The Hobbit, the movie!

If you read my blog from back in September, you know that I have been eagerly awaiting the big screen adaptation of one of my all time favorite books, The Hobbit.  Well, I finally got to see it last night and here are my thoughts.  First of all, I believe Peter Jackson lost the vision that made The Lord of The Rings such a great trilogy of movies.  It seemed to me as if he was trying to recreate the cartoon adaptations of the 1970's, rather than make the book come to life the way he did with the trilogy.  The dialog between the characters seemed hokey and silly.  The additional scenes that he added, which were not in the book, seemed labored and unnecessary, especially the addition of Radagast the Brown.  While Gimli in the trilogy seemed as if he was a real person, the dwarves in this movie could have been created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.  He even made one of the dwarves appear to be a tad "special".  One of the most irritating parts of the whole experience was the fact that all of the orcs were CGI, and not particularly good CGI in my opinion.  The orcs in the trilogy seemed real, because they were portrayed by real people.  In The Hobbit they were almost cartoony.  The entire movie was just entirely too glossy and plastic.  It did not come across as taking place in a real time or place, like I said about the orcs, extremely cartoony.  There were several things that were changed or omitted from the book which seemed unnecessary.  the additional scenes could have been left out and replaced with more of the detail from the book.  Peter Jackson seems to have relied too much on CGI and special effects rather than focusing on great film making, as he did with The Lord of The Rings trilogy.  I actually started to fall asleep a few times while watching the movie!  Overall, the experience left me sad and more than a little disappointed.  The Lord of The Rings was a masterpiece of film making.  The Hobbit was not even in the same league.  I hope that the next two movies can bring it back around, but I find myself doubting Peter Jackson.  Maybe if I wasn't such a huge fan of the book I would not be so critical, but that's just the way I feel.

Children

     Today I went to a funeral for my friend Bob's daughter.  She was the light of his life, every time he would talk about her his face would light up.  I cannot imagine what he is feeling right now.  I am sure that he never imagined a time when she would not be a part of his life.  The fact that she had Down's Syndrome meant that she would always be with them and in their care.  It is never easy for a parent to lose a child, especially one that is so innocent and loving as she was.  Everyone that met her loved her.  My heart goes out to my friend and his family in their time of heartache.
     My children mean the world to me and I can not imagine ever losing them.  I would do anything to protect my children and keep them safe, and if anyone tried to hurt them I don't know the lengths that I would go to in order to protect them.  There are so many people in this world that hurt children, or go out of their way to avoid taking care of their own.  I look at my kids and I can't understand how anyone can treat children with anything other than love and affection.  I am not a perfect dad, but I love them and enjoy spending time with them, and I would do just about anything to insure their safety and happiness.  Nothing angers me more than deadbeat and abusive parents.  If you bring a child into this world, whether on purpose or on accident, you have a responsibility to love that child and teach them, in order for them to grow up to be a positive influence on society instead of a leach.
     If you have children, hold onto them and show them how much you love them.  Sometimes that just means being their for them.  Treat your children like people, not pets.  Teach them to do the right thing and to think for themselves and not be a sheep in society.  We have always tried to show our kids that we respect them as individuals and that they have a right to express themselves and their opinions as long as they are respectful.  Our children will, hopefully, grow up to care for others and treat everyone with the respect they deserve.  Our children are intelligent and caring people right now, so I have hope that they will continue to be that way as they grow into adults.
     Love your kids, teach your kids, and show your kids the way to make a positive impact on society.  They don't have to work for Greenpeace or constantly volunteer helping the homeless.  Just being a good productive member of society can make a positive impact.  I love my children and I hope they know I always will.