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The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, a review by Antares

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy   



PrefaceThe Lord of the Rings to be the greatest piece of literary fiction ever penned by an author. The intricacies and detail that went into the development of this grand saga are as wondrous as the story itself. Not only did Tolkien create a mystical landscape upon which to set his tale, but he also created full-scale languages for the different races of beings that inhabited his Middle Earth. Co-existing in a world akin to our middle ages, elves, dwarves, hobbits and men live peaceably side-by-side and in times of strife, unite to battle the destructive forces of the bastion of pure evil in their world, Lord Sauron.

       I was first indoctrinated into this magical world, by a friend in high school who let me borrow the pre-cursor to this epic, The HobbitThe Fellowship of the Ring



Year: 2001
Film Studio: New Line Cinema, WingNut Films
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Length: 208 Min.

Director
Peter Jackson (1961)

Writing
J. R. R. Tolkien (1892)...Novel "The Fellowship Of The Ring"
Fran Walsh (1959)...Screenplay
Philippa Boyens...Screenplay
Peter Jackson (1961)...Screenplay

Producer
Peter Jackson (1961)
Michael Lynne (1941)
Mark Ordesky (1963)
Barrie M. Osborne (1944)
Rick Porras
Tim Sanders
Jamie Selkirk
Robert Shaye (1939)
Ellen Somers
Fran Walsh (1959)
Bob Weinstein (1954)
Harvey Weinstein (1952)

Cinematographer
Andrew Lesnie (1956)

Music
Howard Shore (1946)...Composer

Review
       In 1999, director Peter Jackson was relatively unknown to mainstream American film audiences, but was famous in his homeland of New Zealand for making stylish and creative horror films. Being adept with the criteria needed for making successful special effects laden films would help him to overcome many obstacles associated with a production of this magnitude. Not only would he be directing this epic, but he would also be one of three authors co-writing the screenplay. This The Two Towers



Year: 2002
Film Studio: New Line Cinema, WingNut Films
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Length: 222 Min.

Director
Peter Jackson (1961)

Writing
J. R. R. Tolkien (1892)...Novel "The Two Towers"
Fran Walsh (1959)...Screenplay
Philippa Boyens...Screenplay
Stephen Sinclair...Screenplay
Peter Jackson (1961)...Screenplay

Producer
Peter Jackson (1961)
Michael Lynne (1941)
Mark Ordesky (1963)
Barrie M. Osborne (1944)
Rick Porras
Jamie Selkirk
Robert Shaye (1939)
Fran Walsh (1959)
Bob Weinstein (1954)
Harvey Weinstein (1952)

Cinematographer
Andrew Lesnie (1956)

Music
Howard Shore (1946)...Composer

Review
   With the incredible success of The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, would director Peter Jackson be able to duplicate the excitement and entertainment in his second outing, or succumb to the dreaded ? The task ahead was daunting; in the his group of characters had moved unilaterally to achieve their goal, but now they have splintered and have gone in separate directions. Simultaneous storylines in a film have always been a problem for directors, but Jackson was working with great material and benefited from the fact, that a high percentage of his audience had already read the book. This would give him the freedom to move back and forth between the concurrent plots and still keep hold of the viewer. I have spoken to many people who found the second film to be a little lethargic in its pace and not quite as exciting as The Fellowship of the RingThe Two TowersSpartacusThe Two Towers is an incredible transitional piece of filmmaking between the first and last films of this series.

The Return of the King



Year: 2003
Film Studio: New Line Cinema, WingNut Films
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Length: 263 Min.

Director
Peter Jackson (1961)

Writing
J. R. R. Tolkien (1892)...Novel: The Return of the King
Philippa Boyens...Screenwriter
Peter Jackson (1961)...Screenwriter
Fran Walsh (1959)...Screenwriter

Producer
Peter Jackson (1961)
Michael Lynne (1941)
Mark Ordesky (1963)
Barrie M. Osborne (1944)
Rick Porras
Jamie Selkirk
Robert Shaye (1939)
Fran Walsh (1959)
Bob Weinstein (1954)
Harvey Weinstein (1952)

Cinematographer
Andrew Lesnie (1956)

Music
Howard Shore (1946)...Composer

Review
       As that old saying goes, , and with the release of the final film in the LOTR trilogy, Peter Jackson was hoping to go out with a bang in the The Return of the KingThe Return of the KingSummaryGettysburgRatings Criterion4 Stars - Historically important film, considered a classic.

(From The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001, 2002, 2003) on December 21st, 2009)

The Boondock Saints, a review by addicted2dvd

The Boondock Saints (1999/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Troy Duffy Writing: Troy Duffy (Writer) Length: 108 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Stars:
Willem Dafoe as Paul Smecker
Sean Patrick Flanery as Conner MacManus
Norman Reedus as Murphy MacManus
David Della Rocco as Rocco
Billy Connolly as Il Duce

Plot:Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes/Bloopers
• The Boondock Saints Script, D-Box Motion Code

I must say... I really enjoyed this one. Lots of great action and a really good story to go along with it, Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus did a wonderful job as the MacManus brothers and Willem Dafoe did a great job as well in a roll much different then I ever seen him in before. And I must say he (as well as all the cast) looked like they had a real blast with this one. This is one film I will be recommending to my friends and family. Now I just need to add part 2 to my collection to go along with this one. Hopefully sooner rather then later!



(From Within My Lifetime: 2016 Edition on February 23rd, 2016)

Fear Itself Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

10. Chance
In the vein of such classic doppelganger stories as "Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde" and Poe's "William Wilson," "Chance" explores the dreadful classic battle that ensues when a man is confronted by his evil self. 
Director: John Dahl (You Kill Me, The Last Seduction)

Stars:
Ethan Embry
Vondie Curtis Hall
Christine Chatelain
Sean Hoy
Ellen Ewusie

My Thoughts:
This one... now this one wasn't all that great to me. I didn't find the story very interesting. It seemed to be drawn out as I found myself checking the clock on a few occasions throughout the episode. And I found I really didn't care about the characters.

My Rating:

(From Fear Itself Marathon on April 15th, 2010)