TJ West

In Defense of Peter Jackson, Tolkien Fans, and Nerds Everywhere

Peter Jackson has taken a lot of flack for the alleged butchering of The Hobbit, variously described as…
Review: “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”

The final installment of Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy hits many of the high, operatic moments of The Lord of the…
What Tolkien Taught Me About Writing

Once upon a time, I thought that productivity was all that mattered when it came to…
Re-Considering Rankin/Bass

It’s hard now to remember a day when Peter Jackson’s films (whatever one may think of…
Feminism doesn’t (t)werk that way: “Booty Culture,” race, and pop feminism

As Pippa Middleton recently remarked, “What is it with this American booty culture? It seems to…
Teaching Tolkien: Biographical, Textual, and Historical Approaches

Though I have not yet had the chance to teach an entire course on Tolkien, his…
In Praise of Christopher Tolkien

Today I finally got around to finishing up a post I started two years ago. For…
Review: “The Red Tent” (Part Two)

Note: Full spoilers follow. Immensely more engaging and well-written than the first half, proving that historical…
Review: “The Red Tent” (Part One)

Note: Full spoilers follow. Passably good entertainment, but it could have been so much better. When…
Feeling Testy: Assessing our Assessments

Originally posted on Metathesis: Tests and assessment make people angry. Yes, this is a terrible film.…