Ringers: Lord of the Fans (Special Edition) PG-13

J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy trilogy has played an enormous role in the popular culture of the last 50 years--from the 1960s counterculture (several Gandalfs showed up at Woodstock) to today's largely Internet-based supporters of Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS films. Since their publication, the books have inspired the kind of intensely personal devotion usually associated with cult classics--but it's a passion shared by too many millions of people to really be considered cultish. Directed and produced by Carlene Cordova, in association with online mega-fansite TheOneRing.net, the documentary RINGERS: LORD OF THE FANS takes a look at the long tentacles of influence sent out by a book that began its life as a tweedy, erudite Oxford professor's attempt to amuse himself. Hundreds of fantasy authors owe a large debt to Tolkien's work, rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Rush have referenced Middle Earth in their songs, and a plethora of failed attempts to bring the story to the big screen culminated in the massive global success of Jackson's epic adaptation. Tolkien's largely benevolent army of devotees represents an amazing range of genders, ages, and cultures. Narrated by hobbit-portrayer Dominic Monaghan, this affectionate look at a cultural phenomenon has time for the insights and opinions of everyday fans of the books, as well as of better-known Ringers like David Carradine, Terry Pratchett, Cameron Crowe, Clive Barker, Peter Jackson, and much of his films' casts.