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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)

Rango, a review by Dragonfire

I went to see Rango when it was in the theater here.  I'm just a little late writing about it.

It is a fun animated western that I really enjoyed.  Even though I'm not as familiar with many westerns overall, I did notice the different influences in the movie.  That makes the plot a bit more predictable, but it is still well done and entertaining and definitely worth watching.  The plot is interesting, dealing with a chameleon pet who ends up stranded in the desert.  He has a love of acting and seems to have some identity issues.  After arriving in the small town of Dirt, Rango claims to be a tough gun fighter and it isn't long before he's made sheriff.  Things go well for a while, but then Rango is forced to face up to a few things.

The animation is really well done, with some of the settings looking very realistic.  Unlike most of the other recently released animated movies, there wasn't a 3D version for this one.  The characters have an interesting look.  Many of them, including Rango, aren't exactly cute, but they still manage to be likable overall.  I could have done without the giant rattlesnake though.

Johnny Depp was perfect as the voice of Rango.  The other voice cast did well for their characters as well. 

I really enjoyed this movie overall and will be adding it to my collection once it is released.



I did get a review posted on Epinions after seeing the movie originally.

Rango

(From Rango on May 8th, 2011)

Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

30 Rock: Season One (2006/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States) Length: 463 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Plot:Tina Fey writes, executive produces, and stars as Liz Lemon, the head writer of a live variety program in New York City. Liz's life is turned upside down when brash new network executive Jack Donaghy (Alec BaldwinTracy Morgan) into the cast. Now it's up to Liz to manage the mayhem and still try to have a life. Join in the behind-the-scenes hilarity with the complete first season (21 episodes) on DVD.

30 Rock
1.01 Pilot (2006-10-11)
Writer: Tina Fey (Created By), Tina Fey (Writer)
Director: Adam Bernstein
Cast: Tina Fey (Liz), Tracy Morgan (Tracy), Jane Krakowski (Jenna), Jack McBrayer (Kenneth), Scott Adsit (Pete), Judah Friedlander (Frank), Alec Baldwin (Jack), Rachel Dratch (Greta Johansen), Keith Powell (Toofer), Lonny Ross (Josh), Maulik Pancholy (Jonathan), Katrina Bowden (Cerie), Tom Broecker (Lee), Teddy Coluca (Stage Manager), Gary Cowling (Tourist), Kevin Dorff (Guy Buying Hot Dogs), Anita Durst (Businesswoman), Emana Rochelle (Stripper), Tabbie Conrad (Chicken and Waffles Employee), Ciaran Tyrell (Waiter), Alison White (Tourist)

Looking back, this pilot is rather different than the series. But you can already see the potential of the break-out character of Kenneth. Tina Fey's character is already very much like later on, but this is no wonder, as she mostly plays herself.

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on March 24th, 2011)