Christine Kelley

Screened on 16mm by my friends Bob and Cara for their monthly movie night. Thanks, Bob and Cara. The lembas was the finest I've ever had. In The Hobbit, Tolkien concludes one of the finest chapters he ever wrote with a mix of tenderness and suspense. "Riddles in the Dark" ends with Bilbo, frightened

Sorry for the delay. I've been dealing with an extended personal emergency. The pre-season finale is often an interesting one. Game of Thrones tended to used it as The Spectacular Episode Where Shit Goes Down before a more understated season finale. Seeing how Game of Thrones is (for better or worse

Ah, they’re doing that “late first season” trick where characters meander for several episodes before the show’s general direction becomes clear. That’s useful. It helps clarify some of the show’s blunders in retrospect. The ways in which The Rings of Power was figuring itself out early on is going

“Partings” is The Rings of Power settling into a status quo. Characters in different locations face down interlocked threats, all of them vaguely pointing to Sauron, while their interpersonal relationships are threatened by Sauron’s return. Some subplots, like Durin and Elrond’s relationship, work q

After the crescendoing failure of “Adar,” The Rings of Power vaguely rights itself with this week’s “The Great Wave.” This episode actually had some themes, and a plot structure, and even a sense of momentum propelled by character moments. I’m vaguely shocked to report this after declaring The Rings

My mother Elizabeth Sandifer gave me a chance to write about Tolkien for Tardis Eruditorum Volume 8, coming soon to a bookshelf near you if we play our cards right. It’s January, 2002. Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman are at number one with “Somethin’ Stupid,” unseated a week into the month by Dani