Showing posts with label dead souls and dark alleys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dead souls and dark alleys. Show all posts

Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos: Flute (Book & CD) (The Lord of the Rings; the Motion Picture Trilogy) Review

Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos: Flute (Book and CD) (The Lord of the Rings; the Motion Picture Trilogy)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I was completely impressed with the Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos for flute.
I have been playing flute for about two years now after taking music classes both inside school and outside for additional advice. I was able to master this beautiful instrument in no time. And I hope to keep up my talent for it.
Now, the features you will expect of this book are:
- 12 featured pieces from each of the three films. These are "The Prophecy", "in Dreams", "Concerning Hobbits", "Many Meetings", "The Black Rider", "Gollum's Song", "Rohan", "Even Star", "Forth Eorlingas", "Into the West", "Steward of Gondor", and the great "Minas Tirith".
- Each piece ranges from at least one page to two; however repeats, rests, and Codas may make the piece longer.
- The book contains full sized pictures of screenshots from the movie.
- A level of playing that is challenging enough for a person of nearly any level.
- Well organized pieces that are easy to understand and read.
- A flute fingering chart at the back to make sure you are able to look up every note.
- A wonderful CD to listen to with full orchestral backup or to play along with. In my case, the demos on my CD feature a professional flutist who plays each piece. When you wish to know the tempo and speed of each piece, this really improves the experience. In fact, the CD is amazing enough to be sold as a sound track for the films by itself.
- This book is available for Flute, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Trumpet, Horn in F, and Trombone. This means that if any concert bands are interested in playing familiar Lord of the Rings music, the pieces will always be in key for each instrument.
In my opinion, this amazing book has completely brought me on to a new level of playing. If any of you are musicians, reading this, you know the feeling you get when you create such a soul-full, emotional piece of music that your mind and audience is touched by every note that weave themselves through each melody? This is what I felt during getting to know each piece in this book.
Howard Shore, this music is brilliant! Thank you to you and your full orchestra and team to putting this together to give musicians wonderful music to play from an inspiring trilogy of films!
:.Midnight's Mist

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos: Flute (Book & CD) (The Lord of the Rings; the Motion Picture Trilogy)

Music from all three films arranged for wind instruments. Desirable and collectible, these instrumental folios are loaded with full-color photos of scenes from all three films. They are printed on top-quality antique paper stock, and the covers showcase the new "trilogy" artwork. The wind instrument books are completely compatible with each other and can be played together or as solos. Each book contains a carefully edited part that is appropriate for the Level 2-3 player and a fully orchestrated accompaniment CD. Each theme on the CD is presented as a "demo" track (which features that particular instrument) and as a "play-along" track without the solo instrument. New icons are used in the books to guide the players through the accompaniment options. A separate piano accompaniment book with CD is available for the wind series. The instrumental solo part, in concert pitch, is added above the piano part. The CD features live demonstration performances of various instrument tracks from the series. Titles are the twelve major themes from the blockbuster trilogy: from The Fellowship of the Ring: The Prophecy * In Dreams * Concerning Hobbits * Many Meetings * The Black Rider; from The Two Towers: Gollum's Song * Rohan * Evenstar * Forth Eorlingas; from The Return of the King: Into the West * The Steward of Gondor * Minas Tirith.

Buy NowGet 20% OFF

Click here for more information about Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos: Flute (Book & CD) (The Lord of the Rings; the Motion Picture Trilogy)

Read More...

Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos Violin Book: With Piano Accompaniment & CD Review

Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos Violin Book: With Piano Accompaniment and CD
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This is a wonderful score book for violin with piano accompaniment. Inside there is a removable section with just the violin sheet music and it comes with a cd with a demo and back-up music to play along with. I truly recommend this for anyone who plays violin. I enjoy the Lord of the Rings, but I also feel that the music is beautiful on its own.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos Violin Book: With Piano Accompaniment & CD

Music from all three films arranged for string instruments. Desirable and collectible, these instrumental folios are loaded with full-color photos of scenes from all three films. They are printed on top-quality antique paper stock, and the covers showcase the new "trilogy" artwork. The string series was written especially for violin, viola, and cello. Each book features a piano accompaniment and a carefully crafted removable string part complete with bowings, articulations, and keys well suited for the Level 2-3 player. A fully orchestrated accompaniment CD, with demo tracks (featuring live string performances) and play-along tracks, completes each package. The string books are completely compatible with each other and can be played together or as solos. Due to level considerations, the string books are not compatible with the books in the wind series. Titles are the twelve major themes from the blockbuster trilogy: from The Fellowship of the Ring: The Prophecy * In Dreams * Concerning Hobbits * Many Meetings * The Black Rider; from The Two Towers: Gollum's Song * Rohan * Evenstar * Forth Eorlingas; from The Return of the King: Into the West * The Steward of Gondor * Minas Tirith.

Buy NowGet 15% OFF

Click here for more information about Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos Violin Book: With Piano Accompaniment & CD

Read More...

Frodo & Harry: Understanding Visual Media and Its Impact on Our Lives Review

Frodo and Harry: Understanding Visual Media and Its Impact on Our Lives
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
The world has really become acquainted with the names Harry and Frodo. With the upcoming release of the third Harry Potter movie to the much-anticipated release of the final movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we have been inundated with these two characters. Both overcoming evil for the triumph of good, it's easy to understand the attraction to both. But how are we to discern whether these characters, books and movies are moral and present a worldview that is proper for our children?
FRODO & HARRY, co-authored by media experts Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder, compares the fantasy worlds of Frodo and Harry Potter, contrasting the fictional "real world" in The Lord of the Rings with the occult world of Harry Potter. Baehr and Snyder are obviously movie buffs, but they are also Christians who observe culture and are concerned with the way visual media is affecting our world. "Our purpose is to help people of faith and values see and understand the difference between the two movies that have been adapted from the popular literary works," the authors state.
Part one is an analysis comparing and contrasting both movies and their worldviews. They briefly outline each film and discuss the message that each is giving. Although they point out a couple of positive aspects, the authors are extremely critical of Harry Potter, saying that it "attacks Biblical Christianity," and that the stories reflect a "pagan, gnostic, and nominalistic worldview." However, they praise The Lord of the Rings, calling it an "epic story" that "points us toward God and Jesus Christ and toward truth, honor, virtue, and beauty." Discussion questions at the end of each beginning chapter help readers evaluate the books and movies, and their effect on their lives personally.
The second part of the book touches on the spiritual approach we are to take when evaluating entertainment media in order to protect our lives from negative influences. Because the entertainment industry has such an influence over our children, Baehr and Snyder say parents should be concerned. They provide shocking statistics, ways we can pass on our moral and spiritual values to our children and go into detail about how children develop mentally and exactly how they react to certain types of media --- horror films, violence, etc. This section also touches on the history of the Church and its relationship with media and culture. Finally, there are suggestions for discerning readers and parents on how to ask the right questions about Frodo and Harry.
FRODO & HARRY is strongly recommended for those who are interested in pop-culture and how it relates to our spiritual lives, as well as for thoughtful parents who want to learn about the nature of the fantasy genre and the various critical tools necessary to develop an informed judgment about art and entertainment.
--- Reviewed by Karen Campbell

Click Here to see more reviews about: Frodo & Harry: Understanding Visual Media and Its Impact on Our Lives

There is a war afoot between two fantasy worlds. The feature films based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy has reawakened popular interest in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastical creatures. Meanwhile, Harry Potter fans devour every installment of J.K. Rowling's best-selling series. While both series have ardent fans and some similarities, is there actually an important difference between the two? How are readers and moviegoers to think about Frodo and Harry?This book contrasts the fantasy worlds of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, showing their very different worldviews. Using Harry and Frodo as a lens to examine media entertainment as a whole, the authors show us how to make wise choices, because there's more at stake than just a book or a movie - it's a way of looking at the world. Discerning readers and thoughtful parents will find this book an eye-opener about what they're being taught through the entertainment they choose.Ted Baehr, an award-winning producer, writer and director, is chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission, a division of Good News Communications, Inc., and serves as the publisher of MOVIEGUIDE: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment. He writes a nationally syndicated column and is the author of numerous books, including What Shall We Watch Tonight? and The Media-Wise Family.Tom Snyder is vice president of Good News Communications, Inc., and an editor for MOVIEGUIDE. He is an experienced journalist and film scholar, having taught in the Radio-TV-Film Department at Northwestern University, where he completed a Ph.D. in film studies. He is also the author of Myth Conceptions: Joseph Campbell and the New Age.--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Buy Now

Click here for more information about Frodo & Harry: Understanding Visual Media and Its Impact on Our Lives

Read More...

Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands Review

Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Few discussions will provoke opinions among believers as heated as whether or not Christians ought to enjoy works of popular fantasy.
On the one hand, some claim believers should avoid these realms of the imagination. On the other, there are those Christians so desperate to justify their interest with a veneer of spirituality that they try to establish one to one correlations between these entertaining stories and Holy Scripture.
"Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands: A Christian Dialogue With Harry Potter, Star Wars & Lord Of The Rings" by Russell Dalton endeavors to provide a balance between these competing outlooks.
While highlighting the parts of these works that appeal to enduring values, Dalton also admits that neither are these stories themselves Scripture. Rather, he writes, "This book takes an approach that goes beyond a `thumbs up' or `thumbs down' evaluation of fiction and film. It gives the reader a chance to reflect whether or not the behaviors and beliefs of the characters in today's fantasy stories are consistent with the Christian faith, but it also looks at the questions these stories demand of our faith by entering into a dialogue between these fantasy stories and the Christians story (7)."
Rather than condemn The Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars, or even Harry Potter, "Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands" prudently counsels that the problems that arise in reference to these stories often lie not so much in the stories themselves but in those that read them. For example, most that read Harry Potter are not going to end up sacrificing goats or taking oaths of unending allegiance to Satan. Thus, Dalton suggests, parents must decide for themselves how much exposure to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Lord Of The Rings their children should receive.
Though for the most part balanced in his approach, the reader will no doubt detect a hint of political correctness seeping into Dalton's exposition. For example, he does not use the phrase "Kingdom of God" but rather "The Reign Of God." Likewise, Dalton does not refer to Jesus as "the Son of Man" but rather as "the Son of Humanity".
Dalton also gets all maudlin that the characters in these stories are primarily White. But since Middle Earth is said to correspond to some kind of pre-historic Europe and Hogwarts is a British alchemical school, what does he expect?
If Aragorn had had such vacillating attitudes, Sauron would have still been ruling over Middle Earth by the end of the third film.
Even if one disagrees with the conclusions drawn by "Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands", one has to admit Dalton approaches the issue in an overall even handed manner carefully respecting the opinions on each side.
by Frederick Meekins


Click Here to see more reviews about: Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands

Christians have always engaged the world around them and reflected upon the connections between faith and culture. Faith Journey through Fantasy Lands engages popular culture in the hugely successful stories of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings. Author Dalton guides the reader through these contemporary fantasy stories, illuminating them with light from the Christian faith journey. The book opens doors to faith-sharing, particularly with young people, while also taking on the issues within the stories that have led some Christians to reject them.

Buy Now

Click here for more information about Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands

Read More...

Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Modern Magick Review

Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Modern Magick
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Richard Abanes wasted his time writting this book. Why do I say this? Because he wrote the same book a year before this one came out. The only difference it that he renamed it from "Harry Potter and the Bible" to "Fantasy and your Family." In both books Abanes gives an unfair and biassed crtiticism of Harry Potter. He frequently tells one side of the story and leaves the other half out conviniently.
Also he advances the theory that the books contain sexism and at least two anti-Christian remarks which is not true.
He also uses scare tactics to frighten already concearned Christian parents by saying that kids are saying they want to be involved in the Occult because of Harry Potter. One quote he uses on page 160 by a 13 year old girl who said she wants to do magick, like being a parseltongue or a necromancer. The second thing is not even in the books. This gives me the idea that these kids had an influence other than Harry Potter.
Also he fails to point out that though the occult has had a growth, that a Zenit news article points out that the occult populations in Europe and the U.S. are both under 0.1% of there general populations. The same article also points out that though Potter and Buffy have a large following in Europe that there the occult movements are in decline.
Do I even need to say I cannot recommend this book?

Click Here to see more reviews about: Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Modern Magick

Fantasy and Your Family by bestselling author Richard Abanes presents a much-needed assessment of fantasy—its benefits and its drawbacks. Abanes begins with an in-depth look at folklore, myths, legends, and fairy tales, and their connection to fantasy. Part one also discusses issues involving child development, the affects of literature on children, and how those affects can ultimately change the course of society. Additionally, Abanes examines pop culture, the media, mass marketing, and the commercialization of children's literature by corporations interested primarily in making money.This volume then looks at the life of fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien, the popularity of his fantasy works, their content, and what separates them from other fantasy volumes such as Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and the children's horror books by R.L. Stine. A particularly interesting survey of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings includes a thorough analysis of its storyline, characters, and morality. These are compared side-by-side with Harry Potter.Finally, Abanes gives an overview of our culture's growing obsession with the occult, paganism, and witchcraft. Why is it happening? When did it begin? How is it influencing today's youth? All of these questions are answered through a concise, easy-to-understand writing style. Especially fascinating are the numerous sources of documentations that shows children are indeed being drawn to the occult via Harry Potter. Included are dozens of quotes by Wiccans, neopagans, and occultists that clearly express their belief that Rowling's fantasy will do much to further witchcraft and the occult.

Buy Now

Click here for more information about Fantasy and Your Family: Exploring the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Modern Magick

Read More...

Return of the Heroes: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Social Conflict Review

Return of the Heroes: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Social Conflict
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
As a fan of Tolkein, Star Wars, and Harry Potter and one who has appreciated a number of analytic treatments of their themes in relation to culture and society, I was expecting something a little different. Perhaps a more accurate title might have been "Defending the Heroes: Debating Critics of Tolkein and Star Wars, with a Little Harry Potter Thrown in."
The larger portion of the book consists of the author cataloging an extensive list of negative criticisms and in turn criticizing the critics for their method and mood. Granted, his arguments make a lot of sense. But there is much less positive treatment of heroic themes and their potential validity and usefulness in modern society, and much repetitive groaning about how mistaken the critics are.
Not only that, the subtitle suggests that three different series will be treated in the book. In fact, Harry Potter is mentioned only briefly, a few times, almost as if his inclusion were meant to capitalize on his current popularity. For the amount of space devoted to Harry Potter themes, he could just as easily (and more accurately) have been excluded from the title. I found this to be misleading.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Return of the Heroes: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Social Conflict



Buy Now

Click here for more information about Return of the Heroes: The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Social Conflict

Read More...

Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies Review

Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Harry Potter, Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings by Richard Abanes is a dissection of three of the greatest fantasy phenomena around today. Is fantasy harmful? Can we learn from it? Are there different types? How does fantasy affect us?
These are just a few of the questions Abanes answers in his informative book. As a mildly interested reader and watcher of fantasy, this book surprised me as it disclosed the impact that reading or observing fantasy can have on a person--especially a child or teenager. Yet parents are often very lax in supervising what their children read or watch, resulting in a decline in morals as well as an increasing interest in the occult.
Abanes compares the three above-named fantasies to show what each is preaching or teaching. With the Narnia and Lord of the Rings series, he shows how Christian values and morals can be taught through the fantasy medium.
With Harry Potter, he raises a few questions. Some in the Christian arena have said it teaches Christian morals. Abanes disputes this by asking: Do we have a clear-cut example of good and bad in Harry Potter? How can we call the hero "good" and yet watch Harry lie, cheat, and steal? What about all the occult spells and paraphernalia explored in the books?
In the last chapters, he shows how television and movies are delving more and more into the occult, including horror movies and even prime-time weekly television programs. "Children are big imitators," asserts Abanes. Many of the crimes being perpetrated today--especially by children and teenagers--are copycats of scenes watched in movies or television.
Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings is enlightening while remaining highly readable. Abanes challenges Christian authors and pastors in a friendly way, but calls us all to be discerning of what we put before our children and grandchildren. ..

Click Here to see more reviews about: Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies


Award-winningjournalist Richard Abanesclears away the confusion many readers experience over fantasy books and films.He delves into the differences between various forms of fantasy and digs outanswers needed by every parent, youth worker, teacher, and student.

The stories of Tolkien, Lewis, and Rowling-and films based on them-have touchedmillions of lives. How are these authors similar...and different? Where do theyfit into today's ever-growing desire for the mystery and magic fantasy provides?Abanes-himself a fantasy and science-fictionfan-helps shed light on this form of entertainment and its effects on today'syouth.

Readers will come awaythoroughly equipped to differentiate between stories and films that areharmless, even inspiring-and those containing spiritual dangers.


Buy Now

Click here for more information about Harry Potter, Narnia, and The Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know About Fantasy Books and Movies

Read More...