"Concerning Hobbits..."

Tea and coffee along with the first of the Lembas lead us toward breakfast. #LOTRFeast

I cannot possibly understate to you the immense overwhelming feeling of turning the corner of Gandalf's Cutting and seeing the Hill laid before you for the first time with Bag End at the top. #LOTRFeast

I wonder if Bilbo Baggins had a book editor. Like, was Elrond taking passes at his novel?

Elrond would be the worst editor. #LOTRFeast

Bilbo: I've thought up an ending for my book: and he lived happily ever after, till the end of his days

Editor Elrond: this is garbage. Nothing ends well. Agony is eternal. My daughter's boyfriend sucks. Needs revision.
#LOTRFeast

(This tweet is specifically for @LoganPayge )

Breakfast, Pönnukökur, a crepe-like pancake inspired by the Northern Kingdom (Iceland). The perfect vehicle for the jams and preserves that fill a Hobbit's pantry. #LOTRFeast

One wonders if Sam got the overtime approved for his midnight garden tending, or if he planned to pad the timesheet later. #LOTRFeast

The lack of flashy effects during the wizard fight makes it feel more visceral and dangerous. There's a world where all sorts of cgi wiz-bang nonsense gets added

Instead with just force and blood we get the magic equivalent of a bare knuckle brawl. Brutal, personal #LOTRFeast

Moreover, the simplicity of that scene means it is less likely to really ever feel dated.

(That's not a bad thing of course. It's okay to know a movie was made at an older time and place) #LOTRFeast

Peter Jackson: I'm gonna cameo in Fellowship.
Producer: Ah, how very Hitchcock. Shall we have a custom set of armor crafted? A central role at the opening battle perhaps.
PJ: Nah. Just get me a dirty cloak and a carrot so I can stumble around.
Producer: ...what? #LOTRFeast

Regardless of the rest of the menu, this is always second breakfast. As the future King of Gondor commands.

(Plus, with 7 courses of food you gotta find places it lighten things up along the way) #LOTRFeast

Find someone that will sit in a dark swamp and whisper dirges about doomed and dead lovers as they stare into the dying embers of a camp fire to recall their undying affection for you. #LOTRFeast

Fun fact, if you start the extended edition of Fellowship at 8:36am on Oct 24th then Gandalf will tell you, "It is 10 o'clock in the morning on Oct the 24th" at exactly 10am.

Also the Death Star will explode. #LOTRFeast

Proudfeet! #InternLando interlude. #LOTRFeast

It is incredible how unbelievably unconvinced Boromir is by Gandalf speaking the speech of Mordor and making it seem like the end of the world. #LOTRFeast

Though that just speaks to how closely the spectre of death has been to Boromir and Gondor. For the others, that darkness is a new threat. For Boromir, he's been racing just beyond it for years. #LOTRFeast

Intensity ratings for the Council scene:
Gandalf- 7, goes to 500 during black speech
Aragorn- 2
Gimli - 5, 10 when deriding elves
Legolas - 5, 100 when proclaiming Aragorn's lineage.
Boromir - 15.
Frodo - 2
Elrond - 1 million. Constantly. All the time. Forever.
#LOTRFeast

Gandalf not being a cheat code, and just his general frustration creates such an interesting dimension to the danger they face, and also tells you so much about magic in the world of LOTR without ever a spell being cast. #LOTRFeast

"Tomatoes, sausages, nice crispy bacon!"

For elevensies - In Rivendell the Hobbits were likely to be served gazpacho, a vibrant veggie laden soup.

Being resourceful, it's not hard to imagine Sam and the others finding some Hobbit friendly embellishments. #LOTRFeast

The extended edition of Fellowship benefits Boromir most. Instead of a mere avatar of men's corruption, we get the portrait of a man so burdened by guilt, duty and fear, that his corruption is borne not from lust for power (like Denethor) and more by desperation. #LOTRFeast

Samwise Gamgee is the real Light of Eärendil.

"A light in dark places, when all other lights go out."

When Frodo is alone and has crept into the heart of darkness, Mordor, Sam yet remains. #LOTRFeast

Gimli rattling off proper names and landmarks for the journey to Mordor shows he def spent the time in Lothlorien reading Shirepedia. #LOTRFeast

Everything about the pacing and staging of the last battle of Fellowship is brilliant. There's very little heroic or "cool" about it

Its breathless and desperate

Desperation not for victory or glory But desperation about saving each other. Saving the people we love

#LOTRFeast

"I would have followed you my brother, my captain, my king."
#LOTRFeast

The moment of the Fellowship climax that gets the heroic swell of music and the slow-mo focus isnt Aragorn beheading orcs or Legolas and his bow magic.

It's a Hobbit, wading into a lake even though he can't swim, to keep a promise to not leave his friend. Beautiful #LOTRFeast

As Fellowship gives way to Two Towers, a peek at my favorite Hobbit, standing at the exact spot where Frodo once did at the breaking of the Fellowship. #LOTRFeast

Ah yes, the sentient comment section that is Wormtongue finally appears. #LOTRFeast

Gimli's "oops I started some shit!" face after he talks back to
Éomer and Legolas threatens to murder everyone never ceases to entertain. #LOTRFeast

It seems #InternLando still isn't over Boromir's death. #LOTRFeast

I'm tracking notes for #ProjectLOTRILoveYou and well into Two Towers there are only 4 instances, well below the pace of Fellowship. Just an interesting note, and prob more indicative of the chess-board setting that the early parts of TTT are meant to accomplish. #LOTRFeast

Luncheon - "Po-Tae-Toes! Boil em mash em stick em in a stew!"

Sam never mentioned rolling them together into pasta. Tossed with the last of the special summer tomatoes reserved for Mr. Frodo.Some herbs foraged from the forest for Sam. #LOTRFeast

Aragorn spilling and burning himself with the hot stew is easily the worst injury suffered in the entire trilogy.

Hot soup doesn't mess around. #LOTRFeast

I often make jokes about disapproving dad Elrond, but Hugo Weaving's performance so perfectly embodies a celestial being broken by the combined weight of grief and time.

Sort of like - what would Yoda look like if he ever lost out on Hope? #LOTRFeast

Aragorn suggesting they send out riders to Gondor is based on one thing. It isnt first hand knowledge or Intel.

It is his belief in Boromir's words about there being strength in Gondor and the promises he made him in death. #LOTRFeast

Afternoon tea. A variety of soft cookies accompany wood smoked coffee and a variety of far flung teas from around this Middle Earth. #LOTRFeast

The climax of Helm's Deep shows heroism differently from Fellowship. It is more classic. The last moment valiant charge of good.The heroics of war.

These two identities combine at the end of ROTK. Classic heroics used for granting aid/hope to one being via sacrifice. #LOTRFeast

"Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam."


#LOTRFeast

As we pass the 2/3 mark in our #LOTRFeast here's a glimpse of my favorite Shieldmaiden of Rohan, looking out from the top of Edoras in the spot where Theoden's hall stood.

It remains pretty shocking just how visceral and intense the opening to ROTK is. Just full on one character strangling another to death. #LOTRFeast

Another intern interlude. They are jealous of all the courses. #LOTRFeast #InternLando #InternSaga

Denethor goes from 0 to hateable in like...0.2 seconds. Just incredible. And he hasnt even started eating the tomatoes and cold pheasant in that super gross way. #LOTRFeast

Pretty much every conversation between Aragorn/an elf in the trilogy.

"Hey dude, either be awesome or be dead."

There's no in between. #LOTRFeast

Much like Hugo Weaving and Bernard Hill, John Noble's performance as Denethor is utterly peerless. #LOTRFeast

I would have gladly read like a 700 page Jim Luceno "Darth Plagueis" style deep dive book about Denethor being the absolute worst. #LOTRFeast

How much distance do we think Pippin covers during the Siege of Minas Tirith? He just keeps running up and down the hill to and from the throne room. #LOTRFeast

Dinner - green chile with braised and pulled chicken, pickled veg and lentil /black bean dumplings. With a bit of black lava salt to give it that Mordor finish #LOTRFeast

There's compelling evidence to suggest Eomer is the John Wick of Middle Earth particularly during the Battle of Pelennor Fields. #LOTRFeast

Bernard Hill (Theoden) is essentially playing the straight man in TTT and ROTK. Everyone else is in a magic fantasy epic, but he's part of the grounded realism that allows that to flourish. His speeches are long, near operatic at times, but have to feel tender and do. #LOTRFeast

Faramir, sees Eowyn for the first time in the Houses of Healing.

*Don't say it*
*Don't say it*
*Don't say it*
*Don't say it*
*Don't say it*

A CHANCE FOR FARAMIR, CAPTAIN OF GONDOR, TO SHOW HIS QUALITY.
#LOTRFeast

Aragorn leads the army of men to the Black Gate, still wearing Boromir's bracers.

We really need the deleted scene when the great eye passed down the rules and requirements that lead to "inspections" in the army of Mordor.

#LOTRFeast

"I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!"

Every comic book hero ever wishes they could distill heroism, virtue, and loyalty as well as Samwise Gamgee.

#LOTRFeast

Supper - the smoothest possible hot chocolate made with chocolate from the northern Kingdom and a fresh fruit crumble reminiscent of the summer fruits and delicacies Sam misses and Frodo can no longer recall. #LOTRFeast

"For Frodo."

Aragorn might as well have said "I love you all."

It's the last whizz bang battle of a big budget "soulless IP" saga. And yet, what anchors it isn't a declaration of valor, courage or even loyalty. But an outright direction of true unbridled love. #LOTRFeast

"I'm glad you're with me Sam, here, at the end of all things."

If Sam encapsulated heroism, Frodo does the same for friendship.That regardless of outcome or circumstance, you dont allow another to journey alone. Even if that journey is into oblivion, as they face then and there.

When Arwen is first revealed at the crowning, theres a guard over Elrond's shoulder who looks like he's about to lose it and crack up. #LOTRFeast

"My friends, you bow to no one."

This movie can have as many endings as it wants, especially when so many of them are absolute sledgehammers to the heart like this one.

#LOTRFeast