redirect you to www.ringersstore.com. Revel in the glowing reviews as critics around the world rally to praise the film called "Wildly entertaining!" (Amazon.com) and what "Will always be a salient part of Lord of the Rings history!" (Filmthreat.com).... While you are there, join the discussion boards as the buzz continues to build on this groundbreaking film, being released Nov. 22 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Cheers!

Cliff Broadway
Ringers: Lord of the Fans, Writer/Producer

•••••

And for those living in the Southern California area, some very special news:

RINGERS L.A. Premiere Event - Save the Date!
11/01/05, 10:04 pm EST - Xoanon
Mark your calendars for Wed., November 16! Sony is giving Tolkien fans a very special, final chance to see the award-winning RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS in full glory on the silver screen, a spectacular premiere, before it is released worldwide on DVD. Calling all Ringers -- on Nov. 16th at 7:30 PM we hope to see you at the gorgeous Vista Theatre in L.A. for a full-on premiere screening event (and even better, drinks and partying afterward with the filmmakers and guests!). Many pleasant surprises are in store...just you wait! Stay tuned right here to www.TheOneRing.net for full details to be announced in a few days and ticket information (which will be sold through TORn exclusively).

===============================

Barley (getting more anxious by the day)

 

[Eledhwen]

Good. I'll be back from Scotland by the release date.

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

A Meditation on "Ringers: Lord of the Fans"

My DVD arrived in the mail yesterday, and my wife and I watched it all the way through.

First impressions:

This film was made with an incredible amount of love, affection, art and highly skilled craft! Before I’d seen it I assumed that there was going to be a lot of grungy “home movies” type documentary footage full of graininess, out-of-focus camerawork, cameras aiming into the sky, etc. — but absolutely not! Every scene was well shot, the color pallet always beautifully balanced, the scenes well lit, in perfect focus, with rock-steady cameras!

The first thing that hit me consciously was the absolutely wonderful Monty Pythonlike animations: first rate, and gorgeous color. In fact the color quality was wonderful throughout.

The “Tolkien Effect” of today reminds me of the 60s: then as now, people of all ages and backgrounds were caught up in Tolkien. They had the the Vietnam war; we have (unfortunately!) the Iraq war. Both acted and act as stimuli for many people wanting to escape real life. Middle-earth was and is definitely the place to go!

Then as now, Tolkien would probably be whirling in his grave at all the things Ringers project onto his works (as he intimated in some of his letters), as well as being very appreciative of the fact that so many frustrated people want to escape the horrors of reality, and crave good in the world, crave that good will triumph, along with all the values that come in a society peopled by the basically goodhearted and cheerful.

When I was first getting into Tolkien 40 years ago, the term “Ringers” was of course non-existant. As the film shows, many people rejoice in being a Ringer, but my experiences on TTF tell me that there are others (who term themselves Purists) who would throw up their hands in horror and run the other way at being included (which they most definitely are!) as a part this boisterous funloving crowd — more’s the pity for them!

The main thrust of Tolkien on the world of the 60s came initially through publication of the books — through Allen & Unwin, then through Ace (the pirated version), then Ballentine — at least in America, and of course Houghtin Mifflin. And that wave went around the world several times. The difference between the Ringers of the 60s and the Ringers of today seems to be that the 60s Ringers first came to Tolkien directly via the books, and the current generation at one remove, through Peter Jackson’s movies. Hence the creation of the (possibly unbridgable) divide between the “Filmies” and the “Purists.”

However it is evident to me now that the Filmies outnumber the Purists by far, the Purists being made up largely of the older fans, but contains a surprising number of younger people. But there is another group which I call the Tweenies: those who like book and films, each for what they are, which I think makes the most sense. Ringers: Lord of the Fans celebrates the entire phenomenon.

A great deal of the fun of this movie is in the interviews with the Ringers themselves — a bunch of cheerful, funloving mischievous hobbits if ever there were! Some of the inteviews are a bit salty, some are serious and moving, some are lighthearted discussions speculating on the sexual proclivities of some of the characters in PJ’s films and only add to the hilarity. The costumes many of them wear are at times astonishing in the care that has gone into their making, and their creativity, imagination and beauty.

All our favorite people from the movies are there: the main actors, and some of the producers; all their interviews are totally enjoyable, and it’s so nice to see them once again! They all have good things to say, from the cheeky to the profound. Dominic Monaghan was the perfect narrator, and gave the film great continuity.

I was particularly struck by the sudden segue of being taken to Tolkien’s gravesite — a serious poignant moment . It was only then that I realized by looking at the dates on the tombstone that Tolkien died the year after Edith — which upon reflection doesn’t surprise me a bit.

Now that I’ve seen the film and become (in addition to TTF) a member of the Ringers chatboard, I wish that they would have supplied its URL right on the DVD, which would have facilitated an internet gathering for discussion. Perhaps they’ll do that in re-releases. I had anticipated a flood of responses on the board by now — perhaps it’s too soon.

This film is an education for those of us who never realized the breadth and depth of Tolkien fandom or Tolkien’s effect in so many other areas of life.

In the 60s, we had songwriters like Donald Swann, who set some of Tolkien’s verse to music with his permission; now we have Howard Shore, whose music is absolutely indispensable to the movies, to say nothing of the rock musicians who took up the cause over al the years from then till now. I would call their music more of a reaction to Tolkien than a product of it.

I think today’s Ringer is much less stuffy about Tolkien: so many of them (bringing along their friends) came to the Professor via the movies, and their first impressions of Middle-earth were therefore a blend of both Tolkien and of Peter Jackson’s “gratuitous jacksonisms” which offended so many of the Purists, and delighted the rest. Then many of the new Ringers went to the books and got the real deal, and were therefore able to make up their own minds about the movies. I think that’s so much better than wasting vast amounts of time and energy hating the movies for their deviations and extra-Tolkien additions.

I thought it was great to see that so many 60s parents now had children who either had been turned on to Middle-earth by their parents, or who had discovered Tolkien on their own, and had re-ignited their parents’ interest in Tolkien once again, thus coming full circle!

I myself look forward now to reading Tolkien to my grandson and sitting with him watching the DVDs: giving him a lifetime injection of Tolkien, as I did my own three children!

It’s been a few years now since the last PJ movie was released, and the DVD sales have dwindled — all very much expected. The discussions of them here which were so hot and heavy have died down, except for a few flameups now and then. Strangely enough, RLOTF has not yet made that much of an impression here at TTF; I hope it will. But the difference is that RLOTF was never able to find wide distribution in theaters. It appears that most of its impact will come through DVD purchases, and that’s a different thing than line events at movie houses. And it’s not about Tolkien so much as the effect that Tolkien has made on the world over the past 50 years — the ripple effect as it were.

And there will come a time when even that phenomenon will have for the most part run its course, and will quiet down. I predict another upsurge should Peter Jackson ever do The Hobbit (which I hope he does). Then the Tolkien madness will begin again for another cycle, and we will once again hear the cry: Frodo Lives!

Barley

 

[Hyarion]

It was only then that I realized by looking at the dates on the tombstone that Tolkien died the year after Edith

Heh, funny you should mention that, my mother said the exact same thing. Unfortunately there was a leaf blocking the year Tolkien passed, 1973 to make it look like 1972. He in fact passed away two years after Edith, technicalities

I on the other hand was hoping for something a bit different than Ringers. It really wasn't that bad, but for all the good reviews out there it's always good to read a bad one, so below is my rant:

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/User:Hyarion/Reviews/Ringers:_Lord_of_the_Fans

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

Free Screening of LOTF at UCLA December 5th

For all you TTFers in Los Angeles, here’s a notice from Carlene Cordova, director of the film:

===============================

See the groundbreaking new "Lord of the Rings" documentary in glorious DLP projection for the first time! Hot on the heels of Sony's worldwide DVD release of RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS, comes a new invitation for a FREE public screening courtesy of the generous folks at the UCLA Film School in Westwood, CA, next Monday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m., PST. Open to the public!

WHAT: Free screening of RINGERS, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. See the film as it's never been seen before in beautiful DLP projection.

WHEN: Monday, December 5th at 7:30pm

WHERE: The James Bridges Theater on the UCLA campus (Melnitz 1409). Melnitz Hall, which houses the Bridges Theater, is located in the northeast quarter of the UCLA campus. See map below.

BOX OFFICE INFO: All movies are FREE to the general public. Tickets are available at the Melnitz box office the day of the screening, one hour before show time and are given out on a first come, first served basis--one ticket per person.

PARKING INFO: Free parking on Loring Avenue (south of Sunset Blvd, east of Hilgard Avenue at Charing Cross Road) after 6pm. Monday through Friday.

Garage Parking on Campus-- $8.00 parking in Lot 3, adjacent to the James Bridges Theater. Purchase parking at the Wyton Drive entrance to UCLA (at Wyton Drive and Hilgard Avenue) before 7p.m., and at the Lot 3 gate one hour before showtime.

BUSES: Santa Monica Big Blue Bus lines 1, 2, 3, 8 and 12 all stop at the UCLA Terminal on Hilgard, not far from Melnitz.

MORE INFO: http://gsa.asucla.ucla.edu/~melnitz/

===============================

Barley

 

[OldTomBombadil]

Goldberry and I rented this film through Netflix last month when it came out. It was definitely worthwhile viewing, but not something I'd want to spend the money to own.

"Ringers" shows the gamut of Tolkien fandom with interviews with the most geeked-out fans dressed like vikings waiting 5 days in line to see the films to noteworthy folks like Brian Sibley.

Like my friend Barli, I especially enjoyed the Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) inspired animations.

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

Goldberry and I rented this film through Netflix last month when it came out. It was definitely worthwhile viewing, but not something I'd want to spend the money to own.

"Ringers" shows the gamut of Tolkien fandom with interviews with the most geeked-out fans dressed like vikings waiting 5 days in line to see the films to noteworthy folks like Brian Sibley.

Like my friend Barli, I especially enjoyed the Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) inspired animations.

I went the extra nickel and bought it through Amazon, more to add it to my collection of "Tolkieniana" than for anything else. I think it will always be a DVD of importance for fans who enjoy line events and such things as Star Trek conventions, and for those who came to Tolkien via PJ.

God knows I did my part plugging it as much as anyone, but truth to tell, there it sits next to the rest of my Tolkien stuff gathering dust, because it's more about the fans (which it purported to be in the first place) than about Tolkien — and the phenomenon of fandom per se simply doesn't hold my interest. I've been trying to wheedle information about its sales from the producers, but they haven't been forthcoming...

Barley

 

[fadhatter]

Cons:

* Not enough footage of actual Ringers
* Way too many references to hippies
* Out of everything out there the movie tends to focus on random things while neglecting everything else.

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/User:Hyarion/Reviews/Ringers:_Lord_of_the_Fans

seriously this is something you wait for ppl with enough time on their hands to release on kazaa or torrent instead of paying 20$

has anyone even bothered to rip this ****??

Sony stamped this ****??