| 12-10-02 Latest News |
Purenz becomes Middle-earth
Xoanon @ 11:06 pm EST
The stars of The Lord of the Rings are now helping promote New Zealand offshore. With their positive endorsement of New Zealand and its beauty and activities, stars including Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Karl Urban and producer Barry Osborne are showing visitors to Tourism New Zealand’s www.purenz.com website just how much of ‘Middle-earth’ they can experience while they are in New Zealand. Video-stream interviews with the actors and production crew, an interactive map, behind-the-scenes stories, film location information and photos create a comprehensive guide on how to get the most out of a trip to New Zealand if you are interested in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Timed to coincide with the build-up to the worldwide release of the second film in the trilogy – The Two Towers, the module, found at www.purenz.com/homeofmiddleearth/ - emphasises New Zealand's diverse landscapes that made it the one place in the world that could bring Tolkien's epic masterpiece to life. “The filming of The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand has proved to be a novel way to demonstrate what New Zealand has to offer,” says George Hickton, Chief Executive of Tourism New Zealand. “The interactivity of the internet is a great way to provide comprehensive information to those who are interested in New Zealand’s connection with the film.” “With the internet being one our most powerful marketing tools it makes sense to use The Lord of the Rings on www.purenz.com as a way of generating more interest in New Zealand as a destination.” An interactive map is a highlight of the site. Karl Urban, a Wellingtonian who portrays the character Éomer in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers takes visitors to the site through the map via an online narration. Users can scroll through the map and pick up interviews and comments from those involved in the filming of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and links to destinational material. The module also incorporates the short films narrated by Lucy Lawless that have been present on the site since the launch of the first film.
www.purenz.com is currently receiving 140 000 user sessions per month. At the time the The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring interactive module was launched in 2001, the number of user sessions for the website almost doubled almost overnight.
Liv Tyler 'Stunner'
Xoanon @ 3:53 pm EST
Dan writes: Todays edition of The Sun newspaper, a popular, yet racy UK newspaper (tabloid) has an interview with Liv Tyler as part of its 'Two Towers' Week. It features the 'stunning' revelation that she wears nothing under her Arwen dresses, save for socks and converse shoes. That earth shattering news aside, there is some stuff about how her friends have responded to her role as Arwen, and her future projects.
TTT Set To Storm London Baby Yeah!
Xoanon @ 3:19 pm EST
Beth writes: I just saw a little interview with Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd and Liv Tyler on Newsround, a british kids news show. Newsround will also be reporting live from the London premiere tomorrow evening. Billy Boyd will also be on GMTV on Wednesday (tomorrow) morning, and SMTV on saturday morning, both on ITV1. Also, a competition winner from Radio 1 who won tickets to the Paris premiere will be reporting her experiences on the Sara Cox breakfast show on Radio 1 tomorrow morning.
Amazing TTT Score Review!
Xoanon @ 3:00 pm EST
Paul T writes: The Two Towers soundtrack feels as if someone has taken the Fellowship score, altered it slightly, changed they key here and there, exchanged the choirs for a Russian version, exchanged Enya for a whole host of new voices of similar talent and mixed it with a very European sound and added a very Eastern, if not Arabian undertone. Overall, it is not a linear, or free-flowing as Fellowship, it feels like we are jumping around. There are a lot more themes in this film and we jump from one to the other very quickly. It feels darker, it feels like there is more sorrow but it also feels more like incidental music. There is nothing as grand as the Flight to the Ford, or the Bridge of Khazad-dum and there is not incredible climax like the Ambush on Amon-hen… It does however have a far greater sense of purpose, a far greater sense of action and doom, and a far greater sense of evil. This feels like the middle of the story, there is no beginning to it, and no end to it, it feels like it should keep going. Like the movie, if you have not listened to the first one, then this one won’t feel as good or anywhere near as powerful. Here is my track by track feeling of what I was listening to, I have jotted it down while I listened to it to hopefully convey best how well this soundtrack works. Enjoy! The first track on the Fellowship soundtrack, in the end, sounded nothing like the score that opened the film. I hope for The Two Towers the first track “Foundations of Stone” is. It is darker, more imposing than the opening to Fellowship (referring to what actually played in the film) and has a sense of “welcome back” to it. It briefly re-caps the music from Fellowships opening and then extends it into a very rhythmic and slow, yet darker version of the Fellowship opening… and then… boom boom boom… A grand action piece! This is very obviously the re-cap of Gandalf’s confrontation with the Balrog on the Bridge and some of the music is note for note, although in a different key. The music fades as it does in Fellowship’s scene and we are left with a solitary base line. This time however it goes smack and you can feel yourself fall into the abyss with Gandalf. From here it is as if the theme from the Bridge of Khazad-dum sequence from the Fellowship soundtrack has been sped-up, layered with another line of dialogue and sung by a patriotic Russian choir. This is a fast paced grandiose opening to the film… and then… silence… “The Taming of Smeagol” is a far cry from “Concerning Hobbits” and while some of the elements of that track are present this is far darker and far from happy Hobbits playing at home. Very nicely however the music that plays as Frodo reads under the tree is the same music that opens this track. Slowly a small choir appear and beckon us into the new domain the Hobbits have entered, this feels very strongly like Fellowship, until a new sound emerges. Sounding very Arabian this is very obviously the theme for Gollum, and boy does it suit him! It sounds mythic, ancient and very unusual, as if the music is torn between good and evil! Then bang, some more action! The capturing of Smeagol? It lasts only a short time, but it sounds like a scuffle, and it ends very darkly with more of the Gollum theme, the violins creak out and then again silence. “The Riders of Rohan” to me opens in a very world war 2 epic about a bombimg raid, unusual yes but that is what I saw in my head. It is lively and sounds like it could be the music playing when the Riders meet the Three Hunters, that part then fades and a calmer episode follows. A sense of something appearing, and then a fanfare, but for what? It then fades again and rests into a more gentle rhythm. This is the first of the music that has no relevance to Fellowship and it uniquely its own. It then begins to quicken and we hear the already familiar theme for Rohan, played in many TV spots and specials so far. Then the solo viola, playing the tune, so very European to the ear, then again fading into something darker, more imposing. It then ends on a note of impending doom. “The Passage of the Marshes” is starting to get darker, violins writhing in agony as very obviously the three pass the haunted marshes. This is an unsettling place, it is shrouded in mystery, but then something is happening. The music is building to a crescendo, there is a very Russian choir singing something in the background that fades into the same tossing and turning of the violins. Then, back to normal. The music becomes very personal, as if this is a scene where people are talking, you must listen, it beckons you to take note. Then again the Gollum theme leaves it mark and wraps up the track very nicely. “The Uruk-hai” is very obviously a re-hash from Fellowship. It starts with the music form the clip we have already seen on AOL, where Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli chase the Uruk-hai over the plains. The Fellowship fanfare bellows out as we see the three run like the wind. Then it slows down, very intimate as if it was a neo-Hobbit theme with a bit of the Fellowship mixed in, Pippin dropping the brooch? Then the Rohan theme, this time is mixes into the theme we heard when we first saw Barad-dur in Fellowship, what can this be for? It builds to a point and then finally it transforms into the Isengard theme, much darker, much more base than before and of course far darker. “The King of the Golden Hall” opens again with the Fellowship theme, but is quickly disguised by more, very European sounds of the Rohan. This is some of the music from the clip we see of Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli riding into Edoras as the flad is torn from its post and falls to rest next to Aragorn as he rides into the city. It continues in a very melodic fashion, as if to formerly introduce the Rohan. Then, danger, the music turns dark and confrontational. Is this the sequence in the hall where the guards attack them and Gandalf confronts Wormtounge? It quickly finishes and the music so familiar in Fellowship returns, the music we heard when Gandalf spoke to Frodo in Bag End. This time it becomes more operatic and free flowing, a choir has been added. “The Black Gate is Closed” opens on a high, note! We are in a dark place here of great peril. The Barad-dur theme rings out very strongly here and you can feel the scale of what is so obviously being shown. The massive black gates and an army of Easterlings entering them. There is a tension in the air, Sam falling? Frodo to the rescue and his cloak hiding them? There is a sense of urgency and then it ends abruptly. Very quiet again, a series of violins break in with a new sound, I have not heard this before. It quickly starts to sound like doom again, a sense of awe oozes out of the music. It quickly becomes far more passive, and eventually ends on another dark note. “Evenstar” is like taking a trip into the past, back to Rivendell and the music we heard there. This time there is far more sorrow, the music is not as haunting but it is very mellow and stirs a sense of despair. It continues like this for almost the entire track, very slow and full of emotion. The voice of Isabel Bayrakdarian is beautiful and it accompanies the sound of the score perfectly. It ends again on a dark note, and leaves that sad taste with us. “The White Rider” opens powerfully, a very Russian sound as if Gandalf is charging across the plains on Shadowfax with a purpose, it feels like a stronger Gandalf then before. It quickly becomes calmer and lends itself to the sound of wonderment. Eventually the Rohan theme glides in and it becomes a massive fanfare that quickly fades to nothing. “Treebeard” is at first a darker track then I thought it would be, as if the Ents are something to be feared. There is a very stilted sound of a choir amongst some heavy base lines, and then everything reveals itself. The music glides along with this sense of impending something, and then eventually ends on an almost Ewok sounding theme. Not entirely Eowk, but definitely feels ancient and something you would find in a thick wood. I have heard this before I think, but where I cannot tell. None the less is makes me picture Treebeard as a very large, very imposing, yet not so hasty figure in the woods. He is still dark however, are we sure he is friend I ask? A violin enters and the music builds, the darkness becomes louder and then… silence… “The Leave Taking” feels out of place in the midst of all this. It sounds very heavily like Rivendell, almost the same note for note from Fellowship actually and it is not the same feeling as the rest of the score so far, not even “Evenstar”. Quickly however it becomes Lothlorien, this is much better, it suits the dark melody of the film. This is the music from the entry to Lothlorien, with a few new instruments added for a far darker feel. The choir has been turned down a little too, this makes for a scene of mystery, as if important events are being discussed. Then back to the music from Gandalf and Frodo in Bag End from the first film, note for note when they are discussing Sauron. It slowly fades into something more sinister and mysterious however, and ends. “Helm’s Deep” is an odd track to begin with, it sound like a few themes from Fellowship rolled into one, it is hard to pick them as they have been altered and played with different instruments, but it sounds so familiar. There are now drums beating, a choir bellowing out, it is very grandiose, very strong and almost happy, or at least breath taking. The pace slows down and we are back to a violin style sequence. This is very romantic, very melodic, but it builds to a climax that fades off once again into the Rohan theme this time with drums beating out in the background. “The Forbidden Pool” is a far more sombre track than anything else on the soundtrack. It is quiet, composed with a subtle dark undertone. It does not sound like anything else so far, it does have a small resemblance to Bree in Fellowship but it ends there. One imagines it is a scene based on dialogue, and perhaps the scene where Faramir is tempted to take the ring. There is a hint of Gollum’s theme here at some points, but it is very soft. There is a hint of a new theme, inter-woven into the theme of the ring, perhaps this is the beginning of Gondor for Return of the King? None the less it eventually resembles that Gandalf/Frodo scene again from Fellowship. It is probably the slowest piece of music so far on the soundtrack and it ends with the very familiar boy choir, that rings out every time a key character becomes entranced with the ring – when Boromir found the ring in the snow! When Aragorn was tempted towards the end. Very very beautiful and a very nice ending to the track. “Breath of Life” continues in almost the same fashion as “Evenstar”, this time featuring the voice of Sheila Chandra instead. It sounds very mystical and full of sorrow, much like “Evenstar” did. This one is strange and I can only think this is the scene where Aragorn sees Arwen while he floats in the river, only to awake next to Brego, As if Arwen, when she kisses him, breathes life into him. The music does change from the other-worldly feel back to reality - I guess you could say. It now has a very unique feel again, like nothing so far in the soundtrack. It peaks with a violin solo and then changes quickly into something more grand, as if there is purpose. Aragorn is very obviously witnessing the march of the great host of Isengard to Helm’s Deep and he now has a purpose. To make it back to Helm’s Deep in time to prepare for war. “The Hornburg” starts with the Rohan theme, very obviously as the Rohan accept that the encounter with the Uruk-hai is imminent and they may not survive the night. It feels like the Fellowship theme did at the end of the first film. Sad yet ironically heroic! Then it deepens, the choir returns very softly to the beat of a drum, this is a very sad moment. There is however a sense of pace, as if there is not time to rest and feel sorrow. A trumpet then rings out, the beating of drums and then the trumpet bellows out all by itself, it fades again and we are back to sorrow. The Fellowship theme returns, very quietly and in a very sombre mood. It transforms into a piece I have not yet heard and then the rhythm picks up. The Uruk-hai are marching into the deep, no time for sorrow, the gates of hell have just opened. It is almost endless, as if the host is enormous, and then it ends, drums ring out with a sense of power, and then it ends. “Forth Eorlingas” then seems a little odd, it is back to the slower paced music, not like what I expected it to be. It builds slowly, the pace quickening, the choir gains strength and then it ends… Charge! This sounds like Theoden and his riders charging forth from the gates of the Hornburg, the Rohan theme bellows out in triumph! The Fellowship theme follows close behind, there is a sense of victory here. Then it transforms into a sense of wonderment again, a small boy singing to the heavens and a the Rohan theme then hits new heights… This is the magic part, just like the Fellowship theme from the Bridge of Khazad-dum when the movie was at its height. Victory! “Isengard Unleased” starts off sounding something like Lothlorien, quickly the voices of Elizabeth Fraser comes to the for front, just like “Evenstar”… Then another fanfare, a theme I have not yet heard. This sounds like battle, this sounds like the Ents trashing Isengard. It is very grand, with a deafening pace, the Isengard theme makes an appearance amongst the chaos. Then it slows down, a trumpet bellows out, it is answered by another…. Then something is happening, the music is quiet, yet it seems to be building to something, there is pace in the undertones. It slowly builds, a choral voice rings out and it reaches a climax, the pace quickens – is Isengard being Flooded? The music continues, very grand and operatic, it is building to yet another climax. It seems to keep going at this intense level, not quite reaching the climax… then… silence… “Samwise the Brave” starts like all the Hobbit orientated tracks do, very calmly and with a sense of Hobbit goodness. This sounds like an appropriate track to end the film. It sounds much like the Breaking of the Fellowship when Sam almost drowns and The Three Hunters set off. The theme of friendship rings out truly magnificently, especially amongst all the dark undertones that have preceded it in the soundtrack. Then finally the Hobbit theme comes full circle and the sound that opened the film with Frodo & Sam in Emyn Muil, the same as the one at the start of Fellowship while Frodo read under the tree, plays out. It shifts, this time to a far darker tone then expected, as if there is something else that is to happen before we end the film. This must be Gollum and his small rant about the fate of Frodo and Sam… Then all of a sudden it just ends… “Gollum’s Song” is an eerie end to the film, and certainly well suited to the entire soundtrack. I can imagine watching the whole credits just to take all of this in. Emiliana Torrini’s voice is superb, harsh yet full of sorrow, it seems to summarise the soundtrack completely, let alone set a mood for the film. After the dong there is a small reprise, as if to say – there is more to come… Wait until next year for the final chapter it cries… Then silence.
Become a Gaming Havens Chat Helper!
Flinch @ 5:49 am EST
Are you a top notch LOTR TCG Player? Have you smacked the Balrog around and lived to tell the tale in the Fellowship of the Ring for XBox? Have you mastered every last one of Aragorn's combo's in The Two Towers for PS2? If so then you might be perfect as a Gaming Havens Chat Helper! We're looking for Gaming Savy individuals who can be on call to help our chatters in #Havens. Be it with a trick to get through a certain level, or just a rules clarification for stacking sites. Plus members of our Chat Helper program will be eligible for a special prize each month from one of the many Gaming Companies who make Lord of the Rings Games! If you're interested in becoming a Chat Helper drop me an e-mail to Flinch@TheOneRing.net. See you all in #Havens! [Click Here to Chat Now]
Douglas Anderson, Editor of 'The Annotated Hobbit,' Scheduled for a Live Chat
Jincey @ 12:21 am EST
Youthful encounters with the magic of Middle have inspired many wonderful creative works, including the artistry of John Howe and Alan Lee, the writings of Ursula LeGuin, the BBB production adapted by recent TORn guest Brian Sibley and a host of others. On Friday, December 13 at 6 p.m. EST (11 p.m. GMT), TheOneRing.net is pleased to host a chat with renowned Tolkien scholar, Douglas Anderson, editor of "The Annotated Hobbit." This newly revised and expanded book is an exhaustive look at the sources for, influences upon, and alterations to Tolkien's "Hobbit." In addition to the full text and annotations, there are over 150 illustrations -- including many of Tolkien's own creation. Anderson's own early readings of "The Lord of the Rings" set him upon a path of medieval and mythology studies and a life-long interest in Tolkien's publishing history. His other works include J. R. R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography (1993) with Wayne G. Hammond. Maegwen
As Anderson wrote in tribute to the professor, "Tolkien's writings have occupied a large part of my mental landscape for nearly thirty years, and I expect that they shall do so for another thirty years, as I continue to study the man and his writings, and learn new ways to appreciate various aspects of his creative genius."
Please join us for what promises to be a most interesting examination of Tolkien's first published work. To participate, join Barlimans and then type /join #thehalloffire. Further connection help can be found [Here]
| 12-09-02 Latest News |
NZ News, Links And More!
Xoanon @ 11:52 pm EST
Nessimë writes: Went down to the cafe at work, did the stealth thing and stole the souvenir mag to delight over at my desk. It covers the following articles: New faces in The Two Towers: Faramir The soundtrack is out, with one of five collector cards in each one.
A time for hearts to pound again
The new armies of The Two Towers
Other 'new faces' that they talk about include King Theoden, Grima Wormtongue, Eomer, and Gamling.
There is an article on "The Creatures" (Gollum and Treebeard), an article on "The Frocks" (Arwen's and Eowyn's dresses), there is a small part on the locations, a Middle Earth map of the journey of the Fellowship, an article on Eowyn/Miranda Otto entitled "The Warrior Woman", an article on Saruman/Christopher Lee entitled "The Evil Wizard", and finally a piec on "The Story - Shaking Middle-Earth's middle" which talks about changes and the script.
There are also some excellent ads in there including the LotR exhibition at Te Papa between 19 December - 28 February (www.tepapa.govt.nz and also found through www.wellingtonnz.com, the books and DVD (The Collector's Edition is $179.99 - save $20 *ouch*). There are some adverts for tertiary courses in NZ in regards to media, sfx, makeup artistry etc.
There is also a "Safari of the Rings" - A 4X4 tour visiting locations (www.outback.net.nz), and an advert for Brinkley Village (www.brinkleyvillage.co.nz where PJ and the actors stayed. Further information on this area or "stunning film locations" for screen production companies are given as www.ashburtontourism.co.nz and www.filmsouth.com. This last information is more generalised than LotR.
Now that I've had my LotR fix for the day, I guess I'd better get back to work. Hope you have a great day - mine has certainly started out the right way!
Another TTT Review!
Xoanon @ 11:35 am EST
THE TWO TOWERS Tis good to be back home in Middle-earth! "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!" The Two Towers, the second of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners), opens with a return to Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen in his best-supporting Oscar-nominated role) fighting the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-dum, from last year's Oscar-winning, The Fellowship of the Ring. As he tells the shocked Fellowship, "Fly, you fools!" he plunges from the bridge, only this time we continue the fall with him. As Gandalf falls through the gaping chasm, he recovers his sword, Glamdring, and continues a jaw-dropping battle with the Balrog until they both fall into the lake beneath the Mines of Moria. "GANDALF!" Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), awakes from his nightmare of Gandalf's fall, and thus our journey continues, mere days after the fall of Boromir and the fracturing of the Fellowship at Amon Hen. And what a journey! There is a darker, more exciting theme to The Two Towers (which refers to Orthanc, the tower of Saruman in Isengard and Sauron's Barad-dur in Mordor), especially where Ring-bearer, Frodo, is concerned. The closer he gets to Mount Doom, where he must cast the Ring back into the fires where it was forged, the heavier it becomes and the tighter the pull it's creator, Sauron has on Frodo's psyche. We catch up with the Human, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), the Elf, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and the Dwarf, Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) as they search for their Hobbit friends Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) after their capture by marauding Uruk-hai in Amon Hen. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli trail their friends to Fangorn Forest, where they run into an old friend - the Grey Pilgrim returns to them and completes his tale of his battle with the Balrog, and how he's now Gandalf the White. He assures them Merry and Pippin are safe - they've been found and cared for by one of Middle-earth's oldest denizens, Treebeard the Ent (a tree shepherd). Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli make their way to Edoras, the realm of King Theoden (Bernard Hill) of Rohan, who has been mentally besieged by Grima Wormtongue (Brad Dourif you'll want to have a shower after seeing Brad's remarkable performance as this slimy, insipid fiend). Aptly named, Grima is a servant of Saruman masquerading as a trusted advisor to King Theoden. Gandalf releases Theoden from Grima's twisted hold, and Grima flees Rohan back to Saruman. The people of Rohan escape to the safety of the keep at Helm's Deep. They are attacked by some 10,000 Orcs, Uruk-hai, wildmen of Southron and Easterlings. The 300 men and boys able to defend Helm's Deep seem hopelessly outnumbered until an Elven army sent by Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and lead by Haldir (Craig Parker) of Lothlorien arrive to renew their alliance with Men and fight along side them once again. Through all this Aragorn goes through his own test - a test of love and loyalty. It becomes quite obvious that Theoden's niece, Eowyn (Miranda Otto) is quite taken with the ranger, and Aragorn is visibly torn between his love for Elrond's daughter, Arwen (liv Tyler), and the attentions of Eowyn. Peter Jackson himself has said that Tolkien purists may have some trouble with this second installment of the trilogy of films as they've taken the most liberties with the story line of The Two Towers, more so than either Fellowship or the next year's Return of the King (Dec 17, 2003). I consider myself a Tolkien purist, having been a devoted reader for the last 25 years (The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are the two greatest books ever written), and I have no problem with any of the additions, deletions or expansions made by Peter and his team. It seems that fans are most keen to see the CGI-created characters of Treebeard (voiced by John Rhys-Davies in a dual role of sorts) and Gollum. We got a mere tease of what to expect with Gollum in Fellowship, his full characterization in TTT is nothing short of spectacular. A key element to Gollum's realism is surely due in part to actor Andy Serkis, who acted directly with his co-stars on set. Then, in a specially-designed suit, he recreated every single one of his own actions for the CGI geniouses at Peter Jackson's WETA studios, who magically brought Gollum to film. Serkis also voiced Gollum (and must have gone through dozens of boxes of throat lozenges!) Hopefully, in Return of the King, Gollum will finally be able to dislodge that fur ball Treebeard and his gnarled cronies too are a fantastic realization of Professor Tolkien's written word, it's a shame they aren't in the movie more. The lads and lasses at WETA studios went all out in bringing out of the pages the dragon-like beasts the Nazgul are now mounted on, the Wargs, vicious bear/wolf-like creatures ridden by the Orcs, the magnificent Oliphants, and two new cave trolls who 'man' the Black Gates. I smell a few awards coming their way! My favourite part of the movie, is the Battle of Helm's Deep. The battle took four grueling months of night-shoots but it was worth it. I DARE the viewer to stay slouched down in their theater seat, to not shout and cheer out loud. You'll want to pick up a sword or a bow and join in the battle (choose your own side). The battle lasts approximately 40 minutes with a few respites returning to other plot lines and then you're thrown right back into the battle. A bit of trivia: to get the voices of the Host of Sauron, Peter Jackson directed the half-time crowd of about 20,000 New Zealand rugby fans to chant, stomp their feet and make a din suitable for an army of Orcs and Uruk-hai and he used the taping to great effect! I found myself getting so involved in each scene that I kept forgetting there were other story lines going on until we were taken back to them (a positive thing in my book!). I saw Fellowship 21 times in theaters (go ahead, ask me if I liked it) and I have a feeling I will easily break my own record with The Two Towers. Bring on Dec 17, 2003 and the Return of the King!
Review by Jane Barnes
| 12-08-02 Latest News |
'Lord' Film Runs Rings Around Rest Because of Words
Xoanon @ 9:48 pm EST
By Michael Wilmington Movies have their own special magic, of course, but it helps a lot to have a great book and great words behind them. The Head of the Class No recent movie exploits all the various modern resources of cinema - from computerized effects, animation, sound recording and crystalline location shooting - with more flair than Peter Jackson's film of the adventures of Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship of the Ring. Difficult to Fathom Can you imagine the pipe-puffing, hugely well-read, devoutly Catholic Tolkien, who liked to compare himself to his home-loving hobbits, hobnobbing with the big-movie sophisticates who put his novel so smashingly on film: the wildman New Zealand writer-director Jackson (whose first features were the gorefests "Bad Taste" and "Dead Alive") and high-flying New Line executives Bob Shaye and Mark Ordesky? Or trading quips with the studio people to whom Jackson went first: Miramax's Weinstein brothers? ("J.R.R., baby, here's how I see Bilbo: Robin Williams crossed with Herve Villechaize. By the way, I'll tell you upfront: We've got to cut it.") Topped Reader Polls That's only Tolkien's due, I think. After all, he spent a lifetime imagining Middle Earth, Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Gimli, Aragorn, the Gollum and all their voluminous back story - which is exactly why "The Lord of the Rings," despite a notable lack of enthusiasm from Tolkien's colleagues in university literature departments, long have topped reader's polls for the 20th Century's best novel.
Tribune Movie Critic
A supreme recent case in point: the visually spectacular and absolutely mesmerizing "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," a state-of-the-art epic opening Dec. 18 that surpasses its predecessor (last years "The Fellowship of the Ring") for sheer thrills and visual splendor.
Yet, packed with technological marvels and rousing scenes and characters as it is, "Two Towers" could not have spirited us away to all those lands of wonder if it weren't for the shy Oxford professor of Old and Middle English who dreamed it all up: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.
Few movies this year have been more faithful to their source - in this case, one so universally familiar. Yet few have a source more consciously literary, more drenched in academia and learning, than Tolkien's fantasy novel cycle.
Tolkien hardly seems a likely candidate for cinema canonization. He was a lifelong academic; student of literary texts and comparative linguistics; and a devotee of Norse, English and Icelandic epics who put his vast knowledge to use creating his own world and inventing the history, languages and people - and wizards, orcs, and hobbits - who flourished there. Though Tolkien may have lived in a kind of sequestered academic paradise, the three linked novels of ""The Lord of the Rings" ("The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers", and "The Return of the King") are a sustained feat of imagination that has entranced millions since their British publication in 1954 and '55 - especially since their explosion of American popularity in the mid-1960s.
Tolkien conceived and wrote the books seemingly as much for his own pleasure as for the financial success that was at first slow in coming: planning and writing them in a 15-year period beginning in 1937, composing much of the work during the Second World War in segments he sent to his soldier son Christopher. The novel's huge battle between good and evil probably reflected his and his son's WWII experience (and the elder Tolkien's service in the Boer War.) (huh?)
But they were also part of an even longer sustained effort of imagination. The author, born in 1892, spent most of his life (to his death in 1973) creating and describing the imaginary fairy-tale world and history of which the "Rings" cycle is only a part, inventing at least four languages, hundreds of characters and a voluminous history and archeology stretching over many centuries. That's what lies behind the onscreen richness of the movie "Rings".
Incongruously or not, "Lord of the Rings," which survived an earlier failed attempt at filming by animator Ralph Bakshi, has proven ideal movie material - and more than that, ideal material for the technologies and special strengths of movies today. A "Lord of the Rings" movie made in the '50s, '60s, or even the early '90s, probable couldn't have had this opulence and fantastic spectacle. It couldn't have given us so intensely the huge bloody battle of Helm's Deep, couldn't have visualized so perfectly the hobbits' loathsome guide Gollum or transported us so convincingly to the ancient land of good and bad wizards Gandalf and Sauron, with its cathedral-like caves and talking trees, its vaulting towers and horrific, mysterious dark riders.
There are silent epics that have something like the special majesty and magic of "Towers," including the Babylonian sequences of D.W. Griffith's "Intolerance," and the quest scenes of Raoul Walsh and Doug Fairbanks' "Thief of Baghdad" and the forest scenes of Fritz Lang's "Die Niebelungen": three movies that might have influenced Tolkien. But we're lucky that it took all these years to realize "The Rings" - and that Jackson and his New Line bosses eventually committed to making three movies instead of two, that he made them altogether in one shoot - and that, despite some liberties, he committed himself so fully to Tolkien's original vision.
Like all moviemakers, Jackson makes changes - even major ones. (Liv Tyler's character Arwen comes not from the story but from a footnote, obviously a ravaging one.) But if you see the movies right after rereading the novels - which I did - you may be shocked at how close they are.
Jackson deserves his success partly because he did what most cinematic adapters should: stick to the test. Certain authors - Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Tennessee Williams and John Steinbeck for example - translate very well because their works were imagined with cinematic richness and because their adapters usually film them faithfully. (Robbing Henry James' novels of their convoluted interior narration, which usually happens in the movies, may seem justified but it reduces their impact and shrivels their meaning.)
Consider David O. Selznick, a producer notorious for his endless memos and high standards of quality - and a man who firmly believed that any movie adapted from a popular novel should retain as much as possible the original story and characters or risk alienating devoted fans. Selznick should know. In his heyday, he produced scores of successful films, from classics such as, "David Copperfield" or best sellers such as, "Duel in the Sun" - and he always stuck to the book.
Two towering cases in point: his Oscar-winning films of "Gone with the Wind" and "Rebecca," two film that pleased (and continue to please) audiences who knew the novels well and audiences who didn't know them at all.
I think Selznick is right - and that those modern-day producers who ignore his advice and trash or radically change their novels-into-film often do so at peril. Sometimes it works. Often it doesn't. But with "Hamlet" or "David Copperfield" or "Don Quixote" - or with Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" - you want the words to inspire the image, because it was those words that first inspired us.
TTT Toy Pics
Xoanon @ 9:35 pm EST
ThGreatBambeeno sends along these scans to us from his collection of TTT Toy goodies!
Media Watch: Premiere Magazine
Xoanon @ 9:09 pm EST
Tigerlily Gamgee sends along these scans from the Premiere Magazine that just came out today featuring Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn).
Cinefex Reveals Gollum
Xoanon @ 8:23 pm EST
Gregg Shay writes: Below is information on the upcoming Cinefex, devoted largely to The Two Towers, which we think might be of interest to you and your website readers.
We hate to tease you with a partially obscured preview of our cover; but to preserve the magic, Peter Jackson has personally asked us to withhold our exclusive cover image of Gollum until the film is released.
Cinefex, a quarterly film magazine devoted specifically to visual effects, has announced that the publication of its winter issue, featuring an in-depth article on the making of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, will coincide with the film's eagerly awaited mid-December release. The 48-page cover story details the groundbreaking work by filmmaker Peter Jackson and company in bringing this second installment of Tolkien's trilogy to the screen. Included is detailed information on the design and execution of Gollum, Treebeard and numerous other fantasy characters that figure prominently in the sequel, as well as a scene-by-scene analysis of the effects work culled from more than 35 interviews with Jackson and his Academy Award-winning visual effects team. Also included are 56 color photographs -- effects images from the film and behind-the-scenes shots -- many exclusive to Cinefex.
For more information, visit the Cinefex website at: www.cinefex.com.
Media Watch: Expose Magazine
Xoanon @ 8:11 pm EST
Ringer Spy Serai sends along these scans from Expose Magazine...take a look!
Media Watch: Arena Magazine
Xoanon @ 7:31 pm EST
Trueogre sends along these scans from Arena Magazine, take a look!
Media Watch: Brazil's SET Magazine
Xoanon @ 6:56 pm EST
Rodrigo writes: I'm sending You the scans of the three covers issue of SET magazine, the most popular movie magazine in Brazil. The Two Towers is the main article with 20 pages long - interviews with the new cast and Elijah Wood, a tour guide to Tolkien's Oxford, Another tolkien based movies that could become real, the Fellowship of the ring extended edition review etc.
Media Watch: Dreamwatch Magazine
Xoanon @ 6:46 pm EST
Ringer Spy Greylin send along these scans from the latest issue of 'Dreamwatch' Magazine. Take a look!
Media Watch: YM Magazine
Xoanon @ 3:41 pm EST
The Mysterious Mr. Wood
-Elijah Wood was a child actor. But he's never been in rehab, and he hates the spotlight. Very weird.-
By Patty Adams
I'm walking around The Library, a swanky New York City lounge, looking for the star of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It isn't too hard to find him: The indie-boy spiky brown hair and black Chuck Taylor sneakers make him stick out among the gray suits like a BeDazzled 'NSYNC fan at Ozzfest.
Though Elijah Wood, 21, has been acting practically his whole life, he wasn't super famous until last year's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie earned more than $800 million worldwide and 13 Oscar nominations. And Elijah even got his own action figure. But the moment we knew he was huge? When he shook hands with Ozzy on an episode of The Osbournes.
"Come sit down," says Elijah, gesturing toward a squishy leather couch at the back of the room. "How are you?" he asks. My first impression: He's shy, polite, and much cuter in person. Unlike most stars, Elijah (Elwood to his friends-as in Elijah Wood) actually asks about me-where I'm from, what kind of music I like, and how long I've worked at ym.
Kindergarten Dropout
Back when Elijah was little, in Cedar Rapids, IA, his deli-owning parents, Deborah and Warren, called him Sparkplug because he was known for being a spaz. "I used to climb on everything," Elijah says. "I was always causing trouble." (Looking at the totally mellow guy sitting across from me, constantly saying "please" and "thank you," it's hard to imagine.)
When he was in kindergarten, his mom enrolled Elijah in a local modeling and talent school. Six months later, they visited LA for a model and talent convention, and he signed with an agent who got him some commercials and TV guest spots. His mom promptly packed up and moved to LA with Elijah and his older brother, Zach (now a 28-year old video game producer). His sister, Hannah, (an aspiring poet), 19, and his dad followed later. His father bounced between jobs with Federal Express and an air-purification company, while his mom helped manage Elijah's acting career.
I suggest to him that some people might think he's got one of those controlling movie-industry mothers, but Elijah says he doesn't. "Stage moms generally force their kids into it, and have much more of a vested interest in their kids' careers," he says, sitting up in his seat and sounding somewhat defensive. (I would have loved to have talked to his mom, but she declined to be interviewed, as did the rest of his family and most of his close friends. Elijah seems to be protective of them-and vice versa.) I did get to talk to Courtney B. Vance, though, Elijah's co-star from 1993's
The Adventures of Huck Finn. He remembers Deborah Wood as a loving mom on the movie's rural Mississippi set. "People had a tendency to tread Jah Jah (his nickname for Elijah) as an adult because he was always so professional," says Courtney. "But Deborah was there for Elijah, keeping him balanced and making sure no one forgot he was an 11-year old."
Growing Pains
So while other kids were shooting spitballs and going to Little League practice, Elijah was starting his career, playing a pint-sized business exec in Paula Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" video at age 7. It seems like he kind of became a mini adult off screen, too. "I was always surrounded by people three times my age," says Elijah. "I guess it rubbed off." Soon he landed roles in movies like Forever Young with Mel Gibson, The Good Son with fellow boy actor Macaulay Culkin, and Flipper with a very talented dolphin. Elijah admits that being treated like an adult all the time was hard. "I grew up fast mentally and didn't relate to people my own age," he says. "They were focused on the next night's homework. I was concentrating on my lifelong career." Yikes.
Elijah was homeschooled and tutored on-set, so he never had to deal with school bullies or trying to fit in. "I'm grateful," he says. "I've heard enough from my friends to know that I didn't miss out. High school is a pretty brutal battleground."
The same could be said of a family going through divorce. Elijah's parentls split up when he was 15, but he feels he wasn't traumatized. Why? Because, he says, he never had a strong relationship with his dad. Hmm. The plot thickens.
"Generally, divorce has a negative impact-you're close with your mom and your dad, and you don't want to see them part," Elijah says very unemotionally, almost mechanically (that self-defense thing seems to work for him). "But I always felt closer to my mother; she's the one who really raised me, so [the divorce] was fairly easy for me." He's recently said that even though his dad was physically present, he wasn't emotionally, and he wasn't nurturing. Now his father lives back in Iowa, and they rarely speak to each other.
It's weird that Elijah brushes off his parent's divorce as no big deal, and even stranger that he doesn't seem to care about not having a relationship with his father. But as he goes on talking about his dad, Elijah's eyes get a little glassy. You don't need to be Freud to see there are some unresolved issues there. Maybe that's why he began taking on darker acting roles as he got older. In 1998, he was a class-ditcher in the sci-fi thriller The Faculty. The following year he played a hip-hop wannabe who smoked, did drugs, and had a lot of sex in Black and White. By the age of 18, he'd been in more than 15 movies and even had fan clubs. As far as Hollywood was concerned, though, he still hadn't found his career-defining role.
Nothing Like Pointy Ears and Hairy Feet to Bring a Guy Friends and Fame
"Pardon me while I run to the loo," says Elijah. When he returns from the bathroom, I call him on his faux-British speak because he's been usin Brit slang like "keen" and "brilliant" all through our interview. He blames it on spending more than a year with a mostly British cast. Of course, he's referring to the filming of J.R.R. Tokien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In all three (the third part comes out next December), Elijah stars as Frodo Baggins, the pointy-eared, hairy-footed hobbit destined to save Middle Earth.
Frodo is his favorite role to date. "He starts out pure-hearted, but the ring chips away at the innocence and purity of Frodo's soul in the second [movie]," says Elijah. "He starts to lose trust and faith in the people around him." Meanwhile, life offscreen was the exact opposite. "I don't think I've ever been so close with people I've worked with in my life," says Elijah. "I did a lot of growing up; I probably aged 10 years," he jokes about his time filming LOTR. "But seriously, the person who went to New Zealand and the person who left there are significantly different."
Filming in New Zealand kind of became Elijah's college experience: He joined a fraternity of sorts with the guys on-set, and it was the first time he's lived away from his mom for more than a few months. "I created a whole new life there," says Elijah. "I had a car, a house, and I did my own shopping. So it was far beyond just making a movie."
The hobbits-Elijah, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd-became inseperable. They hung out, watched movies, hit the pubs. "We didn't get tired of each other," Elijah says. "That's a real testament to our relationships." As are their matching tattoos. The nine actors whose characters made up the Fellowship of the Ring each inked themselves with the symbol for nine in Elvish, one of the movies fictitious languages. Did it hurt? "Like hell!" he says, wincing. "It's like a hot, searing blade sawing into your skin. I'd do it again, though."
The Secrets of a Mama's Boy
Elijah lives in a guest house behind his mom's place in Santa Monica, CA. He is the breadwinner but his mom still does his laundry and cooks for him. "I don't cook," says Elijah. "I wanted to go to culinary school for a while, but I never did." It isn't just the home cooking that keeps him there. Elijah and his mom are close. "I wake up in the morning, go to Mom's house, have a cup of coffee and chat," he says. "She likes the same music that I do, so she'll have the White Stripes on. How cool is that?" Very, but it must get a bit weird to live so nearby-what if he brought a girl back to his place? "I've never done that," he says. "I don't know how it would work, but my mom would probably be very cool."
Too Sweet To Kiss And Tell
Which brings up my next topic: dating. Elijah admits he's been in love "probably more than once," but he doesn't give any names. He's been linked with Franka Potente, 28, his co-star in the yet-to-be-scheduled romantic comedy, Try Seventeen, which also stars Mandy Moore. When I ask if Franka's one of those loves, Elijah gets tight-lipped, bites his nails, and goes into the usual celebrity spiel about keeping his private life private. He doesn't have a problem talking about romance in general, though.
"Anything is suddenly romantic when you're with someone you care about," he says. "Even something as simple as going out and getting take-away and watching a movie. Romance isn't about buying flowers or having a picnic. It's the little gestures-like a massage or an unexpected kiss."
So what sort of girl makes him gaga while eating lo mein out of a carton? "I really enjoy women who have a strong sense of themselves, who aren't afraid to speak their mind," says Elijah. "On a superficial level, I like girls with dark hair-I'm a sucker for that. If a girl has an English, French, Italian, or German accent, I go crazy." (Franka is German and has dark hair. Coincidence?)
Voted Least Likely To Party
Despite that Osbournes episode last season, Elijah's not into the Hollywood scene. He says he doesn't normally go to premieres unless he's in the movie, and he sometimes ditches the after-party. "I get really quiet and anti-social," he says. "I'm not very good at working at it."Maybe that's why he surrounds himself with people who love to talk, like Kelly and Jack. His sister Hannah-who met Jack at some concert-introduced them and they just clicked. "The Osbournes are insane, but I love them," says Elijah.Another one of Elijah's loudmouth friends is MTV's resident tatttoed rocker Iann Robinson. They met when Iann interviewed Elijah last year, and realized that they both loved music, video games, and horror films. "Elijah's just like me, only skinnier and more famous," says Iann. "When Elijah's in New York, we often stay up till 4 or 5 a.m., watching movies. A few weeks ago, we watched The Exorcist III. He'd never seen it and I was like, 'Dude, it's the best movie ever.'" Iann says Elijah often crashes at his place if it's late. "He doesn't pull that 'I'm a movie star so you must do everything for me' crap," says Iann.
"Most young people are arrogant by nature, so if you're talented and have money on top of that, you're usually an ass to a spectacular degree. But not Elijah. We can talk about politics, family problems, and music."Speaking of music, Elijah played DJ for Mandy Moore while filming Try Seventeen. "We both really like the Strokes and Bjork, but he also turned me onto so much music I don't think I would've listened to on my own," says Mandy.
Elijah, a big fan of the Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, and the Beach Boys, says his latest obsession is Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age (he even brought it to our cover shoot). He claims he owns between 1,200 and 1,500 CDs. "I know it's insane," says Elijah. "I can't possibly listen to all of them." Well, the first step is admitting you have a problem, right? After our music tangent, Elijah checks his watch and politely asks how much longer we'll be. (What, am I boring him?) After he says thanks for making the trek to see him, he tells me, "I'm into girls, video games, and music. See, I'm like any other guy my age."
TTT Review
Xoanon @ 1:17 pm EST
TTT Review from: DM Let’s hail Peter Jackson for another reason this time around. PJ is an honest dealer. PJ is being faithful to the faithful. The Two Towers film is NOT as faithful to the book…by some considerable measure…as compared to The Fellowship of the Ring. But PJ, In my opinion, clearly is. Now for the quibbling and the counter-quibbling. The battle of Helm’s Deep, to my mind, is huge, clear, vivid and exquisite, and about five to ten minutes too long for anybody but the faithful. Some of it could…and much of what was unseen probably will…be relegated to the extended edition, which I, too, will watch again and again, never fear. The great cavalry leader of Rohan, Erkenbrand, apparently has the same agent as Tom Bombadil and Glorfindel, and shares their fate. Eomer (Karl Urban, suitably masculine and impulsive) rides his horse and does his chores instead. Arwen manages a brief appearance in a sequence that fills in a gap that has confused many non readers of the book: Elrond’s apparent dissapproval of Aragorn, particularly where his daughter is concerned. Elrond now seems far more justified in his concern and far less antagonistic to his foster child, Aragorn. Faramir’s entry marks a noticeable veer from the known storyline: in fact this variation will be the biggest controversy among ringers, once the film is seen. I must say I would have very much preferred the book’s storyline here, myself, but the necessity for the change is fairly clear: Timing. Grab your paperback copy of “The Return of the King.” Find the page that begins the appendices. Now measure the actual book’s thickness against “Fellowship” and the Two Towers.” There’s the problem. Could you sell three films, one that runs three hours, one that runs four hours and the last one that runs about 80 minutes? Aha. So, clearly some moving must be done. (or film the appendices, but that’s not really an answer.) But that raises another problem. The book is being adapted into a Movie, not into Masterpiece Theatre. A bang-up ending is required, and if you want to argue with this inescapable fact, I suggest you need to see a few movies, and face reality, particularly fiscal reality, the way New Line Cinema probably sees things. Defense, Part One: This is a necessity, and PJ in his wisdom clearly knew it, and bit the bullet here for the good of the Great Tale as a whole. PJ has made it clear in numerous statements, and interviews devoured by most of us, that this book is the one in which the script had the most variation. He doesn’t pretend it doesn’t happen, or hope that ("Jeez, who will notice, it’s such a big thick book anyway...") many will simply fail to spot the changes. He’s playing fair. He warned us. Defense, Part Two: We have all known Anduril will make it’s reforged appearance early in “The Return of the King.” We also know the fate of the Palantir of Orthanc, and that it will quickly, and importantly make its way into Aragorn’s hands. Those facts taken into consideration…Aragorn will soon distract the eye of Sauron, as in the book…and the evil one will conclude that Frodo is no longer a player. The ring was in Gondor…and now This Guy shows up. This leads to an inevitable conclusion: The Changes in The Two Towers Leave Us In Almost Exactly The Same Place That Total Faithfulness Would Have Done. The remainder of the book versions of The Two Towers and The Return of the King can proceed on film next year, and give us what all of us knew would be the trilogy’s greatest installment, all along: the Finale. Fairness to PJ again, compare the previous animated versions to his accomplishment. Allow me to refresh a few sad memories: Without reference to Eomer, with a Eowyn that looked like an animated honky-tonk waitress, Ralph Bakshi ended his version of the entire trilogy with an incomprehensible rendition of the battle of Helm’s deep, attacked by hordes of extras who looked less like orcs, and more like extras dressed in Rubber Gorilla Masks and Bedsheets. Once the battle was inexplicably won, the whole thing came to a screeching halt, never to move again. Rankin Bass, skipped the entire second book, dumped Eomer, Legolas, Gimli, Arwen and countless others, and started their “Return of the King” film with Pippin saying…in Casey Casem’s voice, “He’s Looney, I tell ya!”…and had enough time to offer a musical number for the orcs of Mordor, the unforgettable “Where There’s a Whip, There’s a Way”, noted for its electric guitar work. One critic, I recall, suggested it as a possible new single for the Village People. I wish I’d said that, so I have to quote it.
I won’t litter this review with spoilers or detailed explanations. Suffice it to say, numerous small liberties and a few large ones have been taken with the storyline, on both sides of the Anduin. I expect the long time fans of the book (and I’m approaching the 40th anniversary of MY first reading of it, so I take my helmet off to few…) to notice. Many will argue. Many more will be disturbed and some will be infuriated. I was made uncomfortable from time to time by the differences. More on that anon.
Fairness to the film now dictates that I describe its huge stockpile of treasures. Again, New Zealand is Middle Earth, and the cast is, again, nearly perfect. Newcomers to the cast range from the wonderful to the spectacular. Brad Dourif is stunning, stunning as Grima Wormtongue. The translucently beautiful Miranda Otto is a Magnificent Eowyn. Bernard Hill brings so much magnetic presence and humanity to the old King Theoden, all deserving of vast heaps of praise.
Gollum is astonishing. I won’t even bother to expand on that. Wait to see him for yourself, then in mute wonder, pry your eyes and ears away from him for even a second to agree with me, if you can. The reappearance of the Nazgul, riding flying fell beasts? This was one of the moments I have been aching to see from the beginning, and they are sublimely evil, gloriously terrifying, perfect.
Treebeard and the ents, I’m a little less thrilled with…but I have the opinion that the professor added that sequence to make sure a movie version was never made at all. They are serviceable, they do the job.
Standout sequences: PJ and partners show their superb talent for streamlining once again with the “Three Hunters” section, which is expertly delivered and yet largely stripped of excess. Likewise the stretch from Taming Smeagol…again, astonishing…through Herbs and Stewed Rabbit. The essentials are there…even everyone’s favorite discussion of Fish and Chips.
Faramir’s long confrontation with Frodo and Sam is a wonderful read, because it does a great deal of character exploration, and sets up the third book beautifully. However, most of it is conversation, dinner, conversation, surprise slip of the tongue revelation, and conversation. Blockbuster action adventure fantasy films cannot depend on a climax that resembles “My Dinner with Andre”…even if dinner IS in a cave in Ithilien, hidden behind a waterfall. The other storyline back in Rohan, has so many climaxes, this is not a problem. Pick one, defer the rest for a year.
If you want to complain about something, start there. PJ survives comparisons, and then some.
Is “The Two Towers”, then, the weakest installment in the eventual completed work? Probably. Is it a wonderful adaptation of the book, utterly necessary, and worthy of what has come before, and what will come after? I have no doubt that it is. Am I perfectly satisfied with it? No. Do I love it, and will I see it dozens of times, possibly hundreds? Of course. So will you.
Yet Another TTT Review
Xoanon @ 1:09 pm EST
TTT Review From: Albertine A thrill of delight and a shiver go down my spine as Howard Shore’s music accompanies me straight back to Middle-Earth. I feel like I never left and am being reunited with friends wandering in a far-away land. However, I wonder with a slight apprehension how director Peter Jackson managed to make a fluid – and lenghthy (179 minutes) – movie out of a transitional book that is a patchwork of stories. While Gandalf (Ian McKellen) battles with the Ballrog, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (Jonathan Rhys-Davies) follow the tracks of the Orcs that captured Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) at the end of “The Fellowship”. Frodo and Sam have wandered away, fleeing their companions, to try and destroy the One Ring on their own. Very early on in the movie, the two hobbits find out that they are not alone: they catch Gollum, obsessed with his "precious", which Bilbo Baggins took from him long ago. Welcome to, definitely, the most amazing and powerful character of the "Two Towers": the scenes with Gollum, created digitally after the acting of Andy Serkis, who lends the character his voice, are out of this world, especially the swamp and river ones. The creature makes Yoda look like a nineteenth century puppet, not to mention the ridiculous Potter-like troll of the first batch. (By the way, I hear there is a giant spider in the new Potter movie. How about Shelob? Well, I’ll let you discover for yourselves.) Gollum-Sméagol’s inner torments and sufferings and his bodily moves are incredibly well rendered, filling the audience with both repulsion and compassion, and having it in stitches. Mixed feelings felt by the two hobbits themselves, as Frodo decides to trust the creature, to Sam’s disapproval. But there is a comical device that wants no compassion: even Eowyn has to laugh before the sight of the clumsy, ever-grumbling Gimli. Throughout the movie, the dwarf’s lines crack the audience up. His strengthening brotherly relationship to Legolas (Orlando Bloom, as picture-perfect as ever) is well rendered, as are the elf's and Aragorn's (Viggo Mortensen) mutual respect and friendship. Aragorn himself is the other major character of "The Two Towers". "Strider" - can he get more brave and manly ? - moves more and more center-stage, whereas Frodo (Elijah Wood, a bit too plump for a hobbit on the run - ) slowly fades away, drawn towards the power of the Ring, and stirs up less sympathy, although his own understanding of Gollum’s submission is very good. Again, a special motion to Sean Astin’s interpretation of Samwise, the ring bearer's faithful companion. Special motion, too, to the flesh-and-bones new characters, Eomer (Karl Urban), Faramir (David Wenham) and especially King Theoden (Bernard Hill) and malicious Wormtongue (Brad Dourif), all smoothly introduced in the plot by powerful scenes. Eowyn is beautifully played by Miranda Otto, and her rising feelings for Aragorn more powerfully rendered than the embarrassing elvish-spoken scenes between Aragorn and a slightly too-etherial Arwen (Liv Tyler). Of course, "The Two Towers" would be nothing without the special effects. Characters - Gollum and a Treebeard which should delight all children big and small – and scenes leave you gasping for breath. If the fight between Gandalf and the Ballrog is whirlwinding, the destruction of Isengard by the ents right out of a children's book, and the Black Gate phenomenal, the epitome of the whole movie is undoubtedly the formidable battle of Helm’s Deep, much more powerful than in the novel. I was clinging to my seat, as I was litteraly swept off my feet. One wonders how Jackson will manage to outgrow himself - as he undoubtedly will - for "The Return of The King". However, the movie does have its flaws. The overusing of slow-motion and close-ups make some scenes, such as the arrival of Shadowfax or Legolas’s ridiculous horse-jumping, heavy and unsubtle. The movie at time lacks the novels’ finesse. The beautiful filming of Arwen’s escape scene from "The Fellowship" is repeated too often, as are the – breathtaking - aerial landscape shots. Edoras castle looks shabby, and Sam’s fall before the Black Gate is unconvincing. "The Two Towers" is less emotionnal and moving than the introductionnal “Fellowship", and the shere wonder I felt last year has left room for more expectation, as I’ve read the “Two Towers” in the meantime. But the second batch is wittier, filled with irony and a sense of desperate urge. Whereas “The Fellowship”’s end was slow in coming, “The Two Towers” just dashes before your eyes. The remaining question is, will I read “The Return of The King" before Christmas 2003? Having seen “The Two Towers”, I’ve decided to wait and see the movie. The best testimony I could give to Peter Jackson's achievement.
Bravo Talks Tolkien
Xoanon @ 12:48 pm EST
The Bravo channel (in the US only it seems) is showcasing our own Ian McKellen in 'Inside the Actors Studio' tonight at 8PM. Right after that show, there will be a 'Celebrity Profile' with Cate Blanchett (Galadriel). Meanwhile Monday night (December 9th) Bravo will feature a 'Page To The Screen' special on the LOTR films. Bravo Canada meanwhile will feature a show called 'J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings' which is described as: this documentary features interviews with the author and his family, a 3-D map of Middle Earth, a plot outline of the trilogy and commentary from artists influenced by the books. look for that on Dec. 15, at 7:30pm ET.
"I Am In Fact A Hobbit"
Jincey @ 12:05 am EST
Announcing New Publications at Mercer University Press: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a brilliant writer who continues to leave his imaginative imprint on the mind and hearts of readers. He was once called the "creative equivalent of a people," and for more than sixty years his Middle-earth tales have captivated and delighted readers of all ages from all over the world. The Hobbit has long been recognized as a children's fantasy classic, and the heroic romance the Lord of the Rings has been called the most influential story of all time. These stories have sold over 150 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over forty languages, and they, along with works such as the Silmarillion and the History of Middle-Earth, have convinced scores of readers and critics that Tolkien is the master writer of fantasy. Whether you've been a fan for years or you've just recently been hooked by the blockbuster Lord of the Rings movies, "I Am in Fact a Hobbit" is an excellent starting point into the life and work of J. R. R. Tolkien. This indispensable and concise introduction to the career of J. R. R. Tolkien includes: Perry C. Bramlett is the author of C. S. Lewis: Life at the Center, Touring C. S. Lewis' Ireland and England and was a contributor to the best-selling C. S. Lewis Readers' Encyclopedia. He is the founder of C. S. Lewis for the Local Church Interstate Ministries, a nationwide speaking and teaching ministry. Perry is a native of Fairhope AL, and now lives with his wife Joan in Louisville KY. Joe R. Christopher is professor emeritus at Tarleton State University (Stephenville TX). ISBN 0-86554-851-X MUP H642 hardback $25.00, online price $20.00 Mercer University Press, established in 1979, has published more than 850 books. Mercer is the only Baptist-related institution with an active fulltime publishing program. The reputation of the Press significantly enhances the academic environment of the University and carries the name of Mercer throughout the world. Please place your order by visiting us online for our complete list of available titles. [More]
"I Am In Fact A Hobbit"
An Introduction to the Life and Works of J.R.R. Tolkien
by Perry C. Bramlett; reflective chapter by Joe R. Christopher
| 12-07-02 Latest News |
Hall of Fire Chats - Dec 7-8
Demosthenes @ 4:52 pm EST
Gollum has fled, and Sam confronts Shelob in what must rate as one of the most mismatched battles in the history of Middle Earth. Sam is able to drive Shelob off, showing a beserker-like attitude, and bravery worthy of - or exceeding - heroes such as Hurin and Turin. The Choices of Master Samwise However, as Elrond pointed out during the Council, bravery in battle cannot win the way to Mount Doom, and Sam is left with some dark choices if the quest is to be completed. Join us this weekend as we discuss the final thrilling chapter of the Two Towers. Upcoming Discussions: Place: Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET] Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET] ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast
Dec 14-15 - Two Towers movie preview
Dec 21-22 - Two Towers the movie!
Dec 28-29 - Movie mystery topic (stay tuned)
#thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman's and then type /join #thehalloffire .
CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
| 12-06-02 Latest News |
A report from The New York City Premiere!
Calisuri @ 7:09 pm EST
Ringer fan Luthien had a chance of a lifetime to attend the New York City Premiere of The Two Towers. Here is her report! -------- My father read The Hobbit to me when I was six years old, and ever since then, I have grown up in Middle Earth. As a fifth-grader gobbling up Lotr for the very first time, I was a misplaced elf who’d somehow (tragically!) gotten stuck in a human family in the American midwest. As a teenager it was to Rohan that I escaped, where I could be a shieldmaiden of the mark as opposed to an awkward tomboy. Peter Jackson’s Fotr managed to put on screen a world I’d visited so many times that I knew it instantly by sight, so you can imagine my excitement when I found out I’d be viewing TTT in his company–at the TT world premiere in New York City!! How can you describe standing on a red carpet when PJ steps out of his limousine, and everyone on the sidewalk starts screaming and pressing forward, and the bodyguards hold back the crowd, and meanwhile you're five feet away, on the same red carpet, with your glossy ticket in your hand, and the bouncers let you IN??? There are no words for it. Or, later, at the NYC Public library, which had been redone into a fully catered party, with DJ spread on the balcony, a statue of the White Rider in the lobby, Elvish and Gondorian armor lining the walls, and models dressed as elves holding lanterns on the steps? Again, not in my dictionary. But I digress. We’ll start with the movie. I tend to avoid spoilers as a rule, so I was unprepared for what I saw last night. Peter Jackson warned us a few times that of all the movies, TTT deviates the most from the books, and with that I’d wholly agree. If you're a dyed-in-the-wool purist, you'll have much to object to. If you're a forgiving purist (which is what I'd call myself), there are a few heartbreaking moments in the film where stuff you'd expect to happen doesn't. But then, other stuff that you've been waiting your entire life to see on a big screen DOES, and the overall effect is just incredible. I was in tears three times during the film. The loving care and attention to detail that was so breathtaking in FotR has been applied to entire armies of men and orcs! This film is powerful and wonderful in its own right, even if it doesn't perfectly mirror the books. And now, on to the party. This being my first ever world premiere, I had no idea what to expect–a bunch of beautiful people eating chicken satay on sticks and drinking martinis? A bunch of groupies following stars around like a mobile nebula? As it turned out, it was neither. Stars and fans, famous folk and little folk alike, seemed to mingle seamlessly. In the course of one evening, I was able to speak to most of the cast of TTT, as well as Richard Taylor and Philippa Boyens, and in all cases, they were warm and approachable, and eager for feedback! I stood next to one of my friends while he told a rather long and complicated joke to Billy Boyd, and Billy actually laughed, and asked if he could use it! (way to go, John!) Both Orlando and Elijah let me take pictures with them, which was quite a thrill, and Andy Serkis has the most amazing hair (gravity-defying, really). But I should also add that the warmth and conviviality was not limited to the stars–guests were striking up conversations with each other, smiling at strangers, opening doors for one another–a collective energy which is not often seen in the NY Public library, trust me. (Spoiler ahead) The highlight of the evening for me (other than the shrimp hors-d'oeuvres, which were a smashing success), was talking with David Wenham and Philippa Boyens. He was sitting off in a corner looking a bit tired when I first approached. We ended up speaking for about twenty minutes about the changes they’d made to Faramir, and about movie adaptations in general. As Philippa later pointed out, Faramir is an unshakable pillar of bravery, wisdom and forebearance in the books, someone who wouldn’t touch the Ring even if he saw it lying by the wayside. From a movie perspective, though, that’s dull since his character is static, so they added a touch of doubt and conflict to his character in order to create more of a journey for him. It goes without saying that discussing the wheres and why-fors of TTT with Philippa Boyens was quite a trip in and of itself. Unfortunately, it couldn’t last. While in the middle of talking with David Wenham, Orlando Bloom rushed up and insisted that David join them at Flow (a bar in the wilds of the west village, apparently), and my companions and I realized that we were exhausted. How do the movie stars do it? After one evening of fighting crowds, snagging drinks off of little silver trays and conversing with so many people–oof, I was drained. After one more swipe at the dessert table, and a brief stop to congratulate Brad Dourif on his incredible accent, we swept back outside into the cold and snow, where some elf-maidens got us our coats. What a night! I can’t believe I’ll have to wait another twelve days now before I can go back and visit again! Luthien -------- We will be posting some of the photos Luthien took tomorrow or Monday. Stay tuned! Updated: And here they are! [More]
French & Saunders At It Again
Xoanon @ 12:05 pm EST
Melian writes: I just found this on the paper's entertainment wire. French and Saunders are the team behind the UK's hit show FRENCH & SAUNDERS: LORD OF THE RINGS What: Parody of Peter Jackson's acclaimed movie epic by the British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. Where: BBC America. When: 5 tonight and midnight. Just as "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" prepares to dominate movie screens for the next month or so comes "French & Saunders: Lord of the Rings," a modest effort to deflate some of the epic's more pretentious inclinations. Elsewhere, French and Saunders make comic hay out of the techniques employed in the first film to distort the proportionate sizes of Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood as they played the grand wizard Gandalf and wee hobbit Frodo. They relentlessly skewer the litany of goofy names and complicated mythology running through the story -- the most convoluted narrative wheel-spinning since the pages of "begats" in the Old Testament. The characters themselves get bored relating all this tongue-twisting minutiae. And, apropos of nothing in particular, they take shots at
"Absolutely Fabulous."
3 stars
In a nutshell: Clever but brief parody leaves a lot of targets unscathed.
Created by the British comedy team of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (the latter best-known for her sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous"), this parody opens with some inept special-effects grunts trying to figure out how to create a fearsome army boasting half a million soldiers. Ants should do the trick, they figure, if you scratch that fearsome part from the equation.
Teletubbies, Madonna, U2's Bono and Harry Potter. It's fairly funny stuff, but sort of truncated -- French and Saunders barely wade halfway into the
movie. They'd better keep up -- Jackson's already completed six hours of his masterpiece; French and Saunders have only mocked 30 minutes.
Tivo Talks TTT
Xoanon @ 8:26 am EST
Suzanne writes: I get a e-mail magazine from Tivo, for Tivo subscribers. This bit was in my e-mail box today (December 4th, 2002). Sneak a behind-the-scenes preview of "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," the second installment of director Peter Jackson's much-anticipated cinematic trilogy. You'll catch an extended trailer of the stunning film and exclusive one-on-one interviews with select members of the cast who answer questions in a language that only TiVo subscribers will truly understand. Coming to a living room near you in Showcases*, beginning December 6. Look for exclusive cast interviews starting 12/13.
USA Weekend To Feature TTT 'One Sheet'
Xoanon @ 8:04 am EST
Daddy Twofoot sends us this text from USA Today's promo for the Weekend Edition. Exclusive USA WEEKEND /Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers poster This one-of-a-kind collectible introduces three new characters and depicts a key scene in the continuing epic adventure of Hobbit Frodo Baggins' heroic quest to destroy the all-powerful One Ring - and with it, the evil Sauron's rule over once-idyllic Middle-earth. The poster is styled after what the film industry calls a "one-sheet," an image designed to give a movie an identity. Unlike the official theater one-sheet for The Two Towers, our special poster not only features warrior-princess Éowyn, her downtrodden uncle, King Théoden, and the shifty, One Ring-obsessed Gollum (characters who will be seen for the first time in this sequel to last year's Oscar-nominated The Fellowship of the Ring), but it further reveals an image not used in any other Two Towers marketing materials: that of soldiers guarding the city of Osgiliath, where Hobbits Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) are taken after being captured. There are 10 characters from the first film, including Frodo, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Arwen (Liv Tyler) and the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen). The poster is bordered with verse from the original Tolkien books, a portion of which is rendered in Elvish, the language of Elves.
Gollum Makes Yoda Look As Boring As Pong
Demosthenes @ 12:22 am EST
Hey, guys, well, I guess I'll drop in my two cents about this flick as well. I came in with a lot of pre-conceived ideas of what was going to be in this film, based on the trailers I have seen and the book. There are some things missing, especially from the trailers. Pretty much all of the dialogue from the four-minute theatrical preview that was on FOTR is not in the film. Also, the Ents are not given enough screen time, if you ask me. The only Ent that is named in the movie is Treebeard, so there is no mention of Quickbeam. I was a bit suprised that PJ intercut the battle of Helm's Deep with Merry & Pippin talking to Treebeard, but I guess 30 straight minutes of butt-kicking is a bit too much. I wish the Storming of Isengard would have been a bit more built up, like Helm's Deep was, but it's still cool. In fact, if you go back and watch the 4 minute preview, you can see Saruman when he runs to the window of Orthanc and realizes his fortress is being destroyed. The look on his face is priceless! There is also a bit of tension when everyone thinks Aragorn falls off a cliff and dies after the Warg attack, but that's okay. I guess people who haven't read the book might think he really buys the farm that early. The Arwen/Elrond/Galadriel stuff is great. I wish there had been more Gandalf/Saruman in this movie, but I think PJ is saving that for ROTK. This is really Aragorn's show, as it shows him trying to be a real leader, even if he pisses off Theoden in the process. Gimli is great fun (best line "Don't tell the Elf!"). But, the real suprise for me is Gollum. This little guy can act. Andy Serkis and Weta digital turn in a performance that makes Yoda look as exciting as a game of Pong. The scenes where Gollum is arguing with himself (think of Willem Dafoe's mirror scene in Spider-Man) really sent chills up my spine. The hurt he conveys when he thinks "master" has deceived him really touches a nerve. Other random thoughts The scenes with Faramir needed to be cut a bit. By the time Faramir decided to let Frodo go, I wasn't interested anymore. I wanted to get back to Helm's Deep. Also, the Nazgul aren't as terrifying in this movie, but again, maybe PJ is saving that for the Pelennor fields in ROTK. I think someone else mentioned it, but the movie ends right after the battle of Helm's Deep, although Gollum alludes to Shelob, saying something like, "SHE can take care of them!" Having said all that, this movie is amazing. As good as the first one, but more entertaining. I don't think any fans of FOTR will be disappointed. I can't wait to see it again, and again, and again... Hackenbush
| 12-05-02 Latest News |
Review: Is Two Towers Better than Fellowship?
Demosthenes @ 6:28 pm EST
TORn staffer MrCere (Our Line Party God) had the opportunity to see the Two Towers yesterday. Here's what he thought: Dear fellow TORNados - I saw a movie yesterday and wanted to write you all a review as spoiler free as possible. I feel a great fellowship with you and wanted to share as soon and as well as possible. Here is my attempt. How much can the eye and the mind take in? Is there a point where images and words overload the brain? Like Fellowship Of THe Ring, The Two Towers is a fully loaded, double barrel blast of a three hour film. The Two Towers probably will require a second viewing, and a third (fourth!) before some viewers (me) can really taste, digest and fathom the experience that the film is. There are moments of brilliance to be sure, moments that some lovers of the movie's root literature will choke on, and moments of beauty, horror, complete coolness, humor and subtlety that confirm director Peter Jackson as a cinema master. I must state my personal stand on things Tolkien, both film and book, before diving into the meat of things because as hard as I try, some of my own prejudices will seep into the written word. I hold the book in the highest regard but were I to be the very man in charge of a Rings film, I too would make changes. Books and film are two very different mediums and to tell the best story..well..blah..blah..blah, you know what I mean. In short, I don't fault the film for being different. I confess too that after watching "Fellowship" I was almost bewildered because my internal voice was busy doing checks and counter checks, analysis and bouncing things around. Deja vu all over again. So anyway, I actually can't wait to see what Peter Jackson does post Rings. He is a craftsman and this film has the look and feel of him all over it. Sometimes I just actually laughed out loud not at the humor in the film but at what I was actually seeing on film. The opening made me giggle like it was my junior prom because I was agog at the sheer audacity of the challenge PJ and company decided to tackle when any of a 100 film-making shortcuts might also have told the story. Instead, we see...well, that would be telling. No shortcuts for PJ. How cocky was the man and his team to storyboard this sequence and commit to making it come to life on the screen? Amazing. VERY MINOR SPOILERS REGARDING STORY STRUCTURE Our film is a weaving of different plots in different places and probably at different times. We have Sam and Frodo and Gollum, Aragorn and Legolas and Gimli, a bit of Gandalf, a bit of both of the film's two towers, Elrond and Galadriel and Arwen. Much like the novel, PJ sticks with a plot line and characters, builds some tension and then jumps away to another set of problems barely leaving us time to catch our breath. The jumping effect reminded me very much of the book because it makes the view/reader think "No! Don't leave," and moments or paragraphs later we have forgotten what we left and are fully invested in where we are. Interestingly this film, which does indeed feel like the same movie after a one-year intermission, emphasizes different characters than does Fellowship. Ian McKellen's Gandalf the Grey is gone and Gandalf the White is more focused and less warm than his predecessor. Part of this is performance and part of it is story telling. Gandalf is very present in the story but he isn't quite so near or at the heart of it as he was, and I miss him. Frodo of course is still the ring-bearer and his relationship with Sam and Smeagol/Gollum, although not as action oriented as the other sections of the movie is emotionally weighty. Wood probably will not get the acting attention he deserves because much of what he must play in the film is a gradual deepening of being under the effects of the ring. His performance is excellent and central but also natural and understated enough that it doesn't punch you in the face and win him awards, but it certainly serves the story. I cannot fathom another person playing Frodo. Sam is given life here when compared to Fellowship and Astin and the character soar. Along with Gollum (I am coming to that later) the three have a fascinating on-screen dynamic. Aragorn (Viggo) begins to carry the weight of the plot (and the world) on his shoulders. I would say in fact that it is his movie and obviously in the next installment, he will indeed be 'the man'. It stuns me to think that Viggo joined the cast last minute and this extremely central character might have been somebody else. I think I would have been perfect for the role (in my dreams) but I can but shake my head when trying to envision somebody else in his place. Gimli is also beefed up a bit in this film and while often used for much needed laughs, he is likeable and heartwarming. Legolas is a killing machine once again but the dwarf gobbles up the screen when he is on it. There is a real sense of fellowship with our three hunters which seems an obvious film-making choice but I feared it would be overwhelmed by plot. It was not. Merry and Pippin, while definitely present, don't experience quite the same rigors as the other characters. Their time with the orcs is harrowing and I must toss mighty praise to Richard Taylor and his WETA crew for the wonderment of the orcs. How easy it would have been to just make templated orcs but they have them in all their variety and personality and variance and we get to hear them speak and interact rather than just growl and die. The two hobbits grow up just a bit, but I am betting their time is coming in the sure-to-be four-hour Return Of The King. Treebeard is better than I feared he would be. His character must be considered one of the most difficult or THE most difficult to translate to film and it mostly worked. I am a BIG fan of John Rhys-Davies and his voice performance is quite fine but the problem is that it is still his voice. I could hear Gimli too much and while it didn't ruin things it wasn't the best choice. I had great fun seeing other Ents and there is a scene that was more fun to watch than a barrel full of monkeys (whatever that means.) Now then, there are changes from the books. One is particular was quite jarring to me. SPOILER IN THE NEXT SENTENCE Our friend Faramir interacts with Frodo and makes some choices regarding him and the ring which were a major departure from the written word and jarred me a bit from the film. I know the story tellers had reasons but I couldn't figure out the whys of this decision and frankly the sequence left me a bit cold. I predict it will anger some reader-viewers quite a lot. Other changes, specifically Arwen/Aragorn were superb. All the internet horror stories about Arwen at Helm's Deep are hogwash but there is some play between her and Elrond and Aragorn that had great emotional depth and for me was one of the best parts about the film. In this instance PJ has accentuated a deeply hidden theme in the book and made it real and vital to the audience. By dealing with the Elves as he does he gives greater depth to the dilemma they face and raises the stakes for all of Middle-Earth. He presents the sadness of the Elves to us beautifully. I am tempted to say that some of the Arwen/Aragorn moments are my favorite in the flick. Ask me again after viewing #3 for confirmation. There are some other problems I had with the film, but all are minor and may not bother others and may freak out some. During the Helm's Deep sequence our three hunters were just a little too heroic for my taste. I know Aragorn is a sword master and Legolas is Spider-Man with hair but I don't think I felt their jeopardy as I should have. KillingUruk Hai was a bit too easy. Sometimes during the battles CG characters were seen as just that. I know the details were many but I just sometimes caught myself saying, "uups, that was fake." Speaking of fake, a good portion of this film hinges on Gollum. In CG history (film history), fans hate Jar Jar Binks more than anything. He 'feels' fake to the viewer and gums up the movie. In my view what makes him fake however was not his look but his character or should I say caricature. He was a clown in an alien suit with badly written dialog and he just felt out of place for us in the Star Wars universe. Gollum faces the same challenge, being an impossible character to physically become. The performance of Gollum - which includes his voice and gestures as well as his gait and facial expressions - is quite excellent. He is well played by Andy Serkis but also by the animators who breath life into his face and actions. Still, he is discernibly CG. He isn't Jarjaring but you CAN tell that this character isn't quite alive sometimes. Having said all that, the character works well for the plot, is a real being we believe in emotionally if not 100 percent physically and was still amazing. His face shots especially told much more than the dialog. RANDOM STUFF The so called "exorcism" is beautifully done and not what folks are making it to be. Bernard Hill is great. Miranda Otto is radiant and uniquely beautiful and if anybody has her phone number I want to invite her to dinner right away. Brad Dourif's Grima Wormtounge is spot on. The Wargs, although not perfect in wide shots, are pretty cool and convincing, especially in close ups. There is a camera shot (spoiler free) when Frodo is in the marshes, of somebody's gloved hand that pulls out to a widescreen overview that is do danged cool I nearly laughed out loud. The film has magic in it. THE REAL QUESTION Was it as good as Fellowship? My first impressions which I reserve the right to change is No. It isn't as good as Fellowship, it is better. There is more room for air in the this film and it isn't quite as dense, although it is far from airy. If I can get past one major plot change on subsequent viewings, there will be no doubt about it. Party on,
MrCere
The Two Towers - Worth The Admission Price
Demosthenes @ 5:50 pm EST
Barliman's chat regular, IRHobbitish, was lucky enough to win tickets from a local radio station to the press preview of TTT in Salt Lake City. So, here goes for another review of The Two Towers ... IR writes: First and foremost, it is definitely worth the price of admission. I don't care if you have to pay $20.00 per ticket and the same for the goodies to go with it. Second - don't get too many of those goodies, as this is also a large popcorn, small drink movie. This installment is so action packed that you won't want to miss a thing. As you may have read in Time Magazine, this movie does not offer any segue between FOTR and TTT. Peter Jackson assumes that most, if not all, people who are going to shell out money to see this film will most likely go and rent FOTR before they go to see this. There will be no prelude such as "Previously - in Fellowship of the Ring, . . . . ." However, they do open with a short dream sequence in which Frodo is having a nightmare of when Gandalf fell. People will be well served to follow that advice. I had the advantage of seeing this film with a relatively small crowd. I can't say that there were more than 30 people present. It was strictly "cut to the chase"; No 30 minutes of trailers of other movies and the such. As this movie is 250 long - just until the credits start rolling, it was a nice touch. This movie sure begins with a BANG. If you like the way James Bond movies start - you will like this. If you are going to this movie as a Tolkien Purist, then there will be several things that you will have objections to. In some cases - things are downright backward. The movies starts off with Frodo and Sam in the broken peaks of the Emyn Muil. This part seemed to jump right out of the pages of the book for me. Then you get the switch to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. I don't believe that the movie pays enough attention to the companionship building between Legolas and Gimli. However, there were a lot of humorous lines given to Gimli to lighten the load. I would like to point out that I will always admire the cinematography of these films. Who knew that New Zealand was so BIG and that it was also so diverse. The settings that they picked for Edoras was RIGHT ON (something else that jumped from the pages of the book). I am glad that they have "beefed" up Aragorn's part from the last movie. I had been under the impression that he was too unsure of himself in the first film. I also believe that the character, Grima Wormtongue, was played to perfection. One of the scenes that my husband had objections to was the "awakening" of Theoden. This scene seemed to much like "The Exorcist" to him. He thought that it was turned into another wizard fight - much like in FOTR. On the other hand, I liked it just fine. The movies moves quite well through scenes with Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin and back to the rest of the remaining Fellowship. It seemed to have a good flow that I wasn't sure could be made to make sense (in the beginning). There seems to be a fairly even tempering between all three factions. Gollum was a delight to see. He really embodies the old cliché, "You're never alone with a Schizophrenic." I feel that the scenes with Gollum debating with himself were terrific. I thought that some of the scenes where Frodo is defending Gollum from Sam's jibes were a little overdone. But Mr. Hobbitish was quick to point out to me that this may have been done to further the notion that Frodo empathizes with Gollum for being a former Ringbearer. I was sorry that more time wasn't spent in Ithilien with the Herbs and Stewed Rabbit. I was also sorry that A LOT of artistic license was taken with the Faramir character from the books. However, if one hadn't read the books - they would not catch these changes. I thought that the whole idea of taking Frodo and the Ring to Osgiliath was to be completely superfluous. They could have left the whole scenes as they were at Henneth Annun and have been better served. I also worry that Frodo seems to be falling apart a bit prematurely. One would hope that he will be able to make it to the Cracks of Doom without having to be dragged every step of the way by Sam. It's one thing to be constantly pummeled emotionally by the ring and fighting it silently. It is quite another to be a wilting violet every time a Ringwraith is within 10 miles of him. As this review is going to reach its own book stage soon - I will sum up the rest of my own observations quickly. I was glad to see that Arwen did not make some She-Elf, warrior princess entrance at Helm's Deep (as was previously rumored). However, Aragorn is still running around without Narsil(or Andruil). I was surprised to see Haldir at Helm's Deep. I did not think that the gratuitous scenes between Aragorn and Arwen were particularly necessary - but they did serve to give the paying public and eyeful of why Aragorn is fighting so hard. I was glad that Aragorn had come out of his self imposed shell. However, I was not happy that Theoden was portrayed as being stand-offish. Aragorn seems to be bending Theoden's arms back in order to make him fight. I'm sure that he will come out of his shell by the next movie. He has a large part to play in ROTK. I was disappointed about the Entmoot. I thought that Treebeard should have been able to move the Ents into a greater frenzy - before they had to go and see the desolation of Isengard. In the books - Merry and Pippin were able to persuade Treebeard on their own - then he held the moot to persuade the Finally - I was disappointed that the movie was so short (even though it is just about the same length as the theatrical release as FOTR). Now - I don't think I can wait until next year to see ROTK. Now, I'm right back where I was a year ago. Biting my nails waiting for the next one. There seems to be a lot of footage that was filmed but has not made it into the final cut. This leaves the possibilities WIDE open for the next Extended Version DVD.
other Ents.
TTT Reviews Galore!
leo @ 5:15 pm EST
Wow did you guys also find it hard to keep up with all the The Two Towers-reviews floating in over the past week or so? Well we here at TORn certainly did so we decided to get them all together in one newsstory so you can take your time and browse through them all! But beware: ALL THE SPOILERS YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE!!
Another note upfront: I have not read a single review of the ones down here because of the simple reason I want to stay unspoiled and make up my own opinion after I see the movie, so I won't be able to tell you much about these reviews..
Anyway, off we go! The first review to appear online was from a visitor of AintitCoolNews.com, you can check it out here! If you want to know more read through the talkback-section, some questions from Talkbackers are answered there...
Next up was a great (or so I heard) review from LightsOutEntertainment, definitly worth a read and you can find it here! Be sure to also read through the two FAQ's they have compiled after the emailwave they must have gotten!
A 'stuffed with spoilers'-review of The Two Towers written by someone who attended the Writers Guild screening can be read here, it's not recommended to read this one if you would like to remain at least a little bit story-spoiler free.
Refreshingly enough there are also people who wrote a review that didn't feature a lot of spoilers. One of those can be read here. It deals mainly with the actors perfomances and has some minor Helms Deep spoilerish thnigs inside.
The guys from Filmjerk.com also wrote up a review, appearently it's quite enjoyable! Find out for yourself by clicking this link right here!
Someone who attended a New York screening earlier this week wrote in a review which can be found here, it contains the usual ammount of spoilers so I steered clear of it..
Now there was much writing about the MTV 'Movie House' screening of TTT, most of them weren't very positive about how MTV handled it. Someone nicked Sarumann wrote up two reviews after the screening; one of them spoilerfree and one filled with spoilers so take you pick! Both can be found right here!
Fox News reviewed the movie as well, (It was written by no other then Roger Friendman) and it was very positive! Naming TTT 'a big hit and Oscar nominee'! Read all about it here!
Another spoilerfree review written by Nerdanel can be found, read and enjoyed here!
Well-known entertainment columnist David Poland chimes in with his (extremely positive) full review of The Two Towers, calling it "a near-perfect piece of filmmaking." Read the review here!
Someone wrote in from Norway (yes they are also having screenings of The Two Towers there) with a nice review. Click me to read the review!
updated!: Entertainment Weekly also wrote up a review, but they only gave it a 'B' so I don't think they liked it very much, nevertheless you can find it here. Edit: okay I spoke too soon; the review was actually written by Owen Gleiberman (sorry Owen!), thanks to Anya for setting me straight!
updated!: Sky (UK's biggest satellite broadcaster) also reviewed The Two Towers, read their review here!
updated!: Barliman's chat regular, IRHobbitish, was lucky enough to win tickets from a local radio station to the press preview of TTT in Salt Lake City. So, here goes for another (spoiler-packed) review of The Two Towers. [More]
updated! Here's a review from Ronald Epstein at hometheatreforum.com. Spoilers and pictures! [More]
updated! Ringer Spy Hackenbush submits this spoilerish review. "Andy Serkis and Weta digital turn in a performance that makes Yoda look as exciting as a game of Pong," he writes. [More]
updated! Hollywood Reporter apparently loves Two Towers. "Well on its way to becoming one of the greatest achievements in cinema history," gushes the writer. [More]
updated!: Xenite.org also has a review online, it has pretty much the same highlights and 'lowpoints' as all the other reviews, check it out here!
updated!: and another review that dropped in my mailbox today is from Screendaily.com, you can read it here!
More On The UK RI:SE Clip
Demosthenes @ 4:24 pm EST
Malcolm writes: I was on my way out to work this morning when I caught a clip which I hadn't seen before from TTT on Channel 4's morning programme Rise. They said it was a world exclusive, I don't know if it's been shown anywhere else, but it was of Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas and Gandalf walking up the hall towards King Theoden (who looked quite old, if a touch dusty) and Wormtongue. It showed Wormtongue 'advising' Theoden, can't remember what was said but it was something about Gandalf being bad news, then Theoden basically accepted Wormtongue's opinion (a bit like a Stormtrooper accepting what Obi-Wan tells him). It finished with Wormtongue approaching Gandalf, Gandalf getting a bit angry, and it looked like it could've been just before Wormtongue gets banished.
RING LORE: A Beginner's Guide to The Two Towers TCG
Lao_of_Gondor @ 2:35 pm EST
RING LORE: THE TWO TOWERS TCG And so it begins... The long awaited return of RING LORE...a unique and in-depth study of the Lord of the Rings TCG by yours truly...Lao of Gondor. This newest installment of RING LORE will focus on how to get started playing THE TWO TOWERS TCG by Decipher, Inc. So if you are already an experienced gamer, please bear with me as I offer newcomers and beginners alike, my advice on how to start and share in the continuing adventure of the greatest TCG to date! The Two Towers TCG premiere set is definitely upon us and has indeed changed the face of LOTR TCG gaming as we know it. Since November 6th, throughout both League and Tournament play, I have been exposed to only a fraction of the potential within this 365 card set, and it is safe to say that the world of LOTR TCG gaming will never be the same. The Two Towers offers a complex, richly layered and unique gaming experience as it continues where the final Fellowship of the Ring expansion, The Realms of the Elf-Lords, ended. New cultures, characters, allies, possessions and enemies have been added to the mix as the quest to destroy the One Ring unfolds upon a new battleground. New mechanics, The adventure path is also quite new and has now changed to reflect two distinct journeys: Frodo and Sam's march towards Mordor and the charge of the "Three Hunters" (Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli) across the Rohan plains in search of their captured comrades, Merry and Pippin. The adventure path incorporates the same dynamic of 9 distinct SITE locations which, through the keywords RING-BOUND and UNBOUND, affect either journey - or both at the same time. But before we get into any of that, let's take this slowly and from the top: HOW DO I BEGIN PLAYING THE LOTR TCG: THE TWO TOWERS? If you are a newcomer to the game, or if you are interested in WHY ARE THERE THREE STARTER DECKS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT? The three different Starter decks represent three different design themes which give you a unique glimpse into the world of this trading card game. Starter decks offer you the ability to play straight out of the box with absolutely no need for enhancements from booster packs (see Booster Packs entry below). Each basic starter comes with a rulebook and a fixed 60-card deck plus three random rare cards - for a total of 63 cards per box. The Aragorn Starter Deck features the PREMIUM Aragorn as your suggested starting companion. It is further enhanced with GIMLI and LEGOLAS to offer you the strategy of how the "Three Hunters" tirelessly search for Merry and Pippin, who are also in this deck. The Shadow side features the new DUNLAND Culture: the savage wildmen recruited by Saruman - who's strength in numbers is almost as dangerous as the ferocity of the Uruk-Hai as they burn, pillage and plunder across the Rohan Plains! The culture of ROHAN represents the defense of the Free Peoples in the THEODEN Starter Deck. This configuration allows you to explore the nobility and power of the Riders of Rohan, and their leaders EOMER, EOWYN and THEODEN. Supporting the forces of Shadow are the fighting URUK-HAI, as they have returned with a more powerful and versatile nature, combining the use of archery and site control to dominate the world of men. Finally, the DELUXE Starter deck contains not only a playable deck (like the basic starters); it also contains an 11-card booster pack, glass bead tokens (to represent the twilight pool and wounds) player markers and comes in one of three beautifully designed containers branded with the cultural flavor and icon of the ELVEN, ISENGARD or ROHAN cultures. In the Deluxe Starter Deck, the Free Peoples side is based around GANDALF and his ability to generate power from the tokens in the twilight pool. The Shadow forces are represented by the newly introduced RAIDER culture - specifically Easterlings and Southerons; aggressive minions of men who have arsenals of new and as yet unexplored abilities such as the AMBUSH tactic! For a complete list of each starter deck, visit the Decipher TWO TOWERS Starter Decks Card list page here. WHAT ARE BOOSTER PACKS? Booster Packs are 11-card supplements that further enhance your ability to create new and devastating strategies for your customized deck design. Each booster pack is different and contains cards which represent each different culture. Each 11-card pack contains 1 rare card and one out of every 6 random packs contains an ultra-rare holographic card (a foil WHAT TYPE OF GAMING SUPPORT IS AVAILABLE? Ahh...you wish to test your skills, eh? Well then, when it comes to the community of gaming, there's none out there like that of the Lord of the Rings TCG. There are tournaments, league nights, home-based league kits, special events and even free demonstrations and strategy seminars thanks to the tireless efforts of the Riders of Rohan–Decipher's Product Champions. To find out who your local Rider of Rohan is, visit Decipher's Main Page or locate your specific area and Product Champion from the PC list here. For tournament information you can either go to Decipher's Tournament Main Page or visit the Decipher Games Management Authority at www.dgma.com. Or quite simply, visit your local retailer, gaming supply store or comic book shop and ask if they support tournament and league play and who the Rider is for that particular store. Believe me, if there's a gaming opportunity that you want to become involved in...we have got you covered! Aside from time, patience and a little luck...that's about it...you are ready to embark on one helluva gaming adventure! You will probably need to purchase the standard gaming supplies such as: glass tokens, dice, plastic card protectors, card binders, storage boxes and other such paraphernalia if you wish. My advice to you, if you really are interested in investing in this game, please always visit www.decipher.com for the latest news, updates, rules errata and FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) to keep your knowledge of this game current and up-to-date. And of course, keep an eye (or two, as often as you can spare them) on GAMING HAVENS here at TOR.N for more articles and strategy tips which you will definitely see in the near future. As for all of you experienced gamers out there, please use these guidelines as a means to advise newer players on how to enter the game. Remember, the more people who play, the more opportunities you will have for larger and more challenging playing experiences. And somewhere along the line, you will meet new friends, expand your playing community and most importantly of all...you will help secure the stability of the game within your area for years to come. THE TWO TOWERS is just beginning to unfold and its gaming opportunities are beyond measure. Hit those stores, buy those decks and get to work! Later, Lao of Gondor On the next Installment of RING LORE: CULTURAL IDENTITY!
A Beginner's Guide to Playing the Game
keywords and three new cultures: Dunland, Raider and Rohan have expanded the game in such way to reflect the vastness of the peoples and places of Middle-Earth, aside from those we have already experienced in the previous three Fellowship expansion sets.
continuing the thrill and excitement of the first three sets then visit your local gaming store, or your online retailer, and purchase either the ARAGORN Starter Deck, the THEODEN Starter Deck or - if your funds so allow - the DELUXE Starter Set. Depending on the vendor, the basic Starter Deck retails for $9.99 to $10.95 and the Deluxe ranges from $19.95 to $24.95. You can find all of these supplies and more here at the Decipher On-Line Store.
version of a card.) Booster packs come in boxes of 36 packs and can either be purchased by the pack or by the box - whichever you prefer. Packs usually retail for around $2.95 to $3.95 and full sealed boxes range from $80 to $100.
TTT Video Clips Galore
Arathorn @ 11:38 am EST
Ringer Spy Peter has done a great job of digitising a clip of PJ's appearance on the Today programme - as well as three clips of interest from the WB's "Return To Middle Earth". PJ's Appearance on Today (4 minutes, 6.4Mb Quicktime) [More] Beginning of the Warg Attack (2:29 minutes, 7.8Mb Quicktime) [More]
Approach to Edoras (58 seconds, 1.9Mb Quicktime) [More]
Fangorn (1:15 minutes, 2.9Mb Quicktime) [More]
TTT Turkey News
Xoanon @ 10:09 am EST
Yusuf writes: As confirmed, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers will be released on December 20th with 150 copies countrywide. There will be both Turkish subtitled and dubbed versions. The previous film became the second most watched foreign film in Turkey. CNN Turk (The Turkish sponsor of the film) will air a special documentary about TTT this sunday at 22:05. also the world and Turkey premieres will air live on CNN Turk with special interviews with Ian McKellen and Cate Blanchett!
| 12-04-02 Latest News |
Peter Jackson On 'Today'
Xoanon @ 9:17 pm EST
Peter Jackson was interviewed by Matt Lauer this morning which started off with an extended video clip of Saruman giving his speech to the Uruk Hai on the balcony of Orthanc. Matt started off with a joke, reading a piece from a press clipping written before the opening of "Fellowship." He read, "Peter Jackson is the guy that may ruin New Line Cinema if this movie sucks." Matt went on to say the movie proved the critics wrong by getting 13 Academy Award nominations and winning 4, and going on to earn $890MM. Matt then asked if now that the studio pressure is off, is it much easier this time around. Peter said he is in the fortunate position - "that ship has already sailed." Over the course of a year and a half, the film has already been shot. Then Peter said he must remain faithful to the movie, even more so than the book, because he views the films as one long story, broken in to three 3-hour pieces. He said he took some license with the film as he did with Fellowship, in order to tell the story the best way on film. Peter said The Two Towers literally picks up where Fellowship leaves off. Matt asks if this version is darker and more violent. Peter explained that the second chapter of a trilogy is inherently darker. He said the first piece sets up the characters and sees them set off on their Quest. Now, things get more difficult. At this point, we hear Peter's voice as we see some of the filming of TTT. There are shots of orcs falling off the ladders scaling the walls of Helms Deep. There are some beautiful shots of Edoras, Helms Deep, and of Theoden walking out of what looks to be an opening of the rocky wall at Helms Deep and Theoden turns around stopping Aragorn in his tracks and places his hand on Aragorn's chest. He speaks to Aragorn very enthusiastically and has the power of the healed Theoden. Then Matt asks him about the work ahead for ROTK. Peter just smiles and says next week he begins cutting the film together and that they have about 800 effects shots to work on, so they will be busy. Peter was actually wearing shoes this time, his black sneakers and a regular short sleeved polo shirt. Brave clothes, since it is 30 degrees Fahrenheit here in NYC today! Peter seemed quite calm and with his understated sense of humor.
The Viggo Flap
Xoanon @ 9:07 pm EST
Viggo Mortensen certainly got what he wished for, people talking politics and war as opposed to his role in TTT, this from his visit to the Charlie Rose show last night. TORN fans have certainly been vocal, both pro and con Viggo in regards to his statements last night. Take a sampling here: -I must say that the best part of the show was the clips from the film....there was some talk about making the film, and other projects that PJ, Elijah, and Viggo were working on, but, I'm sorry to say, Viggo spent the first 10 minutes talking about his political views. He was wearing a t-shirt that said No Blood For Oil. I did not feel that this was the time or place for making a political statement. I was very disappointed that Viggo chose to do just that. PJ and Elijah were not included in this discussion, and the host tried to turn the subject away more than once. As a fan of the films, I wanted to hear about TTT, but instead, I got to hear Viggo's position on Iraq. I hope that future shows about TTT are actually about TTT. Nikki -I was hoping for some scoop on the movie, maybe a little insight from the director and actors about the filming of the movies, what to expect next, etc. What’s up with Viggo Mortensen hijacking half the segment with a monologue on US foreign policy? I can’t believe I stayed up late on a school night to watch it… - I'm sure you've gotten a ton of emails about this already about Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, and Viggo Mortensen being on the show Charlie Rose last night. They showed three clips from TTT. One being the scene when they first meet with Eomer where Legolas almost takes him out for threatening Gimli. Another was when Frodo -Viggo had a shirt on that said, No blood for Oil. He questioned the U.S. on attacking and bombing innocent people. He said the U.S. is the bad guy and that Bush is Saruman. He said we should question what's going on. He also said it's wrong how the news turns into a countdown to war, like it's a countdown to New Years. Which I agree with, but I don't think the U.S. is seeking out to kill innocent people. Sadly they're in the way and the real bad guys, the terrorist use them as shields. The difference between the U.S. and the terrorist and sadam is that their intentions are to kill innocent people. We're trying to fight an enemy amongst an innocent people. It's not easy to get to these devils. Sadly innocent people die. Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a political debate. It just surprised me how out spoken Viggo is on the subject. Charlie Rose asked him back, just so they could continue the discussion. Viggo said he'd like that. Viggo sort of reminds me of Harrison Ford. Soft speaker and he seems shy, but on screen he's an intense actor. Anyway, that left 10 minutes to talk to Peter and Elijah. -Orionsaint -I could not resist reacting to your comments about Viggo's appearance with Charlie Rose. First of all, I thought it was selfish and arrogant of Viggo to wear his political views on the program. The purpose of the program was to discuss and promote the movie. His shirt and comments took time away from Peter and Elijah and a further discussion of the movie. Secondly, for him to equate the U.S. with the evil Saruman shows an extreme absence of moral clarity. Perhaps he should live in a totalitarian country such as Irag, N. Korea, Sudan, etc. and experience what is truly evil. Maybe then he'll appreciate the United States. Sorry, but I don't see where his comments are "brave" or "knowledgeable". He came across as a naive, moral idiot (and he is certainly no "Aragorn"!) Thanks for listening! Kirk -Maybe it's the Canadian in me, but I agree wholeheartedly with the comments of your reporter "Richard" re: Viggo Mortensen on The Charlie Rose Show. I'd read some condemnation on the web this morning about what Mortensen said, then anxiously, nervously watched the program this afternoon -- when the PBS affiliate in Buffalo broadcasts it -- because I've seen some movie stars (hello Barbra Streisand) make complete mugs of themself when they tip-toe into the political arena. Bravo! For Viggo!! Not only did he come out alive, my admiration for him just went up a hundred-fold. He was informed and opinionated, without being aloof or confrontational, and acquitted himself wonderfully. He knew his stuff. He bravely went out on a limb, and will likely be condemned in many quarters as a traitor, but in my mind he was a genuine American patriot, asking serious questions that needed to be asked. It was telling that Rose invited him back to address the issue some other time -- Rose knows a smart guy when he sees and hears one. (I'm not sure if you are aware, but Justin Raimondo, the brains behind antiwar.com, wrote an excellent review of FOTR that ran last December ("Sauron in Washington" - http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j122401.html ) that -I'm not f**king interested in you're motherf**king opinion about politics. Stick to the movies!!! Viggo is an a$$hole for attacking the very country that gives him the right to spew his bullshit. F**K you and him!!!! (kindly edited by me -Xo) -Xoanon -- Thanks for posting Richard's note. I saw Viggo and Charlie rumble on PBS too, and boy it was the best thing I've seen on color TV in a long time. Charlie said he would actually like to have Viggo back to discuss the issues with some right-wingers. It took me a while to explain to my husband the connection Viggo was making between the mechanized war-machine of Saruman and the bombing-from-30,000-feet war-machine that is the USA armed forces. BUT, I feel that the point must be driven home that Viggo was NOT SUPPORTING ANY COMPARISON between current events and either Jackson's or Tolkien's work. He was merely stating, if you're going to make that UNJUST comparison, get it right who is defending their homeland and who the war-machine is. I just wanted to put another letter of support for Viggo in, there are plenty of the younger generation who are seeking to oppose the war, but who are struggling to find organized anti-war efforts. Oh look, here comes the Dec 8 deadline... off I go to the frontline. PEACE JLPE
and Sam are wandering around and realize that they just went in a circle and that they are being followed. And the last is where Frodo and Sam are in some kind of storage room (perhaps after being taken by Faramir?) and they want to escape. Here Sam urges Frodo to put on the ring so that they may escape. Basically, Peter said the same things you heard everywhere else. Elijah didn't get to say much. The majority of the show was about Viggo (who was wearing that "no more blood for oil" shirt) and his political standpoint on the US war. Charlie tried to blow Viggo off like he was one of those misinformed idiotic actors trying to sound smart. But he eventually shut up and let Viggo talk. Viggo made a lot of good points. It was fun to watch because Viggo didn't care if Charlie agreed with him or not. haha. -Fozzer
hits many of the same points that Mortensen was expressing and runs counter to many of interpretations FOTR has received in the mainstream American press over the past year.) I thought the conversation might become a total distraction, but Elijah and Peter didn't seem put-out, and listened patiently and attentively. Later, I was most fascinated about Peter's comments regarding the uncomfortable political campaign of The Academy Awards. He said he'll never be a part of such a campaign ever again. Take care, and thanks for the accurate, balanced view. T. B
USA Two Towers Programming
Strider @ 3:50 pm EST
This post from Xenu's Sister from usenet group rec.arts.books.tolkien may be very useful for people in the USA - it's a near comprehensive listing of all tolkien/lotr-related TV shows for the next two weeks. It may not be complete, but there's a lot of stuff here ... The shows aren't in any specific order. ALL MY TIMES ARE CENTRAL STANDARD. CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS. SYNDICATED means that the program airs at different times on local NEW Syndicated - Charlie Rose "Movie 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'; director Peter Jackson; Elijah ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers cast". ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ========= Syndicated - Access Hollywood "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers premiere" ========= WB - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Middle-Earth ========= NBC - Today ========= NBC - Today ========= Ch 9 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Return to Middle Earth I don't know if this is local to Chicago, or national, or what. My Tivo ========= BBCAmerica - French & Saunders The blurb says "The duo spoofs the movie blockbuster." ========= Bravo - From Page to Screen New show about adapting published works for the screen. ========= Bravo - Bravo Profiles A repeat, but was filmed after the LOTR: FOTR shoot. ========= Bravo - James Lipton's Inside the Actors Studio It's listed as a premiere, so it's new. ========= MTV - Movie House "Making the second of the Tolkien trilogy." ========= MTV - Making the Video Game: Lord of the Rings "The creation of a video game based on the movie." ========= Starz - On the Set Amazing that there are so many of these so close together. Starz! is weird. Starz! is also showing the movie LOTR: FOTR this month. They've been having ========= NEW ? - Regis & Kelly This isn't in my Tivo yet, I just heard about it. ========
stations. Check your local listings.
=========
The Two Towers
Tuesday December 3 11:00pm (Channel 11 Chicago)
Wednesday December 4 12:00am (Channel 20 Chicago)
Wood; Viggo Mortensen."
The Two Towers
December 4 12:37am
The Two Towers
December 6 6:30pm
December 10 12:37am
The Two Towers
Friday December 6 6:30pm
The Two Towers
December 4 - 8:00pm
Peter Jackson
December 4 - 7:00am
Elijah Wood
December 12 - 7:00am
The Two Towers
December 4 7:00pm
picked it up. The blurb says "Michael Rosenbaum previews the feature film
and chronicles the life-altering adventures shared by its stars in New
Zealand during the three-film shoot."
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 5 7:00pm
December 6 2:00am
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 7:00pm
December 9 - 10:00pm
December 10 - 3:00pm
December 13 - 11:00m
December 15 - 11:00am
Cate Blanchett
December 8 - 6:00pm
December 9 - 12:00am
December 14 - 12:00am
Ian McKellen
December 8 - 7:00pm
December 8 - 11:00pm
December 15 - 10:00am
The Two Towers
December 9 - 8:00pm
December 10 - 2:00pm
December 11 - 10:00pm
December 12 - 5:00pm
December 13 - 3:30pm
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 8:30pm
December 10 - 1:30pm
December 11 - 10:30pm
December 12 - 5:30pm
December 13 - 4:00pm
The Two Towers
December 11 - 10:45pm
December 12 - 1:45am
December 13 - 10:40pm
December 14 - 6:40am
December 14 - 2:40pm
December 14 - 5:00pm
December 14 - 8:00pm
December 14 - 10:40pm
December 15 - 1:15am
December 15 - 4:15am
December 15 - 6:40am
December 15 - 12:05pm
December 15 - 2:40pm
December 15 - 3:05pm
beautiful preview sequences between movies.
Elijah Wood
December 13th - ? (Check local listings)
USA Two Towers Programming
Strider @ 3:47 pm EST
This post from Xenu's Sister from usenet group rec.arts.books.tolkien may be very useful for people in the USA - it's a near comprehensive listing of all tolkien/lotr-related TV shows for the next two weeks. It may not be complete, but there's a lot of stuff here ... The shows aren't in any specific order. ALL MY TIMES ARE CENTRAL STANDARD. CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS. SYNDICATED means that the program airs at different times on local NEW Syndicated - Charlie Rose "Movie 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'; director Peter Jackson; Elijah ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers cast". ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ========= Syndicated - Access Hollywood "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers premiere" ========= WB - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Middle-Earth ========= NBC - Today ========= NBC - Today ========= Ch 9 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Return to Middle Earth I don't know if this is local to Chicago, or national, or what. My Tivo ========= BBCAmerica - French & Saunders The blurb says "The duo spoofs the movie blockbuster." ========= Bravo - From Page to Screen New show about adapting published works for the screen. ========= Bravo - Bravo Profiles A repeat, but was filmed after the LOTR: FOTR shoot. ========= Bravo - James Lipton's Inside the Actors Studio It's listed as a premiere, so it's new. ========= MTV - Movie House "Making the second of the Tolkien trilogy." ========= MTV - Making the Video Game: Lord of the Rings "The creation of a video game based on the movie." ========= Starz - On the Set Amazing that there are so many of these so close together. Starz! is weird. Starz! is also showing the movie LOTR: FOTR this month. They've been having ========= NEW ? - Regis & Kelly This isn't in my Tivo yet, I just heard about it. ========
stations. Check your local listings.
=========
The Two Towers
Tuesday December 3 11:00pm (Channel 11 Chicago)
Wednesday December 4 12:00am (Channel 20 Chicago)
Wood; Viggo Mortensen."
The Two Towers
December 4 12:37am
The Two Towers
December 6 6:30pm
December 10 12:37am
The Two Towers
Friday December 6 6:30pm
The Two Towers
December 4 - 8:00pm
Peter Jackson
December 4 - 7:00am
Elijah Wood
December 12 - 7:00am
The Two Towers
December 4 7:00pm
picked it up. The blurb says "Michael Rosenbaum previews the feature film
and chronicles the life-altering adventures shared by its stars in New
Zealand during the three-film shoot."
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 5 7:00pm
December 6 2:00am
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 7:00pm
December 9 - 10:00pm
December 10 - 3:00pm
December 13 - 11:00m
December 15 - 11:00am
Cate Blanchett
December 8 - 6:00pm
December 9 - 12:00am
December 14 - 12:00am
Ian McKellen
December 8 - 7:00pm
December 8 - 11:00pm
December 15 - 10:00am
The Two Towers
December 9 - 8:00pm
December 10 - 2:00pm
December 11 - 10:00pm
December 12 - 5:00pm
December 13 - 3:30pm
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 8:30pm
December 10 - 1:30pm
December 11 - 10:30pm
December 12 - 5:30pm
December 13 - 4:00pm
The Two Towers
December 11 - 10:45pm
December 12 - 1:45am
December 13 - 10:40pm
December 14 - 6:40am
December 14 - 2:40pm
December 14 - 5:00pm
December 14 - 8:00pm
December 14 - 10:40pm
December 15 - 1:15am
December 15 - 4:15am
December 15 - 6:40am
December 15 - 12:05pm
December 15 - 2:40pm
December 15 - 3:05pm
beautiful preview sequences between movies.
Elijah Wood
December 13th - ? (Check local listings)
USA Two Towers Programming
Strider @ 3:41 pm EST
This post from Xenu's Sister from usenet group rec.arts.books.tolkien may be very useful for people in the USA - it's a near comprehensive listing of all tolkien/lotr-related TV shows for the next two weeks. It may not be complete, but there's a lot of stuff here ... The shows aren't in any specific order. ALL MY TIMES ARE CENTRAL STANDARD. CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS. SYNDICATED means that the program airs at different times on local NEW Syndicated - Charlie Rose "Movie 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'; director Peter Jackson; Elijah ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers cast". ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ========= Syndicated - Access Hollywood "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers premiere" ========= WB - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Middle-Earth ========= NBC - Today ========= NBC - Today ========= Ch 9 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Return to Middle Earth I don't know if this is local to Chicago, or national, or what. My Tivo ========= BBCAmerica - French & Saunders The blurb says "The duo spoofs the movie blockbuster." ========= Bravo - From Page to Screen New show about adapting published works for the screen. ========= Bravo - Bravo Profiles A repeat, but was filmed after the LOTR: FOTR shoot. ========= Bravo - James Lipton's Inside the Actors Studio It's listed as a premiere, so it's new. ========= MTV - Movie House "Making the second of the Tolkien trilogy." ========= MTV - Making the Video Game: Lord of the Rings "The creation of a video game based on the movie." ========= Starz - On the Set Amazing that there are so many of these so close together. Starz! is weird. Starz! is also showing the movie LOTR: FOTR this month. They've been having ========= NEW ? - Regis & Kelly This isn't in my Tivo yet, I just heard about it. ========
stations. Check your local listings.
=========
The Two Towers
Tuesday December 3 11:00pm (Channel 11 Chicago)
Wednesday December 4 12:00am (Channel 20 Chicago)
Wood; Viggo Mortensen."
The Two Towers
December 4 12:37am
The Two Towers
December 6 6:30pm
December 10 12:37am
The Two Towers
Friday December 6 6:30pm
The Two Towers
December 4 - 8:00pm
Peter Jackson
December 4 - 7:00am
Elijah Wood
December 12 - 7:00am
The Two Towers
December 4 7:00pm
picked it up. The blurb says "Michael Rosenbaum previews the feature film
and chronicles the life-altering adventures shared by its stars in New
Zealand during the three-film shoot."
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 5 7:00pm
December 6 2:00am
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 7:00pm
December 9 - 10:00pm
December 10 - 3:00pm
December 13 - 11:00m
December 15 - 11:00am
Cate Blanchett
December 8 - 6:00pm
December 9 - 12:00am
December 14 - 12:00am
Ian McKellen
December 8 - 7:00pm
December 8 - 11:00pm
December 15 - 10:00am
The Two Towers
December 9 - 8:00pm
December 10 - 2:00pm
December 11 - 10:00pm
December 12 - 5:00pm
December 13 - 3:30pm
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 8:30pm
December 10 - 1:30pm
December 11 - 10:30pm
December 12 - 5:30pm
December 13 - 4:00pm
The Two Towers
December 11 - 10:45pm
December 12 - 1:45am
December 13 - 10:40pm
December 14 - 6:40am
December 14 - 2:40pm
December 14 - 5:00pm
December 14 - 8:00pm
December 14 - 10:40pm
December 15 - 1:15am
December 15 - 4:15am
December 15 - 6:40am
December 15 - 12:05pm
December 15 - 2:40pm
December 15 - 3:05pm
beautiful preview sequences between movies.
Elijah Wood
December 13th - ? (Check local listings)
TV Watch: E!, ET & CharliE Rose
Xoanon @ 3:39 pm EST
Richard writes: There's a short article on The Two Towers at The E! News Live website also has an interview with Elijah here. (RealPlayer needed) [More] I also watched the Charlie Rose show and have a summary of it: The first couple of minutes shows Elijah and Viggo answering a couple of questions with some quick shots from the trailers showing, then for a period of around 22 minutes, Albina du Boisrouvray talks about AIDS. Finally, after an older trailer for The Two Towers plays, Peter Jackson, Elijah, and Viggo are interviewed together for the rest of the show. All is going as expected for a few minutes until Charlie Rose comments on Viggo's T-shirt which reads, "NO MORE BLOOD FOR OIL" in bold handwritten letters. Then the topic changes completely and for several minutes, Charlie and Viggo debate the topic of the US governments' war on terrorism and Iraq. Viggo said some of the most bold things I've heard from anyone about the US response to 9/11 and the situation in Iraq. He basically feels that the US was unjust in bombing innocent civilians in Afghanistan and is against a war on Iraq. He also did not like how people compare the US to the good guys in The Lord of the Rings movies and terrorists to Sauron and Saruman. He says that the opposite is, unfortunately, true and that the US is like Saruman in its need to control and cause destruction in other countries. Viggo spoke rather intelligently and he went out on a thin limb making these somewhat radical statements, but he made his point and came out alive. Charlie Rose was defending the US, but he said he respected Viggo for making his comments. I have even more respect for Viggo now as it required a large amount of bravery and knowledge to say what he did, and he faced some strong arguments from Charlie Rose. Throughout the show (which had no more talk of politics after that), 3 clips were shown. 2 of them were the ones shown on E! News Live and the last one was in a small room with wooden barrels in it and Sam tries to encourage Frodo to put on the ring to escape, but Frodo says he can't. Pretty interesting.
Entertainment Tonight's website. There will also be a look at The Two Towers New York Premiere on Entertainment Tonight on Friday, Dec. 6. This shows airs at around 7:00 or 7:30pm across the US on a local channel. More]
USA Two Towers Programming
Strider @ 3:35 pm EST
This post from Xenu's Sister from usenet group rec.arts.books.tolkien may be very useful for people in the USA - it's a near comprehensive listing of all tolkien/lotr-related TV shows for the next two weeks. It may not be complete, but there's a lot of stuff here ... The shows aren't in any specific order. ALL MY TIMES ARE CENTRAL STANDARD. CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS. SYNDICATED means that the program airs at different times on local NEW Syndicated - Charlie Rose "Movie 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'; director Peter Jackson; Elijah ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers cast". ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ========= Syndicated - Access Hollywood "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers premiere" ========= WB - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Middle-Earth ========= NBC - Today ========= NBC - Today ========= Ch 9 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Return to Middle Earth I don't know if this is local to Chicago, or national, or what. My Tivo ========= BBCAmerica - French & Saunders The blurb says "The duo spoofs the movie blockbuster." ========= Bravo - From Page to Screen New show about adapting published works for the screen. ========= Bravo - Bravo Profiles A repeat, but was filmed after the LOTR: FOTR shoot. ========= Bravo - James Lipton's Inside the Actors Studio It's listed as a premiere, so it's new. ========= MTV - Movie House "Making the second of the Tolkien trilogy." ========= MTV - Making the Video Game: Lord of the Rings "The creation of a video game based on the movie." ========= Starz - On the Set Amazing that there are so many of these so close together. Starz! is weird. Starz! is also showing the movie LOTR: FOTR this month. They've been having ========= NEW ? - Regis & Kelly This isn't in my Tivo yet, I just heard about it. ========
stations. Check your local listings.
=========
The Two Towers
Tuesday December 3 11:00pm (Channel 11 Chicago)
Wednesday December 4 12:00am (Channel 20 Chicago)
Wood; Viggo Mortensen."
The Two Towers
December 4 12:37am
The Two Towers
December 6 6:30pm
December 10 12:37am
The Two Towers
Friday December 6 6:30pm
The Two Towers
December 4 - 8:00pm
Peter Jackson
December 4 - 7:00am
Elijah Wood
December 12 - 7:00am
The Two Towers
December 4 7:00pm
picked it up. The blurb says "Michael Rosenbaum previews the feature film
and chronicles the life-altering adventures shared by its stars in New
Zealand during the three-film shoot."
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 5 7:00pm
December 6 2:00am
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 7:00pm
December 9 - 10:00pm
December 10 - 3:00pm
December 13 - 11:00m
December 15 - 11:00am
Cate Blanchett
December 8 - 6:00pm
December 9 - 12:00am
December 14 - 12:00am
Ian McKellen
December 8 - 7:00pm
December 8 - 11:00pm
December 15 - 10:00am
The Two Towers
December 9 - 8:00pm
December 10 - 2:00pm
December 11 - 10:00pm
December 12 - 5:00pm
December 13 - 3:30pm
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 8:30pm
December 10 - 1:30pm
December 11 - 10:30pm
December 12 - 5:30pm
December 13 - 4:00pm
The Two Towers
December 11 - 10:45pm
December 12 - 1:45am
December 13 - 10:40pm
December 14 - 6:40am
December 14 - 2:40pm
December 14 - 5:00pm
December 14 - 8:00pm
December 14 - 10:40pm
December 15 - 1:15am
December 15 - 4:15am
December 15 - 6:40am
December 15 - 12:05pm
December 15 - 2:40pm
December 15 - 3:05pm
beautiful preview sequences between movies.
Elijah Wood
December 13th - ? (Check local listings)
USA Two Towers Programming
Strider @ 3:30 pm EST
This post from Xenu's Sister from usenet group rec.arts.books.tolkien may be very useful for people in the USA - it's a near comprehensive listing of all tolkien/lotr-related TV shows for the next two weeks. It may not be complete, but there's a lot of stuff here ... The shows aren't in any specific order. ALL MY TIMES ARE CENTRAL STANDARD. CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS. SYNDICATED means that the program airs at different times on local NEW Syndicated - Charlie Rose "Movie 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'; director Peter Jackson; Elijah ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers cast". ========= Syndicated - Entertainment Tonight Tivo blurb just says "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ========= Syndicated - Access Hollywood "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers premiere" ========= WB - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Middle-Earth ========= NBC - Today ========= NBC - Today ========= Ch 9 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Return to Middle Earth I don't know if this is local to Chicago, or national, or what. My Tivo ========= BBCAmerica - French & Saunders The blurb says "The duo spoofs the movie blockbuster." ========= Bravo - From Page to Screen New show about adapting published works for the screen. ========= Bravo - Bravo Profiles A repeat, but was filmed after the LOTR: FOTR shoot. ========= Bravo - James Lipton's Inside the Actors Studio It's listed as a premiere, so it's new. ========= MTV - Movie House "Making the second of the Tolkien trilogy." ========= MTV - Making the Video Game: Lord of the Rings "The creation of a video game based on the movie." ========= Starz - On the Set Amazing that there are so many of these so close together. Starz! is weird. Starz! is also showing the movie LOTR: FOTR this month. They've been having ========= NEW ? - Regis & Kelly This isn't in my Tivo yet, I just heard about it. ========
stations. Check your local listings.
=========
The Two Towers
Tuesday December 3 11:00pm (Channel 11 Chicago)
Wednesday December 4 12:00am (Channel 20 Chicago)
Wood; Viggo Mortensen."
The Two Towers
December 4 12:37am
The Two Towers
December 6 6:30pm
December 10 12:37am
The Two Towers
Friday December 6 6:30pm
The Two Towers
December 4 - 8:00pm
Peter Jackson
December 4 - 7:00am
Elijah Wood
December 12 - 7:00am
The Two Towers
December 4 7:00pm
picked it up. The blurb says "Michael Rosenbaum previews the feature film
and chronicles the life-altering adventures shared by its stars in New
Zealand during the three-film shoot."
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 5 7:00pm
December 6 2:00am
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 7:00pm
December 9 - 10:00pm
December 10 - 3:00pm
December 13 - 11:00m
December 15 - 11:00am
Cate Blanchett
December 8 - 6:00pm
December 9 - 12:00am
December 14 - 12:00am
Ian McKellen
December 8 - 7:00pm
December 8 - 11:00pm
December 15 - 10:00am
The Two Towers
December 9 - 8:00pm
December 10 - 2:00pm
December 11 - 10:00pm
December 12 - 5:00pm
December 13 - 3:30pm
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
December 9 - 8:30pm
December 10 - 1:30pm
December 11 - 10:30pm
December 12 - 5:30pm
December 13 - 4:00pm
The Two Towers
December 11 - 10:45pm
December 12 - 1:45am
December 13 - 10:40pm
December 14 - 6:40am
December 14 - 2:40pm
December 14 - 5:00pm
December 14 - 8:00pm
December 14 - 10:40pm
December 15 - 1:15am
December 15 - 4:15am
December 15 - 6:40am
December 15 - 12:05pm
December 15 - 2:40pm
December 15 - 3:05pm
beautiful preview sequences between movies.
Elijah Wood
December 13th - ? (Check local listings)
Media Watch: TeanBeat Magazine
Xoanon @ 12:26 am EST
Emma sends along these scans from TeanBeat Magazine, take a look!
Media Watch: Starlog Magazine
Xoanon @ 12:14 am EST
Emma sends along these scans from Starlog magazine's January issue, take a look!
