Adapting the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga for a streaming series slated to run for 40 episodes is a much different exercise than paring down the writer’s most celebrated work to feature-length, which is one reason, among many, that Prime Video’s new THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER feels like a different beast than director Peter Jackson’s celebrated film trilogy that kicked off with 2001’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. But the two projects are naturally in conversation with each other by virtue of their source material and the expectations that come with it, which we attempt to parse as we share our early reactions to RINGS OF POWER’s first three episodes with help from our returning special guest, Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi. Then we bring FELLOWSHIP back into the equation to consider how the two tales converge and diverge around Tolkien’s mythology, how each handles this saga’s big themes of good vs. evil, friendship, and cooperation, and how well their respective large-scale fantasy worlds function on both a narrative and visual level. Plus, Keith and Roxana dig briefly into the extended cuts of Jackson’s films for Your Next Picture Show. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, RINGS OF POWER, or anything else in the world of Tolkien, film, or Tolkien on film, by sending an email to [email protected], leaving a short voicemail at 773-234-9730, or commenting on our Patreon (patreon.com/NextPictureShow), where you can also find bonus episodes and more.  Works cited: • “The Rings of Power Looks on the Bright Side” by Roxana Hadadi (vulture.com) • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power episodic recaps by Keith Phipps (vulture.com) Outro music: My Chemical Romance, “Kiss the Ring” Next Pairing: Robert Altman’s THE LONG GOODBYE and Greg Mottola’s CONFESS, FLETCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new streaming series THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER is not technically a prequel to Peter Jackson’s early-aughts film trilogy, nor is Jackson involved with the series, but it’s hard to imagine it existing in a world where Jackson’s films hadn’t already provided a best-case scenario for large-scale screen adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth saga. So before delving into the crown jewel of Prime Video’s streaming lineup, we’re revisiting 2001’s THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, with some help from special guest Roxana Hadadi, to see what it taught us about Tolkien on screen, and how it helped shape a generation of fantasy filmmaking. Plus, we begin digging into the mountain of feedback we received regarding Jordan Peele’s NOPE and our discussion thereof. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE RINGS OF POWER, or anything else in the world of film and/or Tolkien, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “Frodo, Don’t Wear the Ring” by Flight of the Conchords Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Miller’s new fantasy-romance THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING may not have made a splash in theaters, but your Next Picture Show cohort agrees it’s the sort of odd-duck movie that tends to age well, in part because it fits nicely into the sturdy category of “stories about storytelling.” Even more so than its central djinn character, that interest in storytelling is what links this film to 1940’s THE THIEF OF BAGDAD, and so after unpacking our reactions to Miller’s film, we bring THIEF back into the discussion to compare two fantastical tales, one sincere and one self-aware, about how desire and love can shape the nature of beings both mythic and mortal. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE THIEF OF BAGDAD, THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], leaving a short voicemail at 773-234-9730, or commenting on our Patreon (patreon.com/NextPictureShow), where you can also find bonus episodes and more.  Works cited: • “Every George Miller Movie is a Mad Max movie,” by Joshua Rivera (polygon.com) Outro music: Sophie B. Hawkins, “Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” Next Pairing: LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING and LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Miller’s new 3000 YEARS OF LONGING is a story about storytelling that’s full of color and pageantry, which makes it a nice match for producer Alexander Korda’s 1940 fantasy THE THIEF OF BAGDAD — and that’s before the films’ respective djinns even enter the equation. One of the most technically ambitious films ever made, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD’s influence is all over cinema, but this week we’re imagining what it would have been like to experience it in 1940, before considering how its effects, acting styles, fairy-tale love story, and Western-centric understanding of the East holds up to modern standards. Plus, we respond to some feedback on our interpretation of perhaps the pivotal scene in Werner Herzog’s GRIZZLY MAN. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE THIEF OF BAGDAD, 3000 YEARS OF LONGING, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “The Gin Song,” The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tasha announces plans for the next pairing: 'Three Thousand Years Of Longing" and 1940's "Thief of Bagdad." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices